Chapter 1846 - Clipping Wings
But Wang Dong had no spare money in hand. The sisters who sold smiles loved beauty—and loved cash even more. When three to five days had passed without him producing any coin, their expressions and words grew increasingly unpleasant. The madam chattered endlessly that he hadn't registered for temporary residence when he came to stay, nor was he willing to produce a few coins to entertain the local constable; she couldn't shoulder the liability any longer. Forced out, he had no choice but to leave.
With no money and nowhere to go, he had to return to Music Workshop Street to resume his old trade. There, unexpectedly, he was caught red-handed by police lying in wait.
No one had expected Wang Dong to die within mere minutes of being brought to the station. Given the particularity of the Mao Family Inn case, his death added yet another layer of mystery.
"It looks like the enemy already knows their tail is exposed—they're anxious to silence him."
"This confirms our reconnaissance direction is correct." The speaker was Wu Mu. Though his tone was calm, inwardly he was quite anxious. From the original headless corpse until now, they had strung together several cases with numerous clues and many arrests, yet not a single true mastermind had been caught. The mysterious "Stone Old Man" remained nowhere to be found, and even the sorcerer who practiced dark magic hadn't been apprehended.
Wu Mu's difficulty lay in the fact that the Political Security Bureau's own action department was tiny. He bore the title of Guangdong Political Security General Special Commissioner in name only—essentially a commander without soldiers—for his department was unlike others; staff could not be expanded locally.
As a result, much basic reconnaissance work had to be entrusted to the National Police, including the current case, which was actually being investigated by the Guangzhou Police Bureau. Such delegation not only increased coordination difficulties but also meant ceding ground to the National Police in political security matters. So when Zhao Manxiong dispatched Action Division Chief Zhou Botao, it was like timely rain.
Zhou Botao tapped cigarette ash from his sleeve. "Judging from the comprehensive clues, this case has strong ties to the Guangzhou gentry. Especially the Liang family. Even if they aren't the mastermind, they're certainly one of the important backers."
"A pity we don't have any decisive evidence in hand..."
"Evidence isn't too important for us," Zhou Botao said. "The Senate and the gentry are in a fundamentally hostile contradiction. This isn't a legal issue—the main problem is that we're not yet stable in Guangdong. Shaking the firmly entrenched gentry is still difficult. Rush to move against them, and if they unite to counterattack, with our current military force and cadre numbers, I'm afraid we couldn't manage it. Then government orders truly wouldn't leave Guangzhou. My view is we should start with Wenlan Academy and Guan Di Temple."
Several major cases since entering Guangzhou had pointed clues toward these two places. Zhou Botao believed they could begin there.
Wenlan Academy was the largest academy in Guangzhou. Because of its rich endowment, it had always been fat meat coveted by the local gentry. Struggles over the positions of academy director and dean had never ceased. In recent years, Zhong Aijiao had relied on the Liang family's power, and Mo Rongxin had relied on becoming in-laws with Gao Tianshi. The two partnered to control Wenlan Academy, pocketing annual revenues of several thousand taels.
"Zhong Aijiao, Mo Rongxin, and Gao Tianshi—these three should all be frontmen running errands for the gentry," Zhou Botao said. "We kept them in the past because our manpower and material resources were insufficient to deal with them. Now the Guangzhou Municipal Government has at least set up its framework. Taking them out serves several purposes: first, it knocks the mountain to shake the tiger, warning the gentry not to speak or move rashly; second, it clips the gentry's wings; third, it benefits Mayor Liu. The Guan Di Temple gang goes without saying—that's a malignant tumor. As for Wenlan Academy, every scholar in the city knows what goes on inside; complaints are enormous. Taking out Wenlan Academy not only lets Mayor Liu make a windfall but vents anger for the scholars. And by the way, the Education Department might thank you too. Is that abacus well-calculated?"
Wu Mu smiled. "I hadn't expected you to figure out Guangzhou's situation so clearly after only a few days here."
"Have you forgotten my background? Being a private detective meant selling intelligence. Though I've only been here a few days, I was reading the data compilations you sent every day back in Lingao." Zhou Botao said, "Guangzhou's situation is extremely complex. Our modest administrative capacity is a drop in the ocean. Your Special Commissioner job is hard to do."
Just then, someone delivered documents. Zhou Botao took them, flipped through, and said, "No new material. See how you want to handle it."
Wu Mu took them over. This was Han Yue's latest interrogation record—nothing new. No matter how she was questioned, she could only confess to knowing Wang Dong. This man was not only the one who had seduced her into her fall but also played the role of "liaison." The documents she obtained from the city government and the mischief with Liu Xiang's incense burner were all done on Wang Dong's instructions. As for whose orders Wang Dong followed, Han Yue herself didn't know—she had only heard Wang Dong mention a "Court Official." That was equivalent to saying nothing.
Wu Mu knew that Han Yue's role in the intelligence system was a low-tier one. Though she provided extremely important intelligence and bore the greatest risk, the returns she obtained and her importance within the system were actually the lowest. Once exposed, it was precisely such people who were ruined and lost their lives—deserving of being called cannon fodder in the intelligence world.
That such a naturalized cadre with a reliable background, formidable experience, and bright future should betray them like this was regrettable by any measure. Yet Han Yue's motive for falling didn't seem particularly surprising to Wu Mu. Han Yue was already in her early twenties and had just been "exiled" from the Senator's side.
For female naturalized citizens, almost everyone dreamed of being "taken into favor" by a Senator. As someone who had served close to a Senator—even if as secretary to a female Senator—Han Yue could count herself as having had a real chance. Now expelled from the ranks of those "close to" Senators, she was forever separated from this dream.
Aging, without life security, hope lost. No man had ever been good to her. Then a sweet-talking pretty boy appeared, satisfying both her emotional and physical needs while promising her a future...
Wu Mu thought about the two consecutive "mole" cases handled by the Political Security Bureau in Guangzhou involving women. He sighed inwardly: old thoughts and old moral concepts really didn't fade away so easily. No wonder Zhao Manxiong hadn't agreed to let him open a Political Security training class in Guangzhou, insisting on recruiting from naturalized citizens in Lingao.
"Compared to the whole world, Lingao is just an isolated island of modernized industrial society. But this island is an island thoroughly transformed by us. Only people who have undergone full education and baptism on this island can have their loyalty to our system and culture guaranteed," Zhao Manxiong had said.
"Given a completely new life, a completely new livelihood, and a broad future—yet couldn't withstand one man's sweet talk. Women truly are slaves of emotion," Zhou Botao mocked himself.
"No, I think we simply didn't do well enough." Wu Mu shook his head. "We imposed our own concepts onto naturalized citizens, thinking women in this position would only work harder and be more grateful to the Senate. We forgot that not long ago, they were still genuine seventeenth-century natives. Even Mayor Liu's little secretary—who'd read books at Fangcaodi since childhood—was confused by nonsense about 'seeking sons' and 'aphrodisiacs.' Let alone Han Yue, who had basically never transformed her thinking properly in Lingao. Besides, Han Yue is already in her early twenties. In this spacetime, she's a genuine old maid. If we'd gotten her a husband earlier, this Wang Dong probably wouldn't have succeeded so easily—emotionally empty, and a man entered the void..."
Then seduced into bed—sweet words—dead set devoted—ghost obsessed—played and used—abandoned... Zhou Botao supplemented silently. He had handled many divorce cases and seen far too much of this.
"Unexpectedly, you understand women quite well," Zhou Botao joked.
"Not at all." Wu Mu was slightly embarrassed. He hurried to change the topic. "Pity that Wang Dong, who hooked her, died just after being caught today!"
Could this fleeing sorcerer really possess such formidable ability—to kill invisibly from a distance?
"The body has been sent to Forensic Doctor Su. Results will come soon," Zhou Botao said. "As for us, let's consider how to start on Wenlan Academy and Guan Di Temple first..."
Meanwhile, Su Wan stood beside Wang Dong's already disemboweled corpse, holding a magnifying glass under the spotlight. She paid no attention whatsoever to the sawed-open skull or the organs filling the table beside her, carefully examining one of Wang Dong's legs—now blue and rigid.
There were two very clear small dots on the ankle. Su Wan exhaled, picked up her vernier caliper, carefully measured the distance between the two points, and recorded it in her notebook. Then she straightened up with satisfaction and called out, "Pack all this back up for me. Sew it up."
Her apprentice walked over with a look of disgust to clean up the "battlefield" Su Wan had left. The workload had been too enormous; she'd called her apprentice left behind in Lingao over to assist.
This apprentice was also female—said to be from a butcher's family, and therefore unfazed by blood. She was accustomed to scenes of disembowelment. Su Wan showed none of the warmth that male Senators might have toward this apprentice. Not only did she order her about to the fullest, she beat and scolded without mercy. But this way, her skills also improved rapidly.
"Bring me that stomach contents bottle first!" Su Wan suddenly remembered something. "Quick!"
The apprentice, who was about to start packing, seemed as if lashed by a whip. She hurriedly fetched a large wide-mouthed glass jar. Inside was half a jar of gray-green viscous liquid that seemed to contain many impurities, emitting a sour smell of decay.
Su Wan showed no distaste for this disgusting substance. She simply pulled her mask tight, poured the contents onto a large white porcelain plate, and probed through them with an instrument.
(End of Chapter)