After exchanging some local currency, the members of the investigation team set off. Although they were completely unfamiliar with the language of Sakura Country, they were well-prepared before their departure, each carrying a translator device. With the help of the translator, they were able to communicate with the locals, albeit with some difficulty.
The four of them hailed a taxi, heading towards their destination, the Anman Hotel where Xu Mo and his group were staying.
...
They arrived not long after. However, being in a foreign country, their advantage as police officers was completely nonexistent. They had no reason to inquire about Xu Mo's specific room number at the front desk. Knocking on each door was out of the question. They could easily be mistaken for perverts. And if someone were to report them...
There was no choice but to wait there, guarding the door until Xu Mo came out.
After squatting at the door for over an hour, Chen Ke's stomach growled. He scratched his head embarrassedly.
"Um... Han, are you guys hungry?"
From the moment they boarded the plane until now, none of them had eaten anything. How long had it been? Saying they weren't hungry would be a lie.
So they all nodded, indicating their hunger.
Chen Ke continued, "Should I go buy something to eat and come back?"
"Sure, go ahead. We'll continue to wait," Han Fei nodded. "Hurry back."
"Alright, I'll come back as soon as I buy the food."
Saying that, Chen Ke turned and left.
He wanted to find a convenience store to buy some boxed meals, rice balls, or at least something like bread that could fill their stomachs.
But because he was completely unfamiliar with the area, Chen Ke walked a long way and couldn't find a convenience store.
"What the hell, where's the convenience store?" he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Chen Ke noticed several men coming towards him, all of them with lollipops in their mouths.
Seeing the lollipops, Chen Ke felt a glimmer of hope.
He thought, "These lollipops must be bought from a convenience store, right?"
With that in mind, Chen Ke approached the men while holding his translator device.
"Excuse me, may I ask where you bought the lollipops in your hands?"
Upon hearing this, the men immediately showed intriguing expressions on their faces. Although they couldn't communicate verbally due to the language barrier, the way they looked at Chen Ke was unusually friendly.
Want to buy lollipops? They saw him as a kindred spirit!
Without hesitation, they pointed him in a direction and said, "You can buy lollipops by going five hundred meters ahead!"
...
Following the direction indicated by the men, Chen Ke walked five hundred meters and arrived at a street block.
He noticed that almost every man passing by had a lollipop in their mouth.
The fact that he didn't have a lollipop made him feel like an outsider.
It was simply because he didn't have a lollipop in his mouth.
As a result, as soon as Chen Ke entered this street, he was immediately targeted by several heavily made-up middle-aged women. They grabbed and pulled him, asking if he wanted to buy lollipops.
Chen Ke: "????"
What the hell is going on?
Is the competition for selling lollipops this intense? Do they have to fight for customers?
It seems that the economic situation in Sakura Country is not that great!
In the end, Chen Ke was dragged away by one of the middle-aged women.
She took Chen Ke to a Japanese cuisine restaurant...
At first, Chen Ke thought it was a place to eat.
He even thought about having a good meal and bringing some food back for Han Fei and the others.
But soon, he realized something was off.
The glass windows of the restaurant didn't display any food. Instead, there was a young girl dressed in a revealing outfit sitting there, looking at him coyly.
Years of police experience told Chen Ke that something was wrong.
This place was not a legitimate restaurant.
It was most likely a red-light district.
With that in mind, Chen Ke didn't hesitate. He turned around and left the place.
However, all the shops on this street were the same.
Just as he left one shop, he was immediately approached by a "mama-san" from another shop...
...
After about ten minutes.
Chen Ke returned to the Anman Hotel carrying a bunch of bento boxes he bought from a convenience store.
"Han Team, here's some food for you. Dig in."
When Han Fei looked up and saw Chen Ke, his expression was somewhat strange.
"What happened to your face?"
"Huh? What's wrong with my face?" Chen Ke asked, puzzled.
Li Chen pointed at Chen Ke with an exasperated tone.
"You have lipstick marks on your face, you... you were broadcasting live on the scene. Couldn't you be a bit more discreet? Even if you clean it up and come back..."
Chen Ke: "???"
Lipstick marks!?
He didn't do anything, so how did he end up with lipstick marks?
Suddenly, Chen Ke slapped his thigh as he remembered.
"Oh, I know what happened. I couldn't find the convenience store earlier, but I saw a few guys with lollipops on the way. I thought they must have bought them from a convenience store, so I went up to ask."
"I followed the direction they pointed me to, intending to find the convenience store and buy some bento boxes. Little did I know they were pointing me to a red-light district. I guess the guys with lollipops were just finished with their business, and those without lollipops were potential customers. The women saw those without lollipops and approached them. I was fine when I went there, but damn, I couldn't get out of there!"
"You guys have no idea how enthusiastic those women were. One of them even kissed my face, and that's probably how the lipstick marks got there..."
As he said that, Chen Ke emphasized again.
"But I didn't do anything. I left. I walked away resolutely! If you don't believe me, you can check my wallet. I only spent money on buying the bento boxes!"
Upon hearing Chen Ke's explanation, Li Chen fell silent.
With a slightly strange expression, he muttered, "Selling lollipops? Tobita Shinchi? How come there's a place like that in Dongjing..."
"What's Tobita Shinchi? Have you been there?" Chen Ke asked.
"How is that possible? How could I go to a place like that?" Li Chen shook his head firmly. "It's just what my friend told me! It's all from my friend!"
...
Meanwhile, Xu Mo and his group took the elevator downstairs.
They were planning to go out and grab something to eat while observing the traffic and pedestrian flow at various intersections, preparing for their next move.
As they arrived in the lobby, before they even stepped outside.
Xu Mo, with his sharp eyes, caught sight of four familiar figures through the glass wall of the hotel lobby.
"Hold on, the investigation team is outside the door!"
As he observed the backs of the four individuals, Xu Mo devised a plan.
He turned to Yang Jingxuan.
"Do you have sunglasses?"
"Yes, why?"
"Put them on and bring out that celebrity aura of yours, the kind that makes people unable to recognize their own relatives. Cooperate with me."
Saying that, Xu Mo led the four individuals to the hotel front desk.
Seeing someone approaching the front desk, the receptionist immediately smiled and inquired in Sakura Country's language.
"May I help you with something?"
First, Xu Mo pointed at Yang Jingxuan and spoke rapidly.
Then he pointed at the backs of the four individuals from the investigation team outside and continued speaking rapidly.
Throughout Xu Mo's conversation, the receptionist nodded continuously, occasionally glancing at Yang Jingxuan.
From Xu Mo's words, she understood that the people outside the hotel were obsessed fans who were tailing a female celebrity!
In order to protect the safety and privacy of the hotel guests, she eventually picked up the walkie-talkie.
She called the hotel security...