There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Although it was repeating an old trick, hiding that package in the toilet tank of a public restroom would also work.

But the adjutant had just gone to retrieve the item, and Xu Shuo had specifically instructed him to leave some "inadvertent" traces behind when he left.

Room 311, however, was unoccupied. In fact, after being searched once, such vacant rooms are slightly safer than public restrooms.

After all, even if no traces are left, what if the Capital Commandant, after having finished searching the hotel lobby, suddenly remembers that the hotel restrooms hadn't been searched?

It's possible the other party might search the empty rooms again.

But as the layers increase, the restrooms actually become quite risky, whereas the empty rooms are relatively safe.

Under the male waiter's peculiar gaze, Xu Shuo used the master key he had just pilfered from the adjutant to open the door. He had intended for the latter to stuff the item into the mattress, but instead, the man turned and headed straight for the bathroom.

He really had a thing with toilets.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Xu Shuo didn't say anything else and played with the shortened cane in his hand, occasionally tapping gently on the wall.

After the other party came out having placed the item, he directly asked, "Do you have any leads now?"

The male waiter thought for a moment, then gave a wry smile, "I'm the night watchman at the hotel today, and the prearranged way for us to meet was by the pond in the hotel's backyard at ten o'clock tonight. After he arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, he would order a glass of wine and a French steak, which would allow me to confirm his identity."

Unexpectedly for both parties, not only did someone die unexpectedly in the hotel, but a spy had been hidden inside, leading to the military district sealing off the hotel.

Therefore, meeting tonight was definitely out of the question, they had to think of some other way to exchange the goods.

However, the male waiter still hadn't found out who his master was...

He guessed the other side hadn't confirmed his identity either, but they would definitely know he was one of the hotel's servers.

Yet, up to now, the male waiter had not received any special codes or messages.

Xu Shuo then asked, "How many people ordered that set meal today?"

The male waiter embarrassedly replied, "Twelve people..."

Xu Shuo: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Shuo said, "Tell me specifically about these people."

No wonder this guy had been wandering around for so long without finding anything.

There really were too many people matching the description.

Normally, there wouldn't be so many people, but it was also because the military district had sealed the hotel, causing the trapped guests to complain loudly.

Later, to appease the guests, the hotel offered complimentary meals, and most of the guests who were bored during that time did not refuse. Waiting and eating are two different moods.

As a result, in the end, twelve people ordered the combination of wine and French steak.

They were nine gentlemen and three ladies, with five of them being businessmen.

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After the male waiter finished speaking, he hastily added, "The one I'm making the deal with must be quite influential, because the cost of this merchandise is not cheap, and ordinary people can't afford it."

Xu Shuo looked at him meaningfully, "You go down and see which one of these people lacks money."

As the male waiter listened to this remark and gave it further thought, he found himself at a loss for words.

After considering the issue of money, he had focused on observing the businessmen, but in reality, political figures probably weren't lacking money either.

But still, the likelihood of a businessman spending a large sum on such an item was quite high, wasn't it?

Xu Shuo suddenly asked, "You know the identity of the person who gave you the merchandise, right?"

"..."

The male waiter became suddenly alert and said, "That question shouldn't matter for finding the person, should it? Besides, I'm just a middleman responsible for keeping the merchandise; I don't know anything else, it's their transaction."

The seller left the merchandise with him, and when the buyer arrived, they would pick it up from him—it was just an opportunity for a little extra cash.

Xu Shuo twirled his cane, smiling softly as he spoke, "Then do you know what my identity is?"

"...Not interested."

"Do you know why the adjutant from the Commandant Mansion of the Thirteenth District defected?"

"Don't want to know."

"Do you know that there was someone hiding in room 303 just now?"

"..."

"Do you want to know who the special envoy from District 10 in room 304 is fighting with right now?"

"…"

The Male Waiter's cold sweat poured profusely, "Can you not talk about this!"

Xu Shuo's smile was brimming, "It seems you're indeed not ready to formally collaborate with me. Since that's the case, I won't reveal the identity of the person you're dealing with for now."

"You already know who it is?" The Male Waiter suddenly looked up at him—just from the information he had just received?

"I don't know," Xu Shuo said teasingly as he watched him.

"…" said the Male Waiter.

That feeling of depressing frustration returned, only now the space they were in wasn't so tight and cramped.

The Male Waiter gritted his teeth and was about to say something, but Xu Shuo's expression suddenly changed.

He quickly said, "Go back first, and if you decide, come find me."

After speaking, Xu Shuo turned and left, his footsteps swift, his figure silently blending into the darkness.

The Male Waiter, left in the room, was stunned for a moment before realizing that the other party's hasty departure must have been due to some emergency below.

About ten minutes had passed since the hotel's power outage, and it was time for him to head back to the lobby.

Carefully checking to make sure they had left no traces, the Male Waiter softly closed the room door and turned to leave via the corridor's left side.

But after a few steps, he suddenly stopped—

If that man went to the right, could it mean there might be danger coming from the left?

And he mentioned that something had happened in rooms 303 and 304.

Thus, the Male Waiter thought carefully for a second before turning and heading towards the right side staircase.

He walked lightly, like a Wraith gliding stealthily down the stairs, all the way to the lobby.

Indeed, there was no danger.

The Male Waiter sighed in relief.

Just as he was turning to head down to the first floor, a dignified, upright figure stopped in front of room 218, close to the second-floor stairwell.

…

Knocking?

What is knocking?

In the Capital Commandant's dictionary, there was no such thing; he straightforwardly used his card to open the door. The room was pitch dark, curtains drawn open, and with the faint light coming in from the outside, the outlines of some objects were visible.

There was no one in the living room.

The bedroom door was tightly closed.

The Capital Commandant moved silently towards it, and pressed the doorknob—unexpectedly, the door was locked from the inside.

"Who's there?!" came a questioning shout from the room.

The Capital Commandant remained expressionless and silent for a while. He heard rustling noises from inside, followed by footsteps gradually approaching the door; yet the person inside still did not open it.

"Is someone there?" The voice asked again, then said, "I won't open the door if you don't make a sound."

"It's me, the Capital Commandant," the Capital Commandant said coldly.

"…"

Accompanied by the click of a latch, the door was opened by the person inside.

Seeing him, the man in a light charcoal grey suit, genteel and scholarly, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "There was some noise outside earlier, so I locked the door. Has it been resolved now?"

The Capital Commandant didn't speak; his gaze was fixed intently on him, his eyes sharp as ever.

But Xu Shuo wasn't intimidated at all.

…