Crazy Detective

In the blue Buick business car that Zhao Yu sat in, other than the goateed man with the pistol, there was a young driver sporting a buzzcut. The young man seemed expressionless, focused on the task of driving. Since Zhao Yu had gotten in the car, the driver had not spoken a single word, nor had he so much as turned around to glance at Zhao Yu.

The car made its way through the forested area before quickly looping onto a road without streetlights. Normally, cars were prohibited from driving around the park as the entrance was usually barricaded by huge stone structures. Someone had pushed the structures away, leaving a gap just wide enough for a car to drive through. They soon reached the end of the small road and passed through a wooden archway to the main road.

“Mr. Jiang…” the goateed man began, giggling as he passed Zhao Yu a pair of handcuffs. “I’m sorry, but I need to ask you to cuff yourself! You should know how these things work. Don’t worry! It’s only a safety measure and we mean you no harm. If we did, we wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of inviting you here, right?” he asked.

Zhao Yu understood the man’s implication. If the goateed man had wanted to kill him, he could have easily done so with the pistol. But Zhao Yu was also experienced in new meetings and immediately tossed the handcuffs aside, asking, “You’re giving me a pair of handcuffs on our first meeting? Is this how you treat your guests? If you truly mean no harm, why not let me know who you people are?”

The goateed man let out a laugh and smiled. “Mr. Jiang, we really did come here with the sincerest of intentions. But as you know, you are someone who enjoys playing mind games, and we would like some peace of mind.” As he said this, he threateningly raised his pistol. “In this particular instance, for safety, we have to use force to ensure peace. It’s only because we respect your legendary reputation in this industry!”

“Hmph!” The truth was that Zhao Yu had a bulletproof vest on. He figured he stood a pretty good chance if he wanted to take these men down. But attacking in such a manner wasn’t smart. After all, he was still unsure about their backgrounds. Thinking everything over, he let out a grunt and proceeded to cuff himself.

“Good! It seems that you do understand the situation, Mr. Jiang! Now then…” the goateed man said as he pulled out a metal scanner. “This is just protocol, I hope you understand!” he continued, seeming embarrassed.

F*ck! Zhao Yu thought. It had only been one day but this was already his third time being scanned.

Beep, beep, beep.

The scanner immediately began to beep as it approached him. He had no choice but to cooperate. Reluctantly, he took out his phone and passed it to the goateed man. “Wow!” the goateed man exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he took the phone. “I-isn’t this the limited edition M3 Forbidden City version? This is like, tens of thousands of dollars! How extravagant! I can’t bear to throw this away. Alas…” Sighing, he proceeded to throw the phone out of the window.

Tsch! Zhao Yu felt a slight pang in his heart over the blatant consumerist waste he had just witnessed. Not only was the phone expensive, but it also contained all of the investors’ information!

“Meh!” The goateed man sighed and reluctantly picked up the scanner. Almost immediately the scanner began to sound again. Alright, you’re in charge here. Zhao Yu thought as he cooperated once again, taking out a gold-colored phone.

“What the f*ck…” The goateed man could no longer keep his calm. Trembling, he asked, “Isn’t this the newly released Golden Circle? Custom made, at least ten thousand dollars. Boss Jiang, this isn’t something to play with! What do you expect me to do with it?”

“It’s no problem,” Zhao Yu said, signaling to the car window. “This kind of sh*tty phone can’t be used after being soaked in water anyway, so feel free to toss it.” The goateed man had nothing to say as he reluctantly threw the phone out the window. After throwing it, he took a deep breath and continued with the scan. Lo and behold, the scanner rang again!

“Seriously?” the goateed man asked, becoming frantic and staring in disbelief at Zhao Yu. “Boss, I can’t take this anymore! What other valuables do you still have? Can’t you take them out all at once?”

“Alright, alright…” Zhao Yu said. With some difficulty, he put his hands into his pocket and pulled out two more phones and three watches. “Hey man, there shouldn’t be a problem with the watches, right?”

“What the actual f*ck…” The goateed man was astonished. “How is there even a Dior platinum version here? You could buy a Passat with this! Boss Jiang, you are truly the King of thieves here. Even your phones are too much. You’ve got me!”

“Stop the shenanigans!” Zhao Yu berated. “I’ve treated you with sincerity this whole time, it’s time for you to do the same. If we’re really friends, then let’s get closer! If we’re enemies, tell me your demands. If you have requests, just state them. If you have motives, let me know. Hurry up and be straight about it so I don’t have to guess blindly!”

“Y-you… let me calm down first!” the goateed man said, playing with the phone with both admiration and envy. “Boss! Once you’ve finished discussing things with our boss, why don’t I work for you in the future instead? You’re too rich…” Upon seeing Zhao Yu’s tensed expression, the goateed man immediately said, “Alright, since you’re clear, what else can I tell you? Our boss’s instructions were that he must meet and discuss matters with you so I really can’t explain much.”

“Who is your boss?” Zhao Yu asked, furrowing his brows. “And where are you taking me?”

“Our boss… hmm…” Knowing he couldn’t say much, the goateed man furrowed his brows as well. “It’s like this, Mr. Jiang. Since you’ll be seeing him later, you’ll come to understand everything! I’m not going to say something and risk receiving flak for it. Our boss has a bad temper. The place we’re going isn’t far from the outskirts of Jin. Why don’t you take a rest and we’ll be there before you know it!”

“F*ck. What you just said is as good as not saying anything. Are you looking to get a beating?” Zhao Yu bellowed, staring intently at the goateed man. Despite being cuffed, all he needed was a multipurpose picklock and he could still assault him.

“D-don’t. I’m only a lackey, please don’t take it that seriously with me! I assure you we really mean no harm. Our boss should be discussing a collaboration of sorts with you. Once you reach him, you’ll understand!” the goateed man frantically explained as he threw the remaining branded phones out the window.

To build some trust with Zhao Yu, he hastily stuffed the watches back into Zhao Yu’s pocket. “How about this, I can tell you my name. I’m Zhu Sunfeng. My subordinates call me Brother Feng, and my superiors call me Xiao Feng. Since you’re my senior, you can call me Xiao Feng! Even Xiao Xiao Feng is fine…” the goateed man said, trailing off with an awkward laugh.

Hmm? The name seemed familiar to Zhao Yu, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Even so, he felt like he was one step closer to the truth! As he thought about this, he asked, “Were you the ones who helped me break out of prison at Yaoming?”

Upon hearing this, the goateed Zhu Sunfeng began to mumble. “Ah… that… hahaha…”

F*ck! It really was them! Even though Zhu Sunfeng didn’t answer directly, Zhao Yu realized immediately they were indeed the ones who broke him out of prison. The boss he spoke about – it must be the mystery person!