Judging from his reaction, I knew that the Yushui Hotel was indeed something extraordinary.
I gave a definitive answer and immediately followed up with:
"What exactly is going on? Why would the police allow a place where murders occur so frequently to continue operating so brazenly?"
Upon hearing what I said, Zhang Qiang lowered his voice on the other end of the phone.
"I know that too, and it shouldn't be that frequent, it's still within our target range."
"Quota? What quota? A quota of dead people every month? Are you kidding me?!"
Zhang Qiang's words immediately filled me with confusion, and I bombarded him with questions like a machine gun.
Soon, Zhang Qiang's somewhat weak voice came from the other end of the phone.
"That's right, it's the mortality indicator! I can't control this, it was approved by the higher-ups."
"How is that possible? How could the higher-ups agree to something so absurd? Isn't this blatant disregard for human life?!"
I asked through gritted teeth.
"Chen Yan, many things in the world are not simply black and white, but rather there are gray areas."
"Did you know that although many people died at the Yushui Hotel, as a five-star hotel, it contributed a full one percent of the city's GDP! In addition, many foreigners come here for tourism, and we earn foreign exchange!"
Suddenly, I leaned back against the chair, feeling somewhat powerless.
I suddenly remembered a rumor I had heard before.
It is said that every time a bridge or road is built, a quota is given from above.
It refers to the number of deaths that can be tolerated during these processes.
I always thought it was just a folk tale, but I never imagined it was true!
After all, compared to the rumored one-time death indicators for bridge and road construction, the Yushui Hotel, which is capable of boosting the city's GDP, has a fixed monthly death indicator!
As long as it doesn't exceed this number, it can operate normally, and even the police will help suppress the news.
For a moment, I slumped in my seat, completely speechless.
Zhang Qiang sighed on the other end of the phone.
"Chen Yan, this matter involves many things. If you can manage it, then manage it; if you can't, then let go appropriately. That's all I can say."
After saying that, Zhang Qiang hung up the phone.
I have no complaints about Zhang Qiang; he's been more than kind to me.
For this level of secrecy, they told me as soon as I asked.
He was indeed powerless, after all, he was just a policeman in the system, and even with some connections, he had no ability to intervene in matters that involved too much.
After listening to my call, the people in the car fell silent for a moment.
However, Wang Lin seemed to have expected this all along.
After a moment of silence, Wang Lin sighed and spoke.
"Your police brother is pretty good, and his position must be quite high, to know even such confidential information."
I nodded, then asked in return:
"Uncle Wang, it seems you had foreseen these things all along?"
Wang Lin nodded, his voice sounding somewhat weary.
"Yes, but I don't know any powerful people. It's just that I've lived a long time, so I naturally know more."
Soon, the car arrived in front of the magnificent Yushui Hotel.
The doormen standing on either side of the gate all wore respectful, almost obsequious expressions when they saw Luo Tianhe's luxury car.
The Yushui Hotel is frequently visited by elegantly dressed people, including many blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.
I snorted coldly:
"As expected of an international five-star hotel, there are quite a few foreigners here."
"Alright, alright, let's forget about that for now. Let's at least get Wang Lin's nephew out first."
Luo Tianhe patted me on the back.
"How do we get in? Should we just barge straight to the top floor?" Wang Lin asked anxiously.
If you just barge onto the top floor, do you think the security guards will allow it?
I glanced at the burly security guards and couldn't help but mutter to myself.
This is just a hotel, not a bank, so why are there so many security guards? Who would come to rob a hotel or cause trouble?
"No, we can't break through. Look at those security guards, they all look very alert. They don't look like they're just coasting along for 3,000 a month. If we force our way through, we'll probably get stun guns."
Luo Tianhe observed, then analyzed clearly and logically.
"The top floor is the staff area and that viewing fish pond; regular guests can't go up there. We need to find a way to sneak in."
After studying it for a while, we actually found a way to sneak in.
My gaze swept across a driveway on the side of the hotel, leading to the underground parking garage and back-of-house area.
“Uncle Wang, the three of us will try to sneak in later. You can stay in the car and provide backup. If we need to escape, you're too old to keep up with us. It would be embarrassing if you got caught. Describe your nephew's appearance to us in detail, and we'll go look for him.”
Hearing me say that, Wang Lin gave a wry smile and then began to describe his nephew to us.
To be honest, his nephew doesn't have any special features. He has an average appearance, the kind that you wouldn't notice if you threw him into a crowd.
However, due to the strange things he has recently encountered, it seems that he is still somewhat noticeable, and not everyone has thick dark circles under their eyes.
If we were to encounter them, we would probably recognize them at a glance.
The three of us got out of the car, avoided the main entrance, and quickly walked along the driveway to the back-of-house area on the side of the hotel.
Fortunately, a side door for delivering goods was ajar, and we slipped inside.
Inside the door was a dimly lit corridor, seemingly rarely frequented by people. It was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and the air was filled with the smell of cleaning agents and dust.
We wandered around for a bit and found an employee elevator that seemed to still be working.
Although the layout of this hotel is a bit complicated, we don't need to worry about that; we can just go straight to the top floor.
To our surprise, this elevator actually goes to the top floor and it's even working.
Press the button on the top floor, and the elevator starts humming as it begins to move.
Just then, my phone rang. I answered it and found that it was Lao Wang calling us.
"So, did you manage to infiltrate the inner circle?"
Uncle Wang's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, we're already inside, and we're heading to the top floor now."
I responded.
"Oh right, I forgot to remind you before, there's an elevator inside, don't take it, it's the old one, but the buttons seem to be malfunctioning."
Hearing him say that, I swallowed hard, and asked in a trembling voice:
"What's wrong, Uncle Wang? Why can't I sit?"
"Sigh, what else could it be? It's haunted."
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