Chapter 443: with translation of chapter title

Actually, you should have gotten into this line of work long ago; if you want to make a living, I believe you can become the big boss of Zaocheng.

Not doing construction work, it's backbreaking and doesn't earn much, and people still look down on you all day.

Making money through shady deals is very profitable.

In one night you can easily make tens of thousands. For example, I keep a few women; they don't take up space, require no investment, just set up a small bed and you're good to go.

Money comes in every day. From now on we should partner up, open a big hotel in Sijiucheng, keep dozens of women, and then we'll surely get rich." Xiao Wu said to me over the phone.

Alright, Xiao Wu, go your shady way; I've told you before, I will never do that line of work.

Different paths, no plot together.

You have your Martial World, I have my mountains and rivers.

Everyone goes their own way. I'm done talking with you. Shi Yong and Ding Li have come back.

I said that and then hung up the phone.

Just then Shi Yong and Ding Li pushed the door and came in.

I looked at Ding Li and said: "Ding Li, you'll go to Shanghu later tonight, stay there overnight, and tomorrow morning bring Kong Xiangju and Old Lu over."

Ding Li said: "Okay, Brother Zhao, then I'll go to the Rihua Guesthouse in Shanghu to wait for them."

"Fine, wherever you are, contact Xiao Wu; this is his phone number." After saying that, I gave Xiao Wu's phone number to Ding Li.

Ding Li wrote it down.

Then he walked out of the room.

Only Shi Yong and I remained in the room.

I told Shi Yong: "Go to the outside Wenxian shop and buy a large drawing board."

"That is, a whiteboard you can write and draw on."

"Brother, I understand; you want to draw our escape route." Shi Yong said.

"What's 'escape', Shi Yong? That's called a retreat—do you understand? You don't understand anything." I criticized Shi Yong.

"Aren't they all the same?" Shi Yong said, then went downstairs to buy the whiteboard.

After about the time it takes to smoke two cigarettes, Shi Yong came carrying the whiteboard.

I hung up the whiteboard.

Then I asked Shi Yong: "Shi Yong, how many exits does the hotel have in total, what roads are those exits on, and how many traffic lights are on those roads."

"Which road is the nearest to the highway entrance?"

"How many rooms does the hotel have,"

"which floor is the restaurant, which floor is the bath center, which floor is the entertainment center."

"Are the safety passages fully open? Does the hotel have emergency exits? Also, what's the situation with the staff?"

After hearing my questions, Shi Yong directly pouted his lips,

"Brother, uh, I can't remember all that clearly. If I had that kind of brain, I wouldn't be hanging out with you."

"Shi Yong, over these years you've made no progress at all. What did you see when you went downstairs? Tell me." I asked Shi Yong.

"There was a bikini contest for models in the hotel lobby. I glanced a few times and just watched that; I didn't pay attention to the roads or traffic lights, so you should ask Ding Li." Shi Yong shook his head and said.

"Shi Yong, we're already this old, how come you're still not acting like an adult?"

"Sigh, what can I say about you? As soon as you arrive, I start questioning you."

"You say you've finished paying the grain tax, finished paying the grain tax, and yet you're still looking around."

"Brother, that has nothing to do with paying the grain tax. I just took an extra look. And besides, the models in Sijiucheng are high-quality; those bikinis are really hot." Shi Yong's eyes again showed that kind of look.

"Forget it, I can't get anything out of this Shi Yong."

"Having him gather information is just a futile effort."

"I waited until evening, then decided to personally go downstairs to check things out."

I again had Shi Yong go downstairs to buy me a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap.

I saw that many young people in Yanzhou County were wearing them, so I decided to buy one to wear.

Wearing a hat in this hot weather really makes you sweat; sigh, it's a trendy thing, I really have nothing to say about it. But it's also good—it can shield my face.

After ten o'clock at night, I decided to go downstairs to check the route. Shi Yong wanted to go with me, but I didn't let him.

Shi Yong, alone in the room, took out his phone and started watching Hou Laoban's short film again.

If Hou Laoban really went into acting, he could probably win an Oscar.

Hou Laoban's movies have become Shi Yong's pastime.

I, fully dressed, went downstairs alone.

I didn't take the elevator; I went via the safety passage.

I started walking up; when I reached the fourteenth floor, the safety passage was locked, suggesting that the fourteenth floor probably doesn't allow casual entry or exit.

I kept going up to the eighteenth floor; only then did the safety passage open.

Those four floors (14th to 17th) are probably the casino. I guess.

So I didn't go any higher.

I touched the lock on the safety passage door and examined it.

The lock was covered in thick dust, indicating it hadn't been opened for a long time.

Basically, no one has come here at all.

In other words, even if I had someone dismantle the lock, nobody would know.

Anyway, no one uses the safety passage.

So I first, from the fourteenth to the seventeenth floor, pried open all the locks on the safety passage doors of those four floors.

After prying them open, I opened the doors and looked inside; I couldn't see anything—it should be sealed.

I poked the obstruction inside with my hand.

It didn't feel that hard.

My hand was covered in white powder.

It was gypsum board—that is, the safety passage had been sealed with gypsum board, and there were seams in the board.

As long as it's gypsum board, it's easy to deal with; if there's an emergency, you can kick it open.

After finishing with those, I hurried down the stairs.

The stairwell didn't even have an emergency light. How did this hotel's fire safety inspection pass?

Ah, some things are just like that: when something happens, people make a fuss and randomly arrest others; usually no one cares about these matters.

I kept going down to the hotel's underground parking garage.

I arrived at the underground parking garage.

The power room and the weak-current room are also here.

This hotel's design drawings are similar to those of Zaocheng Grand Hotel. Only the appearance differs somewhat; in fact, the internal structure is almost the same template.

That is, we have basically no innovation in many aspects.

We just like to copy back and forth, doing whatever saves effort.

Even constructing buildings, the most important matter, is entirely copied multiple times.

Why are good designers mostly foreigners? Because they have a spirit and consciousness of innovation.

We are not doing well in this regard.

Moreover, we love to take shortcuts; we must admit this.

For a nation to develop, it must engage in self-criticism: bad points are bad, and points worth learning should be learned.

Moreover, we must dare to innovate further.

Never be arrogant and self-important.

I walked around the underground parking garage,

The number of load-bearing pillars down there is also about the same; there are too many similar things.

Architecture is just one aspect; other aspects are similarly alike.

Everyone seems to like copying.

Ah, this is very frightening.

I have always been involved in construction, so I understand these things clearly.

If I wanted to destroy this hotel now, I would only need to tie explosives to these few load-bearing pillars.

Of course, I am not here to destroy the hotel.

I merely came to observe the situation, overthinking it.

I couldn't help but laugh hehe.

After walking out of the underground parking garage, I came outside the hotel.

Outside the hotel there are two main roads,

One runs north-south, the other east-west; they should be the main thoroughfares of the county town.

It's past ten o'clock at night, and there are still many people,

In front of the hotel there is a small street,

where street stalls are set up.

One side door of the hotel opens onto the street.

I walked over and found that it was also locked with a lock.

I looked and saw that this should be the hotel's goods entrance, convenient for moving goods in and out,

but the lock on it was covered with a thick layer of dust,

indicating that the hotel does not use this route for goods.

I also opened the lock on this side door, just in case I might need it later.