Chapter 10 The Alfred Hotel

It only took Feng Bujue twenty minutes to arrive at the "Alfred Hotel" mentioned in the quest.

He didn't need to ask for directions or use transportation; he simply followed the tourists who had just disembarked from the cruise ship, all heading in the same direction. Before he knew it, he had arrived.

After all... the island was only so big, and although there were several places to stay, only this one could truly be called a "hotel."

Having arrived at the hotel entrance, Feng Bujue didn't rush inside; he stood on the street, peering into the lobby through the glass wall for a while, then turned and left.

As a person who was very efficient at getting things done, Brother Jue naturally wouldn't join the crowds during peak check-in hours. Since he didn't have any luggage to store anyway, it was obviously better to use the time spent "waiting in line in the hotel lobby" elsewhere.

Thus, Feng Bujue's island reconnaissance began...

The weather was very nice that day; the temperature wasn't too high, and the humidity and strong winds unique to the seaside were also less noticeable.

Feng Bujue found a small bicycle rental shop near the hotel. Relying on his excellent eloquence and the bargaining skills unique to the Chinese, he successfully obtained a bicycle at a price that even the shop owner vaguely felt was a "scam."

Afterward, he took a "tourist guide" from the owner and set off along the island highway on a bicycle he had essentially borrowed on credit.

…………

Cwm Coedty is a typical tourist town, and these places often have some subtle commonalities: tourists love it, business owners are noncommittal about it, most of the young natives want to leave or have already left, and the old people on the island all have the attitude of wanting to spend the rest of their lives here.

That's life on the island—living here for a day is paradise, a month is the human world, a lifetime... well, almost no one stays here for a lifetime, even the old people here haven't stayed on the island their entire lives.

Aside from the bustling scenes during the tourist season, the rest of the year it's just a relatively backward island town in terms of economy and living standards.

Luxurious hotel rooms, first-class public facilities, all kinds of modern products... these are all prepared for the tourists; the island's residents can't afford that kind of lifestyle, they live ordinary lives like people in second- and third-tier cities.

In addition to the tourism industry, which is only profitable for a few months of the year, what truly supports the economy and social stability of Cwm Coedty... is tuna.

Or rather... "Herbert Corporation."

Forty years ago, when Old Herbert sailed out to sea in his dilapidated little fishing boat, he certainly never imagined... that one day he would become one of the most influential figures on this island, and even in all of Wales.

Now, his photo has spread throughout Europe and even the world, of course... printed on various cans of fish.

Seven years ago, Old Herbert died of illness, and his eldest son, John Herbert, took over the company. Today, the vast majority of residents who live in Cwm Coedty work for John.

Fishing fleets, canning factories, logistics companies... Herbert Corporation provides jobs for almost all of the island's adult residents. The "Alfred Hotel" is not run by the Herbert family, but they have also invested in it.

In addition, even the few police officers and civil servants on the island have to give Herbert some face when doing things; after all... their families also work in his factory.

In short, for the residents who live here permanently, this island is not so much "Cwm Coedty" as it is "Herbert Island."

…………

The time it took to circle the island was longer than Feng Bujue had imagined, partly because his physical fitness in this script was worse than in reality, and partly because he often stopped to talk to some passersby during his ride.

It was dusk when Brother Jue returned to his starting point. When he returned the bike, the shop owner's expression seemed to say, "If I were ten years younger, I would have beaten you up."

Feng Bujue was also quite embarrassed, so he added some money to the price, and then swiped a drink and two bags of snacks from the owner...

He walked and ate, and once again walked to the Alfred Hotel.

At this time, the hotel lobby was much emptier. Feng Bujue slowly walked to the front desk and checked in. As he had expected, there was no shortage of rooms for a "single guest with no special requirements."

Because he had no luggage, he didn't need anyone to show him the way. He took the room card from the front desk and went upstairs.

The moment he took the room card, the system voice sounded in a timely manner: [Quest Completed]

Feng Bujue took the opportunity to open the game menu and glanced at it, and found that the "Check into the Alfred Hotel" quest had been checked off, and a new quest had been added below: [Wait for the Case to Happen].

"How straightforward..." Brother Jue muttered as he walked to the elevator.

Ding—

Just in time, the elevator arrived.

Behind the slowly opening elevator doors, a figure appeared.

It was a middle-aged man, looking less than forty years old; his appearance was nothing special, at least in Western Europe, this type of appearance with Saxon characteristics was very common; he was wearing a dark suit and a seemingly new Panama hat; the brim of the hat was pressed low, as if he didn't want others to see his face clearly.

When Feng Bujue brushed past the middle-aged man, there was no eye contact, no nod of greeting. The two simply passed each other, and neither showed anything unusual.

However, in those two seconds, Feng Bujue understood in his heart—this person, I'm afraid, is related to the upcoming case.

Because... just from this one meeting, Brother Jue had already guessed his identity, and had already found some clues from him.

"Hey! Wait!"

Seconds later, just as the elevator door was halfway closed, suddenly, a man's voice came from outside, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

Feng Bujue's thoughts were interrupted by the shout, but he still helped the other person press the open button.

Soon, the elevator door opened again, and the person who had just shouted "Wait" appeared at the door.

"Haa... haa... thank you..." He gasped as he entered the elevator.

Feng Bujue sized up the young man in front of him: at first glance, the young man's clothes were very ordinary, but those who knew the goods would realize... he was wearing quite expensive brand-name clothes, but the styles were relatively low-key; looking at his appearance, this person was obviously still a student, probably less than twenty years old, his height was similar to Brother Jue, but his physique was relatively thin; judging from his face and accent, this young man was most likely Chinese. By the way... he was quite handsome.

If there was anything special about this young man, it was... the sports bag he was carrying on his right shoulder. The zipper was not closed properly, and a cat was sticking its head out from the open zipper gap, looking outside.

For some reason... the cat's gaze seemed to be fixed on the middle-aged man outside the elevator, who was gradually moving away.