Chapter 45
This was an inn that looked quite old. The aged gray-white walls were peeling in places, and the half-open door had started to lose its paint. A warm yellow light seeped through the door crack, blending with the midday sunlight.
In what should have been a remote and narrow alley, this abruptly appearing inn was “wedged” into the wall in an unnatural way, like an elephant stuffed into a snake’s belly without bursting it open, presenting a visually absurd and eerie sense of spatial disorder.
When the Special Case Investigation Team arrived at their destination after a nearly three-hour flight, this was the scene that defied reality and common sense that presented itself before their eyes.
“Yes! It’s here! It’s this hotel!”
Before they could react, someone had already cried out. He pointed a trembling finger at the half-open door of the hotel in front of them, his expression a mixture of excitement, agitation, unease, fear, and shock.
His gaze towards this door was like that of a mortal seeing the gates of heaven or hell thrown open!
Finally, he swung his fist and cursed loudly: “—I told you I wasn’t mistaken, I’ll never forget this place in my entire f***ing life! It’s here! That night, that demon terrified me right here!”
This overly emotional man was named Han Shan. For over thirty years of his life, he had always played the role of an insignificant person. He was the wastrel in the eyes of his friends and family, a drunkard, a gambler, and above all, a coward.
Without any unexpected events, he would have continued to play this role.