It was already past midnight.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

It had been five or six hours since the last meal, and the entire Five-star Hotel had been under military lockdown for almost nine hours. The guests who were still alive were as listless as they could be.

Fear, torment, death—all sorts of emotions that challenged the limits of rationality flooded their minds and bodies. Those who had managed to hold on until now were the ones with remarkable perseverance.

And, naturally, they were all hungry.

Xu Shuo would never let his stomach suffer. So as soon as it started growling, he timely suggested going to the kitchen to eat something.

The Special Envoy was now in a Buddha-like state of mind; with nothing else to do, he decided to also go down and eat.

As for the Capital Commandant, he simply had some business to take care of outside, so he came along since it was on the way.

The secretary was handling the affairs of the entire hotel. Any guests who had died in the earlier chaos were promptly sent out, and then he directed the cleaning of bloodstains and continued searching for suspect areas.

However, the thick smell of blood and death seemed as if it had marinated the hotel thoroughly.

Whether the hotel could continue operating after dawn was a question.

When there had been neither a power outage nor an exchange of gunfire, the hotel manager dared to complain a little in the face of the military. But now, he wouldn’t dare utter a single word.

If the political celebrities could die, what was he, a mere civilian?

After respectfully watching the Capital Commandant leave through the main entrance, the hotel manager looked at the two guests in the kitchen and said with a bitter smile, "Due to this incident, all the dinner we had prepared earlier is now past its time."

Xu Shuo waved his hand and said warmly, "It’s fine, as long as it’s edible. If there are still ingredients, I’ll make something myself."

"Of course, of course!"

That was the man who had been always following the Capital Commandant, and the hotel manager dared not refuse him. He handed over the entire kitchen to him.

The Special Envoy was holding a piece of dessert in hand. After tasting it, she didn’t notice any change in flavor and began eating right away.

What the hotel manager meant by "expired" was probably that the food had just passed its optimal consumption period. These upscale hotels always fretted over such things.

As she ate, she looked toward Doctor Kong, and seeing him roll up his sleeves to wash the vegetables, she found it somewhat surprising, "You, a doctor, also do the work of a chef?"

"How novel," Xu Shuo remarked. "I, a doctor, somehow manage to get sick too."

The Special Envoy shrugged her shoulders and wandered around the kitchen, casually looking for something to eat.

After having nearly finished eating, she reluctantly wandered over to the disaster-stricken lobby and watched the guests who were being helped by the hotel staff to dress their wounds.

At that moment, Xu Shuo suddenly sought out the hotel manager and said, "I see that the food you all prepared earlier is still edible. Why not just heat it up and give the officers and guests outside a meal? They probably haven’t eaten anything until now either."

Taken aback by the suggestion, the hotel manager said he would have to go out and ask the secretary of the military area, as he definitely could not make this decision on his own.

Busy with sealing off the hotel’s affairs, the secretary had also gone almost thirteen hours without eating since noon until midnight. The same was true for the soldiers guarding the hotel.

Their stomachs were truly as empty as they could possibly be.

If an enemy appeared, they probably wouldn’t have the strength to fight.

So after considering it, the secretary decided to arrange for the soldiers to take turns on guard duty, and gave everyone five minutes to fill their stomachs.

The hotel manager hurried to set out all the previously prepared dinner dishes, and a group of people took turns eating in the hotel lobby under the dim light of flashlights.

This scene somewhat dissipated the oppressive atmosphere.

It was at this time that a figure stealthily slipped into the kitchen.

However, after he quickly scanned the entire kitchen, he did not see that certain person’s figure, and just as he was feeling puzzled, Doctor Kong walked out of the cold storage room through a side door.

In his hand was a plate of stir-fried vegetables with eggs.

Coming out from the cold storage with a plate of stir-fried food... something seemed amiss?

"You’re here."

When Xu Shuo saw the person dressed in military garb appear, he showed no trace of surprise, just scrutinizing the man’s face for a moment.

The Male Waiter cautiously looked at the lobby and asked, "You knew I would come?"

"You just helped me with something, so of course, you’d come to get the information, right?" Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow.

"..." It did seem that way.

"So where’s the information you promised me?" the Male Waiter asked with a stern face.

"Don’t rush. How about you help me taste this egg dish and I’ll tell you?" Xu Shuo pointed to the plate in his hand, his gaze burning into him.

"I won’t eat!"

The Male Waiter rejected instantaneously.

Who knew whether there was poison in that dish?

Xu Shuo looked somewhat regretful as he set the eggs aside, then said, "Alright, I’ll tell you. Your contact person is Manager Zhang of Tengxing Trading Company, currently in the basement of Room 3, Lane 36, Xinye Central Street."

The Male Waiter carefully took note in his mind, but his face still showed a hint of doubt, "Really there?"

Could it be a trick?

It wasn’t another organization’s headquarters, was it?

"Believe it or not," Xu Shuo said while he unconsciously picked up a chopstickful of the stir-fried eggs, but before he could eat it, he subtly put it down again.

The Male Waiter still seemed hesitant.

Thinking it over, Xu Shuo kindly added, "That place is a temporary base for the Radiant Corps – very high in terms of security and concealment. Once you get there, you can hide for a while, wait until this incident is over. I tell you this much only as a thank you for passing on the message."