Chapter 113: Terror at the Inn

Although this small town lay in the tropics, its location on a high plateau granted it a rather temperate climate—neither too cold nor too hot. The altitude was indeed somewhat high, causing the air to be a bit thin, but fortunately, being near the equator meant the troposphere was relatively elevated, so most people experienced no signs of altitude sickness. With clear visibility and a scarcity of tall vegetation, the views stretched wide and far, truly breathtaking.

Yet, Da Min and Long Ge had little interest in admiring the scenery. Nor did they want to wander the streets to soak in the local culture. What they desperately needed was a place to stay, somewhere to rest properly.

They visited several inns, but each time the staff told them the rooms were fully booked. Strangely, the streets weren’t crowded, and they hadn’t seen many travelers arriving either.

When they reached the seventh inn, a new opportunity presented itself.

This establishment combined South American charm with modern touches, but business seemed slow—it was almost deserted. Still, it was kept very clean.

As soon as they entered, the innkeeper warmly greeted them, switching rapidly among Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English—but never a word of Chinese. Long Ge, unable to understand, looked to Zhang Xingmin for help.

Zhang, fluent in English and somewhat familiar with the Spanish commonly spoken there, tried to communicate with the innkeeper. The man’s native tongue was Spanish, his English mediocre, and he barely knew any Chinese. Still, they managed to make themselves understood.

Da Min and Long Ge explained their situation, and the innkeeper eagerly agreed to arrange rooms, asking them to wait a moment.

After about fifteen minutes, the innkeeper had yet to return. Instead, a young assistant appeared hesitantly and stammered, “Mr. Zhang, I’m terribly sorry, but we have no vacancies. Maybe you should try elsewhere.”

They had just been told there were rooms available—what changed in such a short time? Clearly, something was being concealed. Long Ge decided to intimidate the timid assistant.

As expected, the assistant’s face went pale. He quickly apologized and, in his fluster, accidentally let slip that it wasn’t that they didn’t want to accommodate them but that someone was preventing them from doing so, leaving them powerless.

Hearing this, the innkeeper, who had been lurking nearby, hurried out to apologize profusely and promised to provide them with the finest room immediately.

Though Da Min and Long Ge sensed the innkeeper was hiding something, they chose not to pry. After all, they were travelers in a foreign land, and pressing the matter might only cause trouble. The innkeeper visibly relaxed.

The innkeeper seemed to have misunderstood, for the “finest room” he offered was not a star-rated suite but a couple’s themed room decorated in an industrial style—surprisingly fitting for Long Ge’s leather-clad appearance.

“That owner must be misunderstanding something,” Da Min said awkwardly.

“Having a place to sleep is good enough! What are you complaining about? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?” Long Ge glanced at him and flopped onto the sofa.

“What do you mean what I wanted! Yang Dalong, explain yourself clearly! Don’t make it sound like I’m taking advantage of you!” Da Min wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Don’t think I don’t understand what you and the owner are saying just because my foreign languages aren’t great,” Long Ge replied knowingly.

“I was just trying to keep a low profile…” Zhang Xingmin wanted to clarify.

At that moment, there was a noise outside. Though unclear, they could easily make out the innkeeper’s voice, seemingly explaining that no strangers were inside—that the couple were simply young lovers, not newcomers to the town.

The doorbell rang. Da Min and Long Ge did not hide but confidently went to open the door. They had applied some light makeup, and Long Ge wore a V for Vendetta-style mask.

Opening the door revealed a man in a military uniform of unknown origin, looking as though he intended to conduct a raid, fierce and imposing. Compared to him, the innkeeper appeared pitiful, repeatedly apologizing to Da Min and Long Ge.

“You said they were a couple? How do you explain this?” the soldier demanded of the innkeeper.

The innkeeper continued to protest, but the soldier ignored him, pointing at Long Ge and ordering him to remove his mask.

With a deliberately cool gesture, Long Ge lifted the mask, revealing his rugged, mixed-race face, peppered with stubble.

He said nothing but wrapped an arm around Da Min’s waist, feigning a kiss on his cheek, then coldly said, “Wifey, ignore them! Let’s continue.”

With a loud bang, Long Ge shut the door.

“Wow! You actually kissed me!” Da Min hurriedly wiped his cheek, looking thoroughly disgusted.

“If we don’t act the part, how could they believe us?”

They avoided pointless arguments and instead took hot showers before drifting off into a sweet sleep.

Around three in the morning, the quietest hour of the day, they were awakened by noises outside. Peering out the window, they saw a large crowd gathering, reminiscent of the emergency drills during their military training days.

Normally, such a scene meant something significant was about to happen.

Long Ge wanted to go back to sleep. Being new here and unfamiliar with the situation, it was safer to remain cautious. After all, Lin Xiaofeng had advised them to stay safe and hold off on any action until he had investigated the secrets of this highland town.

But Zhang Xingmin disagreed. Adaptability was their essential skill, and this moment might unlock many mysteries they longed to solve. How could they miss such a thrilling development? Besides, blending into the crowd minimized their risk.

In the end, Zhang persuaded Long Ge. They dressed quietly, tiptoed downstairs without drawing attention, and merged with the crowd to join the gathering. Zhang called it immersing themselves in the local life.

With no knowledge of where they were headed, they simply followed the people forward. Miraculously, they arrived at the right place, where a large group seemed to be engaged in some kind of ritual.