Netherworld Investigator

NEW NOVEL: First and foremost, I'm delighted to announce that our long-time veteran translator littleshanks has finally launched his new novel, Rise!  Rise is a novel about the esports scene in Shanghai, the competitive gaming capital of China. It follows the story of Lin Feng, a boy who has just moved to the city for his last year of high school. He's a passionate gamer and dreams of being the best professional League of Legends player in the world. The twist? He almost achieved his dream, but failed at the...

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No matter how much we tried, the fake Kong Hui refused to reveal any information. However, although he might not say anything himself, a doctor’s evaluation found that plastic surgery was performed on his face a few months ago.

In other words, this mysterious organization had prepared a stand-in for Kong Hui even before the incident occurred!

Still, I was sure that I caught the real Kong Hui that night. In that case, he must’ve switched out with this man as he was already in custody, which meant that there was a mole working for the organization within the police force.

This made me feel even more powerless and helpless. We were truly facing a fearsome enemy this time. I surmised that the organization must’ve gone to great lengths to protect Kong Hui because they wanted to protect their secrets.

Xiaotao and I walked out of the interrogation room full of frustration, and she told me to go back to my dorm for now. She would report the incident to her superiors and they would start investigating all suspicious criminals from major cases in the last ten years.

At the time, New Year’s Day was fast approaching, which meant that it was soon going to be final exams season too. There were much fewer college students in the Internet cafes and restaurants nearby now. One day, I received a call from Bingxin. I heard her sobbing as soon as I picked up the phone. 

“Song Yang-gege, Dad’s in trouble!” she told me.

I told her to calm down and tell me what exactly happened. She told me that Sun Tiger was on his way to Wuqu City when he was involved in a car crash. That was all she knew. She couldn’t call him or contact him in any way, so she felt like going to the police station to find out more.

I agreed and we went to the police station together. We met Xiaotao there. Bingxin went up to her and said, “Tell me what happened, Xiaotao-jiejie! Don’t hide anything from me! Is my dad still alive?”

“Don’t worry too much,” Xiaotao replied. “It’s not as serious as you might think. You know how tough your dad is! He just broke a few ribs and a leg, and he’s now safe in the Wuqu City Hospital. I’ll try and contact him now.”

Xiaotao went to a laptop and dialed a number using an Internet phone. Soon after, Sun Tiger appeared on the screen. His head was wrapped in bandages and his leg was in a thick cast. The first thing he said was, “What are you doing there, Bingxin? Aren’t you about to take your final exams?”

Bingxin burst into tears and asked, “Dad, what happened to you?”

“I’m fine!” he replied. Then he started to move around to prove it. “You see? It’s nothing! Ouch!”

We let Uncle Sun and Bingxin talk without interrupting. Meanwhile, I whispered to Xiaotao, “Was it really an accident? Or was it a murder attempt?”

Xiaotao sighed. “The truck that hit Sun Tiger’s car had no license plate. It was suspiciously full of stones weighing tons, and the driver immediately disappeared after the accident. That doesn’t sound much like an accident, does it?”

I was stunned. “Who would be so bold to dare threaten Director Sun’s life?”

“Well, the reason he was going to Wuqu City in the first place was to deliver the files related to the organization to the Director-General. But this car accident happened as soon as he left the city. I think this organization really is more powerful than we expected! Still, Sun Tiger was determined to deliver those files. The first thing he did after the accident was to contact Director-General Cheng immediately and inform him what happened. Then he refused to come back to Nanjiang City and instead preferred to be sent to the Wuqu City Hospital for treatment.”

“Director-General Cheng has already gone to the hospital and met Sun Tiger,” Xiaotao added. “His order was to temporarily stand down and do nothing to provoke the organization. He’ll report it to the head of Public Security Department later.”

“This is awful,” I shook my head. “It sounds just like Hydra in Captain America!”

Because Bingxin was there, Sun Tiger did not mention the organization in the video call. He merely gave normal daily orders to Xiaotao. Bingxin felt much better now that she’d spoken to her dad. 

“Song Yang-gege!” she chirped, back to her usual mood. “Do you have any plans for New Year’s Day? Wanna come to our house for dinner?”

I was just contemplating my answer when Xiaotao interjected, “No! My father arranged a blind date for me on New Year’s Day, and Song Yang has agreed to go with me.”

“Huh? Why does Song Yang-gege have to go with you on your blind date?”

“To be my shield!”

“Oh, okay,” Bingxin smiled. “I’ll lend you Song Yang-gege for a day then!”

“You’ll lend me Song Yang? What is he—your toy?”

“Well, he’s not yours anyway!” Bingxin pouted. After that, she took my arm and said to me, “Come on, Song Yang-gege! Now that we’re both in the city, why don’t we go shopping together?”

Xiaotao looked on with narrowed eyes as Bingxin pulled me away. I turned around and told her, “See you on New Year’s Day!”

I thought Xiaotao’s blind date only involved going to a restaurant and having a simple meal, but I was completely wrong. Apparently, rich people had a different idea when it came to blind dates.

On New Year’s Eve, Xiaotao sent me an email of invitation to a New Year’s party at the famous Huidu Hotel. The host was Xiaotao’s father, of course, and many celebrities would be there too. Her father was planning to introduce her to his preferred future son-in-law on that occasion.

I went numb when I learned that. I’d never been to any kind of fancy parties like that. I would have no idea how to act and what to wear!

“Should I rent a suit?” I asked Xiaotao.

“No,” replied Xiaotao. “Just wear your usual clothes. Trust me, wearing a suit would just make you look awkward!”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll need your guidance on that day. I’m worried that I might commit some faux pas!”

“How much scarier can these people be compared to the dead bodies that you’ve dealt with?” laughed Xiaotao.

“You’ve got a point…” I agreed.

On New Year’s Day, I was left alone in my dorm room while everyone else had already gone to a party. Dali told me they were going to a single guys’ party and he asked me to reflect on the reason why I was not invited. I glared at him.

Although Xiaotao told me to wear my usual clothes, I still felt that I shouldn’t look too casual, so I decided on wearing a newly-bought jacket along with my best pair of jeans and sneakers.

When I reached the hotel lobby, a waiter took my invitation card and led me to a hall. I froze the minute I entered the door. None of the people inside dressed casually at all. In fact, they were all smartly dressed and they each held a glass of champagne as they talked and laughed with each other. It felt like I’d just stepped into a movie set!

Judging from the rings on their fingers, their expensive watches, their glittering jewelry—it was clear that they were all very wealthy!

I didn’t know anyone there, so I stood awkwardly in the hall for a few minutes. Finally, Xiaotao arrived. She was wearing a sexy evening dress that hugged her curves, paired with a pair of pearl earrings. She even put on light makeup too. All in all, she looked just like a movie star. 

“And you told me to wear my usual clothes?!” I asked her.

“I’m sorry,” Xiaotao shrugged helplessly. “My father told me to dress up… It’s hard to go against that stubborn man…”

She then pointed to a man wearing an expensive-looking suit and leather shoes.

“That’s my blind date,” she told me. “My father is going to introduce us to the guests tonight. It’s all so farcical it’s embarrassing! I just want to dig a hole and stay in there forever!”

“This looks less like a blind date and more like an arranged marriage, Xiaotao!” I smiled bitterly.

I then looked at the man intended for Xiaotao. He seemed a bit familiar. Then it dawned on me—he was the son of a millionaire I met in Qu Tingting’s poisoning case! I couldn’t believe what a coincidence it was. 

“Now, please act as convincingly as you can,” ordered Xiaotao. “I don’t want to end up spending the rest of my life with a man I don’t even know!”

She then called for a waiter and asked him to get her some things. After a while, the waiter returned with a small-ish box. Xiaotao picked it up and opened it. There was an Omega watch inside it. She then told me to stick out my arm so she could put it on for me.

“So you’ve even prepared a prop!” I remarked. “You’re very thorough!”

“No, silly!” she shook her head and smiled. “This is my gift to you!”

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