Free Web NovelChapter 13: Chapter 13: Investigation
North City, Nanshan Square.
In a courtyard, a scar-faced man sat in a chair in the main house, drinking wine.
Just then, a young man with a long, horse-like face hurried over.
"Gang Leader, it’s bad! Something’s happened."
At the sound of the panicked voice, the scar-faced man frowned. He looked at the young man who had run in and asked, "What’s got you so flustered?"
"Xiaolin and Xiaoliu are dead! The Government Office is investigating, and they’re about to reach our establishment."
"What?"
Hearing this, the scar-faced man shot to his feet, his face turning grim.
Dead...
Dead just like that.
’Didn’t I tell them just to follow him? How could things go south so quickly?!’
The scar-faced man’s eyes darted back and forth, his brow tightly knit.
"Is there any other news?" the scar-faced man asked, composing himself as he looked at the young man.
"Other news?" The young man paused, then shook his head. "I haven’t heard anything."
The scar-faced man frowned. "Besides the two of them being dead, there’s no other news at all?"
The young man shook his head.
At that, the scar-faced man’s expression darkened further.
"Gang Leader, what should we do? If they shut down the establishment, we’ll suffer a huge loss."
The scar-faced man glanced outside the courtyard, then stood up. "You handle it. I’m going out for a bit."
Huh?!
’Me? Handle it?’
The young man was stunned, but before he could say another word, the scar-faced man strode out and left.
Watching the Gang Leader leave, the young man grimaced, sighed, and followed him out of the courtyard.
...
At the entrance to a gambling den in Nanshan Square.
Fang Xing appeared with several constables.
It was morning, and the gambling den had yet to see any business. A man standing by the entrance saw Fang Xing’s group and immediately rushed to greet them with a smile.
"Sirs, what can we do for you so early in the morning?"
Fang Xing glanced at the young man, his gaze icy. "A murder has been committed. Where’s the person in charge here?"
The young man froze for a second but quickly recovered, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"Our boss is still resting, Sirs."
"Take me to him now," Fang Xing said without preamble.
The young man’s face stiffened. Just as he was about to speak, the young man with the long face from earlier came rushing over.
"Sirs, I’m in charge here. How may I help you?"
Fang Xing eyed the long-faced young man who had come to stand before him.
"You’re the one in charge?" ƒгeewebnovёl.com
The long-faced young man nodded with a placating smile. "Yes, that’s me. Sirs, why don’t we go inside to talk?"
Fang Xing nodded, and they entered the gambling den.
The inside of the gambling den was dim and shadowy.
Empty in the morning, the place was quiet. The air hung thick with the smell of stale smoke and sweat, but Fang Xing and his men were used to it.
Once inside, Fang Xing sat down at a gambling table. The long-faced young man immediately had someone pour them all hot tea.
Fang Xing got straight to the point, laying out the situation for him.
The long-faced young man listened and then fell into a thoughtful silence.
Fang Xing watched him. "According to our investigation, the two deceased were members of your Black Tiger Gang. You’re not going to deny that, are you?"
Hearing Fang Xing’s question, the young man’s heart sank, but he kept the placating smile on his face. "Sir, they were our men, yes. But they mostly just kept an eye on the place. Their personal time was their own. I don’t know much more than that."
"You don’t know?"
"Then we’ll just have to shut this place down," Fang Xing said lightly. He glanced at one of the constables, and with a single look, the constable understood immediately.
The constable immediately produced a roll of sealing tape.
Fang Xing had ordered his men to bring the supplies when they left the County Yamen.
Seeing the sealing tape, the young man’s face changed. "Sir, please, can’t we discuss this?" he said hurriedly. "We can talk this over. Here, a small token of our goodwill."
As he spoke, the young man produced a small pouch and placed it on the table in front of Fang Xing with an obsequious laugh.
Fang Xing hefted the money pouch in his hand and looked at the young man. "Are you trying to bribe me?"
The young man started at his words, but a smile quickly returned to his face. "Sir, it’s just a little something for tea. It’s hardly a bribe."
"Tea money..." Fang Xing tossed the pouch back onto the table, his eyes locked on the young man. "A life has been lost. Do you really think this is enough to make it all go away?"
’So he thinks it’s not enough...’
Realizing this, the young man smiled and lowered his voice. "Then what exactly did you have in mind, Officer?"
SLAM!
Fang Xing’s hand shot out, slamming the young man’s head down onto the table.
"Are you questioning me? I suspect the Black Tiger Gang is hiding something, and that you killed those two men to silence them."
"Answer me! Is that it, yes or no?!"
The young man’s face flushed crimson. Pinned to the gambling table, he was completely unable to move. His mind went blank with terror.
"Sir, n-no... there’s nothing like that! Absolutely not!" the young man stammered, struggling against Fang Xing’s grip.
Xu Le and the other constables stared, stunned for a moment. ’Weren’t we just supposed to be going through the motions?’
’It looks like he’s actually getting serious!’
They exchanged surprised glances.
This wasn’t their first time dealing with underworld gangs. Usually, when something like this happened, they’d just collect a little payoff and be on their way.
After all, in a lawless place like North City, where criminal factions were tangled together, people dying was hardly a rare occurrence.
They were just two low-level thugs.
If they were dead, they were dead.
It wouldn’t be strange for even more people to die in a gang war.
Still, whatever Fang Xing chose to do, it wasn’t their place to interfere.
He was now the second-in-command in North City, and a Bright Force Martial Artist to boot.
A new broom sweeps clean, as they say.
It was only natural if Fang Xing wanted to make an example of someone.
The Black Tiger Gang was just a third-rate power. Now that Fang Xing was also a Martial Artist, they had no reason to be afraid, even if they went up against the Black Tiger Gang Leader himself.
"Where’s your Gang Leader?" Fang Xing asked, his face cold.
"The... the Gang Leader, he had some business to take care of. Right now, I’m... I’m in charge," the young man replied.
Fang Xing released his grip, and the young man staggered to his feet, a terrified look on his face.
"Where does your Gang Leader live?" Fang Xing asked.
"Not far, he lives nearby," the young man replied.
"Take me to see your Gang Leader."
"But... Sir, the Gang Leader isn’t home right now. He went out," the young man said.
"Then get a message to your Gang Leader. I’ll wait for him here," Fang Xing said coldly.
"...Yes, sir."
The young man nodded and called someone over to deliver the message.
Fang Xing sat back down in his chair, sipped his tea, and glanced at the pouch on the table before casually tossing it to Xu Le.
"This might be stolen property. Hold onto it for now."
Hearing this, Xu Le and the others immediately understood. They took the pouch and put it away.
’Stolen property, which meant it was theirs to keep.’
’A perfect excuse!’
The constables were delighted. It wasn’t much, but any amount they could split among themselves was better than nothing.
The long-faced young man watched this unfold with a grim look on his face, but he didn’t dare say a word. He could only stand there and wait.
...
Before long, a tall, burly man strode into the gambling den.
A scar snaked across his face like a grotesque centipede.
’He’s here.’ Watching the scar-faced man enter, Fang Xing’s eyes narrowed as he slowly set down his teacup.
This was the Black Tiger Gang Leader.
Xu Hu!
A Bright Force Martial Artist! ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
As Xu Hu walked into the gambling den, his eyes swept across the room. His gaze paused for a moment when it landed on Fang Xing.
Their eyes met, but Fang Xing’s expression remained unchanged.
"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?"
Xu Hu asked, a look of surprise on his face.
Fang Xing rose to his feet and looked at Xu Hu. "You’re the Black Tiger Gang Leader?"
Xu Hu paused for a second before nodding. "I am. What seems to be the issue?"
"You all wait outside," Fang Xing said to Xu Le and the others.
Xu Le and the others nodded and promptly left the gambling den.
"Everyone else, get out," Fang Xing said coolly.
The few remaining men in the gambling den looked toward Xu Hu. He gave a slight nod, and they obediently departed.
Soon, only Xu Hu and Fang Xing remained in the gambling den.
