Chapter 430: Jiangbei Daggers, Protect The People, Condemn The Corrup (1/2)
I took a deep breath before I instructed, ”Xiaotao, go down and get me a bottle of absinthe and a cocktail shaker.”
Huang Xiaotao quickly brought me what I wanted. Since I didn't have wormwood with me, this was a good substitute. I poured some absinthe into the shaker, wrapped it with a towel, and borrowed a lighter from Sun Tiger to heat it up.
As the alcohol gradually evaporated, I fumigated the walls of the private room and the familiar words emerged–Jiangbei Daggers, Protect The People, Condemn The Corrupt.
Xiaotao sneered, ”The man is obviously an accomplice, yet he speaks as if he’s the master of justice.”
Sun Tiger previously cautioned me against investigating the case. If the murderer returned, there would be violent waves throughout Nanjiang City and Sun Tiger would send another officer to investigate.
”We’re going to raid the Dog Trainer's hideout tonight!” announced Sun Tiger.
Xiaotao and I looked at him in surprise, ”Tonight?”
”We’re going to take him by surprise. The Dog Trainer has hundreds of people in his hands. It's a terrorist organization and we can't allow it to run rampant any longer. Xiaotao, we need more people tonight. You and your team are coming.”
Xiaotao saluted, ”Yes, sir!”
Sun Tiger told us to meet the SWAT team at five and then left. It was currently noon and since I was concerned with this case, I thought investigating it would be a good way to pass the time. I decided to examine the scene first.
A while later, the officers from the Taoyuan Precinct arrived. It was Officer Ma with whom we cooperated in the Yi Xi case. Upon seeing Xiaotao and me, Officer Ma asked, ”Have you conducted the autopsy?”
”The time of death was about two hours ago and the cause of death is the loss of his heart... There is no trauma throughout the body.”
Officer Ma stared at me agape, ”How is this possible?!”
He wasn’t aware of the murderer’s means. In order to distinguish the murderer from the Jiangbei Daggers, I decided to call him the Blade Master. I gave Officer Ma a general account of the murders committed by the Blade Master, after which Officer Ma stared at the words on the wall incredulously.
”Let me be frank,” he began. “If this case can't be solved by the city bureau, aren't we less likely to...”
”We’ll do what we have to do. The motive of the Blade Master has always been clear. He claims to be a messenger of justice. So we must identify the victims and confirm if he’s back to help the Dog Trainer this time or if it is a separate crime.”
”Are you crazy? I can’t drink during work hours!” laughed Xiaotao.
”Don't worry, you won’t be intoxicated.”
The materials on the shelf were quite complete. I found a recipe for a non-alcoholic mojito on Weibo which was actually rather simple. All it required was soda, lemon and mint. I mixed two glasses, one for me and the other for Xiaotao. Upon taking a sip, Xiaotao commended, ”I didn’t know you were so good at this!”
”Thanks for the compliment!” I smiled.
”I’m very happy to see you back to normal.”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind, ”By the way, I forgot to ask you something. Have you ever heard the name Duan Yunjie?”
”Duan Yunjie?” Xiaotao recalled that Duan Yunjie was the top student in the Police Academy’s Class of 13’. When she graduated, she seemed to suddenly fall off the grid. Everyone assumed that she had gone undercover because this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon among officers. Xiaotao and Duan Yunjie once participated in the same shooting competition where they met.