Arlo carefully observed the room, ensuring the injured lady staff member was safe on the bed. He then proceeded to check the corridor through the door's lens, but to his surprise, the mad woman had vanished. Concerned about her whereabouts, he quickly dialed a fellow staff member from the upper floors, providing a detailed account of the situation.
As Arlo turned around to assess the condition of the lady staff member, he was suddenly attacked without warning. Caught off guard, he had no time to react, and a blow from the side table struck his back. As he realized who had attacked him, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"What are you doing? Get off me now, for heaven's sake!" he exclaimed in frustration.
The woman persisted, making every effort to bite him, and Arlo struggled to free himself without causing harm. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into him, Arlo's instinct kicked in. He swiftly grabbed a nearby metal lamp and forcefully struck her on the head. The impact caused her to release her grip, and she collapsed to the floor. Without hesitation, Arlo struck her head with the lamp once again.
Breathing heavily, Arlo muttered, "What the heck is happening here?" Suddenly, he recalled the contents and warnings of the letter, and fear gripped him.
"I need to make my way to the rooftop and survey the area. I also have to retrieve that wrist device, which supposedly offers protection. But how do I get it back?" he pondered, peering outside the room.
The staff member he had called for help was now being attacked by two zombies. Arlo cursed under his breath, realizing the urgency of retrieving the device.
Holding the lamp tightly, he cautiously opened the door and made his way to the reception desk. Retrieving his backpack, he bent down, took out the wrist device, and secured it on his left hand. Within seconds, he heard a voice emanating from the device.
"Checking DNA information."
"DNA successfully matched. Opening the function window."
"Hello, Mr. Arlo. I am Aisha, the AI responsible for managing the functions and settings of this device."
Arlo stood in awe, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts before speaking. "How did you know that the zombie infection would spread? And if you knew, why didn't you do something about it? And why me?"
Aisha responded, "Mr. Arlo, you currently do not possess the required authority to receive answers to your questions. When your authority level increases, you will have access to that information. For now, let me explain some features of this device."
Aisha proceeded to inform Arlo about the device's various powers. However, due to the limited battery life, only 15% of the power was available for use, with the "Neno Armor" function being the only active one. This function would cover his entire body with nanomaterial armor, protecting him from bites without being visible to the naked eye. Arlo was informed that he could use this function three times.
Curious about charging the device, Arlo inquired, and Aisha revealed that the charger was currently in the Space Cube, estimating a wait time of thirty to forty-five minutes to retrieve it.
Realizing his mistake in leaving the cube behind, Arlo resolved to retrieve it as soon as possible. Aisha advised him to return promptly, as the chaos was just beginning, and recommended waiting for two days before venturing out. Arlo nodded in agreement and decided to clear the hotel and secure the doors to prevent zombie entry.
"Activate Armor," Arlo commanded. Instantly, he felt a thin, invisible layer covering his body, providing protection without any discomfort. Smiling, he remarked, "Let's go and eliminate some zombies, shall we?"
Armed with the lamp as his weapon, Arlo exited the room and cautiously descended the stairs. On the ground floor, he called out to the zombies, luring them towards him. With a swing of the lamp, he struck the male zombie's head, successfully eliminating him. Although the female zombie attempted to bite him, her teeth failed to pierce his flesh. Arlo swiftly delivered a punch to her face, ending her existence.
Examining his arm, Arlo remarked, "This really works, but it still hurts."
Aisha responded, "I mentioned that you would not get infected, but I did not guarantee the absence of pain."
"Fair enough," Arlo replied. "Now, let's close the door."
Arlo secured the entrance and meticulously searched the ground floor, finding no sign of any additional zombies.
"There seem to be no zombies here. I should proceed to the first floor," he determined.