“Gurgle…”
The sound came from her stomach, as if an invisible hand were violently churning inside, sending sharp pains radiating along her nerves to every corner of her body.
Jiang Lingyue curled up on the cold hotel bed, burying her face deep into the musty-smelling blanket, trying to resist the hunger that was threatening to consume her entirely.
This was the fifth year since she had crossed over into this apocalypse.
Five years.
She was nearly forgetting what it felt like to eat a full meal.
Five years ago, she had been an ordinary college graduate, full of dreams for the future. But with a blink of an eye, she found herself in this nightmare world overrun by zombies and crawling with monsters.
No powers, no extra space, weak as a kitten the only things she might have had going for her were speed, and… an extraordinary ability to endure hunger.
But even that had its limits.
Three days. She hadn’t found a single thing to eat in three whole days.
The last half of a compressed biscuit she had hidden was already licked clean yesterday. Now, all she could taste was the bitter dryness of her own saliva.
Her body was growing colder, and her consciousness was starting to blur.
Was she about to die?
After struggling for five years like a sewer rat, not dying from zombie bites, not being torn apart by mutants… was she really going to starve to death in a relatively safe, empty hotel?
It was unbearably frustrating!
Jiang Lingyue thought stubbornly, almost in tears. She had considered venturing outside to find food, but it was too dangerous.
This abandoned five-star hotel was the only refuge she had managed to find. She had barricaded the main doors with heavy furniture, leaving only a narrow ventilation shaft.
But just yesterday, a fast-moving mutant zombie had discovered her. It looked like a “runner” from a movie and nearly squeezed through the vent.
If she hadn’t reacted quickly and shoved it away with a steel pipe, she’d probably have been the zombie’s next meal.
That zombie was still lurking outside, its impatient growls and scratching claws on the walls audible to her.
Go out, and she’d die.
Stay in, and she’d starve.
Either way, it seemed like death was inevitable.
Just as her consciousness was about to sink into the endless darkness, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
Host vital signs detected below 10%, meeting minimum bonding standard.
“Apocalypse Landlady System” bonding in progress…
10%… 50%… 100%… Bonding successful!
Welcome, Host Jiang Lingyue. From today onward, you are the sole owner of this “Apocalypse Safehouse Hotel.”
What the…?
A system?
Jiang Lingyue’s eyes snapped open, her foggy brain instantly clearing halfway. She wasn’t hallucinating, right? A system as a dying gift before starving to death? What kind of last-minute care was this?
She cautiously asked in her mind: “…System?”
I am here, Host. The mechanical voice spoke again, clear and unmistakable.
It was real!
Not a hallucination!
A wave of joy crashed over Jiang Lingyue, almost making her leap out of bed. A golden opportunity! She actually had a golden finger! A golden finger that arrived five years late!
“System! What functions do you have? Can you give me food? I’m about to starve to death!”
Her voice trembled with excitement. Right now, she didn’t care about what a “landlady” was filling her stomach was the top priority.
This system is designed to make the host the most relaxed and esteemed landlady in the apocalypse.
This hotel has been upgraded by the system with an absolute defense barrier; no zombies, mutants, or powers can penetrate it.
Internal facilities will gradually unlock as the system upgrades, including but not limited to: a temperature-controlled pool, private cinema, eco-farm, gene enhancement room, etc.
The system mall is now open; the host may exchange crystal cores for all necessary supplies.
Jiang Lingyue’s eyes went wide.
Absolute defense? No more fear of zombies sneaking in while she slept?
Private cinema? Eco-farm?
And a system mall! She could exchange crystal cores for supplies!
She knew what crystal cores were they were the shiny stones in zombies’ and mutants’ heads, coveted by those with powers to increase their strength. As an ordinary person, she’d rarely seen even one, let alone own any.
But now, everything was different! She had a system!
This wasn’t a mere landlady system it was an apocalypse god-tier system!
“System, system, what food can I exchange right now?” Jiang Lingyue asked impatiently, saliva already uncontrollably forming in her mouth.
Detected current crystal cores: zero. Beginner rewards issued. Would you like to open the Beginner Gift Pack?
“Yes! Open it now!” Jiang Lingyue shouted without hesitation.
Opening Beginner Gift Pack… Congratulations, Host. You have received: Absolute hotel control (basic), one 5L bucket of purified water, one box of 24 packs of braised beef instant noodles.
Instant noodles!
Braised beef flavor! A whole box!
Jiang Lingyue looked at the suddenly appearing box and water bucket beside her bed, and tears streamed down her face.
Not from sadness, but from excitement, relief, and the pent-up fear and hunger of five years finally finding an outlet.
Her trembling hands dug a pack of noodles out of the box. She barely had the strength to tear it open. She wanted to boil some water but then remembered the hotel had been without electricity and gas for a long time.
Detected host need. Basic hotel utilities restored.
As soon as the system spoke, the room’s dim lights blazed brightly, forcing Jiang Lingyue to squint. She turned to the electric kettle on the bedside table the indicator light was on.
There was power!
She hurriedly poured water into the kettle and switched it on. Listening to the familiar buzzing, she felt like she was dreaming.
As she stared at the kettle, waiting for it to boil, the system spoke again.
Mandatory mission released: Open the hotel’s main door.
Mission details: How can a proper landlady exist without tenants? Host must proceed to the first-floor lobby immediately and open the main entrance to welcome your first “premium tenant.”
Mission countdown: 10 minutes. Mission failure will result in system erasure.
“Erase… erase me?”
Jiang Lingyue’s hand shook, almost dropping the seasoning packet she had just torn open.
She froze.
Open the door?
What kind of joke was this?
That “runner” zombie was still out there. Opening the door now would be like walking straight to her death.
“System, you said the hotel has an absolute defense barrier. That zombie can’t get in, right?” She clung to her last hope.
The absolute defense barrier is active when the hotel’s main door is closed. If the host opens the door, the barrier will temporarily allow passage.
Jiang Lingyue’s heart sank.
Was this system messing with her?
She glanced at the countdown the bright red numbers mercilessly ticking: 09:43.
“I’m not going! You go if you want! I barely survived! I don’t want to die!” she raged in her mind.
Mission failure will result in system erasure. The system repeated coldly, emotionless.
Jiang Lingyue knew it wasn’t a joke. This sudden system could give her paradise or easily take her life.
She had no choice.
The kettle clicked, water boiled but she had no appetite left. Noodles or her life? She could still tell the difference.
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the steel pipe that had accompanied her for so long from under the bed, hands trembling with cold sweat.
Screw this!
Just opening a door?
She had survived five years; there was no way she would get erased just after finally getting a golden finger!
Taking a deep breath, like a condemned prisoner walking to the execution, she stepped toward the door. With each step, she could hear her heart pounding and the faint growls of the zombie outside.
Her calves shook, but her survival instinct drove her to the elevator, pressing the down button.
“Ding,” the elevator doors slowly opened.
Steel pipe in hand, Jiang Lingyue stepped into the metal box she had dreamed about countless times but never dared enter the box that led straight to death.