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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Although I had suspicions that Lang Jun was the murderer, I wanted to be sure so I handed over his photo. "Is this the man you saw?"

Ding Xu nodded as he wept.

Xiaotao stared at me blankly and faltered, "Song Yang, w-what’s going on here? Their roles are all mixed up!"

"Isn’t it better we hear what he has to say instead of my explanation?" I laughed coldly.

"Are we leaving now?" asked Xiaotao.

"Patience,” I said. “If he can wait two years, then so can we. When he thinks he’s gotten off scot-free, that’s when we rip off his mask!"

I comforted Ding Xu, but to be honest, I partly sympathized and yet despised him for his  weak character. But his psyche had just stabilized and I was afraid to excite him.

Ding Xu was of great significance to us. Whether we could convict Lang Jun depended solely on his eyewitness testimony.

After we sent Ding Xu back to school, Xiaotao was eager to confront Lang Jun. How could an upright officer like her let a criminal get away with it for even one day? "We’ll visit him tomorrow,” I promised. “It’s been some time since you dropped by. I must treat you to a meal!"

“I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight with this on my mind," frowned Xiaotao.

I leaned over and said, "Will an apology work?"

"Your apology is too insincere!" she smiled.

I gave her a light peck on the lips. "How about this?"

"Well it looks like you’ve learned to sneak up on me!” pouted Xiaotao. “Are you still the shy and innocent young boy I knew?" Then she lowered the seat and climbed onto my lap, pressing her soft breasts onto my chest. Her gentle fragrance made me heady and my heart was a train pounding down the tracks.

Right then, two boys passed by our car, one of them sticking his head to the window to glance inside. Fortunately, the windows were tinted. "Do you think they’re having sex inside?" asked one of the boys.

The other boy cried, “What the fuck are you doing?! Are you looking to get beaten? Let’s go!"

This little incident made us freeze in our seat. After the boys had walked away, Xiaotao grinned and asked, "Shall we continue?"

"Why not!"

Xiaotao leaned in, the close proximity of our bodies filling my heart with sweetness.

The next morning, Xiaotao and I paid a visit to Lang Jun's company. In fact, I wanted to wait a while longer, perhaps due to the poor taste of finding pleasure in rubbing salt in his wounds. After the party that day, all the major media outlets in Nanjiang City reported the incident that happened that night. Lang Jun quickly reclaimed the position of CEO. I wanted him to think he succeeded before dragging him down from his high horse. This was undoubtedly the best blow to this hard-hearted man.

But Xiaotao didn't want to wait for even a day.

The secretary showed us into Lang Jun’s office. The man dressed in a branded suit, with the ruddy complexion of a successful man. Upon seeing us, he placed his clasped hands on the table and said, "What can I do for you two? Do you need me to testify in court?"

In terms of body language, holding one’s hands together was a defensive posture.

"Yes!” I blurted. “We need you to appear in court and stand in the dock!"

Lang Jun arched an eyebrow, a trace of vigilance flashing past his eyes. He held his hands to his chest as he grinned, "Are you joking?"

"Would you like me to tell you the real story?" I sneered.

Lang Jun merely shrugged. Despite the rich body language, his eyes were extremely tense. "I’m all ears!"

I began to describe the first half of the story which was exactly as he had previously stated. But when Xu Zhipeng informed him that he left the girl in the wilderness, Lang Jun arrived at the scene, disappointed that Xiao Xia was still alive and not at all in any danger.

Looking down at the girl who was badly tortured and defiled by several men, Lang Jun was suddenly inspired with an idea to turn the game around. Xiao Xia's survival wasn’t of great significance but her death would bring him more benefits. Thus, he mercilessly murdered Xiao Xia and placed a gold ring on her hand.

After that, he began to secretly carry out his plans, using all means to transfer the jewelry store under Xu Zhipeng's assets so the police would naturally link the ring to Xu Zhipeng upon its discovery and assume he wanted to destroy the evidence.

Lang Jun waited for two years until he realized that the police had begun investigating the case. With the thought of pursuing victory, he openly performed a show for us at the dinner party to let everyone know what Xu Zhipeng did back then. Even Xu Zhipeng himself assumed that his subordinates had mishandled the kidnapping and killed Xiao Xia!

His two years of waiting wasn’t meaningless at all. The small company had grown under Xu Zhipeng’s leadership. And here’s the kicker–the contract that Xu Zhipeng forced Lang Jun to sign would no longer have any legal effect once the truth was revealed. Lang Jun would recover his shares and obtain a bigger establishment than before.

Xu Zhipeng was a despicable man, but he was far less intelligent compared to Lang Jun. Lang Jun on the other hand was a heartless hypocrite who could easily kill a woman he liked for the sake of power and riches. He skillfully manipulated the situation to emerge as the final victor.

When I finished speaking, Lang Jun slowly clapped his hands. "It's all really amazing, but these are all speculations. Do you have any evidence?" he challenged.

Xiaotao and I exchanged a smile, expecting him to say this. "We have an eyewitness of the crime you committed."

"That’s impossible,” spat Lang Jun. “That night..."

"You probably don't know this, but Xiao Xia had an online friend,” I snickered. “He ran all the way out there to save Xiao Xia that night and chanced upon your act."

"No! That’s impossible,” shouted Lang Jun. “You’re lying!"

Xiaotao pulled out an arrest warrant, "Cut the crap and come with us!"

After Lang Jun was detained, he handed everything over to his lawyer. Ding Xu agreed to testify in court. Although the judicial proceedings lasted for a long time, Lang Jun was eventually convicted of murder.

After Lang Jun’s arrest, I tried to fathom his mental process. With the death of his first love, he became a completely cold-blooded and ruthless man who could do anything just to get ahead. Xiao Xia was nothing in his eyes, just a pawn.

As for Xiao Xia, this was all a tragedy for a young girl who believed her life was a modern-day fairytale. Despite the many twists and turns, she imagined a happy ending with her domineering CEO like all those Mary Sue novels.

However, both sides were only using her. In the last few minutes of her life when her sweetheart arrived, she thought she was finally out of the woods. However, all she saw was the sinister, calculating face of the man she loved and his foot that trampled her throat.

At the end of the case, Xiaotao and I went for a walk. In truth, we were both deeply affected by the case. "There’s one thing I still don’t quite understand," said Xiaotao.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The possession was easy to explain but what about Lang Jun’s dream? Does her spirit really exist?"

"I wish I could say it's just a coincidence, but I sincerely hope that her spirit is still here,” I sighed. “That way she’ll know justice has been served and perhaps enter reincarnation in peace."

"Women regard love as their entire world but men always put their career first,” lamented Xiaotao. “Perhaps this is the root of tragedy! I wonder, how much weight do I carry in your heart?"

As soon as she uttered those words, Xiaotao seemed to regret it and immediately shook her head. "Forget I said that. I don't want to know the answer. Men are all heartless creatures!"

I held her face in my hands and gently caressed her nose. "You’re wrong about that. You’re everything to me!"

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