Chapter 721: 721

Chapter 721: Another Traveller

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 .

Chapter 722: I Will Just Watch You Eat

Although the man who lived opposite Zhang Heng agreed to eat together, he was still very cautious and kept a certain distance from him. Zhang Heng did not force his friendship, though. At least the two had exchanged names and made a simple self-introduction, which was considered a significant improvement.

His name was Fabericotte, and he was only seventeen years old. According to him, he was traveling around New England to explore its natural scenery, historical sites, and a deeper understanding of his family genealogy. Initially, he planned to take the train directly from Newburyport to Arkham, but the conductor in Newburyport had provided him with a more economical travel plan. He was supposed to get on the bus and transit here, not expecting the night bus to Arkham would be canceled. So he could only stay here tonight.

As they chatted, Zhang Heng also learned that Fabericotte had arrived much earlier than him. He had departed Newburyport at 10 in the morning, meaning he had spent at least half a day here. He should have collected a lot of information about this place by now. Maybe that could explain his heightened wariness and apprehension.

Something must have had probably traumatized him, seeing as to how he immediately closed his mouth and stopped talking the moment Zhang Heng inquired about the matter. The two had just met, though, and Zhang Heng realized that perhaps sufficient trust hadn’t yet been established between them.

Although the town was drowning in gloominess and oddities, Zhang Heng did not feel too much repression or fear. On the contrary, Fabericotte beside him seemed exponentially disgusted and disturbed by this small town. In his own words, he did not want to stay here a second longer, wishing that he had a pair of wings to fly away as far as he could from this place.

After a while, the two walked out of the hostel.

Although the nearby buildings still looked dirty, these were in better condition than the town’s dilapidated structures. There were grocery stores, pharmacies, wholesale fish markets, refineries, and restaurants. A river even ran in the middle of all these buildings. Perhaps it was time for the residents to get off from their work, or perhaps they were preparing for the celebration that most of the shops were closed. Fortunately for the two weary travelers, the restaurant was still open.

Two people were already inside the restaurant, a man and a woman. Among them, the man had a thin face, hunched back, and his eyes looked very dull. Zhang Heng stared at him for a while and found that he had not blinked for a long time. If one encountered him as an SCP-173, there was nothing the person could do but cry in the corner.

On the other side, the flat-nosed woman, wearing a rustic dress, was bending over and wiping the table. Although she was about to experience a wardrobe malfunction, no man would look at her when they saw her face.

Zhang Heng also noticed that Fabericotte, beside him, had become uneasy again. Although neither of them had apparent deformities, they both looked somewhat similar to the old man that Zhang Heng met earlier. According to the old man’s previous statement, their faces would start to deform as they grew older.

If Fabericotte had a choice, he would never want to walk into this restaurant. Eventually, though, hunger overcame his fear. He tried not to look at the two other people in the restaurant and focused on the menu at the counter. After discovering they mainly served canned food and ham, he was not disappointed but relieved.

He did not trust the people in this town very much. Hence, he was quite skeptical about the food they served. A portion of canned food with biscuits and a bowl of vegetable soup were more than enough.

After that, he made way for Zhang Heng and asked, “What are you eating?”

The latter replied, “I have no money with me, and I am not very hungry. I will just watch you eat.”

“…”

Farbericotte stood there for a moment and blinked. “Forget it, let me buy you your meal,” he relented.

Zhang Heng then said to the dull-eyed man, “I’ll have one more of what he ordered.”

After Farbericotte paid for the food, the woman with a flat nose headed into the kitchen.

Zhang Heng and Fabericotte found a place away from the counter and sat down.

Fabericotte could not help but ask, “You knocked on my door and asked me out for a meal, yet you don’t have any money?”

Zhang Heng nodded at Fabericotte. After that, he started to check out the restaurant. Decorations had been hung for the celebration later.

Fabericotte frowned, growling in a melancholic tone, “…Do you take me for a fool?”

“I told you that I’m not hungry. You should have just eaten without me,” Zhang Heng turned to him, continuing, “You are the one who insisted on buying me a meal.”

“I… I was just being polite.”

“It’s still not too late to tell the chef to cancel my order.”

“This is too embarrassing… Wait, did you just say that because you know I won’t do it?”

“If you feel embarrassed, I can do it myself,” said Zhang Heng while standing up.

“Are you bluffing?”

Zhang Heng did not answer him. He just smiled, turned, and walked towards the kitchen.

When he was about to walk to the door, Fabericotte spoke again, “Okay, you can stop there. The meal doesn’t cost much anyway.”

Despite Fabericotte’s persuasion, Zhang Heng kept on walking.

At this time, Fabricotte felt terrible. After all, he was taught since childhood to help those who were in difficulty. As long as it was within his capability, he should not say no to the person who needed his help. Just like what he said, this meal did not cost much anyway. Even for a young man who traveled with very little cash on him, the least he could do was to buy Zhang Heng the meal. So he got up from his seat and rushed into the kitchen.

The dull-eyed man sat there and watched the two of them walking into the kitchen. He did not stop them or talk to them.

The kitchen’s cleanliness was not nearly as unsanitary as Farbericotte imagined. Although the fishy smell still lingered in the air and the walls were covered with mold, at least there were no rats and cockroaches. When he walked into the kitchen, Zhang Heng was talking to the woman with a flat nose.

Immediately, Farbericotte stretched out two of his fingers and shouted, “Two! We are getting two sets!”

At that moment, he noticed that Zhang Heng, who was standing at the side, took the two chef knives that were hanging on the wall. He then hid them in his clothes and made a silent gesture to Fabericotte.

Fabericotte was shocked by it. And he immediately realized that Zhang Heng did not go into the kitchen to cancel his meal. He had gone in to steal the knives for self-protection. This was not the kind of behavior one should be endorsing. Fabericote hesitated for a while before deciding not to tell anyone about it. His heart was thumping in his chest, however. After that, he followed Zhang Heng out of the kitchen.