Chapter 30

                                        

                                                  
Thursday 12th
                              
Derek zipped up his bomber jacket to his chin. The night was freezing cold and there was no sign of warming up. He walked slowly along the sidewalk of a block in ESZ, where there were several strip-joints, pubs and bars still open. Loud music, voices and laughter, cheers and moans of excitement were dense in his ears. It also meant that it would be a bloody hard job to find Martin Leung. If he was in fact headed here. Derek hated the expression 'Finding a needle in a haystack', particularly when it was true. 
                              
"It's Lee." Derek heard a voice in his earpiece. "I'm heading to Hotel 'Dr. Strangelove'"
                              
Derek knew its location. Lee was covering the 6th block of ESZ. But as far as Derek's concern, Lee still had a long way to go. There were at least four or five love-hotels in that block only, if his memory was correct. Martin Leung could be in any of those places, or he could be in a different block. 
                              
The Entertainment Hub of Eastern Safe Zone had 7 long blocks separated with wide streets and back alleys, filled with restaurants, cafes, pubs, shops, bars, motels and love-hotels. There were three cinemas and a theater building too, but they were all located in main street, on the 1st block. But Patricia had instructed her search team to focus the search on hotels. 
                              
"It is less than 6 more hours to dawn and I don't think Leung is planning to sit in the bar where he could be easily recognized until morning. He will find a place to hide," Patricia had said.
                              
The bad news was that love-hotels were occupying almost half of the ESZ's E-Hub. Starting from block 2, Patricia had ordered them to spread out and entered every hotel they'd find in their way. Derek walked fast towards a hotel on his left called 'Space-Love'. He went straight to the receptionist. A young man in his twenties were sitting there, facing a television screen on his left. 
                              
"Excuse me," Derek called out. 
                              
The man turned to see him and raised an eyebrow. 
                              
"We're full tonight," he said lazily. 
                              
Derek took out his phone and showed a picture of Martin Leung to him. 
                              
"Have you seen this man tonight?" he asked. "Maybe he just checked in here? He might be alone."
                              
The young man stared half sleepily at the photo. Then he shook his head. 
                              
"Nope. Sorry I didn't remember seeing his face. Besides, why would you go to a love-hotel alone? You could jerk-off by yourself at home," he yawned. 
                              
Derek walked out of the hotel and checked his surroundings. He received update in his earpiece that Lee didn't find Martin Leung, so did Lucas and Patricia. Derek heard Patricia ordered them to keep moving. Other than the four of them, Patricia had brought fifteen additional officers, the most that they could have assembled in the nick of time in the middle of the night, to cover this area and they were all doing the same thing. Entered a hotel and checked. 
                              
Derek hoped that one of them at least might get lucky. Derek saw an officer came out from the hotel opposite his spot. The officer saw Derek and shook his head. They both started again. Entering the next hotel on the same block, Derek did the routine and showing the photo of Martin Leung. More reports coming from his earpiece and more hotel's names were being cross off the list. Derek headed to the last hotel on the block. Same story. He came out empty handed. 
                              
"I'm proceeding to the 4th block. How many hotels left unchecked?" Derek asked through his earpiece. 
                              
"Oh don't worry. We still had plenty." He heard Lucas grunted.
                              
"Going to 'Kinky-Boots' now." Derek reported. 
                              
He chuckled a little when reading that name of the motel next on his list and ran across the street to get to the next block. A group of men and women passed him coming out of a bar. Derek searched and found the hotel, with a startling series of colorful lights blinking, framing a big-red-high-heeled-boots-shaped light bulb in the middle. Derek headed to the door. A woman in her forties with a leotard-motive unitard greeted him. Her lipstick was dark purple, and her blood red wig fell into half of her face.