bookrandom Chapter 101 Funeral
Chapter 101 Funeral
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Wang Xiao arrived at the hotel's backyard.
The backyard, originally used for training, has now been turned into a temporary funeral home.
On a pile of timber, the bodies of three search team members lay neatly arranged, each covered with a white sheet.
Most of the hotel's staff have arrived at the scene.
Because of the news that there were casualties in the operation at the Peace Hotel, even some guests staying at the hotel and representatives of surrounding forces spontaneously came to attend the funeral.
Privately, some of these people were drawn by the reputation of the Peace Hotel, while others wanted to take this opportunity to leave a good impression on Wang Xiao.
After all, Wei Yan had already extended invitations to most of their forces yesterday.
As the most influential force in the entire Chenghua District, even the most powerful Qin Group cannot easily shake the influence of the Peace Hotel.
From an official standpoint, without this mission from the search team, the matter of the insects and the "door" would have remained undiscovered for who knows how long.
If they are not discovered in time, and the insects develop by taking advantage of the zombies, it will be a real nightmare for all of them.
This also proves that the sacrifices of Cheng Feng, Wang Hai, and Wang Yang were worthwhile.
Even without a system-generated task, Wang Xiao would do the same thing.
In Wang Xiao's view, such a weighty contribution deserves the reward and respect it is due!
Besides this, Wang Xiao had another purpose.
That is to tell everyone that the Peace Hotel has its own rules of conduct!
One of them is that the hotel will remember every victim!
Of the three victims, only Wang Yang had an older sister; the other two were alone and chose to follow Xiong Sanzhuang for various reasons after the apocalypse broke out.
At this moment, Wang Yang's sister was weeping beside the body, while Zhao Yajun and Feng Wan were trying to comfort her.
Not far from the bodies of these victims stood Xiong Sanzhuang, Liu Shandeng, and other survivors of the search team.
Their eyes were filled with grief and self-blame.
Especially Xiong Sanzhuang.
Although Xue Wu's encouragement had helped Xiong Sanzhuang recover much, he still felt deep regret for his lack of strength.
Following them, Xue Wu led the security department at the very front of the entire employee queue.
As one of the hotel's vital forces, every member of the security department is dressed in dark clothing.
Their expressions were all unusually solemn, and their gazes toward the three victims were filled with the same respect.
Because perhaps one day, they too will suffer the same fate as these three, tragically dying while performing a task at the hotel.
At that time, they may face the same situation as they do today.
No one wants to die, but if that day ever comes and death is unavoidable, they hope to be treated the same way as the three search team members who perished.
They are not afraid of death!
But at least... you should die with value!
The dead can be accepted by people!
The dead are remembered!
As the ceremony was about to officially begin, other hotel staff who were in the evaluation period also arrived one after another.
Even Lu Ran, who usually enjoys joking, became serious in such a solemn setting.
To Wang Xiao's surprise, Qin Huai'an did not send representatives like other forces, but instead personally arrived at the scene with his secretary to participate in this funeral with special significance.
Qin Huai'an saw Wang Xiao and nodded slightly to him.
Wang Xiao nodded in return.
Seeing this, representatives from other factions also seized the opportunity to express their condolences to the families of the victims and Wang Xiao.
Such a scene, witnessed by the scattered survivors gathered around, naturally aroused considerable envy and discussion.
But this is precisely the unique influence that the Peace Hotel currently possesses among the surrounding forces.
It was almost 10 o'clock.
Wei Yan arrived at the scene, and after being forced to rest by Wang Xiao, the kid's complexion finally looked a little better.
As the alarm clock rang at ten o'clock, Wang Xiao walked to the pile of wood, took a deep breath, and slowly began to speak:
"Cheng Feng, Wang Hai, and Wang Yang, three members of the search team, tragically died while protecting the hotel and completing their mission at the hotel."
But their sacrifice was worthwhile because they brought back valuable information for us and are outstanding employees that we should all remember.
They showed us with their lives that even though the world is in darkness, there is still hope as long as someone is willing to stand up!
This is also the philosophy that our hotel has always adhered to!
Here I assure you that the sacrifices of these three men will not have been in vain.
The Peace Hotel will never forget their contributions; as long as the hotel exists, their names will never be forgotten.
Zhao Yajun stepped forward and respectfully handed a document to Wang Xiao with both hands.
Wang Xiao solemnly accepted the document and read aloud: "According to hotel regulations, Cheng Feng, Wang Hai, and Wang Yang will receive the hotel's highest level of compensation for their sacrifice."
All compensation will be distributed to the beneficiaries designated by the hotel after their sacrifice, in accordance with the hotel's regulations.
At the same time, the hotel will permanently retain their names so that they can be remembered by the hotel and all its employees as honorary employees of the Peace Hotel…”
After Wang Xiao announced the compensation for the three who had sacrificed their lives, Xue Wu, standing at the front of the group, led the shout:
"salute!"
The security personnel raised their right hands in unison, while others paid their final respects to the three victims with a silent tribute.
Faced with this scene, Xiong Sanzhuang tried to control his emotions.
But he couldn't hold back in the end, and tears began to flow uncontrollably.
When someone is highly trusted but ultimately fails to deliver anything, the sense of powerlessness and disappointment torments Xiong Sanzhuang.
But in this world where humanity is constantly being eroded, this special kind of sensibility is all the more precious.
Xiong Sanzhuang's voice choked with emotion as he said, "In the end, I betrayed your trust. If I were strong enough, you..."
Just then, Wang Xiao walked up to Xiong Sanzhuang, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Instead of continuing to regret it here and letting the same thing happen again, you should take this opportunity to think about how to improve your strength so that such a tragedy will not be repeated."
The search team is a key force for the hotel.
As the leader of this team, I hope your performance in the future won't disappoint me or your teammates again; they are still waiting for you.
Xiong Sanzhuang looked at Wang Xiao excitedly, nodded vigorously, and then wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.
Liu Shan and the other survivors nodded in agreement; the setbacks and grief they had experienced during the operation had transformed into a determination to become stronger.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wang Xiao held a torch and set fire to the pile of wood that had been doused with gasoline.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the three bodies.
The representatives of the surrounding forces watched this scene in silence, and their hearts couldn't help but feel a greater sense of awe for the Peace Hotel.
In this chaotic world, the fact that such a force can hold such a formal funeral for its subordinates is enough to earn their trust and cooperation.
In today's world, human life is only becoming more and more worthless...
As Qin Huai'an watched Wang Xiao's retreating figure, his opinion of Wang Xiao rose even higher.
In this apocalyptic world where everyone is in danger, Wang Xiao's current actions undoubtedly seem too unconventional, and even difficult for people to accept!
But he had to admit that the existence of the Peace Hotel and Wang Xiao's actions brought hope to most people in "hell".
If he were an ordinary person who had fled here, seeing this scene, joining the Peace Hotel would also be his goal.
Unfortunately, he was Qin Huai'an.
Qin Huai'an felt both apprehensive and immensely respectful towards this adversary and partner.
The entire funeral lasted about half an hour and ended with everyone observing a moment of silence.
As the funeral ended, Wang Xiao turned around, looked at the crowd behind him, and said with utmost calmness, "As the owner of the Peace Hotel, I sincerely thank you all for your participation."
But now, I want to say that our battle has only just begun.