Special Operation

Officer Lan and Lu Tong's car finally arrived outside the West City Hotel. Tong Haojing, riding his Prince motorcycle, had been waiting for a long time.

"Captain Lan, the target is inside!" Tong Haojing gestured for Officer Lan to enter an alleyway next to the hotel.

Officer Lan looked at the entrance to the alley. The narrow, winding path led to the dark entrance of a food processing plant. Two thugs in black were loitering at the gate. Officer Lan turned to his team in the car and gave the order, "Execute the plan!"

The food processing plant was a once-famous state-owned enterprise in the eighties. After economic reforms, it declined. The factory buildings fell into disrepair, becoming derelict and attracting no attention. Inside, there was an abandoned workshop. The thugs had already set their sights on this large space. Most importantly, the food plant was connected to the hotel by a secret tunnel, allowing them to cover for each other, providing both concealment and freedom of movement.

Buddha Lord and Chuanzi from the neighboring city had checked into the West City Hotel last night with a group of gamblers. At ten o'clock this morning, one side dressed in black suits, the other in fashionable attire, each with ten people, all took their seats at the appointed time. The gambling hall fell silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Buddha Lord asked cautiously, "Brother Hu, is everything secure?"

The thug chuckled, "Buddha Lord, don't you trust me? Today, it's in, but no one's getting out. Your phones will be collected, and we have guards outside. Relax!"

"Not at all, not at all. I was just asking," Buddha Lord said, blinking. His assistants, standing on either side, placed stacks of money on the table. The thug, not to be outdone, took out a bundle of RMB from his briefcase.

Both sides displayed their generosity, wanting to impress the other, their eyes filled with fierceness and killing intent.

"Buddha Lord, guests first!"

"Then I won't be polite!" Buddha Lord began dealing the cards. His skillful shuffling was astonishing. In an instant, he dealt five cards into four piles and motioned for the thug's side to bet. The thug, unwilling to be outdone, thought to himself that they had already had several encounters, each with their strengths. This time, as long as he played steadily, he was sure to win.

However, after only two rounds, a henchman entered and whispered a few words to the thug. The thug's expression changed drastically. He stood up, clasped his hands, and apologized to Buddha Lord, "I'm sorry, the police are here!"

Buddha Lord was furious, "You..." In his panic, he stood up, not forgetting to grab the money before fleeing.

The thug, not knowing where things went wrong, acted with a sense of camaraderie, "I'll explain everything later. Get Buddha Lord out of here first!" Chaos erupted inside. Fortunately, all ten or so people managed to escape through the secret tunnel in their haste.

By the time the police officers and auxiliary police entered the scene, the place was deserted. The area was a mess, with gambling paraphernalia and a small amount of money and belongings scattered on the floor, too rushed to be taken. Some onlookers, pretending to be uninvolved, stood watching Officer Lan and Tong Haojing with smiles.

There was no one inside. Tong Haojing stood in front of a scattered deck of playing cards, lost in thought. Officer Lan and Lu Tong stood by the messy gambling tables, sighing in frustration, "How could this happen? Could Director Tang..."

Tong Haojing had intended to explain something to Officer Lan, but he inadvertently overheard Director Tang and Old Jiang being mentioned in Officer Lan's sigh. He didn't understand what it meant. Recalling seeing Old Jiang's figure at the hotel entrance when he arrived earlier, he wondered if Old Jiang was involved in this gambling operation. Tong Haojing dared not think further. Old Jiang's usual character led him to make a bold judgment – "Impossible."

Officer Lan knew that without catching them in the act, cases like this gambling operation were practically useless. He had no choice but to retreat and report the situation to Director Tang.

Tong Haojing did not leave. Instead, he parked his motorcycle next to a health supplement store near the West City Hotel. He re-entered the food processing plant, the center of the casino. He wanted to investigate again, searching for any clues. How had everyone dispersed so quickly? He looked at the floor; it was intact. There was nothing unusual on the walls. Suddenly, a tightly shut, rusty secret door caught his attention. It had a large, shiny lock, which was a clear contrast. Tong Haojing inadvertently gave it a gentle pull, and the lock opened. He pushed the door open, and a bright light shone in from upstairs.

Tong Haojing's eyes were temporarily blinded by the light. When he regained his senses, a spacious room appeared before him. Tong Haojing pressed a switch on the wall, and the lights came on. This was clearly a large hall, a simple conference room that could accommodate over a hundred people. On the front wall was a blackboard with unfinished white chalk writing. Tong Haojing looked closely and saw words like "Marketing for Wealth, Developing Members, Remarkable Achievements..." The rest was illegible.

Tong Haojing felt the handwriting style was very familiar, resembling Mei Tingyu's handwriting too closely. Could it be her?

Just then, a small door at the top of the stairs opened, and a middle-aged woman came down. She was dressed plainly and held a rag. She looked at Tong Haojing in fear, her body retreating as she asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here alone?"

It was clear that the woman had mistaken Tong Haojing for a thief.

"Don't be afraid, I'm a police officer!" Tong Haojing took out his badge, preparing to show it to the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman calmed down slightly, stood on her tiptoes, and bent her body into an arc. She cautiously extended her long right hand, glanced at the badge, and said, "Alright, you're a police officer. What's the matter?" The woman's nervousness eased a little, and her guard lessened.

"What is this place used for?" Tong Haojing scanned the hall with his eyes.

"It's for training hotel service staff. They come every Saturday morning at ten."

"What? Training service staff? In such a large hall?"

"If you don't believe me, you can come back this Saturday and see. You can also go up through the small door and ask the hotel manager!" The middle-aged woman didn't say much more and turned to wipe the tables. Tong Haojing then noticed that the tables in the hall were quite clean, indicating that people often came here to hold events.

"Did you see anyone leave from here just now?" Tong Haojing suddenly asked.

"No, I didn't!" The middle-aged woman's face tensed slightly, her reaction exceptionally quick, as if afraid of leaking any information. She quickly added, "This has nothing to do with me. I don't know anything."

Tong Haojing sensed that the middle-aged woman seemed to know something and was afraid of getting into trouble. He realized it would be impossible to get anything more out of her. So, he pointed to the small door and asked, "Where does this lead?"

The middle-aged woman looked up and said, "To the hotel's second-floor guest rooms."

Tong Haojing peered inside. The staircase was narrow, carpeted in red, and only wide enough for one person to ascend or descend. Tong Haojing passed through the small door, his head nearly hitting the frame. He tiptoed upwards. Behind him, the middle-aged woman couldn't help but exclaim, "Be careful!"

Just as the middle-aged woman had said, Tong Haojing reached the second floor. After passing through a dim corridor, he arrived at the guest room area of the hotel. A woman in her forties was at the counter, giving instructions to a hotel staff member, her expression somewhat flustered.

This woman was Old Jiang's wife, Sister Xue. She had already seen someone walking down the corridor and recognized Tong Haojing.

Tong Haojing had never met her, nor had Old Jiang ever mentioned her. Just as he was about to greet the staff member, the staff member hastily went upstairs in a panic. Tong Haojing noticed this; his professional instincts told him that the staff member going upstairs must be involved in something illicit.

Sister Xue walked out from behind the counter to greet him.

"Xiao Tong, how did you get up here?" Sister Xue asked deliberately. Her panicked expression made Tong Haojing feel that this woman was definitely hiding some secrets.

Tong Haojing turned and looked towards the corner of the hallway. "Over there, at the corner!"

"Xiao Tong, why are you here alone? Are you here to book a room? Actually, you didn't need to come in person. A phone call would have sufficed. Why come all this way yourself? Hmph! It's all that damned Old Jiang's fault. He didn't say a word and is trying to ruin me!" Sister Xue spoke vividly, as if acting.

Tong Haojing found it a bit baffling. The woman's words clearly didn't make sense. He asked with some confusion, "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, we're divorced now," Sister Xue said with a hint of shyness, muttering to herself. Tong Haojing didn't understand at first, but after a moment, he realized, his face showing surprise and disbelief, "You're divorced?!"

Sister Xue quickly signaled another staff member at the counter to make a cup of Longjing tea and invited Tong Haojing to sit on the sofa in the living room area in front of the counter. Sister Xue sat opposite Tong Haojing, exceptionally enthusiastic.

"Xiao Tong, you don't recognize me, but I recognize you. Not long after you joined the police station, I came to the station to talk to Old Jiang, and that's when I met you!" In Tong Haojing's mind, he had long forgotten such an event. Perhaps he hadn't paid attention at the time, so his memory of it was faint, and he hadn't remembered.

"What, you're not together?" Tong Haojing looked at Sister Xue in surprise, with a look of regret. He thought to himself that although Sister Xue was older, she still appeared graceful and beautiful. He wondered what Old Jiang was thinking!

"Yes, we're divorced. But he still wants to see me. It seems I still have my charm!" Sister Xue seemed a bit smug, as if showing off her allure, but her heart held untold secrets. It was evident that there were deep-seated conflicts between them, with many barriers. Tong Haojing guessed.

Tong Haojing had begun to realize what had happened with Old Jiang. He understood why Old Jiang had never mentioned his wife to him and why he liked to drink at the small tavern near the police station entrance. In reality, this was just a facade.

Tong Haojing sat on the sofa and took a few sips of tea. The hotel lights outside were colorful. The hall downstairs was spacious, bright, and magnificent, leaving a deep impression on him. This was considered one of the most upscale hotels in West City.

Tong Haojing suddenly asked, "Has Old Jiang been here?"

Sister Xue hesitated for a moment. "He, he hasn't been here before. If he comes, won't he kill me!" Her voice rose and fell erratically, making it impossible to guess her thoughts. Tong Haojing observed this, and it seemed he was beginning to understand something.

"You're the boss here, aren't you?"

"What boss? Just trying to make a living!"

"Do you have many employees?"

"One manager, one assistant manager, and five waitstaff."

"Just those few? No one else?"

"No."

"How many guest rooms do you have?"

"Fifty, big and small."

"That many? Do you get a lot of customers?"

"It's slow, no, it's okay."

Tong Haojing pondered the cleaner's earlier words. With only a few waitstaff, training in such a large hall, and only on Saturdays, there was definitely something suspicious going on. Tong Haojing remained impassive, secretly intrigued by the matter.

They chatted for a while longer, but the conversation eventually ran dry. Tong Haojing stood up to leave. At the front of the lobby, two security guards stood ramrod straight, greeting him with imposing presence. Sister Xue followed him, escorting Tong Haojing all the way out of the West City Hotel before getting on her motorcycle and disappearing into the vast cloud of dust.