Chapter 43: Soft Knife
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Soft Knife
"Captain Yang? Where are the other members of your team?" Zhou Yong’s tone was mocking.
"They’re all working on cases." Yang Wenqing was wary, but he maintained a professional smile on the surface.
"Doesn’t your Major Case Team even have a single Flying Shuttle for investigations?" Zhou Yong asked, patting the vehicle beside him.
"Team Three’s jurisdiction is quite limited. We usually just handle minor incidents. Perhaps by the time I walk over, the local Public Security Office will have already solved it, and we’ll just need to register the case." Yang Wenqing was being deliberately modest, but it was also a probe.
"Let me give you a ride. I received an alert that the case in West City is a bit complex. They need two of our Operations Division teams to assist you." Zhou Yong made room, gesturing for Yang Wenqing to get into his Flying Shuttle.
"Does Captain Zhou know what kind of case it is?" Yang Wenqing feigned walking away, but he stopped after two steps to inquire about the case.
"I’m not sure. I just received orders that the situation is urgent." Zhou Yong urged him again. "Captain Yang, we should hurry."
’His orders could only have come from Director Zhang!’
Yang Wenqing instinctively wanted to contact Vice Director Gao for reinforcements, but then again, reinforcements were standing right in front of him.
"The dispatch center reported a Cultivator riot. Cases like these usually have a clear target, so why call in the Major Case Team?" Yang Wenqing deliberately stalled. "Logically, the West City Public Security Office should be apprehending the perpetrator immediately. If they can’t, they should issue a warrant. They aren’t trying to pass the buck, are they?"
"Conventionally, the local district handles these cases, but according to regulations, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Major Case Team. Since the dispatch center notified us, we’ll be the ones held responsible if we don’t go!" Zhou Yong urged him again. "Hurry up."
Only then did Yang Wenqing board the Flying Shuttle. After sitting down, he deliberately raised his voice. "The West City Public Security Office has always operated independently of the main bureau. If something really goes wrong this time and they try to pin it on us, our other colleagues will be watching. I wonder if they’ll even have the nerve."
Hearing this, Zhou Yong’s brow twitched imperceptibly. He then urged the senior officer in the driver’s seat to accelerate.
The two of them said nothing more for the rest of the ride.
Twenty minutes later, the Flying Shuttle arrived at Fuan Community in West City. The crime scene was at the entrance of a high-end entertainment venue called the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Officers from the West City Public Security Office had already cordoned off the area, and a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside.
As Yang Wenqing, Zhou Yong, and their men stepped out of the Flying Shuttle, they immediately smelled the faint scent of something burning and felt the lingering traces of chaotic Spiritual Qi in the air.
The grand entrance of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was shattered. The portico showed clear signs of scorching from flames and slashes from a sharp weapon. A nearby decorative stone pillar had several ice spikes embedded deep within it. It was obvious that a brief but incredibly fierce magical battle had taken place here not long ago.
Crossing the police tape, Yang Wenqing immediately spotted Li Gui, the director of the West City Public Security Office, dressed in a white uniform. He was speaking with several well-dressed men who carried themselves with decorum, a helpless smile on his face.
Seeing Yang Wenqing and Captain Zhou arrive, Li Gui hurried over to greet them. "Captain Yang, Captain Zhou," he said quickly in a hushed voice, "you’re finally here. Here’s what happened..."
He spoke at an incredible speed, laying out the situation in just a few sentences.
The case wasn’t complicated. A rich young master named Liu Sheng had gotten into an argument at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion tonight. In a drunken impulse, he used a Magical Artifact to start a fight, injuring several people on the spot. He even accidentally killed a waiter who tried to intervene. Including the other party’s bodyguards, the incident resulted in five deaths.
After causing such a catastrophe, Liu Sheng and his entourage vanished.
By the time Li Gui finished his rapid-fire summary, the three of them had reached the heart of the crime scene. Several officials from the Civil Affairs Bureau quickly surrounded them. Yang Wenqing scanned them and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he didn’t sense the aura of an official seal on any of them. ’This means they’re just insignificant low-level clerks.’
At that moment, Li Gui’s gaze swept between Yang Wenqing and Zhou Yong before finally settling on Zhou Yong. He ordered, "Captain Zhou, the situation is urgent. The culprit, Liu Sheng, escaped not long ago, so he must still be within the West City District. I want you to immediately lead your men from the Operations Division and conduct a dragnet search based on the clues our office has provided. You must apprehend the criminal as soon as possible!"
He issued the command with extreme casualness, completely bypassing Yang Wenqing, who was supposed to be the officer in charge. After speaking, he turned to a nearby sergeant. "You go with Captain Zhou. Brief him on the intelligence we’ve gathered."
To Yang Wenqing’s surprise, Zhou Yong immediately complied. "Understood, Director Li! We’re on it!"
With that, without so much as a glance at Yang Wenqing, he turned, waved to the two teams he had brought with him, and shouted, "Everyone, on my order! Let’s move!"
The men from the Operations Division sprang into action, boarding their Flying Shuttles. Amid the roar of engines, they vanished down the end of the street in an instant.
Just as Yang Wenqing was about to speak, Li Gui enthusiastically grabbed his arm. "Captain Yang," he said earnestly, "we can leave the manhunt to the men from the Operations Division. Right now, we need to focus on the aftermath!"
Li Gui’s words were perfectly reasonable, framed entirely from an official standpoint that left no room for objection. The officials from the Civil Affairs Bureau chimed in with their agreement. After all, with so many deaths and such a large crowd of onlookers, the news was bound to be all over the city within a day.
And that was the crux of it. If Yang Wenqing let the murderer escape, his position as acting captain would be in jeopardy. Yet he had no one under his command on-site, and Li Gui was keeping him tied up here while he wanted to join the pursuit.
All Yang Wenqing could do now was hope Wang Ren wouldn’t drop the ball on his end. Still, this feeling of not being in control was deeply unsettling.
The group walked over to the bodies of the five victims. Li Gui lifted the white sheet covering one of them and said in a low voice, "Captain Yang, this one is the biggest problem."
Before Yang Wenqing could ask, he continued, "This is Sun Yi, male, twenty-two years old. His father is Sun Ming, the Deputy Director of the General Affairs Department at the County Civil Affairs Bureau!"
As soon as Li Gui finished speaking, one of the clerks from the Civil Affairs Bureau chimed in, "Director Sun has already been notified, but he can’t come to the scene himself due to conflict-of-interest policies. His wife, however, will be arriving shortly."
Right on cue, a commotion broke out behind the police line. A middle-aged woman in simple yet elegant attire that couldn’t conceal her air of wealth approached, flanked by several attendants. The moment she saw the body under the uncovered sheet, she swayed violently and nearly collapsed, only held up by the attendants at her side.
"My son! My son!" the woman shrieked, her cry heart-wrenching as she struggled to throw herself toward the body.
Li Gui and the officials from the Civil Affairs Bureau immediately rushed forward, supporting and comforting her while expertly redirecting her attention to Yang Wenqing.
"Lady Sun, please accept my condolences. This is Captain Yang Wenqing of the City Defense Bureau’s Major Case Team. He is now in full charge of this case." Li Gui’s voice was heavy with sorrow as he made the introduction. "Captain Yang is exceptionally skilled. He will certainly do everything in his power to bring the murderer to justice and give you and Director Sun the closure you deserve!"
The other clerks chimed in, "Yes, Lady Sun, with Captain Yang here, you can rest assured. The City Defense Bureau will not let your son have died in vain!"
Lady Sun looked at Yang Wenqing, her eyes swimming with tears, filled with both grief and a hint of scrutiny. She grabbed his sleeve and said, "Captain Yang, my son can’t have died for nothing. The murderer... that bastard from the Liu family... he must pay with his life!"
In that instant, Yang Wenqing truly felt the viciousness of a gentle blade.