Dark, damp, and rotten, the rainwater reflecting the cold street lamps is like a fine net, converging towards the light source into a lifeless pale color. The windows next to the street lamps are tightly sealed, and the striped wooden fences are slapped one after another.
and scratch marks across it.
The mouse slipped over the window sill, stood on the edge and raised its head and shook its beard, its small dark eyes flashing with a strange light, its wet body began to twitch, and suddenly it opened its mouth wide and spit out a few strands of black mucus.
A cigarette butt fell on the mucus, and the weak firelight dissipated in an instant. Two pale fingers held the tail of the cigarette butt and lifted it up. There was still a little bit of mucus on the ashes, and it was lifted to the eyes. A pair of dark brown
His eyes blinked.
The cigarette butt was thrown back, and the poor mouse was still twitching and vomiting. A dagger ended its pain. The man wearing black gloves pulled out the dagger stained with the mouse's blood and placed it under the water of the drain pipe.
Rinse it clean and wrap it up again.
He tilted his head, and a big smile appeared on his face under the hat. He pressed his lips with his fingers wearing black leather gloves, and his soft words echoed in the quiet alley.
"Looks like you're in some trouble."
Another corner of the city has a completely different look. The building is brightly lit, the parking doormen shuttle between the cars in an orderly manner, the polished leather shoes reflect the decent suit, and the front desk lady with enthusiastic red curly hair
He smiled and said goodbye to a guest who had just registered, and then rang the bell. A tall black man came out, wearing a gold-trimmed name badge, who was obviously the manager here.
He was tall and thin, with sunken cheeks and a pair of prominent brown eyes, but very energetic. He walked out of the door. The front desk looked back helplessly with his hands on his hips and said, "I told you that the electronic reservation system is not working."
Reliable, the rooms are overbooked again, and there may be five or six guests without standard rooms.”
"Take the initiative to ask them if they are willing to upgrade their room." The manager seems to often deal with this kind of thing. He said: "You have to have a good attitude and smile. The most important thing is to emphasize to them that the price difference between room types is at least 500 US dollars. This time not only
You can upgrade your room for free, and you can even earn points for the price difference.”
"That's all we can do." The lady at the front desk turned back, lightly stamped her foot and said, "Too many places are closed."
The manager looked at her unhappily, but turned around and went back. When he walked to the door, as if he remembered something, he turned back and asked, "Has Room 1905 been booked?"
The lady at the front desk looked through the reservation record and said, "Not yet. It seems that a repairman has marked a problem with the room. Is it the bathtub leaking or the air conditioner not working?"
"It may be a problem with the toilet. The manager said: "Be careful when upgrading the room type, don't book this room out."
"Don't worry." The lady at the front desk turned to him, smiled and said, "The toilet is a big problem, we need to call someone to fix it quickly."
The manager nodded and walked into the room, closing the door without looking back. The lady at the front desk continued to stand upright to serve the next guest.
The brightly lit hotel lobby was filled with light and shadow. The gently pushed revolving door seemed to fan a storm with the wings of a butterfly. A figure wearing a long windbreaker walked in. Without stopping for a moment, he folded up his umbrella and placed it in the umbrella bucket next to him.
, took off his hat and strode towards the front desk.
"It's raining really hard, ma'am." The man said some pleasantries, held his hat to his chest and asked, "Can I book a room?"
The lady at the front desk looked the man up and down. People in their profession have very vicious eyes. She could tell at a glance that the long windbreaker this man wore was made of good quality materials and the sewing skills should be from Europe. He
He has a very strong British accent, which may sound like an Oxford accent if you listen carefully.
He was holding a briefcase in his hand. It didn't look heavy. It might contain books or something like that. His fingers were thin and slender. He had never done any rough work. However, there was a little wear and tear on the middle finger of his left hand. He was a man.
A left-hander who always holds a pen.
It looked like he was a scholar from Europe, the front desk guessed, so she smiled, nodded to him and said, "Of course, sir, the rain is really heavy, but you will definitely get the most comfortable stay at the Wayne Hotel."
Rest and enjoy, I will help you see which rooms are available, do you have any special needs?"
"In fact, I personally prefer to live in high-rise buildings. It would be great if there are rooms above the 15th floor. Of course, the highest is not higher than the 20th floor." The man said with a smile.
Visitors in the old world are indeed very picky, the receptionist thought helplessly. She took another look at those clear brown eyes, which seemed to contain endless mysteries. The receptionist was attracted for a moment, until the other party reminded her,
She just reacted.
The lady felt a little embarrassed. She immediately flipped through the booking form and said: "Sorry, sir, I may be a little tired. Let me take a look between the 15th and 20th floors..."
"Oh 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 you to a deluxe room without paying the price difference.
You can also earn points.”
The man frowned slightly and said, "I don't like the number 21 very much. Please take a closer look at it for me. Are the 18th and 19th floors gone?"
The front desk looked through the list again, shook his head and said, "I'm really sorry, sir, it's true that everything has been booked."
The other party sighed and said: "Well, it seems I can only change places. I hope there is still a hotel open now."
After saying that, he seemed a little sad and glanced at the heavy rain outside the door. The front desk gently shook his head and said, "You are from out of town, right?"
"Yes, I got off the plane in Metropolis and took the train to Gotham. Unexpectedly, it started to rain as soon as I arrived in Gotham. What a coincidence."
"You may not know that for some reason, most hotels in the city have closed down. Only this one is still open. I think you may not be able to adapt to those dark small hotels."
The original intention of the front desk was to keep this guest. After all, he didn't look like one of those business people in a hurry. Maybe he would stay a few more days and bring good profits to the hotel.
"So that's it." The man said, "But you don't look very busy."
The receptionist showed a helpless smile and said: "Not many people would go out in such weather. Many people are still trapped in the airport and train station."
"It's a pity that all the rooms are booked." The man shook his head, "I can only go out and try my luck."
"Are you really no longer considering a room on a lower floor or a higher floor?" the front desk asked.
Seeing the man shaking his head and the front desk hesitating, she bit her lip, combed her hair, and said, "Please wait a moment, I have something to discuss with the manager, and maybe I can find a vacant room for you."
The front desk went in for a while, and soon the tall and thin black manager came out. He looked at Schiller without leaving a trace, and then said: "We do have one room left, sir. The number is 1905, but it's more troublesome."
Yes, there is something wrong with this room."
"What's the problem?"
"The drainage system of the toilet may be broken." The manager said: "Occasionally water will spray out when pumping, which may stain the floor. We haven't found a repairman yet, so maybe..."
"When is the earliest you can find a repairman?"
"I'll call early tomorrow morning." The manager said, "If the traffic jam is not serious, maybe before ten o'clock."
The man hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and said: "Then let's take this one, I will use it carefully."
"I'm really sorry, sir, but for safety reasons..."
"I understand that I am not a child who likes to play in water or an old man who is prone to falling. When I know that there may be water on the ground, I will be extra careful and will not trouble the hotel if something goes wrong.
, I can guarantee that.”
The manager carefully observed the man's appearance again, seemed to believe his assurance, and then said: "Okay, sir, the rain is really heavy. Please check this gentleman in."
The lady at the front desk immediately nodded to the man. The man took out his driver's license and a business card. After the front desk took the business card, he found a name written in cursive English on it - "Naog Sohipu"
.
There is also a line of small words below: "History and folklorist, honorary fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University, UK."
The front desk raised his eyelids slightly, and while writing in the book, he handed the business card to the manager. The manager also raised his eyebrows in surprise. After he put the business card away, he smiled and said to the man: "I have some
Sorry, doctor, I hope you don't mind."
Suohip shook his head and said, "I have been traveling all day and I just want to rest quickly."
"This is your room key card." The front desk handed the card to Sohip's hand, and the manager personally led him to the elevator.
With a ding, the elevator door opened. Just as they were about to walk in, they realized that someone was coming out. He looked a little panicked and almost tripped over the carpet at the door. Suo Xipu helped him.
Suddenly, when I lowered my head, I saw his left pupil shining.
"I want to check out, I want to check out!" The man in a suit rushed to the front desk in a panic and said: "I am 1903, I want to check out now!"
The manager ignored it, and the two of them entered the elevator. As the elevator was rising, the manager finally said: "There always seems to be some problems with the circuit on the 19th floor, but the rain is too heavy and we can't repair it. This may be harmful to the guests."
It has caused some bad effects, but I hope we can make them right before it's too late."
Sohip looked at his reflection in the elevator mirror. He gently stretched out his hand and crossed himself on his chest and said, "May God bless them."
"Sorry, are you a Christian?" The manager turned to ask.
"Yes, a Catholic. He also served as the Bishop of Canterbury for a period of time."
The manager's eyes widened in surprise, and he said: "The Diocese of Canterbury? That is a place comparable to the Diocese of Westminster. Have you ever been a bishop there?"
"Yes, Meng Enhao will be there, but only for a short period of time."
The manager wanted to say something else, but the elevator dinged, the door opened, and the 19th floor sign appeared in front of the two of them. This time, Suohip walked out first, and the manager pointed him in the direction.
They turned right and walked straight to the end. The door of the room at the end said 1905, and on the right was 1903. They lined up backwards, with the smaller the number closer to the elevator.
I took out the key card and opened the door, and a normal hotel suite appeared in front of me. Entering the door was the living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and opening the door on the right was the bedroom. The decoration was luxurious and gorgeous, the lights were dim, and it looked very comfortable.
.
Sohip walked into the door, stood inside and said to the manager: "Thank you very much. If the repairman comes, please call me."