Chapter 190: Master Detective Song (2/2)

As we approached them, a plump officer barked, “Ready, start!”

Then the rest of the group shouted in unison, “Welcome to Qinglian County!”

It was such a cringe-inducing scene that we felt embarrassed for them.

The plump officer turned out to be Officer Feng, who was the director of the county police station. He shook our hands earnestly and announced, “It is our honor to have you here! We’ve been looking forward to your arrival. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of you on behalf of the whole county! By the way, which one of you is the legendary Master Detective Song?”

Bingxin nudged me forward and exclaimed, “Here he is! The inimitable Master Detective Song!”

Director Feng gasped. “But you’re only a young man! We’ve heard of your exceptional feats and we’re immensely impressed! It is our honor to welcome you here!”

“You don’t have to be so polite, Director Feng,” I scratched my head awkwardly. “I’m just a consultant to the police, not even a proper officer.”

“We’re planning on organizing a lecture on the ancient knowledge of the Traditional Coroners. I hope you won’t mind being our guest of honor, Detective Song!”

I was staggered. Was he really asking me to give a lecture on my family’s secret arts? Xiaotao looked at me and sniggered. I noticed then how much fame did not agree with me.

Director Feng had booked hotel rooms for us and invited us to dinner straight away, but Xiaotao waved her hand and said, “Let’s do that later. We’d like to talk about the case now.”

“Okay,” Director Feng nodded. “Please follow me.”

We were led into the police station, where a fair-skinned tall police officer brought us a stack of files. Director Feng introduced him as Officer Chen, and he was his most competent officer. Officer Chen would be assisting us in the investigation of the cases while we were here.

Officer Chen greeted us briefly with a nod, Xiaotao returned the nod, and we dove straight into the files.

The case-solving rate for this branch was really low. There had been only two murders here this year, but neither were solved. The first case involved a dismembered body, but the identity of the victim had not been determined. The body parts were found at a construction site last June. Because it was summer, the body parts were severely decomposed and the body was basically unrecognizable. There were many workers who had worked here temporarily but they had since left, so no real investigation was ever conducted.

The other murder case involved a young female hairdresser who was disfigured. Her body was found in a nearby forest last April.

I was more concerned with the dismembered body case, because it seemed that the murderer was more skilled. I asked Officer Chen, “Had any other similar cases happened before?”

“No,” he answered with a stony face.

“This is only a small town,” Director Feng chimed in. “We’re not like large cities where the populations are larger. We don’t have that many criminals here.”

I thought I noticed a slight agitation in Director Feng’s expressions when he spoke. It almost seemed like he was hiding something from me.

Bingxin had been reading the case files as well. She asked, “Can I go see the body now?”

“Sure,” Officer Chen replied. “I’ll take you there.”

Xiaotao immediately ordered two other police officers to follow them. Firstly, they were to serve as Bingxin’s assistants should she need any help, and secondly, they would protect her should anything happen. Xiaotao was being vigilant as usual.

By the time we were done discussing the cases, it was already dark. Director Feng insisted on inviting us to dinner, and we thought it best not to refuse him. At the restaurant, Director Feng paid the most attention to Xiaotao. He chatted with her and even poured drinks for her, probably because she had the highest rank among all of us. His position as the director of the county police station might sound impressive, but in truth, his real power and authority was limited compared to Xiaotao. Besides, being posted at a small town like this one meant that there would be little chance of promotion.

The rest of the party seemed to be enjoying themselves. They talked and laughed—the atmosphere seemed lively on the surface. Still, I couldn’t help but feel that there was a tension in the air between our group and the local officers…

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