Almost at the same time Annie was locked in a battle of wits with some suicidal entity in the elevator, outside the hotel...
Screeech—!
A vehicle with a "Special Assignment" license plate, belonging to the General Administration for Special Pollution Incident Investigation and Control, pulled up in front of the hotel. They didn't go to the parking lot, but stopped right outside the entrance. Three men in black jackets got out.
After getting out, they warily surveyed their surroundings, then looked up at the thirty-three-story hotel before them and the gold sign above the entrance that read "Glimmering Shadows International Holiday Hotel." Finally, without saying much, they followed the middle-aged man leading them straight into the lobby.
A few minutes later...
The three men sat down with the hotel manager in a small conference room on the second floor. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to business.
"..."
Manager Liu didn't rush to speak. He sat at one end of the long table, both hands wrapped tightly around a cup of warm tea, his fingertips tracing the pattern on it. His plump, round face was a little pale.
His gaze wandered uneasily, now and then flicking toward Team Leader Huang from the Special Pollution Response Bureau across from him. He waited patiently for Huang to finish reading the report he had filled out himself.
"..."
Team Leader Huang sat opposite him, a cigarette held between his fingers. Through the swirling smoke, he read the few pages of the report, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Hoo—"
At last, he took a deep drag and slowly exhaled, letting the smoke twist into strange shapes before drifting away.
"Finished?"
"Team Leader Huang, that's how things stand."
Seeing that Huang had finally finished and set the report down, Manager Liu hurriedly spoke in