novelraw Chapter 168: Thank you
Chapter 168: Thank you
Su Zhan used the room card to open the door.
The lights in the room automatically turned on.
It was a standard business single room with minimalist decor, one double bed, a writing desk, and an LCD TV hanging on the wall.
The air conditioner emitted a faint operating sound, maintaining the room temperature at a comfortable 24 degrees.
On the bedside table sat a service menu listing various hotel offerings: 24-hour room service, laundry service, massage therapy.
At the very bottom was a line of small text: For special needs, please scan the code to contact the front desk. This hotel provides delivery services for all types of legal products.
Su Zhan: ...
Well damn.
Is this a place where even prostitution is considered reasonable?
And weed is reasonable too.So free.
Goddamn too free.
Su Zhan casually placed the menu back where it was.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, lightly tracing his finger across the glass. The originally opaque glass immediately turned clear, revealing the entire city's neon nightscape.
In the distance.
Black City's giant holographic advertisements flickered in the night sky.
Several blurry figures chased across rooftops before disappearing into the darkness.
The bathroom door was made of semi-transparent frosted glass, and the smart bathtub inside had already automatically filled with water, several glowing bath salt pieces floating on the surface.
A display on the wall prompted: [Hotel Specialty - Hallucinogenic Bath Salts, Scan Code to Unlock].
Su Zhan ignored these and went straight to the bed, pulling back the covers.
The sheets were surprisingly clean, without strange stains or hairs.
After he sat down, the mattress's smart system immediately began scanning his body shape, automatically adjusting the support level.
The bedside panel suddenly lit up, popping up a message:
[New guest detected]
[Would you like recommended "special services"?]
[This hotel partners with 7 premium clubs in Black City, providing VIP access]
Well damn.
Forced ads before sleeping?
Even sleeping comes with advertisements now, this is outrageous.
Su Zhan directly closed the prompt.
Outside the window, the city's neon lights continued to flicker.
The roar of engines faintly came from the streets.
But it was soon drowned out by some heavy metal music.
The night in this city had just begun.
...
As night deepened and neon lights brightened.
Su Zhan walked out of the hotel.
Since he had come to this mysteriously colorful city, he needed to properly experience it.
To see whether this place was more free.
Or the Vice City he had played in his previous life was more free.
Su Zhan stopped at a roadside stall.
The barbecue vendor was a young man with dreadlocks.
His arms were completely tattooed with mechanical gear patterns, and he wore two glowing electronic earrings on his earlobes.
He was flipping meat skewers on the grill.
"What'll it be?"
The vendor asked without looking up, his fingers deftly sprinkling seasoning: "The specialty is lamb skewers, crispy outside and tender inside."
Su Zhan glanced at the menu: "30 lamb skewers, two bottles of beer."
"Coming right up!"
The vendor finally looked up, revealing a roguish smile: "First time in Black City?"
Su Zhan nodded: "Yeah."
"Could tell."
The vendor grinned, showing two gold-plated front teeth: "Your clothes are way too damn tacky."
Su Zhan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "How long have you been setting up stall here?"
The vendor flipped the skewers: "Three or four years, used to be a mechanical maintenance technician at an underground fighting arena, but then... something happened, so I switched to selling barbecue."
The skewers were ready.
A metal tray slid in front of Su Zhan.
The vendor wiped his hands: "Try them, guaranteed more exciting than any barbecue you've had before. The seasoning has a bit of special formula mixed in, the legal kind."
Su Zhan paused: "What's added?"
The vendor laughed: "Weed? Black City specialty, don't worry, absolutely not addictive."
Su Zhan: ...
I'd be an idiot to believe you.
So he silently placed the lamb skewers back on the plate.
"Things have been unstable in the city lately."
The vendor warned: "Heard the black market lost a batch of goods, now all the factions are searching for it. Better not wander around at night."
Su Zhan asked: "You know a lot about these things?"
"Ha!"
The vendor patted his arm: "The customers I get here daily include black market dealers, mercenaries, even... anyway, being careful never hurts."
The roar of engines and screeching tires came from the distance.
Su Zhan looked toward the sound.
Just a few intersections away.
Several modified cars were parked sideways in the middle of the road.
Some young people were using fluorescent spray to draw lines on the ground.
"It's about to start!"
The vendor muttered as if it were routine, casually moving his stall further back.
A whistle sounded.
Several sports cars lined up at the starting line.
Their hoods sported exaggerated graffiti, exhaust pipes spewing blue flames.
The crowd spontaneously moved to the roadside, some even taking out phones to start livestreaming.
"Three! Two! One!"
Deafening roars erupted.
The cars shot forward simultaneously.
Tires screeched against the pavement, producing white smoke.
Su Zhan immediately noticed one particular sports car.
It was a purple-painted sports car.
And standing on its roof was a girl in leather clothing.
She spread her arms wide, letting the night wind tousle her short hair.
Su Zhan asked: "Who are they?"
"Violet Lightning Gang."
The vendor answered: "Yeah, they race here every Friday."
Su Zhan watched with considerable interest.
He wasn't afraid of people laughing at him for saying this.
Street racing like this.
He had only ever seen it on TV in his previous life.
Never seen it up close.
Now that he had the chance, it made up for some regrets from his past life.
The shop owners along the street were used to this.
Some even came out holding coffee to watch the excitement.
The race quickly determined a winner.
The purple sports car executed a perfect drift stop at the finish line.
The girl on the roof flipped down, drawing a round of whistles.
The loser reluctantly handed over a stack of cash.
The winner immediately threw the money into the crowd.
Seeing this, Su Zhan thought "Whoa" to himself.
Giving the winnings to the audience.
Meant they didn't need the money at all—they were just after the atmosphere and thrill.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
But strangely, the watching crowd showed no panic, instead bursting into laughter.
"Don't worry."
The vendor grinned, revealing a gap where a front tooth was missing: "The City Patrol Division is just here to collect protection money."
Sure enough, two patrol vehicles slowly drove to the intersection.
Several patrol officers got out and actually leaned against their cars to watch the race.
One even took out his phone, apparently recording.
Su Zhan was increasingly convinced this city was free.
There's a saying that goes well.
Freedom something something, gunfights every day.
But the order here seemed pretty good so far.
At least he hadn't seen any street killings yet.
"Young man..."
The vendor looked at Su Zhan's untouched lamb skewers: "Eat up, why aren't you eating?"
Su Zhan waved his hand: "I don't do weed."
How could I dare eat this stuff?
Just as he spoke.
Several leather-clad men and women swaggered to the stall.
They were the same people from the racing earlier.
The leather-clad girl from the purple sports car was among them.
The leader had his entire right arm made of mechanical construction, steam rising from the joints: "The usual, extra spicy."
The vendor immediately put on a professional smile: "Good evening, Brother Blade!"
Su Zhan paid by scanning the code without eating a single skewer.
The vendor winked at him: "Hope you enjoy your time in Black City... the alive kind."
Su Zhan: I thank you very much.