Chapter 1401: Turnaround
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Senior Investigator Faran Liang had regained the initiative very quickly.
There were two sets of printouts from Headquarters. One was the dismissal of Candy Dad Jerry as the chief of the Brenia station, and the other was the appointment of Faran Liang as the temporary acting chief of the branch, as well as leader of a special task force dedicated to investigate specific cases.
That night, investigators from the four nearby planets of Naru, Chedalia, Kanidos, and Balnox, totalling eight investigators, were temporarily assigned to join the Brenian branch.
As such, Xia Fan, Cheyenne, Chenchen, Dunn and Qin Zimo, the original investigators of Brenia, were now treated as outsiders, ejected from the core of the branch by Faran Liang. Not only were they assigned to some non-emergency work, Xia Fan and Cheyenne had been given orders to help the local police do door-to-door interviews to search for witnesses.
—
Later that night, Cheyenne was pouting. Unhappiness was written all over her face as she joined Xia Fan on his return home.
“You’re back,” Rodun the butler said when he saw Xia Fan and Cheyenne enter. He proceeded to the kitchen to serve the dinner he had already prepared earlier.
“You’re back rather late today, so you must have worked hard. Today I made some seafood mushroom soup, pan-fried veal steak, and a fruit salad as appetizers. When you’re done with your meal, there’s also the dessert of roasted chestnuts and yogurt that Cheyenne enjoys,” Rodun rattled off as he heated up the dinner.
Hearing that there was delicious food to be had, Cheyenne’s stomach growled. After they were done with the meal, Cheyenne collapsed on the couch, rubbing her belly contently as the frustration that she had felt the entire day was slightly appeased.
Xia Fan took out a pen and began jotting things down in a notebook as he ruminated over the day.
“What are you up to?”the curious Chyenne asked Xia Fan.
“Nothing much. Just doing a review of everything that had happened today, before settling on a summary.”
“Why not share it?”
Xia Fan nodded, “First, I am certain that the murder of Wu Jie and his family must be related to the military, otherwise Huang Rong would not have appeared so quickly at the scene of the crime. As for Faran Liang, the reason why he is trying so hard to take over the investigation, even going so far as to use his influence with the higher-ups to get Dad kicked off the force, is actually for the sake of protecting the military.
“Second, the killer must be from the military, and there’s a high likelihood that person is someone who is ex-military.
“In conclusion, if we wish to uncover who this killer is, we need two fulfill two criteria: the first is to learn what exactly the killer left on the wall in that living room, and the second is to find out what exactly was taken from Wu Jie’s safe.
“As long as we can find out these two details, we’ll be able to understand the killer’s motives.”
Cheyenne sighed. “Everything you’ve said is for naught anyway. Dad has already gone home by now, and we’ve been excluded from the investigation. There’s absolutely no way for us to get anywhere near the evidence that you require. What are your thoughts on the death of the maid from the Wu Family?”
“Murder,” Xia Fan said straightforwardly. “Because she saw what the killer left behind in the Wu Family’s living room, she had to be silenced.
“Something else that I’ve considered is the fact that Brenia is just a remote planet in the Union. Why would Huang Rong and Faran Liang appear on the scene of the crime at first notice, just moments after the murders occured?How could they be even quicker than us?”
Cheyenne stroked her chin thoughtfully, “You’re right, that is indeed quite hard to explain. The local police mentioned that Huang Rong showed up at the scene at practically the same time they did, and only several minutes passed before Faran Liang appeared. It was almost as if they were already prepared to step in.”
Xia Fan said, “The military must have tapped police communications, and the moment the hotline got the call from the maid, Huang Rong learned of it and immediately hurried to the scene, informing Faran at the same time.
“Something else I noticed when we were at the scene of the crime: Huang Rong and his men totaled six people, yet there were no vehicles in the vicinity from the military. Thus, we can surmise that they probably did not take a hovercar over, but used an atmospheric shuttle that was capable of even greater speeds instead, or maybe even a military spacecraft or a similar form of transportation.
“These details tell us that the military probably already knew that a murder could happen here in Brenia, and Wu Joe’s death wasn’t just an isolated incident.”
Cheyenne’s eyes shone. “A serial murder case that specifically targets retired military personnel?”
“It’s a possibility,” Xia Fan shrugged. “It is just too bad that all we can do is infer based off the general context of the case, and can’t get our hands on any hard evidence.”
—
The two were silent for quite a while, when Rodun suddenly entered the room hesitantly, the household phone in hand.
“Chief Jerry is on the line. I have no idea where he got this number, but he’s calling directly to your home,” Rodun said to Xia Fan.
“I’ll take the call,” Xia Fan frowned as he took the receiver. The moment he placed it to his ear, he heard Dad’s voice, “I suspect that the communicators issued by the Bureau are under Faran’s surveillance, which is why I’m using a disposable phone that tourists use to contact you instead. Can you and Cheyenne make a trip out to my home?”
Xia Fan was shocked. He took a look at the time and said, “Sure. I’m already with Cheyenne, so it’ll take approximately twenty minutes for us to reach you.”
“Good, I’ll be waiting. Don’t use the bureau’s car. Get a taxi and get off at the music square south of my home. Best if you leave the Bureau’s communicator at home, too,” Dad added in a low voice.
….
…
Xia Fan and Cheyenne took off the wrist communicators that the Special Bureau had issued them and left home. They hailed a taxi outside the neighborhood and took it to the plaza that Candy Dad Jerry instructed them to go.
It was already late into the night, and there were hardly any pedestrians about. The square was a large and empty space, and it would be easy to discover if anyone tried to follow them. The entire square could be seen with binoculars from the 37th floor where Dad’s home was located.
After knocking on the door, Qin Zimo answered. The man was as mute as always, merely giving a light nod to Xia Fan and Cheyenne before letting them in.
Dad was seated on the sofa in the living room. ‘Prince’ Ge Chenchen had his head lowered, fiddling with a military computer in a silver case. Military computers were large, but they were unafraid of the elements. It would work perfectly even if it was tossed into the sea and fished out a year later.
Chenchen was a man with dashing blond curls, and not only was he an investigator of the Special Bureau, he was also the station’s computer expert, something Cheyenne had mentioned to Xia Fan before.
“Dad, this is the one,” Chenchen said as he turned the computer display toward Jerry.
Xia Fan and Cheyenne poked their heads over to look, only to find it was a surveillance video of this high-rise apartment. Chenchen had hacked into the system and pulled up some past video recordings.
The camera was installed diagonally from the entrance to Dad’s home, and they could see the entire corridor. Shown on the display was a man wearing a black round hat and a limp leg, making his way from the lift to the entrance of Dad’s place. He placed a manilla envelope into the letterbox and then turned to leave.
Chenchen kept switching cameras, following the lame man until he went outside where there were no cameras, where they watched him disappear into the dead of the night.
“An expert.” Chenchen picked up a piece of chocolate on the table, peeled its wrapper and tossed it into his mouth before saying, “This person’s face was not captured by the camera the entire time, from the moment he arrived until he left. It’s pretty clear that he had already figured out the security layout of this building before he sent this letter.”
“Letter?” Xia Fan was startled.
Dad took out a manilla envelope from the coffee table and said, “This is the one. About an hour ago, I received a call and someone said he had left me something in my letterbox. I went to check and discovered this letter.”
“Have you had it examined?” Xia Fan asked.
“Yes,” Dad said. “There are no fingerprints or any traces of DNA left, so you can just open it.”
Xia Fan promptly opened the letter and took out a printed document. The huge stamp of the Military Intelligence Bureau stood out immediately. Evidently, this was a top secret military document.
Dad frowned. “This was an operation brief. About six years ago, the Kitty Hawk Commando Squad of the Military Intelligence Bureau were sent on a hostage rescue mission that ultimately ended in failure. 5482 hostages were killed as a result, and all twelve members of that squad were sacrificed.
“Flip to the last page, and you’ll see that the field commander for the rescue operation was Wu Jie.”
“The same as the victim of today’s murders?” Xia Fan grimaced. “Isn’t that too much of a coincidence? If I’m not mistaken, they must be the same person.”
“I agree with that assessment as well, otherwise there was no way that lame man would have sent this document right to Dad’s home. Who knows, maybe that lame man is Wu Jie’s killer,” Chenchen laid back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “But I just don’t see what he meant by doing this.”
Xia Fan solemnly answered, “He hopes that we will continue with the investigation.”
“What?” Chenchen tapped his head. “The killer hopes that the Special Bureau will press on with the investigation after they killed someone? Is he or she insane?”
Xia Fan sat down next to Chenchen and continued to scan through the operation brief, saying, “After consolidating everything that happened today, it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that Huang Rong is working together with Faran, and their goal is actually very simple: To prevent us from continuing with the investigation.
“This killer could very well know that there are issues internally with the Special Bureau, which was why he sent this document to us right as we were at a loss over what to do.”
“What does this document mean?” Qin Zimo, who rarely spoke, could not resist asking.
“It means that the dead Wu Jie was guilty.”
Everyone was shocked after hearing Xia Fan’s words, with Jerry taking a good moment to think before saying, “The brief very clearly recorded the situation at that time. The passenger ship Ariane was detonated because the terrorists blew it up, which meant the operation failed. Though Wu Jie failed to save the hostages as the field commander, that does not mean he was guilty. After all, every military operation comes with an inherent risk.”
Xia Fei chuckled and tapped his finger on the file, “No matter how the military explained it away, the operation was a failure, and over five thousand innocent passengers tragically lost their lives. If a kin of mine was among the five thousand, who do you think would bear my hatred?”
“What you mean to say is that the lame man who sent Dad this letter was a relative of one of the deceased? Because of the failed operation all those years ago, this person bore a deep-seated grudge toward Wu Jie, and six years after that date, he killed Wu Jie and his family as an act of revenge?” Chenchen clarified after understanding what Xia Fan was getting at.
Xia Fan sighed, “It is not just revenge. Now that the field commander of that operation has died, the killer ought to be satisfied, but for some unknown reason, he still sent this document to Dad. This is an indication that he does not intend to stop there. Perhaps Wu Jie isn’t the only person this killer is thinking of killing.”
“That makes sense, I never thought of that!” Chenchen slapped his thigh for emphasis.
Whether it was the sullen Qin Mozi or Jerry, everyone nodded. Though Xia Fan was just a trainee investigator, his ability to think and draw logical conclusions was no doubt the best in the station.
Dad said morosely, “Xia Fan, if you were in charge, what do you think our next step should be?”
Xia Fan seemed to have already thought of an answer to this question as he swiftly replied, “First, I’d check on all the immediate family members of the passengers. Anyone who worked for the military would be included in my list of suspects. After all, if that lame man could get information on the military, he must have connections with them.
“Second, I’ll look into the whereabouts of all those mentioned in the report. Wu Jie was only the field commander, and he alone would not be able to make the decision for such a huge operation. Aside from him, there are also a liaison officer, a chief of intelligence, a technology officer, the commander-in-chief that held the final say, as well as the lead investigator involved in the final investigation into the failed operation. Take a look to see if they are still alive, and where they are.”
With that said, Xia Fan shut his eyes, took a sniff of the envelope and then got up. “Brother Chen can take care of the information search. I’ll go gather the little guys around and see if I can find this lame man. Though the chances are slim, I still need to give it a try.”
Cheyenne also got up. She was Xia Fan’s partner, so of course she would accompany him.
However, for some unknown reason, Dad actually stopped Cheyenne. He turned to the always sullen Qin Zimo and said, “Best if you go with Xia Fan.”