Doomsday Innkeeper

Doomsday Innkeeper CH.6

Through the pitch-black night, the brilliant electric glow of the hotel cut through the desolate wasteland like a beacon. Standing on a shattered ridge half a kilometer away, Zhi Qiang adjusted his grip on a heavily notched cleaver. As a speed ability user, his senses were razor-sharp, his reflexes tuned to the absolute limit. Volunteering to scout the premises first, he vanished in a blur of motion, dashing across the cracked asphalt to test the perimeter.

He watched from the shadows as a cluster of zombies threw themselves forward, only to be violently repelled by the invisible, unyielding barrier of the Absolute Domain. Satisfied, Zhi Qiang darted back to the darkness where the siblings were waiting.

"It’s real," Zhi Qiang whispered, his breath perfectly steady despite the blistering sprint. "Full electricity, no breach, and the zombies physically can’t get in. It’s an airtight fortress."

Chen Xu, the team leader, nodded grimly. He was a man of bulky, imposing stature, his heavy muscles hardened further by his earth ability, which allowed him to manipulate solid stone and fortify their defenses. His younger sister, Chen Xue Er, stood quietly by his side, looking well-behaved and composed. She was only eighteen and the only one among them without any supernatural abilities. Though she was heavily dependent on their protection in this harsh world, she was resilient; she could handle a weapon well enough to fend off ordinary zombies and easily keep up with the group's pace.

"We move in the morning," Chen Xu decided after a moment of quiet calculation, keeping his deep voice low. "Let's wait here and keep a lookout first."

With that plan in mind, the trio found a temporary place to rest for the night, keeping a vigilant watch on the mysterious, glowing structure until dawn.

The next morning at seven o'clock, Jiang Rong finished a warm bowl of tomato and egg noodles. Once he was done, he bypassed the front desk to conduct his morning rounds. He checked the back door and then inspected the heavy glass doors, searching for anything amiss, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The only signs of life were a few low, scattered growls drifting in from the wasteland and a few stray zombies wandering aimlessly ahead.

Taking a final look around, he relaxed slightly and proceeded to take his seat behind the front desk. He sat there completely unmoving, resembling a programmed robot designed to remain at a single coordinate. Yet, Jiang Rong didn't find the silence boring or tiring. Emotionally, he was already thoroughly exhausted on the inside. To him, sitting in one place, doing absolutely nothing, and staring into the empty space felt more profoundly relaxing than anything else in the world.

It wasn't long before the sharp sound of hurried footsteps abruptly disrupted his quiet morning.

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Rong caught sight of three people making a direct run toward the hotel. They moved with practiced efficiency, ruthlessly hacking down the scattered zombies that blocked their path. In the middle of the formation, the teenage girl kept pace, deftly picking out the valuable zombie cores from the fallen creatures with swift, experienced movements.

Intrigued by the sight, Jiang Rong slowly rose from the front desk. He walked toward the main entrance, stopping just a few steps away from the glass doors to watch the newcomers quietly.

They clearly functioned as a team: a middle-aged man in a dark blue delivery jacket took the lead, followed by a teenager in a black-and-white uniform, while a young man dressed entirely in black guarded their flank. As a trio of zombies charged, the older man slammed his foot hard against the asphalt. A wall made entirely of compacted earth erupted from the ground, abruptly cutting off the monsters' path. The barrier held for a few critical seconds before crumbling back into the earth, buying the man just enough time to prepare. He swung his fire axe in a clean arc, hacking all three down.

Watching this from behind the glass, Jiang Rong felt his pupils contract. A surge of shock threw his mind into sudden turmoil, though his exterior remained entirely passive. *Was that... a supernatural ability?*

As they neared the entrance, the man stepped aside, waving the teenager forward. "Xue Er, run ahead!" he ordered.

She bolted toward the entrance without wasting a second. The other two followed closely on her heels, coming to an abrupt halt just two steps away from the heavy glass doors. Jiang Rong watched them through the pane, and they stared right back at him.

"The signboard says it's a hotel," the older man broke the silence, stating the obvious fact.

"Yes," Jiang Rong replied shortly, keeping his expression guarded. He hadn't accounted for supernatural powers when mapping out his security measures the day before; since the outbreak began, neither he nor the survivors from Maple Village had ever encountered anything like it. He hesitated, unsure if the Absolute Domain would properly neutralize human abilities, or if it was even safe to invite them inside.

"Boss, we'd like to check in," the young man in black spoke up rapidly, looking anxiously over his shoulder. "How do we do that?"

Jiang Rong quieted his doubts to test the system. "Crystal coins," he informed them.

The survivors looked completely dumbfounded, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"Boss, just open the door and let us in first! There's a zombie swarm coming!" the young man panicked, rushing forward to slam his fists against the glass. The older man quickly grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

Jiang Rong ignored the frantic behavior completely. "Roll up your sleeves and your trouser legs," he commanded smoothly. "Show me your necks, then turn around."

The trio paused for a fraction of a second. The leader was the first to comply, setting his fire axe aside. He rolled up his cuffs, pulled his collar wide to expose his neck and shoulders, and spun around. "I wasn't bitten," he stated firmly. "They aren't either."

The remaining two quickly followed his example. Seeing no signs of teeth marks, scratches, or localized blackening, Jiang Rong gave a slow nod, though he kept the lock engaged. "How many people are in your group?"

"Just the three of us," the leader replied. "We're a team. I'm Chen Xu, the captain. This is Zhi Qiang, our scout, and Chen Xue Er, my sister—she handles our logistics."

Jiang Rong wanted to press for more details, but the approaching growls of the infected cut his interrogation short. Scanning the immediate area one last time to ensure no one else was hiding, he finally relented.

"We need water and food," Chen Xu pressed. "Rooms would be even better. We have supplies we can trade."

"We only accept crystal coins here," Jiang Rong repeated firmly. "You may come in, but your weapons stay outside by the door frame. If you are dissatisfied with that rule, you are welcome to leave."

Chen Xu frowned at the strict terms, but after a tense moment, he nodded. Only then did Jiang Rong press the remote control.

"It's normal that he doesn't trust us," Chen Xue Er murmured softly to her brother, trying to ease the tension.

The electronic lock released with a soft, distinct click.

"Go directly to the front desk once you enter," Jiang Rong instructed, watching them lean their weapons neatly against the outer frame.

Chen Xu ushered his sister inside first, stepping in right behind her. But the exact moment his boots crossed the threshold into the lobby, his entire body went completely rigid. His pupils shrunk to tiny pinpricks. The sudden, drastic shift in his posture startled his companions and caught Jiang Rong's attention immediately.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Chen Xue Er asked, her voice laced with worry.

Outside, Zhi Qiang stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes darting around the entrance in alarm.

Chen Xu forced his expression back into compliance, shaking his head slowly as he kept his voice to a low whisper. "I seem to be completely unable to sense or use my earth ability within the hotel premises."

Though whispered, the quiet layout of the lobby carried his words straight to Jiang Rong. A quiet wave of ecstasy and profound relief washed over the hotel owner. As long as the Absolute Domain stripped them of their supernatural powers inside, he held all the cards.

"Don't worry, let's just get settled first," Chen Xu reassured his team.

Zhi Qiang stepped through the doorway last, instantly experiencing the same sudden dampening of his power. Having been warned a second prior, his physical reaction was far milder than his captain's.

Jiang Rong chose to ignore their realization entirely, walking calmly behind the counter and resting his hand near his crowbar. "One crystal core can be exchanged for ten crystal coins," he explained, mapping out the ledger. "A standard room costs eight crystal coins per day. Each room accommodates a maximum of two people, and the price includes two meals a day."

"You have food?" Chen Xue Er asked, her voice cracking in utter shock. "Water too?" She couldn't hide the raw disbelief stretching across her features. In a wasteland where every scrap was fought over and every drop of moisture was contaminated, the promise of two guaranteed meals a day sounded like a hallucination.

"Crystal cores?" Zhi Qiang inquired, stepping closer to the counter. He offered Jiang Rong a valuable piece of information for free, testing the waters. "Do you mean the stones inside the zombie brains? The ones that supernatural ability users use to level up their powers?"

"Yes," Jiang Rong nodded slowly, keeping his demeanor perfectly steady despite learning something new. He tapped a sleek, metallic device embedded in the counter. "Put the crystal cores into the black disc right here to exchange them for crystal coins."