Chapter 79: Chapter 76: Dongri Grand Hotel!
Monday night, late at night.
A nearly hundred-meter tall building overlooked the entirety of Chengyang City like a watchtower, filled with people in suits and ties.
This is the Dongri Grand Hotel.
It stands proudly on the busiest commercial street in Chengyang City, becoming the landmark of this place.
Wu Liang looked at the dazzling sign in the distance and awkwardly adjusted the tie around his neck.
This suit was bought last year for a childhood friend’s wedding, and he hadn’t worn something so formal in a long time, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
He still preferred loose casual wear, which was great both for moving around and for comfort.
Just as he adjusted himself and walked over, a smiling, uniformed attendant approached him.
"Hello, sir. May I ask which banquet you are a guest of? Do you have an invitation? I can take you to the venue." The attendant courteously asked Wu Liang.
As a top-tier hotel, banquet reservations needed to be made well in advance.
Coincidentally, two big personalities had booked today, so it was necessary to confirm which guest belonged to which event.
Fortunately, the hotel was large, capable of hosting multiple events for such big names, and could easily accommodate two banquets simultaneously.
Of course, they also needed to confirm if he was indeed a guest.
"My name is Wu Liang, no invitation, but you can check which banquet has my name," he replied.
With that, Wu Liang looked at the attendant with a profound expression, feeling a bad premonition.
Sure enough, upon hearing the name, the attendant checked the guest list.
Then, enthusiastically said, "Hello, Mr. Wu, Mr. Qin’s banquet is on the fourth floor, let me take you there!"
The attendant led the way, while Wu Liang followed behind, shaking his head with a sense of foreboding.
His name was indeed on the list!
Looking at the magnificent hall decorations, the vast reliefs, and invaluable porcelain displays, Wu Liang’s thoughts drifted back to the moment he discovered a problem before departing—
His original plan was to wait for Nightmare to locate those in the city tainted with the Monkey Claw’s aura, and then this morning enter the Dongri Grand Hotel ahead of time to find what Jiang Tao Hong had hidden.
Unexpectedly, when he called the hotel, he was told it was closed for a private event today!
At that moment, Wu Liang felt something was off; the banquet was supposed to start on Tuesday, so who would spend a fortune to book the Dongri Grand Hotel today?
This wasn’t a small expense!
But since he couldn’t enter the hotel by normal means, Wu Liang decided to take another approach and use the Mist Ghost’s ability to sneak in at night and investigate.
But then an even stranger thing happened—
As he was about to leave, Nightmare suddenly alerted him: "Boss, the people you asked me to mark have gathered together."
This left Wu Liang utterly puzzled.
Nightmare had marked a total of 56 people.
The only scenario that would gather them all together would be the banquet on Tuesday.
But today is Monday!
And when Nightmare mentioned the location, it was still the Dongri Grand Hotel, leaving Wu Liang completely stunned.
In his mind, there was only one possibility—the banquet date had been moved up by a day!
"This isn’t good! There are only two possibilities for rescheduling a booked banquet—either the ’Promised Land’s plan changed, or they noticed something and adjusted the schedule to prevent issues." Wu Liang reasoned.
Noticed something? The only variable at this banquet, so far, seems to be him!
If the Promised Land had discovered something amiss, then they must suspect him already.
Thus, instead of using the Mist Ghost’s abilities to sneak in at night, Wu Liang wore a suit and acted as if he were genuinely attending the banquet to test the waters.
And now the worst-case scenario had come to light.
His name was on the guest list!
"So, even if they’ve found out about my issues, they don’t care at all?" Wu Liang’s expression darkened slightly.
Such actions mean either the Promised Land is incredibly foolish, or they don’t consider him a threat, believing the variable he represents is of no concern.
Rather than guarding against him quietly playing hide and seek inside the hotel, they chose a confident, direct invitation!
"How interesting, just like that Monkey Claw attack before. He had barely interacted with Chen Lili for a night before they came knocking."
And during this time, both Li Xiyue and Zhang Hang were under official protective investigation, and Chen Lili’s memory had no indication of revealing his actions.
So, what exactly was the Promised Land’s method of observation?
This was like bats in the dark; when everyone else was clueless, only they moved freely in the shadows, observing everyone.
The city’s shadows were their best camouflage.
......
His thoughts returned to the present as Wu Liang, following the guide, entered the elevator, and soon arrived in front of a grand, shimmering door on the fourth floor.
The door was already open, with smiling attendants on both sides welcoming the guests.
At a glance, the central part of the venue featured two pillars reaching up to the ceiling, surrounded by a circular counter, with a bartender standing behind each side, skillfully mixing drinks.
The hollow pillars were filled with a dazzling array of fine wines, most of which Wu Liang couldn’t even name, but they were definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people in a lifetime.
Above were dazzling crystal chandeliers, tables long enough to fit a whole feast, and the walls adorned with paintings by famous artists.
The scenes everywhere accentuated the extravagance of the banquet.
"Hello, Mr. Wu, this is Mr. Qin’s banquet. I’ll take my leave now." The attendant smiled slightly and prepared to walk away after leading Wu Liang to the entrance.
But Wu Liang stopped him and, somewhat uncertainly, inquired, "I’d like to consult your hotel. The banquet was supposed to be booked for tomorrow, right? When was it changed to today?"
For a venue of this level, the so-called ’Mr. Qin’ must have booked it at least a week or even a month in advance, and any temporary changes to the reservation time would surely be recorded by the hotel.
Unexpectedly, the attendant replied, "Sorry, Mr. Wu, the banquet at Dongri was always scheduled for today, never modified."
Upon hearing this, Wu Liang frowned in thought.
No modifications to the time?
Always Monday?
How could this be! When Chen Lili was first rescued from Monkey Claw’s control, she clearly invited him to the banquet, and there was no reason for her to say the wrong day!
Besides, both Jiang Min’s interview and Jiang Tao Hong’s planned disruption were scheduled for Tuesday!
What’s going on?
"Wu Liang, you’re here. What are you talking about with the attendant at the door? Come in, the leaders are waiting for you," said a familiar voice from behind.
Wu Liang turned around abruptly and saw someone he thought would never be here—
Chen Lili!
How is this possible?!
Wasn’t she tormented by Nightmare into temporary amnesia? Even two days ago, Sun Zhoushan came to confront him, but it was dropped because Chen Lili couldn’t attend and face him.
Then who is this woman standing in front of him in a luxurious gown and light makeup, smiling enigmatically?