Chapter 179: Coincidence (4)
Chapter 179: Coincidence (4)
Tsushuan had been determined to make a move on Sitri from the moment he saw her.
After escorting her to her room, he returned to the front desk to resume his duties.
‘Damn it, time is dragging like hell today!’
Even though only a few minutes had passed, Tsushuan kept checking his watch. He couldn't wait for his shift to end so he could go see Sitri.
The other male employees working the desk with him were also captivated by Sitri’s beauty. They looked at Tsushuan, who had been the one to welcome her, with a mix of envy and jealousy.
In truth, if they weren't on the clock, they would have rushed over to ask him about her right then and there.
As for the female employees, Sitri was so mesmerizing that they didn't even feel jealous. If anything, they simply felt a desire to become friends with her.
Sitri possessed a pale complexion and a beauty that seemed frail, yet she carried an aura that commanded respect.
While Tsushuan was busy attending to guests and wishing for time to move faster, a group of men approached him, causing him to instinctively gulp.
They had the builds of men who exercised heavily, and tattoos were visible on their necks and arms. When he spotted a black tattoo resembling a scorpion's tail on one of their necks, he realized they were members of the Triad, notorious throughout Shanghai.
“How may I help you?”
Tsushuan usually greeted guests politely, but this time, he lowered himself excessively.
“Come with us. We need to talk.”
He considered calling Public Security, but since they were in league with the Triad and no major disturbance had occurred yet, he had no grounds. Moreover, as long as he lived in Shanghai, getting on their bad side meant a high probability of retaliation.
As an ordinary citizen, it was only natural for him to feel intimidated and shrink back.
Helplessly, Tsushuan was led to the restroom by the Triad members.
After chasing out everyone else using the facilities, they got straight to the point.
“The woman with the purple hair you checked in earlier. Which room is she in?”
They had been sitting in the lobby and watched Sitri speak to Tsushuan before being led upstairs. Knowing he obviously knew her room number, they had dragged him away to get that information.
Tsushuan realized they were after the purple-haired beauty he had escorted. Naturally, he wanted Sitri all to himself and didn't want to tell them.
However, the thought that he wouldn't leave the room in one piece if he resisted filled his mind.
Looking at the menacing aura of the Triad members surrounding him and guarding the restroom entrance, he couldn't find the courage to refuse.
‘It can’t be helped…’
Tsushuan immediately abandoned the idea of keeping Sitri to himself.
But he didn't want to give her up entirely. To be precise, he wanted to violate her at least once.
As a philanderer who had seduced countless women, his interest in Sitri was closer to raw lust than any normal feeling of love. Tsushuan was a good-looking punk whose mind worked quickly when it came to devious schemes.
He cautiously opened his mouth.
“I can tell you the room… but could you let me in on it too?”
“What? This brat wants to cut a deal with us? Are you crazy?”
“Maybe he needs a broken bone to come to his senses.”
Incensed by Tsushuan’s audacity, the Triad members began to threaten and intimidate him.
Though he was trembling from the sheer pressure, Tsushuan summoned his courage, unable to let go of Sitri. His breathing became ragged as he was hoisted up by his collar, but he managed to squeeze out the words.
“I-I’ll cooperate.”
Jang Wei, the highest-ranking member among the Triads who had followed Sitri, raised a hand.
“Hold on. Cooperate?”
Released from the grip, Tsushuan hurriedly explained to Jang Wei.
“Yes. That woman came to the hotel in a hurry, likely because she lost her belongings or was pickpocketed during the anomaly today. She has nothing on her.”
Jang Wei, stroking his well-groomed goatee, eyes gleamed at the information. It meant she had no ID, no money, and likely no smartphone.
The Triads hadn't planned on just raping her once; they were already planning a kidnapping, and this made things even easier.
“The hotel room is even registered under my name.”
Hearing this, one of the Triad members said with a lewd smirk, “Heh… this kid was planning to lay her himself.”
“T-That’s right.”
As the atmosphere relaxed slightly, the tension finally left Tsushuan’s face.
The Triad members realized exactly what Tsushuan wanted, and Jang Wei figured this worked out even better. Even though they were Triad members who ruled the Shanghai underworld, forcibly kidnapping a woman from a luxury hotel carried risks. If witnesses spread the word and caused a stir, it could become a problem.
To kidnap her without a commotion, having the help of a hotel employee was the best-case scenario, and now Tsushuan was offering it himself.
“Fine. We’ll let you in on it.”
“Then, as soon as I finish my shift, I’ll grab the spare key and we can go to her room together. I specifically chose the most luxurious room with perfect soundproofing.”
Tsushuan proposed the very plan he had intended to carry out alone to the Triad members.
He had planned to visit Sitri’s room with the spare key right after work, try a "gentle" approach, and then use force if necessary. That was why he had been so anxious for his shift to end.
‘It’s a waste, but it can’t be helped…’
He regretted not having her to himself, but Tsushuan was desperate to have her any way he could.
The Triad members all wore triumphant smirks, thinking how well things were going.
“When do you get off?”
“The shift change is at 11:00.”
“Hmm… still quite a bit of time left. Let’s go grab some food first.”
Jang Wei spoke to his subordinates leisurely, already considering Sitri as good as caught.
“Haha, boss! Let’s do that!”
They were disappointed they couldn't go to her right away, but it was fine since they could spend the whole night with her using the help of the hotel employee.
While they were out eating, they planned to prepare a vehicle and drugs to secretly smuggle her out of the hotel the next day.
Having finished their discussion, the Triad members and Tsushuan walked out of the restroom laughing.
The Triad members headed out of the hotel, and Tsushuan returned to the front desk.
The other employees had been worried about him, but seeing him return unharmed and seemingly fine, they felt relieved. Since guests were currently flooding in, they didn't have a chance to talk to him.
“I have a reservation for Room 808.”
As soon as Tsushuan returned to the desk, he attended to a group consisting of one man and three women.
After confirming everything was in order, he handed over the key.
The guests he received were none other than Han Shin’s party.
If not for the Perception Distortion Artifact, Tsushuan would have been losing his mind over the beauty of Kang Yujin, Grace, and Laysia, and would have tried to use the Triad to get to them too.
However, because he perceived them as very ordinary people, they didn't leave much of an impression. He moved on to the next guest, praying for time to fly.
‘I’m really looking forward to tonight… hehe…’
Having participated in several orgies before, he worked with renewed vigor, imagining the group violation of the beautiful Sitri.
★ ★ ★
Han Shin’s party crossed paths with the Triad members as they entered the hotel lobby.
They weren't extremely close, but at a distance of about five meters—close enough to see them clearly—Han Shin instantly realized they weren't good people.
Because he was naturally observant and had been trained by Grace and Laysia to always analyze and remember his surroundings, he was certain they were a bad lot just by looking at their builds and features.
He saw tattoos and scars, and their eyes held an arrogance and violence that set them apart from ordinary people.
Grace and Laysia also recognized them as thugs but didn't pay them much mind.
To them, these were beings who couldn't even lay a finger on them. They were here to investigate potential plots by Demons or Demonic Humans, not to worry about petty criminals.
If those men had been intimidating civilians or causing a scene right in front of them, they wouldn't have stood by, but since they were just passing through, there was no reason to interfere.