Chapter 151: Locked Room Murder (1/2)

The person I meant was of course Hamster. We kept each other’s contacts since that day. I called him, and less than half an hour later, he arrived.

“What can I do for you, Song-ge?” he asked with a smile. “Even if I have to walk through fire, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

The reason why Hamster was so eager to help was because by helping me and doing the police a favor, it was equivalent to buying himself insurance. He himself had escaped incarceration many times due to his role as an informant.

“Have you heard of the Black Panther gang?” I asked.

“Yes,” Hamster nodded. “Their boss died recently, throwing the whole gang into chaos. They even went after the Blood Wolf gang last night because of it.”

“You’re very well informed, Hamster,” Xiaotao commented.

“Well,” Hamster smiled, “nothing under the sun can escape my ears. What would you like to know, Song-ge?”

“Help me investigate the death of the Black Panther gang’s boss,” I said. “What I’d like to know the most is where they’re hiding the dead body!”

Hamster hemmed and hawed when he heard that.

“You see… This is a bit… I mean the Black Panthers are notoriously secretive! I’m just an outsider. I can’t just infiltrate the gang alone without any help. Do you have someone to help me from the inside, Song-ge?”

I didn’t know how to answer that at first, then Xiaotao tapped my shoulder and asked me to come over to the side.

“I’m going to contact my officers and tell them to let Baldy go,” she said. “You can use this opportunity to build friendship with him. That way it’d be safer for Hamster to break into their gang.”

“You mean Hamster will be our mole?”

“You’re thinking of the cool spies on TV, aren’t you?” Xiaotao laughed. “Well, in reality, the moles are far from cool and glamorous. Hamster is a professional in this regard. He helped Wang Yuanchao when he was investigating a drug trafficking case. He mingled with gangs, smuggled weapons, and is very close with a few underworld gang leaders. His experience makes him a helpful ally.”

“He’d do all those dangerous things just for the meager informant bonus?” I asked.

“That’s not it,” Xiaotao shook her head. “People like him help both the police and the gangsters. He would help the police solve a case, and at the same time, he’d provide information about our movements to the underworld bosses who pay him. Every time we raid a place, one or two key figures would escape. Well, guess who helped them? I probably don’t need to tell you the answer.”

That revelation made me admire Hamster’s cunningness slightly more. Xiaotao exchanged a few words with some officers and I went to the cells and told the guarding officer, “Let Baldy and his men out.”

The men who were squatting on the floor got excited when he heard that. Baldy yelled to Trenchy who was in the next cell, “I’ll go back first, brother! Your wife will probably miss you in the next few days. Maybe I should I go to her and comfort her!”

Trenchy was about to launch a counterattack, but I shouted, “Silence! Where do you think you are?”

Baldy turned to me and politely thanked me.

“What is your name, big brother?” he asked.

“My surname is Song,” I answered. “And don’t call me big brother! I’m younger than you.”

“That makes no difference to me, you’re still someone I respect,” he insisted. “I’ll leave now, but one day I’ll invite you to dinner when you’re free.”

I walked out of the room with Baldy, and we bumped into Hamster.

“Song-ge!” he cried. “I haven’t seen you in a long time! Oh, and isn’t this man the famous Baldy from the Black Panthers gang?”

“Who are you?” asked Baldy, full of suspicion.

Hamster went on to boast of his resume and accomplishments. It sounded very similar to what he told me the first time we met—protected a big underworld boss from a knife attack, had dinner with billionaires and all that. Finally, he told Baldy of his lifelong dream to join the Black Panthers gang.

“Can I trust this kid, Song-ge?” Baldy asked me.

I pretended to give it serious consideration and answered, “He’s trustworthy alright, but he’s too lecherous sometimes.” I then turned to Hamster and asked him, “Have you been caught with a prostitute again?”

“No, Song-ge!” he denied. “I’ve been behaving well lately. I came here today with the sole intention of meeting you!”