Chapter 21: The Supernatural Squad from the Base

Su Zhucheng blocked those trying to bother Shen Zhigui. Only after Shen Zhigui entered the room did he finally step aside.

Chu Jiangyue sat in the luxurious boss chair behind the counter, enjoying the show.

As expected, talented people never lack admirers, no matter the time—apparently, they appeal to all ages!

A dozen or so students had arrived: the obedient ones already had their own rooms, while those who didn’t behave properly were automatically expelled by the hotel after two hours.

Chu Jiangyue felt no sympathy; it was their own fault.

After handling the new guests’ check-ins, Chu Jiangyue walked out of Building 1 and approached the sapling of the random fruit tree she had planted earlier, sending a bit of her wood-element ability into it.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Chu Jiangyue felt as if the sapling was brimming with joy.

She even felt that the sapling was expressing, “Delicious, I want more.”

What was going on?

In her previous life, her abilities had reached level 4, and she had never experienced this function!

Chu Jiangyue was puzzled.

After pondering for a while without understanding, she decided to stop thinking about it. It didn’t affect her normal use, and if anything, this ability allowed her to sense the emotions of plants—something that could only benefit her.

Watching the fruit tree she had planted grow taller day by day, Chu Jiangyue was in high spirits.

“Host! Host! Someone’s here again! It looks like someone’s hurt! Please save them!”

The little fox, which had been off playing somewhere earlier, suddenly ran over, leaping onto Chu Jiangyue’s shoulders.

“Who’s there?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like a supernatural squad.”

A supernatural squad—most likely from a secure base.

Province H had secure bases, so it made sense that B City, the capital of the Dragon Kingdom, would also have one.

“How far from the hotel? And… I’m a merchant.”

Chu Jiangyue was pragmatic: if the reward for saving someone didn’t meet her expectations, she wasn’t interested.

“I think the injured person won’t hold on for much longer. If he falls, the whole team could be wiped out…”

The little fox’s voice grew quieter, but the more it spoke, the tighter Chu Jiangyue frowned.

“Alright, I’ll go check.”

Chu Jiangyue knew the little fox was tugging at her sympathy, and she couldn’t resist it. She decided to humor it.

Time was pressing. Chu Jiangyue didn’t go back for weapons, leaving empty-handed as she exited the protective barrier of Jianglin Hotel.

With the little fox guiding her, she quickly spotted a few people struggling against zombies.

The number of zombies wasn’t large, but they were unlucky enough to encounter several level-1 zombies at once.

Those who had awakened abilities were already few in number, and their power levels were generally low.

While handling basic zombies could be manageable, facing multiple level-1 zombies in an outnumbered situation made survival extremely difficult.

Not to mention, they had to avoid being scratched or bitten, which restricted their abilities even further.

Upon seeing someone arrive, their expressions initially brightened, but when they realized only Chu Jiangyue had come, their hope dimmed.

However, Chu Jiangyue immediately used vines to bind several zombies. Her long-range abilities were highly effective.

The people who had been struggling noticed the bound zombies, their faces lighting up as they quickly retreated.

They no longer cared about the level-1 zombies’ cores; they just wanted to get as far away as possible.

The bound level-1 zombies watched helplessly as their prey escaped, flailing in frustration and making guttural “Ho! Ho!” sounds.

Still, Chu Jiangyue’s vine bindings were a product of her ability, and her level was only 2 now—far weaker than in her previous life.

The vines could hold the zombies for at most five minutes.

But that was enough time for the others to escape.

Supporting each other, the group approached Chu Jiangyue.

“Thank you for your help. We came from B City’s secure base. We originally intended to check for survivors. We didn’t expect to encounter five level-1 zombies. Thanks to you, we would have been finished today.”

They had awakened abilities and formed a squad, and their post-apocalyptic lives were just getting on track. Dying so unfairly would have been unbearable.

Luckily, fate intervened, and someone saved them at the crucial moment.

“It’s nothing. I recently opened a hotel. If you want to thank me, you can support my business,” Chu Jiangyue said, leading them toward Jianglin Hotel.

Hearing this, they were astonished.

A hotel, even in the apocalypse?

Though skeptical, they followed Chu Jiangyue.

Whether it was true or not, she had saved them. That was fact.

A few steps later, they saw Jianglin Hotel, looking like it belonged in a completely different world.

“What… where is this?”

“The lawn! It’s green! This can’t be a mirage!”

None of them could believe their eyes.

Since the apocalypse, plants outside had withered, and green had become rare. Now, there was none to be seen.

Yet here, they saw vibrant greenery.

“That’s my hotel. Currently, it mainly offers lodging,” Chu Jiangyue said, pointing at the lush lawn, unaware of the awe she had instilled in the three visitors.

“That’s… your hotel?”

The boy in charge looked incredulous.

Chu Jiangyue nodded. “It opened recently, but business is okay. You can check it out even if you don’t stay.”

These people were from B City’s base, and once they returned, they would surely spread the word about Jianglin Hotel—a walking advertisement for her.

“This place looks like a paradise,” one of them said.

Chu Jiangyue smiled, grateful to the system.

“And those two buildings?”

“The wooden house on the left is my own residence. The red brick house with a slanted roof is for guests.”

There was no need to hide anything; she told them everything honestly.

“And that tree! It shows no signs of withering at all!”

They marveled—what kind of divine place was this?

“Oh, I planted it. Supposedly it’s a fruit tree, but it hasn’t borne fruit yet, so we don’t know what kind.”

“You have wood-element ability, so it’s no surprise you can make it thrive.”

Wood-element abilities were highly prized at the base.

They could grow their own crops and sell them directly to the base, never worrying about distribution.

Unfortunately, their squad consisted mostly of attack-type abilities.