Chapter 36: A Hotel Appears in a Desolate Place

The five of them stared at Jin Churan for a long while. “Let us try it. If we can drive it, you sell the scooter to us.”

Although Jin Churan’s explanation seemed detailed, they still believed that practice proved the truth.

“You can try, but don’t break anything.”

Jin Churan was alone and didn’t want to confront them head-on, so he had no choice but to compromise.

Seeing that Jin Churan didn’t resist, the five each tried to ride the scooter.

But no matter what they tried—even attempting to lift it together—they couldn’t budge the scooter an inch.

Initially, Jin Churan was worried that they might try to carry the scooter off. But once he saw they couldn’t even move it slightly, he relaxed.

After half an hour of attempts back and forth, the five finally gave up and looked at Jin Churan again.

“This scooter… really rented from that Jianglin Hotel of yours?

If we went there, could we rent one too?”

Since they couldn’t move it, they would have to go to the source to find scooters.

“Everything I said is true. Scooters are limited; I’m not sure if any will still be available when you get there.”

The scooters were indeed limited, but the remaining ones had already been rented by others.

Jin Churan didn’t tell them this—if they knew no scooters were left, his own might be at risk. He needed to let them see hope.

“You better not be lying. Let’s go—to Shengshi Huadu.”

Once the five had left completely, Jin Churan finally exhaled. He took some buns from his backpack, placed them in a steamer, and heated them using his fire ability.

---

Jianglin Hotel

Chu Jiangyue didn’t finish preparing the restaurant event until 9 p.m. When she closed her virtual screen and tried to stretch, the Little Fox reminded her someone had arrived.

“Master, someone’s approaching the hotel.”

“New guests?”

Only first-time visitors to the hotel would prompt the Little Fox to alert her.

“Yes, yes! New guests!”

It had been a while since any new visitors came, so the Little Fox was excited.

Hearing that, Chu Jiangyue looked up properly.

“Have they entered yet?”

The location of Jianglin Hotel was prominent. The surrounding lawns outside the hotel’s protective shield were withered.

From her observations over the past few days, not only were the plants dead, but the soil even showed signs of desertification.

In lower areas of Shengshi Huadu, some villas had sand covering their bases.

Soon, Chu Jiangyue wondered if the sand might eventually cover all of Shengshi Huadu.

Given this, Jianglin Hotel, with its green lawn, stood out remarkably.

From the moment Lin Dong’s five-man group arrived near Shengshi Huadu, they saw Jianglin Hotel clearly.

They believed parts of what Jin Churan said, but remained cautious until confirmed.

“Boss, should we go in?”

The hotel seemed completely out of place in the desolate area, like a haunted house in a drama.

A house suddenly appearing in an empty place, with a kind old woman inside providing food, drink, and free lodging.

Little did they know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Every gift comes at a price.

“What’s there to fear? That guy said it’s a hotel. The boss is just a young girl, right?”

Although intrigued, the others still felt uneasy.

“Come on, we’re all grown men. Fear nothing! Don’t forget—we have abilities now!”

Lin Dong, a broad-shouldered, big man, scolded his subordinates and led the way into the hotel.

---

Once inside the hotel’s protective shield, the five noticed the temperature change.

“Boss… it’s… not hot at all!”

The past few days outside had been unbearably hot, leaving them wishing for no clothes at all.

“There are several buildings. Boss, which one do we go to?”

Two of the buildings looked exactly alike.

At that moment, Chu Jiangyue appeared at the entrance of Building 1, her gaze immediately locking onto the five just entering the hotel’s shield.

“Boss! There’s a cute girl over there!”

Among the five, the keen-eyed immediately noticed Chu Jiangyue.

But seeing her in a white dress with black hair flowing down, they hesitated.

Could it be… they got lucky?

“Master, why do they all look scared?”

Chu Jiangyue didn’t understand, but she smiled at them anyway.

“B-Boss… she… she smiled. Did she see us?”

“Of course! There’s nothing blocking the view. Not like she’s blind!”

Lin Dong stepped back cautiously. Could this be some illusion caused by a ghost?

After all, he had awakened his abilities—strange things were possible.

Chu Jiangyue, waiting at Building 1, grew impatient. She didn’t need their revenue and returned behind the counter.

---

“B-Boss… she went in!”

“Of course, I can see!”

“Hey, guys, why are you standing there?”

As the five hesitated, someone walked in from outside, greeting them warmly.

“You’re here for Jianglin Hotel too?”

Seeing someone approach, Lin Dong quickly asked.

“This is Jianglin Hotel. You must be new. Boss Chu is in Building 1.

If you want to stay, hurry—otherwise, you’ll be expelled in two hours.”

Guests at Jianglin Hotel didn’t need to worry about food or lodging. They just had to work diligently outside, fighting zombies or collecting valuables to survive, which kept their spirits helpful.

“Building 1?”

“Right there. We’re going back to shower; you can join us.”

Speaking, they walked ahead.

Lin Dong’s group followed closely, reassured by someone leading the way.

Once inside Building 1, seeing Chu Jiangyue behind the counter, their pupils constricted.

The person they saw earlier was the same one?

“Good evening, Boss Chu!”

The people leading them didn’t notice anything odd and greeted Chu Jiangyue warmly.

She nodded in reply. “Good evening.”

“She’s the owner of Jianglin Hotel. If you need anything, ask Boss Chu. We’ll go now.”

Without caring about Lin Dong’s expressions, they headed toward the stairs and quickly disappeared from sight.