Chapter Ninety-Nine: Some Things Must Be Kept Buried Deep Inside

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Some Things Must Be Kept Buried

Li Botao’s home was in Mingzhu City, and he had a temporary place to stay in the back courtyard of the police station.

After seeing Vice Director Huang Chao and the young man surnamed Ji off earlier, he had instructed Jiang Kai to solve the case as quickly as possible, then gone back to rest.

He had just washed his face and was preparing to call the young man whose business card bore only the name William Ji and a mobile number, wondering what sort of extraordinary figure he was, when the phone on his desk rang first.

After answering, he shot to his feet and ran toward the front office area as if propelled by an arrow.

People along the way tried to greet him, but he had no time to respond. A vice director came over to say he had something to report, but Li Botao did not even hear him. Like a madman, he slammed open the iron door of the interrogation room.

Because the commotion was so loud, some of the bureau’s investigators and clerical staff all turned to look this way.

Jiang Kai stared at Li Botao in bewilderment, thinking to himself: Could he have received that same call too?

But if he had, then he should have pretended not to know and let me keep going. Why was he telling me to stop?

Jiang Kai put away his baton and asked with a smile, “Director, what are your instructions?”

“Jiang Kai, what are you doing? What are you doing?” Li Botao roared. “Who told you to use violent methods in interrogating a suspect? Since when did our bureau develop such a habit? Are you still a cop? Do you still have the conscience and discipline of a police officer? Do you still want this job or not? If you don’t, then get the hell out.”

Jiang Kai looked at Li Botao as if he were seeing a ghost.

Had he been possessed?

Otherwise, how could he have said something so absurd?

No violent methods during interrogations? Since when was there a suspect who came in and was not first beaten into submission before being forced to confess?

Since when had the bureau developed such a habit? Come on. When I first joined as an officer, you were the deputy director. These methods were all taught to me by you.

As for the conscience and discipline of a police officer, he had already run out of words to rebut that one. What exactly did conscience and discipline even mean here?

“Director, I--I didn’t lay a hand on him,” Jiang Kai denied. He pointed at the two subordinates groaning on the floor and said, “He attacked police officers, so I was trying to stop him from acting recklessly.”

“Bullshit,” Li Botao cursed. “He was handcuffed to the chair. If you hadn’t walked up to him, could he have hit you?”

Jiang Kai looked ready to cry.

He thought, My heavens, which mighty being did you receive another call from? Was there any need to side so enthusiastically with the suspect and lecture us like this?

Seeing the troubled look on Jiang Kai’s face, Li Botao’s expression finally softened. He glanced at Tang Zhong and said, “The duty of the police is to maintain order and eliminate crime. But we cannot commit crimes ourselves either. That would be a stain on this noble profession. All right, have them bandaged up. This will not happen again. Jiang Kai, come out with me. Director Jiang Tao will be arriving shortly to inspect our branch’s civilized law-enforcement work--”

After saying this, Li Botao deliberately watched Tang Zhong’s expression.

As expected, when Tang Zhong heard that Director Jiang Tao was coming to inspect their work, his brows visibly relaxed, and he even looked as if a great burden had been lifted.

Li Botao sighed inwardly. Another big shot.

Jiang Kai nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

This godforsaken branch, so remote and long forgotten, was actually receiving two bureau-level leaders in a single day. Earlier, Vice Director Huang Chao had come to inspect the bureau’s “hygiene” work, then left. Now Director Jiang Tao, the top man of the Mingzhu City Police Bureau, was coming to inspect their “civilized law-enforcement” work.

What did civilized law-enforcement mean? It meant that what I just did was highly uncivilized.

Clearly, this Director Jiang Tao also had an agenda. He was here for this case too. More precisely, he was here for this fellow Tang Zhong.

Otherwise, before he even arrived, he would not have first slammed the big hat of “civilized law-enforcement” down on their heads.

That was a warning.

A warning that they were not to hit anyone, or he would use violent law enforcement as a model case against them.

“Director, it’s already so late. Why is Director Jiang still coming to inspect the work?” Jiang Kai asked in a low voice as he followed Li Botao out.

“How would I dare ask about a superior’s arrangements?” Li Botao said with deep worry. “Could I tell him it’s too late and we can’t receive him?”

He turned and closed the door behind him, then asked quietly, “Did he say anything?”

“He didn’t say a word,” Jiang Kai replied. “He said he was the victim. He was traveling in the mountains when he was attacked--he also said that Taoist priest was a professional assassin.”

Li Botao frowned and asked, “What do you think?”

After some hesitation, Jiang Kai reported honestly, “I think what he said has some merit. Before dark, I had people investigate. There was only that old Taoist priest at Heavenly Unity Temple; there were no other Taoists. Clearly, that man was impersonating a Taoist. What he was after, we still do not know. Also, we found some unusual items on the priest’s body. Director, you saw those leather shoes, didn’t you? Who besides an assassin would wear shoes like that?”

“So that means he really was acting in self-defense?” Li Botao said.

“I wouldn’t rush to a conclusion,” Jiang Kai said. “Although there are many suspicious points about that Taoist priest, who knows whether he first killed someone and then planted those things on the corpse to frame him? Director, you saw it yourself--that brat is slippery as an eel and stubborn as a mule. He’s like a turtle; there’s just no easy way to get at him. And I checked his student ID. He’s a freshman at South University. Which student, after just killing someone, could still remain so calm and composed?”

“Then that proves one thing,” Li Botao said with a sigh.

“What?”

“He has a formidable background.”

Jiang Kai wanted to curse. Wasn’t that obvious? If the police director himself rushed over in the middle of the night to bail him out, could he possibly have no backing at all?

“I mean he’s not an ordinary person,” Li Botao explained. “Some people are exposed to more things from birth than ordinary folks, and their horizons are broader too. That is why they can do things ordinary people cannot.”

“If I hadn’t been tougher, you would already have started serving up the meal, wouldn’t you? I know these procedures better than you do.”

Remembering what Tang Zhong had said, Jiang Kai began to understand Li Botao’s words a little better.

What kind of status did he have, to be so familiar with these procedures?

The fact that he kept holding out like that was because he knew he would be beaten if he showed weakness from the start, wasn’t it?

“Director, what do we do now?” Jiang Kai asked.

“Use soldiers to meet soldiers, use water to cover the earth. We can do nothing,” Li Botao said, taking a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “This temple is too small to house a great Buddha. When Director Jiang Tao arrives, let’s see what these big shots say. If necessary, we’ll let the Mingzhu City Police Bureau take over the case. We should stop meddling. One careless move, and we’ll be shattered to pieces.”

“Yes, Director,” Jiang Kai replied, though his heart sank little by little.

Fortunately, he had not gotten the chance to strike yet. He could just pretend he knew nothing and that nothing had ever happened.

His gaze met that of Liao Zhongyu, the deputy director in charge of criminal investigation. The other man nodded and walked straight past. Jiang Kai knew that this old fox shared his thoughts.

Some things were better left buried in their guts.

----------

A black Audi and a white BMW stopped at the entrance of the police station. Li Botao hurried over, opened the Audi’s door, and greeted respectfully, “Director Jiang, you’ve had a hard journey.”

Jiang Tao was a middle-aged man of imposing authority, with a square face, large eyes, and thick eyebrows--the sort of man who looked born to play the upright hero.

He extended a hand and shook Li Botao’s, saying, “Sorry to trouble you so late.”

“Director Jiang’s visit to the Jade Maiden Peak Branch for an inspection is an honor for all of us officers,” Li Botao flattered.

He stole a glance and saw that only two middle-aged men and a young girl had followed behind Jiang Tao. This made one burden fall from his heart, only for an even heavier one to settle in its place.

The relief was that Jiang Tao had come in plain clothes with a light entourage, so he was not truly here to inspect the bureau’s work.

The worry was: if he was not here to inspect the work, then what was he here for?

“Hmm. Though the Jade Maiden Peak Branch is in a remote location, its importance is beyond question,” Jiang Tao said, still finding the time to encourage Li Botao and the other officers who had come out to greet him. “The tourist value of Jade Maiden Peak is being increasingly developed. Although the government has not yet taken the lead in a deeper development program, the flow of people is already considerable. Therefore, doing a good job with public safety is absolutely necessary.”

“Yes, we will certainly study Director Jiang’s instructions seriously and place safety first,” Li Botao promised.

“Mm.” Jiang Tao nodded. “There haven’t been any major cases recently, have there?”

Li Botao knew the main event had arrived and hurried to report, “To answer your question, Director, there was a murder case today. That is a failure in our work. I would like to offer my self-criticism.”

“Hm?” Jiang Tao frowned and asked, “A murder case? What happened?”

He seemed to know nothing, as if he had only just heard about it.

“Director, please come inside to the lounge and have some tea. I’ll brief you on the case,” Li Botao invited.

Jiang Tao turned to look at the young woman standing quietly beside him. She did not smile at all and said coldly, “Report it here.”

She needed to see at once that Tang Zhong was safe. How could she spare the time to listen to their long-winded work report?