Saturday
It had been a week since Block Day. The memory still clung to the edges of Eli's thoughts, the lanterns, the laughter, the sound of community. But this morning, the weight of reality settled in fast.
Eli awoke early, as always. The light in the room was still faint, filtering through the cheap curtains in dusty strands. He sat up on his thin mattress, rubbed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. It wasn't exhaustion that made him pause, it was the quiet understanding that every morning like this meant more responsibilities than the last.
He went through his morning routine on autopilot: brush, rinse, pull on a hoodie, splash his face. A dull ache sat at the base of his neck, stress, probably. He rubbed at it, reached for his phone, and tapped the familiar icon.
DING!"Congratulations on signing in."The system's mechanical voice was flat but oddly comforting, like a strange ritual that had grown into something reassuring.
Eli blinked.190,000 yuan.He stared at the number for a moment, the zeros swimming in his vision. That was… a lot. More than he'd had in months, maybe ever. His heart beat faster, not just from the excitement, but from the possibilities it hinted at.
Was it enough? No, not yet. But it was a step. A real, tangible step.
Before he could begin thinking about what to do with it, upgrade the freezers, maybe replace the cracked tile near the register, his phone buzzed again.
Mr. Duan.
Eli answered with a yawn still in his voice. "Morning, Mr. Duan."
"Morning," Mr. Duan replied. His voice was sharp and businesslike today. No small talk. "We've got to balance the books. Today. Before noon if possible."
Eli blinked again, already reaching for his notebook. "That serious?"
Mr. Duan sighed on the other end. "That damned SuperMartX is flooding the market. I've had five vendors call to renegotiate. Three walked away. We're burning through inventory to keep up. Discounts, small damages, even shrinkage, it's all catching up."
Eli leaned against the counter in the kitchen, flipping open a spreadsheet. "You want me to run the numbers on recent inventory movement or total expenses?"
"Both. We need to see where we're bleeding," Mr. Duan said, a tired note in his voice. "Also check the new utility bill. They jacked the electricity rate again. I wouldn't be surprised if someone tipped them off we were struggling."
Eli was already logging in to the back-end system for The Corner Pocket. "Got it. I'll head over in half an hour."
"Bring Jin, if he's free," Mr. Duan added after a pause. "And… Eli?"
"Yeah?"
Mr. Duan's voice dropped lower. "Don't let the success of block day distract you. We're still in a financial storm."
Click.
Eli stared at the screen. The system balance still glowed like a tempting escape, a promise of stability. But the store, that was something else. Something heavier. Something real.
He closed the screen, took a deep breath, and turned toward Jin's room.
"Time to earn it," he muttered.
The mid morning air was warm, with that early summer stickiness that clung to skin and made helmets uncomfortable. Eli and Jin rode on Eli's scooter, weaving through the thinner parts of Briggon traffic on their scooter.
When they finally pulled up in front of The Corner Pocket, the familiar storefront looked tired. Some of the Block Day decorations still hung by the windows, faded from the week's sun. A "Locally Owned" banner had half peeled, and someone had scribbled over it in black marker: "Not for Long."
Jin frowned as he locked his scooter. "Seriously?"
Eli just shook his head, jaw tight. "Don't let it get to you."
They stepped inside.
The lights buzzed softly, and the air-conditioning was on low to save electricity. Mr. Duan was already behind the counter, thick folders open, a steaming thermos of tea beside him. He gave them both a short nod, eyes bleary.
"Let's get to it."
The back office was cramped and cluttered. Eli sat in front of the shared terminal while Jin loitered nearby, occasionally peeking at the screen but mostly scrolling his phone. Mr. Duan stood behind Eli with a notepad in hand.
Eli went line by line. Sales from the Block Day bump were solid, but only for two days. By Wednesday, customer flow had dropped. Receipts showed suspiciously steep discounting from neighboring shops, meat vendors undercutting by 30%, a new drink promotion running every day across the street by supermartX.
They weren't matching prices. They couldn't afford to.
Eli clicked through expense reports, inventory orders, and their running electricity bill. Finally, he leaned back and exhaled hard.
"We're in the red," he said, bluntly. "Really deep."
"How deep?" Mr. Duan asked, even though he already looked like he knew.
Eli turned the screen slightly. "Thirty-two thousand yuan behind. And that's with barebones staff and stock. If we don't make at least a 25% bump this week, we'll miss payroll. And we won't be able to pay back our suppliers. Utilities, delivery contracts, insurance, we might not be able to pay them all."
Jin looked up from the corner, the air in the office suddenly heavier. Even Mr. Duan, who had kept a calm face through most of the meeting, tightened his grip on the edge of the desk.
"I'll invest more," Eli said quietly, almost to himself.
He took out his phone and opened his banking app. The screen glowed as he moved with practiced fingers, entering the Corner Pocket's transfer code. With a deep breath and a few final taps, 20,000 yuan left his account. His personal balance dropped to 170,000 yuan.
On the store terminal, a blinking green confirmation appeared: Transfer received.
Mr. Duan exhaled through his nose. "That gives us some air."
Eli nodded, but his eyes stayed on the screen. "Not much. Two, maybe three weeks if we stretch."
His phone buzzed with a notification from his stock trading app, that familiar clinical voice:'Corner Pocket shareholding has been updated. You now own 32%.'
Eli blinked. Only 2% more for twenty thousand?
He opened the trade details. Sure enough, after the publicity boom of Block Day, Corner Pocket's valuation had surged, a mixture of customer goodwill, Nestwork buzz, and the small viral news clip that labeled the store as "Dragon City's heart." It was good news on paper. But for Eli, it meant it cost a lot more to keep buying in.
He pocketed his phone.
"That buys us two, maybe three weeks," Eli added, quieter now. "It won't fix it."
Mr. Duan looked at him, something unreadable in his eyes. Pride? Worry? Gratitude laced with guilt?
"You don't have to..." he started.
"I know," Eli cut in. "But we don't have anyone else."
Silence stretched between them for a long second. Then, Jin broke it.
"So what now?"
Mr. Duan glanced toward the window, toward the bright blue SuperMartX banner across the street that hadn't been there yesterday.
"Now?" he said grimly. "Now we survive. Somehow."
Eli stared at the glowing screen, watching the system balance dip from 190,000 yuan to 180,000 yuan, and felt the weight of the decision settle in his chest.
He stood.
"We don't let them win," he said. "We tighten up. We fight smart. And we make sure they feel the pushback."
Outside, the store's door jingled as a customer walked in, unaware of the financial warfare playing out just behind the scenes.
But that pride was being tested.
SuperMartX launched its counter-offensive with brutal efficiency.
A new flyer hit mailboxes: "Why pay more at the corner when the mart is right here?" Alongside that tagline were promises: 30% off all household essentials, free delivery within 2 hours, and 200 yuan worth of coupons for the first 500 new customers. People lined up outside the glass-and-steel building like it was a concert venue.
Some of The Corner Pocket's regulars started drifting away, mothers with tight budgets, elderly folks looking for bargains. Even some small vendors pulled back their support, citing uncertain futures.
Worse, a man in a sharp coat, clearly not from Briggon, had been seen talking to building inspectors, zoning officials, even the landlord of the adjacent lot. Mr. Duan's face was drawn, his eyes shadowed.
Eli overheard him on the phone one morning:" No, I'm not interested in selling. I said that last week. I don't care what your spreadsheet says—this place isn't just math."
But behind the counter, Eli felt it too. Sales dipped. Deliveries were delayed. The pressure was mounting.
It felt like SupermartX was winning