Chapter 135: Han Xue – Exposed?
“Report, the suspect has entered the stairwell and is escaping towards the fourth floor.”
Just as Wang Qiang rushed out of the surveillance room, his subordinate’s report came through the radio.
“Split into four groups!”
“One group will exit the elevator on the fourth floor to support the pursuit team. The other three groups will continue upward, with one group getting off at each floor to flank the suspect from above.”
Wang Qiang made a quick decision and issued orders to all the criminal investigators participating in the operation.
Since the surveillance room was on the seventh floor, Wang Qiang didn’t bother with the elevator. He sprinted down the stairwell, aiming to intercept the fleeing assassin.
This assassin was exceptionally cunning.
They had managed to stay hidden in the hotel for so long without appearing on any surveillance footage, which indicated a high level of counter-surveillance awareness. They had clearly scoped out the hotel’s camera placements and blind spots in advance.
If it weren’t for the keen-eyed criminal investigators who saw through the disguise, the assassin might have slipped away unnoticed.
Although the hotel seemed peaceful on the surface, there was an undercurrent of danger, with multiple forces engaged in a silent battle.
Han Xue stepped into the hotel lobby, her high heels clicking against the floor as she sashayed in, carrying a shopping bag.
Her sharp instincts immediately picked up on the tense atmosphere in the hotel.
Behind her sunglasses, her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, trying to piece together what might have happened while she was away.
Feigning nonchalance, she reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and gracefully sat down in the lounge area.
She dialed Axi’s number.
“Beep… Beep…”
The phone rang twice before Axi answered.
“Hello, what’s wrong?”
“Baby~”
“How’s the weather over there?” Han Xue asked in a sweet, syrupy voice.
Axi hesitated for a second before realizing what she meant.
His hand instinctively reached for the gun at his waist as he crept to the hotel room door, pressing his ear against it to listen for any movement in the hallway.
“Baby~”
“I’m here now, but the weather isn’t great. How about over there?” Han Xue asked again, keeping her voice light.
Axi didn’t respond immediately. He remained silent, listening intently to the hallway.
Hotel Lobby
Han Xue, seated in the lounge, grew uneasy as she waited for Axi’s response.
A warning bell rang in her mind, making her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
Behind her sunglasses, her eyes flicked around, scrutinizing every detail of the lobby.
Then, she spotted a familiar face.
It was the young female officer, Officer Li—the one who had escorted her to the hospital for a blood test.
Han Xue’s heart clenched.
For a split second, she almost bolted, thinking Officer Li was here to arrest her.
But she quickly forced herself to remain calm.
“No… They’re not here for me,” she reasoned internally.
“If they knew about my disguise, they wouldn’t be going undercover. They’d have arrested me the moment I walked through the door. There’s no way they’d give me the chance to make a phone call.”
Reassured by her own logic, Han Xue began scanning the room again.
She soon spotted another familiar face.
A hotel security guard—except he wasn’t really a security guard. He was one of the officers who had previously restrained her.
“Something’s definitely happening in this hotel,” she muttered to herself.
Suddenly, Axi’s voice came through the phone in a low whisper.
“Clear skies.”
Han Xue exhaled in relief.
“So it’s not about us after all,” she thought.
Out loud, she said, “That’s good. My son was hungry, so I went out to get him some food. I got a bit tired, so I’m resting in the lobby for a bit.”
In his hotel room, Axi also let out a breath of relief.
“Something’s going down in the lobby—cops are here,” he murmured, putting his gun away and returning to the bed.
“Everything’s fine upstairs,” he added.
“Don’t worry, baby~” Han Xue cooed.
“This hotel isn’t bad at all. Business is booming—the rooms are all booked. Your little prince won’t be lacking anything,” she continued with a smile.
Hearing this, Axi tensed up again. He reached for his gun and flicked the safety off.
“Cops on the fifth floor?” he asked in a low voice.
“Mhm~ But don’t worry,” Han Xue giggled, keeping up the act.
Axi crept toward the door again, pressing his ear to the frame, readying himself for a fight.
“Let’s hope they’re not after us,” he muttered.
“Relax, I’m here. Talk later,” Han Xue replied before hanging up.
She casually reached into her purse, pretending to search for her keycard, while secretly gripping a small remote control-like device.
As she retrieved the keycard, a glimpse of a black rubber tube inside her purse became visible.
Without drawing attention to it, she quickly shut her bag, swiped her keycard, and unlocked the door to Room 512.
The door beeped twice as it unlocked.
Han Xue’s entire body tensed, her finger hovering over the remote control button.
She hesitated at the threshold for a few seconds, her sunglasses-covered gaze flicking toward the stairwell.
Seeing no immediate movement from the shadows, she subtly relaxed. Tossing her keycard back into her bag, she pushed open the door.
Inside, Axi was crouched beside the doorway, gun in hand.
Han Xue gave him a discreet nod.
(End of Chapter 135)
