Chapter 9: Acting Alone

Early the next morning, Zheng Tao and Li Mo, both members of the joint investigation team, walked out of the Pu County Police Department.

"Li Mo, are we really going to skip the team briefing and act on our own?" Zheng Tao asked, glancing back at the police station with a look of concern.

Under normal circumstances, he, as the mentor, would lead the operation. However, he was completely at a loss regarding the current case. Moreover, Li Mo’s recent performance had earned him enough of Zheng Tao's trust that he was willing to follow his lead.

"Mentor, if we stick with the investigation team, what exactly will we uncover?" Li Mo retorted. "The purpose of the team is primarily to coordinate resources and oversee large-scale operations, such as controlling entry and exit points, conducting background checks, and carrying out broad sweeps."

"Although the subsequent two cases have been merged with the Wang Ze shooting as a single investigation, you know as well as I do that several days have passed, and there has been zero progress, right?"

Zheng Tao nodded in agreement.

"Besides, this isn't exactly 'acting on our own.' We are following Director Tang’s instructions to head out and look for leads," Li Mo said with a grin. "With the Director covering for us, it won't matter if we come up empty-handed. But what if we find something?"

Though he spoke of "what ifs," Li Mo was seventy percent certain they would find a breakthrough. After all, the case he remembered—which had not yet occurred in this timeline—was likely deeply connected to that group of brazen killers.

"Fine," Zheng Tao said with a nod, though he looked puzzled as he gestured to the holsters at their waists. "But even if we are just looking for leads, is there a need to carry sidearms?"

"Mentor, what kind of situation are we in right now?" Li Mo replied, a look of helplessness crossing his face. "We are hunting for clues left by those killers. It would be fine if we don't find them, but if we actually do, do you expect us to face armed assassins with nothing but sticks?"

"Those criminals were bold enough to plant a bomb in a car right outside the police station. Forget sidearms—if other weapons weren't so difficult to carry, I would have requested a Type 56 rifle!"

Zheng Tao fell silent.

"My empiricism is getting the better of me. So, what now?" Zheng Tao asked.

"Let’s head to the east side of town," Li Mo suggested. In his memory, the case involved a local gang leader who was murdered and gruesomely dismembered in his own home. Although the files he recalled did not mention the pyramid-and-eye mark at that crime scene, the victim’s limbs had been severed and his eyes gouged out. Li Mo had a strange intuition that this case was inextricably linked to Wang Ze, who had escaped in his previous life.

"The east side?" Zheng Tao hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's go."

Zheng Tao’s car had been destroyed in the blast outside the station, so they were forced to take an old Santana from the department's motor pool.

"This car..." Li Mo sat in the passenger seat, at a loss for words, but there was no other choice.

They soon arrived at the east side of town. Under Li Mo’s direction, they pulled up in front of a bar.

"You think those killers are hiding in 'Baldy Wu’s' bar?" Zheng Tao asked, frowning at the locked doors. The bar only opened late at night, so it should be empty now.

"No," Li Mo shook his head. "It’s unlikely the killers are hiding here. But mentor, don't you think the owner, Baldy Wu, might know something?"

"I don't need to explain what kind of people these are. They operate in the shadows, and while we might be in the dark, these guys definitely know something—even if it's just a little..."

As he spoke, the roar of a motorcycle engine erupted in front of them. A bald man on a bike appeared nearby. Seeing the man’s signature full-back dragon tattoo, a file flashed through Li Mo’s mind: Wu Huaqiang, nicknamed "Baldy Wu," thirty-six, from Bei Village, Pu County. He had served three years for assault. After his release, he opened a bathhouse, then a card room, a pawn shop, and eventually bars and KTVs.

The files indicated that Wu Huaqiang was also secretly involved in organized gambling and loan sharking, making him a primary target for police surveillance.

"What is it?" Zheng Tao asked, noticing Li Mo had suddenly stopped talking. He followed Li Mo’s gaze to the bald man who had just killed his engine.

"Grab him!" Li Mo commanded, throwing open the passenger door. Zheng Tao followed suit without hesitation.

The man had just pulled the key from his bike and was yawning with exhaustion. As he prepared to dismount, he sensed a sudden rush of wind. Before he could react, Li Mo’s arm was already locked around his throat.

"Baldy Wu, don't move. I have some questions for you," Li Mo said coldly.

Zheng Tao stepped up to the man’s side, smiling grimly. "Baldy Wu, cooperate, or you're going to have a very bad day."

"Officer Zheng." Wu Huaqiang trembled at the sight of Zheng Tao, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.

Both officers caught the look. They exchanged a glance, and Li Mo dragged Wu Huaqiang toward the Santana. They shoved him into the backseat, sandwiching him between them.

"Officer Zheng, I’ve been very well-behaved lately... you guys..." Wu Huaqiang began to protest the moment he was shoved into the car.

Before he could finish, Li Mo silenced him with a sharp punch to the stomach.

"Did I tell you to speak?" Li Mo said coldly.

Wu Huaqiang curled up in agony, gasping for air. After withdrawing his fist, Li Mo checked the man’s wrists and behind his ears, confirming there were no markings from the killer’s organization, before asking, "What were you doing last night?"

"Don't lie to me. I’ll have someone check the route you took on your bike this morning."

Wu Huaqiang had intended to weave a lie, but Li Mo’s threat made him hesitate. Seeing this, Zheng Tao delivered another punch to his stomach. "Wu Huaqiang, we are giving you a chance. If you don't take it, don't blame us for what happens next!"

Zheng Tao looked at Li Mo and added, "Li Mo, call the station. Have them track his route this morning. We’ll take him back and get the truth out of him slowly."

Hearing that he was going to be taken to the station, Wu Huaqiang panicked. "Officer Zheng, don't take me in! I'll talk... I'll tell you everything, okay?"