Free Web NovelChapter 371: What do you want us to do
Another gestured vaguely around them at the glittering chandeliers, the uniformed staff, the discreet but visible security presence. This was one of the most prestigious hotels in the city. Heads of state had stayed here. International summits had been held here. The idea that someone could be taken—silently, cleanly—from within its walls felt impossible.
But Mark was not smiling.
They had known him for years—smooth, diplomatic, perpetually easygoing. He negotiated billion-dollar contracts without breaking a sweat. Yet now, the color had drained from his face, and there was a stiffness to him that unsettled even the most skeptical among them.
"This is not speculation," Mark said tightly. "Security is reviewing the footage. They’ll be here any moment."
Almost on cue, two members of the hotel’s security team approached. Their expressions alone were enough to make the surrounding executives’ stomachs drop.
"Sir," one of them said carefully, looking at Mark but glancing nervously toward Fu Jing Rong, "the surveillance system... appears to have malfunctioned."
Mark blinked. "What?"
"The cameras stopped recording," the guard continued. "We cannot retrieve footage from the last several hours. It simply... cut out."
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then Mark exploded. "What do you mean it stopped working? This entire hotel runs on surveillance!"
"We’re investigating—"
"You’re investigating?" Mark’s voice rose despite himself. "A woman disappears in your building and the cameras conveniently stop working?"
The guard had no answer.
Before Mark could continue, a colder, sharper voice cut through the corridor.
"What were you doing?"
Fu Jing Rong did not raise his voice, yet the force of it hit harder than shouting. His gaze locked onto the security personnel with such intensity that the man visibly flinched.
"What," Fu Jing Rong repeated, each word measured, "were you doing when your system failed?"
The guard swallowed. "Sir, the system shows no external breach. It was disabled internally. Cleanly."
Internally.
That meant planning.
That meant someone had known exactly what they were doing.
Around them, the hum of the gala still carried on. Laughter drifted faintly from the ballroom. Glasses clinked. Music played softly. The normalcy of it felt grotesque against the rising chaos in that narrow corridor.
Fu Jing Rong’s jaw tightened so severely a vein pulsed at his temple. For a split second, his control threatened to fracture. Then he turned away abruptly, already pulling out his phone.
He dialed a number from memory.
The line connected almost instantly.
"I need access," Fu Jing Rong said without greeting. "Full override. This building’s surveillance grid. Now."
On the other end, there was no surprise, only a curt, "Give me two minutes."
The man he had called did not ask questions. He did not require explanations. He was someone who had owed Fu Jing Rong a favor for a very long time.
Within ninety seconds, Fu Jing Rong’s phone vibrated.
A secure file transfer.
The man had bypassed the hotel’s internal lockdown and tapped into backup data nodes—fragments of footage cached temporarily before the main system had been wiped. It was incomplete, fractured—but it was something.
Fu Jing Rong handed the phone to Mark without a word. The small group of investors leaned in, their earlier disbelief now replaced with dread.
The first clip played.
Hua Jing walking down the corridor toward the restroom.
She entered.
And then...
No exit.
No return.
No one following her in.
The feed cut entirely after that frame.
"She never came out," one of the investors whispered.
A suffocating silence followed.
Fu Jing Rong did not react outwardly, but something inside him had already shifted into something far more dangerous than panic. His mind moved rapidly, cold and precise.
"There’s more," Mark said hoarsely as another file loaded.
This one was from an exterior service entrance on the side of the hotel—an area typically used by catering and maintenance staff. The timestamp aligned roughly twenty minutes after Hua Jing had entered the restroom.
The footage showed a staff corridor door opening.
A large housekeeping cart rolled out slowly.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. Hotels moved carts constantly. Linen. Trash. Supplies.
But this cart was heavier.
The man pushing it struggled slightly as he navigated the ramp. He paused once, looking over his shoulder. Then again.
He was not dressed in a standard hotel uniform.
He wore something similar—but not identical.
The cart reached the curb where a black sedan idled discreetly in a blind spot between two streetlights. frёeωebɳovel.com
Another man stepped out briefly, scanned the area, then opened the trunk.
Together, they lifted something from the cart.
The shape was obscured beneath black plastic—large, uneven.
They placed it inside the trunk.
Closed it.
The driver got back in immediately.
The man who had pushed the cart looked around one final time, then walked briskly back toward the service door as the black sedan sped away, disappearing into traffic within seconds.
The clip ended.
Fu Jing Rong’s fingers curled slowly into a fist. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Hua Jing had been taken away right under his nose!
Extracted from one of the most secure buildings in the city as though it were child’s play.
Mark exhaled shakily. "We have to call the police."
"I already did," Fu Jing Rong replied quietly. His voice had lost all warmth. It was steel now. "They’re on their way."
One of the investors ran a hand through his hair. "This can’t leak," he said urgently. "If the press finds out during the gala—"
"It will destroy Indigo Beauty’s stock overnight."
"It will cause panic."
"It will alert whoever did this that we’re onto them."
They all turned to Fu Jing Rong.
For the first time, he looked almost untouchable in his stillness. His expression had settled into something frighteningly composed, but his eyes—his eyes burned.
"This does not leave this room," he said.
The authority in his tone was absolute.
Mark nodded immediately. "We continue the event. Smile. Control the narrative. If anyone asks, Hua Jing felt unwell and left early."
The men nodded while Fu Jing Rong quickly sneaker out.
Once outside, he met a few of his men he had made a call to earlier.
The one at the front was Deng Mi, who quickly came over, "What are the instructions, boss?"
