After a sleepless night spent in the operating room, where Zhan had to perform two emergency surgeries, Zhan lay alone in his bed in the apartment and thought about what would happen if the gray creatures did not return? It has been a week since the black creatures reappeared, but there is still no sign of the gray ones.

In this one week, however, some surprising things had happened. Three days ago, the weather finally changed. Most were just on their lunch break when the light coming in through the windows got brighter. Many immediately rushed to the windows and just like Zhan who was having lunch with Yibo in his consulting room, they could see the sun finally fighting its way through the dense cloud cover.

The sun's rays burned the defenseless vampires. And even though all the windows and doors were closed, the screams of the burning vampires could be heard loud and clear. The black creatures, however, did not care. They simply watched as the beings created by their poison died in great pain.

The scouts currently using the maintenance tunnel to enter and exit the hotel nevertheless reported that many vampires managed to get to safety. But many more did not make it. Their corpses, which now lie mainly in front of the hotel's wall, are now beginning to decompose as well, making it impossible for the hotel's residents to open a window even for a moment.

The black creatures also split into several groups. A slightly larger group is still spread out on and around the hotel. The other groups are now presumably flying from town to town looking for survivors. However, scientists suspect they may also be looking for a place to build their nests.

One of the soldiers this week came up with the idea of using firecracker rockets to startle the black creatures at night, when they are asleep and can barely see, and then shooting them together. Without thinking about it in more detail, most of them liked the idea and decided to implement it even without the general's involvement.

For more than 20 minutes, the many fireworks rockets lit up the night sky. But not more than a minute or 2 did the black creatures let themselves be impressed by them. Instead, they used the light from the firework rockets so they could see their prey. Five men lost their lives in the action and not a single black creature died.

From several but distant cities, they had also received distress calls. Some smaller groups even managed to make their way to the vicinity of the hotel during the previous nights. The scouts who found them then brought them unseen to the maintenance tunnel. This was also the case last night, when a group of 8 people came to the hotel.

Two injured were among them, as they had an accident with their cars just before their destination, when the driver of the front car had a microsleep. In the process, a man and a woman were injured, and Zhan had to operate them last night. Yibo was frustrated when he heard about the accident. He and Zhan had also only been able to drive at night when the first attack occurred and they were on their way to the hotel.

But Zhan and Yibo had always made sure to get enough sleep and take turns driving. Just to prevent accidents like this. But aside from that, it also frustrates Yibo that at the moment anyone seeking refuge at the hotel is taken in without a second thought. While he can understand that, at the same time there is now again the danger that not so benevolent people can come to their hotel and become a problem for the residents.

Just this morning when Zhan returned to the apartment, he and Yibo talked about this issue. Zhan completely agrees with Yibo's opinion and is also in favor of more scrutiny of the people who come to them now. And finally, the hotel is slowly reaching the limits of its capacity. After all, there are only a few vacant rooms left.

Tired, Zhan lay on the bed. He tossed and turned and just couldn't fall asleep. He missed Yibo not being with him and holding him in his arms. Zhan just got way too used to his handsome strong husband, holding him in his arms every night as he fell asleep.

So for now, Zhan has given up trying to sleep. He sat up again and was about to go to the kitchen when his eyes fell on something shiny peeking out from under the closet in the bedroom. Zhan squatted in front of it and pulled it out. 

At first, Zhan thought it was one of Yibo's many necklaces. But this necklace was not one of Yibo's, but a foreign one with a small key hanging from it.

For a moment Zhan looked at the key and then it occurred to him again. Weeks ago they found a safe in the private office and inside was a cash box that was locked. They couldn't get it open because it was one of those modern cash boxes. And they didn't want to destroy it either.

With the key, Zhan went into the private office and to the safe. He took the shiny silver cash box out of the safe and put the key in. "Damn, it fits!" Said Zhan happily to himself and turned the key around until the lid of the cash box popped open on its own.

But there was no money in the cash box. Instead, Zhan found a few pictures of a volcano that had gone extinct a very long time ago, where a real biotope had formed. But Zhan's heart beat faster when he saw a diary and some folded documents.

On the diary and the documents there was only one word: "Annex B". First, Zhan looked at the documents. One document is a sales contract from his great uncle, for an island. The other document is a guide for defensive measures in this hotel.

Zhan stared at the document and then ran with it to his father's office. The latter was just sitting at his desk, writing down some new ideas for strategies. Without a word, Zhan pushed his father and his chair away from the desk and entered into the computer the commands written on the document in his hand.

When Zhan pressed Enter after entering all the codes, a loud alarm sounded in the hotel. Some mechanism started moving in the walls of the hotel. A voice rang out over the hotel's loudspeakers, advising residents to go to the hotel's shelter and even describing the way there.

The lights changed from normal cold white to red-orange. The voice gave down the time over the loudspeakers. "What the hell did you do?" Asked Zhan's father.

Zhan was about to answer when suddenly rapid fire shots were heard on the roof. On the computer, a display indicated how many rounds had been fired and how many were left. "A self-fire system?" Zhan's father muttered.

The thundering shots did not stop. Zhan assumed they must be 50-caliber bullets. He and his father ran to one of the windows when, out of the corner of their eyes, they saw a black creature fly past it. But when they got to the window, they had to correct themselves. It didn't just fly by, it fell off the roof and lay motionless on the ground!

When they looked to the wall, they could see small openings forming there. "Now I know why the wall is so wide." Zhan muttered as a self-firing device and a flamethrower had alternately gone up there.

Yibo came rushing into the office, relieved to see that Zhan was all right. He joined Zhan and the general at the window and could hardly believe what he was seeing. Several black creatures lay motionless on the floor. Two creatures were on fire. Flamethrowers swirled a jet of flame while right next to them, shots were fired in the direction of the creatures.

And while the three men were watching the spectacle at the window with their eyes wide open, a laugh rang out from the computer. Immediately, they ran to it. A video of Zhan's great uncle had opened. "Hahaha, no matter what you are fighting against. Be sure, this hotel is now an impregnable fortress! My dear Zhan, sit back in my chair and let the hotel's Artificial Intelligence take over the defense from now on. What do you say? Am I cool or what?"

The three men just stared at the monitor, stunned, as the Artificial Intelligence spoke up. "Hi. My name is Sera, and as of now, I'm taking over the threat defense. I have detected 27 beings of an unknown species. At the moment, there are only 14 left. I will now eliminate the remaining ones as well. Do I have your approval?"

"Um, okay. Go ahead." Said Zhan.

"Thank you." Replied the artificial intelligence. The thunder of gunfire started again and continued for a few more minutes. Then the AI reported, "The remaining 14 beings have been killed. I recommend to dispose of the cadavers quickly."

"Mhm, we will do that. But what if more come?" Replied Zhan, staring at Yibo.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on the outside. I also recommend putting new ammunition in the self-fire systems. This is located in Annex B."

"And where is Annex B?"

"I'll point the way there." Replied the AI.

Zhan, Yibo and the general were then guided by the AI to a door that, as they all knew, had not been there before. When the AI unlocked the door for Zhan, it revealed a huge weapons cache in a huge room behind it. The three of them could just stand there for a minute or two, staring into the room.

The general called a few of his men and then, with guidance from the AI, had them refill the ammunition in the self-fire systems. Zhan and Yibo went outside with the general and quite a lot of soldiers to look at the dead black creatures and dispose of them.

Together they dragged the creatures to an open field outside the wall and burned the creatures, as well as the already foul-smelling dead vampires. Zhan, however, retreated to the computer and dealt with the AI. He explained to it that of these creatures, there are also gray ones that are harmless to humans and therefore must not be killed.

The AI stored this in its memory and in the meantime collected all new data from all over the world. To do this, it used a satellite to access the data. So Zhan also learned that everywhere in the world looked like here in her country. And also that everywhere in the world the survivors started to fight against the creatures and vampires.

News and videos from all over the world were downloaded by the AI. And in one video there was a young man, maybe just 20 years old, saying, "No matter where you are and how many you are. Fight and never give up! Don't try to make the creatures unable to fly, it only makes them angrier. Shoot at their heads or chests. And always remember, you are not alone! Together we can win! So grab your weapons and fight for all those who lost their lives!"

The AI then went on to explain to Zhan what Annex B was all about. There is another secret passage that leads to another hotel. Where it is actually not another hotel, but belongs to this hotel and is simply referred to as Annex B. Zhan's great uncle thought ahead even then. He assumed that once the hotel opened, there would be a lot of guests and the rooms might not be enough.

So he created the same hotel again, just as Annex B and connected to this hotel by a small corridor.

Zhan excitedly told Yibo about it and they both decided to explore Annex B together. And thanks to the AI, they now have modern communication devices that were also in the armory and look like cell phones. With this, Zhan can also access all the data and communicate with the AI.

Yibo hugged Zhan and whispered, "Your uncle wasn't paranoid. He was a genius!" And Zhan could only agree with him.

The problems are not solved by the AI now. But thanks to it, they can now not only move more freely again and even go outside. They now also have the knowledge of what is happening in the world and how it is being fought. And, now they also have the Annex B!