Chapter 59: CH-59: No more peaceful times...

Night.

It’s been many hours after the fight in the next alleyway took place.

The fight eventually resulted in a draw... With the gangsters and the staff dividing the supermarket in two equal territories, forming a stalemate ready to break at any moment.

In the hotel.

The receptionist gave the last bit of instruction to the staff then retired for the night.

She don’t have a room of her own so she took one of the hotel rooms as her own, along with several other members choosing from the remaining ones.

As she reached the corridor, she saw a man leaning against the wall right next to her room, the same foreigner who came last night.

Even though he knew mandarin she didn’t thought much back then, but now as he interpreted her way, it says otherwise.

"May I know of your purpose for seeking me out this late at night??"

"I mean no harm... but this ain’t no place to talk, you know."

The foreigner intoned, indicating towards the room.

Half believing him, she lead him inside the room.

"Please."

With a nod, he stepped in along with her. She reached for the bed while he chose the chair beside it.

"Reed, was it? Please say in what matters I can help you."

"Good memory you have there. The reason I am here is that I want to co-operate with you."

Reed finally told the reason of seeking her out.

"Co-operate? How so?"

"You see... the situation isn’t looking any good right now. And it’s only going to get worse. So i propose we unite as a team and for you to be our leader."

"From what I see, the situation isn’t so desperate as you say. I think the heat way will last only a few weeks at most, plus government will also stabilize the matter."

The receptionist countered, stopped to take a breathe then continued.

"And i don’t think I’m capable enough to be the leader. Why don’t you try it yourself?"

"The situation isn’t going to recover but will only worsen... I can guarantee that. As for why i am not going for it myself... I’ll let you guess."

"I know that you not believe me now. So, i’ll give you some time to think things through."

Reed stood up, gave her a last glance, then left. A soft click, and he was gone, leaving behind only the lingering scent of something metallic, like ozone before a storm.

...

And just like that, eight days passed.

In this eight days, the heat increased tremendously... Now, even the night felt like the day.

The situation had worsened, the food supplies of the hotel has been completely exhausted, causing public panic. The situation barely sustained.

The uneasy truce at the supermarket had frayed, then snapped, leaving the streets outside a no-man’s land.

Inside the hotwl, the carefully hoarded food supplies had dwindled, then vanished.

The receptionist, once the calm face of hospitality, now felt like a raw nerve exposed to the elements. Her eyes, sunken and shadowed, stared blankly at her desk, her movements stiff, mechanical.

The receptionist looked lifeless as she lumbed down to her desk. In these eight days, she had been completely tortured by the people, almost becoming insane.

She had been pondering about the deal proposed by the foreigner named Reed, at first she thought it was just an attempt to gain benefits but now it felt he may just have some info beforehand... Or maybe even more.

Reed’s words, once dismissed as a peculiar proposition, now echoed in the hollow spaces of her mind.

"It will only worsen.

The certainty in his voice had been unnerving then, prophetic now.

She had initially dismissed his offer as a ploy, a calculated move for some unknown advantage. But with each passing hour, with every desperate plea for a morsel of food, a different possibility took root: he knew.

He possessed information or foresight or maybe both. Perhaps even had a hand in the unfolding chaos.

As for what was that man’s goal... No can say. She racked her brain dry but couldn’t find any reason. They got no supplies, no beauties, no nothing.

She reluctantly admitted that she herself was an average looking woman.

A grudging acceptance settled over her. Whatever his game, whatever his secret, she had reached the end of her own resources, of her own sanity.

She had to try and so she did. With a leaden weariness that settled deep in her bones, she pushed herself from the desk.

Her feet carried her down the familiar corridor, each step a testament to a desperate hope. She stopped before his door, her hand raising to knock.

*THUD**THUD*

The sound, dull and heavy, seemed to absorb into the thick wood. She waited, her breath held tight in her chest. The silence stretched, then the lock clicked.

The door opened a sliver, revealing Reed’s face, his eyes still unreadable, his expression calm. He didn’t speak, simply gestured her inside.

She stepped past him, the room’s air cool and still.

Before he could close the door, before he could utter a word, she spoke, her voice raspy from disuse.

"Can you please tell me what’s your plan and how certain you are that this situation will only get worse??"

"100% sure. As for what’s my plan... I want manpower, but i will also provide sufficient supplies for you, so you don’t have to worry about it."

He closed the door, the soft click a punctuation mark to her question.

He turned, facing her, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

She watched him, searching his face for any hint of deception, any crack in his composure.

She asked again, her voice hushed, the questions coming in a quiet torrent, each one a desperate probe into his certainty. He answered patiently, his responses concise, devoid of embellishment.

Then the room fell into complete silence. Then with a long sigh of acceptance, she agreed.

"Ok, I agree. But I hope you will keep your promise as well."

"Hmm. Oh by the way, what’s your name?"

Reed said with a tone of amusement, making her embarrassed at herself.

The question caught her off guard as a flush crept up her neck, a sudden, unexpected embarrassment.

In her desperation, her caution, her fear, she had forgotten the most basic courtesy. She had faced this man, discussed her future, without ever offering him her name.

She was being so cautious that she even forget to mention her name before the man in front of her.

"Haha, um... Jia Ning, I am Jia Ning."

"Oh, such a good name. Then I hope it applies to me too."

Reed’s words felt like black pepper, causing the already blushing girl to turn into a ripe tomato, as if she had swallowed a ton.

[A/N: Jia Ning(佳宁) generally means auspicious and peaceful in Mandarin. XD]

"Come on, i’ll take you somewhere special."

He began walking out as he said that, to which Jia Ning obediently followed behind.

She was a bit puzzled as to where they were going, but she didn’t spoke it out. As they made their way to the storage basement, Jia Ning guessed he wanted to check if there were any supplies left.

She thought of reminding him but then decided it was better to just show him the barren basement.

She got in front of the door and opened it up, then stepped aside as she softly uttered without even looking inside.

"I guess you’ll be left disappointed."

"And I guess you’ll be left shocked."

Reed intoned with a smirk, urging her to peek inside. Puzzled, she looked inside, only to find the basement filled to the brim with food and other daily necessities.

Mind you, this much supplies is enough for them to go on for a month at the very least.

"HOLYC—"

Stunned, she cursed out loud, only for Reed to cover her mouth with his hands.

"Shhh, do you want everyone to know about this?!"

*GULP*

Taking in a mouthful of drool, Jia Ning finally calmed down after a couple of deep breaths.

"Ree— i mean, Boss, where did you get these supplies and how did you even tranfer it here, without even my knowledge??!"

Still surprised by the scene in front of her, she asked softly. Even her way of addressing Reed changed, which he clearly noticed.

"Magic."

He replied with a wink as his signature smirk remained plastered to his face.

Rolling her at him, she swiftly ran inside, grabbing a box of chocolates, she hurriedly unwrapped a packet and swallowed it whole, almost chocking on it.

"Eat slowly, it’s not going to run away."

He reminded from the side but she just didn’t listen, eating mouthful of this then eating mouthful of that as tears ran down her cheeks.

It’s been days since she had a complete meal, and to top it off the people residing inside the hotel were almost driving her insane.

Only when Reed appeared did she feel a sense of security and the hope of life.

...

A few days passed in a blur of reorganization.

With the food as leverage and Reed’s presence as a silent, looming threat, the power dynamic in the hotel shifted overnight.

Inside Reed’s private suite on the top floor, the air was cool, filtered by a portable purifier he’d somehow "magicked" into existence.