Chapter 1847 - The Snake's Trail
"Death by snake venom?" Zhou Botao asked incredulously, holding the autopsy report.
"That's right—a snakebite." Su Wan sat on the large sofa, one leg crossed over the other, one foot bare while the other dangled a shoe from her big toe, bouncing it up and down as she spoke. "Although I can't test for snake venom directly, all indications point to a banded krait."
"So there's a snake in the police station?!" Wu Mu said, unconsciously glancing around the office.
The ecological environment in this era was naturally pristine, and humans lived in relative harmony with animals. Snakes of all varieties were common in Guangzhou, which lay in the far south. The various yamens they had occupied since entering the city were particularly prone to snake infestations—these century-old buildings with their crumbling walls and overgrown gardens made perfect habitats. However, ever since Liu San had set up incense burners throughout the premises, sightings had become rare.
"He wasn't bitten at the police station," Su Wan said. "There's a considerable interval between the bite and the onset of symptoms. Wang Dong was only in custody for a few minutes. There's no way he was bitten here."
"On the road, then?"
"Someone got to him before we did and silenced him." Zhou Botao tossed a cigar to Su Wan and lit one for himself. "It seems Wang Xiaoniao was carrying quite a few secrets."
"He was bitten by a snake and didn't even know it? When he was arrested, he was on his way to a brothel—shouldn't he have gone straight to a doctor after being bitten?" Wu Mu found this incomprehensible.
"Banded kraits are different," Su Wan explained. "The bite wound is shallow, there's little pain, and there are no obvious marks. People often overlook it, and by the time symptoms appear, it's too late."
"Someone was carrying a banded krait and used it to kill Wang Dong?"
"That's likely the case." Zhou Botao said, "The sorcerer we're trying to arrest came from Yunnan and Guizhou—the mountain regions are crawling with snakes and venomous insects—and he has a strong background in gu sorcery. The killer is very probably Wu Zhiqi, the one who's still at large."
Since Wang Dong had most likely been killed by Wu Zhiqi, he must have seen Wu Zhiqi shortly before his arrest. Zhou Botao marked Wang Dong's arrest location on the map, then based on the time of arrest and death provided by the police, roughly outlined the possible range of his movements between being bitten and being apprehended.
"This is quite a large area." Zhou Botao studied the map carefully.
Wu Mu was more familiar with Guangzhou than Zhou Botao. He looked at the map and said, "His arrest location is near the north part of the city. I'd wager Wu Zhiqi is hiding somewhere outside the Great North Gate."
The area outside the Great North Gate was sparsely populated and desolate, filled with ancestral halls, charity burial grounds, and coffin shops—buildings where the dead outnumbered the living. Moreover, transients abounded there, with large numbers of the Guandi Temple faction operating and residing in the area. The Guangzhou municipal government's control over that district was weak; even now, the baojia system had yet to be fully established. Wu Zhiqi could hide there quite safely—and slip in and out of the city at will.
"We can focus our investigation there." Though Zhou Botao had never worked as a policeman, he knew that narrowing down the search area to this extent was already a considerable achievement.
"But the area outside the Great North Gate is still quite large." Wu Mu knew they had already searched that district several times. Due to the vast area and lack of reliable intelligence support, every search had come up empty.
"Here's a clue for your consideration," Su Wan interjected. "There were lotus root slices in the deceased's stomach. Lotus root can't be stored for long and must have been freshly harvested. If his last meal was eaten at Wu Zhiqi's hideout, there must be a river or lake nearby."
Wu Mu's gaze fell on the map. "Liuhua Bridge..."
Li Ziyu had been busy handling his transfer these past few days. That afternoon, having just finished lunch, he had barely stepped into the Public Order Section when the section chief summoned him.
"Xiao Li, go home first and pack your things. Report to the parade ground behind the police station at five this afternoon. Tonight there's an operation to consolidate public order throughout the city. After the mission is complete, you'll head straight to Lingao. Don't worry about anything else—it's all been arranged."
Li Ziyu had no choice but to go home and notify his parents. By half past four, he had returned to the police station and proceeded directly to the rear parade ground. The former garden had been converted into an exercise yard; the old moon gate had been preserved, but the pavilions, rockeries, and gardens within had all been razed. Even the pond had been filled in, leaving only an expanse of open ground.
Normally there were no guards at the parade ground entrance, but today two men in black police uniforms with blue collar tabs and blue cap bands stood watch at the moon gate, checking credentials for everyone entering or leaving.
When it was Li Ziyu's turn for inspection, they not only verified his photograph multiple times but also cross-referenced his name against a list on a clipboard. Clearly, only those on the list were permitted to enter.
A nameless tension gripped Li Ziyu's heart. He suddenly realized that tonight's operation was not merely a citywide public order campaign but some special mission of extraordinary importance.
After his credentials were verified, Li Ziyu entered the parade ground. The sight that greeted him made him start—the yard was packed with people, a full two hundred of them, all standing in formation. At that moment, he spotted Gao Chongjiu waving at him. Seeing a familiar face, Li Ziyu hurried over and lowered his voice. "Ninth Master, you're here too?"
"Shh. Keep it down and stand next to me." Gao Chongjiu exchanged a glance with the man beside him, and a space opened up. Li Ziyu quietly slipped into place.
"Ninth Master, is this a big case? This doesn't look like a public order campaign..." Li Ziyu looked around. Most of the faces were familiar—all people from the station. A few he recognized as Gao Chongjiu's former "brothers"—unofficial yamen runners who had been specially recruited for this operation.
"That's just a cover story." Gao Chongjiu knew the Australians placed the utmost importance on secrecy; they never disclosed anything until the critical moment. Tight-lipped from top to bottom—unlike the yamens of old. "I reckon this is most likely related to the case we uncovered earlier."
"Weren't all the suspects already arrested? The brothers in the Interrogation Section are exhausted—like dead dogs."
"I heard the mastermind behind it all hasn't been apprehended yet. With such a massive operation, I'd bet nine out of ten it's to catch this mastermind."
"Such a huge operation!" Li Ziyu was secretly alarmed. What kind of formidable figure was this mastermind?
"I've heard," Gao Chongjiu lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "that this mastermind knows black magic..."
This gave Li Ziyu quite a fright. Unable to contain himself, he blurted tensely, "Sor—!" Then, realizing he'd spoken too loudly, he quickly lowered his voice. "Sorcery? This is no laughing matter."
"Even if there really is sorcery, you don't need to be afraid," Gao Chongjiu said nonchalantly. "Since ancient times, no sorcery has ever prevailed against official authority and imperial sanction. Besides, the chiefs will surely have foul ward objects prepared."
"But I didn't see anyone carrying a chamber pot on the way in..."
"Perhaps it's a woman's menstrual cloth," Gao Chongjiu said. "Don't worry about it. Look how many forces the chiefs have assembled. Let me tell you: over here are our brothers; over there is the Koreans' White Horse Platoon; and there's the Japanese Sword-Drawing Platoon, plus the National Army..."
Li Ziyu's head swiveled constantly. The entire parade ground was packed full. The White Horse Platoon, the Sword-Drawing Platoon, the National Army riot squad... They were arranged like blocks of tofu, neatly stacked. The different uniform colors made them easy to distinguish. Gao Chongjiu nudged Li Ziyu with his elbow and whispered, "Kid, notice anything?"
"Mm. The White Horse Platoon and the Sword-Drawing Platoon each have about fifty or sixty men; the National Army brought thirty or forty; and we've got over fifty. Eh? Wait—these people don't seem to be police." Li Ziyu looked back and saw that the police on their side stood loosely, whispering to each other and looking around.
But those twenty-odd men over there, though also in police uniforms, wore blue collar tabs like the guards at the moon gate. They stood ramrod straight, not moving a muscle, not making a sound.
"That formation, that presence—tsk, tsk, tsk." Li Ziyu remarked. "We've got nothing like that at our station."
At that moment, several more policemen came in trying to squeeze into the formation. Gao Chongjiu cleared his throat loudly and glared at them, and they meekly found spots in the rear ranks.
"Ah Yu, this is a wolf-pack army. With just this presence, how can the Ming compare?" Gao Chongjiu gestured with his chin toward the men in black. "Those people—I think they might be the Imperial Guard of our Great Song."
"What?!" Li Ziyu nearly cried out. Only then did he carefully observe the black-clad figures standing motionless like statues around the perimeter. Though their uniforms differed from police uniforms only in cap band and collar tabs, their webbing was fastened properly, and each stood with feet apart, hands clasped behind their backs, expressions blank and bearing imposing.
"See—their faces are expressionless, but their eyes are cold and piercing. These are harsh and composed individuals, different from the arrogance of the Depot guards." Gao Chongjiu said.
"Stop talking and stop moving. Stand properly." A policewoman walked over, swept her gaze over the assembled officers, and nodded. "Mm, everyone's here." She then took her position at the head of the formation. Turning to address the police, she said, "I'm leading this squad today. Don't ask too many questions about what we're doing—just follow orders. You can rest easy: we're only responsible for guiding and assisting."
"Section Chief Lian, who are those people with the blue collar tabs? Why do they look so imposing?" Li Ziyu couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"They..." At this, Lian Shangyi's face twitched involuntarily. She turned away without another word.
Li Ziyu and Gao Chongjiu exchanged glances. They seemed to glimpse something in each other's eyes, and their backs suddenly felt a chill. They had both heard that Lian Shangyi was now one of Director Mu's trusted confidants—someone Director Mu had specifically brought from Lingao. Yet even she blanched at the mention. This only confirmed their suspicion that the men in black were indeed the Imperial Guard.
(End of Chapter)