Chapter 16: Upgrading to a 3-Star Hotel
"Give me two steamed buns!"
"Me! Me! Me! I want steamed buns too!"
"I want meat buns!"
Chu Jiangyue had just introduced the steamed buns and meat buns. Those who had already recharged and obtained their ID cards all rushed back excitedly.
Who would want to eat dry bread and biscuits when there were steaming hot buns available?
"Over there, follow the prompts on the virtual screen to place your order and pay by card."
Chu Jiangyue directed them to the virtual screen on the other side of the front desk.
The crowd surged forward, with some even resorting to physical fights to be first in line.
"Stop it all! I told you there's unlimited supply! No need to rush! Everyone line up properly!"
Originally in a bad mood from being woken up in the middle of the night, Chu Jiangyue's temper flared when she saw this chaotic scene.
Some people originally thought Chu Jiangyue was just a woman and didn't listen to her. Enraged, Chu Jiangyue activated her wood-based ability, transforming it into a thorny vine whip and lashed it fiercely against the ground, producing a tremendous noise.
"Whoever doesn't follow the rules, let's see whether your thick hide is tougher or my whip is sharper!"
Xie Silin shook his head as he watched the group of people instantly cower like quails.
He had repeatedly warned them on the way that they must never offend the hotel owner after entering, but these people hadn't listened at all.
However, Xie Silin looked at the vine whip in Chu Jiangyue's hand with great envy.
Miss Chu's vine whip, Boss Shen's lightning, and Boss Jiang's spatial abilities—the more one sees them, the more enviable they become.
Under Chu Jiangyue's forceful suppression, everyone obediently queued up, those who needed to buy things did so, and those who needed to exchange items proceeded with their exchanges.
After an hour and a half, everyone finally completed their deposits and obtained their personalized ID cards.
Chu Jiangyue's task of receiving 100 people and successfully processing their ID cards was smoothly accomplished.
[Mission: Issue 100 Hotel ID Cards, Completed (118/100)]
[Rewards: Unlock Building No. 1, Unlock Food: Bok Choy, EXP +1000]
[Current Hotel Level: 2 (1150/1000). Upgrade conditions for Level 3 met. Upgrade now? Yes/No]
Chu Jiangyue didn't rush to upgrade the hotel, as those who had obtained their ID cards were still queuing to buy steamed buns and meat buns.
By the time everyone finished purchasing, nearly two hours had passed.
"Non-lodging guests are only allowed to stay in the hotel for two hours per day. Your time is almost up—please leave before it expires.
Otherwise, when the hotel enforces the rule, I can't guarantee where you'll be cleared out to."
If luck isn't on your side and you end up in a zombie horde, that's just your bad luck—the hotel takes no responsibility.
A group of people looked at Shen Zhigui and his companions. They had followed them here; since the hotel wasn't safe, they had to find them a place to stay.
"Hey! You can't seriously be this shameless, can you? We've already gone above and beyond by rescuing you from the zombie horde.
Don't tell me you expect us to find you accommodations and settle all of you properly?
You need to understand—this is the apocalypse! The apocalypse! If it weren't for Brother Shen's kindness, you'd have been wiped out back in that zombie horde!
You've got two hours left—go find your own place to stay. The entire Splendor City is huge; there are bound to be empty villas. Any one of them would be better than the residential building you were holed up in before."
Xie Silin couldn't stand seeing his idols being taken advantage of. As soon as he noticed the group's expressions shifting, he immediately stepped in to cut off whatever they were about to say.
"He's right. We're not obligated to take full responsibility for you. While there's still time, leave and find your own place to stay."
Chu Jiangyue ignored their confrontation. After making sure everyone had obtained their ID cards and finished shopping, she decided to return to her room for some more sleep.
Since she had worked two extra hours tonight, she decided to start work two hours later tomorrow.
"You have five more minutes to decide. If you don't leave within five minutes, the hotel will automatically clear the premises."
After saying this, Chu Jiangyue didn't care about their reactions and went upstairs by herself.
"Make your own decisions. It's late, and we need to rest."
Jiang He appeared gentle and refined, but his words carried an undeniable firmness.
The five of them ignored these survivors and turned to return to their respective rooms.
"I don't believe they'll really kick us out, not with so many of us staying here."
"Let's go, dear. If what they say is true, we'll be fine, but our little girl can't handle zombies on her own."
Those with families mostly chose to leave—they couldn't afford to take the risk.
Over the next five minutes, people gradually left, though some stubbornly stayed behind.
However, the five minutes passed quickly. Those who didn't leave instantly felt themselves restrained by an invisible force. In the next second, their entire bodies were torn apart, then darkness fell before their eyes as they completely vanished from the hotel.
Hearing rumors is indeed different from witnessing with one's own eyes. Those who were just seconds away from the deadline didn't hesitate, scrambling and crawling desperately toward the hotel entrance.
But after two renovations, Jianglin Hotel's lobby remained quite spacious. In those few seconds, with another crowd surging forward, everyone got stuck at the entrance, forced to watch helplessly as people around them disappeared one by one.
Chu Jiangyue, who had already returned to her room, knew nothing about what was happening in the first-floor lobby.
After confirming there were no people moving about outside rooms in the hotel, Chu Jiangyue clicked the upgrade button.
In the dead of night, Jianglin Hotel quietly underwent renovations, presenting everyone with a surprise by morning.
On the second day, as dawn barely broke, someone in Jianglin Hotel was already awake.
When Lin Xuyuan got up, he instinctively glanced out the window. On previous mornings, the view had always been foggy, with garbage or human and zombie limbs scattered on the ground.
But this morning, to his surprise, he saw a vibrant green lawn!
Without bothering to brush his teeth or wash his face, Lin Xuyuan flung open his room door and went knocking on Shen Zhigui and the others' doors one by one.
"Boss! Boss! Get up now!"
"Wake up, wake up!"
...
The entire hotel's guests were roused by the commotion Lin Xuyuan caused early in the morning.
When Shen Zhigui and the others emerged from their rooms, their murderous glares toward Lin Xuyuan were unmistakable.
"Boss, Jiang He, look outside!"
Previously, stepping out of their rooms led to the hotel lobby, and beyond that, apart from the nameless sapling Chu Jiangyue had planted, there was only a desolate scene.
But outside the hotel lobby today, there was actually a circular lawn about two meters wide, growing exceptionally well without any signs of withering.
The tree planted by Boss Chu had also noticeably grown much taller, with even more abundant leaves on its branches.
"Wait, how did an extra house appear over there?"
Xie Silin turned around and saw a two-story wooden cottage surrounded by the lawn, which looked rather charming from the outside.