It was originally the birthplace of a mining company, but after all the workers here moved away, only a ghost town that looked like a wasteland was left.
The whole town looked dilapidated, as if it was isolated from the world.
Signboards and slogans unique to the last century are everywhere here. The moment you step into the town, you feel as if you have traveled back to the 18th or 19th century, full of antiquated feeling.
As the sky gradually gets brighter.
Dr. Agasa and Conan finally arrived at the entrance of the town.
"Very good!"
“I feel like I’m alive again!”
Looking at the town with signs of human activity, Dr. Ali felt excited.
Very good!
Finally he has a place where he can have a good rest!
Finally...saved...
In the moment of excitement, Dr. Ali felt a little dizzy.
On the one hand, it is due to being too excited, and on the other hand, it is also a signal sent by the body that it is on the verge of collapse.
But none of that matters now.
For Dr. Ali, what he wants most is to find a comfortable room.
Then take a comfortable hot bath, then lie down on the comfortable and soft big bed, cover yourself with a soft quilt and have a good sleep.
Let your tired body and tense nerves take this opportunity to relax.
"It's only early in the morning. I don't know if any stores are open."
"Find a place to rest first. Once we regain our strength, we will consider the next steps."
Conan glanced at the watch on his wrist and saw that the hour hand had just reached the number "6".
It's still early.
From the outside, the town is not lively now, or there are no people at all.
This gave Conan a bad feeling.
"good!"
"Can!"
Dr. A Li and Haihara Ai nodded in agreement.
They didn't think too much, and they consumed too much energy along the way. It was the greatest happiness to be able to take a break now.
As for Gakuya Suwako...
For this frog, she doesn't seem to need a break.
She hasn't had enough fun yet.
Moreover, due to some special reasons, Conan would not want to have contact with this god unless necessary.
certainly.
Frogzi didn't care at all.
After all, human joys and sorrows are not the same as those of gods.
"Welcome to the town of Terlingua?!"
After walking for a while, Conan saw the sign at the entrance of the town.
It was an old wooden sign with some faded writing written in red paint.
"Terlingua?!"
Conan felt that the name was very familiar.
If this is really Texas, then he should have heard of this town.
"Hurry up and leave, the doctor can't hold on any longer!"
Haibara Ai pulled Conan who was standing there in deep thought.
Now is not the time to think about this. Dr. Ali's physical strength is close to the limit. If he really falls to the ground and faints, they will be in trouble.
"good!"
Conan nodded.
Looking into the distance, the early morning brought mist, making the distant vision a little blurry.
Although no one could be seen on the road when they came, a sense of desolation suddenly came over them.
For some reason, this empty environment gave Conan a different kind of pressure.
Turning his head again, he saw that Dr. Ali had already taken the lead and entered the town. Conan had no choice at this time.
In other words, since arriving in this new world, danger has pushed him forward step by step, and Conan has never had a choice.
This made the high school detective feel very bad.
"Hey, Dr. Ali, wait for me!!"
Conan shook the distracting thoughts out of his head, and then took a few steps to catch up.
After they entered the town, just as Conan had worried before, most of the stores were locked and did not open at all.
In other words, in this small town, most of them are abandoned rooms, and there are very few shops that are actually still in business.
In this way, dragging their tired bodies and hungry bodies, Conan and the others wandered around the town for more than an hour.
When it was almost seven o'clock, they finally found a hotel that seemed to have just opened for business.
This is a store that looks to be old.
It was originally supposed to be a family's mansion, with a small courtyard in front of the door, but it had obviously not been repaired for a long time, and it looked unsightly with overgrown weeds.
The whole house looks like a small foreign-style house, with some of the exterior walls falling off, and the various decorations on the upper floors already looking shabby.
A long time ago, this may have been the property of a mining tycoon, but after the town was abandoned, this place has been converted into a hotel.
The large door at the entrance was removed and replaced with two cheap-looking glass doors.
Right at the entrance of the hotel.
Maybe it was because of a heavy rainstorm last night, so it looked bumpy and muddy.
There was an iron sign with rough handwriting written on it, which probably meant accommodation and meals.
As for the signboard hanging on the top of the glass door, it must have been too long, and the words on it have almost fallen off.
If Conan hadn't seen it with sharp eyes, he might have missed this hotel.
"Woof!!"
There was a dog tied under the iron sign, a dirty black dog. It lay there motionless, but when it saw Conan and the others coming, it put its head out and barked.
"This dog should have been trained."
"It reminds people in the store that a customer has arrived."
Conan glared at the black dog and said suddenly.
"Hey, little dog, come to me!"
Frogzi didn't care about that, she found something fun again.
With an innocent look on his face, he squatted there, reaching out and trying to tease the dog.
And at this time.
The door of the hotel opened, and a tall and thin man stepped out of the glass door.
"It's really strange that guests can come to this damn place!"
"Hey, you guys want to stay here?!"
He looked at Dr. Ali, a fat man in a white coat who was covered in dirt.
Then his eyes fell on Frogzi squatting on the ground, and finally his eyes glanced at Conan and Haibara Ai beside him.
"Come in!!"
Before Dr. A Li and the others could answer, the man who seemed to be the owner of the store went back again.
He just waved his hand and signaled Dr. Ali and the others to come in quickly if they wanted to stay.
"Uncle, how much does it cost to stay for one night?!"
Conan jumped up in two steps, first acting cute, it would be better if it was cheaper.
“Not expensive!”
"One night...do you still have your passports?!"
The tall and thin man glanced down at Conan without saying much, and then his eyes fell on Dr. Ali behind him.
"Forehead……"
"Our passports!"
Dr. A Li stuttered.
When they arrived in this new world, Zabo captured them as soon as they landed. Where did they get their passports?!
"Looking at you, it doesn't look like you have one."
"Well, a credit card, or a driver's license, whatever, I need to register it!"
"None of these?!"
The man who looked like a boss returned to the hotel's front desk, which was actually an old wooden table. He took out a small book from under the table, and it looked like he was going to register for Dr. A Li.
"Ah, this..."
Dr. A Li’s eyes were dull.
They don't have any of the things that need to be registered, which is really a bit difficult.
Dr. A Li was in a dilemma for a while.
It was not easy for them to find such a hotel where they could stay.
The doors of other stores are either closed and no one on duty can be found, or there is a sign on the door saying they are fully occupied today.
I don't know where this small place got so many guests, it's really strange.
Of course, more places are still abandoned houses, which do not look like they are habitable at all.
Dr. A Li complained secretly in his heart.
But!
I only have so much [Black Jade] on my body. If I exchange all three people's ID documents at once, the cost may be a bit high.
As for the frog Suwako, Dr. Agasa doesn't need to worry.
After all, she is a serious god, and her identity or not is not that important.
Say it again!
Their [Jade] are also different.
Wouldn’t it be a waste if we don’t use so much [Red Jade]?
"There's nothing, you can't register, right?"
"Then, you should bring the money for accommodation!"
Dr. A Li's hesitation made the boss notice something.
In addition, Conan and the others looked tired and dirty, as if they had fled.
"Tsk!"
"If I can't register, I'll have to charge an extra deposit."
The boss subconsciously curled his lips and raised his brows.
"..."
Dr. A Li was slightly startled.
According to the boss, there is no need to check any identification or registration, just pay more money?!
Is there such a simple thing?!
Is this store really legitimate? Why does it feel so casual?
"Yes, we have money!!"
A small hand holds the banknotes.
Conan tried his best to reach up to the counter on tiptoes, but it was obvious that he was too short.
The money in his hand was from when he escaped from Zabo's house.
After the tranquilizer gun shot down the two Russian brothers guarding the door of the laboratory, Conan took the access card together.
In total, I took a lighter and a small box of unopened cigarettes.
There were also a few colorful banknotes and two pieces of chocolate. As for other miscellaneous things, Conan didn't take them.
"Okay, that's enough."
"How many rooms?"
The boss who got the money was obviously in a good mood.
He took the banknotes from Conan's hand and casually put them into his pocket without counting them.
Then, he glanced at Dr. Ali with squinting eyes.
After all, for a combination of an adult and three children, this fat man should be able to keep his word.
"We want a room..."
Before he could wait, Dr. Ali spoke and asked for a room first.
Unfortunately, Hui Yuan Ai behind him was a little faster than him.
"Boss, we want to rent two rooms."
"Ahhhhh?!"
Conan was slightly startled.
"Why do you need two rooms?"
Conan frowned, lowered his voice, and pulled Hui Yuan Ai to whisper.
It's just one room, so they can just make do with it, and they can still take care of each other.
After all, they are not here for tourism. Behind them, there is a group of desperadoes chasing them.
Although Conan doesn't want to admit it, there is really no need to worry too much when there is a famous name that dazzles people.
Even if there are pursuers chasing you, this person can still play a great role in life-or-death moments.
certainly.
This is just one of the reasons.
More often than not, it’s because they have no money!
Previously, we had only found a few things from those two unlucky guards.
Before they can find a regular source of income, they have to be careful about their expenses.
Otherwise, when the time comes, even small things like filling one's stomach may become very troublesome.
"..."
Xiao Ai looked at Conan without saying anything.
"Um!!"
Conan smiled, yes, Haiyuan will definitely understand his thoughts!
Just like in the original world!
Even if they don't speak, a glance or a small movement between the two parties can help them understand each other.
"No, great detective, I'd better share a room with Lord Kami."
"And, judging from the boss's appearance, our deposit seems to be enough."
However!
Haibara Ai just glanced at Conan calmly, then walked to Shiya Suwako's side and expressed her wishes with practical actions.
"..."
This guy!
What are you doing!!
Conan's head is full of black lines, but this is not the time to dwell on them.
"Okay, go upstairs by yourself and take the stairs on the right."
The boss threw out two keys to Dr. Ali.
After Dr. A Li took it, Conan lay down on the greasy counter, stood on tiptoe, blinked his big eyes curiously and asked.
"uncle!"
"Are there any newspapers here?"
"It's just a small town morning newspaper or something like that..."
…
However, they finally found a place to rest temporarily in Conan.
At the same time, in Zabo's military base.
boom!!
There was a wall made of special alloy, and a big hole two people wide was punched into it.
Yes, Mr. Hyde.
Apparently, a certain doctor is furious right now.
"Damn trash, why on earth do you keep them?!"
"I can't do any small things well. I really want to tear them apart and eat them alive."
Mr. Hyde's voice was thick and savage.
And the garbage he was talking about were naturally the mercenaries sent by Zabo to deliver samples to Edwards Air Force Base.
Originally it was just a small thing, why bother to give something away?!
But now a whole night has passed. Not only should we be on the way back, at least we should send a message back.
But contact was lost over there, and Zabo couldn't get in touch with the mercenary captain before.
They can't all die.
"You said there might be an accident?!"
"I feel that keeping them alive is the biggest accident. I should have killed them long ago!!"
Mr. Hyde roared to vent his temper.
Click!!
The entire metal wall was torn open, and Mr. Hyde came outside the laboratory.
As this savage big guy shattered the test tube in his mouth, his huge figure gradually became smaller.
Dr. Zabo appears again.
"Go put some cute little ones out and let me see if those garbage are really dead?!"
He put on his white coat and pushed up the large lenses on his face.
With a strange smile, Zabo released several special mutated pigeons.
These little birds modified by Hyde's formula will fly to Edwards Air Force Base and tell him what is happening there?!