Infiltration

The lower city.

Every prosperous and affluent city undoubtedly has a place that is utterly chaotic, a hub for all sorts of people, rife with gangs, where ordinary citizens wouldn't venture out at night if they could help it.

In New York, Brooklyn was like that.

In Metropolis, the Suicide Slums were like that.

In Central City, the lower city was like that.

Because this area was predominantly populated by Black people and other ethnic minorities, coupled with the historical reality of lower educational attainment, employment difficulties, and racial discrimination faced by minorities in America, it was the district with the highest crime rate in Central City, viewed by some as the birthplace of chaos, filth, and sin.

Although the situation had greatly improved with societal development, the environment becoming more beautiful and the quality of the population noticeably higher, not a single resident of Central City was willing to live here, or to go out at night.

Time was nearing dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a dim, hazy light upon the rather dilapidated neighborhood, bringing with it a restless unease.

The flow of people on the street, tightly wrapped in their coats, gradually diminished.

A yellow taxi suddenly stopped by the roadside, the screech of its brakes kicking up dead leaves from the ground. The Black driver's eyes darted around as he muttered, peering out at his surroundings.

"If it weren't for the fact that your price was really attractive enough, I wouldn't want to come to the lower city as dusk approaches."

"Don't worry, buddy, the Leighton District is safe in the lower city."

"I grew up in the lower city, I know."

Alex got out of the car, carrying his black backpack. After handing the driver over a hundred dollars, the Black driver saw Alex, who looked like a refined programmer, seemingly easy to bully. As he drove away, he reminded Alex, "Find a hotel quickly, it's not exactly safe here at night."

Then the vehicle disappeared from Alex's sight.

Alex chuckled, watching the taxi drive away. He looked up towards the end of the street, facing the entire road. The Leighton Hotel, bathed in the twilight, stood like a peak, bifurcating the street into a Y-shape.

"Alex, I have a reservation," he said, walking towards the hotel front desk.

After the front desk staff processed his VIP room, 506, and handed him the room card, Alex took the elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor. As the elevator slowly ascended, it chimed and arrived on the 5th floor.

He stepped out of the elevator and onto the polished marble floor, which reflected his shadow, and walked to his room door. He swiped his card, entered, and as he was closing the door, a subtle glint flashed in his eyes. He saw the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the doorknob of VIP room 503 opposite his, which disappeared as his own door slowly closed.

After closing his door decisively and efficiently, he took out his laptop from his black backpack and placed it on the hotel desk. He plugged in the data cable, and the other end into the hotel's internet cable.

The next moment, Alex had already infiltrated the Leighton Hotel's system. He had two doctoral degrees in Computer Electronic Information and Mechanical Engineering from Central City University, so hacking into a hotel's system was a trivial matter for him.

His laptop screen displayed the status of various rooms.

The electronic door sensor for VIP room 503 was marked as unoccupied.

Alex ignored it and proceeded to hack into the Leighton Hotel's surveillance system. He pulled up the surveillance footage for the fifth floor for the day, accelerated it by several dozen times, and only paused when he saw Danton Black, confirming his movements.

The surveillance footage on the fifth floor clearly showed that Danton Black had not returned since leaving at 3 PM, and it was now 5 PM, dusk.

After confirming that Danton Black was not in his room and seeing that no one was present on the fifth floor in the current surveillance footage, Alex directly intercepted a time segment, replacing the current thirty seconds of the fifth-floor surveillance with footage showing no one.

Alex reopened the Leighton Hotel system displaying various rooms, scrolled through the numerous rooms, clicked on the door of VIP room 503 with his mouse, opened the door, and set it to close automatically after thirty seconds.

Having done all this, he casually stood up, spent ten seconds quickly packing his laptop, adjusted his glasses with his hand, and walked towards the main door.

There was no one in the hallway outside.

Alex walked out of room 506 and casually walked directly towards room 503 opposite. He pulled the doorknob, opened the door, and entered. A fine strand of hair drifted down from the doorframe. Alex pinched it with his fingers, returned the drifting hair to the doorframe, closed the door, and firmly held the hair in place again.

Thirty seconds had passed, and the automatic electronic door lock engaged.

The thirty-second segment of the replaced surveillance footage returned to normal.

He was like a seasoned agent, tracking Danton Black's movements and infiltrating his room without anyone knowing.

Alex's eyes briefly scanned the entire room. He took it all in at a glance. In front of him was a window facing the Leighton Street, encompassing the entire street. A gap was left in the middle of the blackout curtains, through which the setting sun was visible, directly facing the room. The twilight light pierced through the gap, casting a vertical line of light on the floor.

Danton Black's high education and intelligence gave him a basic level of counter-surveillance, just slightly better than an ordinary person.

As a scholar, a nuclear physics research expert, where would he get proficient counter-surveillance skills?

He didn't understand, but he had done what he believed was the best he could.

From the street, the gap in the room's curtains could confirm if anyone was in his room.

The hair caught on the doorframe was to confirm if anyone had entered his room upon his return.

Alex shook his head slightly. He did not approach the curtains. He glanced around the environment, moved away from the window, and opened the closet beside him.

"Hmm?"

Unexpectedly, at the bottom of the closet, there was a leather briefcase. Judging by the sharp angles protruding from its exterior, it didn't seem to contain clothes.

"This must be the jewelry!"

Alex had initially thought Danton Black would store the jewelry in a more secure location, but he hadn't expected it to be so boldly placed in the hotel.

Alex pondered for a moment and then understood.

Danton Black had only arrived in Central City a month ago and had no one or place he could trust. This jewelry, worth thirty-five million dollars, was enough to drive anyone mad, and he couldn't carry it with him. It was indeed a difficult situation for him, so keeping it in the hotel was only natural.

Alex didn't open the briefcase casually; it might contain unknown dangers, like a bomb.

Instead, he sat down at a nearby table, waiting for Danton Black to return.

Within ten meters, Alex could kill Danton Black with a single punch, preventing him from even using his abilities. The moment Danton Black opened the door, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Therefore, Alex was very calm, only needing to sit and wait.

The sun was slowly setting.

The dim light illuminated the thinning crowds and the street, casting a dim, lonely glow over everything, as if it were about to sink into the cold darkness.

Around the corner, Danton Black, wrapped in a thigh-length brown trench coat, his hands tucked into its pockets and held close to his body, emerged from the other end of the street. His face bore a hint of weariness and stubble as he approached the Leighton Hotel.

The lingering rays of the setting sun stretched his shadow long.

The wind rustled the fallen leaves, stirred his weathered appearance, and made his trench coat flap.

He squinted, looking up at his room. The twilight glow reflected off the window, creating a dazzling glare.

The yellow curtains inside still had a gap, sunlight still pierced the room, and no one was visible.

A sigh of relief escaped him.