Chapter 2764

Gloomy, damp, and decaying, the rainwater reflecting the cold streetlights gathered like a fine-meshed net, converging at the light source into a lifeless, ghastly pallor. The windows beside the streetlights were sealed tight, and on the striped wooden shutters, one after another, the marks of slapping and scratching stretched across them.

A rat scurried past the windowsill, stood on the edge, raised its head, and twitched its whiskers. A strange light flickered in its tiny, pitch-black eyes. Its wet body began to convulse, and suddenly it opened its mouth wide, spitting out several wisps of black slime.

A cigarette butt fell onto the slime, and the already faint glow of the fire vanished in an instant. Two pale fingers pinched the end of the cigarette butt and lifted it up. A tiny bit of slime was still stuck to the ash, and just like that, it was brought before the eyes. A pair of deep brown eyes blinked.

The cigarette butt was thrown back to where it had been. The poor rat was still convulsing and vomiting, so a dagger ended its suffering. The man wearing black gloves pulled out the dagger stained with the rat's blood, rinsed it clean in the water flowing beneath the drainpipe, and wrapped it up again.

He tilted his head, and the face beneath his hat revealed a wide smile. He pressed his lips with his black leather-gloved fingers, and a soft whisper echoed in the quiet alley.

"Looks like you've run into some trouble."

The other corner of the city was a completely different scene. The building was brightly lit, and the bellhops parking the cars moved in an orderly fashion between the vehicles. Their polished leather shoes reflected their impeccable suits. The receptionist, with her enthusiastic red curls, smiled as she said goodbye to a guest who had just finished checking in, then tapped the bell. A tall black man walked out, wearing a gold-trimmed name tag; he was clearly the manager here.

He was tall and thin with sunken cheeks, and his pair of brown eyes were very prominent yet full of spirit. He walked out from the doorway, and the receptionist looked back with some helplessness, saying, "I told you long ago that the electronic booking system isn't reliable. The rooms are overbooked again. There might be five or six guests coming up who won't have standard room types."

"Take the initiative to ask if they are willing to upgrade their rooms." The manager seemed to handle such matters often. He said, "Your attitude must be good, keep a smile on your face, and most importantly, you must emphasize to them that the price difference for the room type is at least 500 dollars. This time, not only can they upgrade for free, but the price difference can even be credited as points."

"That's all we can do." The receptionist turned back, stomped her feet lightly, and said, "Too many places have closed down."

The manager gave her a slightly unhappy look, but he still turned around and went back. When he reached the door, as if he had remembered something, he turned his head back and asked, "Has Room 1905 been booked?"

The receptionist flipped through the booking records and said, "Not yet. It seems a maintenance worker noted that there is a problem with the room. Is it a leaking bathtub or is the air conditioning not working?"

"It might be a problem with the toilet." The manager said, "Be careful when upgrading room types. Don't book this room out."

"Don't worry." The receptionist turned around, revealed a smile at him, and said, "The toilet is a big problem. We must call someone to fix it immediately."

The manager nodded and walked into the room, closing the door behind him without looking back. The receptionist continued to stand straight to serve the next guest.

Light and shadow flowed through the brightly lit hotel lobby. The revolving door, pushed gently, seemed like a butterfly's wings fanning up a storm. A figure wearing a long trench coat walked in. He did not stop for a moment, put away his umbrella in the umbrella stand nearby, took off his hat, and strode toward the front desk.

"The rain is really heavy, Miss." The man exchanged a few pleasantries, held his hat in front of his chest, and asked, "May I book a room?"

The receptionist looked the man up and down. Those in their line of work all had quite sharp eyes. She saw at a glance that the fabric of the long trench coat the man was wearing was not ordinary, and the sewing craftsmanship should be from Europe. He had a very thick British accent; listening carefully, it might be an Oxford accent.

He was carrying a briefcase in his hand that did not look heavy; it might contain books or something similar. His fingers were thin and long; he had never done any rough work. However, there was a bit of wear on the middle finger of his left hand; he was a left-handed person who had been holding a pen for years.

He looked like a scholar from Europe, the receptionist guessed. So she smiled, nodded at the other party, and said, "Of course, sir. The rain is really too heavy, but you will definitely be able to get the most comfortable rest and enjoyment at the Wayne Hotel. Let me check for you which rooms are still vacant. Do you have any special needs?"

"In fact, I personally prefer to live on a high floor. It would be great if there were rooms above the 15th floor. Of course, it shouldn't be higher than the 20th floor." The man said with a smile.

Visitors from the old world are indeed picky, the receptionist thought with some helplessness. She looked again at those clear brown eyes, which seemed to contain infinite mysteries. The receptionist was attracted for a moment until the other party reminded her, and she then reacted.

This lady felt a little embarrassed. She immediately flipped through the booking sheet and said, "Sorry, sir. I might be a little tired. Let me see between the 15th and 20th floors..."

"My God, all the room types here have been booked. Why don't you consider the 21st floor? We can upgrade your room type for free. If you choose to stay in a standard room, we can upgrade it to a deluxe room without you having to pay the price difference, and you can also earn points."

The man frowned slightly and said, "I don't really like the number 21. Could you please look carefully for me again? Are there really no rooms left on the 18th or 19th floors?"

The receptionist flipped through the sheet again, shook her head, and said, "I'm really sorry, sir. They have indeed all been booked."

The other party sighed and said, "Alright, it seems I can only change to another place. I hope there are still hotels open now."

After speaking, he looked at the heavy rain outside the door as if he were a bit worried. The receptionist shook her head gently and said, "You are from out of town, aren't you?"

"Yes, I got off the plane in Metropolis and took the train to Cat Getan. I didn't expect it to rain as soon as I arrived in Cat Getan. It's really bad luck."

"You might not know that for some reason, most of the hotels in the city have closed down. Only this one is still open. I think you probably won't be able to adapt to those dark little motels."

The receptionist's original intention was to keep this guest. After all, he did not look like those busy business people. Perhaps he would stay for a few more days, which could bring good revenue to the hotel.

"So that's how it is." The man said, "But you don't look very busy either."

The receptionist revealed a somewhat helpless smile. She said, "There aren't many people who will go out in this kind of weather. Many people are still trapped at the airport and the train station."

"It's a pity that the rooms are all booked." The man shook his head, "I can only go out and try my luck."

"Are you really not going to consider rooms on lower or higher floors?" The receptionist tried to persuade him to stay.

Seeing the man shake his head, the receptionist hesitated. She bit her lip, gathered her hair, and then said, "Please wait a moment. I have something to discuss with the manager. Perhaps I can still find a vacant room for you."

The receptionist went in for a while, and soon the tall and thin black manager walked out. He looked Shiler up and down without a trace and then said, "We do have one room left, sir. The number is 1905, but the troublesome thing is that this room has had some problems."

"What problem?"

"The toilet's drainage system might be a bit broken." The manager said, "When flushing, water occasionally sprays out, which might dirty the floor. We haven't found a repairman yet, so it might..."

"When is the earliest you can find a repairman?"

"I'll make a call first thing tomorrow morning." The manager said, "If the traffic jam isn't serious, perhaps before ten o'clock."

The man hesitated slightly, but still nodded and said, "Then let's take this one. I will be careful when using it."

"I'm really sorry, sir, but out of safety considerations..."

"I understand. I am not a child who likes to play with water or an old man who is prone to falling. Knowing that there might be water on the floor, I will be extra careful, and if any problems arise, I won't cause trouble for the hotel. I can guarantee that."

The manager carefully observed the man's appearance again, seemed to believe his guarantee, and then said, "Alright, sir. This rain is really too heavy. Please check this gentleman in."

The receptionist immediately nodded at the man. The man took out his driver's license and a business card. After the receptionist took the business card, she found that a name was written on it in fancy English—"Nyarlathotep".

Below it was a line of small print: "Historian and Folklorist, Honorary Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University, UK."

The receptionist raised her eyelids slightly. While writing on the notebook, she handed the business card to the manager. The manager also raised his eyebrows in surprise. After he put the business card away, he smiled at the man and said, "I have been a bit rude, Doctor. I hope you won't mind."

Nyarlathotep shook his head and said, "I've been on the road all day, I just want to rest as soon as possible."

"This is your room key card." The receptionist handed the card to Nyarlathotep, and the manager personally led him toward the elevator.

With a ding, the elevator door opened. The two were just about to lift their feet to walk in when they realized that someone was coming out. He appeared a bit flustered and almost tripped over the carpet at the door. Nyarlathotep supported him, and when he lowered his head, he saw the pupil on the left side of his face flashing with light.

"I want to check out, I want to check out!" The man wearing a suit ran to the front desk in a panic and said, "I'm in 1903, I want to check out now!"

The manager did not pay any attention to him, and the two entered the elevator. During the process of the elevator rising, the manager finally opened his mouth and said, "The circuit on the 19th floor seems to always have some problems, but the rain is too heavy, and we have no way to overhaul it. This might cause some bad effects for the guests. I hope we are still in time to make up for it."

Nyarlathotep looked at his own reflection in the elevator mirror. He gently stretched out his hand and made a cross on his chest, saying, "May God bless them."

"Sorry, are you a believer?" The manager turned his head and asked.

"Yes, a Catholic. I even served as the Bishop of the Canterbury Diocese for a period of time."

The manager widened his eyes in surprise and said, "Canterbury Diocese? That is a place that can be mentioned in the same breath as the Westminster Diocese. You served as a bishop there?"

"Yes, by the grace of the Society, but only for a very short period of time."

The manager wanted to say something else, but the elevator made a ding sound, and the door opened. The sign for the 19th floor appeared before the two. This time, Nyarlathotep was the first to lift his foot and walk out, and the manager pointed out a direction for him.

They turned right and walked straight to the end. The door of the room at the very end was marked 1905, while on the right side was 1903, arranged backward in order. The smaller the number, the closer it was to the elevator.

Taking out the room card and opening the door, a perfectly normal hotel suite appeared before them. Entering the door was a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Pushing open the door on the right was the bedroom. The decoration was luxurious and gorgeous, the lighting was dim, and it looked very comfortable.

Nyarlathotep walked into the door, stood inside the door, and said to the manager, "Thank you very much. If the repairman comes, please call me."

"I will, sir. Have a good dream."