Chapter 55: How to Deal with Scum

Chu Jiangyue’s words immediately enraged the man.

“You filthy slut!”

As soon as he spoke, he hurled the fireball he had been preparing at Chu Jiangyue.

“Boom!”

Before he could even throw it, a bolt of lightning struck him.

Chu Jiangyue turned her head and saw Shen Zhigui entering from the doorway.

Due to the light at the entrance, Shen Zhigui’s figure was backlit, giving him a mysterious aura as he stepped inside.

“Are you alright?”

Shen Zhigui walked in and immediately saw Chu Jiangyue facing a group alone. He noticed the man throwing fire sparks at her and, quicker than thought, struck him with lightning.

The man, who had just been full of bravado, was instantly charred. Smoke still curled from his mouth when the lightning faded.

As for his hair… consider it a complimentary explosion-style hairstyle.

Chu Jiangyue shook her head. She hadn’t even started warming up yet, and help had already arrived.

The boss was already fried, and the remaining people were no longer a threat. Chu Jiangyue turned her attention to the young woman in the corner.

Lin Xuyuan and Su Zhucheng focused on the man holding the child: “Do you hand over the child willingly, or do we beat you first, then take the child?”

The outcome would be the same either way; the process was just slightly different. Smart people knew which choice to make.

The man’s grip on the child loosened slightly. The boy sensed it and broke free, running quickly toward his mother.

“Mom!”

The young woman, nearly violated moments ago, had been in a daze, but hearing her child’s voice snapped her back to reality. She hurriedly embraced him, tears streaming uncontrollably.

“Waa…”

Her crying was muffled, almost silent.

So close… just a little closer… she…

Even Chu Jiangyue felt a pang of pity witnessing this scene.

“I drove here. I can take you to meet the people at the B City Safe Base—they’ll escort you safely back there.”

Primarily because Jianglin Hotel had no rooms; she couldn’t accommodate them herself.

“Safe Base?”

“Really? You don’t even know about the Safe Base?”

But thinking about it, in a world without reliable communication, news rarely spreads. No wonder they didn’t know.

The woman shook her head.

“It’s a government-established Safe Base. Ordinary people can live there. It’s much better than wandering aimlessly outside.”

The woman’s eyes were vacant, but seeing her child in her arms, she finally mustered courage: “Okay, I’ll follow you.”

“What about these people?”

The boss was already struck dead by Shen Zhigui’s lightning, but there were still others.

Chu Jiangyue looked around. She didn’t want these people as hotel guests, but they had no morals. Leaving them unchecked could harm others later.

“Take them back to the Base to deal with.”

Chu Jiangyue was a hotel owner first. Punishing criminals wasn’t her expertise—Base personnel handled that professionally.

Shen Zhigui didn’t object; these people wouldn’t be committing crimes outside anymore anyway.

There were quite a few of them. Shen Zhigui and the others had arrived quickly thanks to the hotel’s navigation system.

But with only one vehicle, they couldn’t transport everyone. Eventually, another vehicle was brought, choosing a car as transport.

“Get in!”

Shen Zhigui and his team concentrated their abilities in their hands, glaring at the remaining people.

Only the mother and child were placed in Chu Jiangyue’s silver SUV.

Before she got in, Chu Jiangyue approached Shen Zhigui: “Thank you for today. I couldn’t have brought all these people back alone.”

Although her SUV was special, it had a maximum capacity of seven.

“No need to thank me. I consider Boss Chu a friend. When a friend is in trouble, it’s only natural to help.”

Chu Jiangyue glanced at Shen Zhigui. Friend?

“Thank you. It’s my honor.”

She didn’t deny his words.

After running around all day, Chu Jiangyue was ready to stop. She drove behind Shen Zhigui’s car, heading back to Jianglin Hotel.

Inside the car, the little girl and the mother with her child remained quiet, not uttering a word.

The car slowly stopped at the hotel entrance: “We’re here. Get out.”

Chu Jiangyue stepped out first.

After running around all day, she had only brought back three people—slightly inefficient, she thought.

But seeing the three inside, she realized the trip had been worth it.

The little girl and the mother with her child stepped out, looking confused at the hotel, which seemed out of place in the surroundings.

“This is my hotel. There are no rooms available, which is why I suggested you follow Base personnel to live at the B City Safe Base.

But you can first get identity cards, buy some food here, and fill your stomach.”

The B City Base distributed identity cards daily to ensure each member could communicate again.

“Big sister, what’s an identity card?”

The little girl was clearly braver than the mother and child.

“It’s for every guest at my hotel. You can think of it as… a phone.”

The identity card had a virtual screen: it could make payments, chat, and receive hotel announcements.

Essentially, it worked like a pre-apocalypse smartphone within Jianglin Hotel.

“Do we have to pay for it?”

“The first registration requires a top-up. The money goes into the card. I’ll take you there.”

Just telling them wasn’t enough—they needed to experience it themselves.

“Boss Chu, we’ll go meet the Base personnel first.”

Those brought back were bound by Chu Jiangyue’s thorny vines. The thorns pierced their skin and tore flesh, keeping them obedient.

On the way back, they were extremely well-behaved.

When Shen Zhigui and his team got out, they didn’t hesitate to pull the people off the vehicle. The thorns dug into their skin, making them wince in pain.

“What’s going on?”

Many people at the hotel entrance witnessed the scene and came forward to ask.

Shen Zhigui and his team were strong, but they didn’t put on airs. Many awakened ability users would come to them for advice.

While they didn’t reveal everything, they offered fair guidance.

“Attempted to harm a woman and child. We caught them and are handing them over to the Base for processing.”

With a reduced population and limited labor, these people could die—or become free labor for the Base.

The Base would likely be grateful to them and Boss Chu.

“Wow! That’s heartless! Well done, Mr. Shen!”

Chu Jiangyue didn’t want to get involved further. She took the little girl and the mother with her child to the hotel’s office hall.