Escape from the Kinmen Hotel (Part 2)

Sharing a boat in the autumn rain, each felt the chill of the small mat and light quilt. Looking at the two people in the common area of ​​the changing room, Qingcheng was stunned, so shocked she wanted to bite her tongue off. Only a silent sigh, "Human joys and sorrows are not shared," could soothe her immediate urge to complain to Rui Rui.

Seeing Qingcheng standing there in a daze, Wang Renyong quickly waved his hand in front of her and said, "Hey, little comrade, snap out of it!"

Qingcheng's gaze returned to Old Wang. She really wanted to slap him and stomp on him a few times. It wasn't that Wang Renyong called her "little comrade" again, but that he dared to leave Yingqi and the traitor in the changing room. What, did he think he wasn't as tempting as Wu Hao's Tang Monk flesh and that he couldn't attract demons? He really had a death wish!

But the message still needed to be relayed to the leadership. Qingcheng suppressed the objections, quietly moved to Wang Renyong's side, and quickly typed Morse code on his hand: There are still bugs.

Wang Renyong, who was standing next to him, immediately replied with two words: "Understood."

"What do you know? Just do something!" Qingcheng glared fiercely at Wang Renyong, wanting to ask him what he actually knew.

She grabbed Wang Renyong by the neck and dragged him to the private changing area with brute force. She lowered her voice and complained to Old Wang that he probably thought the 50,000 silver dollars reward was too low and wanted to send takeout to the spies who were surrounding them.

Who knew that when Wang Renyong learned that he was only worth 50,000 silver dollars and ranked fourth on the bounty list, he was so angry that his mouth twisted into a crook. He threw down his wig, stomped his feet, and cursed loudly. He was the head of the Second Section, yet he was ranked fourth! Fourth tier! He didn't even make it into the top three! Principal Jiang looked down on him too much. He had even saved him before, and so on.

Seeing Wang Renyong's voice getting out of control, Qingcheng quickly covered his mouth. The agents were crowding the doorway. If they were overheard, they wouldn't even need a traitor to expose them; the two of them would definitely be taken away and shot together.

In an instant, Wang Renyong's body went limp. Qingcheng knew that his mind had returned to normal. She silently let go of his hand and asked with a solemn expression why Old Wang had come back again. The building was now sealed off, and he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

There was no other way! Old Wang sighed and explained that he had originally planned to escort Wu Hao and the other comrades away, but he encountered Li Sheng on the way. To avoid an awkward situation between Li Sheng and Zhang Chong, the two switched tasks. Li Sheng would escort Wu Hao and the others away and go out to fetch reinforcements, while he would stay behind to take the remaining comrades out.

As it turned out, plans couldn't keep up with changes. No sooner had Li Sheng and his men left than Zhang Chong, upon hearing the gunshots, immediately led his agents to seal off the hotel.

However, Wang Renyong had anticipated the building being sealed off. He first sent the first batch of six comrades who had been evacuated to the boiler room on the first floor from the second floor. There was a hidden water outlet in the boiler room that led directly to the outside of the hotel. That was the new way out that Li Sheng had found.

Good, good. Comrade Li Sheng is very reliable at critical moments. Qingcheng then asked what to do with the people outside. She had worked hard to get them together, so why not let them fend for themselves instead of letting them leave?

When talking about the people outside, Wang Renyong pursed his lips, scratched his head with both hands, and paced back and forth. After struggling for a long time, he finally admitted that he only had suspicions and no real evidence. Moreover, since Yingqi did not expose him on the spot, he was even more unsure. If he was wrong, it would be disregarding human life.

Hesitation will only lead to trouble. Anyway, there are only two people outside, one confirmed and one suspected. Qingcheng suggested that as long as they don't turn against each other on the spot, we shouldn't expose them yet. We can deliberately separate from them when we run away later.

If the suspected Yingqi is innocent or intends to remain undercover for a long time, his skills should be enough to shake off the junior agents who are tracking him. We can investigate him properly when we get back.

After a moment's thought, Wang Renyong agreed. However, their immediate priority was figuring out how to break through the encirclement. If they couldn't find a way to get to the first floor, he knew of a secret passage.

No way! Qingcheng shook her head repeatedly. It was fine if it was just her and Lao Wang, but what about the two outside? Especially since one of them was unconscious and still running around, it was very strange.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A deafening knock on the door interrupted their conversation. A junior agent outside called out, and all the staff prepared their identification. The lobby manager would be coming to take a headcount shortly.

Huh? There's also a lobby manager inspecting them. Qingcheng grabbed Lao Wang's arm and asked him what to do, since they didn't have any identification and their faces were unfamiliar, they were sure they'd be exposed.

"It's alright, look at this." Wang Renyong took out a certificate and showed it to Qingcheng. It read "Wang Pandi" and "Position: Foreman".

It turned out that Wang Renyong had actually worked as a waiter at the hotel to get a clear picture of its operations, and due to his outstanding skills, he was promoted to supervisor in less than a month. Having obtained the genuine credentials, he immediately forged several blank ones; all the attendees had theirs forged except for Qingcheng.

Wang Renyong put his wig back on and gave Qingcheng a look, meaning that he would hold off the spies and that she needed to forge her own fake ID as quickly as possible.

Names and job titles can be written down, but what about photos? They even have an official stamp on them. Kiyosumi held her breath and began rummaging through the dressing room…

The arrogant agent pointed at the three sets of identification documents. Wang Renyong smiled and joked with the agent, saying that the one who couldn't be woken up had gone out with some hooligans all night yesterday and came to work with a bruised and swollen face. He was asleep now, so there was no need to worry about him.

Fortunately, he had a good relationship with the lobby manager, and the manager didn't want a member of the Communist Party among his hotel staff, lest they be blackmailed by secret agents in the future. He kept speaking up for them, and the hotel would definitely deal with these lazy employees in the future.

After checking the identification, the agent, who was about to leave, suddenly turned back and asked, "I remember there was another person in the room, named Ah Xiang, and he was a man."

"Yes, yes, you little bastard, come out quickly! Have you found your ID?" Wang Renyong shouted in a high-pitched voice. "Ah Xiang, hurry up, or the boss will take you away, and neither the manager nor I can protect you."

"Here it comes, here it comes." Kiyosumi carefully handed the newly forged document to the agent.

"Tsk!" The agent clicked his tongue, then carefully compared the photo again. "It doesn't look like it!"

"Boss, that's a photo I took when I first came to Shanghai. I looked so rustic back then, nothing like how I look now," Qingcheng said, deliberately feigning grievance.

"You dare use any kind of photo? Your photos are seriously damaging our hotel's image. Retake them, or get out of here!" the lobby manager snapped.

"Manager, don't be angry. Our Ah Xiang is a 'male lesbian' and doesn't pay much attention to details. I'll accompany her to reshoot after get off work today," Wang Renyong immediately reassured her.

"I still think there's something wrong with this kid! The stamp doesn't seem to match either." The agent stroked his chin and stared intently at Kiyosumi.

Seeing this, Wang Renyong stepped between the two and sensibly slipped a few banknotes into the agent's pocket: "Boss, we're all hotel employees, we see each other all the time. If we have a problem, the whole hotel will have a problem."

"Yes, everyone in Shanghai knows our big boss only likes making money and doesn't get involved in politics. Boss, why don't you come with me to the cigar bar? I'll light you an imported cigar; you've worked hard too." The lobby manager tossed out his hotel's backstage area and casually invited the spy to leave.

"Ahem," the agent coughed lightly, barely able to suppress the smile on his lips. He returned his identification, swung his arms, and went to smoke with the lobby manager.

With the crisis temporarily averted, Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Old Wang next to him nudged him with his elbow, reminding him in a voice only the two of them could hear that they should remain still and wait for reinforcements.

This won't do!

Qingcheng gave Yingqi a "simple and honest" smile, then pulled Lao Wang back to the changing area to discuss the matter. Simply waiting for rescue was too passive; the small spies were easy to fool, but Zhang Chong was not. The best solution was to coordinate from the inside and outside, and they needed to prepare for their escape in advance.

"Oh, what are your thoughts?" Wang Renyong's interest was piqued.

“There’s a protruding platform outside on the second floor; that’s how I got up here,” Qingcheng said, pulling Wang Renyong to the window to look.

A hint of worry flashed in Wang Renyong's eyes: "I know, but the second floor of a hotel is equivalent to one and a half floors of a residential building. Are you sure you won't twist your ankle if you jump down? Be safe, come with me to the first floor."

Kiyosumi knew her own limitations better than anyone. She needed her comrades' help to climb up, let alone climb down. There were no sheets to tear in the changing room, so jumping down was indeed a bit difficult.

A sudden idea flashed through her mind, and she whispered in Old Wang's ear that she had just wanted to part ways with the people outside, so she could let Yingqi, who was good at fighting, climb the stairs, while she, who was not good at fighting, would go downstairs.

"Alright!" Wang Renyong agreed without hesitation, but he requested that the traitor be brought along as well, so as to test Yingqi...

Inside the changing room, the two whispered to each other, making arrangements for Yingqi meticulously. All that was left was an opportunity to create chaos, so they could launch their attack as soon as reinforcements arrived.

"Hehe, use this, you know what I mean." Qingcheng blinked and took out a cigarette she always carried with her.

"Wow, not bad, you know your stuff." Wang Renyong's eyes showed admiration. "But you need to be careful with the timing. We'll meet in the water room downstairs later."

"Understood." After confirming a few more hotel details with Wang Renyong, Qingcheng opened the door and sat down on the ground in front of the spy's gaze, then repeated his old trick of biting a cigarette but not lighting it.

The patrolling agents quickly spotted her and shouted, "What are you doing? Get back here right now. Otherwise, you'll be treated as a member of the Communist Party."

"Sorry, boss, I'm having a craving for a cigarette, but I can't smoke. I feel like ants are crawling all over my body." Qingcheng handed a cigarette to the little spy with practiced ease; she knew all the rules.

Nine out of ten spies were opium addicts, and their favorite brand was Hademen. The junior spy accepted the cigarette without hesitation, and his attitude softened somewhat afterward, telling Qingcheng to smoke if she wanted, since no one was bothering her now.

Kiyosumi immediately shook her head, explaining with a troubled expression that she couldn't smoke while working, as customers might complain if there was any smell of smoke, so she just ate it in her mouth.

"Then don't smoke, just light one for me. I'm not afraid of being complained about." The little spy held out his hand with a cigarette between his fingers.

Pressing down the little spy's hand, Qingcheng vividly described, "That won't work either, boss. Our hotel is a no-smoking zone. The big boss installed a foreign fire prevention system that goes off like crazy whenever there's smoke. It's terrifying."

"What a lousy hotel! You can't even smoke. You should just close down." The spy's nicotine craving was probably aroused, as he cursed while sniffing a cigarette under his nose.

“It’s not that you can’t smoke at all, you can smoke cigars. And…” Qingcheng deliberately kept him in suspense for a moment before saying, “Boss, I’ll tell you a secret, there’s a room on the second floor where the alarm system is broken and we haven’t had time to report it for repair yet. We have some brothers who are addicted to smoking, and they’ve been sneaking off there to satisfy their cravings all day.”

"If there's such a good place, why would you tell me about it for no reason?" The little spy glanced over suspiciously.

"I just wanted to light a cigarette for the boss and smell the aroma to satisfy my craving. With you here, who would dare to complain? Our manager wouldn't dare utter a sound." Qingcheng said with a smile, showering him with compliments.

We're all just working stiffs in the same boat, why should we need to have known each other before? The little spy swallowed hard, glanced around to make sure his boss wasn't there, and waved to Qingcheng to lead the way.

Based on her memory of the guest returning to his room, Qingcheng used the master key given to her by Lao Wang to open an empty room.

After entering the room, Qingcheng respectfully lit a cigarette for the little spy and took the lead in gossiping. The person they were going to catch today must be very valuable. They wondered if it was worth ten thousand silver dollars.

The young man was still too naive. The little spy arrogantly held up one finger, letting Qingcheng continue guessing.

"One hundred thousand?"

"I'm guessing too high."

"My God, one million dollars!" Qingcheng exclaimed in surprise, her mouth agape. She then covered her mouth, indicating that she wouldn't ask about things she shouldn't know.

"You're smart, kid. I'll tell you, there are high-ranking CCP officials having a meeting at your hotel today, and more than one of them," the junior agent said smugly. That's how people are; the more you don't want to know, the more they want you to know.

"That must be a very high-ranking official." Qingcheng lowered her head with feigned envy, but actually looked downstairs. This room faced the road, and anyone could see it very clearly. Pedestrians and vehicles on the road were shrouded in gray smog, as heavy as an old oil painting.

If Li Sheng wanted to find outside help as quickly as possible, there were only two options: either find William nearby, or call headquarters to send a team over immediately.

Hmph, our opponents already know our methods, and we also know their tactics. You have a traitor as an inside maneuver, and we have Comrade Li Sheng maneuvering on the outside.

The two armies are evenly matched, and it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious!

Excellent teamwork is the secret to an organization's continued success!

Suddenly, the commotion of police cars by the roadside gave her a different feeling, and a wave of joy surged in her heart. Speak of the devil, and he appears!

"Boss, boss, look! The foreign devils from the concession are here!" Kiyosumi called out to the little spy who was puffing on his cigarette.

The little spy swaggered over, spat, and cursed, "Damn it, those stinking foreign devils must have heard the news and want to get a piece of the pie."

"Boss, why don't you go downstairs and take a look?" Qingcheng suggested with a smile, her hand slowly moving towards her waist.

"What are you looking at? The guy downstairs in the gray shirt is our section chief. The leader can handle it; he's got a lot of influence." The little spy turned around, and Qingcheng immediately withdrew her hand and put her hand on her waist.

He was a spectator, enjoying the spectacle, and even had a hint of schadenfreude on his face. It seemed that Zhang Chong's temperament was indeed not good at winning people's hearts.

"We can take advantage of their conflict," Qingcheng said, pointing to the bathroom door. "Boss, I need to go to the restroom. I really need to pee."

"Go away, don't tell me. Do you have any more cigarettes? Give me another one." The little spy lit a new cigarette and lowered his guard.

After closing the toilet door, Qingcheng used her foot to flip open the toilet seat and at the same time slightly turned on the faucet, pretending to make the sound of a man urinating.

With less than a minute to spare, Qingcheng quickly climbed onto the sink, opened the ventilation duct, and lit a lighter with a click. The orange flames quickly ignited the cotton towel.

With a forceful movement, the bath towel, billowing smoke and flames, was thrown into the ventilation duct by Qingcheng, who then used both hands to pull the ventilation duct's grille cover shut.

After finishing, she quickly jumped into the basin of water, covered her ears, and counted down in her mind: five...four...three...two...one!

Woo-wah—Woo-wah—

The piercing alarm sounded like it was going to split his skull open. Qingcheng put on a terrified expression, pulled up her pants, and rushed out the door, bumping right into the little spy.

"Didn't you say this room wouldn't make any noise?" The little spy angrily grabbed Qingcheng by the collar.

"You've already smoked your second cigarette, so it can't be this room. Oh no, is it really on fire? Run!" Kiyosumi planned to lead the little spy astray.

The junior agent was also confused by Qingcheng's attitude, but in a moment of confusion he seemed to understand something, his eyes instantly turned icy cold, and his hand reached for his waist...

clatter!

In the end, the prepared person drew their gun faster. The little spy, his eyes filled with resentment, slowly slid to the ground, a flower of blood blooming from his chest. Qingcheng disarmed him and fired two more shots at the little spy's corpse.

She put away her gun, turned and went out. The corridor was even more chaotic than before. White, red, blue and green clothes of all colors were crammed together, like a dirty canvas used by an artist, but with eighty decibels more noise than an inanimate object.

Several junior agents received orders to return to their rooms, but things were different now. They figured they might as well stick their necks out or not, so the crowd kept pushing forward.

Slippers and towels were scattered all over the carpet. Qingcheng hid behind several elderly women and shouted, "Fire! You're disregarding human life! This is the concession, it's not your business!"

The ladies in front of them immediately chimed in, saying that their husbands knew the director of the concession, and that they, as secret agents, had no sense at all.

Some even took the lead, pushing to the front and pinching and cursing the little spy. Qingcheng felt pain just watching the lady's fierce actions, and the noise from the hotel guests grew even louder.

Bang--

One of the undercover agents, unable to withstand the pressure, fired a blank shot at the ceiling. But the crowd became even more agitated. The gunshots, mixed with the sirens, sounded like hammers pounding on people's nerves. Even the most timid person dared not gamble with their life.

Dozens of people twisted into a giant arrow, colliding countless times until a gap was created. Everyone surged toward that gap like a flood, and Qingcheng was swept away by the crowd and walked downstairs.

But who would have thought that Zhang Chong, that madman, would have his little spy lock the hotel door and declare expressionlessly that anyone who dared to go out would be treated as a member of the Communist Party.

William, standing in the lobby, was so angry that his beard drooped. However, the other party outnumbered him, and he excitedly spat as he spoke: "Mr. Zhang, the fire alarm has gone off. If you want to die, you can't take all of us down with you."

“Whoever goes out is a member of the Communist Party.” Zhang Chong mechanically repeated the same sentence.

“You…” Williamson’s white teeth ground together, then his eyes suddenly darted around and he called over the lobby manager, indicating that he wanted to go to his office to rest. The lobby manager dared not refuse.

Standing on the stairs, Kiyosumi could see clearly that William wasn't resting; he was going to his office to call for backup.

Oh wow, the bone-scraping knife has encountered a lunatic; this is going to be interesting.