I Am Extraordinary Alone
Chapter 474 - 472: Deadly Interview

Chapter 474: Chapter 472: Deadly Interview

The number of children at the Pei Guode Hotel was growing.

Floors 21 to 22 were fully occupied, and their movements were restricted to the floors above, with no permission to go downstairs or leave the premises. Yet within the space above the 21st floor, they were free.

Some nearby residents had seen Wei Tianyang flying into the hotel with children on multiple occasions, but their reports vanished into thin air. With no choice left, the residents sought help from the media.

However, all interviews regarding Pei Guode were blocked by government departments, and any journalist who got close to the hotel was taken away by the secret police. The President of Eltoya even specifically wrote an article attacking this matter, branding it as conspiracy theorism.

Yet, the more the government obstructed and silenced the issue, the more the local and freelance media were filled with a desire to conquer. This black building received too much protection and favoritism from the government, and the identities of those entering the hotel were either too distinguished or notoriously infamous. What secrets did it hold inside?

This question had troubled Tess for six long years. The Pei Guode Hotel had been under construction since her student days and now had been in operation for over six years. The legends that surrounded the hotel were numerous. The owner of the hotel was a handsome blonde man who called himself Rada Gan, the True God from the scriptures, but rumors suggested that the real owner wasn’t him, but someone else.

After graduating with a degree in journalism, Tess had always wanted to seize an opportunity to enter the hotel and interview the real owner.

Easier said than done. Even Rada Gan had barely crossed her path, let alone the mysterious person behind it all.

The editor-in-chief of the media company she worked for had advised her not to take too much interest in that hotel. Being a journalist with a keen intuition for news was good, but ensuring her safety was also crucial.

Evidently, the government and they themselves wouldn’t want this mystery unraveled, and the continuous stream of prominent guests was not something the average person could meddle with.

However, young Tess simply took her editor’s warnings as signs that he had grown old and lost the spine and adventurous spirit of a journalist. Moreover, the recent rumors about child abductions at the Pei Guode Hotel weren’t baseless. If she could unearth the secrets behind the hotel and interview the real owner, she might even be awarded the highest honor a journalist could receive: the Pulitzer Prize.

For this, she had prepared for a full year, using all her free time to observe the hotel and interviewing all the alleged eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen the flying man.

She had secretly placed video cameras near the hotel in hopes of capturing footage of the rooftop flyer, but by the next day, the video cameras would vanish without a trace, proving the hotel did indeed have secrets that shouldn’t be disclosed.

Since that was the case, Tess turned to taking pictures secretly by herself. For six months, she hid in nearby buildings, cafes across from the hotel, and took advantage of moments passing by on public transport... She used these times and spaces to take countless photos and videos.

She was confident that she had captured something of great value.

It was half-past twelve at noon, at the Felda local lifestyle news agency.

Tess burst into her editor-in-chief Bagley’s office, who was holding a Quick Cup coffee paper cup and watching soap operas on his laptop.

"Tess?! This is lunch break!" Bagley spread his hands and said.

"You have no idea what I’ve captured." Tess pulled out her tablet from her bag.

Bagley sighed.

Tess placed the tablet on Bagley’s desk; the photo gallery was filled with organized photo information.

"Forget about that hotel, you’re testing their patience," Bagley said.

"What patience?! Have you forgotten about the freedom of the press?! Forgotten the mission of a journalist?!" Tess challenged.

"There has never been freedom in the news! Young lady! You must distinguish between what should be said and what can be said!" Bagley said.

"I only want the truth, and if the truth is harmful, then I intend to expose it," Tess said.

Bao Li knew he couldn’t convince Tess, so he could only shake his head and pick up the tablet.

His face appeared somewhat puzzled as he looked at photo after photo.

"What is this?" Bao Li asked.

In dozens of consecutive photos, the same white-haired woman was pictured riding on a black goat through the alley behind the Pei Guode Hotel. The time of her outings was very consistent, always around 1 p.m., and three hours later, the black goat would carry her back to the alley.

"Many people on the street recognize her. They say she’s the sister of their boss, Rada Gan," Bao Li said.

"That’s not the point," Tess chuckled.

Bao Li continued flipping through the photos, and this time, the angle of the pictures had changed. Over ten successive photos showed that when the white-haired woman rode the black goat back, she didn’t enter the hotel’s back door but instead went into an apartment building next door.

"I bet there’s a secret passage leading to the hotel inside that apartment building," Tess said.

"I know what you’re up to, Tess, and it’s dangerous. You’d best not do it!" Bao Li grew serious.

He was very aware of what this young girl might do, just like when he was young, a blind sense of mission combined with the restlessness typical of youth could easily lead someone down a dead end.

"I can bypass the hotel’s front desk and go straight up," Tess said.

"But have you considered that there might be guards in the back as well? As soon as you enter the hotel, they’ll discover you," Bao Li said.

"There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll tell them I’m there to interview their boss. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll simply be kicked out. If that’s the case, I’ll figure something else out," Tess said.

"It’s not that simple! Tess! You could be silenced!" Bao Li shouted angrily.

"They wouldn’t dare to do that. The hotel is in plain sight on the main street. How would they dispose of a body? Besides, I’m just a reporter; they wouldn’t go to such lengths for me. It’s fine, Bao Li," Tess said.

"You’re oversimplifying the world," Bao Li said, shaking his head.

"You’re overthinking it, old man. Just wait until I bring back an exclusive for the newspaper. Then you’ll all be thanking me," Tess laughed.

She turned and left, leaving Bao Li behind her, incessantly offering his unsolicited advice.

Two days later, on a gloomy afternoon, Tess arrived at the café opposite the Pei Guode Hotel.

At 3:30 p.m., the black goat, with an egg tart in its mouth and the white-haired woman on its back, entered the hotel’s back street at its leisurely pace. As the goat was well-known on this street, it could always scrounge some food and drinks here, the only cost being stroked horns and petted wool on its rear.

Tess put away her phone, and as the goat walked into the darkened stairwell, she quickly followed.

A mix of trepidation and excitement filled her heart, the reporter’s drive to uncover the truth, and the common curiosity for the bizarre, stimulating her every nerve.

"I’m here, Pei Guode. Let’s see your secrets!"