“Are you looking for accommodations? You all look exhausted—why not rent two rooms and rest for the night? Our hotel is completely safe. As you saw, zombies can’t get in here at all.”
“Let’s talk inside. Even if you decide not to stay, you can take a rest in the lobby. The child keeps coughing, so he should get some water as well.” Having finally run into living people, Xie Yue was exceptionally enthusiastic.
“Thank you. May I ask how much the lodging costs?” Jiang Weiping asked as he walked, following Xie Yue into the hotel.
He wasn’t afraid of Xie Yue being a scammer; Xie Yue didn’t look like someone who belonged in this apocalyptic world at all.
Eight months had already passed, yet her clothes were clean and neat, her complexion fair and rosy. Living in the city center while keeping zombies at bay meant her strength was surely extraordinary. What did their family have that would even be worth someone like her scamming anyway?
Stepping into the hotel, the interior was brightly lit. A massive crystal chandelier sparkled with delicate light, the floor tiles were clean enough to reflect clear shadows, and the scent of soothing incense filled every breath.
The family stood near the entrance, gazing at this dreamlike scene, not daring to step forward for fear of dirtying everything before their eyes.
“Come, sit down here to rest first. I’ll introduce the rooms to you.” Xie Yue patted the lobby sofa.
The family cautiously walked over and sat down uneasily.
Xie Yue pulled out a tablet. “This is the king-bed room—it costs 2 Crystals per day. Toiletries and amenities are all included, the water is clean, and there’s a kettle in the room to boil drinking water.”
“This is the double-bed room—other than having different beds, everything else is identical. This is the suite for 4 Crystals a day—it’s larger, adds a living room, and includes a kitchen, refrigerator, and a small washing machine. How does that sound to you?”
Jiang Weiping could hardly believe his ears. Ever since the arrival of the apocalypse, water sources had been contaminated. At the base, because they relied on water-type ability users, each person could only receive a meager daily allocation of drinking water.
If that wasn’t enough, one would have to spend 10 Level-1 Crystal Cores just to buy a single bottle. Housing at the base was even worse: their family of four squeezed into a tiny 15-square-meter room with no windows or toilet, costing 200 Level-1 Crystal Cores a month.
Outside, far more people couldn’t even afford a room and built makeshift tents on open ground, where their belongings would be stolen or they would be quietly robbed and killed without anyone knowing.
Jiang Weiping and his son went out every day to hunt zombies. Aside from those expenses, they had to spend a much larger sum on food; the base distributed only two small potatoes per day per person.
Due to the destruction of the soil, current food relied almost entirely on hydroponics or what few ability users managed to grow using scarce patches of fertile dirt.
Two potatoes a day was barely enough to keep a normal person alive; if one wanted to truly survive, they had to trade for or buy extra food.
“We’ll take one double-bed room and one king-bed room. Could you arrange them next to each other for us?”
“Grumble… grumble…” Jiang Yu covered his stomach in embarrassment. Having fled for his life all day, he was starving; the two biscuits he had crammed down in the car didn’t help at all.
“Of course! You must be hungry—here is the fast food blind box machine. For just 1 Crystal, it dispenses various random foods. Once you finish checking in, you can give it a try.”
Xie Yue first registered Jiang Weiping’s information. After the scanner scanned his entire body, she handed him a wristwatch device.
“Wear this on your wrist. Your information is recorded on it, and it’s used to scan for the elevator, unlock your room, and pay at self-service machines. If you need to top up your balance, just come to me.” Xie Yue instructed him on how to tap the watch to check his details.
The family looked at Jiang Weiping’s watch in wonder:
[Name: Jiang Weiping
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Special Ability: Strength Level 2
Room Number: 3001
Balance: 0]
Eager to try, everyone registered their information. Jiang Weiping loaded 10 Crystals onto each person’s watch to test the waters. His younger son, Jiang Xun, wore a small-sized watch, waving his hand at his older brother with eyes crinkling into a smile.
[Task: Inspect hotel rooms and host 4/2 guests (Completed)
Reward: 1 Self-Service Check-In & Top-Up Machine]
Hearing the prompt chime, Xie Yue retrieved two baskets from behind the front desk, guided the family of four to collect their daily amenities from the machine, and then walked over to demonstrate the fast food blind box machine.
“First, swipe your watch, select the quantity, and then tap confirm. The food will come right out.” This time, Xie Yue drew a jar of instant bird’s nest soup.
It even contained something like this! Perfect for dessert—Xie Yue sat down happily to enjoy it.
Operating the blind box machine was extremely simple, and Jiang Yu was the first to give it a try.
With a tap on confirm, he drew a self-heating braised beef and potato rice set—a remarkably good draw.
Seeing this, the whole family began drawing blind boxes. In her original world, Xie Yue loved watching people unbox blind boxes on video apps. Although there were no videos to watch in this world, watching people draw them in person was just as satisfying!
Watching them grow increasingly hooked and empty out all the Crystals stored in their watches, most of what they pulled were instant noodles; over a dozen buckets of different flavors stacked up higher than a person.
The luckiest was little Jiang Xun—what he drew was either hot pot or rice meals, and in the end, he actually pulled a Deluxe Family Seafood Noodle Pot. Served in a large pot, it was filled with various seafood preserved by the system’s black technology. A layer of abalone, large shrimp, and scallops covered the surface, with a king crab positioned right in the center. Without even tasting it, one knew the flavor had to be absolute perfection!
Saying goodbye to Xie Yue, He Ru pulled several large bags from their luggage and packed away everything they could fit. The family carrying their supplies marched grandly into the elevator.
The luxurious elevator reflected the four of them—dressed in rags, looking thin and dark. Having gone without a bath for far too long, they could hardly recognize themselves.
*Ding!* The elevator arrived on the third floor, where the corridor was carpeted in thick rugs.
By the elevator entrance stood two potted evergreen plants with broad, lush green leaves.
To 4-year-old Jiang Xun, green plants were an extraordinary novelty, and these two pots of evergreens were much taller than he was.
Stepping on the soft carpet, he walked over and gently touched a vibrant green leaf. “Is this a big tree? A big green tree!”
The Jiang couple marveled silently to themselves. Since the apocalypse, unpolluted soil had become a precious rarity. Yet here were two large potted plants used merely for decoration.
Then again, thinking of Xie Yue and everything in this hotel, what here wasn’t precious?
Following the door numbers, they found their rooms, 3001 and 3002, entering the double-bed room first. Turning on the lights inside, the family gazed at the spotless, brightly lit room.
This must be heaven! A room like this actually cost only 2 Crystals!