Chapter 132: Disguised Probe
Five Minutes Later!
A woman dressed in a hotel housekeeping uniform pushed a cart out of the elevator and walked straight down the fifth-floor corridor toward Room 512.
Watching through the surveillance monitor, Wang Qiang frowned. He immediately picked up his walkie-talkie, pressed the communication button, and ordered, “Stop!”
Before his voice had even fully landed, the disguised housekeeper froze in place, looking toward the surveillance camera in confusion.
“Have you forgotten the basic principles of undercover reconnaissance?”
“As a criminal investigator, how can you be so unprofessional during an undercover operation?”
Wang Qiang reprimanded through the walkie-talkie.
“Team Leader, have I been exposed?” The housekeeper whispered, keeping her voice low near her collar microphone.
“Not yet, but if you go straight to Room 512 like this, you definitely will be.”
Wang Qiang scolded impatiently.
“Huh?” A puzzled voice came from the walkie-talkie.
“You’re a housekeeping staff providing room service. There are so many rooms before 512, yet you didn’t knock on a single one and headed straight there?”
“Do you think everyone is deaf or stupid? That they can’t hear the movements in the corridor?”
Wang Qiang’s voice was stern as he chastised his subordinate disguised as a housekeeper.
“I’m sorry, that was my oversight.”
The housekeeper quickly apologized upon hearing Wang Qiang’s words.
“I don’t want to see this kind of mistake again!”
“If it happens again, you can leave the Major Crimes Unit and report to the logistics department instead.”
Wang Qiang’s tone was cold.
“Understood!”
“I promise it won’t happen again!”
A determined voice came through the walkie-talkie.
“Good. Proceed with the operation.”
Wang Qiang commanded in a low voice.
“Yes!”
The housekeeper responded before pushing the cart to Room 502. She knocked on the door and called out, “Hello, housekeeping service.”
“No need!”
A voice filled with impatience replied from within Room 502.
“I apologize for the disturbance.”
The housekeeper quickly apologized.
Watching the surveillance and listening to the conversation in real time, Wang Qiang finally showed a satisfied expression.
This is how it’s done.
Undercover work must be seamless.
Only by fully immersing oneself in the role can one avoid being detected by suspects.
The more convincing the disguise, the harder it is for cunning criminals to spot any inconsistencies.
Disguised reconnaissance is dangerous.
A moment of carelessness, when dealing with ruthless criminals, could cost an officer their life.
That was precisely why Wang Qiang had been so furious earlier.
He didn’t want any of his team members to lose their lives due to an avoidable mistake.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
The housekeeper pushed her cart to Room 503 and knocked again.
“Hello, housekeeping service.”
“One moment!”
A voice came from within.
“Click!”
The door to Room 503 opened, revealing a slender young woman who hesitantly stood in the doorway.
“Auntie, could you please take out my trash?”
The young woman asked in a crisp voice, handing over a black garbage bag.
The housekeeper took the bag and casually tossed it into the garbage bin on her cart. Then she grabbed a fresh trash bag from a compartment in the cart and offered it to the young woman with a smile.
“Miss, let me replace it for you.”
“No need, I can do it myself.”
“Thank you, Auntie~”
The young woman replied with a smile.
“Alright then, I won’t disturb your rest.”
The housekeeper responded with a friendly smile.
“Mm-hmm, Auntie, you can go about your work.”
The young woman took the trash bag and closed the door.
“Phew~”
The housekeeper let out a quiet breath before moving on to Room 504.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
“Hello, housekeeping service.”
There was no response from Room 504.
The housekeeper frowned and used her direct line to the hotel front desk through her walkie-talkie.
“This is the fifth-floor housekeeping. Please check Room 504’s guest status. Are they inside?”
“The guest in 504 has gone out. You can come back later for room service.”
The front desk responded.
“Understood!”
The housekeeper acknowledged and put away her walkie-talkie.
She glanced at her checklist.
“Rooms 505 and 506 are unoccupied. Next is Room 507.”
She pushed the cart to Room 507 and knocked.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
“Hello, housekeeping service.”
Inside Room 507, Fang Xiaocao had been lost in thought on her bed when the sudden knock startled her. She immediately sat up, her eyes filled with caution as she stared at the door.
“Could it be an assassin?”
She whispered to herself.
“That’s unlikely… They don’t even know I’m staying here.”
She quickly dismissed her own paranoia.
“No need, thank you.”
Fang Xiaocao deliberately lowered her voice to sound different as she responded.
“Understood. Sorry to disturb you.”
The housekeeper responded politely before moving on.
She knocked on Room 508 next.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
“Hello, housekeeping service.”
“No need, thank you.”
A voice remarkably similar to Fang Xiaocao’s replied from inside Room 508.
Inside Room 507, Fang Xiaocao froze.
“What the hell?”
“Someone is staying in 508?”
She had no idea that Wang Qiang had arranged for another undercover officer to keep watch in 508.
Meanwhile, in Room 512, Axi had been listening attentively to the movements outside ever since 507’s door was knocked on.
The moment he heard the voice from Room 508, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
“Well, well, well… Who would have thought?”
“Fang Xiaocao has been staying in Room 508 all along.”
Axi whispered to himself, his eyes flashing with malice.
“Understood. Sorry to disturb you.”
The housekeeper responded again before moving forward.
“Rooms 509, 510, and 511 are currently unoccupied. Next is Room 512.”
She muttered while checking her list.
Inside 512, Axi tensed up upon hearing the housekeeper mention his room. He quickly dashed back to the bed and sat down, doing his best to imitate a child’s demeanor.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
“Hello, hotel service.”
Axi, pretending to be a child, pinched his voice and replied, “Auntie, my mommy isn’t here. Can you come back later?”
“Alright, I won’t disturb you then, little one.”
The housekeeper responded without pressing further, then continued her routine of knocking on doors.
Only when he heard her footsteps fade did Axi relax, flipping the safety of his gun back on and returning it to his waistband.
After methodically knocking on every occupied room, the housekeeper finally collected her half-full trash bin and left the fifth floor.
(End of Chapter 132)
