Chapter 16: Upgrading to a Level 3 Hotel

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“Give me two steamed buns!”

“Me! Me! I want buns too!”

“I want a meat bun!”

These people were mostly ordinary folks with very little to trade. Steamed buns and meat buns were the two most cost-effective items in the hotel’s food supply.

Chu Jiangyue had just introduced the buns and meat buns, and those who had just recharged and obtained their identity cards all hurried back.

Who would still want dry bread and crackers when there were buns and meat buns to eat?

“Over there—look at the virtual screen for instructions, place your order, and swipe your card to purchase.”

Chu Jiangyue directed them to the virtual screen in front of the goods counter.

The crowd surged forward, and some even started fighting just to get their orders first.

“Stop right now! I said the supply is unlimited—why are you fighting? Everyone line up!”

Being woken up in the middle of the night had already put Chu Jiangyue in a bad mood, and seeing this chaotic scene made her temper flare.

Some of the people had thought she was just a woman and didn’t take her seriously. In a fit of anger, Chu Jiangyue activated her Wood-type ability, forming a thorned vine whip. She lashed it hard against the floor, producing a tremendous noise.

“Whoever doesn’t follow the rules, let’s see if you’re tougher than my whip!”

Xie Silin shook his head as he watched the crowd shrink in fear like quails.

He had repeatedly warned them on the way that they must not offend the hotel owner, but these people hadn’t listened at all.

Still, Xie Silin couldn’t help but feel envious of Chu Jiangyue’s vine whip.

Between Boss Chu’s vine whip, Boss Shen’s lightning, and Boss Jiang’s spatial powers, the more he saw, the more enviable it seemed.

Under Chu Jiangyue’s strict control, everyone obediently lined up—those who needed to buy bought, those who needed to exchange, exchanged.

After an hour and a half, everyone had recharged and obtained their personal identity cards.

Chu Jiangyue’s task of hosting 100 people and successfully issuing identity cards was completed smoothly.

【Task: Issue hotel identity cards to 100 people — Completed (118/100)
Task Reward: Unlock Building 1, unlock food: Chinese cabbage, EXP +1000】

Last time, Chu Jiangyue had forgotten to upgrade the hotel; now she could make up for it completely.

【Current Hotel Level: 1 (1290/100), meets conditions for Level 3 upgrade. Upgrade? Yes/No】

Chu Jiangyue didn’t rush to upgrade the hotel because those who had finished obtaining identity cards were still in line buying buns and meat buns.

By the time everyone finished, roughly two hours had passed.

“Non-staying guests can only remain in the hotel for 2 hours per day. You’ve nearly reached that limit—please leave before the time runs out.
Otherwise, when the hotel enforces this, I can’t guarantee where you’ll end up.”

If luck ran out, and they were sent into a pile of zombies, it would be their own misfortune. The hotel would bear no responsibility.

The crowd looked at Shen Zhigui and his group—they had come with them. If the hotel was off-limits, they had to find somewhere for these people to stay.

“Hey! You can’t really be this shameless. We’ve already done everything we could to bring you here through the zombie surge.
Do you expect us to find you a place to stay and settle every single one of you?
You need to understand, this is the apocalypse! I, Brother Shen, am being generous, otherwise you’d have all been wiped out in the zombie surge!
Two hours are almost up. Go find your own place. Shengshi Hua is huge; there’s bound to be unoccupied villas. Any one of them is better than the residential building you were in before.”

Xie Silin couldn’t stand seeing his idols being taken advantage of. Seeing the expressions of the group, he immediately jumped in to interrupt them.

“He’s right. We aren’t obliged to take care of you forever. Before the two hours are up, leave and find a place to stay.”

Chu Jiangyue ignored their argument. Once everyone had obtained identity cards and bought their food, she planned to return to her room and catch some more sleep.

After working an extra two hours tonight, she decided to start work two hours later tomorrow.

“You have 5 minutes to make your decision. After 5 minutes, the hotel will automatically clear the area.”

Having said that, Chu Jiangyue didn’t care about their reactions and went upstairs.

“Decide for yourselves. It’s late—we’re resting now.”

Jiang He looked gentle and refined, but his words carried an unshakable authority.

The five of them ignored the remaining survivors and returned to their rooms.

“I don’t believe it. With so many of us here, can he really make us leave?”

“Dad, let’s go. If what they said is true, we’re fine, but Niuniu can’t fend off zombies by herself.”

Families with children mostly chose to leave—they couldn’t risk the what-ifs.

Over the next five minutes, people gradually started leaving, though a few stubborn ones remained.

When the five minutes passed, those still inside suddenly felt an invisible force restrain them. They were ripped from their place, and everything went black—they vanished from the hotel entirely.

Seeing this firsthand was very different from hearsay. Those who hadn’t yet left immediately scrambled toward the hotel entrance.

After two rounds of renovations, Jianglin Hotel’s lobby was still spacious. Within seconds, a surge of people crowded at the door, only to be blocked and watch others vanish one by one before their eyes.

Chu Jiangyue, already back in her room, had no idea what had happened in the first-floor lobby.

After confirming no one was walking outside their rooms, she clicked to upgrade the hotel.

Late at night, Jianglin Hotel quietly underwent renovations, preparing a surprise for everyone by the next day.

The next morning, at dawn, guests began to wake.

When Lin Xuyuan got up, he instinctively glanced outside. The previous mornings had been foggy, with garbage or zombie and human limbs scattered on the ground.

But today, he saw a lush, green lawn!

Without bothering to brush his teeth or wash, he opened his door and went to wake Shen Zhigui and the others.

“Boss! Boss! Wake up!”

“Up, up!”

…

All the hotel guests were awakened by Lin Xuyuan’s early-morning commotion.

As Shen Zhigui and his group emerged from their rooms, Lin Xuyuan’s excitement couldn’t be hidden.

“Boss, Jiang He, look outside!”

Before, stepping out of their rooms led straight to the hotel lobby. Outside, besides a small, unnamed sapling planted by Chu Jiangyue, the scene had been bleak.

But today, the lobby was surrounded by a roughly two-meter-wide lawn, thriving and green, with no sign of droopiness.

The tree Chu Jiangyue planted had noticeably grown taller, with much fuller leaves.

“That’s not right… why is there an extra building over there?”

Xie Silin turned to see a two-story wooden house in the middle of the lawn, looking quite picturesque from the outside.