Meili Hotel.
This most luxurious hotel in Aurora City was a twenty-three-story tall Western-style building. Its castle-like appearance was especially conspicuous in Aurora City, where buildings were generally only four or five stories high. Above the hotel's lobby, a flickering Stars Chamber of Commerce symbol hung quietly.
Prosecutor Fang Lichang stood in front of the room's floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at this city he had lived in for over thirty years. He suddenly felt that it didn't seem as massive as he had imagined. Just standing here, it seemed he had already stepped it under his feet.
"Mister." A properly dressed waiter walked behind him and spoke gently and elegantly, "Are you still satisfied with the accommodation environment here?"
Fang Lichang nodded slightly,
"Where is President Yan Shang? Didn't he come?"
"The President doesn't stay here, but he has already instructed to leave the best rooms for you and your companions. At the same time, all your expenses these few days will be paid for by the Stars Chamber of Commerce." The waiter replied with a smile. "The President said that this is the Chamber of Commerce's own place, and those who come in and out are all high-level officials and celebrities of Aurora City. Even Enforcers wouldn't dare to act recklessly here, please rest assured."
"I understand Gu Yuan. He won't do anything out of line. Whether the Enforcers dare to come or not is not important." Fang Lichang casually waved his hand. "However, those materials concerning me in the President's hands..."
"Please rest assured. The President said that as long as Han Meng is sentenced to death in the verdict two days later, all your materials with the President will be destroyed, and no one will ever know again."
"Mister, the President has prepared a banquet for you guys in the Cloud Hall on the top floor tonight. Please attend on time."
"En."
Fang Lichang seemed to have remembered something. "By the way, have all the others checked in already?"
"The defendant's defense lawyer, the witness Old Man Ding, and the eight reporters have all finished checking in... Only reporter Zhuo Shuqing from the Aurora Daily has not registered yet."
"Zhuo Shuqing..." Fang Lichang nodded slightly, not taking it to heart.
"I know."
The waiter respectfully retreated, conveniently closing the room door.
He took the elevator to the first floor. Just as he was about to continue working, he saw behind the hotel's triumphal arch, a young man wearing a coffee-colored coat and carrying an expensive messenger bag walking into the hotel lobby. His gaze sized up everywhere, seeming to be extremely curious about everything here.
Seeing this, the waiter quickly stepped forward, a standard etiquette smile emerging on his face:
"Hello Mister, our hotel is already fully booked today. You..."
"Didn't they say there's a banquet here tonight?"
The waiter was startled for a moment, and then asked, "I'm sorry, how may I address you?"
"Aurora Daily, Zhuo Shuqing."
The young man took out his Press Pass, a trace of a faint smile emerging on his face.
"So it's Mister Zhuo. Apologies, apologies." The waiter smiled embarrassedly. "Of course there is a room for you. Please come with me."
Zhuo Shuqing followed behind him. His gaze fell on the Stars Chamber of Commerce symbol in the center of the lobby, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Mister Zhuo, didn't you bring any luggage?"
"No."
"Okay, here is your room key. The room is on the nineteenth floor, I'll take you over."
The waiter pressed the elevator button for Zhuo Shuqing. Through the elevator's glass semi-enclosed structure, the entire Aurora City gradually shrank beneath Zhuo Shuqing's feet, ultimately slowly stopping on the nineteenth floor.
"Mister, this is your room."
The waiter opened the room door for Zhuo Shuqing. The furnishings inside were still much simpler and cruder compared to Fang Lichang's, but compared to other hotels in Aurora City, it was still a dimensional strike. Simple yet elegant furniture was placed everywhere in the room. Behind the three-meter-long writing desk was a huge window that could overlook the entire Aurora City.
"For your safety and the safety of others, it's best you don't leave the hotel during this period. If you have any needs, you can call me. Tonight's banquet is on the top floor, officially starting at seven o'clock," the waiter introduced skillfully.
"Also, before attending the banquet, you'd best first finish a news draft regarding Han Meng's case. Lord Prosecutor will preliminarily review it when the time comes."
Zhuo Shuqing walked into the room and nodded slightly,
"Okay."
As the waiter closed the room door, Zhuo Shuqing began to stroll around the room. His eyes emitting a faint blue intent swept over every corner of the room, as if checking whether anything else had been placed... such as a Listening Device.
But facts proved that the Stars Chamber of Commerce didn't have that many schemes. After confirming the room was safe, Zhuo Shuqing casually tore off his face skin, revealing the face originally belonging to Chen Ling.
He slowly sat down on the genuine leather sofa. His gaze fell on that stack of draft paper and the already prepared fountain pen on the desk, and he spoke indifferently:
"Utilizing such a large hotel to escort a court verdict... Truly a grand gesture."
Zhuo Shuqing was frightened out of his wits by Chen Ling, so naturally he didn't dare to get involved in this matter anymore. And Chen Ling also needed to find a breakthrough point to infiltrate the enemy's interior. Zhuo Shuqing's identity and this banquet was undoubtedly the best choice.
Chen Ling pulled out a piece of draft paper and rapidly began to write and draw on the paper surface. Several keywords were connected to each other by him:
[Spade 6], [Plague], [Organ Trading], [Prosecutor], [Old Man Ding], [Lawyer]...
After a round of wonderful Performance in the courtroom, the charges on Han Meng's body were heavier one after another. If he wanted to exonerate Han Meng, he had to solve it from the root source... To Chen Ling, he actually already had a solution, but what he wanted was not merely as simple as clearing Han Meng's name...
Within Chen Ling's eyes, wisps of faint light danced. After contemplating for a long time, a pretty good Script emerged in his mind.
He took out a match from the cardboard box and struck it lightly. The glaring firelight ignited a corner of this draft paper, silently spreading, as if wanting to burn through the entire cold night.
...
Seven o'clock.
Chen Ling, who had changed his face into Zhuo Shuqing, pushed open the main doors of the banquet with both hands.
As the bright radiance of electric lights dispersed the dimness, a resplendent and magnificent cloud-top hall presented itself before his eyes. In this city where the vast majority of ordinary families still couldn't afford expensive electricity bills, nearly a hundred electric lights were lit up in the hall before his eyes. Along with the elegant candlelight silently dancing around the hall, the entire banquet hall was as bright as day.
In the center of the banquet, a beautiful woman draped in a gorgeous evening dress was playing an unsophisticated violin. The melodious violin sound echoed in the banquet. Over ten figures leisurely wandered within, pushing cups and exchanging glasses from time to time, chatting and laughing merrily.
"Mister Zhuo, you've finally arrived." The waiter at the door ticked off the last name on the list. Seeing the camera carried on Chen Ling's body, he was startled for a moment.
"Mister, taking photos is not allowed at this banquet..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Ling smiled faintly. He took off the camera from his chest and placed it on the table. "Then I'll just check it in here first, no problem right?"
"No problem, please come in."