More Than Just a Black-Hearted Inn

Shortly after submitting the materials, Link's admission to the university was basically confirmed, and his days became much more leisurely. He no longer stayed at school, spending every day at home. Besides his daily training and shooting practice, occasionally taking Peggy out to play, he spent his time reading at home.

This kind of life continued for over a month. It wasn't until it was almost time to report that Link packed his things and prepared to drive the used Ford that Robert had given him.

Peggy had originally wanted to go with Link, but because she needed to live with Linda instead of staying on campus, she flew out a few days earlier than Link to find a place to live and settle down first.

Actually, if he had a choice, Link would have preferred to fly. However, that would mean he would have to leave this car in Texas and buy another one in California.

For him, whose small stash of money wasn't abundant at the moment, driving there himself was more cost-effective.

The United States is vast and sparsely populated, with very few long-distance trains. Besides airplanes, cars are the mode of transportation people frequently use.

After eating lunch at noon, Link drove out of the small town. After driving for about two hours, the car suddenly jolted. After Link got out, he discovered that three of his tires were flat.

If it were just one flat tire, Link had a spare. But with three tires having problems, he truly had no solution.

However, three tires going flat at once was unusual. It reminded Link of when he was driving in his previous life and encountered a remote road where the repair shop owner liked to scatter nails on the road and then wait for people to come to him to patch or replace tires.

He returned to the car, took out the map, and studied it. He found that his location was quite awkward; the nearest small village or town he had come from was fifty kilometers away.

If he drove forward, the nearest Wolfforker was still forty to fifty kilometers away. He was stuck right in the middle.

Link thought for a moment and could only get out of the car with his bag. Fifty kilometers was really nothing to him, but at this moment, he actually hoped to encounter a dishonest repair shop owner, at most getting ripped off for a few dozen dollars.

After walking not far, Link saw another car on the side of the road ahead, and it was a pickup truck towing a travel trailer.

As he got closer, Link saw a middle-aged couple arguing, a girl of seventeen or eighteen lying on a folding sofa chair, and a boy of sixteen or seventeen playing with two dogs.

They looked like a family on a trip, so Link spoke up, "Hello!"

The middle-aged couple seemed to notice Link then. The man said, "Hello, who are you?"

"I came here to ask if you have any spare tires. My car tires are broken," Link said, pointing to his car, which could still be vaguely seen from there.

"Oh, actually, our tires are also broken, and we don't have any spare tires either."

Seeing this, Link could only continue walking forward, thinking that if he really reached the town ahead, he could call a tow truck for them. Not seeing a dishonest repair shop in sight made Link feel uneasy.

After walking for about half an hour like this, he saw a house ahead. As Link got closer, he saw a sign hanging on it, which was clearly a motel.

Link walked into the motel. He didn't see anyone at the front desk, so he called out, "Is anyone here?"

A moment later, a person emerged from the back corridor. They looked ordinary but seemed a bit unkempt. Link asked, "Do you have tires here? My car had a blowout."

The man said, "Oh," and replied, "We don't have any spare tires."

"Then do you have a phone? I'd like to borrow a phone to call a tow truck company."

"We don't have a phone here."

"Then do you have a car? Can you give us a ride?"

"My wife drove out to get supplies, so we don't have a car at the moment. Uh, so, are you staying here?"

Link frowned. He vaguely understood what this guy meant: if he didn't pay to stay for a night, the store had nothing.

It was no different from the dishonest repair shop Link had anticipated, and perhaps even more unscrupulous. He looked at the sky outside the window; it was still an hour or two before dark. Link didn't want to delay here for too long, so he continued,

"Excuse me, do you have any useless 'old tires' that are still usable? I'm willing to buy them at the price of staying here."

However, the owner's reply was still that his wife would drive back from Wolfforker with goods tomorrow morning, and they could be taken there then.

Seeing this, Link didn't immediately agree. Instead, he walked around the motel first and found that there really were no cars or telephones here.

After all, the motel was only that big, and the outside was desolate. Telephone lines would be easily visible, and so would cars.

At this point, Link could only say that the other party had done a thorough job. It was likely they regularly arranged for people to transport goods and supplies, leaving no room for complaint.

Living off the mountain when near a mountain, living off the water when near water, and living off the benefits of passing vehicles when near a highway. Link even maliciously speculated whether the other party had a partnership with the towing company in Wolfforker up ahead.

Regardless, Link had concluded that the other party was even more black-hearted than the repair shops across the Pacific Ocean.

They'd make a profit on the room fee, a profit on food, and another profit on towing and repairs. Without at least three hundred US dollars for this whole package, the problem likely wouldn't be solved.

In the end, Link could only pay for the stay. Then, because the owner looked really sloppy, he bought some pre-packaged food like sandwiches and canned goods from the counter.

These items were more than double the price of those in the city supermarket. Link casually ate something to fill his stomach and then noticed that the family of four he had met on the road earlier had also arrived at the motel.

Apparently, they had also chosen to walk here. Link chatted with them casually and learned that they were indeed a family. The middle-aged man and woman were Bob and his wife Ethel, and the other two were their daughter Brenda and son Bobby.

Hearing that Link's father was a sheriff, Bob also felt a bit more favorably towards him and mentioned that he was also a police officer.

The owner didn't react while listening to them chat, just poured himself a drink nearby.

There was no television here either, so everyone could only chat casually. Later, they found a deck of cards to pass the time until after ten o'clock at night, when Link said goodbye and returned to his room.

After taking a shower, Link lay down. It was quiet all around, with only the faint chirping of insects outside.

At some point, Link felt the door to his room open, and then someone came to his bedside.

He immediately became alert and tried to get up, but found himself completely weak, his eyelids as heavy as if he hadn't slept for days. This made Link immediately realize that he had most likely been drugged with an anesthetic or something similar.

Then Link heard someone say, "Hurry up." He then felt himself being lifted by two people and, a moment later, was heavily thrown into the bed of a pickup truck.

Link struggled with all his might against his numb body, but the effect was not significant. He still couldn't move, and the groggy feeling showed no sign of dissipating.

However, he still insisted on not falling asleep, while his heart turned cold. He hadn't expected this to be more than just a black-hearted motel.