Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Star-Rated Hotel

When Chen Xing saw the zombies on her side all chasing after the car, she immediately ran out of the building. She vaulted over a railing and sprinted toward the hotel.

She had to get inside the hotel before the zombies noticed her.

When she was about a hundred meters away, she noticed a woman also running desperately toward the hotel from another direction.

And the worst part was, the woman wasn’t being cautious at all. She just ran for her life, as if getting into the hotel meant she would be safe.

Just as Chen Xing predicted, the woman brushed against a car on the roadside, setting off its alarm.

Instantly, the distant zombies all turned around and converged on the hotel. The sheer scale of it was like something out of a blockbuster movie... On the darkening street, hordes of zombies with grotesque faces charged forward.

Chen Xing: ”...”

But the troublemaker stubbornly kept running toward the hotel.

Chen Xing had no other choice but to get into the hotel.

Both sides of the street were blocked by zombies; her only other option was to fight her way through.

It was starting to get dark, and finding another decent place to stay in a zombie-infested city would be difficult.

She looked up at the hotel and saw an open window on the third floor.

’It’s better to get in from above than to run in on the ground floor and get targeted by the zombies.’

With that thought, she quickly unslung her backpack. While still running, she reached inside—her hand actually phasing into her spatial storage—and found a safety rope with a buckle.

She pulled it out, tossed it upward, and accurately threw it through the third-floor window. A tug confirmed it was snagged.

By this time, the troublemaker had reached the hotel entrance. Seeing Chen Xing ignore the door and go to the trouble of climbing through a window, she shot her a look as if she were an idiot.

Chen Xing yanked the rope, jumped powerfully with both hands, and shot halfway up the wall.

The troublemaker: ”...” ’She was left in the dust in an instant!’

Terrified, she quickly scrambled into the hotel.

The zombies that had followed her didn’t stand on ceremony and poured into the hotel right after.

Although Chen Xing had drawn the attention of some zombies, they couldn’t catch her. When they lost sight of her, they all followed the others into the hotel.

By now, the hotel was in a state of absolute chaos.

The chaotic sounds of footsteps, impacts, and screams...

Chen Xing landed in the hotel’s café. The vast room was elegantly furnished with comfortable sofas and chairs. The double set of floor-to-ceiling doors at the entrance was shut tight, and every so often, a passing zombie would slam against them.

It seemed everyone here had fled after the outbreak began.

After going behind the counter and confirming no one was there, she first took care of the four security cameras.

Then she began collecting the items on the counter. Everything her palm passed over became hers.

There were plenty of delicate pastries and small cookies in the display case, as well as liquor, drinks, coffee...

Just as she stood up from behind the counter, satisfied, a broadcast suddenly echoed through the building: ”Survivors in the Walt Hotel, upon hearing this broadcast, please gather immediately in the fifth-floor conference room. Walt...” It was a man’s voice.

’Who would be stupid enough to go to a conference room at a time like this?’

Just as Chen Xing was thinking this, a miserable scream came from not far away on her floor.

Chen Xing: ”...” ’Some people really aren’t afraid of dying!’

There was no doubt about it; whoever screamed was as good as dead.

The hotel was like a zombie nest right now. It would be stranger to go out and *not* die.

As if realizing that moving around was dangerous, the broadcast started again: ”Survivors in the Walt Hotel, for your safety, please remain where you are for now... I wonder if anyone has a way to lure these zombie-like monsters out of the hotel?” Only after asking did he seem to realize something else. ”Even if someone did, there’s no way for them to let me know. Everyone, just stay hidden where you are!”

Chen Xing walked to the window and looked down at the chaotic street. She casually picked up an ashtray from a table and, with all her might, hurled it at a distant car.

She was high up, and with her naturally astonishing arm strength, she threw it over two hundred meters, hitting a small red sports car.

The alarm wasn’t deafening, but zombies have sensitive hearing, which doubles in acuity at night.

The nearby zombies immediately swarmed toward the sound, and even the ones wandering inside the hotel began to gather and head outside.

Chen Xing’s only hope now was that the man on the broadcast would shut up.

If he got on the mic again right now and said something like, ”It’s safe, everyone come to me,” the zombies would definitely be drawn back.

Fortunately, the man seemed to have realized the zombies were sensitive to sound, and he remained quiet.

During the ten minutes or so of quiet, Chen Xing naturally didn’t stay idle. She picked up some fruit, finished eating it, and walked toward the main doors.

With the zombies gone, she could go to the hotel restaurant to collect some food. This was the very reason she’d acted to lure them away.

In her past life, she had read online that not only was this a five-star hotel, but its restaurant was also five-star rated with rave reviews. It was a flavor many survivors had dreamed of, and she had been craving it for years.

Now that she had the chance to try it, she didn’t want to miss out.

The restaurant was on the second floor, so she headed straight for the stairwell.

In the hallway by the stairwell, she heard footsteps from above, likely from people heading to the conference room.

She had no intention of joining them on the fifth floor and ran straight down the stairs.

The restaurant was nice, occupying the entire second floor, but it was exposed. Zombies could come straight up from the first-floor spiral staircase, and of course, the elevators too.

With no zombies in sight, she quickly ran to the kitchen.

Inside, ingredients were piled on the prep counters. Most of them were partially prepared, likely for a banquet that had been scheduled for that evening.

In a large basin by the sink were a dozen or so large fish that hadn’t been killed yet, the smallest of which weighed at least ten pounds.

Nearby were bundles of various vegetables, along with plenty of scallops and large shrimp.

The kitchen didn’t have any security cameras to begin with, so Chen Xing got to work quickly.

At the very back of the kitchen was a large storeroom where things like rice, dried goods, and seasonings were all piled up.

By the time she came out, she had picked the place clean.

She immediately walked to the elevator, intending to take it all the way to the top.

Her goal for the night was the top floor.

Although it wasn’t as tall as the Research Institute, it wasn’t much shorter, and she should be able to see what was happening across the way.

But the elevator suddenly stopped on the fifth floor.

The doors opened to reveal a man in a dress shirt and slacks and a woman in a hotel uniform standing at the entrance.

The man had handsome features and was exceptionally tall. Seeing the woman in the elevator watching him warily, he immediately offered a friendly smile. ”Hello, my name is Xuan Yabing. I’m a guest staying in room 2002. This is one of the hotel’s hostesses. We mean no harm, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

Chen Xing didn’t say anything.

’Judging by his voice, he’s the man from the broadcast earlier.’

”Everyone in the hotel is gathered in the conference room to discuss what to do next.” Xuan Yabing did have some leadership qualities. ”From the looks of it, this isn’t some small-scale outbreak. If we act recklessly, we could very well turn into one of those zombie-like monsters. For everyone’s safety, it’s best to be careful.”

”Oh.” Chen Xing wanted to say, ’I’ll be careful,’ then close the elevator doors and leave.

But he blocked the elevator doors with his body and gestured for her to follow him.