Looking at the two sides of the corridor that had been glowing before, we rushed down to the first floor from there and saw the dilapidated land.
At this moment, I became even more cautious, fearing that the door might open again.
I think that since the waiter Xiao Zhang has already left, when the door opens again, there will probably be no stairs and we'll have to jump down!
After all, this second floor was a counter hall specially built for him.
Just as the girl and I were feeling a bit suspicious, Zhou Pang suddenly spoke up.
"Brother He, why put a counter on the second floor? It's in the way."
At this moment, he also walked around the counter, poked the wood with his finger, and looked equally puzzled.
Mr. He stopped abruptly, placed his hand on the edge of the counter, and gently touched the texture on it, his tone becoming even more serious.
“I had a friend who always said that once the hotel got better, he would turn the second floor into a small reception area to relieve some of the pressure when there were more people. He was keeping watch over it…”
"Oh, that's a good idea. Let's have him come and help us manage this. I'll even acknowledge him as my senior!"
“He’s not as old as you, and if possible, I’d definitely let him help you. He’s more enthusiastic about his work than you are. In the beginning, he insisted on following me to the restaurant, even when we had no money!”
Mr. He spoke softly, his Adam's apple even moving slightly, before he suddenly choked up.
He's gone.
That's it?!
My face was filled with disbelief, and my mind went blank, as if struck by lightning.
The previous times that Xiao Zhang appeared, he was carrying luggage, wearing a new jacket, and walking away confidently.
Didn't he say he was going to seize some opportunity?
Didn't we say we were going to try our luck in the east?
How could it suddenly disappear?
At that moment, I glanced at the girl next to me, and she too was filled with astonishment and regret.
She grabbed my hand, and I felt that the girl's fingertips were very cold.
"Mr. He, if I may ask, wasn't he going to try his luck on the sidelines back then?"
Mr. He glanced at us, but then he understood. He frowned, his eyebrows almost covering his eyes, looking very serious, and his tone was filled with barely suppressed anger.
"Yes, we lost contact with them after they left for half a month."
No matter how hard I try to contact them, I can't get in touch.
He has no parents. Later, I went there myself to inquire and learned from his friend that he had gotten lost.
Mr. He paused for a moment, unable to hide the repression in his heart.
"Even if this shallow road is messy, it shouldn't be so bad that no message can be sent back, right?"
If you ask me, I'd say they were captured by the new leadership. Damn it, what kind of human trafficking scheme is this? They specifically target young people, drag them to the deep sea, and use them as nourishment for those sinister things.”
"nourishment?"
The girl's voice trembled slightly, and at this moment, Boss He did not elaborate further, but simply raised his hand and wiped his face again.
The sadness lingering inside was hard to conceal.
"I just wanted to keep a memento. He never got to do this kind of work before he died, and what he said was true; this wood does indeed have the ability to ward off evil spirits."
Fatty Zhou stood to the side, saying nothing more, just staring quietly at the counter, his eyes filled with a complex emotion.
I, too, was speechless and didn't know what to say.
The only thing we can be sure of is that those people he just mentioned who were in power are probably the managers who will come later.
In an instant, my disgust for this group of people increased even more.
"Let's go, that thing is upstairs, in the mezzanine between the second and third floors."
When I heard that, my heart skipped a beat.
I remember that mezzanine was between the first and second floors.
It seems there isn't just one layer of this interlayer; there might even be a second layer on top of it.
As I stepped on the wooden planks of the stairs going up, they made a creaking sound, and I was still wondering about it.
The ghost wall I encountered before suddenly stopped this time.
"Mr. He, have you noticed anything strange happening up here? Like in the stairwell?"
Mr. He remained silent, followed by another round of sighs.
As if reading my mind, he suddenly perked up, turned around, and spoke.
"The one you're worried about is probably the shadow guest!"
"The Shadow Guest!"
I was stunned for a moment, and the scenes from before flashed through my mind instantly: the ghost wall, and that string of footprints.
"Are you talking about a movie star?"
Boss He just chuckled, his tone filled with disdain.
"What kind of 'shadow artist' is that? He's just a sea scabies worm that's become a spirit! A scoundrel!"
As he spoke, Boss He stepped onto the last step and led us up.
"I don't know where he heard the fancy name, but he keeps wandering around this hotel every day. He even begged me to let him stay here to escape the chill of the deep sea. I only let him stay because I saw that he didn't mean any harm."
Who would have thought that he would later put on a show of magic in front of other guests?
No matter what, I still managed to subdue him. His skills aren't even good enough to shine someone's shoes.
The girl and I exchanged a glance, and then it dawned on me.
That guy who scared us so much before, turns out he's actually someone like this! He's already staying at the Riverside Hotel!
Although he knew beforehand that this thing was created by sea scabies mites, judging from Boss He's tone, he must have been completely suppressed!
At that moment, the image of the lightning sword was also dripping into my mind: if I had known it would be like this, I would have killed him with one strike.
There's no need to stay in that maze for long at all.
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