Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
“Name?”
“Li Yan.”
“Where are you from?”
“Hebei.”
“What are you doing here in Hong Kong?”
“Visiting relatives”
A police officer gripped the pen in his fingers. He scribbled something down quickly as he glanced at the man sitting opposite him.
“In your statement, you claimed that they tried to rob you, but then started fighting amongst themselves, and then…”
The officer paused for a moment before continuing in disbelief, “You killed four of them single-handedly?”
“Officer, it was self-defense.”
The officer scrutinized Li Yan.
“Did you know that they shared the same hometown as you?”
“Yes, I engaged in conversation with them because I knew we shared the same hometown.”
“Engaged in conversation? You said you had nothing to do with them…you think I’m dumb or what?”
“Who’s to know?”
“You!”
“Officer, think clearly.”
The officer nearly jumped out of his seat and glared at Li Yan’s half-opened eyes, then sat back down furiously.
This man hadn’t even been in the station that long before a lawyer called. He obviously had connections.
Also, there wasn’t any evidence linking Li Yan to this case. Since he had been bailed out, it would be difficult to detain him for even a night.
Chills ran down the officer’s spine as he thought of how a sickly man like him could kill four armed robbers with just a surgical knife.
An older man entered the room with some tea. “Sir Li,” he said, and the police officer stood in response.
“Please leave. Shut the door properly.”
Li Yaoguang waved his hand at the officer, then sat opposite Li Yan. He shrugged his brows as he shifted a stack of documents on his table to the side.
“How did it feel staying here overnight?”
“Tea was bad. The couch was small.”
“This is a police station, you think it’s a hotel?”
Li Yaoguang looked straight at the man and continued. “Using just a surgical knife, you killed people for whom we would normally deploy the riot police. The fighters at the Kowloon Rings must be impressive… how about you guys become the special forces instead.”
Li Yan did not speak, but watched the old man calmly.
“How long have you been in Hong Kong?”
“A month or two, I guess.”
“How has it been?”
“Not bad. Not too tiring.”
The old man smiled as he said, “My hometown is at Xiamen, in Fujian, but I grew up here in Hong Kong. Back in the day, my father used to be a rickshaw puller. We led a hard life, but he never once joined the syndicates or looked for easy money. When I took my exams to become a police officer, everyone had to bribe the examiner, but he never did. And so I couldn’t rise in the ranks for seven years. But I never once faulted him.”
He stared at Li Yan and continued, “No matter how hard life gets, it’s not an excuse for criminal behavior.”
Li Yan broke into a smile as he replied, “Tell this to those damned people. I haven’t been here for too long, haven’t even tried out a prostitute from the brothels, but…”
He lost his smile as he continued, “Uncle, these morals can’t keep me alive. If one day there are no syndicates left in Hong Kong, will you think that you’ll have successfully persuaded them against their activities? If they’re willingly gambling with their lives, it wouldn’t be much of a loss if they were gone. But there’s no need to trample over them with your words, right?”
Li Yaoguang was not angered and replied after a moment of pause. “I actually am convinced that you have nothing to do with them. Someone with such a clear thought process would not try to rob a bank.”
“That’s a great call.”
Li Yan thought of the man who had wanted to rob the prison, the man he killed… Did he have a clear thought process too?
Li Yaoguang said, “Finish the tea then wait for your lawyer to come pick you up. That being said, how much can you earn by fighting in Kowloon?”
“Not as much as robbing a bank.”
“But that’s a huge risk.”
“There’s also a huge risk fighting in the rings. And I have huge expenses. It’s not enough.”
“Are you interested in another job then?”
Li Yan was stunned, “What did you say?”
The tone of Li Yaoguang’s voice remained the same as he asked again, “I’m asking if you’re interested in a job with the police department.”
“You must be kidding, old man.”
Li Yaoguang then handed over a name card to Li Yan, “When you feel that I’m not kidding, give me a call.”
He then looked down at his watch and said, “It’s about time. You can leave.”
Li Yan hesitated for a moment, then took the name card and left.
“Oh right, those people had stolen a bunch of antiques when they robbed the bank. They were meant for a charity auction, but now most of them are missing. Did you perhaps hear them say anything about it?”
Li Yan stopped short in his footsteps.
“Who knows whether or not I sold them myself earlier. I need the money. Who would carry those things around with them?”
Li Yaoguang nodded with some understanding.
“You would bring around the smaller items then?”
Li Yan yanked open the door forcefully and walked out of the room.
The older man remained quiet for a good while, then scoffed, “They’re all dead. What’s the use in thinking about that.”
You have received the second cut of the Ancient Novel records.
You have now initiated the Yanfu Case!
The requirements are as follow:
Awaken the soul of the Ubume in the records. If you fail, all the points from this case will be deducted and you will have no purchasing power this time.
You will be notified irregularly about the location of the records, the effective radius being 5km. Please check your notifications in a timely manner.
Do note that finding more records will bring greater benefits to you!
Also, the effects of your actions on this case will be compensated by greater purchasing limits and greater rewards. The larger the impact of your actions, the better the rewards! This principle should be applied to most Yanfu cases.
Note: Do you still remember what you said when you first joined? Make a huge fuss.
My life is a joke.
Li Yan sighed as he strode out of the interrogation room, only to see Red Ghost waiting for him.
“How was it? Did the officer put you on the spot?”
Red Ghost was wearing the same old black leather jacket with a smile on his youthful face.
“Sorry to trouble you, Red Ghost.”
“The Grand Duke helped. You would never have gotten out this quickly otherwise.”
“The Grand Duke knows about this?” Li Yan’s curiosity was piqued once again. He was eager to find out who this mysterious man was.
“Yeah, everyone heard of the guy from Kowloon who killed four armed men single-handedly. You’re a hero now.”
“Stop joking. I almost died on the way. And how did you explain it to Judy?”
“It’s great that you’re alright,” Red Ghost said, patting his shoulder. “The bail was paid by Judy. Explain to her while you have your meal later,” said Red Ghost, as he pouted looking off into the distance.
Li Yan looked toward the direction he was facing.
Judy was sitting at the desk. Opposite her was the lawyer that had bailed him out.
This was the first time Li Yan had seen Judy in formal wear. She was wearing a white collared shirt with a black sweater and a formal hat. She had her hand on her neck and was listening to something. The corner of her tightly shut lips lifted subconsciously. She looked great.
Li Yan unknowingly touched his nose. Compared to the charming and flamboyant Judy last night, the lady before him was as calm as the summer sea. He felt like he had just been hit by something.
“I just pissed her off. Is this a good time to have a meal?”
“Wow, she’s a millionaire… long legs… voluptuous, with a pretty face… and she’s into you. What’s with your tone?”
“No, hear me out…”
Judy had just settled the procedures.
“That’s it, Charles. Contact me if there’s anything else.”
She stood and waved at the lawyer who was taking his leave. Then she turned to look at Red Ghost and Li Yan and walked towards them.
She judged Li Yan’s appearance from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction, “This shirt looks good. It fits you well, but it’s a little thin.”
“The jacket’s ruined so I could only wear it like this. I haven’t thanked you for helping me yet,” replied Li Yan, as he licked his lips to ease the dryness.
Judy then proceeded to lock arms with Li Yan and said, “Let’s go, I’ll buy you a new jacket.”
Recognizing it was time he excused himself, Red Ghost said, “Then I won’t bother the both of you.”
Judy rolled her eyes at him. “You’re so eager to look for The Grand Duke, I can’t even hold you back.”
Red Ghost puffed out a patronizing laugh, then patted Li Yan’s shoulder and left.
Judy mumbled, “I still don’t know… how’s she’s better.”
“What did you just say, Miss Judy?”
Judy turned around and then smiled at Li Yan, “I said, it’s better that you just call me Judy in the future.”
Li Yan could only return the smile. He wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Let’s go,” Judy tugged Li Yan along. She seemed happy.
There were only the two of them in this huge restaurant, with Richard Clayderman’s A comme amour playing in the background.
“I haven’t bought a non-tailored suit in a while, but you can really pull it off.”
Under the candle light, Judy’s eyes were sweeping across Li Yan’s body repeatedly, looking somewhat… passionate?
Li Yan gulped down the alcohol and couldn’t care less about the shocked expression of the waiter. He groaned a little, then looked up and asked, “Miss Judy, I find it funny… how much do you actually know about me?”
Judy focused on her truffle steak as she replied, “What are you referring to?”
“Let’s put it this way, I can understand that people are willing to support a fighter by spending loads of money on them. But I can’t understand why a lady would invite a man, who had just killed four people, to dinner. And buy him an expensive suit, on top of that.”
Li Yan raised his arm to look at his sleeve. This suit was worth more than his ES Cell Booster.
Judy’s arms were crossed. She rested her chin on her hand as she thought for a while, and instead of answering him, she raised up the glass of wine.
“How about we play a game. I ask you a question and you have to be honest. And if you avoid or divert the question, you have to take a shot. And vice versa.”
“Sure,” Li Yan had always been quick to agree. Like how he agreed to let go of the hostages per He Andong’s requests…
Judy started speaking first, “When Red Ghost first introduced me to you, he probably called me a sponsor or something. How did you feel when you first saw me?”
Li Yan subconsciously scratched the table with his nails. The lady seated before him was very different from the lively girl he had met at the Fuyi Towers. She seemed a little scheming today.
Li Yan decided to answer honestly, “I thought, this woman is a millionaire. If I’m kicked to the curb, I could probably kidnap her and get some money out of it…”