The waiter and the old man did not expect such a thing to happen. A dollar was not expensive at all. Of course, considering the filthy and depressing environment here, no one would be willing to stay here even if it was half the price. However, the only means of transportation that connected the town to the outside world was out of service tonight. Zhang Heng had nowhere else to stay if he did not stay here. From this point of view, he had to pay the dollar, but no one expected him to have no coin in his pocket.
After a moment of silence, the old man said, "Forget it. I will pay for the room. Since this is a celebration, we can't be the only ones celebrating. It's rare to have a guest here, and we should show our hospitality." It took him a lot of effort to bring Zhang Heng here, and he would not let all his efforts go to waste for a dollar.
"Since you're willing to pay for him, I don't have any objections." The waiter helped Zhang Heng with the check-in procedures, and Zhang Heng signed his name on the visitor's book.
The old man left quietly at some point. It seemed that his appearance was to lead Zhang Heng into the hostel.
Zhang Heng was about to follow another waiter upstairs, but at this moment, another figure came in from outside. He looked a little anxious, angry, and a little flustered. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words. "Give me a room."
"One dollar," the waiter repeated the price with a blank expression.
Zhang Heng knew that this was the other guest of the Gilman Hostel that the waiter mentioned earlier. It was quite obvious. In addition to the man's normal appearance, he did not have the damp and gloomy vibe that the town's residents had.
Since they were all outsiders, maybe they could talk to each other a little?
Zhang Heng stopped, but before he could speak, he saw the waiter casting a vigilant look at him.
Zhang Heng was a hunter, so he could read this kind of look.
It was the look of prey when they were running away. At times like this, they would not trust anyone or anything.
"Room 428," the waiter said to the new guests.
After that, the two new guests of the Gilman Hostel followed another waiter to the top floor of the hostel. The waiter then opened the door for Zhang Heng. It was a single room facing the street, a good continuation of the town's usual style. It was dark and shabby, with two windows and some cheap furniture. From the looks of it, it seemed like no one had used it for a long time. There was also a steel bed, which obviously had nothing to do with softness.
Zhang Heng did not have much hope in the promise of delicious food. Since it was time for dinner, Zhang Heng asked the waiter, "What food does the hostel serve?"
"We don't provide meals." He then remembered that he was a waiter, so he stiffly added, "There's a restaurant in town. It's right next to the hostel."
"Thanks." Zhang Heng said. He did not tip the waiter, but fortunately, the waiter did not care. He turned around and left.
Only Zhang Heng and another guest were left on the top floor.
The latter's room 428 was diagonally opposite Zhang Heng's. After entering the room, he immediately closed the door, making it clear that he did not want to see anyone.
And Zhang Heng was not in a hurry to disturb his temporary neighbor. He took some time to check his room first.
The faucet was broken, which the waiter had told them when they went upstairs.
In other words, this was a magical hostel that provided neither food nor running water. This could explain why there were no other guests here except the two of them.
The wooden board of the wardrobe was cracked, and when the door was opened and closed, it made a creaking sound. A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table, and the dirty quilt also felt damp during the rainy season. To be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that it could block the wind and rain, there wasn't much difference between sleeping here and sleeping on the street.
And that was not all. Zhang Heng noticed that there was no bolt on the inside of the door, which meant that even if the door was locked, the person outside could open it with a key. And judging from the traces on it, the bolt had been removed not long ago.
Interesting.
Fortunately, there was good news. At least the old-fashioned electric lamp above his head was still working. Although the bulb had turned black, and the orange light it emitted was a little dim, it was still good news before the night came.
Of course, there were signs that something was going to happen tonight. Once the power was cut off, it would be useless even if the bulb was still intact.
Zhang Heng approached the window, pulled the curtains a little, and looked down at the street.
There seemed to be a little more people on the street, and some members of the church were among them. They were really preparing for the evening celebration. Everyone was wearing some kind of gold jewelry, but Zhang Heng did not see them preparing any food.
It was difficult for a celebration to be without food and drinks.
After all, most people did not care much about the origin and substance of the celebration. They just wanted to find an excuse to eat and drink and reward their stomachs. A celebration without food and drinks was like a cake without cream.
But the people downstairs didn't seem to think so. They were still in high spirits. Zhang Heng looked at them for a while, then shifted his gaze a little further away. He saw the dam in the distance, and farther away, the black line on the sea.
When he first came here, he also saw the black line. Zhang Heng always felt that something was waiting for him to summon it.
There were two small black dots on the wave dam. They should be fishermen. They put down the fishing rods in their hands and suddenly jumped off the dam.
Diving from such a high distance was still quite dangerous. Not to mention the reefs below, if the wind and waves were strong, a big wave might come and sweep them away. However, the other people on the embankment seemed to be used to it. No one reacted when they saw the two of them diving, and they continued to do their own things.
Everything in this town was full of abnormal oddities.
The church bell rang, indicating that it was seven o 'clock in the afternoon. The sun had completely set, leaving only a little afterglow.
Zhang Heng put down the curtain in his hand. He was actually not that hungry, and he would be fine even if he skipped dinner. But considering what was going to happen tonight, he needed to make some preparations in advance. The most important thing was to get a few handy weapons. After all, he was in a state of ambush.
Zhang Heng went out and knocked on the door opposite.
"Who is it?" A vigilant voice came from inside.
"I'm a foreigner like you. Do you want to go out for dinner?"
The answer was silence. The person in the room seemed to be thinking about the proposal. After a while, he opened the door.
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