Chapter 4 Hotel Guide

"Are you crazy? Broadcasting your destination like this?" The maintenance worker in the chair clutching the 95-style rifle expresses his discontent for the first time, yelling at Tang Zheng in rage. From his trembling legs, one could see just how terrified this honest man was.

The others didn't look too good either. If the timing wasn't so pertinent, they would've already admonished Tang Zheng. A few stewardesses were even muttering to themselves, saying they had boarded the wrong ship.

"Taking on America's armed forces? And the famous SWAT at that, you really have some nerve." The bald man claps Tang Zheng on the shoulder, takes out a pack of cigarettes, and smiles, "I've got a good feeling about you. Want one?"

"Feeling good about what? Even if we aren't eaten by zombies first, we'll get finished off by SWAT. They've got snipers and all. Maybe they are already setting up defenses at Oasis Hotel." The high school student glances at the driver and says, "This one hostage is useless. You really think you're a big-shot terrorist."

"Have you been watching too many American blockbusters? Judging from Tang Zheng's speed, it will take at most three minutes to get to Oasis Hotel. Even if SWAT's response time is fast, it'll certainly take at least five minutes. So, you'd better not cause me any unnecessary trouble. If you delay us, don't blame me for being ruthless." The bald man had an intolerance for those who dishearten the team, especially at such a crucial time. "If you have time, you'd better familiarize yourself with the firearms."

"Don't worry, Oasis Hotel is only two hundred meters away from us. It's less than a block away." Tang Zheng didn't want to be everyone's target. He still needed their collaboration. "Bald man, Lao Lin, you will rush into the hotel first. Once I have the front desk supervisor or someone similar hostage, you guys will fire warning shots to drive all unrelated persons away. Reducing the number of people in the hotel to a minimum will cause us less trouble when clearing the zombies later."

"Wasting my bullets, and, stop calling me bald man." The bald man rolls his eyes, frowning, and asks, "Do I really look like a villain?"

"You're not just like one, you are one." This is the collective sentiment of the stewardesses, though, they didn't have the courage to voice it. Yet, they were getting fed up and dissatisfied with Tang Zheng for using them instead of Zhao Jingye, the maintenance worker, or even the high school student. Furthermore, the hijacking of the bus made their good impression of Tang Zheng plummet.

"A bunch of dumb women, can't they see that the maintenance worker and Zhao Jingye will probably pee their pants if they have to make threats?" Kang Songde coldly watches, not intending to explain. Tang Zheng losing influence was just what he wanted.

"Don't worry about the bullets, someone will deliver them to you soon." Lao Lin speaks for the first time and everyone is startled.

"Who's delivering?" Zhao Jingye retorts, thinking Lao Lin is just making excuses for the trouble Tang Zheng caused.

"We're at Oasis Hotel. Lao Lin, bald man and I will take the lead, followed closely by the stewardesses. Zhao Jingye and Director Kang bring up the rear while the high school student fills in the gaps." After Tang Zheng finishes instructing, he punches the metal back of the driver's seat, yelling, "Plow right into the hotel's main entrance, or you're dead."

Although the stewardesses knew Tang Zheng was merely intimidating the driver and wouldn't really kill him, his sudden burst of ferocity made them shudder.

"Great performance." Qin Yan compliments, then turns to the stewardesses, "Hold onto the metal boxes tightly. Don't lose them."

The bus driver had already lost his judgment. Hearing Tang Zheng's instructions, he wildly yells "OKOKOK!", instinctively swerving the steering wheel, pressing the gas pedal, sending the bus off the highway and towards the Oasis Hotel ten meters away on the right.

Pedestrians watched the sudden appearance of the out-of-control bus, screaming and scrambling to safety. A doorman, who had just parked a guest's vehicle, opened his mouth wide. Amidst the deafening roar of the engine, he was left dumbfounded as the buses rammed into and smashed the revolving doors, landing in the middle of the hotel lobby. Broken glass sprayed all over the floor.

"Open the door." On hearing Tang Zheng's shout, the bus driver quickly opened the door, praying that they would all get off.

The entire lobby fell silent with the abrupt intrusion of the bus. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, an Asian man in black, tight-fitting clothes jumped from the bus. Following him were two burly men dressed in prison garb wielding firearms, and behind them, ten flight attendants in gem blue uniforms each clutching a metal box...

"Damn, these Americans are way too calm," cursed the bald man, spitting. Most of the Americans' gaze fell upon the flight attendants. After all, they were handpicked, both attractive and well-proportioned. Some Americans, completely unfazed, even took out their phones to take pictures, wondering aloud if this was all part of a movie.

"Nonsense. Since when do robbers use flight attendants?" Zhao Jingye cursed. He had always held a grudge against Tang Zheng's commands.

Tang Zheng sprinted toward the front desk, where there were three receptionists—one more than he had expected. However, this wasn't an issue; if anything, it saved time.

Sensing something was off, two security guards pulled out their batons and ran towards Tang Zheng, attempting to stop him. Simultaneously, they called for backup on their walkie-talkies.

The counter was about one and a half meters high. Using the inertia from his sprint, Tang Zheng deftly flipped over it with his left hand as support and ended up behind the front desk, grabbing one of the receptionists in the process.

The bald man fired a warning shot, causing the two security guards to flinch instantly. The other people in the lobby finally snapped back to reality, screaming and scattering to find cover.

"Call 911. Tell them the Oasis Hotel is under a terrorist attack with at least 50 fully armed terrorists with heavy firepower," Tang Zheng instructed in English, then pointed to another receptionist saying, "Give me the keys to the rooftop suite."

"So this is your plan? To hold up in a hotel? What a joke. We might as well find a supermarket, at least we don't have to worry about food then, and we could get our hands on some guns and equipment." Zhao Jingye didn't think the plan was impressive, thinking his offhand suggestion was way better.

"Get me a guest list, the hotel's architectural layout, and a map of Los Angeles." Tang Zheng ignored Zhao Jingye and directly ordered the last receptionist. There was no time now to explain things to them as many predefined objectives were yet to be accomplished. More worryingly, the sound of helicopter propellers could be heard from outside the hotel; it was evident that SWAT had arrived.

"The two places you mentioned don't have enough strategic depth, and there are too many customers. If they all turn into zombies, it will be a real hassle," Lao Lin explained to everyone on behalf of Tang Zheng, losing more and more hope in the team as they were simply too naive.

"Instead of blaming and complaining if you can't think of a solution, you should try to improve upon others' suggestions," Qin Yan observed coldly, deciding to stand by Tang Zheng no matter what decision he made as long as her safety was guaranteed.

Kang Songde shared the same sentiment. In his opinion, if anyone from this team was going to survive until the end, it would be Tang Zheng and the quiet yet incisive Lao Lin. High school students or flight attendants would probably be the first to die. As for himself? Kang Songde touched the tight-fitting protective suit he wore and carefully plotted his next move.