Early the next morning, Jiang Lingyue was awakened by her biological clock.
After five years in the apocalypse, she had long developed the habit of waking up as soon as dawn broke. Even though she was now in the absolutely safe hotel, the habit wasn’t something she could change overnight.
She stretched lazily, feeling comfortable all over.
Last night had been the most peaceful sleep she’d had in five years. She hadn’t been jolted awake by nightmares, nor startled by every rustle of wind outside. She had slept straight through until morning.
So this is what a sense of security feels like!
In a good mood, she got up and washed. Looking at herself in the mirror still thin, but with a noticeably better complexion she nodded in satisfaction.
After eating two crackers for breakfast, she leisurely headed to the lobby on the first floor.
Gu Han was already waiting there.
He had changed back into his ragged combat uniform. Though it was still the same tattered outfit, after a night’s rest and some food, his complexion looked much better, and the cold, sharp aura around him had recovered somewhat.
He still held that ice blade in his hand, standing in the center of the lobby like a sword about to be drawn.
When he saw Jiang Lingyue come downstairs, he merely lifted his eyelids to glance at her, saying nothing.
“Ready?” Jiang Lingyue asked.
Gu Han nodded.
“Alright.” Jiang Lingyue didn’t waste words. She walked to the control console, a new device she had only discovered yesterday. It could monitor the inside and outside of the hotel and control the opening of the main doors.
She pulled up the surveillance footage outside the hotel. On the screen, it clearly showed the two zombies from yesterday still wandering nearby.
Jiang Lingyue’s heart tightened instinctively.
Even though she knew Gu Han was strong, watching him walk into that kind of danger still made her a little nervous.
“Well… be careful,” she said after hesitating for a moment.
After all, he was her only employee. It would be bad if he got injured on his first day at work she was still counting on him to support her in old age.
Gu Han seemed a little surprised she would say that. A flicker of astonishment passed through his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal. He gave a simple “Mm” in response.
Jiang Lingyue took a deep breath and pressed the button to open the door.
The revolving door slowly opened. Gu Han didn’t pause for even a second like a bolt of black lightning, he rushed out instantly.
The two zombies outside didn’t even have time to react before a flash of cold light swept past. Their heads rolled to the ground with a dull thud.
The entire process was smooth and efficient.
Jiang Lingyue stared at the monitor in shock.
So this… is the strength of an S-class ability user?
That’s way too strong!
She watched as Gu Han’s figure flashed a few times and disappeared into the ruins at the end of the street. The worry hanging in her heart finally eased.
Looks like she had been worrying for nothing.
This guy was strong like a monster why would he need a weakling like her to worry about him?
Once she relaxed, Jiang Lingyue immediately felt bored.
Her only employee had gone out to work, so what was the boss supposed to do?
She wandered around the lobby for a bit, then looked toward the second floor. The system had mentioned before that the hotel’s facilities would gradually unlock.
Curious, she walked upstairs and found that several previously locked doors could now be opened.
One of them had a sign that read “Private Cinema.”
Jiang Lingyue pushed the door open and was instantly stunned.
Inside was a small luxury screening room that could probably hold about twenty people. Comfortable leather sofas, a huge screen, and professional sound equipment it had everything.
In the corner of the room was a snack cabinet filled with chips, popcorn, and chocolate of all flavors. In the small refrigerator beside it were even chilled cola and fruit juice!
Jiang Lingyue’s eyes practically turned into stars.
Watching movies! Eating snacks! Drinking cola!
In the apocalypse, that was something she wouldn’t even dare dream about!
Without hesitation, she rushed to the snack cabinet, grabbed a huge pile of chips and a bottle of iced cola, and plopped down into the soft sofa.
She turned on the projection system and discovered the movie library was completely up to date even including several blockbuster films she hadn’t had time to watch before being transported here.
She casually selected the highest-rated comedy.
Soon the familiar opening logo and theme music played, and the screen lit up.
Jiang Lingyue twisted open the cola and gulped down several big swallows.
The icy, fizzy liquid slid down her throat. The refreshing sweetness made her sigh in satisfaction.
She tore open a bag of original-flavor chips and took a crunchy bite.
The crisp texture and familiar taste.
As she ate chips, drank cola, and watched the ridiculous scenes in the movie, she occasionally burst into giggles.
Sunlight streamed through the cinema windows, illuminating tiny specks of dust floating in the air.
Outside was a wasteland overrun by zombies and filled with danger.
But here, it was like a forgotten corner of time, preserving everything wonderful about the civilized world.
Just a wall apart two completely different worlds.
At the same time, inside an abandoned supermarket several kilometers from the hotel.
Gu Han was in the middle of a fierce battle.
He was surrounded by three mutated zombies: a strength-type “Brute,” a speed-type “Runner,” and a “Corroder” that could spit corrosive liquid.
Even a normal A-class ability user squad would retreat if they encountered such a combination.
But Gu Han showed no fear.
He moved swiftly through the encirclement of the three zombies, his ice blade carving deadly arcs through the air.
Shk!
Seizing an opening, his ice blade instantly pierced through the Runner’s skull.
At the same time, the Brute’s heavy fist smashed toward him with a roaring wind.
Instead of retreating, Gu Han advanced. A massive ice wall rose instantly from the ground, blocking the lethal blow.
Bang!
The ice wall shattered, but it bought him precious time.
With a backhand slash, he severed the Brute’s arm clean off at the shoulder.
“ROAR!”
The Brute howled in pain, while the Corroder seized the opportunity to spit out a large mouthful of green corrosive liquid.
Gu Han pushed off the ground and leapt into the air, barely avoiding the attack. The liquid hit the floor with a sizzling sound, corroding a large crater into the concrete.
The battle was bloody and brutal.
Every second was like dancing on the edge of a blade.
Over the course of the afternoon, Gu Han nearly cleared all the zombies in the area, though he gained several new wounds in the process.
His combat uniform had been torn in several places. His face and hands were smeared with black zombie blood, making him look rather battered.
But the backpack in his hand was now stuffed full.
He glanced at the sky. It was almost evening.
Without lingering any longer, he turned and ran toward the hotel.
By the time he dragged his exhausted body reeking of blood and killing intent back to the hotel entrance, it was exactly 5:59 PM.
The doors opened for him right on time.
Walking into the luxurious, spotless lobby, Gu Han felt as if he had entered another world.
He set the heavy backpack on the floor. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard bursts of… a woman’s laughter coming from the second floor?
He looked up toward the source of the sound.
Jiang Lingyue was walking out of a room, holding half a bucket of popcorn in her arms and a can of cola in her hand. She was humming an off-key tune, with a relaxed and content smile on her face.
She seemed to have just noticed that Gu Han had returned. She froze for a moment, then waved at him.
“You’re back? How was the harvest today?”
Her tone sounded just like a wife asking her husband who had just come home from work.
Gu Han looked at her clean clothes and relaxed demeanor then at himself, covered in blood and exhaustion.
A complicated emotion he couldn’t quite describe rose in his chest.
He had been risking his life outside…
And this woman… had actually spent the whole afternoon watching movies here?