Chapter 210: Tom’s Dark Humor
Tom lifted Wan Xiaozhou off his shoulder and switched to a princess carry, carefully avoiding surveillance as he circled the area. After ensuring no one was following them, he slipped into the back alley of a still-operating bar.
A few minutes later, Tom supported Wan Xiaozhou as they exited the bar, posing as customers who had just left. He then headed toward the nearest budget hotel.
This time, Tom didn’t evade the security cameras.
After leaving the bar alley, he intentionally appeared multiple times in front of the bar’s surveillance cameras, creating the illusion that he had been having a good time inside and had simply “picked up” a passed-out girl on his way out.
At the hotel reception, Tom used Wan Xiaozhou’s ID to book a room. Under the lecherous gaze of the middle-aged receptionist, he grabbed a box of contraceptives from the counter, scanned it for payment, and then carried the unconscious Wan Xiaozhou upstairs with the room key in hand.
The receptionist reluctantly withdrew his gaze from Xiaozhou’s figure and smacked his lips.
“Tsk tsk~”
“Lucky bastard. Picking up a girl this stunning just like that!”
His voice carried a hint of jealousy and regret, as if he wished he could kick Tom aside and take his place.
Tom found the room, swiped the keycard to unlock the door, and brought Xiaozhou inside. However, he didn’t immediately turn on the power.
He first helped her onto the bed.
After dropping her onto the mattress, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, beginning a careful sweep of the room.
The budget hotel room wasn’t very spacious.
Even though Tom had booked a room with a queen-sized bed, the total space was only around 20 square meters. Aside from the bed, there was only a TV cabinet, a nightstand, and a small glass-walled bathroom near the entrance.
It was compact yet simple, and at least the hygiene was acceptable—there were no lingering traces of previous guests like in some seedy motels.
Not that Tom cared.
A bed was still better than crouching in the wilderness during past missions, with nothing but the sky as his blanket and the ground as his mattress, waiting endlessly for a target to appear.
Besides, Tom hadn’t come to the hotel to do anything to Xiaozhou.
He was merely lying low, waiting for dawn.
And in the meantime, he planned to enjoy his masterpiece.
He was eager to see who would be the first unlucky soul to discover Xiaozhou’s car and trigger the farewell gift he had left behind.
As a professional assassin—a bomb enthusiast—nothing pleased Tom more than admiring his own handiwork.
This hotel had been chosen specifically as a vantage point. His room allowed him to oversee the small alleyway a few hundred meters away with the help of a special device.
But before settling in to watch the show, Tom needed to deal with an issue first.
The perverted receptionist had likely installed hidden cameras in the room.
Tom had no intention of leaving behind unnecessary evidence.
After all, his current cover story was that of a scummy bar-hopper who had just “picked up” a passed-out beauty like Xiaozhou.
If, in front of the hidden cameras, he acted completely indifferent toward her, it would break his cover.
That would be unacceptable to a professional assassin.
Now, Tom had two choices.
He could either maintain his persona as a creep:
- Play along and leave the cameras untouched, giving the perverted receptionist exactly what he wanted—a live show proving his “pick-up” was real.
- Destroy the hidden cameras, ensuring that the receptionist’s sick fantasies amounted to nothing and costing him a small loss.
Either way, the receptionist wouldn’t know if Tom had actually done anything to Xiaozhou. Tomorrow, with a bit of acting, Tom could maintain his cover without leaving any incriminating evidence.
Between the two options, Tom chose the latter.
He had no interest in putting on a live performance for a disgusting middle-aged voyeur.
Tom didn’t even need to go downstairs to check—he could already picture the receptionist, eyes glued to the computer screen, eagerly waiting for his “entertainment.”
He could also imagine the man’s frustration when the screen remained pitch black, his fingers twitching with impatience as he considered rushing up to turn on the lights himself.
Beep beep beep—
Suddenly, the device in Tom’s hand emitted a faint alarm. That sound indicated a hidden camera. Had it been a listening device, the alert would have been a deep thud-thud-thud.
Tom paused, glancing at the screen.
A red dot was flashing rapidly, indicating the hidden camera’s location—right in front of him.
He raised an eyebrow and looked up.
Underneath the TV, a tiny red light was flickering within an electrical socket facing the bed.
It was a high-quality, remotely controlled infrared camera, currently in operation.
Tom smirked coldly. “Tsk, I underestimated that sleazy old man. He actually invested in some decent equipment for his voyeurism.”
He knew that at this very moment, his every move was being transmitted in high definition to the receptionist’s computer screen.
Tom lifted a hand and waved at the hidden camera, then his expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he tore the device from the socket, leaving the perverted receptionist with one final eerie smile.
Before the feed cut off, the last thing displayed on the screen was Tom’s face—twisted into a sinister, devilish grin.
The receptionist’s scalp tingled instantly.
His heart nearly stopped.
That smile was terrifying.
It resembled the twisted expressions of possessed characters in horror films.
It was the same deranged grin that serial killers wore when they locked eyes with their prey.
Cold sweat soaked through the receptionist’s shirt. His hands trembled as he quickly shut off his monitor.
Meanwhile, Tom did another thorough sweep of the room.
Once he was sure there were no more hidden cameras, he put away his device and walked to the window, drawing the curtains—leaving just a small gap for observation.
Then, from his pocket, he pulled out an eyeglass case, took out a pair of glasses, and put them on.
With a few taps on the frame, the lenses projected a live feed, displaying a clear view of the alley where Xiaozhou’s car was parked.
(End of Chapter 210)
