Her withered gray-white long hair was messy, and she had a slightly out-of-shape figure in her middle age. The most concerning thing was her face, which was gray and dull, with a pair of dead fish eyes, without any trace of life.
"The smell here is a bit strong, I'll open the window to ventilate it."
The landlady repeated: "You'd better close the window after a while, especially in the evening, don't open it."
Zhou Jinru was a little bored, wondering why there were so many rules in Iberia, but since he was here, he had to follow the local customs.
"Okay, I'll close now."
He reached out to close the window, but just as he was about to close it, he noticed someone in the corner across the road looking at him.
It's a bad feeling, no matter where I go, I feel like I'm being watched.
The landlady's eyes were dull: "You'd better not stay here overnight. There is a bus at three o'clock in the afternoon. You can leave by car."
"Where is that car going?"
"It doesn't matter where you go."
Looking at the back of the landlady leaving, Zhou Jinru thought thoughtfully, it doesn't matter where you go, the important thing is not to stay here?
It seems that this town has a bit of a story.
Zhou Jinru carried his luggage downstairs and happened to see someone come in. A woman in a cloak. Only a strand of brown hair could be seen through the gap in the hat.
"one room."
The landlady repeated mechanically: "60 yuan, only for the night."
After hurriedly walking out of the hotel, Zhou Jinru found a nearby bar. He didn't want to drink, because only here could he find outsiders staying in the town for a short time.
The lights in the bar were dim, a few people were sitting in a corner, and local residents were sitting together.
When he entered the door, he obviously noticed that the locals were looking at them one after another. They all had dead fish eyes. Could it be that this town is rich in dead fish eyes?
"A soda."
The bartender was also a deadbeat. After listening to Zhou Jinru's words, he only handed over a glass of water, but charged for a glass of soda.
Zhou Jinru repeated: "What I want is soda."
The bartender shook his head slightly: "You'd better drink water."
Not normal, so abnormal.
It was abnormal, inside and out.
"Brother, what are you here for?"
Suddenly someone next to him patted him.
A man with abundant hooves winked. Zhou Jinru took some water and followed him to the corner, where outsiders were hugging each other.
The older Safra raised his chin: "Where did it come from?"
"From Sargon, where are you?"
"More or less," the Safra man said briefly, "Try not to stay here, this place is very strange."
Zhou Jinru nodded, holding a cup in his hand. Although he was thirsty, he did not drink water.
Not only is it strange, there is something weird everywhere.
"There is a bus in the afternoon, so leave early."
"Thank you."
Just as someone was about to say something, the Safra winked and stopped speaking.
Zhou Jinru didn’t know the name of this town yet, and Carloder didn’t tell him when he came, so he asked, “What’s the name of this place?”
"Haas Point, that's what the locals say."
Zhou Jinru didn't know what to say for a while, the place name was a bit... strange.
The outsiders sat there for a few more minutes and then left one after another, as if running away, not daring to disperse.
…
There were still two hours before three o'clock in the afternoon. Zhou Jinru walked out of the bar and returned to the hotel. He wanted to rest for a while and not let Carlo Rod think that he had left. After all, he hadn't paid the fare yet.
When he returned to the hotel, he saw that the landlady was still in a daze, so he went directly to the room without saying a word.
When I opened the door, the smell in the room was still pungent, so I had to open the window a crack to let in fresh air.
The paint on the furniture was peeling off and turned yellow, obviously showing its age, and the curtains hanging by the windows were also old.
Zhou Jinru sat on the edge of the bed, and the plank made an overwhelming creaking sound. He maliciously speculated whether lying on it would cause the plank to break.
Everything here means one problem, there are no guests in the hotel.
This is consistent with the actual situation in a small town called Haas Point. The strange behavior of the local townspeople can scare away outsiders just by scaring them.
Boom, boom, boom.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Zhou Jinru reached out to close the window first, and then asked: "Who is outside?"
"Hello, I live next door and I have something to talk to you about."
When he left before, he did see new guests arriving. Zhou Jinru also noticed the people outside from his emotional perception, so he walked over and opened the door. A young woman was standing opposite.
She has short brown hair, and her face cannot be said to be beautiful, but it cannot be said to be ugly either. To Zhou Jinru, she just feels ordinary.
The woman was wearing a cloak. It was hard to imagine that she had to be so tightly wrapped in such a hot environment. Her eyes first passed from Zhou Jinru's side, and after scanning the room, she said: "Hello, may I ask who you are?" Do you live here alone?”
"Yes, I'm the only one here."
"When are you planning to leave?"
Why is everyone asking the same question?
Zhou Jinru said tirelessly: "Maybe I can leave in the afternoon. The carriage I rented broke down and is being repaired. What can I do for you?"
"It's like this. I'm a historian from Victoria. I've heard about things here, and I want to tell you that it's best not to spend the night here. Terrible things may happen after dark."
here we go again.
Everyone said it, the landlady, the outsider in the bar, and now the historian in front of me who claimed to be from Victoria.
Zhou Jinru thought for a while, and if it were in a normal story, the follow-up of this kind of plot should be that the male protagonist is aroused by curiosity, decides to stay to find out, and is finally involved in a dead end from which there is no return.
But he is not an adventurous person.
"You're right, I plan to leave with the car at three in the afternoon."
"This is a wise decision and I wish you a pleasant journey."
Just as the historian left, Zhou Jinru couldn't help but ask: "You advised me to leave, but what about you?"
"This is my business."
The door was closed, and Zhou Jinru was in an extremely exciting mood.
A historian comes to a small town full of weirdness and plans to explore the truth of the matter. Is he worried about his graduation thesis?
He'd better run away quickly.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jinru went out again to find Carlo Rod at the car repair shop.
…
"Mr. Four, do you plan to leave early?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll pay your fare in full."
Carrod, a bearded man, hesitated and said, "But the bus at three o'clock in the afternoon is not going to Saltwind City."
As the boss lady said before, it doesn't matter where you go, the important thing is to leave Haas Point.
Smiling and bidding farewell to Carloder, who was still waiting, Zhou Jinru felt relaxed. It would be three o'clock soon and he couldn't wait to leave here.
