Who is the murderer?
The golden, slightly reddish sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the dimly lit teahouse. The waiter rubbed his sleepy eyes and, holding a water ladle, splashed water in front of the door, almost drenching the newspaper boy. The two teenagers, neither willing to give in, exchanged insults about each other's ancestors.
The commotion at the door startled the tabby cat on the counter. With a meow, it woke the shopkeeper who was dozing off. The shopkeeper opened his sleepy eyes, slapped the waiter on the head, took the newspaper he had subscribed to from the newsboy, and returned to his seat to read it seriously.
Outside, the waiter continued sprinkling water reluctantly, and the newsboy hummed a song as he went to deliver newspapers to his next house. Just like countless ordinary mornings, the sun rose as usual, the guests came to eat breakfast on time, and the police came to collect protection money as usual.
"Boss, a steamer of meat buns and three bowls of soy milk, please." The three plainclothes police officers found an empty seat and sat down. They usually ate a free meal before charging anyone.
"Sold out," the shopkeeper replied without looking up.
"Then give me a steamer of vegetable buns, and three bowls of mung bean soup." The plainclothes officer in charge was a little angry when he heard this, but he couldn't blame the shopkeeper for waking up late.
"Sold out too." The shopkeeper didn't look up, continuing to fiddle with his abacus and keep accounts.
"Forget it, Dong-ge, the morning market's probably over. Let's just have plain steamed buns, they'll taste alright with some fermented bean curd. Shopkeeper, give me six plain steamed buns, and a dish each of red and white fermented bean curd." The plainclothes officer next to him chuckled.
"They're all sold out. Gentlemen, please try another shop." The shopkeeper finally raised his head, his eyes seemingly suppressing some uncontrollable rage.
The plainclothes officer in charge slammed down the empty bowl with a loud crash, grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar, and was about to hit him, muttering, "You old geezer, trying to rebel? Do you know who we are?"
However, with his men holding onto Dong Ge tightly on either side, he was shocked to realize that the restaurant, despite being full of guests, was surprisingly quiet. Everyone was looking at him while maintaining an absolute silence, like boiling water bubbling and about to overflow the container.
His subordinates took turns trying to persuade him, reminding them that they still needed to make a living in Xuzhou City, and that incurring public wrath could implicate their wives and children—it wasn't worth it. The leader, a plainclothes officer, flicked his sleeve and stormed out of the shop, cursing under his breath.
As soon as they left, the shop instantly returned to its usual lively state, bustling with activity. This left the three men even more confused; they had no idea how they had woken up to find Xuzhou City in chaos after a nap.
When they returned to the police station hungry, they discovered that their team wasn't the worst off. Some officers had rotten vegetable leaves and sticky egg yolks still clinging to their clothes, while others had red paint splashed on their uniforms and were wiping the marks with pungent banana oil.
That wasn't the worst of it. A huge roar came from the chief's office. Judging from the clothes seen through the glass, the entire Criminal Investigation Team was still standing inside, probably being yelled at.
The door opened quickly, and the members of the Criminal Investigation Team One emerged from the chief's office one after another, their faces ashen. The chief, whose neck was red and hands were behind his back, shouted to Dong Ge and the others, "Second Criminal Investigation Team, get in here!"
Upon entering the director's office, the director tossed them a copy of the "Shenbao" newspaper and told them to read it themselves. Dong Ge could read the characters, but he couldn't read all the large characters. He gave a wink and had one of his underlings, a plainclothes officer who had only completed junior high school, read it to him.
Before the plainclothes officer could even take the newspaper, the chief angrily threw the telephone at Dong Ge: "Idiot, you can't even read, how can I expect anything from you?"
This made Dong Ge feel a little wronged. It wasn't like he had just become illiterate; the director knew that. But the reason he had risen to this position was because he was good with words: "Director, please calm down. We may not be literate, but we're fierce. We'll bite wherever you point."
"Pah, you idiot. I'll read it to you myself." The director couldn't help but spit on him and said, "Brother Kui of the Red Flower Society issued a statement to refute rumors: Recently, there have been rumors that our gang members killed children and disposed of their bodies. This statement is to refute these rumors. No one in this gang is a member of our gang. Our gang rules prohibit the killing of women and children. Violators will be cut into nine pieces and have eighteen holes pierced, their hands and feet will be removed, and they will be hung in the hall. They will not die."
"To prove my innocence, I hereby issue a reward to the martial arts world: 50 silver dollars for anyone who can provide useful information, and 500 silver dollars for anyone who can bring the perpetrator to justice. If the murderer is an ordinary citizen, he will be stabbed three times and thrown into the Yellow River. If he is a corrupt official, he will be beheaded in front of the city gate and his head will be displayed for three days as a warning. If he is a foreign thief, he will be skinned alive to uphold the integrity of the Chinese people."
Pshaw! Kratos killed and committed arson in his youth, but now that he's old, he's started caring about empty fame. I overheard some of his underlings discussing that case; it was just a hit-and-run that killed a kid, and they even issued a Red Flower Order (a symbol of revenge), which must have caused a bloodbath in the underworld. Kratos is really getting more and more senile with age.
Even if Master Kui issued the Red Flower Order, proving that the police station had failed in its duties, those troublemakers shouldn't have acted like this. It was just a car accident; they didn't keep a close eye on their own child and let him wander around at night, yet they blamed the driver?
Noticing that Dong Ge was somewhat distracted, the director was furious and slapped Dong Ge's cheeks repeatedly with a newspaper to bring him back to his senses: "Do you think it's just a kid who died, huh?"
Despite being exposed, Dong Ge still smiled and said to the director, "Director, it's simple. Just grab a civilian, beat him half to death, and throw him into the Red Flower Society's incense hall. We get 500 silver dollars, and we also appease Master Kui. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
The director closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly, he slapped Dong Ge across the face, making a buzzing sound. Then, he grabbed Dong Ge's ear and yelled, "Idiot, do you think Brother Kui is as stupid as you? You, read the cover title to him."
The last sentence was addressed to the literate plainclothes officer, who stiffly picked up the newspaper from the table, holding his breath. However, when the young officer saw the headline, his heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the newspaper trembled slightly: "Brother Dong, the Shenbao newspaper has published a special report on the murder of a child in Xuzhou."
The report also included a striking street photo, which appeared to be on Tongyi Street around dawn. The photo showed a long, black streak suddenly appearing on the otherwise clean asphalt road.
No, no, those weren't black marks. Bright red slowly seeped out from the black areas, and he could almost see bloodstains all over the street. Fortunately, he was a man who had seen a lot, so he didn't lose his composure in front of his superior.
What was a traffic accident a few days ago has suddenly turned into a murder case, and a child has been killed. No wonder the neighbors are all like this. Who doesn't have a child? What if they encounter this evil person who killed a child?
Anyone who gets involved in this mess is doomed, so even Kratos had to issue a statement to quickly distance himself from it.
"Idiots, listen up! Would I call your criminal investigation team for a traffic accident? This case has been upgraded to a murder case. Keep reading how the person died!" The chief slammed his fist on the table and said excitedly.
"They specifically hired a Western forensic doctor to examine the body. The cause of death was excessive blood loss. Multiple external injuries were caused by being dragged with a leash, and there were ligature marks on the wrists and ankles, suggesting forced binding. They even provided a close-up image of the body's wrists and a hand-drawn diagram." Thinking of the immense suffering the child had endured, the plainclothes officer sighed and continued reading, "Symmetrical fractures of the third and fourth ribs..."
Just then, someone knocked on the door, interrupting the plainclothes officer's reading. It turned out that the secretary had brought a new copy of the "Shenbao" newspaper. The director took it and saw that the headline had changed to "Xuzhou Child Abuse and Murder Case." He grimaced and started scratching his head.
The newspaper headline was incredibly sensational, changing the words "torture" and "murder" to make the article even more exciting. There's no other way; the best-selling news for the media is murder cases. The more brutal the method, the more bizarre the story, the more the audience loves it. This is why some people even write detective novels specifically to satisfy the public's curiosity.
The chief tossed the new newspaper to the plainclothes officer, indicating that he should read the new report. The new report included several new pictures, some of which were autopsy reports. The plainclothes officer wasn't very good at writing in English, and the text wasn't printed clearly, so he skipped them. Another picture was of two empty sake bottles. This one was printed clearly, but it only deepened his suspicions.
The report states: This article is a follow-up report on the Xuzhou toddler case. Further forensic examination revealed suspicious circumstances surrounding the child's death. Multiple needle marks and puncture holes were found on the body, but no pathological reactions were detected. Furthermore…
Seeing this, the plainclothes officer bit his lower lip, refusing to read any further. Dong Ge, thinking he had finished reading, quickly started thinking: "The Shen Bao newspaper has been making things difficult for us one after another. We know where their office is, so we'll go and shut down their newspaper office right now, saying they've violated the publishing law."
Tears, pinholes—who cares? If we can't solve the problem, we'll just deal with the person who leaked it.
This terrible idea made the director laugh in exasperation. Dong Ge, seeing his superior laugh, also chuckled, feeling incredibly clever himself. Suddenly, the director, still laughing, flung his hand and smashed the desk lamp, folders, and letter opener onto Dong Ge.
The director threw things around while cursing, "Idiot, don't you know how foul a reporter's mouth is? You still dare to provoke a big newspaper like Shen Bao? You might as well jump into the Yellow River and die a clean death, so you won't get splattered with excrement and stink up my face."
"Chief... Chief, how about... we show the case file to Brother Dong first, and then we go find the criminal?" The plainclothes officer next to him picked up the phone and stammered his suggestion.
"Hmph! Can he even read?" The chief seemed to regain some of his senses and sat back down in his leather chair. "Brother Kui has also given me a red flower order, giving me a week to find the murderer, or I'll lose my job. If I don't have a good time, none of you will have a good time either."
This case is a bit tricky. Three days have passed, and the necessary evidence is long gone. How can we investigate? But the chief doesn't care how his subordinates investigate; he wants to see the real culprit in seven days.
After the Criminal Investigation Team 2 left, the chief opened the drawer in front of him. Inside lay three gold bars, which were once beloved by everyone, but now he felt they were burning hot to the touch.
The phone rang at just the right moment. The director guessed it must be some kind of divine intervention calling. He really wanted to unplug the phone and pretend he didn't hear it, but after hesitating for a long time with his hand hovering over the phone line, he finally answered the call.
"Hello, is this Mr. Tanaka?"
"There's a bit of trouble now. We might have to wait a few days until things calm down."
"Hey! Hey! It's been classified as a traffic accident, it's nothing serious."
"Yes, no problem. I will do my best to bail out your country's subjects."
The director's obsequious tone didn't last long before the other party hung up. As soon as he hung up, the director spat angrily at the telephone. "Those stingy Japanese devils only offered three gold bars and they want me to release the man? Master Kui offered 500 silver dollars, which is equivalent to five gold bars."
With five gold bars and his own official position at stake, the director's heart had already tipped towards Kui. However, he had already promised the Japanese, and business is business, after all. But how could he explain this to Kui? It was truly a headache.
But the director was unaware that a private gathering was taking place at the Red Flower Society headquarters.
Kneeling below were two men, the fat and young constables from that night. A hefty reward always brings forth brave men; 50 silver dollars might be nothing to a wealthy person, but for ordinary citizens like them, it was a fortune. Even though the chief had personally given a gag order, they still risked everything to inform on him.
An elderly man in a maroon mandarin jacket sat upright in the main seat, holding a jade cane. His white hair and beard exuded an imposing aura. Two rows of menacing Red Flower Society members stood beside him. This scene easily reminded people of the yamen of the past.
Under immense pressure, the two "black-skinned" officers tremblingly introduced themselves. They were the police officers who patrolled Tongyi Street every day. That night, they saw two people sneaking out of the back door of a high-end Japanese restaurant, dragging a burlap sack that looked quite heavy.
They assumed two thieves had stolen valuables from the store, so they secretly followed the "thieves," hoping to catch them red-handed while they were dividing the loot and then extort hush money from them.
Unexpectedly, the burlap sack suddenly started moving, accompanied by the faint sound of a baby crying. Given the severity of the banditry, they immediately suspected that the bandits had kidnapped someone's child as hostage.
Although the curfew has been lifted, bandits are still lurking outside the city, and there's no guarantee that a few spies won't infiltrate and disrupt the city's order. Besides, Commander Du is offering a reward of five silver dollars for a bandit's head; if the child's family is wealthy in the city, they might even receive a larger sum.
Although this was riskier than extorting thieves, they were emboldened by the sidearms they had been issued to in pairs during the previous curfew. They went to retrieve the motorcycle first, and then intercepted the "bandits" around the corner.
However, while they were getting the carriage, the two "bandits" somehow got some wine and started drinking straight from the bottle while driving the carriage. The two were driving the carriage from west to east, which was the way out of the city. They didn't arrest anyone right away, thinking they would wait until the "bandits" were drunk before making their move. After all, they were best at dealing with drunkards.
Unexpectedly, the "bandits" discovered them. As if they had found something interesting, one of them laughed and threw something off the carriage. Before the two of them could see what it was, the "bandits" suddenly spurred their horses and galloped away.
As they got closer to the carriage, they realized that the person being dragged on it was a child. The young policeman immediately opened fire in an attempt to cut the rope, but the visibility was poor at night and his shooting skills were not very good.
Later, they encountered a kind-hearted couple. The woman accompanied the chubby policeman to the hospital with his child, while the man helped break the rope and then chased after the "bandits." The chubby policeman's memory basically ends there.
It was only after he returned to the police station that he heard from the young police officer that the people they had arrested were not "bandits" at all, but two Japanese devils who were speaking gibberish in a language he couldn't understand.
The next morning, three men in sharp suits arrived at the branch office. They claimed to be lawyers for the Japanese, and their accents also suggested they were Japanese. They told us to release the man immediately, but he was a murderer, and our branch office didn't have the authority to do so, so we refused.
That afternoon, the director personally called to issue a gag order, and the case file was written as a regular drunk driving case. Judging from this, the Japanese devils had taken care of everything above them. Once all the formalities were completed, the branch office would release the person.
After the two finished speaking, Kratos, who had been listening quietly, tapped his cane and said, "A reward of five hundred dollars." His attendant bowed and immediately went to the back room to fetch the money.
Upon hearing this, the two men, both heavily armed, exclaimed that they dared not accept the reward. They hadn't brought the prisoner; they had only provided information about him. It was quite strange that two men who loved money more than life itself would refuse the reward; perhaps they were afraid of making money but not having the life to enjoy it.
"What I say is a reward, and that's it." Kratos's tone was undeniably authoritative. The two men were so frightened that their backs went weak, and they kowtowed to Kratos several times, uttering words of profuse gratitude.
As soon as the gathering ended, a tall figure emerged gracefully from the back hall. It was He Qingcheng, who respectfully bowed to Master Kui in a junior's greeting.
“Miss He, please sit down. I just can’t stand the appearance of such villains in the city.” Master Kui was also very polite to Qingcheng. He came from a poor family and had little opportunity to study, so he always respected scholars, regardless of gender.
"Brother Kui, you've contributed both money and effort; it's truly a generous act, and I naturally respect you." Qingcheng didn't sit down immediately but instead offered some compliments to Brother Kui.
"Miss He, no need to be so polite. Did you detect anything wrong?" Master Kui was in a good mood and seemed to want to test Qingcheng.
Kiyosumi slowly took his seat, and after settling down, he replied earnestly, "This junior believes that the two Japanese devils who were captured were merely accomplices. The mastermind was someone else, and he was in that upscale tavern at the time."
"Well said." Kratos' eyes were full of praise as he put down his jade cane and clapped his hands.
In the outer hall, a pale-faced woman dressed in Japanese geisha attire was being held down by two students, one on each side. She was kicked by one of the students before she reluctantly knelt on the ground.
The woman showed no fear when she saw Master Kui. Qingcheng found her interesting. Everyone knew who the real "emperor" of Xuzhou City was. Even the troops sent from outside the city would have Master Kui as their first visitor, just like how everyone in Shanghai would first go to the Green Gang to pay their respects.
At this moment, Kratos remained as steady as a mountain. After touching his mustache with his index finger, Qingcheng didn't know what kind of instruction this was. Anyway, the disciple immediately released the woman, and only after being released did the woman reluctantly make a non-standard kowtow.
"What do you mean, sir? I have paid off all my gambling debts. I am now a free person, a subject of the Emperor, and under the protection of the Japanese Embassy." The woman's voice was affected, making Qingcheng's skin crawl.
"Hmph! You're just a Japanese citizen. Do you think I'm not worthy to come and question you?" Kui emphasized the word "not worthy" heavily, and his face turned into a fierce look like that of a demon.
Liangzi trembled with fright and obediently prostrated herself on the ground, saying humbly, "This servant dares not, please calm your anger, sir. Liangzi will answer any questions."
“What are you afraid of? I just want to ask about what happened in the tavern the night before last. Answer truthfully.” Kui’s expression relaxed and his tone softened.
"I...I don't know anything. It should be Jingzi's shift. I was off that day and not at the tavern." After hearing Master Kui's question, Liangzi's expression was conflicted, clearly indicating something was amiss.
“Oh—what a coincidence, Shizuko also said she was taking a break. The madam asked her to switch shifts because the guests that day were ‘special.’ You know what I mean.” Kui said half a sentence, implying something else. Ryoko suddenly trembled like a leaf, and powder flakes kept falling off her face, as if she “understood.”
"It seems your hush money wasn't a small sum. It even paid off your gambling debts of over a year, principal and interest. I'm quite curious that such a wealthy man has emerged from Xuzhou City. Could you introduce me?" Master Kui stated his request directly.
"No, no, no, I am of lowly status, I am unworthy. Please, sir, spare me..." Ryoko begged for mercy while kowtowing repeatedly until her forehead bled. Kiyosumi didn't understand the cryptic conversation between the two, but Ryoko had definitely seen the real culprit, so he could only wait and see.
Kratos casually twirled the jade ring on his hand and said, "That Southeast Asian merchant last time really liked you, saying your service was excellent."
As if recalling something terrifying, Ryoko closed her eyes in pain, her crimson lips trembling.
However, Kratos then changed the subject, saying that a British baron had also asked him about Ryoko's recent situation and that she might be returning to England soon. At this moment, Ryoko clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes darting left and right, looking so aggrieved that she was about to cry.
"I'm getting old, so I like to do things that help others. Answer my question or introduce me, choose one." Kratos pressed his advantage.
Kiyoshi was deeply impressed by Kratos's negotiation skills. She wanted to take notes: first present a simple option, then a difficult one, then use a combination of coercion and enticement to break down the other party's psychological defenses, and finally, choose one of the two.
“My patience is limited. Three…two…one…find Nan…” Master Kui gestured with his fingers, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.
Before Kui could finish speaking, Liangzi hurriedly interjected, "There are only a few people in the city who order 'special' services. Takahashi-san is a regular customer, but that day he got drunk and got really angry. He kicked me out, saying that I was old and ugly."
"I assumed he was just drunk and acting crazy, so I waited at the door. A little while later, two of his guards or bodyguards came in carrying a burlap sack. I kept my head down and didn't dare look, and besides, the commotion inside was so loud, I dared not look at all."
"Who else was there that day besides Takahashi and his guards?" Kratos asked pointedly.
"There's another person I've never met before. I only know that his surname is Ishikawa, and Takahashi-san respectfully calls him San-san. He's probably a teacher or a doctor. Tavern rules don't allow you to ask where guests come from." Ryoko's words didn't sound fake.
"What kind of business does Takahashi do?" Kratos continued to ask.
“Takahashi-san owns a mine, in that copper district.” Ryoko’s words brought Kiyosumi out of his daze. Copper district mine, Japanese man Takahashi… it seemed like they had come full circle.
Several things seemed to be intertwined; she would pass this information on to Hu Yukun and the others once she returned. Master Kui asked a few more questions, and Qingcheng silently memorized the answers, hoping for a breakthrough in the mission.
After Kui saw Liangzi off, he turned to Qingcheng meaningfully and asked, "Miss He, can we finish writing tonight's report?"
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Master Kui. There's something I didn't understand. What does 'special' mean?" Kiyosumi was always eager to learn and wouldn't hide anything she didn't understand.
Kratos suddenly burst into laughter: "Then I'll teach you how to 'share a peach and cut sleeves' in a scene where you invite male prostitutes, which is called 'special'."
Suddenly, Kiyosumi felt her worldview shattered and then rebuilt, so the heavily made-up Japanese geisha from just now was a man!
"I also have a question: how did Miss He know there was another mastermind?" Master Kui changed the subject and asked Qingcheng directly.
"A high-end Japanese restaurant, two people not using the front door but the back door, trying to leave the city in the middle of the night, clearly running errands for someone. But as soon as the two errand runners disappeared, three Japanese lawyers came to bail them out the next day. Don't lawyers' fees cost money?" Kiyosumi's point temporarily convinced Kui.
Of course, what Kiyosumi didn't tell Kuiye was that they had consular jurisdiction, so even if they really committed murder, we couldn't convict them; at most, we could extradite them back to their country. However, the fact that they were willing to spend a lot of money to bribe the higher-ups in the police station to downplay the matter shows that the people behind them are not to be seen in the light of day.
The issue behind this is not just about a Japanese expatriate killing a Chinese child; once the first domino falls, none of the others can escape.
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