Jiang Lingyue was sleeping soundly in her room when someone knocked on her door.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The sound was calm and measured, polite even.
She groggily opened her eyes and glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table 7:30 in the morning.
Who could it be this early?
Yawning, she slid out of bed, shuffling in her slippers to open the door. As expected, it was Gu Han standing there.
He had already changed into a clean black combat suit the one Jiang Lingyue had redeemed from the system store yesterday as a beginner’s gift, a reward for his overachievement on the mission.
She had to admit, a person does look different in new clothes. Gu Han looked taller and more upright in the new suit, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his already sharp face looked even more striking and imposing.
“Something wrong?” Jiang Lingyue rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep and a bit grumpy.
“Time,” Gu Han said tersely.
“What time?” she asked, momentarily confused.
“Eight o’clock. Time to leave,” he reminded her.
Jiang Lingyue suddenly remembered yesterday she had set the rule for Gu Han to go out at eight in the morning and return by six in the evening, clocking in and out.
She hadn’t expected him to be so conscientious as to come wake her up at 7:30.
Truly an exemplary employee.
“Okay, okay, you go wait downstairs first,” she waved, preparing to close the door and go wash up.
“Wait,” Gu Han called after her.
“What now?” she asked impatiently.
He looked at her with her sleepy eyes and messy hair, paused for a moment, then pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her.
It was a boiled egg wrapped in a clean handkerchief.
Jiang Lingyue froze. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast,” Gu Han said, his gaze drifting elsewhere, his tone a bit awkward. “It was part of the supplies redeemed from the system yesterday, a gift included.”
The system occasionally gave small bonuses, and Jiang Lingyue had been too busy enjoying the roast chicken yesterday to remember.
She looked at the still-warm egg and felt an odd flutter in her chest.
He… had brought it just for her?
In the apocalypse, a single egg could sometimes be worth as much as a human life. And yet he had given it to her so freely.
“Oh… thanks.” She reached out and took it, feeling the egg’s weight in her palm.
She closed the door, leaned against it, peeled the shell, and took a bite.
It was fragrant, soft, and comforting.
After breakfast, Jiang Lingyue changed clothes and went to the lobby. Gu Han was already ready.
She skillfully activated the surveillance system, controlled the hotel doors, and watched as Gu Han’s figure disappeared into the ruins bathed in morning light. Her heart felt inexplicably settled.
Having such a strong and reliable worker was really something.
Over the next few days, life became orderly and enjoyable.
Every morning, Gu Han left on time; every evening, he returned with a backpack full of supplies and a few crystal cores.
Jiang Lingyue, in turn, enjoyed the dreamlike life of leisure she had always wanted.
She slept until naturally waking, then watched an old movie at the private theater, snacking on chips and drinking cola. In the afternoon, she ran on the treadmill in the newly unlocked hotel gym or picked up a novel from the reading corner.
At night, when Gu Han returned, she used the crystal cores he brought back to redeem various delicacies from the store.
Spicy self-heating hotpot, rich but not greasy braised pork sets, even the most popular pre-apocalypse milk teas and desserts.
Every time she saw Gu Han’s shocked yet longing expression when confronted with these magically appearing foods, she felt a surge of satisfaction.
She was generous too, always sharing half with him, treating him as a key companion to nurture.
Gu Han, in turn, gradually began to speak to her occasionally, instead of staying silent as before. Though most of the time she spoke while he listened.
Still, Jiang Lingyue could feel the ice-cold aura around him slowly melting away.
That afternoon, she lay on the sofa of the private theater, eating popcorn while watching a classic zombie film.
Watching the survivors being chased mercilessly by zombies, fighting over a scrap of bread until they were bloodied, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“Ah, it’s still better here.”
Safe, comfortable, with plenty to eat and drink.
It was practically paradise.
Just as she sighed, the system suddenly blared an urgent alarm in her mind.
Warning! High-energy entity detected rapidly approaching the hotel!
Warning! Extremely aggressive. Hotel identified as target!
Jiang Lingyue was so shocked she spilled her popcorn.
High-energy entity? Aggressive?
What the hell?
She quickly switched to the surveillance screen. Several kilometers away on the streets outside the hotel, a streak of blue-purple electricity was racing toward the hotel at an incredible speed.
Wherever it passed abandoned cars, wandering zombies it tore everything to shreds with violent lightning!
“Holy crap! What is that?” Jiang Lingyue stared in disbelief.
Its power looked even more exaggerated and violent than Gu Han’s ice abilities!
Target confirmed: S-class lightning-type ability user. Danger level: Extreme.
Another S-class?
Her heart jumped into her throat.
This S-class ability user was coming on aggressively, clearly with a purpose and definitely not friendly.
What did he want? A robbery?
“System! Can our defensive barrier hold?” she asked anxiously.
Rest assured, host. The hotel’s absolute defensive barrier cannot be broken by any form of attack.
Jiang Lingyue let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing the confirmation.
But she still stared nervously at the screen, her heart pounding.
The lightning streak moved at incredible speed, reaching the hotel in just a minute or two.
As it dissipated, the figure of a young man appeared.
He looked about twenty, with arrogant silver short hair and black earrings. He wore black leather pants and a jacket, emphasizing his athletic figure. His face bore a rebellious smile, his eyes full of pride and confidence.
Behind him were seven or eight other remarkable ability users.
“Boss, it’s here!” a blond subordinate shouted, pointing at the imposing five-star hotel. “I saw it myself! A few days ago, some ice-type guy covered in blood went in here and never came out! And the hotel is even lit at night!”
“Lit at night? Interesting.”
The silver-haired man called Lu Xiao, the so-called boss, examined the hotel in the ruins with interest.
Its exterior was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight. The giant glass doors were polished to a shine, clearly reflecting their figures.
In the apocalypse, this was a miracle.
“Boss, this place feels… off. Should we ” another subordinate hesitated.
“What’s there to fear!” Lu Xiao sneered. “It’s just a hotel. Can it stop me, Lu Xiao? Whether it’s people or ghosts inside, anyone occupying such a nice place should expect to be robbed!”
“Listen to me! Everyone, go! Blast the doors open!”
With a wave of his hand, the order was given.
The ability users behind him immediately activated their powers. Fireballs, wind blades, earth spikes attacks of all colors rained down on the hotel doors.
In the surveillance room, Jiang Lingyue clenched her fists nervously.
Though the system claimed the barrier was strong, seeing so many attacks strike at once was still terrifying!
But what happened next made her jaw drop.
The attacks, despite their apparent power, collided with an invisible wall about a meter from the hotel doors.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
All attacks vanished instantly, not even causing a ripple.
The hotel’s glass doors didn’t even shake.
Outside, Lu Xiao and his subordinates were dumbfounded.
“What the hell? What happened?”
“The attacks… blocked?”
“What kind of thing is this? An energy shield?”
They were all utterly confused.
Lu Xiao’s face darkened. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the unscathed doors.
“Interesting.”
He stepped forward a few paces, raised his right hand, and blue-purple arcs of electricity began dancing in his palm.
“Everyone, step back!”
He bellowed, and his aura surged explosively.
“Zzzzt ”
Dazzling lightning converged in his palm, forming a basketball-sized thunderball. The violent energy inside distorted the surrounding air.
Watching the screen, Jiang Lingyue felt like her breath had stopped.
She could sense that this single strike was at least ten times more terrifying than all the attacks from before combined!
This Lu Xiao guy was serious.