Since the martial law was imposed in the four-by-nine city, few dared to carry weapons and walk around here.
Only someone who is visiting here for the first time would do something like this.
The lobby manager categorized these people as wealthy outsiders.
He has met too many people of this kind.
They all thought they had a bit of money and wanted to make a name for themselves in this imperial city, but in the end, every single one of them ended up leaving in disgrace.
Money is useless here.
This era demands strong fists and a ruthless backing.
The back-end of this hotel is not only ruthless, but extremely ruthless!
The lobby manager smiled and approached Lu Yu and the others, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask what you would like to eat?”
Although he looked down upon these people.
But since they are guests, in business it’s all about money, not personal connections. As long as you don’t cause trouble, having money is enough.
Moreover, the hotel has a powerful backing and has maintained close ties with the enforcement teams. If any issues arise, they can easily be resolved externally.
This lobby manager is really fearless.
Lu Yu asked, “Is there a private room, something larger?”
“Yes, but all the seats are already booked. If you’d like to make a reservation, you can probably book seats for tomorrow night now.”
“No need for that. We’re here on business and it’s just our first time dining here,” said Fang Hua, pointing to an empty table in the corner. “Let’s sit at that table. Just bring us your best dishes.”
“Understood,” the lobby manager smiled and led everyone to the table that had just been cleaned.
“Slap!” A big hand came down hard on the table.
Then, from the neighboring table, a burly man dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with his chest exposed to reveal his chest hair, came over straddling a chair and said apologetically, “Sorry about this. We’ve reserved this table for our group, and my brothers will be here any moment.”
“Shua!”
Yang Lie’s star soldier drew his weapon, holding it horizontally against the big man’s throat, and coldly said, “Go back!”
The big man’s face changed color, staring into Yang Lie’s eyes, then looking at the star weapon in the opponent’s hand, and angrily said, “In the city of Sijiu, you dare to lay a hand on me?”
“Hiss!”
The star soldier lunged forward slightly, cutting into the big man’s neck. Blood streamed down the big man’s neck, and with another half push, the throat would be severed.
The big man froze in place, his whole body icy cold, his face deathly pale without a trace of color!
He never thought the other party would actually dare to take action, feeling as if he had just returned from a trip to hell!
If this sword had cut just a little deeper, it would have cost a life.
Yang Lie said, “You mean to say the Four Nine City wouldn’t dare to make a move? Go ahead, give it a try?”
Everyone in the Han household put down their bowls and chopsticks, fixed their eyes on Yang Lie, and their gazes radiated waves of killing intent.
“We just want to have a meal. If anyone is looking to start a fight, I wouldn’t mind killing someone,” Lu Yu said, taking a seat first and gesturing to the dining hall manager, “Bring the food, no need to wait anymore.”
The lobby manager stood aside with a smile and spoke in a serious tone: “Ladies and gentlemen, fighting is strictly prohibited within this hotel. If you damage the hotel, you won’t be able to afford the compensation! I’m sure none of you would want the hotel owner to become furious and issue a kill-on-sight order, right?”
Lu Yu said, “Those who provoke me, I won’t ignore. If none of you wants to die, better not make a move.”
Lu Yu’s cold voice made everyone at the table feel an intense, blood-chilling atmosphere.
A tremor passed through the hearts of many people. Numerous individuals looked at Lu Yu in shock and instinctively reined in their murderous aura.
Even that burly man sat down obediently.
The lobby manager saw the big man sit back down and decided not to say anything else. He thought his words had made them wary.
He returned to the front hall once again to greet the guests.
As for serving the dishes, he didn’t need to supervise that.
The big restaurant operates with great efficiency.
Within half an hour, dishes filled with enticing aromas had been successively brought to the table.
Phoenix Dance and the others were also experiencing a meal like this at a restaurant for the first time. Normally, they ate simple dishes that were easy to prepare and didn’t require heating, since most of their time was dedicated to cultivation practice.
This time, seeing the delicious dish with its full array of color, aroma, and flavor, he began eating without caring about his appearance, even before Lu Yu had a chance to speak.
“Hmph, a bunch of bumpkins.” Someone at the neighboring table snorted coldly, clearly disgusted by Yang Lie and his companions’ table manners.
Lu Yu’s friend patted him on the back and coldly said, “Eat your food and don’t talk.”
“What’s there to fear? Within the nine gates of the city, what outrageous thing wouldn’t they dare to do?”
“Listen to me, you can’t afford to mess with these people.”
…
Dishes upon dishes of delicacies were served, and they were soon devoured.
These people were glowing with satisfaction after their meal. Even Fenghuang Wu grabbed a piece of the crispy, fragrant pastry with her hands, her cheeks puffed out as she kept eating and exclaiming, “So delicious! Why didn’t I come here earlier? Maybe we should take all the chefs back with us!”
“I agree,” Lu Haotian said, raising both hands in approval.
“I agree too,” Yang Lie said, waving a chicken leg. “This food is great. Let’s take the cook back with us so we can eat like this every day.”
“I’ll ask about the price in a moment; we’ll take it with us when we leave!”
People were talking among themselves, and those at nearby tables couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The person who had just called Lu Yu and the others hicks also laughed and said, “Do you really think that just because you have a bit of money, you can do whatever you want here in the inner city? The chefs here were top-tier even before the apocalypse. Hiring them would cost an astronomical price. Don’t make me laugh, I…”
“Settle the bill, let’s go.” His friend pulled him up directly, then smiled and clasped his fists toward Lu Yu and the others, saying, “My friend has had too much to drink; please don’t take offense, everyone.”
“Old Wang, what’s wrong with you today?”
“Stay silent if you don’t want to die,” wrote the man called Old Wang on his friend’s palm.
“I’m sorry, I talked too much.” The man who had just been laughing at Lu Yu and the others as bumpkins now had a face ashen as death, and he walked away even faster than his friend.
This left many people even more puzzled.
As the two of them had just arrived at the hotel entrance, they were immediately blocked by someone walking in from the opposite direction.
“The enforcement team is here to take someone into custody! No one is allowed to interfere. Anyone who dares to move will be arrested as well!” A middle-aged man standing at the front, carrying a battle axe on his back, shouted sternly within the main hall.
“哗啦啦。”
From the back kitchen to the passages leading to various areas, every window and corridor was instantly occupied by countless uniformed enforcers, their faces filled with fury.
“Damn it, couldn’t avoid it after all,” Old Wang muttered, pulling his friend aside, his face dark with displeasure.
The first time he stopped his friend, he simply felt that Lu Yu and others were not to be trifled with; it was a warrior’s instinct.
As for the second time, he had already figured out who the person was and hastily pulled his friend away.
Unfortunately, he was still a step too slow.
The lobby manager stepped forward, bowed to the middle-aged man, and smiled, saying, “Team Leader Niu, why are you so angry today?”
With a wave of his hand, Niu ordered the lobby manager to step aside. His voice was cold as he said, “Old Li, normally when something small comes up, we let it slide. But today, don’t try to plead. If a fight breaks out later and your hotel gets destroyed, go take it up with our leader.”
The lobby manager was taken aback. Seeing that Bull Team had actually said such a thing, his expression darkened as he replied, “Bull Team, we’ve never shortchanged you each month—we’ve even given you extra. If there’s anything else, wait until these people leave before discussing it. You know whose hotel this is. If anything happens here, your boss won’t be able to explain it away either.”
The leader of the cattle team waved his hand and pushed the lobby manager aside, saying, “Li Zaishan, you can’t handle this matter. Not long ago, someone was armed and killed five of our law enforcement officers and one civilian in Sijiu City. In a place like Sijiu City, can we afford to wait any longer?”
A single sentence from the Bull Team stunned the entire hall.
Everyone put down their chopsticks and bowls, and without prior agreement, turned their gaze toward Lu Yu and his group.
“It seems like this is the first time someone has dared to commit murder right here in the heart of the city.”
“These people are just country bumpkins from that city, breaking the law right under the emperor’s nose—they’re practically asking to die.”
…
Li Zaishan’s face turned pale as he looked at Lu Yu and the others.
It was indeed a mistake to let these people in.
It’s not right to run a business with the door closed and not let people in.
But the loss this time was significant.
However, Li Zai Shan was very firm. Looking at the Niu team with a cold voice, he said, “You can take them. But if there is any loss to this restaurant, my boss will naturally come to you personally.”
“No need. Just a few petty thieves; I can handle them in a minute.”
Niu waved his hand, then turned around and led dozens of law enforcement officers toward Lu Yu and the others.
Four puppets clad in heavy armor were standing there, which was too conspicuous.
“The Bull Team, it’s these few people who even killed our captain.” A team member pointed at Lu Yu and the others, clenching his teeth, and said, “They didn’t just kill someone—they murdered a civilian right in front of us. These guys have gone completely rogue; it’s practically a provocation.”
“Not just provocation—they don’t take us seriously at all! They’ve killed people right under the emperor’s nose, disregarding every single restriction.”
Several team members stood around the ox, each speaking in turn.
Now that someone is in charge and there are more people, what is there to fear?
The leader of the Bull Team waved his hand to silence the crowd, walked up to Lu Yu and the others, pulled up a chair without ceremony, sat down, and said, “Everyone, are they telling the truth?”
“Yeah.” Lu Yu put down his chopsticks, his mood completely gone.
The leader of the Ox Team sneered upon seeing Lu Yu’s prompt response, “Since that’s the case, everyone here will come back with me. Those who kill must pay with their lives, and those who owe debts must repay them.”
The Bull Team glanced at the Starseeker armor on Lu Yu and the others, as well as the heavy armor worn by the four standing figures—it was all top-of-the-line gear, definitely not cheap.
A group of young people caused trouble here.
Startled the young one; the old one should be coming out soon, I suppose.
Even their bodyguards are equipped with expensive gear, so the old man must have some influence.
That’s too bad, though.
This is Si Jiucheng; even if you’re a dragon, you have to curl up here, and even if you’re a tiger, you’ve got to act like a cat.
Lu Yu stared at the cattle team with a smile and said, “Captain, I don’t want any conflict. I just want to finish my business and leave here. So everyone can pretend nothing ever happened here, and nobody will be bothered.”
“Hmph.” Niu said with a laugh. “Friend, do you really think this is your own backyard, where everything is up to you?”
“I dare not.”
“Then stand up and come with me,” Niu said, his expression turning grim in an instant. He slammed the star-shaped weapon hanging at his waist onto the table and sternly declared, “This is the city of Four and Nine. Even if you’re a dragon, you’ll have to coil up here.”
“Hiss!”
Many people around them had already started moving away, sensing that a fight was about to break out.
Young people always have a bit of fire in them.
This bull team is definitely not going to let things go smoothly.
Lu Yu picked up a cup of water, took a sip, and said with a faint smile: “Withdraw your Star Soldiers and leave with your men. If you don’t get up within ten seconds, don’t bother getting up ever again.”
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