Tu Ziyun wove through three streets before finally losing the man on the motorcycle. He turned a corner and stared down the empty road, cursing under his breath. Even a fool could see now that this had been a ruse to lure the tiger from its mountain lair. The man was clearly experienced; he had maintained a calculated distance throughout the pursuit, deliberately stringing Tu Ziyun along. He was no ordinary hoodlum.
Tu Ziyun stepped out of his car, flashlight in hand, and scanned the slopes on either side of the road with grim persistence. There wasn't a shadow to be seen. Since the man had led him here, he was likely more familiar with these pitch-black hills. Knowing he had little chance of catching someone in such unfamiliar terrain, Tu Ziyun had no choice but to rush back, hoping some clues remained at the house.
These remote roads were mostly narrow back-alleys. During the chase, Tu Ziyun had been secretly glad the man chose a deserted route, as it allowed him to focus on the pursuit. Now, as his GPS struggled with the winding turns, he realized just how isolated the area was and how thoroughly the man had prepared.
Despite the time lost, Tu Ziyun eventually made it back to the Bai residence. To his surprise, the police had already gathered, cordoning off the house with yellow tape while several officers searched the interior.
Tu Ziyun walked up quickly and flashed his badge. The officer in charge, a member of the District 1 squad, shook his hand and informed him that a gunshot had been reported.
Tu Ziyun looked at the dark house. Only a corner of the first floor was illuminated. He remembered his earlier surreptitious entry; there was a fireplace in that direction.
"Can I go in and take a look?"
The officer nodded. "Sure. Just put on these shoe covers."
Tu Ziyun stepped into the chaotic house. The light indeed came from a fire burning in the hearth. There were shattered wine bottles, torn fabric, and a broken billiard cue. Officers were systematically searching their assigned zones.
He headed in the opposite direction—toward the dim basement. If he remembered correctly, he had been interrupted just as he was heading down there.
A small lamp had been hung there, and two officers were busy at work. The one closer to the entrance looked up, and Tu Ziyun greeted him. "Tu Ziyun, Z District Police."
"Oh, from the Eighth Bureau? I've heard of you."
Tu Ziyun offered a small smile and leaned in to look at the officer’s notebook. "Find anything?"
The officer shook his head. "We’ve contacted Mr. Bai, but Mr. Bai Shi isn't in the city tonight. He said he’d return as soon as possible to cooperate with the investigation."
Tu Ziyun smiled again, though it didn't reach his eyes. "And the scene?"
"Preliminary assessment suggests a struggle occurred near the fireplace. We extracted a small blood sample, but the results aren't in yet." Out of professional respect, the young officer answered every question.
"Blood?" Tu Ziyun paused.
The officer pointed toward the sofa. "We found it there. We suspect there was a significant amount of blood that was wiped away. This small sample was recovered from the back of the sofa."
Tu Ziyun nodded, thanked him, and went down to inspect the basement.
His findings were extremely limited.
Tu Ziyun suspected that after he had left—and after the occupants had also departed—someone had come to clean the scene. This became apparent when he examined the footprints in the basement. The marked prints were shallow, sparse, and lacked a coherent trail. Tu Ziyun believed they were staged—deliberately left to create the illusion of normal habitation.
He found no other useful leads in the house. It had been professionally scrubbed, and with a forensic team already on site, there wasn't much more he could contribute. He stood by the door, smoking one cigarette after another, his brow furrowed deeply as he watched the police finish their preliminary processing and prepare to pack up.
The officer in charge came over to say goodbye and asked with concern what had happened. Tu Ziyun gave a non-committal smile and asked to be notified once the blood test results were out. The officer agreed.
Tu Ziyun remained standing outside the gate long after the police had left and the neighbors had retreated to their homes. He stared up at the towering roof, his hands trembling slightly. The realization he had been dreading had finally become a reality.
Pei Cangyu was missing.
It was nearly dawn by the time Tu Ziyun returned home. The morning insects were beginning to chirp, yet the lingering darkness felt suffocatingly thick. Tu Ziyun looked terrible, his face so pale he looked as if he might vomit at any moment.
He sat on his bed, despondent, clutching his head. He knew. It had to be Bai Shi. It couldn't be anyone else. The boy he had personally delivered was now gone. The kid had no family, no one to hold Tu Ziyun accountable, but that only made his blood run colder. He stood up, then sat back down, pacing the room in a fit of anxiety.
It was Bai Shi. He didn't believe for a second that Bai Shi had left the city tonight. If he had, why bother cleaning up the blood and other traces? He could have easily blamed it on a robbery. It had to be someone who couldn't be named, and Tu Ziyun’s gut told him it was Bai Shi.
Such an efficient crime—from the lure to the departure to the cleanup—required people at every step, a plan, and a division of labor. It was a dangerous organization. And the reason such a dangerous organization hadn't drawn attention was surely because it was hidden behind a legitimate, prestigious facade—just as the Dark Fire Group had once been hidden beneath the Bai family.
Tu Ziyun tried calling Pei Cangyu several times. Each call went unanswered until it timed out. This meant the phone was either no longer with him, or its owner was...
Tu Ziyun rubbed his face again, his fists clenched. He couldn't even bring himself to lie down.
Who could he turn to? He couldn't touch Bai Shi. Ding Chuan was determined to play the fool. Fei Qisheng wouldn't talk to Ding Chuan, and Fei Zuohua was of little use in this...
Tu Ziyun held his phone, pressing his hand against his forehead as his headache flared up again.
He stood up to get some water and took some anti-anxiety medication to dull the roaring in his head.
His bachelor apartment, neglected by its owner, was thick with dust and smelled of stale air.
Tu Ziyun couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up, ignoring the fact that it was four in the morning, and drove to the twenty-seventh floor.
The guard on duty nodded to him without a word and let him in. Having access to a criminal's cell at any time was a privilege the police reserved for dealing with the likes of the heinous Ding Chuan.
Ding Chuan was asleep. Tu Ziyun strode in and yanked the blanket off him. In his dreams, Ding Chuan’s brow was knit tight, his lips muttering something unintelligible. He woke with a violent start the moment the blanket was gone—he was a man who struggled to sleep even at the best of times. The eyes that snapped open were flooded with such a turbulent surge of grief and rage that Tu Ziyun was momentarily taken aback.
Then Ding Chuan recognized his visitor. His expression smoothed out. He turned to switch on the desk lamp and propped himself up. Tu Ziyun watched him coldly, offering no help.
Ding Chuan sat up, donning his usual mask of serenity, looking for all the world like a retired mob boss who had found enlightenment. He looked at Tu Ziyun with a sort of indulgent tolerance. "What happened?"
"Why won't Bai Shi let Pei Cangyu go?"
Ding Chuan sighed. "Bai Shi again... is there no one else in your eyes?"
Tu Ziyun ignored the deflection and repeated his question. "Why?"
Ding Chuan looked at him, once again answering with a question of his own, his face tinged with disappointment. "You said last time that you'd have Fei Qisheng come see me. He still hasn't shown up."
Tu Ziyun clenched his fists. "He's busy."
"What does that have to do with me?"
Tu Ziyun licked his lips. "The day after tomorrow. I'll make sure he comes the day after tomorrow."
Ding Chuan finally seemed to relax a little. He looked Tu Ziyun up and down. "You look like a wreck. What, did Pei Cangyu—that was his name, right?—did something happen to him?"
Tu Ziyun didn't answer.
"Did you let him go missing?"
Tu Ziyun remained motionless.
"Then things are dire. Bai Shi is very dangerous."
Tu Ziyun’s eyes lit up. Ding Chuan was finally willing to talk.
"Tell me. About Bai Shi." He stepped forward, nearly grabbing Ding Chuan by the collar, but stopped himself because the man looked so frail.
"Even if I tell you, you have no evidence. What could you possibly do?" Ding Chuan smiled. "Would anyone believe me, a criminal?"
Tu Ziyun pulled up a chair and sat down, his gaze unwavering. "Tell me. I'll find the evidence."
Ding Chuan looked out the window and let out a long, heavy sigh. It was the breath of a dying man, carrying a tone of profound sorrow, though Tu Ziyun failed to recognize it at the time.
Ding Chuan turned back.
"Bai Shi started following me when he was fifteen..."
***
Fei Zuohua was startled when he saw his mentor. Tu Ziyun drifted in like a dehydrated ghost, the dark circles under his eyes prominent. He hadn't changed his clothes, his hair was a mess, and the first thing he did upon entering was guzzle water.
Fei Zuohua checked his watch. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep last night?"
Tu Ziyun shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was so raspy he had to cough to clear it. "No. I have something to tell you."
"What?" Fei Zuohua opened his breakfast and sat down to eat.
"Ding Chuan talked. About Bai Shi."
Fei Zuohua’s hand, holding a panini, froze mid-air. He looked up in shock, struggling to find the words. "Bai... him... really? Bai Shi? What's his deal?"
Tu Ziyun glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 8:30 AM. He waved a hand dismissively. "I'll tell you as we go. I need to find someone right now."
Fei Zuohua abandoned his meal and stood up. "Who? I'll go with you."
"Shouzi. I figured out what that text meant." Tu Ziyun looked at Fei Zuohua and shook his head. "Don't come with me. Go see your father. Tell him what I’m about to tell you; he’ll know what to do. It’s time we settled things with Ding Chuan."
Fei Zuohua followed his mentor out. On the way to the parking lot, Tu Ziyun gave him the gist of what Ding Chuan had revealed.
It turned out that his middle school classmate’s transfer had been a cover to leave home and join Ding Chuan, helping him reorganize the then-failing Dark Fire Group. Five years ago, the Bai family had descended into internal strife. The cause was the sudden disappearance of Yan Baihua. According to Ding Chuan, Bai Shi had kidnapped her, personally performed a surgery to remove his own mother's uterus, and then stashed her away in a nursing home in Portugal. The infighting had drained the Bai family's strength, and when Bai Yilong suffered a sudden stroke, the family collapsed into a dispute over the inheritance. Bai Shi had returned to the family then, working with Ding Chuan to seize the Bai assets.
Fei Zuohua stood frozen after hearing the story. He looked at Tu Ziyun. "Do you believe it?"
Tu Ziyun didn't answer directly. He simply patted the younger man's shoulder. "Do what needs to be done first. This gives us a direction. And don't forget, your friend is still in Bai Shi's hands."
Fei Zuohua nodded grimly. Things were unfolding exactly as Tu Ziyun had suspected—Bai Shi was indeed dirty. Their remaining task was to find Pei Cangyu. Unlike Ding Chuan, Pei Cangyu—and whatever he knew—could serve as vital evidence against Bai Shi.
They split up. One went home to see his father, while the other headed straight for the convenience store.
Tu Ziyun found Feifei at the convenience store and obtained an address on the outskirts of the city. She said Shouzi often gambled there and he might find him.
Tu Ziyun immediately set off for the gambling den.
He arrived at 1:00 PM. After grabbing a quick scallion pancake from a street vendor to stave off hunger, he began navigating the dilapidated streets, checking every storefront.
The streets here were short and narrow, with shops squeezed together haphazardly. Signboards hung so low that a person of average height would bump their head, and the storefronts were narrower than a man's wingspan. It was a dense jumble of fortune tellers, baby-naming services, and clinics for athlete's foot. A tattoo parlor sat next to a shop selling Taoist talismans; a small grocery store was neighbored by an electronics shop blasting music. Occasionally, the shouts of street vendors cut through the noise. The neon signs that flickered at night now sat dull and dusty by the doors, looking weary and neglected. The air was a thick mix of scallion pancakes, steamed buns, and the herbal scent of foot medicine. Water splashed onto the ground by shopkeepers carried bits of green onion and oil droplets, flowing in thin lines along the walls toward lower ground, occasionally branching into the cracks of the brick pavement. Pedestrians had to step carefully to avoid the mess.
Tu Ziyun chewed on his pancake while keeping a sharp eye on every entrance. Despite the bizarre signs and miscellaneous businesses, he could spot a gambling den at a glance. He walked through several streets, ignored by old men sitting on small stools with their teapots.
As he turned into the third street, he saw a hardware store with its shutter half-closed. A yellow-haired youth crawled out from underneath, stuffed something into his pocket, and whistled as he walked away.
Tu Ziyun finished his pancake, crumpled the plastic bag into a ball, tossed it into a bin, and headed for the hardware store.
He didn't even have to go inside. A lanky figure slid out like an eel, cursing as he shook out his hat. Tu Ziyun followed him and called out, "Zhao Like."
The skinny man turned around. "Who the fuck—"
Tu Ziyun lunged forward, slamming him against the wall with a dull thud. "Where is Pei Cangyu?"
Shouzi was scared out of his wits. "He... he's at that guy's house... the one named Bai... He told me to find the police, but I didn't go! I swear, I didn't go! I don't know anything! I really didn't go..."
Shouzi’s legs went weak as he began to slide down the wall. Tu Ziyun hauled him back up. "Tell me everything. Clearly."
Tu Ziyun knew that with someone like Shouzi, the language of a thug worked much better than the language of a cop.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 调虎离山计 | Luring the tiger from its mountain lair | A classic Chinese stratagem. |
| 暗火组 | Dark Fire Group | The criminal organization mentioned in the text. |
| 严柏华 | Yan Baihua | Bai Shi's mother. |
| 白义龙 | Bai Yilong | Likely Bai Shi's father or a senior family member. |
| 赵立科 | Zhao Like | Shouzi's real name. |
| 瘦子 | Shouzi / The Skinny One | A nickname meaning "Skinny." |
| 菲菲 | Feifei | A character working at the convenience store. |
