Chapter 22: A Surprise

“Since there aren’t any other guests right now, I’ll take you inside for a look. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

These people were potential clients Chu Jiangyue valued highly. If they returned to the base and talked about her hotel, it could even help her attract new customers. Naturally, her attitude was enthusiastic.

“Thank you for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all. My surname is Chu—you can call me Boss Chu.”

Chu Jiangyue led them directly into Building 1. Seeing the clean, tidy floors inside, the group grew even more interested.

“What’s this?”

As soon as they entered, they noticed a virtual screen above the reception counter.

“This is for checking in, this is for purchasing items, and here is where guests can exchange currency,” Chu Jiangyue explained patiently.

“Exchange currency? Did you set the hotel’s money yourself?”

Currently, the universal currency in the base had shifted from paper bills to points.

Points were earned by receiving tasks from the office, completing them, or by selling materials to the office.

“The hotel’s currency consists of gold, silver, and copper coins, with an exchange rate of 1:100:10,000. You can exchange them using zombie cores or any other item.

However, except for zombie cores, which have a fixed exchange rate, the value of other items varies.”

Gold, silver, and jewels all differ in quality, design, and age. The system evaluates each item comprehensively, giving different amounts each time.

“Cores? We have those.”

The obvious leader of the group’s eyes lit up at Chu Jiangyue’s words.

Although their team had only three people, all had awakened abilities and were considered strong within the base’s supernatural squads.

“Do you want to exchange them? Just place them here and follow the instructions.”

Chu Jiangyue pointed at the exchange device on the counter.

Honestly, if she hadn’t said anything, they wouldn’t have recognized that this oddly-shaped “tray” was actually a currency exchanger.

They exchanged a few zombie cores from their backpack.

[Detected Level 1 Zombie Core ×3. Can be exchanged for 300 copper coins. Confirm exchange? Press Yes; Cancel press No.]

The leader pressed “Yes.” In the next moment, the cores disappeared, replaced by a silver card the size of a bank card.

“This is your first hotel-issued ID card. Open the panel to see the balance. Use it for all hotel transactions, but make sure it has sufficient funds.”

Before he could ask questions, Chu Jiangyue explained.

The other two brightened as well; this method seemed much more convenient than the manual registration at the base.

Unfortunately, the card could probably only be used at Jianglin Hotel.

“This friend list…”

Following Chu Jiangyue’s instructions, Ling Feng opened the ID card panel and saw the friend list, feeling a surge of excitement.

“Ah, this lets you add friends who also have ID cards. Think of it like a pre-apocalypse social network.”

This friend function was extremely popular among hotel guests.

“So if we’re friends, we can send messages anytime, anywhere?”

Ling Feng could hardly believe it. With the Blue Star’s magnetic field disrupted, electronics were essentially useless. Contacting old friends or family was nearly impossible.

If this card really allowed messaging as Chu Jiangyue said, it was an incredible surprise.

If the base leadership learned about this, they might even send people in batches to get ID cards!

“Of course. So far, there’s been no issue sending messages. You can try it yourselves if you don’t believe me.”

Chu Jiangyue was confident in this.

“Boss, let’s get an ID card to test it.”

If it worked, it would be a game-changer.

“Boss Chu, if we verify this, it may be reported to the base. Are you okay with that?”

If everyone in the base got an ID card, they’d effectively restore communication within the base. Having or lacking communication made a huge difference.

“More people using it is better for business,” Chu Jiangyue replied.

She wasn’t afraid of word getting out; she actually welcomed it as free promotion. The hotel wasn’t full yet anyway.

“Boss Chu, you’re generous!” Ling Feng genuinely admired her.

To possess such a treasure and share it so freely… Ling Feng wasn’t sure he could do the same.

Chu Jiangyue, however, looked puzzled. Generosity? Did he misunderstand something?

Ling Feng didn’t notice her expression; after saying this, he urged his teammates to get their cores and exchange them for ID cards.

“Adding friends is simple. Just place your ID cards together and follow the instructions.”

They were all young, familiar with smart devices, so without further instruction, they added each other as friends.

“Boss Chu, can we add you too?”

This was the first time anyone asked her proactively.

Of course, she agreed.

“Sure.”

Without using a card, Chu Jiangyue waved her hand, and her own panel appeared.

Her panel had a guest list and a friend list. Currently, the friend list had only Shen Zhigui and four others. Now, Ling Feng and his three teammates were added.

Chu Jiangyue selected their names and clicked “Add Friend.”

They quickly accepted.

To verify, Ling Feng sent punctuation marks to his teammates. The moment he pressed send, the other two received the message instantly.

The speed was incredible.

“Sent successfully!”

Ling Feng looked at Chu Jiangyue with newfound respect. This friend list solved a major problem for them.

Since global communications were disrupted, everyone had been desperate to reconnect, even if only by phone. But despite bases being established, no communications had been restored, even locally.

Unexpectedly, the person they randomly encountered gave them such a huge surprise.

“Boss Chu, I need to report this about the ID card messaging. People may come to verify it later, so I hope you can cooperate.”

This matter was too important, and Ling Feng couldn’t waste a moment.