"Stay here and don't move," Alai ordered coldly.
"You're leaving me alone here?" Fangfang asked, bewildered.
"Use your head a little, will you? Am I the kind of person who would do that?"
"Then... what are you planning?"
"Stop asking so many questions. This is just the beginning—step one of my plan."
With that, Alai strode to the door. Before closing it, he looked back and sternly reminded Fangfang, "Stay quiet and don't cause trouble. That would help me more than worrying about me."
He closed the door behind him and signaled to Miyuki and Mirei, "Let's move!"
The three of them quickly made their way to the electrical panel.
The innkeeper was already waiting there, handing Alai a flashlight. Anxiously, he began to report:
Following Alai's instructions, he had gone up to the rooftop to observe the inn's surroundings. The number of shadowy figures outside had increased, making it almost impossible to escape. With Fangfang, a young woman who couldn't run fast, they had an added burden.
Miyuki and Mirei were at a loss, nervously rubbing their shaved heads, unsure of what to do.
Alai's voice was cold, "Then I'll have to unleash hell."
The innkeeper, alarmed, said, "But that could get people killed!" Then, an idea struck him. "I just remembered a hiding place where you can all take shelter."
"What kind of place?" Mirei asked.
The innkeeper explained that there was an abandoned cellar, originally used for storing vegetables. Ever since a nearby market had opened, it had been unused for years. Only he and the innkeeper knew about it.
"But if the boss gets questioned, won't we be sitting ducks?" Miyuki asked skeptically.
"No worries. Our boss has been obsessed with gambling lately and hasn't been back for days. I've been running this place alone," the innkeeper reassured them.
Alai recognized that the innkeeper was trying to help in the only way he could, despite the risks involved.
They followed the innkeeper through the kitchen to a storage room at the back.
The innkeeper quietly moved some clutter aside, revealing a black hole.
Alai inspected the area. It was a forgotten storage room, with the cellar entrance cleverly hidden under an old toilet and some discarded furniture.
He noticed a pile of discarded wires and smiled to himself, gathering a few to place in his bag.
"These are leftovers from the last renovation," the innkeeper explained.
"Thanks, Uncle Zhao," Alai said.
"Don't mention it. We're family here."
Alai, concerned about innocent lives, asked, "Uncle Zhao, is there any chance a guest might come downstairs at this hour?"
"Unlikely. With the storm outside and it being nearly midnight, most of them are asleep."
"Heh," Alai chuckled, his mind racing. "If that's the case, then let's turn this inn into an electric therapy experiment."
Without wasting time, Alai returned to the electrical panel.
Under the innkeeper's flashlight, Alai pulled out his electrician's tools and began tampering with the panel.
The innkeeper watched in shock as Alai skillfully connected two wires, working with live electricity to bridge the main switch and the secondary switches, then removing the connections to the safety fuses.
"This could kill someone!" the innkeeper gasped. "If the innkeeper finds out we turned his place into an electric deathtrap, I'm finished!"
Alai, full of confidence, said, "Don't worry. I've got it all figured out. Just remember—act like you saw nothing and heard nothing."
Seeing the innkeeper's hand trembling, Alai reassured him, explaining the next step: he would wait in this spot, and once the intruders were caught, he would cut the power and stage a short circuit to destroy the panel. In the ensuing darkness, he would escape to the cellar.
He advised the innkeeper to pretend to be knocked out by the electric shock, so later he could claim ignorance of the entire incident.
The innkeeper was still uneasy. "Are you sure this will work?"
"Absolutely. I've been through this before," Alai replied confidently.
Seeing Alai's calm, methodical approach, the innkeeper nodded reluctantly. "Alright, I'll wait here and take you to the cellar when it's done."
Alai quickly finished the preparations and led Miyuki and Mirei back to Room 008. He called Fangfang out and instructed the two monks to take her to the cellar. He then pulled out the wires from his bag, stripped the ends with a knife, and connected one end to the iron handrail in the corridor and the other to the room's power outlet.
He moved to the staircase and discreetly placed a homemade high-voltage electric device, connecting it to the iron handrail as well. After double-checking the connections, he quietly left and headed downstairs.
The innkeeper, having settled Miyuki, Mirei, and Fangfang in the cellar, was already waiting for Alai, having watched his every move from a corner.
Alai approached him and cautioned, "From now on, don't go upstairs, and whatever you do, don't touch the railings or my wires."
As they spoke, the sound of numerous motorcycles approached from outside.
"Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!"
Heavy knocks on the door followed.
"They're here!" Alai said urgently. They quickly split up to act.
"We're full. Try the next inn!" the innkeeper called out.
"Bang!"
"Who's there?"
"We're with the local security team. Open up!" came a low voice from outside.
The innkeeper opened the side door slightly, only for a man to push him aside.
Another man opened the main gate, and in walked a burly man in a raincoat and motorcycle helmet, his eyes glaring menacingly. Behind him were over a dozen similarly dressed men, all wielding metal tools.
The innkeeper quickly tried to welcome them, "Welcome, welcome. I'll get some tea ready!"
This burly man was none other than Lu Saihu. He signaled for the others to follow him into the lobby, where they lined up on either side of the room.
Lu Saihu surveyed the surroundings, his gaze sharp.
He personally set a chair down at a table, then returned to the entrance to escort a particularly large man to the table.
The innkeeper hurried out of the kitchen with a tray, setting it down with fruits, snacks, and cigarettes.
Pouring tea, he said, "You must be exhausted. It's stormy out there, but you're still out here working so hard…"
The man referred to as "boss" coldly interrupted, "Go bring down the guests from Room 008."
"But… it's the middle of the night. And there's a woman in that room. It wouldn't be right for me to disturb them," the innkeeper hesitated.
Lu Saihu, growing impatient, barked, "Stop wasting time! Just do it!"
The innkeeper stammered, "I need a reason to call them down. Can you tell me what's going on?"
Lu Saihu slammed his hand on the table, "Are you looking for trouble? Or are you not supporting our work?"
The innkeeper, now terrified, began backing away, "I'm just an innkeeper… I wouldn't dare…"