Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari both hid behind Lin Ye. Knowing that Tanaka Ichiro and Kamimura Mihui in Room 304 had been infected into strange monsters, they were terrified, fearing that someone horrifying would emerge from the room.
As soon as they saw the female receptionist in a suit and black stockings, they became even more flustered, their legs trembling involuntarily.
Monsters were everywhere—inside and outside. How could they possibly solve this problem?
"Brother Lin, I'm finally here. I've been waiting for you... for so long."
The person who appeared was Tanaka Ichiro. His hair was thinning, and his forehead was greasy and shiny. He wore nothing but shorts, making Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari immediately look away.
No one likes greasy middle-aged men.
"Aren't you bringing Ai-chan and Kuroda-san here to play?"
"Alright, alright, let's all play together. Mihui is very good and will definitely satisfy you."
Ichiro Tanaka immediately stepped back, gesturing for the three of them to come inside. His eyes were fixed on Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari, making the two women feel disgusted.
A few meters away, Kamimura Mihui stood in sexy underwear, large areas of skin exposed. Even the dim light couldn't conceal her charm. She noticed Lin Ye's gaze, threw him a wink, and waved him in.
"By the way, I need to add one more person. I hope that's okay."
In response to Lin Ye's sudden request, Tanaka Ichiro welcomed it even more enthusiastically.
"It's good to have more people; we can all play together."
"Mr. Tanaka, I'm afraid you can't control her, let alone have fun with her."
"Come," he said, his voice full of determination and confidence. He puffed out his chest, but his pot-bellied appearance wasn't very convincing.
"Then I'll go get her." Time Stop
With those words, everything came to a standstill.
Lin Ye held a girl in one hand, taking a few steps back before releasing her and walking toward the strange female receptionist.
"One likes to play."
"One has to deal with the guests."
"You two... are a good match."
After a while, Lin Ye dragged the female receptionist to Room 304.
He adjusted his position, and at the moment when time resumed, he kicked the female receptionist in front of him. Instantly, she was hit hard and fell toward Ichiro Tanaka.
"Have fun."
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
Just before the door closed, shrill screams and shouts erupted from inside.
Kuroda Hikari was completely confused, not understanding what had just happened.
Hoshino Ai knew but said nothing. She just wanted to make sure that Lin Ye had once again resolved the immediate problem.
"Dongdong..."
The sturdy door made repeated noises as it bulged and deformed from the tremendous force, but it soon returned to normal.
Clearly, the door could not be broken by external force.
"Woman, fuck me..."
"The guest was making too much noise and need to be thrown out..."
"Boom boom boom…"
The chaotic sounds of fighting could still be heard from inside the room.
The three of them even heard Kamimura Mihui's exclamations.
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari looked at Lin Ye. Lin Ye organized his thoughts and said:
"This proves that the hotel's front desk and the mutated guests are not on the same side. The female receptionist comes to expel noisy guests who violate the rules. Even completely mutated guests are within her range of control."
They understood the principle.
But what Kuroda Hikari didn't understand was...
"Senior Lin Ye, why... did the female receptionist suddenly appear in front of me, and just now..."
Lin Ye smiled and made a hushing gesture.
Inside Room 304, the battle intensified, the noise growing louder. The sounds of glass breaking, beds falling over, and the growls, howls, and roars of the three mutated guests filled the air.
If it weren't for the door blocking their path, the aftermath of the battle could pose a huge threat to them.
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari were terrified, just wanting to get away.
"Lin Ye, which side do you think will win?"
"I have no idea."
"I hope... I hope they both lose. It would be best if they both die."
Hoshino Ai was looking forward to that.
Time passed, second by second.
The noise from Room 304 was sometimes intense, sometimes calm, but the door never showed any sign of opening, suggesting that the battle hadn't yet been decided.
Finally, after another ten minutes...
"Kakaka…"
The corridor began to shake.
This time, without Lin Ye needing to say anything, both Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikaru immediately grabbed Lin Ye's wrist to avoid losing contact due to the changing terrain.
Since there was no threat from the female receptionist this time, Lin Ye led the two of them through the dimly lit corridor, filled with a red light.
[306]Found it.
Ding...
As the room card approached, the door opened.
At that moment, the sound of crisp footsteps echoed from the distant corridor.
Lin Ye was all too familiar with this sound.
Hoshino Ai was also familiar with it.
The final winner of the room 304 battle was... the female receptionist.
That was the sound of high heels.
At a glance, Lin Ye saw a female receptionist in a messy black suit, her torn stockings exposing her skin. She was walking in high heels, her left hand hanging down and pulling something. As the distance between them closed, the object she was dragging became clearer in the dim light.
"Wow…"
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari quickly covered their mouths, fearing that even the slightest sound would break the hotel rules again.
Even though Lin Ye was with them, the two women didn't dare break the rules directly.
The object being dragged was a corpse—the body of a middle-aged man named Ichiro Tanaka. No, strictly speaking, it wasn't quite a corpse yet. Tanaka Ichiro wasn't dead—his eyes were still open, and his head was intact. But his fat body had swelled to the point that even his clothes couldn't contain it. It looked as though it was about to burst. Pieces of flesh, of an unknown origin, were oozing with a foul juice, and a faint, fishy smell wafted through the corridor.
"Woman..."
"Fuck you..."
The faint sound could still be clearly heard in the quiet corridor.
The receptionist kicked him hard, and Ichiro Tanaka screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
Then, she stopped and raised her gray eyes to look at Lin Ye.
Their gazes met, and a silent communication passed between them.
Lin Ye was 80% sure that this female receptionist had self-awareness and wasn't just a puppet of the hotel. However, he wasn't sure if that self-awareness was her own or if it was something given to her by the hotel.
He decided to test it.
He put his index finger to his mouth, signaling for silence.
Three seconds later, the female receptionist withdrew her gaze and began walking forward step by step, still holding Tanaka Ichiro's hand. Lin Ye stayed still, watching quietly. Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari hid behind him, trembling. They were worried that the receptionist would suddenly attack. If they could, they would have turned around and shut the door.
But Lin Ye didn't leave, nor did he have any intention of closing the door. So, they had no choice but to wait, anxiously hoping that the receptionist would simply pass by.
Closer...
Closer...
The female receptionist didn't attack or show any ill intentions.
Finally, they passed each other.
And at that moment, the receptionist spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Cleaning..."
"There will be...cleaning..."
Her voice wasn't cold, surprisingly.
She dragged Ichiro Tanaka away and entered the elevator, disappearing from sight.
"Lin, Senior Lin Ye... are we... safe now?" Kuroda Hikari asked cautiously.
The receptionist had left, so they must be safe now!
"It's alright for now."
"That's good. That's good."
Kuroda Hikari let out a long sigh.
"That's... a room card,"
Hoshino Ai noticed the card stained with black and red liquid on the ground outside the door. She suddenly shook Lin Ye's shoulder, then immediately stepped forward to pick up the room card.
Rustle…
Hoshino Ai took out a tissue, wiped the room card, and handed it to Lin Ye.
"It's the room card for Room 304. Was it dropped when the middle-aged man was dragged away?"
"That should be the case. It couldn't have been left by that scary female receptionist!"
Kuroda Hikari was still shaken, remembering how close she had come to danger and death.
If it weren't for Lin Ye, she would have been dead.
Compared to Lin Ye, her classmate Sawanaga Taisuke was nothing. She had heard from Hoshino Ai that when the female receptionist appeared, Taisuke had simply shut the door and didn't give them any chance to enter.
Lin Ye took the room card for Room 304.
Considering the brief words the receptionist had spoken, Lin Ye suspected it had been left by her.
Was this... help?
This didn't feel right.
The hotel's female receptionist had proactively offered help?
With this doubt in mind, Lin Ye turned around and closed the door to Room 306.
At the sound of the "click," Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari both breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.
"The room feels safer."
Hoshino Ai didn't care about her image. She jumped straight onto the bed, which creaked under her.
Kuroda Hikari followed closely behind, unconcerned as well.
Lin Ye took a glance and saw the beautiful sight of the two women relaxing.
"By the way, Mr. Lin Ye, why didn't the female receptionist attack us again in the end?"
Suddenly, both women focused their attention on Lin Ye.
"First, we entered the room, which is within the room's boundaries."
"Second, we kept quiet and didn't make any more noise."
"Third, I think she just dealt with a tenant, so she couldn't handle any more guests until she finished with the one who violated the rules."
Lin Ye's explanation made the two women realize it.
"So... that's how it is! Lin Ye is so smart! I never thought of that."
"Senior Lin Ye must have anticipated this before he dared to stand at the door and face that scary female receptionist!"
"That's amazing."
Both women looked at him with admiration.
Lin Ye didn't explain further. [Time Stop] was his secret and his confidence, and he couldn't let anyone else know about it.
While powerful, [Time Stop] wasn't invincible. Once people knew about it, they could target him.
He'd inadvertently planned it, but after doing it so many times, he knew that he would likely be the one who would end up dead.
Therefore, he wouldn't share this secret with anyone.
When it came to his own safety, Lin Ye knew what was most important.
He just didn't know if anyone with the ability to "know other people's superpowers" existed. If there was, and if he ever encountered them, he would probably have to deal with them first.