Fangfang anxiously protested, "If you do this, you'll get into serious trouble."
"Shut up!" Alai snapped, his tone brooking no argument. "If you cause more trouble, you can get out!"
Fangfang felt that Alai had changed since his release from the hospital. He had become more assertive, almost domineering. She couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions and chose to remain silent.
...
"Knock, knock, knock!" The urgent knocking broke the tense silence.
Alai opened the door just a crack. The innkeeper slipped inside with a tray, handed a pack of cigarettes to Alai, and asked anxiously, "Have you come up with a plan?"
Alai quickly asked about the layout of the inn, the location of the electrical panel, and the movements of the other guests that evening.
The innkeeper answered each question.
"Good, Uncle Zhao. No matter what we do, just act like you didn't see or hear anything, alright?"
"Of course, that goes without saying."
Alai whispered a few instructions into the innkeeper's ear. The innkeeper nodded and quietly left the room.
Alai then took a notebook from Fangfang's bag, scribbled a few words, and signed it as "Thunder God." He tore the page out and slipped it into his pocket.
He turned to Fangfang and said, "I need you to watch the room. Hand over your phone."
Fangfang was confused but realized that Alai was taking her phone to prevent her from calling the police. Seeing the cold determination in his eyes, she reluctantly handed it over.
Alai took the phone, instructed Miyuki to grab his bag, and signaled to Mirei, "Let's move!"
They opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
In the dimly lit corridor, Alai wandered back and forth, muttering loudly, "Damn it, can't even find a lighter in this place. I need a smoke!"
The door to Room 007 creaked open, and a man with a cigarette in his mouth peeked out. In the hallway light, he saw Alai holding a cigarette in one hand and a pack of Nine-Five Supreme in the other.
"Hehe," the man smirked, noticing the expensive brand.
Alai walked over and clasped his hands in greeting. "Hey, mind if I borrow a light?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then responded, "Sure!"
He pulled a lighter from his pocket and quickly lit Alai's cigarette.
Alai took a deep drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Noticing the man's envious gaze on his cigarette pack, Alai pulled out a cigarette and offered it. "Want one?"
"That'd be great," the man replied, eagerly accepting the cigarette.
Another man, noticing the interaction, quickly joined them, offering, "Why don't you come in and sit for a bit?"
Alai didn't hesitate and walked into the room, with Miyuki and Mirei following closely behind.
As they sat, Alai offered another cigarette and asked, "Where are you two from?"
The man lit the cigarette and replied, "We're just passing through, from out of town."
"Hehe," Alai chuckled. "Your accent sounds local to me."
Both men tensed up.
"So, which gang do you run with?" Alai asked bluntly.
"And who are you?" the man countered, trying to be sly.
"What do you think?" Alai replied coldly.
Sensing something was off, the two men instinctively reached for their knives.
But by the time they realized what was happening, Miyuki and Mirei had already shut the door and pounced on them.
The two men were quickly overpowered, pinned to the ground, and unable to move.
"What do you want? We haven't done anything to you!" one of them stammered.
"You're messing with the wrong people!" the other added, trying to sound defiant.
Alai ignored them and searched their pockets, finding a pair of knives and a phone. He quietly turned on the phone's recording feature and slipped it into his own pocket.
"You two were groping my wife at the bus station, and I let it slide. But then you had the nerve to follow us here? You must have a death wish," Alai growled.
The men quickly realized that their boss's plan was about to be ruined and began begging for mercy.
"We're sorry! We didn't know who you were!"
"We won't do it again, we swear!"
"Oh really?" Alai sneered. "You say you're from out of town, but I can tell from your accent you're locals. You're carrying illegal weapons—what are you really planning? If you don't tell me the truth, I'll call the cops and have you both thrown in jail."
One of the men, realizing the plan was in jeopardy, hurriedly confessed, "We're sorry, we just thought your wife was hot."
"Slap!" Alai cut him off with a hard slap across the face. "You expect me to believe that? And what about the people outside? Did they all come to ogle my wife too? Is she some kind of celestial being?"
The man paled with fear.
The other man, trying to regain some control, sneered, "You're smart enough to know what's going on. Let us go, and we'll put in a good word for you with our boss. You'll avoid a lot of pain."
"Arrogant bastard!" Miyuki snarled, grinding her heel into the man's leg, making him tremble with pain.
But he continued to sneer, pulling out a card, "We're with the local security force. Keep this up, and you'll regret it!"
"You scum!" Alai's anger flared. "You expect me to believe that filth like you are part of the security force?"
"Slap! Slap! Slap!" Alai struck him repeatedly, drawing blood.
Without a word, Alai grabbed two towels from the bed and gagged them.
He turned to Miyuki and Mirei. "If they don't start talking, break their arms and legs."
Miyuki didn't hesitate. She grabbed the defiant man and snapped his arm and leg. He passed out from the pain.
The other man, witnessing this, began to panic, nodding frantically in submission.
Alai removed the gag from his mouth.
The man, terrified for his life, confessed that he and his companion were under orders from Lu Saihu to follow them. He revealed that Lu Saihu's men were surrounding the inn.
Alai realized that pushing further wouldn't yield anything useful, so he gagged the man again.
He ripped the bed sheets into strips and tied them up tightly.
"People get what they deserve. You should find honest work instead of playing the thug. Get yourself killed or become a fugitive—either way, you're dead."
Alai then pulled out the folded note from his pocket and tucked it into the man's shirt. "When you see your boss, give him this note. It might just save your lives."
With that, Alai took the room key, motioned to Miyuki and Mirei, and left the room, locking the door behind them.
They quickly made their way to the electrical panel.
The innkeeper was already there, flashlight in hand, anxiously waiting. He quickly reported what he had observed: there were more shadows gathering around the inn, making an escape difficult. Plus, Fangfang, who couldn't run, would only slow them down.
Alai took the flashlight and thought quickly. "Uncle Zhao, we'll need to cut the power when I give the signal. Make sure no one sees you."
The innkeeper nodded, his face pale but determined. "I understand. Just be careful."
Alai nodded and, after a brief pause to check his watch, said, "Let's move."
They slipped into the darkness, ready to strike first.