Chapter 92: The Attack On A (2/2)

“Alright, just don’t regret your decision!”   A-Jiao waved at him. “I’m off to work now. Bye, Honey!”   She happily ran into the preschool.

Jiang Zhengkai sat in the car and waited until A-Jiao had disappeared completely into the preschool before driving off.  On the road, his mind was already calculating just how many more secrets A-Xiu and the women around her were hiding.

“Ah, you’re here, Inspector Jiang!”  As soon as Jiang Zhengkai walked into the office, Lu Xiaoqiang stood up from his chair.  “Sergeant Zhang just called. A-Tie’s been attacked; he was seriously injured. He’s in the hospital right now.”

“What?”  Jiang Zhengkai was dumbstruck.  “A-Tie was attacked?”

“Yes!  Sergeant Zhang said over the phone that his attackers were quite brutal.  They probably wanted to beat A-Tie to death, except they made too much of a ruckus, which drew the attention of the neighbors.”

“Come on!  We’ll talk more on the way there!”  Before Jiang Zhengkai could even step foot into his own office, he immediately turned around and began walking back out into the sub-bureau’s parking lot.  As always, Lu Xiaoqiang was right behind him. On the drive over to the hospital, he gave Jiang Zhengkai a summary of what had happened to A-Tie.

Apparently, a group of men had barged their way into A-Tie’s home near the alley early this morning and beaten him mercilessly.  A-Tie had suffered a stab wound to the chest, but luckily for him, the knife barely missed his heart. As he’d tried to resist, he’d inadvertently b.u.mped into his kitchen cabinet.  The crash of the kitchen cabinet and its dishes was what had alerted the neighbors, who immediately called the police. Thus, A-Tie’s life was spared. As for the attackers’ ident.i.ties and the reason behind the attack, such things would have to wait until A-Tie regained consciousness.

“Jiang, you’re here!” said Zhang Nan.  He was standing guard outside A-Tie’s hospital room.  When he saw Jiang Zhengkai and Lu Xiaoqiang hurriedly making their way over, he immediately walked over and told them, “He’s out of danger, but he’s still unconscious.”

“Really?” asked Jiang Zhengkai.  He glanced at the hospital room and saw that A-Tie was hooked up to all sorts of drugs and machines.  “Do you have any lead on the attackers?”

“No,” Zhang Nan shook his head.  “A-Tie lived by himself, so no one knew what his attackers looked like.  However, according to his neighbors, there were around three to five people, and they arrived by car.”

“Did any of the neighbors hear them say anything?” Jiang Zhengkai further asked.

“They heard the men talking, but they weren’t able to make out what it was they were saying,” Zhang Nan said.  “I’ve been busy all morning trying to keep A-Tie alive, so I left the task of evidence gathering to the other officers from the station.  I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with the situation either.”

Jiang Zhengkai nodded.  “Alright. Are there officers a.s.signed to watch over him?”

“Yes!” Zhang Nan answered.  “Guo Wei and another officer are in charge of his safety. They went to fill out some hospital paperwork.”

“Okay, that’s good.  Tell them to make sure nothing happens to A-Tie under their watch!”   Jiang Zhengkai turned to Lu Xiaoqiang. “Xiaoqiang, give Liu Na a call and have her check to see who’s available today.  Tell her to send two officers here to a.s.sist if at all possible.”

“Yes, Inspector Jiang,” Lu Xiaoqiang promptly replied.  Jiang Zhengkai had a suspicion that A-Tie’s a.s.sault had something to do with the alley’s serial murders.

“Zhang, you stay and continue to oversee operations here.  You can go when Guo Wei and them come back,” said Jiang Zhengkai.  He looked back at Lu Xiaoqiang and saw that he had already called Liu Na.  “Come on! Let’s go and check out the crime scene!” Jiang Zhengkai then took Lu Xiaoqiang and headed over to the hospital’s parking lot.