Chapter 278 - 165: Unraveling the Truth (Part 2)

So, the other party must have been having a secret affair.

And so...

But that brought them back to the original question. If it was a secret affair, why bring the clothes home?

"So, let’s check the hourly rooms first."

Xu Huo spoke again.

"Maybe there... we’ll find everything we need to know."

’Would they... really?’

Li Jianye’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Zhao Shui, thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Investigate!"

...

...

Hourly rooms. In the world of booking rooms, these were the cheapest option available.

Typically, they were paid for in three-hour blocks.

Unlike standard twenty-four-hour rooms, their target clientele was naturally different.

Of course, to put it bluntly, they were places specifically for hookups.

These rooms could be a real pain—they weren’t very profitable, they interfered with the 24-hour room bookings, and they increased the workload. But if you opened them in the right location, they could be a gold mine.

For example, right outside a university.

Just take a look at the hotels near any school campus; a short walk around would be enough to find one offering hourly rates, thoughtfully stocked with tissues inside.

And, unsurprisingly, there would probably be an "adult self-service" vending machine next door.

So...

"There are a lot of hotels and inns around here, but only two of them offer hourly rooms."

"And on the path the deceased, Qin Zhong, was taking, there’s only one."

"The Jiale Hotel!"

「5:30 PM.」

Xu Huo and the others had moved to a new location. They were now standing inside a rather shabby hotel.

Compared to a proper hotel, the environment here was dirty, messy, and rundown, but you couldn’t beat the price.

Standing before Xu Huo was a terrified hotel owner, who was staring at the group, his forehead beaded with cold sweat...

"Let’s see Qin Zhong’s registration information."

Xu Huo paced back and forth in the hotel’s ground-floor hallway as he asked his questions.

The owner looked unwell, his face a little pale. "We... we don’t have a registration... log."

"You don’t?"

Xu Huo sized him up.

No registration log. In January of ’04, at least eighty percent of hotels didn’t require one.

’Is that any reason to look so terrified?’

’What... is he afraid of?’

Suddenly, something occurred to him. He paused to think, then activated [Joy Eye] in his mind, using his peripheral vision to scan the surroundings.

After a moment, Xu Huo narrowed his eyes and changed the subject:

"Do you have security cameras?"

The owner’s heart skipped a beat.

"Yes... yes..."

The hotel owner looked up at the camera he’d installed in the corner and gave an awkward laugh.

"Pull up the footage from August seventh, between 5:30 PM and 6:10 PM."

Xu Huo said slowly.

The owner stood up and shuffled tremblingly toward the computer at the front desk.

Behind him, Zhao Shui and Li Jianye eyed the man with suspicion.

’Does this guy... have Parkinson’s?’

’Not having a registration log would, at most, result in a small fine. Besides, he had security cameras, so why was he so scared?’

But they didn’t dwell on it, as their attention was soon drawn to something else.

"It really is Qin Zhong!"

Suddenly, Li Jianye’s pupils contracted. He rushed to the computer to get a better look.

On the computer screen, a man in a face mask was standing at the front desk, paying for something.

The resolution was low and the image was blurry, but the plastic bag the man was carrying looked very familiar!

That was Qin Zhong!

He really had come to an hourly room. Did that mean he and the third party in this crime of passion had gotten a room here?!

They watched as Qin Zhong entered the third room on the ground floor.

Li Jianye held his breath, his focus intensifying.

Until...

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Li Jianye and Zhao Shui froze.

On the screen, the footage clearly showed Qin Zhong pushing the door open and leaving.

"Wait, what’s going on? No one else went in!"

In an instant, a stunned Li Jianye shot his head up to look at Xu Huo.

That was right. Even though they were fast-forwarding, it was perfectly clear that from the moment Qin Zhong entered the hourly room to the moment he left, no second person ever went inside!

’If there was no second person...’

’...then who was the third party?!’

Just as Li Jianye’s mind was racing, a voice suddenly cut in.

"Alright, now pull up the video from inside the hourly room between 5:30 and 6:10."

Xu Huo spoke again.

At these words, Li Jianye and Zhao Shui were completely baffled.

Video from inside the hourly room?

How could there possibly be a camera in there?!

’Would you put a camera in your own bedroom... oh, wait, Xu Huo actually did put a camera in his bedroom.’

’But he had a good reason for it. And that’s to say nothing of a place with a... special purpose... like an hourly room.’

"My patience isn’t the best. I suggest you pull it up."

Xu Huo offered a pleasant smile. He sat in a chair, watching the owner, who was shaking like a leaf.

"Off-officer, you must be joking. We’re a legitimate business, how could we possibly have footage from..."

The owner said in a low voice, but unfortunately for him, his nerves weren’t very steady.

Seeing his deathly pale face, Li Jianye and Zhao Shui now realized the gravity of the situation.

’This guy... is hiding something!’

At this thought, Li Jianye narrowed his eyes and gave Zhao Shui a look. Zhao Shui subtly moved to cut off the owner’s escape route.

"Are you determined to do this the hard way?"

Xu Huo shot back.

This time, before the owner could speak, Xu Huo turned to Li Jianye and said:

"Captain Li, do you know what the most profitable business is for places like hourly rooms, inns, hotels, and guesthouses?"

"The most profitable business?"

Li Jianye, whose attention had been completely focused, was taken aback. He answered instinctively, "The room fees?"

"Wrong."

"It’s selling videos!"

Xu Huo said sharply. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by a scornful expression and an icy glint in his eyes.