Chapter 10: A Place to Call Home
Chapter 10: A Place to Call Home
The cool night breeze swept through the streets of Ashenford City.
Charles walked quietly beneath the glowing streetlights.
The shopping bag containing his new phone hung from his right hand.
Around him…
The city remained lively.
Restaurants welcomed their final customers.
Couples strolled along the sidewalks.
Music drifted from nearby cafés.
For everyone else…
It was just another ordinary evening.
Charles, however…
Had another problem.
He had nowhere to spend the night.
He stopped beneath a streetlight.
His eyes wandered across the busy road.
“I should find somewhere to stay.”
Unlike before…
He didn’t panic.
His parents had always taught him that worrying solved nothing.
Finding a place to rest came first.
Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
Not far away, a brightly lit luxury hotel came into view.
Its elegant entrance was decorated with flowers and warm golden lights.
Luxury cars lined the front entrance as well-dressed guests entered through revolving glass doors.
Charles observed it for a few moments before quietly shaking his head.
“…Too expensive.”
He continued walking.
After another fifteen minutes…
He found a much smaller building.
A modest wooden sign hung above the entrance.
Maple Inn
It wasn’t luxurious.
But it looked clean.
And more importantly…
Affordable.
Charles walked inside.
Behind the reception desk sat a middle-aged woman wearing a welcoming smile.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Would you like a room?”
Charles nodded.
“For one night.”
“Certainly.”
She checked her computer before looking back up.
“Our standard room is $85 for the night.”
Charles thought briefly before nodding.
“That will do.”
He handed over the black bank card Samuel Ashcroft had given him.
The receptionist processed the payment.
A few seconds later…
The terminal displayed Payment Approved.
She returned the card together with a room key.
“Room 308.”
“We hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you.”
Charles accepted the key and made his way upstairs.
Room 308 wasn’t large.
A neatly made bed rested beside a window overlooking the city.
A small desk stood against one wall.
There was a wardrobe.
A private bathroom.
And little else.
To Charles…
It was more than enough.
He placed the shopping bag on the desk before sitting quietly on the edge of the bed.
Silence finally surrounded him.
No crowds.
No doctors.
No luxury estates.
No mocking voices.
Only peace.
Charles removed his new phone from its box.
He switched it on.
The screen lit up brightly.
He spent the next several minutes setting up the device, learning where everything was.
He explored the contacts application.
The camera.
The settings.
The internet browser.
Although it was his first smartphone…
He adapted surprisingly quickly.
Technology wasn’t difficult.
It was simply something he had never been able to afford before.
After finishing…
He placed the phone on the bedside table.
Then he reached into his pocket.
His fingers touched Samuel Ashcroft’s business card.
He stared at it for several moments.
Yesterday…
He had been an ordinary young man living peacefully in Ashbrook Village.
Today…
He possessed a new phone.
A bank card.
And the friendship of one of the wealthiest families in the country.
Life truly changed in unexpected ways.
Outside…
Ashenford City’s lights continued shining beneath the night sky.
Charles slowly lay down.
Within minutes…
Exhaustion overtook him.
He drifted into a deep sleep.
Elsewhere…
Far from Ashenford City’s bustling streets…
On the top floor of a towering skyscraper overlooking the entire city…
A spacious office remained brightly lit despite the late hour.
Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed thousands of lights stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
A middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, quietly observing the city below.
Behind him…
Three men dressed in black suits stood respectfully.
One of them finally spoke.
“Director…”
“The investigation regarding today’s incident has been completed.”
The man slowly turned around.
“What did you find?”
“The elderly man from the Ashcroft family was indeed revived.”
“The doctors present have all confirmed the same account.”
The Director’s expression remained calm.
“And the young man?”
The subordinate lowered his head slightly.
“We searched the city’s records.”
“No employment history.”
“No educational records.”
“No criminal record.”
“No registered residence.”
“It’s almost as though he appeared from nowhere.”
The office became silent.
After a long pause…
The Director walked back toward the window.
“A man with no past…”
“Who possesses medical abilities capable of astonishing the country’s finest doctors…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Interesting.”
He remained quiet for another moment before speaking again.
“Do not make contact with him.”
“Do not interfere with his life.”
The three men listened attentively.
“I want every piece of information you can find.”
“Observe him.”
“Find out where he came from.”
“Who he knows.”
“And most importantly…”
“What exactly he is.”
The three men bowed.
“Yes, Director.”
Without another word…
They quietly left the office.
The Director remained standing before the glass window.
His gaze rested upon the endless lights of Ashenford City.
Somewhere within that vast city…
A young man named Charles had unknowingly stepped onto a path that would one day shake the hidden world.
But for now…
He was simply a mystery waiting to be uncovered.