Chapter 55

“Ah!” Even someone as worldly as him was startled when he suddenly saw a dead man’s face! After letting out a cry, he picked up the photo and studied it closely: “It should be Xiao Fang—this kid was actually good-looking! Ah, what a pity!”

Gu Changzheng ignored his lament and asked: “I heard Xiao Fang worked for you. Tell us about him.”

Chang Huaqiang dropped the photo as if shocked: “Officer Gu, that’s not true! This kid’s just a gold-digger—he never worked for me. Everyone knows that. His death has nothing to do with me!”

Hu Jinquan sneered from the side: “We never said it had anything to do with you. Why are you so nervous? We’re not interested in what he did here today. Let’s be straight: tell us everything you know about this kid, and we won’t make trouble for you.”

Gu Changzheng knew Hu Jinquan was bluffing and added: “We handle only criminal cases. Today we just want to understand Xiao Fang’s social connections. Tell us everything about his time here.”

Hearing this, Chang Huaqiang relaxed—he only ran borderline businesses, and he figured detectives wouldn’t care. He told them how Xiao Fang lured girls into dancing at the club, but downplayed Xiao Fang’s income, saying only that he got a cut from the girls he brought in. Gu and Hu didn’t press for details on the split; they just wanted to know when Xiao Fang was last seen at the club, who he last spoke to, and whether he frequented other clubs.

Gu Changzheng understood: Xiao Fang lived off women. He asked: “How many girls did he have here? We need to speak with all of them.” Chang Huaqiang checked the time—it wasn’t yet peak hour—so he called over the shift supervisor, Xiao Jiang.

Soon, five women, heavily made-up and reeking of cheap perfume, entered. Gu Changzheng frowned and told Xiao Jiang: “Keep one. Take the others outside and wait.”

The two questioned Xiao Fang’s situation in Chang Huaqiang’s office. After interviewing all five girls, they were baffled: no one knew Xiao Fang’s real name. “Fang” might not even be his surname—it could just be a made-up alias. His true identity remained unknown.

When Gu Changzheng asked who Xiao Fang was last seen with, all the girls said they hadn’t noticed. Just as the two were growing discouraged, supervisor Xiao Jiang offered a crucial detail.

As supervisor, Xiao Jiang didn’t serve customers himself—he just wandered the club, greeting generous patrons. He recalled that one night, a young woman came in. Their club didn’t charge young women for entry, so female patrons often came to dance—though their motives were none of his concern. The more beautiful women showed up, the better—it drew more men.

Xiao Jiang remembered that on the night he last saw Xiao Fang, a strikingly beautiful young girl was in the club. He watched her for a long while because she didn’t look like a gold-digger at all. Later, he saw Xiao Fang approach her, and they quickly hit it off—they even danced several times together. When Xiao Jiang returned from the restroom, they were gone. He checked his watch—it was nearly 11 p.m.

After finishing, Xiao Jiang added: “That girl came back a few days later—looks like she went into the business too.” He sounded almost sorry about it.

This was a major breakthrough!

Gu and Hu shot to their feet and asked almost simultaneously: “Where is that girl? Did she come today?”

Xiao Jiang flinched, pulling his neck in: “I didn’t see her. She didn’t come today. Only came twice.”

Their rising hope vanished at his words. Gu Changzheng said: “Fine. You report to the Jiangdong Branch Criminal Unit tomorrow to assist us. Don’t mention anything we’ve discussed today—to anyone.”

He turned to Chang Huaqiang: “Boss Chang, we’ll be using your place tonight.”

Chang Huaqiang understood—they were lying in wait for the girl—and offered full cooperation without hesitation.

After reiterating instructions to Xiao Jiang, the two prepared to leave and stake out a booth in the club.

The entire process took about two hours; by now, the club was packed.

But the entire night passed without the girl Xiao Jiang described ever appearing. As the closing song “Joyful Tonight” blared through the club, the two dragged their weary bodies toward the exit.

As they left, Boss Chang Huaqiang insisted on giving each of them a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. Startled, they hurriedly refused and fled. Neither realized that this very Chang Huaqiang would later leave a deep mark on their police careers.

The two left the club at one a.m. The outside world had transformed entirely. They realized they hadn’t eaten dinner and were looking for a street stall when Gu Changzheng’s pager beeped.

He looked down: “Didn’t you two eat dinner? Hurry home—dumplings are ready! Lu.”

The two exchanged a smile. Hu Jinquan teased: “Old Gu, Master still favors you—why didn’t he page me?”

Gu Changzheng laughed and cursed: “Get lost! Why don’t you get a Chinese pager first?”

“Hahaha!” They burst out laughing. They’d graduated from the same police academy, been assigned together to Zizhen City, and were both outsiders—long ago, their bond had become as strong as brothers’.

In Lu Haoxuan’s small apartment, Wei Jie, who had napped earlier, had already served up steaming pork-and-scallion dumplings. Lu Haoxuan, also having skipped dinner, joined them. The three ate dumplings with garlic, chatting as they ate.

Lu Haoxuan brought them new news: the 1.10 dismemberment case and the 1.16 dismemberment case had been merged. The overall commander of the special task force was Deputy Director Guo Shuqing of the Municipal Bureau; the captain of the Jiangnan District Criminal Unit was deputy commander; the team leader was Captain Wang Feihong of the Criminal Brigade. The task force’s codename: “Exorcist!”

The two had also been recommended by Lu Haoxuan to join the task force. They understood their master’s intentions: this unit gathered nearly all the elite of Zizhen’s public security force. For them, it was a rare chance to learn—and their master was paving their future.

Grateful, they reported everything they’d learned about Xiao Fang to Lu Haoxuan.

Lu Haoxuan said: “That girl is the key. Wait for the sketch tomorrow, then search again. If she never shows up, she’s almost certainly connected to Xiao Fang’s death.”