The Everlasting Debt Supermarket

As the dizziness from the spatial shift subsided, Shi Mo found himself standing in an extremely vast, brightly lit space.

Beneath my feet were gleaming marble tiles, reflecting the cascading, dazzling crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. As far as the eye could see, there were endless shelves and lavishly decorated shops, their brand logos gleaming alluringly. The air was thick with the mingled aromas of fine fragrances and freshly ground coffee, while soft, soothing background music flowed gently, its subtle, unsettling tremolo almost imperceptible unless one listened closely.

This is the "Eternal Debt Supermarket".

A desperate prison disguised as a consumerist paradise.

The cold, impersonal rules echoed in the minds of all the candidates, repeating those chilling terms: shopping was mandatory to leave, violence was prohibited, jobs were offered but the pay was meager, there were no time restrictions but room and board were at the candidates' own expense…

In stark contrast to this ultra-luxurious environment were the people who began to appear in the area. There were about thirty candidates, men, women, young and old, dressed in various styles. After a brief moment of bewilderment, panic spread like a plague.

"We have to buy something before we can leave? But... but we don't have any money?" A young girl who looked like a college student muttered to herself, her face pale.

"Money? Look at this!" A man in a suit, who looked like an elite, pointed to the price tag of a bakery next door, his voice trembling. "A very ordinary bread costs 100 yuan in vouchers! And we..." He raised his hand, and a semi-transparent number appeared on his wrist—10.

Each person starts with only 10 vouchers.

"100 dollars for a loaf of bread?! That's robbery!" roared a burly, bald man with a face full of scars. He tried to grab the bread, but his hand was repelled by an invisible force the instant it touched the glass display case. A sharp pain shot through his arm, causing him to scream in agony. Violence and theft are prohibited.

"Work! The rules say we can work!" A bespectacled, seemingly calm middle-aged woman tried to reassure them. "Let's go ask where we can find work and save up enough money..."

"Work?" A woman dressed smartly but with an undeniably mean face interrupted her sharply. She had just come out of a clothing store, her face ashen. "I asked! The doorman works 12 hours a day for 5 vouchers! The cheapest bottled water costs 50 vouchers! The cheapest accommodation is a basement cubicle, 200 vouchers a night! Even if we don't eat or drink, how many days would we have to work to afford just one item? Not to mention the accommodation fees!"

Her words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the faint hope that had just ignited in everyone's hearts. An atmosphere of despair enveloped the group as if it were a tangible reality. Some collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably; some stared blankly, as if they had lost their souls; others' eyes flickered as they began to sized up their "companions," seemingly plotting something.

In this chaotic and desperate scene, Shi Mo seemed out of place.

He was wearing a brand-new dark gray sweatshirt and trousers, his long, silvery-white hair flowing smoothly over his shoulders. His heterochromatic eyes calmly swept over the astonishing price tags around him, his face devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if those astronomical figures were merely insignificant symbols.

Unlike the others who frantically searched for work or tried to find loopholes in the rules, he simply strolled around the luxurious "supermarket" like a genuine customer.

His gaze swept over the dazzling array of goods, finally settling on a watch shop called "Light of Time." The shop was decorated in an extremely luxurious style, with exquisite and elegant watches displayed on velvet cushions, shimmering alluringly under the spotlights.

Shi Mo walked in, his gaze falling on a simple yet elegant platinum watch in the center of the counter. The price tag next to it clearly stated: 18888 voucher.

He stopped in front of the watch.

The shop manager was an eerie middle-aged man in a sharp suit with a meticulously slicked-back hairstyle. He was leaning lazily against the counter, wiping a pocket watch with a velvet cloth, and didn't pay much attention to Shi Mo who came in, assuming he was just another poor soul who had wandered into this place and would soon fall into despair.

It wasn't until Shi Mo stretched out his finger and tapped the 18888 watch that he casually pulled a card out of his hoodie pocket—a card that was entirely black, with dark gold thorn patterns wrapped around its edges, and exuded an indescribable aura.

The Underworld Black Card.

The moment it appeared, the shopkeeper froze in his hand as he wiped the pocket watch. As if pricked by an invisible needle, he straightened his back instantly, and the lazy, indifferent expression on his face melted away like ice and snow, quickly replaced by an extreme fawning and awe.

He practically tumbled out from behind the counter, his face beaming with an almost exaggerated smile, his voice trembling with excitement: "Honorable guest! You...you've taken a liking to this 'Eternal Overture'? What excellent taste! This is one of our shop's prized possessions, handcrafted by a master craftsman and inlaid with..."

"Wrap it up," Shi Mo interrupted his rambling, her voice flat.

"Ah? Okay! Okay! Immediately! Right away!" The shopkeeper nodded hurriedly, respectfully taking the Black Card of the Underworld with both hands, his movements careful, as if he were holding some fragile sacred object.

He didn't even operate any instruments; he simply placed the black card lightly against the designated sensor area. A faint, dark golden light flashed, and the transaction seemed to be complete.

The store manager handed the beautifully packaged watch box and the black card back to Shi Mo with both hands, bowing at a ninety-degree angle: "Honorable guest, please accept your 'Eternal Overture'! Welcome to visit us again!"

Shi Mo took the item without even glancing at it, casually stuffing it into the seemingly ordinary pocket of his hoodie (which was actually connected to his system space). His gaze then swept around the store, pointing to several other equally expensive watches: "I'll take these too."

The store manager's smile grew even brighter, like a blooming chrysanthemum: "No problem! It's my honor to serve you!" He quickly packed up all the watches that Shi Mo had ordered, paid for them again with his black card, and then respectfully handed them to Shi Mo.

Under the stunned gaze of the other candidates who were in despair, the once aloof and eerie A-rank shop manager transformed into his most loyal lackey, bowing and scraping as he saw Shi Mo out of the "Light of Time" watch shop, repeatedly saying, "Take care! Welcome back again!"

Shi Mo walked out carrying several expensive watch boxes, his face expressionless, as if he had just completed an ordinary shopping trip. He didn't even glance at the stunned contestants, and headed straight for the next shop that looked promising.

The deathly silence was broken only when his figure disappeared at the end of the shelf.

"What...what just happened?" the elite man stammered.

"He...he bought that watch? 18888? And a few others...how much did that cost?" The mean-spirited woman's eyes widened.

"That store manager... was so respectful to him? Who is he?"

"He seems...very rich? Extremely rich!"

"What...is that black card?"

Whispers rose like a tide. Shock, disbelief, ecstasy, jealousy, greed... a complex mix of emotions mingled in the direction Shi Mo had left.

In this desperate abyss of debt, a being suddenly appeared who seemed to possess unlimited wealth. Like a lifeline that suddenly appeared, it ignited hope in the hearts of some, while also giving rise to dark schemes in the minds of others.

Who is this white-haired man with heterochromatic eyes? Why is he so rich? Could I... get something from him?

The soft background music in the supermarket continued to play, but the atmosphere had subtly changed. Shi Mo's arrival was like a boulder thrown into a stagnant pool, completely shattering the inherent despairing order of "Eternal Debt Supermarket."