Netherworld Investigator

We drove all night in the dark, and when the sky brightened, the Wolf King took over so I could rest. 

Much to my relief, we had made it to the highway by this point. Thus, I leaned into my seat and closed my eyes, joining Song Xingchen in repose. Unfortunately, I was haunted by nightmares and slept uneasily. When I awoke, the sun was high up in the sky and we were still traveling on the highway.

The Wolf King had one hand on the steering wheel with his head lowered. Curious as to what he was doing, I peeked through the gap between the seats. It turned out he was holding a cellphone with his right hand and sending a text message.

He slowly typed out a sentence: “Don’t worry! I’ll soon come into a lot of money!"

Upon sending the text, he deleted the chat. Realization finally dawned upon me–it seemed his purpose of helping was really for the reward. Naturally, keeping me by his side was the best bet. I was silly to believe he was a man of loyalty.

The Wolf King glanced at me through the rearview mirror. Afraid of being discovered, I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be sleeping.

At ten o'clock, the car came to a stop. Outside was a bustling street with low and shabby buildings, unlike the city. The Wolf King suggested we take a break in this small town. In broad daylight with people all around, none of the crazy criminals like the Tyrant Tiger would dare run rampant. 

As I alighted from the vehicle, I wrote a few words in Song Xingchen's hand–beware of this man. Song Xingchen nodded to show he understood.

Looking around, the Wolf King suggested we stop for some food so we decided on a wonton stall. I decided on some wonton and pancakes, scarfing down my food after a day and night of starvation.

The Wolf King led us into an alley, going around in what seemed like circles before finally stopping in front of a red hair salon. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered the salon[1].

"I'm not interested in this sort of thing..."

The Wolf King grinned, "What are you thinking? I’m just here to inquire about something!"

The lady boss soon greeted him with a smile. When the Wolf King whispered something into her ear, her expression changed drastically. After a brief conversation, we left the salon together. 

A stranger to this town, the Wolf King wasn’t sure whose territory this was. The quickest way to obtain information about the local gangs was to inquire at a place like this because they were backed by the mafia. 

The lady boss led us to a small building which turned out to be a secluded motel. The rooms were poorly furnished and the bed smelled of cheap perfume. This was the place where the young ladies usually conducted their business.

"You can rest here. If you need anything, just let me know," said the lady boss.

"Thank you!" The Wolf King grabbed a wad of cash and stuffed it in her hands. Upon politely accepting the money, the lady boss left.

"What did you say to her? That my bone is worth twenty million?" I turned to the Wolf King.

"This isn’t my first rodeo,” he laughed. “I told her we offended the boss and ran away."

In truth, the three of us did look like we were escaping from something, though the mafia’s way of thinking wasn’t something I could easily understand.

"This room is simple but it’s enough for us to sleep and shower. We’ll resume our journey after dark."

"Where are you taking us?" I asked.

"It’s about a day’s trip to Jiangxi Province from here. If all goes well, you’ll be safe and sound tomorrow. Rest up. I’m going to get some supplies."

I listened to his footsteps gradually disappearing from the corridor before explaining to Song Xingchen what I caught the Wolf King doing. 

"A leopard never changes its spots,” remarked Song Xingchen. “It’s clear he’s got ill intentions."

"Why don't we leave now?" I said.

Song Xingchen shook his head, "Let's use him for the time being. When he shows his true colors, I’ll get rid of him. Right now, we have no money to go anywhere."

Indeed, I had overlooked such an important factor. Since I used WeChat to pay for my transactions, I usually didn't have much cash on me. But right now, my cell phone couldn’t be used and Song Xingchen was in the same predicament.

Naturally, I wasn’t in the mood to rest. Calling Xiaotao was my main priority at the moment. I was supposed to be back yesterday so she must be worried sick.

After leaving a note informing the Wolf King that we would be back shortly, Song Xingchen and I left the motel.

Despite wandering around the county, it was impossible to find a public phone in this day and age. Fortunately, our search around half the county eventually yielded results. I noticed a phone in a store offering long-distance calls for ten yuan. 

I dialed Xiaotao's cell phone number, and as soon as the call connected, I cried, “Xiaotao, it's me!"

Gasping in surprise, Xiaotao queried, "Where on earth are you? The entire bureau is in a panic, thinking that something has happened to you. We were going to contact the Fujian Public Security Bureau to rescue you."

"But I’ve only been missing for less than 48 hours," I teased.

"You unconscionable thing, how dare you laugh!" chided Xiaotao.

Here I was, wondering how to explain the situation to her. But from her tone, it seemed like the police already knew I was in trouble. 

"By the way, how do you know that something’s wrong?"

"Do you still remember the live stream website we shut down last time?" asked Xiaotao.

"Yes! What does that have to do with this?" 

After the In-depth Live Stream website was terminated, the police blacklisted thousands of their users and began monitoring their bank accounts to prevent such websites from popping up again in the future, because these people were undoubtedly a group of valuable clients to the organization.

At six in the morning, thousands of bank accounts showed large transfers at the same time. The police originally assumed that the website had been revived, but they were suspicious of the speed at which the clients returned this time.

Thus, the police investigated through various channels, inviting Lao Yao to hack into the computers of several clients, and made an incredible discovery. These people were participating in online gambling, and what they were gambling on was truly shocking–how long Song Yang could survive!

There were options for ten-hours, twenty-hours, thirty-hours, and forty-hours on the website. And the amounts wagered were astounding. There were even live streams of me, switching to different cameras the entire time. Lao Yao explained that they might have hacked into the surveillance system of the town, thus obtaining the surveillance videos. It was impossible to determine my specific location through the video. Xiaotao guessed that something might have happened but couldn't contact me.

I couldn’t quite believe what I just heard. In fact, I had always assumed that the reward for my bone was a simple demonstration. It turned out there was a bet behind it, and my fight with these criminals was the dice on the gambling table.

Since the Infernal Bone Trader had the list of clients, he was most likely the mastermind behind the In-depth Live Stream as well.

"Song Yang, report your position,” said Xiaotao. “We’ll find a way to get you out of there!"

Upon obtaining my location, Xiaotao urged, "Just stay there and don't move around. I’ll contact the SWAT police in Fujian immediately."

"Be careful. I don't want any innocent people hurt because of me!"

With that, I hung up the call which lasted for about five minutes and it took almost all the cash I had. Just as Song Xingchen and I were about to leave the store, a man walked up, holding a shirt in his hand — his eyes were cold as ice.

Before I could respond, the man stretched out his covered hand towards me. With a kick, Song Xingchen sent the man crumpling on the ground. A shiny dagger fell out of his hand, drawing horrified screams from passers-by...

[1] Hair salons and massage parlors are known for prostitution.