Chapter 140: The Power Behind Han Xue Emerges
After sending the message, Fang Xiaocao placed her phone on the bed, massaged her temples, and began pondering her plan—specifically, how much Tom could actually accomplish.
A sudden sense of guilt crept over her.
Her so-called “plan” was nothing more than giving Tom a vague direction; it lacked any concrete steps or detailed actions.
It was like she was an awful boss, and Tom was just another overworked employee.
She gave the orders, and he had to run around getting everything done.
Tom, after reading through her “plan,” fell into a brief silence, feeling the weight of becoming a corporate slave.
After a moment of thought, he sent a reply.
[Tom: Princess, I need some time to consider the specific steps of the operation carefully.]
Seeing Tom’s message, Fang Xiaocao smirked.
“No wonder so many people love being the boss. Giving orders while others do all the work—it really does feel pretty nice.”
She giggled to herself.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, someone knocked on her door.
Hearing the sound, Fang Xiaocao tensed up, snapping her gaze toward the entrance.
She hesitated briefly before cautiously approaching the door.
“Who is it?” she asked, keeping her body hidden inside the bathroom rather than standing directly in front of the door.
She was too valuable a target now.
Plenty of assassins were lined up, waiting for their chance to kill her.
One bullet in exchange for a pile of cash.
Standing in front of the door was a risk. If the person outside was an assassin, a single shot could tear through the flimsy hotel door, and the wooden resistance might even cause the bullet to lodge inside her body.
“Hello, this is your room service.”
A voice responded from outside.
“Room service?”
Fang Xiaocao was momentarily stunned.
“Please open the door. I provided housekeeping service for you earlier this afternoon.”
The person outside spoke with a polite smile.
Fang Xiaocao paused again.
Then, realization struck her—her eyes lit up.
It must be Wang Qiang’s people delivering her food.
“Alright, wait a moment. I’m in the bathroom.”
She called out.
“No problem, ma’am.”
The voice responded promptly.
Fang Xiaocao flushed the toilet for effect, then stepped out of the bathroom and opened the door.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
She greeted with a bright smile.
“No worries, ma’am.”
The person outside, disguised as a hotel housekeeper, responded with a professional grin.
They handed her a plastic bag containing a boxed meal and subtly signaled her with their eyes.
Fang Xiaocao accepted the meal and smiled.
“Thank you for making the trip.”
“Serving our guests is my duty.”
The disguised investigator replied.
“Enjoy your stay, ma’am. If you need anything, feel free to contact the front desk.”
They delivered the standard hotel staff script flawlessly.
“Goodbye!”
Fang Xiaocao responded and closed the door.
From outside, the sound of a housekeeping cart being pushed away gradually faded.
“They’re really professional.”
She muttered before carrying the meal to the bedside table, sitting down, and starting to eat.
Her stomach had been growling for a while.
She had been so focused on thinking earlier that she had ignored her hunger.
As she ate, she continued strategizing her next move while waiting for Tom’s update.
Hotel Surveillance Room
The ashtray in front of Song Lin was overflowing with cigarette butts.
Seeing the boy suspected to be Axi had shaken him to his core.
“Captain Song, the food has been delivered to Fang Xiaocao.”
A voice crackled from the walkie-talkie on the desk.
The message pulled Song Lin back to reality.
“Copy that.”
He picked up the walkie-talkie and responded before setting it down again, lost in thought.
Right now, he still couldn’t confirm whether that eight-year-old boy was truly Axi.
He couldn’t take any action against him yet.
The priority was verifying the identities of the so-called mother and son.
He had to confirm the suspicious points about them.
Until their identities were established, he couldn’t alert them.
Even if they were confirmed, Song Lin wouldn’t act recklessly against Axi.
No one knew better than him just how dangerous that man was.
Axi was a ruthless, cold-blooded killer.
Whenever he thought of Axi, the gruesome image of that elderly couple’s tragic death resurfaced in his mind.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Lin picked up his phone.
Scrolling through his WeChat contacts, he found Shi Guang’s name.
He sent a voice message.
“Shi Guang, have you confirmed the identities of that mother and son?”
A response came quickly.
“Captain Song, not yet. I’ve been trying to contact their supposed family members, but I haven’t been able to reach them.”
“Hurry up.”
Song Lin replied, then put down his phone.
Meanwhile—In Another Corner of Tang City
Inside a luxurious penthouse, three people—a middle-aged man and an elderly couple—were bound and lying on the floor.
Two other men—one young and punk-styled, the other an overweight man—stood nearby.
“Didn’t expect the cops to suspect their identities so quickly. Their instincts are pretty damn sharp.”
The punk-styled young man lounged on the couch, glancing playfully at the bound middle-aged man writhing on the floor.
“What do we do with these three?”
“Kill them?”
The fat man, rummaging through the fridge, casually asked.
“They can’t die just yet.”
“Who knows if the cops will come knocking?”
“Get some of the special medicine from home. Have someone deliver it.”
The punk hesitated before giving the order.
“Do we really have to go that far?”
“That stuff is expensive, and we don’t have much left.”
The fat man mumbled with a mouth full of food.
“Quit whining. Just do it.”
The punk snapped.
“Fine, fine…”
The fat man sighed and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.
Five minutes later, a deliveryman knocked on the penthouse door.
The punk walked over, checked the peephole, and confirmed it was one of their own before unlocking the door.
“Three pills.”
The deliveryman handed over a small package, his face expressionless.
“Appreciate it.”
The punk took the bag and shut the door.
“Fatty, help me get this into them.”
Ripping open the packaging, he pulled out three small red pills sealed in a plastic pouch.
The fat man, still stuffing his face, wiped his greasy hands on his shirt and trudged toward the bound family.
“On it…”
(End of Chapter 140)
