Chapter 97: Being a Good Person to the End

"Really?" Lin Shiqi exclaimed in surprise, simultaneously gripping Zhu Daodong's arm tightly. When she saw Zhu Daodong turn to look at her, she realized it was inappropriate, her face flushed, and she quickly released his arm as if she had touched a burning hot iron, demonstrating her professional skills.

"Cooperating with us is every citizen's duty. I hope you can fully cooperate with us," Zhou Jian said, not expecting that Lin Shiqi, who had lost the person she was following, would find a breakthrough with Zhu Daodong.

"Wanbao Grand Hotel," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Captain Zhou, we'll head over immediately," Lin Shiqi said, not wanting to make a mistake on her first independent surveillance. Regardless of whether Li Bing had any issues, if she lost him, it would mean she had a problem.

"Good, Zhu Daodong, we still need your help to come with us," Zhou Jian said hurriedly as he saw Zhu Daodong about to leave.

"Do I still have something to do?" Zhu Daodong asked in surprise.

"Of course. You provided the lead. According to regulations, you need to give a statement after this," Zhou Jian nodded and said solemnly.

"Am I just asking for trouble?" Zhu Daodong smiled bitterly. He came to Nanjing Road to buy some things for his family, but he didn't expect to get involved in this. If it was just a delay, it would be fine, but if he couldn't return to Shulin Ridge the next day, it would be a big loss.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. As long as Li Bing is indeed at Wanbao Grand Hotel, you can leave soon," Zhou Jian reassured him, seeing Zhu Daodong's troubled expression.

The three of them hailed a taxi and headed straight to Wanbao Grand Hotel. In the lobby, Zhu Daodong sat in the waiting area while Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi went to the front desk, showed their IDs, and quickly found Li Bing's check-in record.

"Has the guest in room 608 returned?" Zhou Jian asked quietly.

"Clear. We have many guests here, and I only know that room 608 hasn't checked out yet," the front desk attendant smiled. Wanbao Grand Hotel was one of the famous hotels in Shanghai, with hundreds of rooms. Even with a strong memory, the front desk attendant couldn't remember every guest's comings and goings.

"Please arrange for a housekeeper to check if he is in the room. We need to confirm his presence," Zhou Jian said.

"Sure."

Zhu Daodong sat on the sofa in the waiting area, listening to their conversation. When he heard that Li Bing was in room 608, his hearing immediately extended upstairs. Although Zhu Daodong had only heard Li Bing chat with his sister for a while, Li Bing's voice was already imprinted in his mind. Zhu Daodong couldn't fully control the distance of his hearing, but he started from himself and gradually moved toward the guest room upstairs.

The soundproofing in Wanbao Grand Hotel's guest rooms was excellent, with carpets on the floor, wallpaper on the walls, and large curtains, all of which affected Zhu Daodong's hearing. Fortunately, Li Bing was only on the sixth floor; if he were on the sixteenth floor, it would have been much more difficult for Zhu Daodong.

Zhu Daodong heard Li Bing's voice, not only his breathing but also his conversation with his sister. Li Bing was from Qingdao and had returned to see his mother, whom he had missed for over twenty years. Due to his identity, Li Bing had to be as low-key as possible. His sister was discussing with him whether it would be safer for his mother to come to Shanghai.

"Mother gets carsick and can't even take the train. How can we ask her to come to Shanghai? I'll go back to Qingdao. That's my hometown. Even if the police catch me, it's my fate," Li Bing said firmly, shaking his head. Bringing his mother to Shanghai would be safer, but he couldn't let her suffer. If he went through all this trouble, why come back at all? It would be better to take his mother abroad. His situation had been over for twenty years, and the mainland probably forgot about him. He came quietly and would leave quietly.

Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi had already gone upstairs with the housekeeper. They waited at the stairwell while the housekeeper knocked on the door. However, the conversation between Li Bing and his sister continued without interruption. The housekeeper knocked again, but no one answered.

If Li Bing was in the room, how could he not hear the knocking? Zhu Daodong was in the lobby, so his ability to pinpoint the sound wasn't precise. However, he was sure that the housekeeper and Li Bing's sister were not far apart. Why Li Bing didn't answer the door was a mystery.

The housekeeper knocked again, and there was still no response. She used her key to open the door and checked inside. When she came out, she told Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi that room 608 was empty.

The housekeeper was lying, Zhu Daodong thought at first, but he quickly dismissed this idea. The housekeeper had no reason or courage to lie to the national security agents. Could she have gone to the wrong room? Even Zhu Daodong found this unlikely. He could hear that Li Bing and the housekeeper were not far apart. The only possibility Zhu Daodong could think of was that Li Bing was not in his own room!

If Li Bing was chatting with his sister and not in room 608, the only possibility was that he was in his sister's room. Her room was likely next to or opposite room 608; otherwise, he wouldn't have the illusion that Li Bing was in his own room.

By the time Zhu Daodong had analyzed this, Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi had returned to the lobby. Zhou Jian was still calm, but Lin Shiqi was clearly disappointed. Li Bing not being in the hotel meant her task was still incomplete. She was frustrated that she had failed such a simple task.

"Can I leave now?" Zhu Daodong asked. Since Li Bing was in the hotel, it was time for him to withdraw as the informant.

"Basically, yes. Although Li Bing isn't here now, we can confirm that he is staying at this hotel. Lin Shiqi, you stay here and watch. I'll take Comrade Zhu Daodong back to make a statement," Zhou Jian said.

Their main task in Shanghai was already completed. Li Bing was just a temporary surveillance target, and it was originally just a routine surveillance, which is why it was assigned to the novice Lin Shiqi. Now that they confirmed Li Bing was at Wanbao Grand Hotel, Zhu Daodong's role was over, and even Zhou Jian could leave. As long as Lin Shiqi waited for Li Bing, everything would be back on track.

"Li Bing should be in the hotel. Didn't you find him when you went up?" Zhu Daodong asked "in surprise."

"Let's go. Aren't you in a hurry?" Zhou Jian smiled, not picking up on Zhu Daodong's hint. After all, Zhu Daodong was an outsider, and telling him that Li Bing was indeed staying there was already a significant disclosure.

"I have something tomorrow and need to get back early. Li Bing and his sister are also returning to Qingdao tomorrow. It seems we won't have the chance to meet again," Zhu Daodong thought that since he had overheard some of Li Bing's situation, it would be a waste to keep it to himself. He might as well share it with Zhou Jian, as they were working for the country's interests.

"Wait, what did you say? Li Bing entered the country alone. When did he have a sister? How do you know he's going back to Qingdao tomorrow?" Zhou Jian urgently pulled Zhu Daodong, who had already stood up, back to the sofa. How did Zhu Daodong know so much about Li Bing? If not for seeing Zhu Daodong's work ID, Zhou Jian would have suspected him of having ulterior motives.

"It's a coincidence. At first, Li Bing and his sister were right next to me. I was shopping alone and overheard their conversation. Li Bing has been abroad for over twenty years and is returning to Qingdao tomorrow to buy something for his mother. His sister mentioned that Li Bing's identity should be kept low-key, so they hurriedly left Nanjing Road and returned to the hotel," Zhu Daodong could tell Zhou Jian everything he knew, but he needed a plausible excuse. If he told Zhou Jian that he could hear people's whispers from dozens of meters away, Zhou Jian would likely abandon Li Bing and take him to Beijing for research.

Zhou Jian was increasingly shocked. He never expected Zhu Daodong to know so much. This suggested that Li Bing's identity was unusual, and this accidental discovery might lead to a big catch. Zhou Jian no longer planned to leave with Zhu Daodong. He would stay with Lin Shiqi and also notify others for support...

"Give me your address, and I'll find you tomorrow," Zhou Jian knew time was of the essence. Everything now revolved around Li Bing, and Zhu Daodong's matter could wait. After all, he couldn't run away, and Zhou Jian could find him with a few phone calls.

Zhu Daodong was eager to leave. He gave Zhou Jian his current address, picked up the books he had bought, and left Wanbao Grand Hotel.

As soon as Zhu Daodong turned to leave, Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi ran to the front desk. With the information provided by Zhu Daodong, they quickly found the room registered by Li Bing's sister. The hotel sent another housekeeper to check, and soon they received confirmation that both Li Bing and his sister were inside. Zhou Jian and Lin Shiqi were overjoyed.

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End of Chapter 97