Chapter 169 "Five-star Hotel
In the present day, at Radiance Studio.
Today, a few new colleagues joined the studio, and after a warm welcome, Xu Shuo treated everyone to lunch.
The operations department had been set up by Li Ziwen, who took responsibility for the few small games previously produced by the studio and the "City of Mist · Scripted Murder Game" app currently under development.
Li Ziwen, who was multitasking, finally got to relax a bit, before going back to busy himself with the offline game store.
As Xu Shuo looked at these new faces and the gradually prospering studio, he felt gratified but also realized his wallet was really tight.
He had to make money quickly.
After all, Xu Xi's college entrance examination was approaching, and the upcoming university expenses would be another significant sum.
Looking further ahead, he would need to prepare funds for Xu Xi's graduation, a vehicle, living expenses, and retirement...
Whew, the burdens are heavy and the road long!
Xu Shuo quickly arranged his travel schedule for the next few days.
After returning from the lunch gathering, he took half an hour to rest.
Although there were still over a hundred hours before the compulsory time to enter the script, Xu Shuo decided to play his round early due to the busy work schedule over the next few days.
It seemed that the more scripts he cleared, the longer his rest times would be.
According to Hong Rao, she hasn't entered a script for over three years...
Thinking about it, this rest mechanism is very tempting for newcomers who are new to the scripts and safe in their world. They might diligently enter the scripts early to get relief.
As a result, the more they play, the higher their levels might rise, and the more power they gain, the less they think about leaving.
Script Space really is cunning.
...
...
"[You have entered the theater.]"
Once again, Xu Shuo refused the script recommended by Hong Rao and chose a random one.
However, since the script didn't specify levels, he wasn't sure if he'd encountered a BUG, but he decided to just go with it and see what happens after he got out.
He was now sitting in a resplendent lobby.
The scene seemed vaguely familiar.
Xu Shuo looked up at the architecture.
There were numerous sofa booths on both sides of the hall, and a grand crystal chandelier hung in the center of the dome, not yet radiating its dazzling brilliance as it was daytime.
Directly facing the glass doors was a reception desk carved from marble, and spiral staircases ascended to the second floor on each side of the lobby.
The decor was luxurious, indicative of an upscale hotel.
After all, the name of the script seemed to be "Five-star Hotel," a plain and unadorned title.
There were already a scatter of guests sitting at the booths in the lobby, some with luggage by their side, others simply dining there.
Xu Shuo was wearing a tailored charcoal-gray suit, with a twenty-four-inch black suitcase beside him and a book titled "Ancient Medicine Nursing Magazine" in his hands.
Xu Shuo: "???"
To be honest, even though he had played a doctor before, he found this magazine a bit incomprehensible.
Xu Shuo checked his personal information.
Identity: Doctor Kong
Task: Deliver the troop deployment map of District 13 to the contact person.
Below that was a detailed supplement to the character's identity, and this time the personal information was quite comprehensive.
Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't a doctor; he was a spy.
...
In the hotel lobby, there were at least a dozen people, with frequent movements of guests, all appearing very wealthy or noble from their attire.
The rich are plentiful here.
Standing at the right staircase, a male waiter dressed in a vest suit held a tray, discreetly sizing up everyone in the lobby.
He appeared calm on the surface but his fingertips curled slightly as they dragged the tray.
Once he entered the game, he had forgotten the script's plot, but that didn't stop him from feeling like crying without tears after reading the script summary and his character information.
There were no monsters or crises in this kind of game, but it was still easy to be played to death because these games mostly relied on brains.
He was quite self-aware of this.
But still, he had entered the game.
The male waiter sighed, glanced at the several cups of tap water on his tray, scanned the empty booth seats on the tables in the hall, and then stepped forward.
The moment he entered the script, the drama had already begun.
There was no time to waste in racking up points for his performance.
"Hello, sir."
The male waiter approached, calmly placing down a cup of tap water and a refined menu, and then asked, "Is there anything you need?"
Hearing the voice, the man who had been looking down at his book glanced up at him.
The man had a gentle and clear-cut visage with meticulously styled hair, adding a mature and scholarly charm that made people feel an unconscious affinity toward him.
However, when the man looked his way, the waiter inexplicably felt his heartbeat speed up for a moment, accompanied by a somewhat oppressive feeling in his breathing.
It was as if he was dreading something.
He involuntarily curled his fingers a bit more.
He scrutinized the face carefully, certain he didn't know the man, and of course, even if he did he wouldn't remember.
But at this moment, it was best to be cautious.
"I'll have a coffee, thank you," the man spoke, his gaze swept over the waiter then returned back down to his book.
"Certainly." The male waiter glanced at his book, which had "Ancient Medicine Nursing Journal" written on the top of the page.
A doctor?
There was a suitcase next to him; could he have just checked in today?
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The male waiter discreetly observed, then turned and walked toward another booth seat that hadn't ordered anything yet.
Only two people sat in the booth on the left side, apart from the doctor in the gray suit—there was also a young woman with a stern and severe expression sitting in the corner.
The woman had short, curled brown hair and wore a precisely tailored camel coat, exuding an elegant and majestic demeanor like that of a high-ranking person.
She was currently reading a newspaper and looked up as the male waiter drew near.
"Hello, madam."
The male waiter diligently recited his line, "Is there anything you need?"
The woman's calm gaze swept over him, and just when the waiter felt he was about to break out in a cold sweat, she spoke in a distant tone, "No need, don't bother me."
"Of course!" The male waiter quickly took his leave, while internally speculating.
The ring on the middle finger of her right hand suggested she was probably married.
A uniquely shaped brooch was pinned to the chest of her coat, with text beneath it that seemed more like a regional emblem than decoration.
No luggage nearby, maybe she was someone who had been staying at the hotel for a while.
As a hotel waiter, he began discreetly sizing up every individual in the hall, moving from booth to booth and making inquiries—all to quickly find his target for the mission.
Meanwhile, at the booth seat against the left wall.
Xu Shuo glanced at his watch and then back at the male waiter serving other guests. He pondered whether to give the guy a scare.
It had been six minutes already, and his coffee still hadn't been brought over; the waiter hadn't even gone to the front desk to relay the order.
He was probably so busy gathering information that he had forgotten about the needs of the guest he had just served?
Could this guy really survive until the end of the story?