Using the lead A Hu provided, the police finally located A Jiao. He was the first worker involved in illegal drug production to be apprehended.
After Wu Mo dismissed the workers, A Jiao did not leave Junan. He was a citizen of Country M and had grown up watching adults around him cultivate poppies. He had never known a peaceful life. He rented a room in Junan, dreaming of remaining there forever.
Both A Jiao and A Hu mentioned a man named Mr. Jin. He was the person who had helped A Hu go overseas to work as a mercenary and who had arranged for the men to come to Nanfeng Pharmaceuticals three years earlier.
A Hu said the Mr. Jin he meant was Jin Xiaoquan. He had only seen Jin Xiaoquan once, in Country M. Jin Xiaoquan was the boss, while subordinates handled the work assignments. A Hu had originally known only that the wealthy patron above him was surnamed Jin. He finally saw Jin Xiaoquan attending a banquet as a guest.
A Hu had survived fighting between armed groups, so he was no fool. He quietly investigated Jin Xiaoquan and learned that the man was involved in all sorts of business in Country M, yet appeared to be a perfectly legitimate businessman in Hua Country. The laborers sent around the world through him included people doing lawful work as well as men like A Hu, who never knew which day they might be killed.
He concluded that Jin Xiaoquan must have powerful connections protecting him in Hua Country. So when an opportunity to return arose, he seized it immediately. Some of the guards could not speak the language or were slow to understand what was happening, and genuinely did not know what Nanfeng was producing. But A Hu had guessed long ago. What else could it have been?
A Jiao, who worked directly on the illicit production line, would say only that he worked for Boss Jin. He did not know who that Boss Jin was.
This was a vital lead. Jin Xiaoquan might well be the Boss Jin A Jiao was referring to. He was now suspected not only of using overseas labor placement to facilitate crimes, but also of involvement in manufacturing illegal drugs inside Hua Country.
When Ming Han reached the hotel, Jin Xiaoquan had already packed all his belongings and was about to leave for the airport. Ming Han produced a warrant for his detention. Jin Xiaoquan appeared outraged and astonished. “Officer Ming, you’re doing this again! I’m about to go to Country K. If you delay my business, who’s going to take responsibility?”
“What business?” Ming Han asked. “The kind Nanfeng Pharmaceuticals was doing?”
Jin Xiaoquan’s gaze turned cold. “What does Nanfeng Pharmaceuticals have to do with me?”
“Nanfeng was making drugs, Wu Mo worked with certain people, and as soon as the factory was investigated, Wu Mo was silenced,” Ming Han said. “You pay such close attention to current affairs. Surely you saw that explosive news?”
Jin Xiaoquan tried to push past him and get into his car, but Ming Han stepped back and blocked his path. “Your workers have betrayed you. The security guards at Nanfeng say you sent them to Southeast Asia, then sent them and others to the pharmaceutical factory. Old Jin, do you really think you’re boarding that flight?”
A police car stood beside Jin Xiaoquan’s vehicle at the hotel entrance. He glared at Ming Han with cold eyes unlike those of any ordinary businessman. Ming Han had seen many vicious criminals, yet Jin Xiaoquan seemed more brutal than most of them. His ruthlessness was merely concealed beneath the manners of a gentleman, allowing others to lower their guard.
After a moment, Jin Xiaoquan’s shoulders sank. With a show of resignation, he headed to the police car, instructing his secretary to postpone everything. Before the door shut, he looked Ming Han up and down, a faint sneer on his lips. “I’ll cooperate with any investigation you like. Satisfied?”
Before Jin Xiaoquan was brought in to the Mobile Unit, Liang Yueze underwent another round of questioning. Heavy dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and he looked abnormally tired. “So you still think I knew about this?” He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “You know, even I can’t help thinking I’m involved. Nanfeng accepted my investment, Jin Xiaoquan is my business partner, and Jin Xiaoquan helped manufacture drugs. We’ve… formed a stable equilateral triangle, haven’t we?”
“No. Your involvement looks less likely now,” Chen Zheng said. “I suspect Jin Xiaoquan used you. Even someone like A Hu guessed Jin Xiaoquan must have a powerful backer in Hua Country. What would everyone else think? That his backer was you, Yunquan Group. But you might never have known what he was doing while using your reputation as cover.”
Liang Yueze looked surprised, his expression shifting slightly. “Chen Zheng…”
“I’ve thought about what you said last time and discussed it with my superiors. Yueze, there must be something wrong with what you’ve been doing. I’m absolutely not accusing you unfairly on that point,” Chen Zheng said. “But you may also become a breakthrough in our investigation.”
Liang Yueze pressed his lips together, seeming to struggle internally.
“You were attacked. Perhaps the Azure Sky Cult was trying to get rid of you, yet your good partner Jin Xiaoquan is tied up with the Azure Sky Cult himself. Why would they want to eliminate you?”
Liang Yueze was silent for a long time, then said mournfully, “I’ve told you. There are things I still have to do.”
“I ought to thank you,” Chen Zheng said.
Liang Yueze looked up. “For what?”
“Your man had already slipped into my home,” Chen Zheng replied calmly. “But he didn’t strike a fatal blow.”
Liang Yueze looked about to object, but Chen Zheng raised a hand to indicate there was no need.
Jin Xiaoquan sat arrogantly in the interrogation room, denying he knew either A Hu or A Jiao, or had any connection to Nanfeng Pharmaceuticals.
He fixed Chen Zheng with a sinister stare. “How did you decide A Hu was telling the truth? He says he knows me, so I must know him? Officer Chen, I never thought you were such a naive man. He crossed the border illegally, so he was a criminal already. Yet you believe every word of his nonsense? If he really worked for me, why would he have needed to cross illegally in the first place? I, Jin Xiaoquan, may not have many talents, but arranging legal passage abroad for workers is one of them.”
No matter how Chen Zheng questioned him, Jin Xiaoquan maintained he had never manufactured or trafficked drugs, did not know Wu Mo, and had never heard of the Azure Sky Cult. His business operations inside Hua Country were genuinely clean. A Hu’s testimony alone was not enough to convict him.
“Officer Chen, you’re not just wasting my time. There are other people waiting to go abroad and start new lives,” Jin Xiaoquan said with a smile. “You don’t want your own people to hate you, do you?”
“You’re a foreigner, but you certainly know how to claim the moral high ground,” Chen Zheng said. “Don’t worry. Once we’ve cleared you of suspicion, I’ll naturally let you go.”
During the forty-eight-hour detention period, the Mobile Unit found no additional evidence. Jin Xiaoquan stretched comfortably outside provincial headquarters. His car had already arrived to collect him, and Ming Han stood a short distance away.
“Officer Ming!” Jin Xiaoquan greeted him with a smile. “Life as a police officer must be difficult. If you ever change your mind, come find me. Or Little Du, for that matter.”
Just as the investigation reached a stalemate, Lu Hejing suddenly received intelligence: six sets of human remains were buried at Hutian Hotel, on the eastern side of Junan Lake.
Chen Zheng rushed to Lu Hejing’s office. Tang Xiaoli and Yu Xingzhong were already there. Lu Hejing had been evasive on the phone, revealing neither whose remains they were nor where the information had come from.
Chen Zheng had imagined many possibilities on the way over. Intelligence sent directly to Lu Hejing at this moment could not be ordinary. Junan had just experienced a huge scandal, and the number of buried remains was six, precisely the number of teenagers still missing from Huyun Tea Factory.
He fixed his gaze on Lu Hejing. He already had a suspicion. “Whose intelligence?”
Lu Hejing frowned, meeting his eyes. Several minutes passed before he answered. “Han Qu.”
Chen Zheng took a deep breath, his blood surging. “He…”
Lu Hejing knew what he wanted to ask and shook his head. Standing, he said gravely, “I can’t yet determine whether the information is genuine. Han Qu didn’t appear in person. Somebody else might be communicating with me in his name.”
“Then it could be bait,” Yu Xingzhong said.
Tang Xiaoli smiled. “Deputy Director Yu, cautious as ever.”
Yu Xingzhong frowned. “I’ve always been the one who covers for the rest of you. What, you don’t like that anymore?”
Tang Xiaoli shook his head. “I know how much you do. But the circumstances have changed.”
Yu Xingzhong disagreed. “Han Qu has been out of contact for a long time. That fits the intelligence Lin Dong brought back recently. Either Han Qu is dead, or he’s become one of Heaven-Measuring Ruler’s people. Now a message suddenly appears, bounced through layer after layer of relays. There’s a ninety-nine percent chance it’s a trap for us!”
“Old Yu, ninety-nine percent is an exaggeration,” Tang Xiaoli said. “When Old Lu assigned Han Qu the mission, he allowed him to send back intelligence by any method he thought appropriate. His circumstances may be harder than we imagine. Would you only trust him if he sent messages completely unprotected?”
Yu Xingzhong sighed and looked toward Lu Hejing. But Lu Hejing was watching Chen Zheng. “What do you think?”
“If we turn against each other over this, wouldn’t Heaven-Measuring Ruler have achieved precisely what it wanted by misleading Lin Dong?” Chen Zheng said calmly. “If Lin Dong hadn’t returned, hadn’t said Han Qu’s cover was blown and that he’d sacrificed himself to save him, wouldn’t we regard the information Han Qu sent now as credible?”
Lu Hejing said nothing.
“Of course we would.” Chen Zheng braced both hands against the desk. “But after Lin Dong’s story, every new message from Han Qu looks suspicious. We’ll waste our time fighting among ourselves over whether to believe him.”
“You still haven’t given me your own judgment,” Lu Hejing pointed out.
Chen Zheng searched for Hutian Hotel on his phone. He had spent a great deal of time around Junan Lake during the Weimo Mountain Resort investigation, but the lake was divided into eastern and western scenic zones. He had barely visited the east.
Online information showed Hutian Hotel was among the most popular hotels in Junan Lake’s eastern scenic area. It occupied extensive grounds and had a reputation for attentive service. Built eight years earlier, it was a relatively late arrival compared with other hotels in the area, yet it had already overtaken older establishments in reputation.
“Eight years…” Chen Zheng murmured. “That’s when the Huyun Tea Factory disappearances happened. Does the information say whose remains they are?”
“No,” Tang Xiaoli said. “The message is very brief. It only says human remains are buried at Hutian Hotel.”
Chen Zheng paced a few steps, frowning. “Even if we trust it, without evidence we can’t easily search the hotel. This hotel…”
A knock sounded at the door. Ming Han called, “It’s me.”
Chen Zheng opened it, and Ming Han said quickly, “Bro, I’ve found something about this hotel!”
Most developers around Junan Lake were natives of Junan, but Hutian Hotel’s original owner had come from Southeast Asia. His name was Ruan Xingjie. He arrived in Hua Country years ago, specialized in property investments in smaller third- and fourth-tier cities, and made a fortune. But he never stayed in one place for very long. After earning his first large profits, he moved on. Three years ago, he sold Hutian Hotel to the owner of another hotel in Junan Lake’s eastern scenic area.
“Where is Ruan Xingjie now?” Chen Zheng asked.
“He returned to Southeast Asia the year before last, supposedly to retire to his hometown. We’re still investigating his precise whereabouts.”
Chen Zheng considered the information. “A Southeast Asian businessman who invests in property… perhaps Ruan Xingjie is extremely superstitious.”
“Yes,” Ming Han replied. “And not just a little. When Hutian Hotel was built, he brought in people to calculate its feng shui and perform rituals. They made a production of it for more than half a month. Earlier investments elsewhere followed similar routines. Generally speaking, the bigger the investment and the larger the project, the more elaborate the rituals he arranged.”
“Then using human sacrifices might not seem particularly strange to someone like Ruan Xingjie,” Chen Zheng said. “If the remains at Hutian Hotel really belong to the missing Huyun teenagers, did he use them as sacrifices to secure the hotel’s feng shui?”
Silence fell over the office. Then Chen Zheng shook his head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. What kind of feng shui would require six children? Ruan Xingjie might not have been the one who chose to bury them there.”
“Cooperation?” Ming Han suggested. “Ruan Xingjie needed bodies for a feng shui ritual, while someone else needed six bodies to disappear, so they made a deal. Or Ruan Xingjie was manipulated or threatened. Looking at his earlier business history, he was thriving in Hua Country. He had no obvious reason to go home. He usually sold projects only after they passed their peak and he’d made enough money. But when he sold Hutian Hotel, it was still growing.”
“Those six sets of remains made him uneasy,” Chen Zheng said. “He foresaw trouble.”
“Looks like we need to find a reason to investigate Hutian Hotel,” Ming Han said.
“That won’t be difficult,” Tang Xiaoli said. “The hotel comes under Junan’s jurisdiction. Local police have an advantage when investigating local businesses. They’ll easily find grounds to look into it.”
Chen Zheng’s thoughts shifted. “Local businesses may be easy for the local police to investigate. Foreign businessmen are another matter; that’s where the Mobile Unit needs to step in. We can’t let Jin Xiaoquan leave.”
“We’ve temporarily restricted his movements, so he can’t cross the border,” Yu Xingzhong said. “The Mobile Unit isn’t the only group working on this. Criminal Investigation Bureau is trying too. But you must act quickly. Unless there’s a major breakthrough within a week, I won’t be able to keep the restriction in place.”
Tang Xiaoli laughed. “Look at Old Yu. He complains all the time, but when it matters, he’s the one who comes through.”
Yu Xingzhong rolled his eyes and left the office.
There was no time to lose. Chen Zheng prepared to travel to Junan again. Ming Han wanted to go with him, but Lu Hejing stopped him. “Let Chen Zheng work out how to deal with Hutian Hotel. You’re staying. I have another assignment for you.”
Ming Han usually carried out whatever mission he was given without argument, but this time he was anxious. The intelligence the Mobile Unit had received could be a trap, and even if it was genuine, danger lay ahead. How could he feel comfortable letting Chen Zheng go alone?
Lu Hejing said, “What happens in Junan could directly affect Heaven-Measuring Ruler and the Azure Sky Cult. Why else do you think this information has emerged now? Liang Yueze and Jin Xiaoquan are both in Luocheng. As a Mobile Unit squad leader, are you really going to chase after Chen Zheng to Junan?”
Ming Han frowned, his eyes turning cold. Lu Hejing had spent decades commanding the police world, and his presence was difficult for younger officers to withstand. After a moment Ming Han was about to argue again when somebody caught his hand. He turned to see that Chen Zheng, who had already gone, had come back. “Come on. I need a word with you.”
The corridor was empty. Chen Zheng led Ming Han by the hand all the way into the emergency stairwell. It was dimmer inside than in the corridor, and Chen Zheng kicked the fire door shut.
Ming Han raised his eyebrows. “Bro?”
“Actually, I want you to come to Junan with me too. Staying here is obviously more dangerous. You’ve already been hurt once, and I wasn’t there for you.” Chen Zheng played with Ming Han’s hand until their fingers became intertwined. “But Luocheng needs you. Jin Xiaoquan’s behavior makes it clear there’s something wrong with him. He’s so arrogant only because he believes we have no evidence against him and can’t do a thing.”
“And Liang Yueze worries me even more than Jin Xiaoquan. I can’t watch him every moment, so I’m leaving that responsibility with you. Besides, don’t forget that Bu Yangyun is still missing. News could arrive from Country G at any time. You need to be prepared.”
Ming Han’s rigid shoulders relaxed slightly, and his gaze softened. Chen Zheng was saying essentially the same thing as Lu Hejing, but he had a knack for calming Ming Han. Ming Han would argue with Lu Hejing, but never quarrel with Chen Zheng.
“Bro, is this how you used to talk to the people in your detachment?” Ming Han swung their joined hands, like an oversized child asking for a reward.
Chen Zheng thought about it and smiled. “To be a captain, the first thing you need to learn is how to cajole, con, and coax.”
“That’s not good,” Ming Han said. “Do you know you have this charm that makes people willing to risk absolutely anything for you, even die?”
Chen Zheng froze for a moment, then pinched Ming Han’s palm hard. “Don’t say things like that.”
Ming Han nodded. “All right. I’m not speaking for your officers. Only for myself.”
Chen Zheng withdrew his hand and patted Ming Han’s waist. “Enough. The car’s waiting for me downstairs. Don’t sulk at Old Lu.”
“Why?” Ming Han asked.
“Do you really need to ask? Have you forgotten all your disciplinary training? Does Old Tang let you cheat on every examination?”
“It’s got nothing to do with Old Tang. Is discipline the only reason?”
The emergency stairwell was narrow and dim. Ming Han’s tall figure and intent gaze seemed to surround Chen Zheng.
Ming Han lowered his head slightly, his voice deepening. “Is discipline the only reason?”
Their breaths almost touched. Chen Zheng looked at this big man who was still sulking, then simply reached up and pressed a hand against the back of his neck.
Why spend so long testing the waters over something as simple as a kiss?
When Chen Zheng let go, Ming Han’s ears and neck were red, though the warm stairwell lighting made it less noticeable.
“Don’t sulk at Old Lu. It isn’t just about discipline,” Chen Zheng said. “Don’t upset our uncle. Life’s hard enough for an old man going through menopause.”
The stairwell door opened. Chen Zheng headed downstairs as though he’d merely exchanged a few words with a disobedient subordinate. Ming Han, however, stayed in the stairwell for another two minutes and touched his lips without realizing it when he finally emerged.
Wen Wu accompanied Chen Zheng to Junan. While they were still on the road, Li Shu called with news. Hutian Hotel’s current owner was suspicious. When he learned the municipal bureau was coming to investigate, he fled with his lover. The Junan police had, of course, intercepted him on the expressway.
Tang Xiaoli had been right about local officers having an advantage with local businesses. The Mobile Unit did not disclose the source of the intelligence when notifying Junan Municipal Bureau. It mentioned only that an unlawful superstitious ritual might have been performed during Hutian Hotel’s construction, involving human remains buried to influence its fortune.
As deputy director, Li Zhi had once specialized in campaigns against feudal superstitions in his younger days. He knew exactly which fortune tellers operated in Junan and which businesses still believed in feng shui.
Hutian Hotel’s owner, Little Zhong, was the spoiled son of a wealthy family. He was not particularly capable; the formidable one was his father, Old Zhong. But Old Zhong had been bedridden by illness for several years, leaving Little Zhong to inherit responsibility almost by default. The Zhong family knew numerous feng shui masters, and both father and son believed in such things. Until recently they had caused no trouble that gave police grounds to intervene.
This time Li Zhi needed only to mention a report from the public about Hutian Hotel, and the need to investigate whether the hotel had purchased human remains to influence its feng shui. Little Zhong was so terrified he immediately fled. That made half the intelligence look credible already.
“We’ve brought him back. He’s so frightened he can barely speak,” Li Zhi said, pointing to an interview room on one side of the corridor. “Captain Chen, you’ve only just arrived. Would you like a rest first?”
Chen Zheng shook his head. “Deputy Director Li, thank you for all your help.”
Li Zhi led him toward the interview room. “Don’t mention it. I’ve been deputy director for years. Junan is in the greatest turmoil I’ve seen, but it didn’t begin today. The seeds were buried long ago. I failed to see them sooner, and that’s my failing. Fortunately the Mobile Unit came to help. Our city’s police alone would have had a terrible time dealing with these people!”
Little Zhong hunched in his seat and stared nervously at Chen Zheng. “W-who are you?”
Chen Zheng sat down. “We’ve received a report and want to check some facts with you. What’s so unusual about that? Why did you run? Doesn’t that make you look guilty? Are there really bodies hidden beneath your hotel?”
Little Zhong went ashen. “It’s nothing to do with me! If there’s a problem, blame my old man! Investigate him!”
Chen Zheng chuckled. “Aren’t you making things difficult for me? You know your father’s condition better than I do. He’s had a stroke, brother. How am I supposed to question him?”
Little Zhong wrung his hands. “Th-then… it’s not like I was the one who decided! Who the hell reported us?”
“You think I’m going to tell you who reported it?” Chen Zheng replied. “Just think of it as a public-spirited citizen. Now, since you’re already sitting here, I suspect you’re going to have to tell us everything, whether you want to or not. What’s this about the bodies?”
Chen Zheng’s manner suddenly became intimidating. Little Zhong trembled and almost slid under the table. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I’m innocent, really!”
The Zhong family had been wealthy for generations, and Little Zhong was its sole heir. He grew up surrounded by affection and indulgence. As a boy, Old Zhong told him he would never have to work hard. The more a spoiled heir tried to prove himself, the sooner he ruined the family fortune. He should spend his days enjoying himself, remain useless but preserve what he inherited.
Until Old Zhong’s stroke, that was exactly what he did. He indulged in pleasure, maintained a succession of lovers, and took no interest in business or family affairs. After his father’s illness, he was forced to take over some responsibilities, including Hutian Hotel.
That part he had chosen himself. He enjoyed having fun but was no fool. He knew which of the family’s investments made money and which lost it. Even before the Zhong family acquired Hutian Hotel, he knew how profitable it was. A foreign businessman like Ruan Xingjie was like a great fish with a keen sense of smell, arriving wherever there was an opportunity and earning more than the locals.
So when Ruan Xingjie sold Hutian Hotel to Old Zhong, Little Zhong could barely contain his excitement. He simply never imagined he would have to manage the place so soon.
The Zhong family was superstitious, and Old Zhong’s stroke had been sudden. Besides conventional medical care, they invited several people “who knew these matters” to see whether Old Zhong had offended something unseen. One “master” heard that one of Old Zhong’s latest big investments was acquiring Hutian Hotel and suggested taking a look there. Little Zhong went with him.
At this point, Little Zhong began trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat streaming down his face.
“What did you ‘see’?” Chen Zheng asked.
“I… I didn’t see anything. But the ‘master’ said… said the hotel had used people in a feng shui ritual!” Little Zhong stammered.