The male staff and the old man never expected that Zhang Heng hadn’t brought any money. The one-dollar room wasn’t expensive by any standard, but seeing as to how filthy and depressing the environment was, no one would be willing to stay here even if they reduced the price by another 50%. Since the bus was not in service, Zhang Heng had no choice but to live here. Logically, he had no reason to save that one dollar.
After a moment’s silence, the old man said, “Forget it, I’ll help him pay for the room. Since the celebration is just around the order, we can’t just disregard others and have fun on our own. It is rare to have a guest here. We should be generous hosts.” Since the old man had led Zhang Heng here, he would not give up on his plan for that mere one dollar.
“Since you are willing to pay for him, of course, I’m fine with it,” the male staff said. As he helped with the checking-in procedures, Zhang Heng signed his name on the traveler’s book.
In the meantime, the old man had left quietly, as if his sole objective was to lead Zhang Heng to this hostel.
Zhang Heng was about to follow another staff to go upstairs, but right then, another person walked in from outside. He looked anxious, annoyed, and a little flustered. He wanted to say something but swallowed back the words. “Give me a room,” he simply requested.
“One dollar.” Expressionless, the male staff repeated the price.
Zhang Heng knew that this was the other guest of the Gilman Hostel. The male staff mentioned it earlier. It was actually quite obvious, not only because he looked normal but because he did not have the dark aura surrounding him.
Since the two were outsiders, maybe they could talk to each other about this place.
Before he could say anything, however, Zhang Heng saw a wary look on the person’s face.
Having been a hunter before, Zhang Heng knew all too well what this look meant.
This was the look of prey attempting to flee. At a time like this, they wouldn’t place their trust in anyone or anything.
“Room 428,” the male staff said to the new guest.
After that, the two new guests of Gilman Hostel followed another staff to the top floor. The staff opened the door for Zhang Heng, and he was greeted with a single room facing the street. Dark and shabby, the room had two windows and some cheap furniture lying around. Judging by its condition, it seemed no one had lived in it for a long time. Not to mention that the mattress on the steel bed frame was hardly soft.
Zhang Heng did not have high hopes for the food after checking out the room. Since it was almost time for dinner, he asked the staff, “Where can I look for food here?”
“We don’t provide meals,” the staff snapped coldly. But perhaps he remembered he was still an employee of the establishment, that he added, “There is a restaurant in town, right next to the hostel.”
“Thanks,” Zhang Heng said. He did not tip the staff, and neither did the staff care as well. So he turned and left.
Zhang Heng and the other man were the only guests staying on this top floor.
The latter’s room 428 was opposite Zhang Heng’s room. He closed the door vigilantly the moment he entered, making it clear that he wanted to see no one.
Zhang Heng wasn’t in a hurry to disturb his temporary neighbor either. So, he decided to give his room a better look.
The faucet was broken. Before he entered the room, the staff had told him about it.
In other words, this magical hostel provided neither food nor tap water. This could explain why there were no other guests besides the two.
The closet’s body was cracked. As Zhang Heng opened it, it creaked loudly, revealing a thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the shelves. And the dirty quilt was damp as well. If not for the roof to shelter him from the rain and sun, sleeping here wasn’t any different than sleeping on the streets. Lamentably, his lodging woes did not end there. Zhang Heng noticed no latch on the door, which meant that the room could still be opened with a key from the outside even if the door was locked. Judging by the traces on the door, it seemed the latch had been removed recently.
This was getting more and more interesting.
The good news was, at least the old-fashioned electric lamp was still functioning. Although the lightbulb was moldy, causing it to emit a rather dim orange glow, it provided a source of light for the night.
Something awful was bound to take place tonight. If the power was cut off, the light bulb would no longer be useful for Zhang Heng.
After that, Zhang Heng approached the window, pulled up the curtain, and looked at the street below him.
The street seemed more lively now, and mixed among the crowd were some religious group members. They were all giving their best to prepare for the evening celebration, where everyone had put on gold jewelry. Zhang Heng, however, did not see them preparing any food.
Without food and drink, a celebration would be pointless.
Naturally, many who attended a function mostly didn’t care about its purpose, simply wanting to fill their stomachs and have a good time. A celebration without food and drink was like a cake without cream.
But the group downstairs didn’t seem to think so. They were still excited about the celebration. Zhang Heng looked away from the crowd and saw the wave breaker in the distance. There was also a black line on the sea.
When he first came here, he saw the black line on the sea as well. It made him feel like something was waiting out there to be summoned by him.
The two small black dots squatting on the wave breaker should be fishermen. They put down their fishing rods and jumped off the wave breaker.
Jumping from such a tall place into the sea was extremely dangerous. Not to mention the reefs below it. If a big wave came when they jumped off, it might just sweep them away. Others who stood on the wave breaker, however, weren’t surprised by their actions. Seemingly used to such things, they continued on with their own business.
Everything in this coastal hamlet was weird.
The church bells tolled, indicating that the time was now 7 in the evening. The sun had set entirely, leaving behind only a little afterglow.
Zhang Heng put down the curtains in his hands. He was actually not very hungry. Even if he didn’t get to eat dinner, he was okay with it. However, considering what would happen at night, some preparations needed to be made in advance. The most important thing to do right now was to get his hands on some weapons.
Zhang Heng walked out of his room and knocked on the door opposite him.
“Who are you?” A vigilant voice came from inside.
“Like you, I’m an outsider. Would you like to go out for dinner?”
After a brief moment of silence, probably considering the proposal, the person in the room opened the door.
