Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Jiang Li stared at the Old Man’s sinister face, her fists clenched. In a momentary surge of heat to her head, she nearly punched him to death right then and there.
But then, Jiang Li paused to think…
No.
Something was wrong!
The Old Man was famously known as a kind gentleman.
That reputation wasn’t a lie.
Every sinister thing he did was kept strictly within the confines of Room 501, carried out in secret.
Since he cared so much about his reputation, how could he possibly do something that would effectively destroy it?
Was it possible that he hadn’t lied to her?
When he said “he brought the card,” he was telling the truth.
When he said “he didn’t have the Elevator Card on him right now,” he was also telling the truth.
During the entire struggle to get here, he had only touched one thing… the Cleaning Cart.
The Elevator Card was on the Cleaning Cart!
Jiang Li immediately crouched by the Cleaning Cart and began rummaging through it.
Sure enough, she found the Staff Elevator Card needed to leave the 5th floor right under the flashlight. The Old Man had placed it there.
Jiang Li suddenly realized what was happening.
Those words just now-the Old Man had said them on purpose!
Because once those words were out, if Jiang Li had been even slightly more impulsive, she would have certainly lashed out.
If she had lashed out, no matter what action she took, it would have inevitably provoked the Old Man.
Then, Jiang Li would have violated a rule:
[Remember, the customer is God. Do not anger the customer at any time.]
He was trying to screw her over!
If the Old Man simply refused to give Jiang Li the Elevator Card, it would damage his reputation as a “kind old man,” and he certainly wouldn’t want that.
However, if he were merely an “innocent victim of an assault by the Service Staff,” it wouldn’t affect his reputation in the slightest.
What a black heart this Old Man had.
Even as he was leaving, he had dug a pit and waited for Jiang Li to jump in!
She had come within a hair’s breadth of being killed by him.
Jiang Li looked toward the closing doors of the Guest Elevator.
“Old Gentleman, you certainly have a sense of humor. I found the Elevator Card on the Cleaning Cart.”
Hearing Jiang Li say this, the Old Man withdrew that punchable smirk.
His Eyes crinkled as he offered a genial smile, his face full of wrinkles.
“Young Lady, thank you. I’ve changed my evaluation; I’m giving you a 10.”
As the Old Man finished speaking, the doors of the Guest Elevator gradually slid shut.
The lights vanished as the Guest Elevator descended.
At the same time.
A hand belonging to one of the Wooden Figures slowly came to rest on Jiang Li’s shoulder.
Jiang Li’s heart skipped a beat.
Damn it!
She had neglected what was behind her.
Jiang Li dodged forward, gripping her flashlight as she spun around to point it at the Wooden Figures.
The Wooden Figures in the immediate vicinity were frozen in place.
But in the distance where the flashlight couldn’t reach, countless Wooden Figures were still swarming toward her.
Trapped at the elevator entrance, Jiang Li had no retreat left.
*Ding-*
The Staff Elevator arrived.
The doors opened.
Jiang Li stepped back and slipped inside.
At the final moment of the Old Man and Jiang Li’s departure, everything on the 5th floor began to collapse.
The Wooden Figures disintegrated, and the wallpaper peeled away.
Everything here was turning to ash, ceasing to exist.
A seal abruptly appeared, blocking the way outside the elevator:
“Sealed floor, awaiting renovation and upgrades.”
The doors of the Staff Elevator slowly closed, shutting out the chaos outside.
Inside the Staff Elevator.
Jiang Li glanced over. Standing inside was the young woman with straight-cut bangs-the Elevator Attendant she had met before.
However, this time, the look the Elevator Attendant gave Jiang Li seemed much more resentful.
Moreover, Jiang Li wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.
She felt as though this Elevator Attendant was shrouded in a thick layer of black mist.
After a moment of silence.
The Elevator Attendant asked Jiang Li, “Hello, which floor? Please show your Elevator Card.”
Jiang Li handed the card over.
The Elevator Attendant took the card and swiped it with a *beep*.
The button for the 4th floor lit up, glowing with a faint, eerie red light.
*Ding-dong-*
The elevator doors slid open.
Jiang Li stepped out.
The hallway on the 4th floor was uniformly lit with a dim, crimson glow.
The corners of the corridor were piled with rotting apple cores, rancid food scraps, and various animal bones that had been gnawed clean.
Cockroaches scurried in every direction across the filthy red carpet whenever she took a step.
Jiang Li’s attention was drawn to a notice posted on the wall.
Carefully stepping on the few clean spots she could find, she made her way over to read the contents of the paper.
“Welcome to your employment at the Clear Spring Hotel and your assignment to this floor.
Please be aware of the following information during your work hours:
A strange man resides in Room 404 on this floor.
This man has a fanatical obsession with food.
He eats compulsively, and his weight has skyrocketed as a result.
Since his arrival at the hotel, he has swept clean all the buffet offerings on the 4th floor.
The hotel’s business has been severely affected.
Please do everything possible to persuade the man to leave the hotel.”
Jiang Li peeled the notice off and flipped it over.
The rules for the 5th floor had appeared on the back of the “Introductory Information.”
Perhaps the 4th floor followed the same pattern.
Sure enough, new rules were hidden on the back of the Note.
[Clear Spring Hotel – 4th Floor Rules]
[1. The Guest of Room 404 loves to eat. When he asks for food, do not refuse him.]
[2. Every day from 14:30 to 16:00 is the Room 404 Guest’s Afternoon Tea time. Please deliver the meal promptly.]
[3. The Guest of Room 404 does not like to bathe. Please do not force him.]
[4. Weight is a guest’s secret; you had better not mention it.]
Jiang Li stood in the hallway, having just finished reading the rules.
Not far ahead, a waitress wearing the same black uniform as Jiang Li emerged from the Buffet Area.
She was pushing a Service Cart in front of her.
Food was piled high on the cart, towering like a small mountain.
“Even if it is a buffet, you can’t eat like this every single meal, can you? If I keep delivering meals for a few more days, I’m going to end up with bodybuilder muscles…”
The waitress grumbled as she entered the corridor.
Peering over the towering pile of food, she spotted Jiang Li standing nearby.
The waitress’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Hey, are you new?” the waitress asked, pushing the cart over to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li was momentarily shocked by the amount of food on the Service Cart.
She then nodded at the woman. “Yes.”
“That’s perfect!” The waitress let go of the Service Cart and rubbed her shoulders.
“You take over my shift! I’m heading out.”
She shoved the Service Cart toward Jiang Li.
Then, she nimbly pressed the button for the Staff Elevator, waved, and vanished.
Jiang Li looked at the cartload of food and recalled the 4th floor rules.
Rule number two for the 4th floor:
[Every day from 14:30 to 16:00 is the Room 404 Guest’s Afternoon Tea time. Please deliver the meal promptly.]
Jiang Li glanced at the electronic screen in the hallway.
The time was currently 14:25.
There were still five minutes left to deliver the food; she would make it.
Jiang Li pushed the Service Cart along the grimy red carpet.
She observed the room numbers as she went.
This time, the room numbers were arranged in order.
Starting from Room 401 at this end of the hallway, they went all the way to Room 420 at the far end.
However, the only strange thing was that there were only nineteen doors in the corridor.
On this floor… there was no Room 404.
Jiang Li counted twice, but the result remained the same. She could not find Room 404.
Only two minutes remained until 14:30.
The delivery deadline was drawing closer.
But where on earth was Room 404?