Anglerfish are a type of fish with an extremely grotesque appearance. This fish also has another nickname—"mystery box fish." Anglerfish have a large mouth and primarily feed by swallowing. When caught, their stomachs often contain a variety of seafood, making the act of opening one akin to opening a mystery box.
So, it's normal for an anglerfish's stomach to contain seafood, and those familiar with anglerfish are well aware of this.
But... an anglerfish's stomach containing a human hand is anything but normal!
Although the police officers didn't know how Xu Mo had determined that there was a murder case at the hotel, they still followed his lead and rushed straight to the hotel's kitchen.
Seeing guests heading towards the kitchen, a hotel staff member tried to stop them.
"Sir, are you looking for the restroom?" the staff member pointed behind Xu Mo and said, "The restroom is that way, not this way."
"I'm not looking for the restroom. I'm heading to your kitchen."
As he spoke, Xu Mo took out his badge. "Police officer. I just heard some noises coming from your kitchen, and I need to take a look."
Upon hearing this, the staff member looked conflicted. The manager had instructed that no one other than hotel employees was allowed in the kitchen.
However, since the person in front of him was a police officer who had already identified himself and claimed to have heard noises, the staff member couldn't continue to block the way. He had to step aside and let Xu Mo and the others pass.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Xu Mo said before leading the officers further towards the kitchen.
Meanwhile, in the hotel's kitchen.
"Manager, should we... call the police?"
"No way!" the Manager said bluntly. "If our competitors find out that there's a human hand in the fish, they'll definitely use it against us. At that point, we won't be able to keep the hotel running. So, absolutely no police! Just... throw the hand down the drain!"
"Also, today's incident must not be leaked. If I find out who's been talking carelessly, I'll make sure they regret it! Understood?" After deciding not to call the police, the Manager also issued a harsh warning to the hotel chefs.
Although finding a human hand in the purchased anglerfish had nothing to do with the hotel, this matter absolutely could not be leaked.
In the food industry, food safety is paramount, especially for high-end restaurants like theirs. Even slightly stale ingredients could lead to a sharp decline in customers, let alone finding a human hand in the food.
If word got out, who would dare to eat here? The thought alone was terrifying.
Moreover, if the police were called, their competitors would surely find out, and who knows what kind of schemes they would concoct against the hotel. Gossip is powerful!
The story would spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, becoming more exaggerated with each retelling. By then, the only outcome for the hotel would be closure.
The Manager didn't want to call the police primarily because he didn't want to lose his job over something that had nothing to do with him.
Seeing that the chefs were still standing there, the Manager shouted again.
"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said? Pick that thing up and throw it down the drain!"
Even after the Manager's outburst, none of the chefs dared to take a step forward.
After all, this involved a serious matter of human life, and they didn't want to get involved!
Each chef's face now clearly expressed, "I'm not throwing it. Whoever dares can do it!"
"No one's moving? You all don't want to work here anymore, do you?" The Manager glared angrily, continuing to threaten. The chefs didn't dare to touch it, and honestly, neither did he. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been forcing the chefs to dispose of the hand.
Just then, several people suddenly entered the kitchen.
As soon as Xu Mo and the officers from Team Seven entered the kitchen, they saw the half-dissected anglerfish on the chopping block, with a human hand inside its stomach.
"What the...?" The Manager was stunned.
It was exactly what he was afraid of!
Just after saying that the incident must not be leaked, someone unexpectedly barged into the kitchen. Could this be a dirty trick arranged by a competitor?
Thinking this, the Manager quickly stepped in front of the chopping block to block the hand.
"What are you doing? This is the hotel's kitchen. Non-employees are not allowed in. Out!"
"Move aside! What are you hiding behind you?" Wang Dachuan glared.
The Manager remained stubborn. "There's nothing here. Can't you hear me? Get out!"
"Stop lying! I already saw it!" Chen Ke stepped forward, ready to push the Manager aside.
At the same time, Xu Mo took out his badge again.
"Police. You'd better step aside right now, or I have reason to suspect you of murder."
After glancing at Xu Mo's badge, the Manager subconsciously looked at the chefs beside him.
His anger instantly flared up. These people must have called the police before he arrived! All his earlier warnings had been for nothing.
However, given the circumstances, the Manager couldn't say anything in front of the officers.
Having risen from an insignificant position to become the hotel's Manager, it was clear that he was a smart man with exceptional situational awareness.
His face immediately relaxed.
"Whew... I was scared to death. I thought you were troublemakers sent by a competitor. So, you're the police! Sorry, sorry. You must have been called here by the chefs, right? Oh, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you!"
The Chefs: ???
Could you change your tune any faster?! Didn't you just tell us not to call the police?
This guy is wasted as a hotel Manager. He should go learn face-changing opera!
In just a few words, the Manager had distanced himself from the situation.
His main goal was to show that he had nothing to do with the incident.
After speaking, the Manager stepped aside, no longer blocking the chopping block.
"This fish was purchased by us. Who would have thought there would be a human hand inside? Um... officers, could you please not publicize this case? If this gets out, our hotel will be ruined, and nearly a hundred employees will be out of work..." the Manager said weakly.
Xu Mo looked the Manager up and down. "Alright, but you need to cooperate with our investigation. Where did you purchase this fish?"
"I don't know that. Please wait a moment, and I'll call the Procurement Officer."
Seeing Xu Mo nod, the Manager left the kitchen, first calling the hotel owner to report the situation, then bringing in the hotel's Procurement Officer.
"Quick, tell the officers where this fish was bought."
The Procurement Officer's expression changed slightly, then he said, "It's from the same place, Manager, you know that."
Xu Mo caught the Procurement Officer's subtle expression.
"Tell the truth. Where did it come from?"
Seeing this, the Manager also realized that the Procurement Officer might be lying. "Speak honestly! Where exactly did this fish come from?"
The Procurement Officer swallowed hard, licked his lips, and then revealed the truth.
"Actually, this fish... I found it. This morning, when I went to purchase ingredients, I found this bag of fish in a trash can. I checked, and the fish were fresh, so I..."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ave】 Shen Qingling was a man with peerless looks, a cunning mind, and the ability to play both the aloof noble and the innocent sweetheart—a master of seduction who could outplay any player. But after an untimely death, he found himself bound to a system and transmigrated into the tragic "true young master" of a melodramatic novel. In the original story, his childhood sweetheart treated him as a backup plan, his fiancée swore to break off their engagement for the sake of the "fake young master," and his own sister saw him as the family's disgrace. He was nothing more than a rat everyone wanted to stomp on. System 077: "Your mission is to change the original fate and conquer the goddesses." Shen Qingling: "Thanks for the invite. If seduction had tiers, I’d be max level." His childhood sweetheart knelt, begging for forgiveness: "Qingling, I was wrong. Please give me another chance." His ex-fiancée refused to marry anyone else: "Shen Qingling, I was blind before. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you." A yandere CEO went mad for love: "Shen Qingling, you can only like me. I’ll stop at nothing to make you mine!" His green-tea sister clung to him daily: "Brother, look at me, won’t you? I’m more obedient than them—I love you the most~" At first, they scorned and trampled on him. Later, they burned themselves like moths to a flame, all for his sake. His looks were his weapon, his sweet words the bait—heroines obsessed over him, villains turned to madness for him. Shen Qingling became a true male siren, igniting battlefield after battlefield of women fighting for his affection. Years later, when System 077—now one of the elites—was asked how to become as outstanding as it, it lazily exhaled a smoke ring and replied: "Just know how to cheer ‘666’ at the right time."
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
