Lin Ya’s heart was filled with helplessness. She knew that in this apocalyptic world, she had to be extremely careful with every step she took. After washing up, she walked over to the window and gently pulled the curtains apart just enough to peek outside.
Downstairs, a few scattered zombies were wandering aimlessly. They wore tattered clothes, and their skin was so pale that it was almost translucent, as though it might crumble at the slightest touch.
Every now and then, they looked up at the windows. Their hollow eyes seemed to hold a trace of longing, as if they could sense the presence of living humans upstairs. Dried blood still hung from the corners of their mouths, the final remnants of their former lives as human beings.
Lin Ya’s stomach churned. She had only ever seen scenes like this in movies before, but now that everything had suddenly appeared in reality, she felt a kind of fear she had never experienced before.
The drainage pipes outside the inn were tangled together in a complicated mess, resembling a web of grasping claws that sent chills down her spine. Fortunately, however, the pipes running from the third floor to the second floor were attached closely to the wall and arranged vertically, making them far less disorderly than she had imagined.
Lin Ya forced herself to keep her gaze on the zombies downstairs. She had to get used to these ugly, disgusting creatures. She reminded herself that this was a necessary part of survival and that she couldn’t allow fear to control her.
Just as she was concentrating on observing the zombies, a sudden series of loud knocks came from her room’s door.
The unexpected sound made her heart leap.
She noticed that the zombies downstairs seemed to have heard it too. They suddenly paused, then several of them gathered beneath her window. They clawed at the wall with their stiff arms, seemingly trying to climb up.
Lin Ya’s breathing quickened. She realized that she couldn’t stay here for long. It was only a matter of time before the zombies climbed up.
She quickly drew the curtains shut, then tiptoed over to the door. Pressing her ear tightly against the door panel, she tried to determine what was happening outside.
She clutched a fruit knife tightly in her hand. She had found it yesterday while looking for the power outlet beneath the bed, and it was currently the only tool she had for defending herself.
“Lin Ya, your room rental period is up. You need to renew it!”
The innkeeper’s loud voice came from outside, carrying a hint of excitement. Through the crack in the door, Lin Ya caught sight of the woman’s figure, which looked particularly small in the dimly lit corridor.
The noisy sounds of people playing Dou Dizhu drifted through the hallway, accompanied by the moans of men and women. Pleas for mercy and the sounds of whipping were mixed in as well, making Lin Ya feel as though a black hole outside her door was swallowing the entire inn.
She took a deep breath. It wasn’t even noon yet, and the middle-aged woman was already demanding rent. There had to be another motive behind it.
Lin Ya latched the security lock and moved the table behind the door. After estimating that the door wouldn’t be so easily knocked open, she finally opened it with a narrow crack.
When the innkeeper saw how cautiously she was behaving, a trace of displeasure flashed across her eyes. Her face immediately grew long, and she shot Lin Ya a scornful glance.
“Am I some kind of vicious beast? Do you really need to be so wary of me? Besides, you’re just a streetwalker. You came here with nothing but yourself, so what could I possibly want from you?”
Lin Ya said nothing. She simply stared at the landlady. No matter how much the woman ranted, she refused to open the door any wider.
Seeing her attitude, the landlady decided there was no point in wasting time arguing with her and went straight to the reason for her visit.
“Your room fee expires at twelve noon today. Hurry up and renew your rental!”
Lin Ya didn’t bother with unnecessary words. With a blank expression, she held a bank card between two fingers and passed it through the crack in the door.
Given the landlady’s clearly hostile attitude, Lin Ya had nothing to worry about anymore.
When the landlady saw her cautious gesture, she nearly rolled her eyes right out of her head. If Lin Ya hadn’t refused to open the door, why would she have needed to waste so much breath talking to this little bitch?
“Zombies are running all over the place now. What’s the use of this thing? From now on, we only accept food for rent!”
The landlady knew perfectly well that when Lin Ya had arrived at the inn, she had brought nothing except her phone and the bank card tucked behind her phone case. Without even waiting for Lin Ya to respond, she continued speaking.
“However, I know things aren’t easy for you right now, so I’ve managed to negotiate another way for you to pay!”
Although her voice carried a hint of envy, her condescending attitude was completely undisguised.
“We have food here, beds, and several strong men. The big brother leading them can even throw fireballs. They can all protect you, of course, you’ll have to pay a little price…”
As she spoke, her gaze wandered up and down Lin Ya’s body, as though she were inspecting a piece of merchandise. Her intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.
Lin Ya frowned. She understood the woman’s intentions perfectly well. There was no way she was going to become some kind of bargaining chip!
Besides, judging by the landlady’s words and behavior, the people staying at the inn were certainly no good either. If a delicate young woman like her went with those people, wouldn’t she inevitably end up in trouble sooner or later?
“No need. I’ll leave before twelve.”
The landlady smiled, but there was actually a trace of disdain in that smile.
“You’re a streetwalker, aren’t you? Isn’t selling yourself what you do? And now you’re being picky? Besides, the men I’ve found for you are all well-built and capable. They’ll definitely know how to make you feel comfortable!”
“Besides, in times like these, as long as you have strength, status and wealth are practically yours for the taking. Isn’t that right?”
“Don’t be so ungrateful. The world is in chaos now, and having someone to rely on is something countless people dream of. If you weren’t so pretty, I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble for you!”
The landlady acted as though she were offering Lin Ya an incredible bargain. Lin Ya was furious, yet she also felt utterly helpless.
She knew perfectly well that if she didn’t come up with a plan today, she might really end up being treated like the landlady’s merchandise.
She lowered her head and rolled her eyes thoughtfully. An idea suddenly came to her.
The landlady saw Lin Ya bowing her head, her long hair cascading around her face. She looked pitiful, as though she wanted to agree but had no choice but to refuse. Every now and then, her body even trembled slightly.
“Actually, I understand everything you’re saying. Someone like me has no right to be picky about customers. But… but…”
Lin Ya’s voice emerged in soft, broken sobs. She sounded as though she were about to cry so hard that she could barely catch her breath.
The landlady listened to her going on and on with those sobs and grew increasingly irritated, her expression turning cold.
“But what? Hurry up and tell me! Why are you being so coy? Who are you putting on this act for?”
“I have that kind of disease. My customer found out this morning, so he kicked me out. I… I had actually planned to slit my wrists and kill myself in your inn this morning, but who could have known that the apocalypse would suddenly arrive!”
“If those big brothers don’t mind, I’m willing to do it. Just look at me. I have a good figure and a pretty face. It’s just that my disease is a little troublesome because it’s contagious. But that shouldn’t matter too much, right? As long as we’re careful, it should still be possible!”
Lin Ya spoke as though she herself wasn’t entirely sure whether it would work, making the landlady feel as though a bolt of lightning had struck her out of a clear blue sky!
Her beautiful dream had shattered.
Lin Ya was supposed to be her very first money-making tool. She had even fantasized about collecting all kinds of women in the future and making them work for her, allowing her to live a life above everyone else.
Who could have expected that her plans would fall apart before she had even gotten started? Her very first prospect had turned out to be a problem.
“You little bitch, your heart is far too malicious! You and I have never had any grudges, either in the distant past or recently. Who exactly are you trying to kill? If anything happens to those big brothers, forget about you and me. Nobody in this entire place will have a good ending!”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that Lin Ya had intended to kill herself at the inn.
“You damn slut! How dare you come to my place to kill yourself! You AIDS-infected bitch! If you’re going to die, go find some deserted place to do it! You little bitch, you’re so fucking vicious…”
A long string of insults, liberally sprinkled with curses involving everyone’s parents, poured from the landlady’s loud mouth.