Chapter 154: Tom’s Plan
Hearing the waiter ask if he wanted anything else, Tom shook his head like a rattle drum, nearly leaving an afterimage in the air.
“No, no, I can’t drink anymore.”
Afraid that his words wouldn’t be convincing enough, Tom waved his hands repeatedly and even pointed at his slightly bulging stomach.
Seeing Tom’s comical reaction, the waitress’ face turned red as she tried to hold back her laughter, but she still maintained her professional smile.
“Check, please.”
Tom picked up his phone, signaling the waitress to scan for payment.
The waitress smiled and processed the payment, though her flushed face clearly showed her struggle to maintain composure.
After paying, Tom hurriedly left the café.
It was too embarrassing!
As a foreigner, he had acted like someone who had never had coffee before—drinking cup after cup until he was completely full. It was truly humiliating.
As he stepped out of the café, Tom felt his stomach bloating uncomfortably.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided it was best to return to his room and rest for a while. Moving around too much now might even lead to gastric ptosis.
Tom took out his phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Fang Xiaocao.
[Tom: Your Highness, I have a feeling that Han Xue hasn’t left. She’s probably still near the hotel, or even hiding in the underground parking lot.]
[Tom: So I plan to rest for a while and then head out at night with my gear to hack into nearby surveillance systems and check for any suspicious individuals that might be Han Xue.]
After drafting his plan, Tom sent the message.
Inside Room 507
Fang Xiaocao, who had been monitoring Room 512 through surveillance footage, switched to the WeChat interface upon receiving Tom’s message.
After reading it, she pondered for a moment and found Tom’s approach reasonable.
Blindly searching for Han Xue wouldn’t be effective.
It was better to let Tom do what he did best—just like when he hacked the hotel’s surveillance system, he could infiltrate the cameras of nearby shops and scan through the footage for any trace of Han Xue.
Fang Xiaocao also believed Han Xue hadn’t gone far.
She was probably lurking near the hotel.
After all, no one knew Han Xue’s level of insanity better than Fang Xiaocao.
Han Xue was the kind of woman who wouldn’t stop until she achieved her goal.
Since escaping from the psychiatric hospital, the first person she sought out was Fang Xiaocao.
It was clear that Han Xue was determined to kill her.
Now that she knew Fang Xiaocao was inside the hotel—and even the police officer impersonating her in Room 508 had made a noise—Han Xue would definitely believe she was inside Room 508.
With such a golden opportunity, how could Han Xue possibly give up?
Thinking this through, Fang Xiaocao replied to Tom:
[Fang Xiaocao: Agreed. I also think Han Xue wouldn’t go too far. She’s probably still lurking near the hotel.]
Tom glanced at Fang Xiaocao’s reply and nodded.
It seemed his princess shared his thoughts.
Tom put away his phone and walked into the hotel lobby, heading for the elevator.
Just as he reached the elevator, a police officer stopped him.
“Sir, please show your room key.”
The officer’s voice was deep and firm.
Tom was taken aback for a moment but quickly retrieved his key card from his pocket.
He handed it to the officer, but the officer didn’t take it—he merely glanced at it before nodding and allowing Tom to proceed.
Tom shrugged, pocketed his key card, and walked leisurely into the elevator, pressing the button for his floor.
As the elevator doors closed, Tom shook his head slightly.
Such a lax security check was practically useless.
He could think of countless ways to bypass it and slip into the hotel undetected.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Han Xue might have already infiltrated the hotel.
The only problem was…
He had no evidence!
Tom decided that once he got some rest, he would review the surveillance footage from earlier.
He wanted to see if Han Xue was as clever as he suspected—if she understood the principle that “the most dangerous place is often the safest.”
After all, that was an ancient Chinese saying.
It contained a lot of wisdom.
For example, psychology.
Even he, a foreigner, understood this principle.
As a smart Chinese woman, Han Xue should definitely understand it too, right?
“Ding!”
The elevator doors opened, and Tom stepped out into the hallway.
Upon returning to his room, he changed into comfortable clothes and lay on the bed, beginning to review the hotel’s surveillance footage.
Meanwhile, Fang Xiaocao
She also exited the surveillance feed monitoring the fifth-floor hallway and switched to the hotel lobby cameras.
Like Tom, she had a gut feeling that Han Xue was already inside the hotel.
At the City Bureau
Upon hearing reports that nearly half of the Major Crimes Unit had been hospitalized—including Criminal Investigation Team Captain Song Lin and Major Crimes Unit leaders Wang Qiang and Luo Fei—the Bureau Chief was shocked.
He immediately demanded to know what had happened.
When he was briefed on the events, even the seasoned Bureau Chief, who had seen countless cases, was stunned.
The serial killer labeled dead long ago—who had committed numerous crimes across multiple provinces—was not only alive but had murdered a mother and her child before disguising herself and resurfacing in Tang City.
And worse, he was armed and extremely dangerous.
Hearing this, even the battle-hardened Bureau Chief broke into a cold sweat.
Luckily, Song Lin had recognized the criminal in time and organized a swift operation before the suspect could commit any further atrocities.
Though they paid a heavy price—with four officers shot—they had successfully captured Axi.
A significant loss, but also a great victory.
The most important thing was that no civilians were harmed.
The Bureau Chief immediately took charge of the case and dispatched officers to the hospital to check on Song Lin and the injured team members.
After reviewing Wang Qiang and Song Lin’s investigation process, the experienced Chief issued a series of decisive orders:
- A city-wide manhunt for the woman seen with Axi.
Cross-check her identity against databases of female fugitives.
If her identity matches any known criminal, she is to be arrested immediately.
- The Criminal Investigation Unit was split into three teams:
Team 1: Maintain surveillance at the hotel, in case Han Xue appears.
Team 2: Identify and track down the woman in question.
Team 3: Arrest the middle-aged man who provided a false alibi for Axi.
If he resisted, they had permission to use lethal force.
- The Bureau Chief himself would visit the hospital to check on Wang Qiang and discuss the next steps in the investigation.
With the Bureau Chief’s fury igniting a full-scale operation, the entire police department sprang into action.
At the same time, a heavily armed team from the Criminal Investigation Unit sped toward the apartment of the middle-aged man who had lied to protect Axi.
Meanwhile, another team worked tirelessly to identify the mysterious woman.
The hunt for Han Xue had officially begun.
(End of Chapter 154)
