Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Getting to Work
Jiang Si nodded. "The blizzard doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. Instead of going through the trouble of carving out another cave, moving in here is probably our best option."
Niu Niu was a little frightened. "Will we... turn into one of them too?"
Jiang Si had detected an energy stone inside the little boy. As long as he regained his senses, he would slowly learn to control his abilities.
Becoming a Mutant, however, only happened under specific circumstances when encountering a special event. It was an accidental transformation.
But since there were no other Mutants in the hotel—only the boy—it meant there wouldn’t be any other surprises.
Jiang Si shook her head. "I don’t think so."
Niu Niu looked to Lu Zhifeng, who stroked her cheek. "It’s okay. Listen to her."
Jiang Chengwu said, "It’s not snowing right now. Let’s hurry up and start cleaning out the hotel."
With so much livestock to care for on the ship, Shen Baoying, Zhang Qingfang, and Niu Niu were left behind.
Back at the entrance to the hot spring hotel, Jiang Linhai easily cleared away the snowdrifts blocking it.
Everyone got out of the vehicles, grabbing their tools.
Jiang Si said, "The rooms must have windows, but they’re all sealed shut. Let’s just smash them open first to air the place out and let some sunlight in. We can figure out how to remodel them later."
"Alright."
Everyone wore headlamps and protective suits with oxygen masks, just in case of toxic gases.
Just inside, the first-floor lobby was littered with skeletons. An accidental step on one caused it to instantly crumble into dust.
Jiang Si asked Bo Xi, "Can you handle cleaning the first floor?"
Bo Xi nodded. "Got it."
They continued to the second floor, which housed the hot spring Qin Shen had mentioned.
The water flowed into various unused pools, its temperature varying from one to the next. The water in some pools was boiling at an impossibly high temperature.
The spring water was crystal clear, completely free of impurities. It was likely that anything that had fallen in had been boiled down to nothing.
The slightly cooler pools, however, were teeming with countless slender, swimming creatures.
They were much larger than the ones they had seen in the outdoor hot spring.
Jiang Si took several portable lights from her bag and attached them to the hotel’s old light fixtures. The hallway was instantly illuminated.
It was covered in droppings and fish bones. The surrounding humidity made everything look wet and fresh, which was disgusting.
"I’ll take care of this," Jiang Chengwu offered.
"Alright."
The rest of them—Jiang Linhai, Qin Shen, and Lu Zhifeng—continued upward with Jiang Si.
There were two floors left: one for entertainment and dining, and the other for guest rooms.
The entertainment and dining areas were quite large, so they split up, assigning two people to clean each space.
They all had cleaning supplies, trash bags, and hammers for breaking the windows.
Qin Shen and Jiang Si went to the top floor.
As a boutique hot spring hotel catering to a high-end clientele, the top floor didn’t have many rooms, but it boasted eight exquisitely decorated luxury suites.
Though the furniture and other items had rotted from being sealed inside, the decor itself was surprisingly well-preserved.
It was impossible to clean the entire floor at once. Jiang Si and Qin Shen’s main task was to first get rid of the filth on the floors—the bodies, the droppings—and then sort through everything else, separating things they could use from things they couldn’t, or simply didn’t want.
Then they could let Zhang Aihua’s group take the rest. It was useless to them, and this way, it would be disposed of. And Zhang Aihua’s people would be happy to have it.
Jiang Si and Qin Shen worked quickly. With the help of cleaning robots from the storage space, they managed to give the rooms a basic cleaning in just two hours.
The windows in the rooms weren’t as easy to break as Jiang Si had expected.
They were completely covered on the outside by a thick layer of ice and snow.
Jiang Si and Qin Shen used an electric drill to bore several holes, identified a weak point, and then smashed it hard with a hammer. Only then did the outer layer of ice begin to loosen and crack. Chunks of packed snow fell away as they gradually broke an opening for the window.
Cold air poured in, and the temperature inside plummeted.
If it were snowing, it would make cleaning the room even more difficult.
So, Jiang Si and Qin Shen used a thick plastic film to temporarily seal the opening.
Light, however, could still shine through, brightening the previously dim interior.
Breaking open just one window had been exhausting.
There were still many more to go.
Qin Shen said to Jiang Si, "You should rest. I can handle it."
Jiang Si shook her head. "Don’t spoil me so much. You’ll make me completely useless."
’What would I do if I ever had to leave him?’
’Not that I ever want that day to come.’
Qin Shen smiled. "Alright, let’s break one more, then we’ll head back to rest. I’m getting hungry."
"Okay. Everyone else is probably tired too."
CRASH—
Another window shattered.
Jiang Linhai came upstairs. "Sisi, there’s a lot of furniture here, but it’s all a bit damp. There are also some items we don’t need—we already have them on the Icebreaker. Why don’t we call Zhang Aihua and his people over to help clean? They can take away the things we don’t want at the same time."
Jiang Si would never sleep on these mattresses, but to Zhang Aihua’s group, even the bedding from the staff quarters would be considered a great find.
Their group was more than strong enough to control Zhang Aihua’s people, so they weren’t worried about them getting any funny ideas after they arrived.
Of course, if they had shown any signs of betrayal, Qin Shen would have dealt with them long ago.
Jiang Si nodded. "Okay, I’ll call them over."
Jiang Si took out her walkie-talkie. When Zhang Aihua heard it buzz, he answered immediately. "Miss Jiang, is something wrong?"
Jiang Si said, "We’ve uncovered a hotel built into the rock face. There’s some stuff here we don’t need. You can take whatever you want, and in exchange, you can help us clean the place out. If that sounds good to you, I’ll have someone come get you now."
Zhang Aihua was instantly thrilled. "Thank you, Miss Jiang! Given all you’ve done for us, we’d be happy to help even without taking anything. It’s the least we can do."
"Okay, I’ll have my dad come get you now."
"Great, great! Thank you, thank you so much."
Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen crowded around Zhang Aihua. "What was all that about? Why are you so excited?"
While pulling on his clothes, Zhang Aihua said, "Jiang Si’s group found a hotel in the cliffs. There’s stuff inside that they don’t want, and they said we can have it. They’re asking us to go over and help them."
Song Yufang’s eyes widened. "They’re so lucky! To just be able to dig up a place like that... A hotel has to be way better than this cave, no matter what."
Zhang Aihua shot her a look. "You really think it’s just good luck? They must have a local map or something to have found it so precisely."
"We’re lucky just to be able to tag along and pick up a few things. Besides, even if they weren’t giving us anything and just told us to go work, we’d still have to do it."
Song Yufang’s mood brightened again. "Well, in that case, try to bring back lots of good stuff. Let’s make our little home a bit more comfortable."
’She had lived in such nice, luxurious houses before. She never thought she’d be so happy just to pick up other people’s cast-offs.’
"I will."
