Chapter 204: The Hotel
It was only after Nan Yu reached the main street outside that he asked, “Everyone here is already used to that kind of thing, right?”
Yu Lanfeng was somewhat helpless. He really had not expected Nan Yu to witness such an unsightly scene the moment they arrived.
“Yes. That's normal here.”
Nan Yu looked around. The street itself actually appeared very prosperous, lively, and perfectly normal, but once he released his Mental Power, he discovered that there were many pitch-black alleys nearby. As his Mental Power extended into them, countless unsightly scenes were transmitted directly into his mind.
After seeing those things, Nan Yu suddenly felt that the two men from earlier had actually been rather restrained. At the very least, both of them had been wearing masks and cloaks. Although they had been doing something embarrassing, no one could actually see anything underneath.
But here...
In those dark alleys, many people were engaging in group activities. Several people were playing with one person, several were playing with two, and others were taking turns and switching partners.
Some were even using various toys. Entire rows of people were lying on the ground, with all kinds of toys scattered everywhere. Nan Yu even “saw” some things he had never encountered before in his life.
He hurriedly withdrew his Mental Power.
He absolutely could not continue exploring like this!
This was practically the beginning of his corruption!
When had he ever come into contact with things like this before?!
Yu Lanfeng asked, “What's wrong? Are you having trouble adjusting?”
Nan Yu shook his head.
“It's nothing. Let's find somewhere to stay first.”
Nan Yu decided that during their time here, he absolutely would not casually release his Mental Power again. This place was simply too filthy. He might suffer a devastating mental blow.
Yu Lanfeng had obviously visited this place many times before. He led them directly toward the best hotel in the city.
Looking at the hotel, Nan Yu thought it seemed quite luxurious. He just did not know what it would be like inside.
He followed Yu Lanfeng in and carefully observed his surroundings. The atmosphere here was indeed much better than on the streets outside.
However, that was only on the surface.
Who knew what was happening inside all the hotel's rooms?
Yu Lanfeng booked two double rooms. He and Nan Yu would share one, while the two soldiers who had accompanied them would share the other.
The rooms were adjacent, making it convenient to give them instructions if anything happened.
They took their room cards upstairs. The hotel's layout was similar to that of other large hotels. When they entered their room, Nan Yu found that it looked quite clean, but...
Considering everything he had just seen outside, Nan Yu did not have a particularly favorable impression of the hotel room either.
Looking at the spotless room, he could not stop feeling that it might actually be filthy beyond belief.
Fortunately, Nan Yu and the others had brought their own bedding and other necessities. They replaced everything in the room that needed replacing, while the hotel's original blankets and bedding were thrown into a corner.
Only after Nan Yu saw the familiar sheets, quilt, and pillows did he nod in satisfaction.
“We'll burn all of these before we leave.”
Taking them away was impossible.
After using them in a hotel like this, even if they did take them away, they would only throw them out rather than wash and reuse them.
So they might as well save themselves the trouble and burn everything before leaving.
Not even ashes would remain.
In a good mood, Nan Yu sat on the edge of the bed.
The freshly made bed was soft and springy. Without thinking, he bounced up and down on it a few times.
When he turned his head, he suddenly noticed Yu Lanfeng looking at him.
Nan Yu awkwardly touched his chin.
“Brother, when are we going to investigate the auction?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “I'll go investigate. Can you stay here at the hotel and wait for me to come back? I promise I'll definitely return within two hours.”
Nan Yu had no objection.
“Then go. Come back quickly. This place seems pretty dangerous, so remember to be careful. If you aren't back within two hours, I'll go looking for you. Let's share our real-time locations with each other!”
Before Yu Lanfeng left, he and Nan Yu both enabled real-time location sharing.
That way, they could know where the other person was at any time. As long as they were wearing their optical computers, they could track each other's positions.
Only after Nan Yu confirmed Yu Lanfeng's location on his optical computer did he let him leave.
Yu Lanfeng could likewise confirm at any moment whether Nan Yu was obediently staying inside the hotel.
Yu Lanfeng left the hotel with one of the soldiers, while the other soldier sat on the sofa.
Nan Yu lay on the bed and began browsing news on the Star Network.
He had not logged onto the Star Network for a long time. After all, while he had been at military bases, they had always used military networks, and those certainly did not have such a colorful variety of things to browse.
He searched for news and discussions related to the Bai family and discovered that almost everything had been deleted. Only a few particularly persistent news articles remained.
Of course, there was one person's news that had not diminished at all.
Bai Zhouyun.
The wanted notice for Bai Zhouyun was still pinned at the very top of every wanted list, and the bounty was gradually increasing.
It remained to be seen who would ultimately claim that bounty.
In Nan Yu's opinion, Bai Zhouyun had definitely changed his appearance by now.
Otherwise, no matter how well he hid, he would still have to show himself outside while living in another country. Surely he could not remain hidden forever without ever appearing in public?
That was not Bai Zhouyun's style.
Unless someone like him died, he was like an indestructible cockroach. He would always come up with some underhanded, vicious scheme to harm others for his own benefit.
Although Bai Zhouyun certainly would not dare provoke him right now, caution was always best. Nan Yu could not afford to casually lower his guard.
More importantly, however, they were currently on this utterly black planet.
Something particularly unusual was bound to happen here, right?
At the very least, things could not remain peaceful the entire time.
There was another point worth mentioning.
This hotel's rates were several times higher than even the most luxurious hotels elsewhere.
The reason was that as long as someone stayed inside this hotel, absolutely nothing bad would be permitted to happen to them.
Nan Yu continued browsing the Star Network, catching up on some of the major events that had occurred throughout the Empire during the past several months, along with some smaller and more recent developments.
While he was browsing, however, someone suddenly knocked on the hotel room door.
Nan Yu glanced at the soldier sitting nearby.
The soldier stood and walked toward the entrance. He took out the firearm he carried with him and positioned himself inside the bathroom doorway near the entrance rather than standing directly in front of the door.
Meanwhile, Nan Yu activated the display beside the bed and looked at the people standing outside.
Hmm?
He blinked strangely.
The people outside were actually Yu Lanfeng and the soldier who had left with him!
What was going on?
However, Nan Yu quickly discovered that these two people were impostors.
The display showed two familiar people, but when Nan Yu released his Mental Power and extended it beyond the door, he discovered that the two people standing outside were complete strangers.
The image on the display had been replaced with previously captured footage of Yu Lanfeng and the soldier from before they left.
The people actually standing outside were someone else entirely.
Since Nan Yu had discovered they were strangers, naturally he would neither open the door nor answer them.
If they were wary of the hotel, then they absolutely would not force the door open.
However, if Nan Yu opened the door himself and encountered danger, failed to inform the hotel in time, and these intruders handled everything cleanly enough...
They could come inside, kill Nan Yu and the soldier, then wait for Yu Lanfeng and the other soldier to return and assassinate them as well.
Afterward, everyone could simply pretend nothing had ever happened.
Nan Yu remained completely silent.
The two people outside knocked again.
They even played a recording of Yu Lanfeng's voice that they had somehow obtained earlier.
Nan Yu still did not react.
From time to time, he checked Yu Lanfeng's current location. Yu Lanfeng was roughly a kilometer away from the hotel and had stopped there, although Nan Yu did not know what he was doing.
After knocking twice and receiving no response, the people outside finally realized that their attempt was probably going to fail.
They were absolutely certain someone was inside, but they slowly left anyway.
Before leaving, they turned around and gave the door one long, meaningful look.
Nan Yu had already called the hotel reception desk.
Just as those people were about to leave, hotel employees arrived.
Nan Yu still did not open the door and simply communicated with them over the phone.
“Sir, we're hotel staff. May we ask...”
Nan Yu said, “Two people outside kept knocking on my door and even imitated my companion's voice. More importantly, the real-time display installed beside the bed by your hotel was actually showing fake footage!”
“Sir, this situation is indeed the fault of our hotel. We sincerely apologize. How about allowing you to stay here free of charge until you leave?”
Through his Mental Power, Nan Yu observed that when the hotel employee announced that their entire stay would be free, the people who had tried to scheme against him immediately showed pained expressions.
Only then did Nan Yu understand.
Apparently, these people would have to pay the cost of his free stay.
Yu Lanfeng was not here right now, and Nan Yu had originally intended to wait until he returned before deciding anything.
More importantly, Nan Yu did not understand the rules of conduct in this place, so he did not know how he should respond.
He immediately called Yu Lanfeng.
Fortunately, Yu Lanfeng answered quickly.
“What happened?”
Nan Yu explained what had just happened in a few sentences.
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly.
Apparently, even he had not expected something like this to happen less than ten minutes after he left.
“Agree for now. We'll deal with everything else after I return. If anything else happens, notify me immediately. I'll be back soon.”
Nan Yu said, “Okay, no problem. Also... I'm very strong now too. If anyone dares break in, I'll directly turn them into idiots!”
Yu Lanfeng smiled and nodded.
“All right.”
After ending the communication, Nan Yu said, “Then we'll leave it at that. You should hurry and leave now.”
“Of course, sir. Thank you for your understanding.”
Soon, everyone outside was taken away.
Of course, those people probably would not face any serious consequences. Judging from the situation, they had likely colluded with someone inside the hotel.
As for what position their accomplice held within the hotel, that was unknown.
Therefore, it was better not to alert the enemy for now.
They would still be staying here for several days and would only leave after the auction ended.
Furthermore, this hotel had the best conditions in the entire city. None of the other hotels offered an environment this good.
Constantly changing hotels would only create more trouble.
Only after confirming that everyone outside had left did the soldier who had been guarding the entrance slowly put away his firearm and return.
“Doctor Nan... Is everything all right now?”
Nan Yu said, “Mm. Sit down and rest for now, in case something else happens later.”
However, after this failed attempt, nobody seemed to come looking for trouble again.
At first, they had probably noticed that Nan Yu's group consisted of only four people and assumed they would be easy targets.
Then, when two of them left, they felt their opportunity had arrived and eagerly came over to test whether they could succeed.
Unfortunately...
The people inside were far more cautious than expected.
Even after seeing their own companions on the display, they had remained vigilant enough not to open the door.
“What rotten luck! I didn't expect them to be such cowards and so damn cautious. Not only did we gain nothing today, but now we have to pay a huge amount of money!”
“Don't worry. If they came here at this time, they must be here for the auction. They'll definitely leave immediately after the auction ends.”
“That's not too bad. Three days at most. Hopefully they'll hurry up and leave.”
“But speaking of that, if they're here to attend the auction, they must have prepared plenty of money, right? I wonder whether we'll still have another chance.”
“There should still be a chance. The question is whether we can seize it. Their group only has four people. Out of all the groups we've discovered over the past several days, theirs has the fewest people.”
“Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that one of those four is an extraordinarily powerful expert. But no matter how strong someone is, it'll still be difficult to endure human-wave tactics and successive battles.”
“So let's make another hunting plan.”
“But there's one thing we absolutely have to remember. The deputy manager can't come out and clean up after us every time. Doing it once just now was already the limit. If we're discovered and caught again, we'll have to rely on our own abilities. More importantly, if we're discovered a second time, the hotel staff will join the hunt against us. Then either we die, or all four guests die!”
“...Yes!”
Nan Yu had no idea that these people had not given up at all.
They were still confidently discussing how to kill the four of them and seize their possessions.
Yu Lanfeng returned half an hour later.
The moment he came back, he confirmed Nan Yu's location. Only after seeing him lying safely on the bed did he nod.
“Good. You're fine.”
Nan Yu was somewhat speechless.
“Am I really that weak? Of course I'm fine. How did your investigation into the auction go?”
Unexpectedly, Yu Lanfeng shook his head.
“There was no need to investigate at all. Everyone on this planet already knows about the auction. Basically, you just need an invitation. It doesn't matter who you are—as long as you have an invitation, you can enter the auction.”
“The invitations are divided into three tiers, from first to third. First-tier invitations are the highest level and grant access to private rooms on the third floor. Second-tier invitations allow you to sit in designated seats on the second floor. With a third-tier invitation, you can only sit in the general seating area on the lowest floor.”
Nan Yu asked, “Then did we arrive too late? Do we need to rob someone?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “There's no need yet. There are only twenty special invitations in total, and they're going to auction them off to decide who gets them.”
Nan Yu asked, “Surely nobody is actually stupid enough to bid for one?”
Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu looked at each other.
Suddenly, both of them smiled.
Indeed.
Anyone who was truly powerful or had any brains at all would never participate in the auction for invitations.
After all, powerful people would simply wait until the invitations had been auctioned off and then rob the winners.
Meanwhile, intelligent people would never bid for a first-tier invitation in the first place.
They knew powerful people would come to steal it.
If they were unlucky enough to encounter someone ruthless, they might even lose their life because of that invitation.
They would have paid money only to lose their life afterward!
An intelligent person would, at most, obtain a second-tier invitation. Some particularly low-key people would even settle for a third-tier invitation.
After all, regardless of where they sat, their identities would remain concealed, and they could still bid.
Nan Yu asked, “Should we get a first-tier invitation?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Sure. I'll go rob one when the time comes.”
Nan Yu asked, “Won't that be a little too conspicuous?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “It doesn't matter. Nobody can do anything to us anyway.”
Nan Yu thought about it and agreed.
“Then let's get a first-tier invitation. It'll be more comfortable sitting in a private room upstairs during the auction.”
Yu Lanfeng said, “That's what I was planning from the beginning.”
Nan Yu asked, “What do you think about what happened at the hotel just now?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Someone in the hotel is probably colluding with those people to rob guests. They take all the money and valuables and split the proceeds evenly. They can also sell the victims directly. Or, if inspections happen to be strict at the time, they simply kill them and sell their organs. That's safer.”
Nan Yu said, “Then they destroy the bodies and eliminate all traces, and afterward everyone acts like nothing ever happened? If hotel employees are cooperating with them from the inside, what happens if the higher-ups discover it? Do they simply allow it?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Of course not. This hotel is determined to establish itself as one of the safest hotels on the planet, so anything undesirable is supposed to be completely prevented. For something like this to happen, it's probably because someone in management acted on their own authority.”
“Once the people above discover this, there's no way it'll end peacefully. So, Xiaoyu, what do you want to do now? Do you want me to inform the higher-ups?”
Nan Yu shook his head.
“Let's wait and see. If they come again, then we don't need to be polite.”
While they were here, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflict if possible.
Besides, they were extremely strong. They had no reason to fear these people actually coming after them.
Nan Yu had not yet tested how much stronger the offensive capabilities of his Mental Power had become after reaching High-Tier.
If those people were bold enough to try again, Nan Yu could conveniently use them to test it.
Since Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu were both here now, there was naturally no need for the other two soldiers to remain with them.
The soldiers left together and went to rest in the neighboring room.
They were not worried about anything happening here.
Yu Lanfeng's strength spoke for itself. He had absolutely no need for their protection.
Yu Lanfeng checked the time.
“Do you want to rest early?”
Nan Yu shook his head.
“I'll browse some more information on the Star Network. I'll wash up later.”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Then I'll wait for you.”
Afterward, Yu Lanfeng opened his mailbox, brought up his work assignments, and quickly began working.
Fortunately, there were not many work emails today.
Apart from messages from several military bases urging him to hurry over, there were only some documents from the Border Region One military base that required his personal review, along with battle situations that required his direct instructions.
Nan Yu had originally been reading the news.
But as he continued reading, he gradually felt that the person beside him was much more attractive.
Night fell.
Eventually, Nan Yu finally decided to wash up.
Yu Lanfeng pulled him along, and after brushing their teeth, the two took a shower.
Naturally, they showered together.
Yu Lanfeng did not do anything that crossed the line. He merely touched him, hugged him, and kissed him, but by the end, he had still managed to make Nan Yu somewhat annoyed.
When Nan Yu came out wearing a bathrobe, his entire body was flushed red.
There were even several marks on his neck and exposed forearms, faintly appearing and disappearing from view, giving him a rather suggestive appearance.
Yu Lanfeng came out behind him and stared so intently that his eyes nearly went straight.
Nan Yu sulked.
He lay down on the bed and immediately rolled himself up in the entire quilt, refusing to give Yu Lanfeng any of it.
Yu Lanfeng did not get angry.
He simply lay beside Nan Yu and waited for him to respond.
Although Nan Yu was angry, his anger did not last long.
They were already together, so this degree of intimacy was naturally reasonable.
He was simply embarrassed and annoyed.
After a little over ten minutes, Nan Yu finally gave him half the quilt.
Once Yu Lanfeng covered himself, he pulled Nan Yu into his arms.
“I'll hold you while we sleep.”
Nan Yu gave two quiet hums.
“Since you're already mine, I'll let it go this time.”
Yu Lanfeng did not know whether to laugh or cry, but he still went along with him.
“All right.”
Only then did Nan Yu contentedly nestle into his arms.
“The first-tier invitations are being auctioned tomorrow?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Yes. The auction is tomorrow morning. I'll go over then and casually rob someone of one.”
Nan Yu asked, “How many people can one first-tier invitation admit?”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Five people in total, including the person holding the invitation.”
Nan Yu said, “Then we'll actually have one extra place?”
Yu Lanfeng asked, “Why?”
Nan Yu shook his head.
“Nothing. We can show them that we have an extra spot and make them a little jealous.”
After saying that, Nan Yu closed his eyes and prepared to sleep.
Yu Lanfeng said nothing more. He simply held Nan Yu gently in his arms and pulled him closer so their bodies pressed more tightly together.
Truthfully, Nan Yu would become an adult in only a few more months.
Yu Lanfeng felt that his supposedly perfect self-control was gradually leaving him bit by bit.
While they were asleep that night, the time reached three in the morning.
Outside the hotel room, which had originally been completely silent, faint footsteps suddenly sounded.
They quickly disappeared.
However, Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng woke at exactly the same time.
Both possessed extraordinarily sharp senses.
Nan Yu opened his eyes while remaining nestled in Yu Lanfeng's arms.
“Looks like they had no intention of letting this go. It's around three in the morning, when everyone's fast asleep. I wonder whether they're acting on their own this time or whether they've arranged it with someone from the hotel.”
Yu Lanfeng said, “It's impossible to tell yet. Let's wait and see what they're planning to do.”
Nan Yu said, “All right.”
As it turned out, they came directly to their room.
Not the room belonging to the other two soldiers.
Their room.
Nan Yu said, “I can hear them unlocking the door. They're planning to just open my door!”
Yu Lanfeng said, “Get up and put on some clothes first. We'll watch a good show in a moment.”
They still could not be certain whether those people had cooperated with hotel staff to launch this nighttime attack or had decided to do it on their own.
Either way, they would soon have a good show to watch.