Qingran headed to the door, she stopped and placed a communication device on the counter.
"If anything goes wrong, use it to contact ."
She waved at them as she left the suite. Strolling to the elevator.
"How big is this hotel we’re in the highest floor.."
Lingquan floated lazily at her side, arms folded behind his head as he drifted upside down.
[The entire building has 40 floors. According to the floor plans]
A translucent blueprint unfurled in the air beside her, visible only to her eyes.
[ It’s got 222 guest rooms and suites. That’s excluding maintenance floors, staff rooms, security levels, and the sub-basent. It was a luxury hotel before the collapse.]
Qingran pressed the elevator button to the lobby and waited. The panel lit up slowly, power still flowing steadily.
She shifted her weight slightly, eyes scanning the hallway out of habit.
"That ans there’s still a lot of unscanned territory." she murmured.
[Technically, yes. You’ve only cleared the top floor. You still have 39 floors to clear.]
"That ans there’s still people in this place. I’d start scouting once I co back from raiding. Should also check out the hotel kitchen as well. Might be good stuff in there."
The elevator dinged again at the lobby. Qingran stepped out, shoes echoing faintly across the marble floors. The place still had a polished sheen to it, though dust had begun settling along the corners.
Behind the reception desk, a dusty bouquet of artificial orchids sat untouched. A reminder of the normalcy that used to exist here.
She passed the front desk and pushed through the double doors, exiting the hotel and stepping into the quiet, ash-filtered street.
The air had a burnt tang, remnants of fires long put out.
[Two miles southwest. Mall’s na is RED. Biggest comrcial center in the area. Clothes, tools, appliances, backup generators, food courts..you na it.]
"Security level?"
[Unknown. The front entrance collapsed during the first wave. The ergency shutters are halfway down. You’ll need to enter from the maintenance corridor or scale to the second floor.]
Qingran stretched her neck once, then adjusted the strap of her pack.
The wind whipped her jacket open slightly as she walked down the steps.
Getting to the car, she got in and drove off. It would be best not to make a sound but walking took too much ti.
[If you see any survivors will you take them along?]
"Yeah. The hotel can house 222 people, so let’s take just that amount."
[Got it. I’ll keep track of the count.]
With car it took less than 5 minutes to get there.
She packed the car and got down, just like Lingquan said, the exist had been destroyed. But she didn’t want to stress herself climbing.
So she burnt a hole, using the azure fla. It took about 5 minutes but a hole big enough for her to pass had been created.
[Youve gotten lazy.]
"...."
"It’s called working smart."
"..."
[Fair enough..]
Qingran walked into the dimly lit mall, her boots crunching on broken tiles.
The air was thick with dust and the stench of rot.
Flickering ergency lights cast eerie shadows on the walls. She smiled, enjoying the silence and emptiness.
She thodically plundered the stores, snatching clothes, shoes, and gear.
Her movents were swift and efficient, every item disappearing into her inventory.
When she encountered a zombie, she dispatched it quickly with her acrobatic movents and precise strikes, either incinerating it with her flas or beheading it with her dagger.
In one store, a faint groan echoed from the back room. Qingran raised her hand, and a burst of fla silenced it.
She didn’t linger, moving on to the next store. Her eyes scanning shelves and displays, searching for useful supplies.
As she kicked aside a toppled mannequin, her gaze landed on a storage room with a busted door. Suddenly, she heard a faint, muffled sound...distinctly human.
Qingran froze, her senses on high alert. She tracked the noise, navigating through shattered glass and cracked tiles.
The sound grew louder with each step. She found a narrow service corridor behind a tal gate, where five or six people huddled in the shadows. Injured and dirty, they flinched at her approach.
One tried to stand, but fell back.
Qingran approached cautiously, scanning for signs of infection.
None. Just gashes and bruises.
"You’re not bitten." she said calmly. "That’s good."
She adjusted her grip on her weapon. "Stay here. I’ll co back for you."
They begged her not to leave, but she ignored them, knowing they couldn’t outrun a horde in their condition.
Qingran headed to the food court, scavenging every stall and storage room.
She collected sealed snacks, bottled drinks, canned als, and more. Even half-expired goods went into her warehouse. Lingquan floated beside her, reporting on her inventory.
"You’re going to own a mall at this rate." he said.
"I like being prepared." Qingran replied.
When she returned to the survivors, they looked surprised.
One whispered. "You ca back."
Qingran helped the man with the dislocated ankle to his feet.
"Stay behind . Move only when I move. Don’t run unless I say so." she said firmly.
They obeyed, following her through the dark halls and out into the ash-filled air. She led them to a vehicle, motioning for them to get in.
They hesitated briefly, then climbed inside. Lingquan hovered above the windshield as Qingran got in last.
Watching her quietly, he said nothing this ti.
He couldn’t deny it.
Qingran might not act like a savior, but she was saving people just the sa.
"Lingquan how many rooms are in the 39th floor.."
[Mhm...give a mont.]
Ding!
[The 39th floor, has 5 suites and 15 rooms in total. Each suite has 3 rooms.]
Qingran nodded, she could give them 2 suites so there would be still be 3 extra suites.
The vehicle rumbled over cracked asphalt, moving past the skeletal remains of what used to be a shopping district.
Storefronts had collapsed in on themselves.
Cars sat abandoned mid-turn, their tal fras blackened and rusted from heat and ti.
Qingran said nothing for a while, focused on driving. The passengers in the back were quiet too.
Most of them were too dazed or exhausted to speak. One was softly crying, muffling the sound with their sleeves.
"Now that you’re in my care, I promise to keep you safe..but if you so much as think of even betraying . I’ll make your life more hellish than it already is."
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