Chapter 7 Mental Breakdown
"How could you possibly think someone who runs a hotel in times like these is weak?"
Beside Shen Zhigui, a bespectacled boy retorted mercilessly.
Only Shen Zhigui fell into deep thought as he watched Chu Jiangyue's precise movements while slaughtering zombies.
Chu Jiangyue killed zombies while distributing flyers along the way, only beginning her return when she started feeling physically exhausted.
However, she encountered some unpleasant obstacles on her way back.
"Wen'an gege, it's her! She's the one who kicked me this morning! You must avenge me!"
Liu Yiyi brought a man to block Chu Jiangyue's path.
「Host, host! This man is the male lead Zheng Wen'an! Can we go easy on him when we fight? He can't die yet」
This dimension has just entered the apocalypse, and with powers still unstable, if the male lead dies now, this dimension would be on the verge of complete collapse.
『Can't die yet… Meaning he can die later?』
「I… I didn't say anything…」
The little fox realized it might have let something slip and quickly covered its mouth, even stumbling over its words.
Chu Jiangyue didn't press it further, merely curling the corners of her lips slightly.
Male lead?
He doesn't look all that impressive—his face isn't even as good-looking as Shen Zhigui's.
"Don't block the way."
Chu Jiangyue tightened her grip on the Tang sword in her hand. As long as this male lead didn't get in her way, she could let it slide.
"Yiyi said you kicked her several times! You must apologize to her!"
"Apologize? Why don't you ask her what she did first?"
Zheng Wen'an frowned slightly. "Yiyi never lies. If you refuse to apologize, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Zheng Wen'an had always been treated with reverence, so having his authority challenged for the first time today left him uncomfortable.
Seeing Zheng Wen'an behave like this, Chu Jiangyue seriously questioned this plane's standards for selecting male leads.
"If you won't move aside, then… die!" After saying this, Chu Jiangyue raised her Tang sword and swung it towards Zheng Wen'an's neck.
「The male lead host must not die!」
Zheng Wen'an still had some combat skills. Seeing Chu Jiangyue's descending Tang sword, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly dodged to the side.
Chu Jiangyue's intention wasn't actually to strike Zheng Wen'an but to force him out of the way.
So when Zheng Wen'an dodged sideways, Chu Jiangyue swiftly retracted her strength, bypassed Zheng Wen'an and Liu Yiyi, and hurried forward.
A zombie lunged at her head-on, but Chu Jiangyue dispatched it with another slash of her sword.
By the time she finally returned to the hotel, it was already dusk.
After 6 p.m., Chu Jiangyue closed the hotel door without hesitation and went upstairs to her room to freshen up.
Having fought zombies today, Chu Jiangyue scrubbed herself thoroughly several times before feeling clean.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, an hour had already passed.
「Host, you almost killed the male lead today!」
It was utterly terrified—if the male lead died, it would have to be sent back for reprogramming!
It just rolled off the production line! Just rolled off!
"Who said I wanted to kill him? If I didn't go hard, how else would I make him back off?"
"And this male lead—who even picked him? Are we sure their eyesight's fine?"
「...」
Sulking...
"Speechless, huh? I told you your taste in male leads is questionable."
"Take Shen Zhigui—no! Even that bespectacled guy beside Shen Zhigui is more reliable than this Zheng Wen'an!"
He actually told Liu Yiyi—a full-blown white lotus—'Yiyi would never lie!'
Good grief! Seriously, I could cry!
「Host, stop it! I didn't pick this male lead either—I had no idea he'd turn out like this!」
The little fox felt it might need factory resetting.
"Relax, if the male lead's no good, we still have the female lead. Maybe she'll step up?"
"If she dumps him, that's hardly our fault, right?"
Seeing the little fox was about to break down, Chu Jiangyue hurried to comfort it - it's just the beginning, anything could still happen.
「You…you're right! I must find the female lead as soon as possible!」
This male lead is really…really unbearable to look at!
The little fox's heart was now completely chilled.
Only the female lead could heal its wounded soul.
＊
Day 2 of the apocalypse.
Chu Jiangyue woke up naturally, checked the time - 9:30, still before her designated work hours, and leisurely got up to wash.
Only when going downstairs did she notice several people standing outside the hotel?
This is…
Chu Jiangyue opened the hotel doors, and a crowd surged in all at once.
"Are there really steamed buns here?"
"I heard from the big shot next door that everything on the flyer is true?"
"I have money! I'll buy all the steamed buns you have!"
...
The noisy crowd gave Chu Jiangyue a headache.
"Stop! Everyone shut up! Line up one by one - those who don't queue will face the consequences themselves!"
Chu Jiangyue summoned her "Lion's Roar" skill with focused energy, finally suppressing this group of people.
"If you want to buy steamed buns, recharge your balance here. Once recharged, I won't stop you no matter how much you buy."
After all, no matter how much they bought, she could still profit - there was no risk of running out of stock.
The first customer was a tall, lanky young man who eagerly presented… a broken iron bowl.
Even the bowls beggars used before the apocalypse probably looked newer than this.
But Chu Jiangyue didn't comment. Her flyer had stated she accepted scrap metal, but never specified how many copper coins she'd give for it.
[Detected broken metal bowl*1. I'd regret giving even 1 copper coin for this. Exchange for 0.5 copper coins? Yes/No]
This was the first time Chu Jiangyue saw the exchange machine roast someone - and damn, it felt satisfying.
"0.5 copper coins? Are you kidding me!"
The tall man's face twisted with anger as he glared viciously at Chu Jiangyue.
"Can't you see? A broken metal bowl isn't worth a single copper coin. Giving you 0.5 is only because you're a new customer.
Will you exchange it or not? If not, take your things and leave—there are others waiting behind you!"
"That's right! You brought a worthless bowl yourself—the boss isn't a fool!"
"Exactly! Trying to swindle a deal and failing, now you're throwing a tantrum out of shame!"
The apocalypse had just begun, and survivors still retained some humanity. Many stepped forward to criticize the lanky man's behavior.
The lanky man shot Chu Jiangyue a glare but ultimately clicked "Yes." Half a copper coin was still something, and the exchange machine issued him a first-time recharge ID card.
Having failed to gain an advantage, the lanky man had no choice but to obediently take out valuable items to exchange after receiving the ID card.
[Detected low-purity metal block, exchangeable for 200 copper coins. Proceed? Yes/No]
"This is a gold block! Gold! How can it be worth only 200 copper coins? I could sell it on the market for way more than that!"
Before the apocalypse, it was precisely when gold prices were rising. If he hadn't wanted to wait for even higher prices, he wouldn't have held onto it until now.
Now they're telling him that such a large gold nugget can only be exchanged for two hundred copper coins!
The disparity is too great - how could he possibly accept this!
"All transactions are based on the exchanger's quoted price. If the customer is unsatisfied with the exchange amount, they may choose not to proceed with the transaction."
After all, it's currently a seller's market - Chu Jiangyue certainly doesn't lack his small exchange quota.