hotmtlnovel Chapter 63 Night Visit to Huizhong Hotel
Chapter 63 Night Visit to Huizhong Hotel
Zhang Duan and A Kun encountered a dangerous situation while staking out the entrance of No. 76.
Ah Kun, disguised as a shoemaker, stands guard at the street corner diagonally opposite No. 76, while the newcomer Ah Li is responsible for passing messages to him.
Suddenly, a group of people rushed out of No. 76, led by Ji Chuan. They seemed to have received some orders and ran towards the dock.
Just as Ah Kun was about to ask Ah Li to pass on a message, he was spotted by a plainclothes officer from the 76th Division.
"How long have you been here?" the plainclothes officer asked coldly.
Ah Kun, head down, holding his shoe repair tools, said slowly, "Just got here, waiting for business."
The plainclothes officer clearly didn't believe him, grabbed him by the collar, and was about to take him away.
Just then, Ali suddenly rushed over, pretending to accidentally bump into the plainclothes officer, and splashed water all over him with the basin in his hand.
"Are you blind?" the plainclothes officer roared, releasing Ah Kun and chasing after Ah Li.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ah Kun quickly packed up his tools and left, going around to a secluded alleyway to relay the news of Ji Chuan's movements to Zhang Duan.
Little did he know that in his haste to distract the plainclothes officers, Ali ran into a dead end and was eventually caught by them, never to emerge again.
On the Special Higher Police side, Chen Rui, along with three new recruits skilled in hand-to-hand combat, assassination, capture, and interrogation, were stationed near Fujiyuichi's intelligence section.
They disguised themselves as rickshaw pullers, ready to respond to any emergencies.
As evening fell, they saw Otani leading a group of men, all carrying weapons, hurrying toward the Huizhong Hotel.
Newcomer Zhao was about to follow when Chen Rui stopped him: "Don't be impulsive. Our mission is to keep watch, not to fight."
He sent Zhao Gang to deliver the message, while he remained in place.
Meanwhile, inside the West American Trading Company, Meng Jia was looking at a pile of German goods invoices with worry.
She obediently followed Wang Li's instructions and sorted out the accounts, but she couldn't help but look up from time to time at the office on the top floor.
The office door remained locked from the inside, and there was no sound from within.
The messages from each squad were gradually compiled and sent to Li Zhiyao.
Song Jia translated the complete telegram, confirming that Imai Tsubasa was indeed staying at the Huizhong Hotel.
Huang Mo's informant's message and A-Kun's report on Ji Chuan's movements confirmed that the security around the Huizhong Hotel was extremely tight, with the Japanese army, the Mei Agency, and the 76th Division all increasing their manpower.
Gu Xiang's side also confirmed that the Navy Intelligence Department had dispatched a small team to assist in the defense of the Huizhong Hotel.
Li Zhiyao folded the neatly arranged intelligence pages and said to Yan Shuo, "Captain, all the clues point to the Huizhong Hotel. Imai Tsubasa's whereabouts are confirmed. There are at least fifty sentries and spies on the perimeter. The Japanese guards, agents from the Mei Agency, and plainclothes officers from the 76th Division are all there. With multiple departments working together, it's impossible for even a fly to get in."
Yan Shuo's fingertips swept across the intelligence report line by line, his gaze finally settling on the line "Ali is missing, suspected of being killed." The melancholy in his eyes instantly solidified, as if a layer of ice had formed.
The temperature in the air seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Notify all squads." His voice was much harsher than usual, every word tinged with suppressed emotion. "Hold your positions for now, continue long-range surveillance, and do not approach rashly again." He paused, then added in a softer tone, "Send double the compensation to Ali's family, and send two people over to properly settle them, ensuring their safety at all times."
"I understand." Li Zhiyao nodded and went to deliver the message.
Yan Shuo was the only one left in the room, and he sat staring at the intelligence pages for a long time.
As night deepened, the moonlight outside the window was obscured by clouds.
Yan Shuo looked up at the night outside the window and began to get dressed.
The faint sound of fabric rubbing together startled Li Zhiyao, who was beside him.
She groggily opened her eyes, her arm instinctively reaching for Yan Shuo's arm, her voice soft and sleepy: "What are you going to do?"
Yan Shuo looked down at her. In the dim light, he could see the sleepiness still clinging to her eyelashes. A slight smile played on his lips as he leaned close to her ear and whispered teasingly, "Nothing much, didn't we just do it?"
"Get lost!" Li Zhiyao blushed instantly, raised her hand and gently punched his chest. Her sleepiness vanished, and as she sat up, her silk pajamas slipped off her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of fair skin that shimmered softly in the night. "Speak properly! I asked you if you wanted to go out."
Yan Shuo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away, quickening his dressing pace. His tone returned to its usual calm: "Let's go check out the Huizhong Hotel. Relying solely on external surveillance is too passive. I need to personally figure out the layout inside and see if there's any chance to get close to Imai Tsubasa."
Li Zhiyao didn't try to persuade him further. She knew Yan Shuo's abilities and that no one could change his mind once he made a decision.
She immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed, completely ignoring the fact that she was naked under her pajamas. Barefoot, she ran to the wardrobe, rummaged through the bottom shelf, and pulled out Yan Shuo's night boots and quick-draw sword from his waist. She deftly helped him organize his equipment.
The cool fingertips occasionally brushed against Yan Shuo's side, causing him to pause.
"Alright, alright, don't get so close." Yan Shuo pressed her hand down, his voice slightly hoarse and suffocating. "You keep sleeping, I'll be right back. If I can get in, I'll circle around; if I can't, I'll walk around the outside to check things out. I'll make sure I come back safely."
Li Zhiyao looked up at him, her eyes filled with laughter and reassurance. She tiptoed and pecked him on the chin: "Okay, I'll wait for you. Be careful."
She was very proud of herself, knowing that she could always so easily influence his emotions. This tacit understanding and bond was the warmest light in the darkest night.
Yan Shuo ruffled her hair, turned around, pushed open the back window, and glided out like a black shadow, instantly disappearing into the thick night without leaving a trace of his footsteps.
At the alley entrance not far from Huizhong Hotel, Yan Shuo hid behind a trash can and activated the enhanced night vision of the Xiaozhi system.
In an instant, the pitch-black night seemed to be veiled, and everything around was bathed in a pale green, cold light, as clear as day.
He glanced around, quickly memorizing the layout of the hotel.
The hotel's main building stands facing the street, six stories high with a basement. Five black cars are parked in front, their metallic reflections particularly glaring in the dark.
The main building is separated from the buildings on the left and right by a narrow road about five meters wide, like a deliberate cordon. Behind the main building is a small courtyard with several single-story bungalows scattered inside. You can vaguely see piles of miscellaneous items and the outlines of vehicles, which are probably the kitchen waste processing room, warehouse and parking lot.
Lights were on in a few rooms on each floor, casting warm yellow light through the windows.
But this is precisely the most troublesome part, as Yan Shuo simply cannot tell which room belongs to Imai Tsubasa.
He knew all too well the layout of these high-end hotels. They were mostly two-story or double-passage designs: a row of rooms facing the street and another row opposite; if it was a double-passage, there would be two more rows in the middle, but the rooms in the middle were poorly ventilated and dimly lit, and the price was cheaper, but people still stayed there.
He crouched down and circled around the base of the wall to the side of the hotel's main building.
Night vision accurately measured the building's width at less than fifteen meters, which is not considered wide.
Go back around to the vicinity of the main entrance and peer inside using the faint glow of the streetlights. You can see a huge hall, about ten meters deep. There is an internal staircase in the middle of the main building that extends towards the hall. At this point, it becomes clear that it is a U-shaped layout!
"Originally there were only two rows of rooms, plus two or three small rooms on the side," Yan Shuo thought to himself.
He had never been to the Huizhong Hotel before, and the team members had not paid attention to it either. By the time they realized it was their target, the Japanese had already placed it under tight control, and the team members had no way to get close.
It's a miracle that I was able to personally get a feel for the outer perimeter this time.