Chapter 221: Surveillance

"Shit!"

On the street, Gary watched Link's car drive away and kicked a metal trash can. A few empty water bottles bounced out.

He had spent £200 on a delivery uniform to sneak into the building, but Link had left with his bodyguards shortly after. It was all for nothing.

"Damn it, I ran up and down more than twenty flights of stairs. I'm exhausted, Bernard. Should we keep following?"

Charlotte walked over with her toolkit, sweating and frustrated.

Gary adjusted his glasses and sighed, unsure of what to do.

Entertainment reporters were like gold miners; their success often depended on luck.

Like his boss, Joseph, who was just a small-time reporter over a decade ago.

One day, while taking a leisurely walk along the Thames after work, he happened to see Princess Diana having a rendezvous with her lover on Waterloo Bridge. He raised his camera and snapped a photo, earning a £50,000 bonus and becoming the editor of the entertainment section.

Gary didn't want to be a small-time reporter; he wanted a promotion, a raise, and to become someone important. The scandal between Link and Emma was a great opportunity.

"Let's rest for now. We still have tomorrow. We'll see how things go."

Gary waved goodbye to Charlotte and wearily got into his car.

Ring! Ring!

His phone rang. It was the thief, Biggs.

"What's up?"

"Hehe, you sound really down. Did you come up empty-handed?"

Biggs asked with a chuckle.

"Cut the crap. Get to the point."

"Hey, don't be so grumpy. I have good news for you. I guarantee your mood will instantly improve. Okay, I won't waste your time. Do you know where I was half an hour ago? I was in Link's bedroom."

"Oh? You snuck into Link's room?"

Gary asked in surprise.

"Of course. Don't forget who I am. I'm Biggs, the master thief. There's no door I can't open. Guess what I left in his room? Hehe, a listening device. Now, as long as he makes a phone call, I can hear his voice and know all his secrets. How about that?"

Biggs said excitedly.

Gary frowned. "Installing a listening device in someone's room without permission is a crime."

In fact, his earlier act of posing as a deliveryman to enter the building was also a crime, but it was much less serious than installing a listening device.

"Crime?!"

Biggs' voice suddenly became sharp.

"I've robbed banks and spent seven or eight years in prison. You're telling me this is a crime? I know what crime is better than you. Hey, are you in or out? If not, I'll find someone else. I believe many people would be interested in my proposal right now."

Gary sighed. It was true. Compared to robbing a bank, installing a listening device was just a minor offense.

He thought it over and decided to continue working with Biggs.

Many of his colleagues were keeping an eye on Link. If he wanted to dig up something useful from Link, simply following him wouldn't be enough. He needed some unconventional methods, even illegal ones.

"Alright, Biggs. Link will probably be back at the Tower Hotel in about half an hour. Please keep an eye on that place and contact me immediately if anything happens."

"Hehe, don't worry. From now on, I'll listen carefully to every word Link says. But you need to give me some money first. I need to buy equipment, clothes, and food and drinks. I think £2,000 is a reasonable amount."

Biggs said.

"Two thousand? No, one thousand at most."

"Okay, one thousand is fine too. When will you bring it over?"

"Wait!"

Gary hung up the phone in frustration. He hadn't gotten any news yet and had already spent money. He suddenly felt that following Link might not be a good idea.

---

Back at the hotel, Link finished showering and changed into casual sportswear.

He was about to go to the training center for a workout when he received a message from Taylor asking what he was doing.

Link replied that he had just returned from a party and was about to exercise.

Taylor asked what kind of party it was.

Link told her the truth.

"A Harry Potter cast party? Did Emma Watson go?"

"Yes."

"Humph! Humph! Humph!"

"Have you turned into a pig?"

"You're the pig. Emma Watson is your ex. Did you rekindle your old flame when you saw her? Tell me, and I'll forgive you."

Taylor texted.

Link was speechless. "Taylor Swift, are you too idle? You don't think that when I'm not with you, I'm fooling around with other women, do you?"

"I didn't say that. You said it. You admitted it yourself."

Taylor texted back.

Link looked helpless. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it was just an ordinary gathering of friends, about a dozen people. Oh, and there were over a hundred paparazzi outside."

"I see. If there weren't any paparazzi, you would definitely be fooling around, right?" Taylor asked.

Link sent a few slapping emojis. "You can slander me all you want. I'll teach you a lesson when I get back."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Taylor sent three fist emojis. "Seriously, sometimes I wish I could see your scandals in the news, see you cheating on me with other women. I would be heartbroken, and maybe I'd write a few songs. Why don't you try it?"

Link was a little speechless by her suggestion. It was like using him as a bug to trigger inspiration.

"Okay, I'll try."

"Smile.jpg"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Smile.jpg"

Link shook his head and asked how her songwriting was going.

Taylor said she had no inspiration.

Link teased her, saying that she had said she might get inspiration when she missed him after he left, but now that she had no inspiration, it meant she didn't miss him much and should reflect on herself.

After chatting for a bit, he put away his phone and drove to the training center next door.

"Shit! Why can't I hear anything?"

In a suite on the third floor of the hotel, Biggs listened for a while but heard nothing except the sound of the door closing earlier.

He thought for a moment, then picked up his equipment case and secretly went to Link's room again, installing two more listening devices in the living room of the suite.

He didn't believe he wouldn't hear anything this time.

More than three hours later, Link returned from his workout. Biggs heard Link's voice in his headphones and burst into laughter.

But the next second, he heard the hotel manager's voice. The manager told Link that they had seen a stranger sneaking onto the sixth floor on the surveillance cameras and wanted to re-inspect his room for security reasons.

A few seconds later, a piercing buzzing sound came from the headphones as the two listening devices were unplugged.

Biggs cursed angrily. The hotel manager was too nosy.

But fortunately, the listening device at the door hadn't been discovered. No one would think to look for it in the corner of the doorway.

"Hehe! Link, just you wait. When I get something on you, I'll extort a fortune from you."

Biggs put his headphones back on.

Thump! The sound of a door closing came from the headphones, and Biggs pulled out his ears in frustration.

(End of Chapter)