Yuan Li’s heart sank as the finger pointed at her.
Even without knowing what was about to happen, she had a bad premonition.
Almost instinctively, she refused. “We’re the front desk. If guests need items delivered, I’ll contact security.”
“I said, you deliver it.” The bodyguard’s tone was cold and firm.
Today, Young Master was in a foul mood. Miss Qiangwei had nearly been toyed to death.
If by chance a woman appeared who perfectly fit Young Master’s taste, of course he wouldn’t let her go.
If Young Master’s mood improved, promotions and raises were inevitable.
As for Yuan Li’s life or death?
What did that matter to him? If she died, it was her own fault.
Yuan Li instinctively glanced at her two colleagues.
Wang Fang turned away, while Liu Jiao’s eyes were filled with complexity. She hesitated, then whispered in Yuan Li’s ear, “Once you’re upstairs… don’t resist. Be obedient. Staying alive is more important than anything.”
Was this already a matter of life and death?
Yuan Li had no intention of knowingly going somewhere dangerous.
She only thought that, after today, her two colleagues might keep a thousand miles away from her.
“I refuse unreasonable work requests.” Yuan Li tugged at her uniform, removed her badge, and held it out. “Maybe now I can refuse you?”
“…Cle…Cleaning…” Liu Jiao’s face changed drastically, but she clamped her mouth shut before finishing the word.
She stared at Yuan Li in near-horror, unable to understand why a small, harmless new colleague had suddenly entangled herself with such a terrifying place.
And what had Yuan Li said before?
That the Cleaning Department was full of lunatics?
Liu Jiao felt like fainting.
Even the bodyguard’s expression shifted. Although he was from the Zhuang family, none of them dared lightly provoke the lunatics of the Cleaning Department.
Almost instinctively, he hesitated, reaching to lift the small suitcase on the front desk.
Yuan Li exhaled slightly, deeply grateful. The Cleaning Department was truly a good place.
This was the second time they had saved her.
But just as she relaxed, the bodyguard suddenly drew a gun and aimed it at her.
It was Yuan Li’s first time seeing a gun up close, and she froze.
That moment of hesitation prompted the bodyguard to snarl, “Almost fooled me.”
“?” Yuan Li furrowed her brow. “You want to provoke the Cleaning Department?”
The bodyguard, towering over her, looked down arrogantly. “You should really see what those lunatics are like. You think faking a badge lets you borrow their power? If they find out, you’re the first to die!”
Yuan Li was unimpressed. “Do you know what it means to be protected by the Cleaning Department?”
The bodyguard sneered, “If you were that important, would you still be working here?”
Yuan Li was speechless.
Being protected by the Cleaning Department wasn’t the same as being spoiled.
That protection had a time limit. What was wrong with finding a way to earn her own living before it expired?
Clearly, the bodyguard had already convinced himself of his logic and wasn’t giving her a chance to explain.
The gun barrel was now aimed at her forehead.
“I’ll give you ten seconds. Are you going up or not?”
Yuan Li opened her mouth, only for the bodyguard to interrupt. “I don’t mind killing a couple more people.”
Liu Jiao and Wang Fang turned pale, silently pleading with her.
A short-term colleague could never be more important than their own lives.
Yuan Li had no choice. “Fine, I’ll go with you, but I have one condition—I need to speak two words to them first.”
“You get one minute.” Compared to Yuan Li’s stubbornness, the bodyguard preferred to bring her upstairs. Since she agreed, he relented slightly.
Yuan Li leaned close to Liu Jiao, whispering, “Find a way to call the Cleaning Department, tell Hong Yuan I’m in trouble.”
Liu Jiao shivered, her voice low but trembling. “That’s the Cleaning Department… do you want to die?”
“Have you considered…” Yuan Li fixed her gaze on Liu Jiao, speaking deliberately, “what if I truly am under the protection of the Cleaning Department? If something happens to me, do you think you’ll get away safely?”
Liu Jiao went pale.
The minute was too short; Yuan Li didn’t wait for her answer.
She followed the bodyguard into the elevator, standing in the farthest corner from him.
Perhaps because she seemed resigned, the bodyguard had the inclination to speak more. “The scraps leaking from Young Master’s fingers are more than you’ll ever make working at this hotel your whole life. If you’re smart, you’ll please Young Master. Someday, you might even thank me for letting you meet him.”
Yuan Li ignored him.
Forcing someone to be a lover and being proud of it? Ridiculous.
The elevator stopped at the 17th floor.
The bodyguard glared at her, leaving no chance to escape. “Move.”
Yuan Li followed him.
But after only a few steps, she suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach, groaning painfully. “M-My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom.”
“I advise you not to play games,” the gun was pressed to her forehead again. “Besides, there’s a bathroom in the suite. Use it there if you must.”
Yuan Li froze, not daring to resist.
She couldn’t afford to waste time and risk getting killed by this madman.
When they stopped, Yuan Li froze at the door number.
1703?
Wasn’t this the first room she had opened today?
How could it be here?
At the door stood a second bodyguard, dressed similarly to the first. He frowned. “Why are you taking so long?”
The first bodyguard stepped aside for Yuan Li. “I brought someone with me. Young Master should like her.”
The second bodyguard glanced at Yuan Li, relaxing slightly, but whispered a warning to his colleague: “Young Master is in a bad mood right now.”
The first bodyguard handed the small suitcase to Yuan Li. “Go in alone.”
Yuan Li had initially resisted, but then nodded. “Fine.”
The bodyguard remained wary. “Don’t cause trouble inside, or don’t blame me if you die!”
Yuan Li ignored him.
Bodyguard two slid the door open, just a crack, and a muffled grunt emerged.
Yuan Li took a deep breath, still unprepared, when the bodyguard shoved her inside, almost choking on the cold air.
The suite had two bedrooms, doors adjacent.
In just a few steps, Yuan Li glimpsed one room’s interior: a man pinned on the bed.
Instantly, a stench hit her nose. She gagged and instinctively bolted toward the empty room.
She slammed the door, momentarily safe!
Her plan was solid—but before the door fully closed, the bodyguard shouted, “Young Master! The medicine has arrived!”
The man snapped his head up, his murky, orange-yellow eyes locking on Yuan Li.
Next second, he lunged at her.
Yuan Li reacted with lightning speed, swinging the medicine case hard.
She just needed to block him—once—and she could lock herself safely inside the room.
But that was the ideal.
In reality, the man swatted the case aside casually, grabbed her by the neck, and threw her onto the bed.
On the bed, Yuan Li came face to face with a familiar face.
A few hours ago, this was a gentle, delicate beauty. Now her eyes were closed, her temple split open, blood dripping onto the bed in bright, almost floral patterns.
It wasn’t just her face; her body was covered in bruises, whip marks, and cuts. Her wrists were bent into unnatural angles.
If Yuan Li hadn’t felt the faint breath from her, she might have thought the woman was dead.
“I’m from the Cleaning Department! Hong Yuan will come to pick me up tonight!!”
Yuan Li was gambling.
She bet that this so-called Young Master had heard Hong Yuan’s name.
She held the badge she had carried all the way, pointing it at the man.
Good news: he stopped.
The Cleaning Department really was her lucky star.
Yuan Li had just relaxed when the man suddenly collapsed to his knees with a loud thud.
Next, she heard the sickening sounds of flesh and bone under stress.
Finally, he screamed.
Yuan Li saw his naked back split open.
A grotesque, skinless goat head emerged, rising in segments until it reached the ceiling.
Bone horns, goat head, gorilla-like body, slimy tiny tendrils on the feet.
A monster.
A disgusting creature bursting from a human body.
The newborn Mutant tore off the obstructing human skin. Its goat mouth opened wide, revealing three rows of sharp, shark-like teeth.
Then—it lowered its head and bit hard at Yuan Li!