Su Ling stared at the device in her hand.
"It's a hair dryer," Lin Yao's voice drifted through the bathroom door. "Push the gold button. Don't shoot yourself with it."
Su Ling stood in the middle of the 'Testing Room.' It was a space of blinding white tiles and heated floors. Steam still curled from her body, but the grime of the last decade had vanished down the drain, leaving her skin raw and pink.
She hesitated, then pressed the button.
A warm, controlled blast of air roared to life.
Su Ling flinched, instinctively dropping into a combat crouch, but then realized the 'weapon' was just drying her hair.
She began to run the device over her scalp.
As the wet strands dried, a strange sensation washed over her. The heavy, greasy weight that had burdened her head for years began to lift.
The scent of 'Silky Rose' intensified with the heat. It wrapped around her like a protective cloak, pushing away the phantom stench of rotting corpses that usually clung to her nose.
Minutes passed. The damp matted mess transformed.
Su Ling lowered the dryer. She turned to the wall-sized mirror a luxury she hadn't seen intact since the Collapse.
She stopped breathing.
She wasn't the ruthless mercenary who slit throats for cans of beans.
Her hair, usually a jagged, oil-slicked helmet, now cascaded down to her shoulders in soft, voluminous waves. It caught the harsh bathroom light and refracted it, shining with a deep, raven-black luster. It bounced. It shimmered.
But it was more than just looks...
Su Ling felt a strange energy pulsating from her scalp. A clarity. Her senses, usually dull from the constant bombardment of toxic fumes, felt razor-sharp.
She reached up and touched a lock of hair. It slipped through her calloused fingers like liquid silk.
"Impossible," she whispered.
Outside, Lin Yao was trying to stack the three chocolate bars into a pyramid when the bathroom door hissed open.
A cloud of steam rolled out, followed by Su Ling.
Lin Yao looked up and nearly dropped her chocolate.
"Whoa!"
The transformation was like something out of a makeover show, if the makeover show was set in a nuclear winter. Su Ling's combat leathers were still scuffed and worn, but above the neck, she looked like she belonged on a billboard. Her hair framed her scarred face, softening the edges, making her piercing eyes look even more dangerous.
But then, Su Ling did something strange.
She stood perfectly still in the middle of the shop, her eyes closed, inhaling deeply.
"Host," the System's mechanical voice buzzed in Lin Yao's ear. "The customer has entered a state of 'Hygiene Euphoria.' It is similar to a cultivator's enlightenment, but for people who haven't showered in the Bush era."
"Does she need medical attention?" Lin Yao whispered, leaning over the counter. "She looks like she's buffering."
"No. She is realizing the secondary effects of the product."
Su Ling's eyes snapped open. She looked at Lin Yao with a terrifying intensity.
"My scent," Su Ling said, her voice trembling. "It's gone."
Lin Yao blinked. "Well, yes. That's what soap does. It removes the stink."
"No," Su Ling took a step forward, her hand gripping the edge of the counter. "You don't understand. I don't smell like flowers. I don't smell like anything."
Lin Yao frowned. She leaned in and sniffed the air. "You smell like roses to me."
"To humans, yes," Su Ling corrected rapidly, her mercenary brain firing on all cylinders. "But the underlying biological markers... the sweat, the pheromones of fear, the metallic tang of blood... the shampoo neutralized them. Completely."
Su Ling looked at her hands. "The Runners hunt by scent. The Blind Ones hunt by smell. If I wear this..."
"You become invisible to half the monster population," Lin Yao finished the thought, her eyes widening.
"This isn't a beauty product," Su Ling said, her voice dropping to a reverent whisper. "This is high-grade tactical camouflage."
Lin Yao sat back in her chair. Holy crap. I'm an arms dealer.
"Well," Lin Yao cleared her throat, regaining her composure as the mysterious shopkeeper. "We aim to please. Beauty is lethal, after all."
Su Ling looked at the empty shampoo bottle in her hand as if it were a holy relic. She had paid two crystals for it. She would have paid twenty.
"I need more," Su Ling said instantly. "I have a team. If we all use this..."
"Slow down, Lara Croft," Lin Yao raised a hand. "Stock is limited. And I have other things to attend to."
She tapped the holographic screen that only she could see.
[Main Task: Sell 1 Bottle of Shampoo. (1/1)]
[Status: Completed!]
[Reward Unlocked: 'Morning Brew' Instant Coffee & 'Cherry Kiss' Lip Balm.
Delivery to shelves in 3... 2... 1...]
A soft hum resonated through the store. On the empty shelf next to the shampoo, two new items shimmered into existence.
One was a box of sleek, golden sachets.
The other was a row of tiny, red tubes.
Lin Yao grinned. Finally. Caffeine!
"System," Lin Yao mentally commanded. "Claim rewards."
[Rewards Claimed. New Tasks Assigned.]
[Main Task: Sell 20 Items. (0/20)]
[Reward: Unlock 'Fashion' Section (includes Yoga Pants & Hoodies) + Store Expansion (Level 2).]
[Side Task 1: Generate 50 Crystals in Revenue. (2/50)]
[Reward: Unlock 'Snack Bar' (includes Spicy Chips & Soda).]
[Side Task 2: Recruit a Guardian. The wasteland is dangerous, and you are squishy. (0/1)]
[Requirement: Employee must have a Combat Rating of B+ or higher.]
[Reward: Employee Quarters + Defensive Barrier Upgrade.]
Lin Yao read the last task and slowly shifted her gaze to Su Ling.
Su Ling was currently staring at the new items on the shelf. Her nose twitched.
"Is that..." Su Ling pointed a trembling finger at the golden box. "Is that coffee?"
Lin Yao stood up, smoothed her silk pajamas, and walked over to the shelf. She picked up a sachet of the 'Morning Brew.'
"Premium Mocha blend," Lin Yao said smoothly. "Just add hot water. Increases stamina recovery by 30% and... well, it tastes like happiness."
Su Ling swallowed hard. "How much?"
"Three crystals per box (10 sachets)," Lin Yao quoted the price the System flashed at her.
Su Ling's shoulders slumped. "I... I only have one crystal left."
She looked devastated. A woman who could kill a zombie with a spoon looked ready to cry over instant coffee.
Lin Yao felt a pang of sympathy. But she also remembered Side Task 2.
"However," Lin Yao said, leaning against the shelf and crossing her arms. "I am looking for... temporary assistance."
Su Ling's head snapped up. "Assistance?"
"This store attracts attention," Lin Yao said, gesturing to the glass walls. "I am a merchant, not a fighter. I need someone to handle the... riff-raff. Keep the doorway clear. Ensure customers wipe their feet. That sort of thing."
Su Ling narrowed her eyes. "You want a bouncer."
"I want a Store Manager of Security," Lin Yao corrected. "Part-time. Payment can be negotiated in store credit."
Su Ling looked at the shampoo. She looked at the coffee. She looked at the pristine, warm, safe interior of the shop. It was a no-brainer.
"I'm expensive," Su Ling warned, though her eyes were glued to the coffee box in Lin Yao's hand.
"I'm sure we can come to an arrange—"
BOOM!
A loud thud shook the glass walls of the store.
Both women turned to look outside.
The sun had fully risen, revealing the devastated street in all its ugly glory. But now, the street wasn't empty.
A convoy of three modified vehicles had pulled up. They were covered in spikes, spray-painted with jagged red teeth, and mounted with rusted machine guns.
Raiders.
Specifically, the "Wild Dogs." Notorious for skinning their captives and eating anything that moved.
A large man, standing nearly seven feet tall with a rebar club resting on his shoulder, hopped off the lead truck. He had a necklace made of fingers and a mohawk dyed neon green.
He walked up to the glass store, peering inside with greedy, milky eyes. He saw the lights. He saw the clean floor. And then he saw the two women.
He licked his lips, leaving a smear of grease on the glass.
"Well, well," the Raider's voice was muffled by the soundproof glass, but the intent was clear. He raised his heavy club and slammed it against the door. "Open up, little piggies! Daddy's home!"
Lin Yao flinched. "Ugh. He's getting grease on my Windex-ed door."
[System Warning: Hostile Entities Detected. The Absolute Barrier will hold, but customers cannot enter or exit safely.]
Lin Yao looked at Su Ling.
Su Ling was already moving.
She looked... annoyed. Like someone who had just been interrupted during a spa day.
She reached down and tightened the strap of her leg holster. Then, she ran a hand through her newly volumized, glossy, rose-scented hair.
"Three crystals," Su Ling said calmly, not taking her eyes off the Raider leader.
Lin Yao blinked. "For what?"
"For the coffee," Su Ling said, pulling a jagged combat knife from her belt. The blade looked barbaric against the backdrop of the boutique. "And throw in that lip balm."
"Deal," Lin Yao said.
Su Ling smirked. It was a terrifying expression.
"Hey, shopkeeper," Su Ling said, walking toward the door. "Open the barrier."
"Are you sure? There's twelve of them."
Su Ling cracked her neck. Her hair bounced perfectly.
"I have a Combat Rating of A-Minus," she said coolly. "And I really, really want that coffee."
Lin Yao pressed the button under the counter.
The glass doors slid open.
The Raider leader grinned, raising his club. "Finally! Get ready to—"
He stopped.
A wave of rose scent hit him in the face.
Before he could process the smell, a blur of black leather and shiny hair moved.
She moved with a fluidity that was impossible to track. She slid under the Raider's swing, her knife flashing.
The Raider leader roared, clutching his hamstring.
Su Ling was already behind him, using his massive body as a shield against the others.
"Dimensional Boutique is open for business," Su Ling shouted to the stunned raiders, her voice echoing in the silent street. "But right now, we're taking out the trash."
Lin Yao watched from behind the counter, clutching her chocolate bar.
"Damn," Lin Yao whispered, watching Su Ling kick a raider in the throat with perfect form. "She's definitely worth the lip balm."