"Da Liu, what exactly brings you back this time?"
Zheng Yongbing lived on the 16th floor in a luxurious single-level apartment with high-end decor.
On the marble dining table were seven or eight dishes, mostly ready-made, along with two bowls of rice noodles. Seated on the left was Zheng Yongbing, a nearly fifty-year-old bald man dressed like a nouveau riche. Opposite him was Da Liu, a man in his thirties, simply dressed and slight in build.
Yet Zheng Yongbing showed clear respect toward Da Liu, even a hint of fear. Da Liu, on the other hand, sat with the casual ease of a host, helping himself freely to the food and wine.
"Brother Zheng, I’ve been under your care these past couple of days, so I’ll be straight with you. Someone specifically called me back for a big deal."
"A big deal?" Zheng Yongbing leaned in curiously.
Da Liu grinned, revealing his gums.
"The business of the richest man in Three Rivers Estuary—how’s that for big?"
"Buying antiques again?"
At the word "again," Da Liu frowned. "He’s approached you too?"
Zheng Yongbing lit a cigarette, annoyed. "Don’t even mention it. A guy named Hu from his company bought a calligraphy piece by Yu Youren from me a while ago—"
"You had Yu Youren’s calligraphy?"
"A five-hundred-yuan fake."
Da Liu muttered, "How shamelessly fake must that have been!"
"Exactly! The guy knew damn well it was fake, but he still made me claim it was bought for five hundred thousand, saying it was for his boss."
"Talk about skimming off the top."
"That wasn’t even the worst part. The bastard brought it back two days ago, saying it was counterfeit and demanding a refund. He didn’t want the five hundred back—he just wanted me to say I returned five hundred thousand to him."
"Who does business like that? If word gets around in our circle, they’ll think Brother Zheng sold a fake for half a mil—that’d ruin your reputation!" Da Liu chimed in indignantly.
"Right? I run a legitimate business here. In our line, small deals under ten grand are fair game—you win some, you lose some. But if people think I’m peddling fakes for big money, who’d ever deal with me again? Anyway, what are they buying from you this time?"
Da Liu narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his voice cautiously. "Something unearthed."
"Chime Bells?"
Da Liu looked even more surprised. "How’d you know?"
"That Hu guy came to me first. Said he wanted to buy a set of Chime Bells. I told him they’re way too expensive—I don’t have the capital to source something like that. Besides, Chime Bells are excavated artifacts—tightly regulated. Even with money, they’re hard to get. So I told him to try someone else. I mentioned you might have connections, but I didn’t have your number. Guess they found you eventually."
Da Liu mumbled vaguely, "A friend of a friend introduced me. Took a few rounds to get in touch."
Zheng Yongbing chuckled. "I was just brushing Hu off. I thought you’d left this line of work years ago."
Da Liu sighed. "It’s been a long time."
Zheng Yongbing’s eyes gleamed. "So you can still get your hands on a set of Chime Bells?"
Da Liu spread his hands. "Not me, but I know someone who happens to have a set. This time, I’m just the middleman—connecting the dots. If it goes through, I’ll pocket a few hundred thousand as commission."Zheng Yongbing chuckled, "Da Liu, if you ask me, coming back to Three Rivers Estuary for a few hundred thousand isn't worth the risk you're taking."
Da Liu took a sip of liquor and sighed deeply. "I've been really strapped for cash these past few years. Otherwise, I wouldn't be risking my life for a few hundred thousand. It's all because I killed a cop when I was on the run back then. I've been on the wanted list ever since. I changed my identity, got plastic surgery, and have been hiding out in the mainland all these years. My savings are long gone, and life's been tough. Coming back to Three Rivers Estuary now, I was afraid of being recognized. Didn't dare stay at a hotel. After thinking it over, you were the only one I could turn to. Right now, my life is completely in your hands, Brother Zheng."
Da Liu gave Zheng Yongbing a meaningful look. Zheng hurriedly smiled reassuringly, "Da Liu, don't you worry one bit. I've been checking carefully every time I go out these past couple days—absolutely no one's following me! As long as I don't talk, no one will know you're back in Three Rivers Estuary, no one will come looking for you—"
"Ding dong." Before he could finish, the doorbell rang.
Da Liu's eyes locked onto Zheng Yongbing.
"Don't be nervous, let me check," Zheng said softly, preparing to go see.
"Hey, don't move." Da Liu stood up, signaling with his eyes for him to sit back down. Zheng met his gaze for a second before settling back into his seat.
Da Liu went to the door and peered through the peephole. Outside stood the property manager and a female staff member. The manager pressed the doorbell a few more times before turning to whisper something to the woman behind him. Da Liu pressed his ear to the door and heard her say, "Keep ringing. He's definitely home."
The manager obediently reached out to press the doorbell again. At the same time, the woman suddenly leaned in to look through the peephole. Da Liu instinctively jerked back, then shot Zheng Yongbing a fierce glare. "Who are those people outside?" he demanded coldly.
Zheng, unnerved by his stare, quietly went to the peephole and looked out. "It's the property management," he whispered after a moment.
"And the woman behind him?"
Zheng took a few more seconds to look, then said nervously, "That woman... I've never seen her before."
"You sure?"
"I... I'm sure."
The doorbell continued ringing, as if the people outside would keep pressing it until someone answered.
Gritting his teeth, Da Liu pulled a switchblade from his pocket and pressed the hilt against Zheng Yongbing's lower back, right where his kidney would be. "Sorry, Brother Zheng," he said quietly. "If it really is the cops, I'll have to take you with me. If I'm wrong, I'll kowtow and beg your forgiveness. Now go answer the door. Act natural."
With the knife pressing into his back, Zheng turned pale with fright. After hesitating for a second, he took a deep breath and walked to the door. Clearing his throat with a cough, he opened the door while complaining loudly, "What's with all the ringing? Once is enough! You're gonna drive us crazy with that!"
The property manager immediately apologized, explaining that the downstairs residents had reported a leak in their exterior wall and suspected it might be due to a problem with the bathroom here, so they'd come to check.
Hearing this, Zheng's expression changed. He knew a thing or two about renovations—when his place was being done up, he'd seen that the bathroom pipes were nowhere near the exterior wall. There was no way a leak out there could be blamed on his bathroom.
"That's impossible," Zheng said at once. "My bathroom's fine. Where exactly is the leak downstairs? I'll go take a look with you!" He made as if to step outside.Da Liu pressed the spring knife against his waist and said, "Brother Zheng, let's keep drinking our wine. Why go down there?"
"Y-yes, you're right," Zheng Yongbing stammered, too scared to move.
The property manager was at a loss for how to handle the situation.
Li Qian noticed the tension between Zheng Yongbing and the unfamiliar man behind him and spoke up, "Is this a friend of Brother Zheng? I don't think we've met before."
Da Liu smirked, "You know Brother Zheng?"
"Of course, we know all the property owners," Li Qian replied, putting on the enthusiastic demeanor of a staff member.
At these words, Da Liu's expression darkened instantly. Brother Zheng had said he'd never seen this woman before, yet she claimed to know him. If she wasn't a cop, who else could she be?
"Brother Zheng, oh Brother Zheng," Da Liu sneered coldly. "Damn you!" In the next moment, Da Liu pulled out his spring knife and stabbed it straight into Zheng Yongbing's kidney. Without hesitation, he kicked the property manager to the ground and plunged the knife repeatedly into his abdomen and legs.
Li Qian heard Brother Zheng's agonized scream but didn't react immediately. When she saw the property manager being stabbed and collapsing, she quickly grabbed a vase from the decorative wall by the entrance and hurled it at Da Liu's head.
Blood gushed from Da Liu's head as the vase struck him. Enraged, he turned and lunged at Li Qian. Standing tall, she kicked downward at him, but Da Liu slashed wildly with his knife, cutting her knee. Li Qian had never imagined that a routine visit would escalate into such violence. Unaccustomed to confronting criminals head-on, she panicked. Seeing Da Liu's bloodshot eyes and feral snarl as he charged at her, she instinctively turned and fled, crashing through the stairwell door. Just as she was about to dash downstairs, Da Liu kicked her hard from behind, sending her tumbling down the stairs.
Da Liu was about to follow and finish her off when he heard rapid footsteps ascending from below, accompanied by a deep male voice shouting, "Police! Police!"
That voice, of course, belonged to Song Xing. Since this was Li Qian's first investigative assignment—though a simple one—he had instructed her to maintain real-time communication, fearing she might mishandle the situation. Aware that walkie-talkies could emit piercing static due to signal issues and risk exposure, he had her call his phone and keep it connected in her pocket.
After briefing the property manager, Song Xing had waited downstairs for them to return. The moment he heard Brother Zheng's agonized scream through the phone, the seasoned detective knew something had gone wrong. He rushed to the elevator, only to find it still parked on the 16th floor. The high-end flats had one elevator per unit, and the other elevator was on the opposite side of the building. Without hesitation, he sprinted up the nearby staircase. Just three floors up, he heard Li Qian's desperate cries for help from above. To buy time, he shouted "Police!" to deter the attacker.
Hearing the police approaching from below, Da Liu abandoned his attempt to kill Li Qian and bolted for the elevator. It was still on the 16th floor. With no time to consider whether more officers were downstairs, he pressed the button and fled downward.
By the time Song Xing, panting heavily, reached the 15th floor, he found Li Qian sprawled on the ground, unable to get up. After confirming she had only suffered minor injuries, he learned that two others upstairs were critically wounded.Song Xing quickly turned on the walkie-talkie, urging Xiao Gao in the car to rush into the residential area and intercept anyone trying to escape. At the same time, he sprinted upstairs and pulled open the half-closed door, only to freeze in shock. The property manager had been stabbed multiple times but was still conscious, moaning weakly. Zheng Yongbing had already passed out from the pain. Song Xing did what he could to administer first aid while calling his unit—this was a major emergency!
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