Chapter 91 Notice of Check-out: All consequences shall be borne by the party concerned.
Upon opening the door, the first thing you see is a floor-to-ceiling window directly opposite it, offering a beautiful view of blue sky and white clouds, with clear, bright light, like an oil painting.
Fang Zhiyi went inside. Room 7014 looked like an ordinary guest room, and there was no equipment platform in sight.
Chu Zhao pushed open several doors in the room, behind which were a dressing room, a toilet, and a bedroom.
Fang Zhiyi even opened the wardrobe door, but still couldn't find the way to the equipment platform.
They searched through 7014 thoroughly but still found nothing. The two sat on the sofa, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head: "Did I misread the room number?"
He logged back into the channel, found that player's message, and sent him a private message.
[fzy: Are you sure it's 7014?]
The player on the other end was wary. "Who are you?"
[fzy: I saw what you said in the channel. I'm currently at 7014, but I can't find the device platform.]
[...]
The private chat window popped up; the other person seemed to edit and then delete the message several times before a message appeared: "[Arrived so quickly? Really?]"
Fang Zhiyi walked to the door, took a picture of the door number, and sent it over.
[fzy: [Image]]
[...]
[fzy: Is the repairman still around?]
He's gone. He had an emergency and left quickly, but I'm pretty sure it was him who told me it was 7014.
If the room is correct, could it be that they are looking in the wrong direction?
Fang Zhiyi glanced around and saw a new message pop up in the private chat box: "[I remember the repairman said something to me...]"
[fzy: What?]
The other party is haggling. [After you find the manager, you need to give me a map showing the way to the 88th floor.]
[fzy: I can tell you the way from the 66th to the 70th floor first]
[fzy: The third oil painting in the west corridor of the 66th floor depicts a noblewoman holding a fan, with a road behind the frame.]
The other party seemed to be verifying the authenticity of the message. After a few minutes, [the repairman said that if the manager hadn't led the way, he would never have imagined that such a door existed].
Fang Zhiyi looked at the messages in the private chat box.
"Absolutely unexpected"... does it mean it's not a door in the traditional sense, but a place that doesn't look like a door, but can be passed through?
Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao exchanged a glance.
Chu Zhao said, "A mirror, there's a full-length mirror in the room."
Fang Zhiyi immediately jumped up from the sofa and rushed to the full-length mirror, which was more than two meters high and against the wall, reflecting everything in the room in the dim light.
The full-length mirror was heavy, and he and Chu Zhao, one on each side, struggled to lift it to one side. The wall behind the mirror was covered with wallpaper, and Fang Zhiyi carefully felt around but couldn't find a gap to open it. He tapped it with his fingers; it sounded solid.
"Not here."
A full-length mirror is the most likely place to hide a passageway; if not here, where else could it be?
Fang Zhiyi walked around the room, even lifting up the carpet on the floor, and almost knocked on every single wall.
Still no.
Fang Zhiyi was anxious and bored, so she opened the window to get some fresh air. As she put her hand on the window handle, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
This floor-to-ceiling window isn't actually a window, but... a painting.
The landscape in the painting is so lifelike, and with the visual effect created by the light and shadow, I never doubted that there was such a large window in front of me.
Fang Zhiyi grabbed the handle of the French window and pulled hard. With a "bang," the window opened like a door, revealing a path leading to the equipment platform.
The back room contained many sophisticated instruments, and wires stretched across the floor, threatening to trip you if you weren't careful.
Fang Zhiyi held up a flashlight and carefully walked in. The beam of light swirled around and finally found the manager in front of a piece of equipment that was taller than a person.
The manager was examining the generator: "How could even the backup generator be unusable... Damn it!" He glared at the two men who had suddenly barged in, his tone unfriendly, "Who are you? How did you get in!"
Fang Zhiyi stepped forward and preemptively said, "We are guests of the hotel. What's wrong with your hotel? Not only did the power suddenly go out, but we can't even find anyone in charge!"
The manager shifted the focus: "I'm so sorry, the power outage was so sudden, we didn't expect it, and the hotel's backup power also failed, so we're short-staffed for the time being..."
Fang Zhiyi raised her chin, continuing to play the role of a difficult customer: "Hurry up and take us to the 88th floor to check out!"
The manager gave an awkward laugh: "I need to wait here for the repairman to fix the backup power supply, I really can't leave..."
Having figured out the basic logic of the NPCs in the hotel, Fang Zhiyi arrogantly declared, "I'm going to file a complaint against you!"
The manager broke out in a cold sweat: "Well... I can't take you up, but I have a floor plan of the hotel above the 70th floor. You can check out on the 88th floor yourselves."
[Floor plan of Jiahua Hotel]
This was exactly what Fang Zhiyi wanted; he picked it up and left.
Just as I was about to leave the equipment platform, the manager's quiet voice suddenly came from behind me: "However, I suggest you don't check out."
Looking back, the manager stood in the darkness, his features indistinct, but his lips were upturned in a strange smile.
[45:59:59]
Another hour has passed.
Time was of the essence, and Fang Zhiyi didn't have time to think much. He shook off the manager's strange and sinister gaze. Once in the corridor, he carefully studied the hotel's floor plan using the beam of a flashlight.
The parchment roll was thick, with yellowed edges, exuding an aura of history.
Fang Zhiyi found a floor plan of floors 70 and above, and followed the markings on the plan to find the way. At the same time, he also sent the route to the player from before.
He wanted to take a picture of the floor plan and post it to the channel, but was reminded that "special items cannot be sent", so he had to give up and instead described it in simple language.
[fzy: Route between floors 66 and 70]
[fzy: Route between floors 70-88]
【? Did I see that right? How did we get to the 88th floor so quickly?】
[Why are only posts above the 66th floor listed? What about the posts below? Send them to me quickly!]
Even when begging, one should at least be polite.
Am I the only one on the 55th floor? (crying)
I was also on the 55th floor, but I found a waiter who told me how to get up.
Will the waiters still say this?
Yes, I see those NPC customers acting like they're royalty, and the waiters don't dare utter a sound. We're customers too, so we naturally have an advantage and have to do whatever the waiters tell us to do.
I've learned it, I'll be right there.
[Route from Floors 60 to 65]
[I'll go with one too, the route between floors 55 and 60]
[...]
There are only 999 players in the survival game, which doesn't seem like many, but now that they're all in one hotel, it seems like a considerable number. Many hands make light work, and they quickly gathered the route map for floors 50-88.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi had already arrived at the 88th floor according to the floor plan.
The 88th floor has a ceiling height of 5 meters, with an arched dome and three-tiered crystal chandeliers hanging down. It should have looked exquisite and beautiful under the embellishment of the lights, but now that the power is out, it looks like a gaping maw, with the crystal chandeliers as the tip of the tongue sticking out of the mouth, swaying back and forth in mid-air.
The lobby was spacious, with a reception desk in the center. Due to the power outage, the computer screens were all dark.
A thin waiter was sitting at the reception desk. When he saw someone arrive, he quickly stood up, smiled, and bowed, saying, "It's a pleasure to serve you."
Fang Zhiyi took out the room key and pressed it on the table: "Check out."
The waiter's smile froze: "Checking out, is that it... Could you please tell me the reason for the checkout? We'll try our best to correct it... You know, every customer is very important to us..."
The waiter kept repeating himself, but wouldn't budge on processing the check-out.
[43:59:59]
The Jiahua Hotel is like a maze, with each floor having a different layout. It's winding and twisting, and even with a floor plan, it took two hours to reach the 88th floor.
The bright red countdown was decreasing rapidly, as if a scythe of death was hanging overhead, giving people a sense of urgency.
Fang Zhiyi repeated, "Check out." He pushed the room key further inside, "If you don't check out, I'll file a complaint against you."
Complaints always work, and the waiter immediately changed his attitude: "Wait a moment, I'll check you out right away!"
He clicked the mouse instinctively, but the computer screen didn't move. He then realized that there was a power outage. He explained, "We can't log into the system right now. Here's what we'll do: register on paper and sign the check-out notice."
The waiter rummaged through the drawer and finally found the documents he wanted, placing the two sheets of paper on the reception desk.
Please check out with caution.
Fang Zhiyi originally intended to sign his name directly with a wave of his hand, but the moment he put down his pen, he inexplicably glanced at the contents of the document.
Check-out Notice
[…Once you sign this document, you will no longer be considered a resident of Jia Hua Hotel, and all subsequent actions will be beyond the jurisdiction of Jia Hua Hotel…Similarly, Jia Hua Hotel will no longer guarantee your safety and personal safety…Please sign this document with caution…]
These lines of black text, squeezed together, seemed to spin and magnify before my eyes, forming a vortex.
Fang Zhiyi blinked, and the vortex disappeared. Staring at the contents of the check-out notice, it seemed that after checking out, he would no longer be a guest of the Jia Hua Hotel and might encounter some kind of danger.
However, to leave the Jiahua Hotel, you must complete the check-out process.
Without further hesitation, Fang Zhiyi quickly signed her name and returned the check-out notice and room key together.
After signing the check-out form, the waiter's attitude changed drastically. He didn't even bother to look at them, tossing them a rusty key. He even rolled his eyes, as if to say, "Get lost."
The key was heavy and uncomfortable, so Fang Zhiyi put it away and went downstairs with Chu Zhao.
The way up was the same as the way we came, but it took less time. When we arrived at the 87th floor, before we could even see the situation below, our feet suddenly trembled, followed by a violent earthquake.
Crackle, crackle.
Decorations on the walls and ceiling kept falling down, creating a deep crater in the floor, cracking the walls, and raining down bricks and dust. Everything in front of me was shrouded in smoke.
There was an earthquake.
Fang Zhiyi braced herself against the wall and squeezed herself into a corner.
A triangle is the most stable shape; hiding inside it will at least prevent you from being hit by falling objects.
With my back against the wall, the ground beneath my feet was shaking so badly it felt like the whole hotel was going to be overturned.
"hiss--"
Fang Zhiyi felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a crack appear in the wall he was leaning against, like a sharp maw that had bitten into him. After tasting the blood, a satisfied sigh came from deep within the hotel.
The hotel... is alive.
[Was there an earthquake?]
Did you feel the hotel swaying?
No, the hotel is perfectly fine.
You're hallucinating, aren't you?
The other players in the channel seemed to be from a different world; even though the whole building was shaking, they didn't feel anything.
Fang Zhiyi braced himself against the wall, managed to stand up straight, and then staggered downstairs.
Along the way, many things fell from the ceiling. I shielded my head with my hands and got covered in dust.
The two of them helped each other down the last step. The moment they reached the 86th floor, the earth-shaking sensation vanished. The lights flickered, and amidst the chaos, a water pipe embedded in the wall burst, spraying water that instantly flooded the entire corridor. The water surged and lapped at their toes, but Fang Zhiyi reacted quickly, leaping back onto the steps.
Not far away, a power line hung in the water, the shadows on the bottom shifting, and the electricity crackling.
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