Chapter 3: Handsome Visitor
1546 Words
Samantha felt that her imagination could be bolder.
"Even a poor soul like me can become a landlord, so what's the big deal about teleportation?" she thought.
Swiping her card to open the gate, Samantha started moving her belongings inside.
Sleeping bag, portable toilet, basin – each room, including the single and her own, had a set.
Once again, Samantha activated the renting mode.
【Rental conditions have been set. Host, please choose from daily, short-term, monthly, or yearly rental modes. Once selected, the price cannot be changed within the specified time, and the interior furnishings and decorations cannot be altered.】
After some consideration, Samantha decided to start with daily rentals.
Being a landlady for the first time, she lacked experience, so she planned to observe for a few days.
【Room 001 is available for daily rental, and according to the interior decoration system, the daily rent should be 100 Federal Credits. If you wish to increase the rent, please purchase premium furnishings, Host.】
Samantha: "..." Quite realistic.
But thinking it over, this price shouldn't have trouble finding tenants.
Firstly, a regular single room for daily rental within Hartwood Base costs 80 Federal Credits, and an additional 5 base contribution points are required.
Often in high demand, those unable to secure independent rooms end up in cheap dormitories with 20 people per room, where monthly rent is 600 Federal Credits and 10 contribution points. Living conditions are quite harsh.
Her Samwood single room, though lacking in amenities, has the advantage of independent space without the need for contribution points.
Contribution points are even rarer than Federal Credits.
Moreover, she knew that this location near Gate 3 often saw the passage of exploration troops.
Those who survive in exploration troops are wealthy individuals undertaking the most dangerous tasks for the highest commissions.
The house should have no trouble finding tenants.
For dinner, Samantha spent 2 Federal Credits on an unappetizing synthetic meat patty, leaving her with only 23 Federal Credits in her account, plunging her into anxiety.
She needed to attract customers and earn money quickly.
As night fell, rain poured outside, occasionally accompanied by the distant roars of zombies, making her involuntarily shiver in her sleeping bag.
Fortunately, Samwood's high wall electric fence was reliable; zombies couldn't get in, ensuring safety but sacrificing living quality.
Wrapped in her sleeping bag, Samantha lay in her empty room, sighing as she stared at the ceiling.
Fortunately, it was spring, and the nights weren't too cold; otherwise, this tattered sleeping bag wouldn't provide much warmth.
Once again determined, she decided to make money, get a big bed, have hot water, and even install air conditioning and floor heating!
Excited, Samantha gradually drifted into sleep.
Despite the bare walls, the house provided her with unparalleled security.
No more worrying about living in a cramped and cold restroom, constantly fearing Emma knocking on the door in the middle of the night.
No more concerns about Dennis urinating on her bed.
This was her own house!
In the midst of a blissful dream, Samantha suddenly woke up to the voice of the smart communicator outside the door:
"Mistress, there's a visitor."
Samantha instantly became alert, scrambling to get up, feeling a bit anxious.
The noise seemed significant.
【Samwood area is under zombie attack; electric fence activated.】
Samantha's heart trembled as she leaned over the door monitor and indeed saw a group of seven or eight strong men, all injured, some even unconscious and covered in blood.
Rain washed away the blood on the ground, creating a gruesome sight.
Startled, Samantha quickly opened the gate.
It was an exploration troop!
Presumably, they got injured during a mission and couldn't make it back to the base in time, so they chose Samwood nearby.
Samantha felt genuine respect and gratitude towards them. Without exploration troops clearing zombies and collecting resources outside, living conditions in the base could be even worse.
"Come in, come in," she urged. She could see a group of zombies trapped by her electric fence not far away, desperately trying to break free.
The group rushed in, and the mixture of blood and rain turned Samantha's living room into a mess.
A healing-type esper quickly began treating the most severely wounded, his hands emitting a faint golden light as he passed over gruesome wounds. Unfortunately, the injuries were too severe, and the person's abdomen had almost been emptied by zombies. No matter how the esper healed, the bleeding couldn't be stopped.
For the first time, Samantha watched someone open their abdomen and die right in front of her. She stood frozen, blood flowing backward in her veins.
The healing esper slammed the ground in frustration and silently shed tears over his teammate's body.
The room fell into silence for half a minute.
The man in black military attire with the rank of major, and the epaulettes of a general, wiped rain and blood off his face and said to Samantha:
"I am Major Emerson, the commander of the elite Seventh Division of the Exploration Troop. Today, we encountered two evolved zombies during a mission, severely injuring my deputy commander and... my teammate. If it weren't for the electric fence outside that held the zombies back during our retreat, we might not have made it."
He suddenly stopped, saluted Samantha, expressing the most sincere gratitude.
Samantha was taken aback.
"Also... I'm sorry for the death in your house. We will take care of it. We apologize for the trouble," the commander said, his eyes flashing for a moment, but quickly returning to his usual calm and stern demeanor.
Samantha only managed to recover a little, quickly saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Rest here for the night."
She left the messy living room to Emerson and his team and silently returned to her room.
She didn't sleep well all night, dreaming of zombies breaking through Samwood's electric fence. She woke up covered in cold sweat.
She realized that she had been confined to her home for too long, with her eyes fixed on this confined space, oblivious to the dangers outside.
When Samantha emerged in the morning, she found Emerson's team had cleaned up the b****y mess in the living room, and the body of the deceased teammate had been placed in a portable body bag.
Samantha couldn't bear to look and asked, "Are you leaving?"
Emerson, reloading his g*n, replied, "Yes, we're going back for revenge."
He spoke calmly, but Samantha sensed an intense hatred hidden beneath his calm exterior.
Washing away the blood stains from yesterday revealed his face, skin roughened from long-term survival and combat in the wilderness.
However, his facial features were delicate, with phoenix eyes, a refined nose, and a scar on the left eyebrow, giving him a somewhat fierce appearance.
A contradictory aura...
Samantha felt he couldn't be older than thirty.
"By the way, I saw what seems to be a hotel here. Is it owned by your parents?" Emerson asked directly.
Last night was too chaotic, and he didn't have time to think much. Opening a hotel in such a large safe zone made him assume it was owned by a wealthy figure.
But he had only seen Samantha, who seemed to be a teenager.
Emerson asked directly, "Is this inn run by your parents? What kind of people are your parents?" Last night was chaotic, and he didn't have time to think much. Opening a business in such a large safe zone would likely involve wealthy or influential individuals. However, from start to finish, he had only seen this seemingly underage girl in front of him.
Samantha replied, "I'm the owner, just an ordinary person. There's also a single room next door. Perhaps your injured teammate, who may still be unconscious, can rest here for a few days. The daily rent is only 100 Federal Credits, payable by card."
A nearby team member suddenly widened their eyes, scrutinizing her and then surveying the empty room.
"Is this house yours?" Others also looked at her in disbelief. The mysterious property owner turned out to be a seemingly underage girl! They had always thought it was the private property of some high-ranking figure in the base.
Emerson added one more question, "No need for contribution points?" Samantha shook her head, "No, I only accept Federal Credits for rent."
Without a second thought, Emerson swiped his card to pay the rent, covering five days at once. Hart indeed needed a single room for recovery, and this place was protected by a high wall and electric fence, even safer than Hartwood Base.
Samantha looked at the extra 500 Federal Credits in her account, smiling brightly, "The room is on the left. Please carry him in."
Several rough guys didn't mind the simple room configuration. They put their injured teammate on the sleeping bag, left a message on the communicator, and then came out.
Emerson also gave his contact information to Samantha, saying, "Boss Su, we'll leave him with you for a few days. We'll come to pick him up after we settle the score. Here's a reward of 1000 Federal Credits for these days. Please accept it." Before Samantha could respond, there was a beep, indicating the arrival of 1000 Federal Credits in her account.
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