Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 778 - 352 Arms Dealer

Chapter 778: Chapter 352 Arms Dealer

Maya paused for a second and said, "This NPC is the manager of the hotel’s public relations department. He mentions that a very distinguished guest will check into our hotel later in the evening. To welcome his arrival, the hotel manager had flowers and champagne sent over and conducted a thorough inspection of the VIP guest’s suite in room 2207 with the housekeeping manager."

Maya continued, "However, he couldn’t confirm how long the manager stayed. I suspect that even without the manager present, there would be information about him in room 2207."

Shana said, "You decide."

Maya replied, "Alright, you guys clear out this floor first. Snow Egg and I will take care of sending the NPC away."

Lin Wu reminded, "Remember to strip him of his clothes."

Maya acknowledged, "Understood."

Lin Sha then entered the adjacent human resources office. The office wasn’t large, with only four desks piled with paper materials. After a bout of rummaging, they didn’t find any NPC or valuables but stumbled upon a dismissal letter.

Shana announced, "The hotel manager has been fired."

Lin Wu took the letter and glanced at it, "That doesn’t quite add up. Although I’m not familiar with hotel operations, firing a hotel manager should involve more than just human resources sending out a dismissal letter, right?"

Shana explained, "The board of directors or the president no longer wishes to see the manager and had human resources notify him directly. It’s indeed uncommon. The normal process would be for the upper management to have a discussion with the manager, who would then resign voluntarily, preserving everyone’s dignity. The letter has been opened; is it possible that the manager has already read it?"

Lin Wu queried, "After reading the letter, could he have gone to confront the president? Where is the president’s office?"

The pair left the room and circled the hallway without spotting the president’s or general manager’s office. Shana called out, "Maya, calling Maya." Maya had already sent the NPC away without inquiring about this.

But there was no response from the distance.

Now, the manager might have gone to the VIP room 2207, the chaotic 17th floor, or the president’s office.

Before Maya returned, they found an NPC who answered a string of questions, "I am the assistant manager of the human resources department. The dismissal letter was commissioned by the president, who is abroad. The person replacing the manager is named John, who has been staying in the hotel for a week. He resides in room 405."

Damn, another option added to the list.

Lin Wu asked, "Under such circumstances, where would the manager go?"

The NPC replied, "The manager was mentally prepared for his dismissal, so he would likely focus on his work."

Shana inquired, "Why didn’t the president directly notify the manager, but had human resources do it instead?"

The NPC responded, "Perhaps to avoid an immediate conflict? The president specifically instructed that after handing the dismissal letter to the manager, two security guards should escort the manager to pack up his belongings until he leaves the hotel."

Shana confirmed, "So the manager was escorted away by security after reading the dismissal letter in human resources?"

The NPC affirmed, "Yes, they first took him back to his office to collect his personal items."

Lin Wu turned to Shana and said, "The manager’s desk still had his family photo on it."

Shana conjectured, "He went back to his own office with the security guards, and then there was an incident that required his attention, which could only be the event on the 17th floor."

Lin Wu speculated, "Could he have used the incident on the 17th floor as an excuse to get rid of the security guards, then killed John in room 405 who was supposed to replace him? Or could he have attacked the VIP in 2207 to tarnish the hotel’s reputation?"

After some thought, Shana said, "I can’t deny your reasoning makes sense, but how did you come up with these ideas?"

Lin Wu spread his hands, "The president being worried about a physical confrontation with such a high-ranking individual, deciding to fire him while abroad, and arranging for security to escort him out – it’s either to humiliate him or because the president understands him. Unless necessary, such humiliation by a president towards a subordinate would dishearten the others."

Shana admitted, "Analyzing it like that, I think you make a lot of sense."

Upon Maya’s return, after discussing with the team, Maya also thought Lin Wu’s analysis held some weight. There were definitely NPCs on the 4th floor worth checking out.

The third floor work was completed, rescuing 4 NPCs and acquiring $50,000 worth of goods. The total number of NPCs rescued now stood at 16.

...

The elevator ascended to the fourth floor, and as soon as the doors opened, both parties immediately entered a state of combat. This time, the opposition had added Titan into their ranks as a bargaining chip, hoping to crush Shadow Squad in one fell swoop. However, with Forest Wolf’s and Lock Head’s exceptional skills, Titan didn’t even get the chance to act before he was brought down by Lin Wu. Compared to Titan, the incessant assaults by the zombies posed a much greater challenge.

After the battle concluded, the four Shadow Squad members were unscathed, but their ammunition was running low. With some luck, they might be able to clear two more floors; without it, only one more.

The hotel’s living quarters were richer in content than the administrative floors because one never knew the identity of the guests. For instance, one of the rooms was occupied by a former World Cup-winning football team member, who was stripped on the spot as soon as he revealed his identity. It was common knowledge that even the fart of an idol could be worth thousands, let alone his personally worn and scented garments and footwear.

The reason they did not go directly to 405 was both that the door had been locked and they decided to leave it as a key point of interest for later. During the search, everyone was extremely cautious. There were minor battles, and hidden NPCs were rooted out from various corners of the fourth floor. Upon tallying up, they discovered as many as 10 individuals.

Among them was one particularly attention-grabbing, overweight man wearing a thick gold chain who looked every bit the bad guy; yet, he claimed to be a visiting professor from a major university, in town to give lectures. Under interrogation by Lin Wu and Snow Egg, he finally revealed his true identity. He was an arms dealer who, at the request of the local gang, had smuggled a shipment of weapons to the hotel’s underground parking garage. They had planned to transact the next morning.

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