Chapter 79

Officer Lu Ka pushed the ice coffin back and walked to the table, gesturing for him to come over and sign.

He added, “The scene was cleaned up perfectly—we found no valuable clues.”

“Not even a single footprint or fingerprint!”

“These people were professionals.”

“Based on the victims’ positions and our analysis of bullet trajectories, the killer wasn’t just one person, and there wasn’t just one gun.”

“They were subdued without resistance, then shot.”

“They took everything that could expose their identities and thoroughly cleaned the entire scene.”

After signing, Wei De slammed the table hard, “So you’re telling me you’ve made zero progress?”

“Officer Lu Ka, my brother is dead—he’s lying in that freezer over there.”

“I want you to do something that might make his afterlife a little less miserable, not just tell me you’re helpless!”

Officer Lu Ka checked the claim documents, confirmed they were correct, then took them back. “Mr. Wei De, I sympathize with you and regret your loss, but you know how hard it is to solve cases like this.”

“Your and your brother’s backgrounds aren’t ordinary—ordinary people have only a few possible motives for such crimes, but the reasons that could apply to you are countless.”

“And Mr. Wei De, don’t you think professional scene cleanup is itself a crucial clue?”

“They were professionals!”

Officer Lu Ka tapped his chest with the clipboard. “Think about your enemies—or think about who might give you a lead.”

He paused, waited a few seconds, then continued when he saw Wei De seemed to understand. “Of course, I’m not asking you to seek revenge—I just hope you can give us some leads for the investigation…”

Police investigations like this require massive effort and evidence collection, and even searches need warrants, often causing them to miss the best opportunity to solve the case.

And many methods they can’t use freely, but gang members can use without restraint—that’s why higher-ranking detectives always have more powerful gang informants.

Sometimes they must operate outside legal boundaries to uphold justice.

Some believe that even if justice is served beyond legal limits, it’s still dishonorable.

But others, like Officer Lu Ka, don’t define justice as judicial or procedural justice—they see justice as “the perpetrator must pay for their actions.”

Rather than straining his own mind in a sea of uncertainty, it’s better to tell Wei De what to do and just keep tabs on him.

Flexibility may be unfriendly to rigid minds—it shatters their beliefs and boundaries—but sometimes it’s simply more effective.

“Officer Lu Ka, you’re a good officer. If I get any leads, I’ll contact you.”

He glanced at his watch. “I have other matters to attend to, so…”

“I have a case to handle too.”

“Then goodbye?”

“Goodbye.”

Back in his office, Officer Lu Ka immediately dispatched four officers in plainclothes, driving two cars to surveil Wei De around the clock.

If Wei De made any major move, they were to contact him immediately.

Look—cheap, easy, and high case-solving rate.

In the afternoon, after finishing his work, Officer Lu Ka remembered that interesting local man—and the coffee he owed him.

He ordered two coffee deliveries from outside the station, then drove to the area between the harbor and the bay, where he spotted Lans sitting under a sun umbrella at the entrance.

“Want one?” he asked from inside the car, holding a coffee out the window.

Lans noticed him, smiled, and walked over. “Of course—hope it’s not too sweet.”

Officer Lu Ka chuckled. “Your taste isn’t local—most locals I’ve met are obsessed with sweets.”

“Including you?” Lans took a small sip—it wasn’t too sweet, and the milk was minimal, just how he liked it.

Officer Lu Ka stepped out of the car with his coffee and sat with Lans under the umbrella. “Not me—I don’t like it too sweet either.”

He paused, watching the now-busy storefront, and whistled. “You picked a good business!”

He paused again. “I noticed many Imperials here—are you close to Imperials?”

Lans grew wary. “When I worked in black factories, I met some Imperials.”

“You know—they’ve always been the backbone of places like that.”

He nodded. “I read that report—it mentioned this. Where was the factory?”

“In the neighboring state. Honestly, I’d rather not talk about it.”

Officer Lu Ka immediately apologized. “My mistake—I understand I shouldn’t make you relive painful memories.”

Lans smiled. “It’s fine. Thinking about it now is much easier.”

The officer pulled out a cigarette—cigarettes were always a man’s social tool; even strangers could start talking over one.

He glanced at the door, where people kept coming and going, and sighed. “Imperials are always hardworking—even when society isn’t kind to them.”

“Have you heard of any Imperial suddenly achieving their Imperial dream?”

“You know—the kind who suddenly got rich, quit working, and started spending wildly?”

Lans realized he was fishing and cut straight to the point. “Who are you asking about? Is there a case?”

Officer Lu Ka didn’t deny it. “Your perception is sharp. So what’s your answer?”

Lans pretended to think for a long while, then shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything like that. What big case happened?”

“Nothing major—just a theft.”

“Hope the victim didn’t lose much.”

Empty words. But Officer Lu Ka sensed the man wasn’t telling the truth—he just couldn’t force Lans to speak.

Some caution is normal; from his background, anyone who survived a black factory tends to be highly guarded.

Then a young man walked over, wearing high-waisted blue overalls, his hair covering half his face, his face long with freckles, his eyes dull—clearly a fool. He swung his hair as he approached.

He glanced at Officer Lu Ka, then greeted him voluntarily—making him seem even more foolish, though it was polite behavior. “Hello.”

Officer Lu Ka smiled and nodded. “Afternoon.”

Then Hailam turned to Lans. “The sewer’s clogged.”

Lans looked at him. “Go fix it first—I’ll be right there.”

Officer Lu Ka was incredulous. “You fix the sewer yourself?”

“You’re the boss!”

Lans laughed. “In the early days of starting out, you save every penny. Besides, I’ve done this before—I know it takes no skill, but if you hire a plumber, he’ll charge you five times as much.”

He picked up his coffee. “Thanks for the coffee, officer—it’s good. But I’ve got something to handle…”

“I should go too. It was pleasant talking to you, Lans. Keep an ear out for what I mentioned.”

“No problem. I’ll have someone watch for it.”

After bidding each other farewell, Lans watched Officer Lu Ka drive away, while Officer Lu Ka kept watching Lans in his rearview mirror.

He had a feeling this young man wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

But he had several cases open now—no time to focus on this guy. When he had a free moment, he’d look into this “Mr. Lans.”

When Officer Lu Ka’s car vanished at the end of the road, Lans handed the coffee to a staff member at the agency.

He went into the back office, where Hailam was already seated, along with two other young men who had joined the company with him.

One was Deruixi. The other was Laoen.

Lans closed the door as he entered, sat behind the desk, and asked, “What happened?”

Watching Hailam swing his hair again like an idiot, Lans felt the urge to laugh.

But he held it in.

“Jason went to the bar.”

“Who?” Lans didn’t immediately recall.

“The guy who took four thousand and left—he just went to the bar.”

Lans pulled out cigarettes and passed one around. Hailam continued. “I had Laoen tail him. He hid some money, then went to the bar.”

Laoen added, “He ordered a fifty-cent drink and exchanged five dollars in change.”

Lans whistled. “That’s definitely a strip club—he’s spending big.”

Before Hailam could answer, he said, “Bring him back.”