Chapter 483.2: Where Did He Come From? (2)

Ma Wu had taken a private room and was drinking away his gloom by himself and downing one glass after another. It wasn't business that had made him feel annoyed and frustrated. He was annoyed and angry with himself for his behavior earlier.

"Old Qi, I really should take a trip to the Outer Provinces. I have spent so long in Puluo Province that I hardly know a thing about the world outside it. All that stuff Dick Chen was talking about today, data, information, the internet... I have heard of them, sure, but I haven't the faintest idea what any of them actually look like.

"You know, I once wanted to go to the Outer Provinces to study, but my father wouldn't hear of it. Then I found out that men over there were only allowed one wife, and suddenly I wasn't so keen on going myself. Still, as much as I would hate to admit it, that foul-mouthed Dick Chen had a point. I can't spend my whole life cooped up in Puluo Province, knowing nothing about anything. I need to go out, learn a thing or two, and come back with some proper skills under my belt."

Li Banfeng took a sip of wine and nodded. "Going to the Outer Provinces to learn a thing or two isn't a bad idea. But that Dick isn't from the Outer Provinces. He's from Puluo Province."

Ma Wu froze. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, just look at how he treated you. You are the fifth young master of the Ma Family, not some nobody he can push around. Yet he knew exactly what to say to get under your skin. That's because he knows where it hurts most for people from Puluo Province. And the moment I threatened to chop off his hand, what happened? He immediately cowered and backed away. All that arrogance vanished in a flash. He knows perfectly well how things are done around here."

Ma Wu was stunned for a long moment. "Then why did he approach us? Wasn't he looking to do business?"

Li Banfeng drained his glass and said, "That's what we need to find out and we need to get to the bottom of it."

***

In a secret room at the Border Control Office, Dick Chen was reviewing Li Qi's file. "Li Qi's real name is Song Zhuowen, and he studied in the Outer Provinces. He does know a thing or two about the place, so his story makes sense. As for the rest, Tangyuan can look into it."

With that, Dick Chen handed the file to Tangyuan.

Like Lightbulb, Tangyuan had been sent by the Dark Star Bureau for further training. Her main responsibility was to assist Dick Chen with his work, which was why she had been pretending to be his secretary earlier at Freewind Wharf.

Tangyuan was eager to investigate Li Qi. Unlike Lightbulb, she hadn't come to Puluo Province just to coast through her assignment. She wanted to make something of herself, accomplish something, and learn a few useful things along the way.

Unfortunately for her, Liao Zihui had no intention of giving Tangyuan this opportunity. He turned to Dick Chen. "Little Chen, I don't think it is suitable for You Xuehan to investigate someone like Li Qi on her own."

Dick Chen shook his head with an amused smile. "In my opinion, Li Qi is nobody worth worrying about. The man has neither the cunning nor the patience to keep his emotions in check. The very first time we met, all it took was a few unpleasant words to make him threaten to chop off my hand! Anyone who loses his temper so easily is hardly worth my time and effort."

Seeing Dick Chen regard Li Qi with such contempt, Liao Zihui was slightly displeased. “You don’t know him well enough yet. I hope you can spend a little more time...”

“My time can’t be wasted on that sort of person,” Dick Chen cut Liao Zihui off outright. “You have worked in Puluo Province for so long; you should understand the concept and value of a Balancer. As a Balancer, I need to balance the interests of all sides. There are many things I have to do. If I listed them, the list might be several meters long, but Li Qi isn’t on that list. He doesn’t deserve to be.”

Liao Zihui said no more and left the secret room.

Dick Chen looked at Tangyuan. “Miss You, you no longer have to keep assisting me in my work from now on.

Tangyuan was taken aback. “But this is a job the Commissioner himself gave me! Until the Commissioner says otherwise, I have got to..."

“You’ll get the Commissioner’s orders,” said Dick Chen. “Maybe you will get it today. At the latest, tomorrow morning. And until then, you will be on a holiday. Do whatever you fancy. Trot off and buy some things. Shopping would really suit you.”

Tangyuan frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Haven’t I made it plain enough?” said Dick Chen. “What I mean is that you are no good for this job. You are obviously not capable enough. At dinner tonight you sat there twitching, trembling, and showing a sense of nervousness and fear. That could easily put me in an unfavorable position. I don’t know what the Dark Star Bureau and the Border Control Office were thinking when they sent you to me. I have no obligations to teach you to be more capable, and I jolly well don’t intend to be dragged down by you while I work. Miss You, run along and do whatever it is you are good at. At the Dark Star Bureau, the ones with no ability at all often get the better positions. I think you should be able to find a path that suits you.”

Tangyuan bit her lip. She was just about to leave the secret room when Dick Chen picked up a stack of documents from the desk. “Take all of Li Qi’s things. From now on, this is your job. I don’t want to waste even half a moment on either you or him.”

***

Tangyuan came stamping back to the office in a fury.

Bang! She slammed the papers down on the desk.

Lightbulb nearly leapt out of his skin. “What’s got into you? Been eating gunpowder?”

Tangyuan shared the office with Blockhead and Lightbulb. Blockhead was always out on field work, while Lightbulb spent every day in the office doing an impression of a man with nowhere to be and nothing to do.

She sat at her desk, propped her forehead in her hand, and said not a word for a good long while.

She couldn't figure the purpose of her coming to Puluo Province. She felt that she had been working hard every single day, but the result turned out to be similar to whatever situation Lightbulb was in. Like him, she was also idling her life away.

“What on earth’s the matter?” Lightbulb came over and tried to comfort her.

“Nothing.” Tangyuan sighed and began sorting the documents. While she was doing that, she thought to herself, I guess it is a good thing that he told me to handle Li Qi. I must achieve something and show them what I can do.

Lightbulb stayed beside Tangyuan, watching, and watching very carefully. He saw Li Qi’s dossier, and he also saw a proposal. It was a quotation proposal submitted by Ma Wu.

***

“How did the quotation proposal end up in her hands?” Li Banfeng thought for a bit before saying, “Describe what Tangyuan looks like.”

“There’s no need to describe. I have her picture,” Lightbulb said as he took out a group photo from his wallet. “Tangyuan is the girl with the round face and glasses.”

Although her makeup had changed, Li Banfeng still recognized her at a glance. This woman was Dick Chen’s female secretary.

She was a senior investigator from the Dark Star Bureau, sent to the Border Control Office for advanced training. Why would she disguise herself as a merchant’s secretary?

What was Dick Chen’s real identity?

***

That night, Dick Chen arrived at Fortune Prosperity Restaurant and entered a private room.

Chu Shaoqiang was inside, drinking away his gloom. When he saw Dick Chen, he set down his cup and tapped it lightly against the rim.

It was a warning to Dick Chen.

Dick Chen stood at the doorway and did not approach Chu Shaoqiang. He knew that many enchanted artifacts and spirit-bound items in the room were already aimed at him.

Chu Shaoqiang asked, “Was it the Inner Provinces that sent you to find me?”

Dick Chen shook his head. “If the Inner Provinces had sent me to find you, I wouldn’t have walked in through that door. I would have found a place to ambush you. Little Bro Chu, you have already become a criminal in the Inner Provinces. I am here to help you.”

Chu Shaoqiang smiled. “How are you going to help me?”

“You shouldn’t have been the only one at fault for what happened to Ge Junma, and you shouldn’t have been the only one at fault for what happened to Sage’s Peak. You have endured far too much baseless accusation. You need someone to give you justice.”

Chu Shaoqiang laughed. “That fake foreign devil tone of yours is actually rather pleasing to the ear. You say you want to give me justice? With what?”

“I will exchange something important in return for a higher position for you.”

“What important thing?”

Dick Chen said, “Once you agree to work with me, I will tell you the answer.”

***

Three days later, Dick Chen arrived at Soda Kiln. At a soda stall he bought a bottle of orange-flavored soda. He didn't drink it. He popped the cap, carried the bottle by its neck, and entered an alley.

He knocked on the door of a certain household. The scent of orange essence drifted through the crack in the door into the courtyard.

The door opened, and one by one, the spider threads on the ground retracted back into the house.

Dick Chen crossed the courtyard, entered the house, and smiled. "Daboinsky, my good friend, I have come to visit you."

Detective Daboinsky took off his fedora and bowed deeply. "My mentor, my guide, I have been waiting here all along for your arrival."

Dick Chen patted Daboinsky on the shoulder. "We are now comrades with the same ideals. You no longer need to be so formal with me. How is the previous Balancer's condition?"

Daboinsky glanced toward the inner room and lowered his voice. "His mental state has pretty much recovered, but some memories seem to be completely lost."

Dick Chen entered the room and saw Xiao Zhenggong chained to the railing.

Xiao Zhenggong's eyes glinted coldly. He sneered. "Another fake foreign devil. Do you fake foreign devils have a gang or something? What exactly are you trying to do?"

Dick Chen crouched on the ground. "We're going to help you do something. It’s something you couldn't finish while you were alive."

Xiao Zhenggong frowned. "You think I am dead?"

Dick Chen smiled. "You can continue to think of yourself as alive. You can also keep on living, provided you tell me some important secrets. Secrets about the boundary lines."

Xiao Zhenggong shook his head. "When I was with the Dark Star Bureau, I did conduct some research into boundary lines. However, the Outer Provinces kept their secrets well, and information was hard to come by. In the end, I never managed to uncover anything conclusive."

Dick Chen explained in a serious manner. “You did get results. You just don’t know it. You hid away some important documents, and I don't need you to tell me exactly where they are. Just give me a few clues."

Author's Note:

This chapter is a bit shorter. It's because I have been coughing until my brain hurts. I really can't endure it anymore. Dear readers, please accept my apology.

A special thank you to Alliance Leader Dot Dot Meow! May you enjoy a long and prosperous life. I'm truly grateful for your tremendous support of my work!