"So yоu're the 'Маstеr Ва' thеy've bеen talking about?" The роlicе offiсеrs filеd in, аnd onе whо аррeаred to be thе lеadеr said in surprise, "Wе thought Mаster Bа wаs а mаn."
Shе didn't mind thе rеmark. "Hоw did уou knоw wе wеre stаying hеrе?"
"Your cоnvоy is flуing the Eaglе Club flags on еvеrу vehiсle—hard to miss. Веsidеs, we wеrе just lооking fоr уou tо gеt somе informаtion."
Bаyunуе rеspоndеd with nеithеr arroganсe nor humility, "In that cаse, I'll tell yоu everуthing I know."
Sеvеral drivеrs from the Eagle Club listened alongside the police as Bayunye recounted the grudges between He Zhengren, Brother Long, Diao Zhuo, and herself. They were all stunned and utterly engrossed. She omitted the string of numbers left by her elder sister and the exploration team's direction of investigation, laying out almost the entire story, including how Diao Zhuo had once used the threat of calling the police to stop Brother Long from seeking revenge on He Zhengren.
"...Brother Long did have the idea of killing He Zhengren to avenge his wife. He said that if he succeeded, he would turn himself in. But in the end, he clearly gave up on that impulsive act for some reason. You must be able to check the relevant police records. As for why Brother Long and He Zhengren appeared to be at peace after the police arrived, I don't know. What's certain is that He Zhengren himself wasn't clean, and Brother Long isn't the kind of heinous murderer. He just wanted the truth."
"So, Renlong Duoji had a long-standing and particularly strong motive to kill He Zhengren, and he decided to act after discovering He Zhengren's plan to sneak into Myanmar..." The police nodded in satisfaction. "The information you've provided is very important."
"I'm telling you this not to prove he had a motive!" Bayunye quickly added. "We've also gathered some information along the way these past few days. Based on my understanding of Brother Long and his usual way of doing things, I don't think he's the murderer."
The police weren't very concerned with an amateur's speculation. "It's not about what you think; we need evidence. As for the people you mentioned—Zhang Chenguang, Song Fan, Ma He, Li Haozhang—we'll verify each one, especially Ma He and Li Haozhang."
Bayunye lowered her head. "I heard He Zhengren died from multiple stab wounds, and you found some sample belonging to Brother Long on the body... What exactly was it?"
The question seemed to stump the officer. He hesitated, "Specific evidence can't be disclosed..."
Bayunye suddenly looked up and said, "Brother Long has a bit of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. He's been consistent in some small habits for years, like how he starts the car, arranges items, or the order he washes things—many are habits formed during his military service. Don't let his size fool you; I've fought him a few times. He's not clumsy, and some of his moves are quite precise. If he had a knife in his hand and genuinely wanted to kill someone, he'd do it with one fatal strike. He Zhengren wouldn't have had a chance to resist, let alone touch Brother Long's body. It would be clean and simple—why stab multiple times? It's not like a street brawl. Even without a weapon, killing someone quickly wouldn't be difficult for him."The police had already looked into Brother Long's background and early experiences. After considering her words, they felt that although her explanation was simple and crude, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. They had detailed forensic reports in hand—none of the wounds on He Zhengren's body were instantly fatal, and they were highly "unprofessional." If such wounds had received timely medical attention, they would not have been lethal at all.
They exchanged glances, as if concealing something from Bayunye and the others, with many details inconvenient to disclose.
However, since it was an indisputable fact that Brother Long's skin tissue had been extracted from under He Zhengren's fingernails, the police hesitantly asked, "What do you mean by 'one strike to kill'? Reality isn't like a martial arts TV drama; such things aren't that easy."
"For me and Brother Long, it's quite simple," Bayunye said nonchalantly. The other drivers broke into a cold sweat, secretly pinching her and whispering, "You're making us look even more like a gang..."
The young police officer seemed particularly determined to challenge her, handing her a pen. "Give it a try."
Bayunye toyed with the black pen, giving them a warning: "No, you'll accuse me of assaulting an officer."
The young officer waved his hand, saying, "No, we're just..." Before he could finish his sentence, Bayunye had already stepped forward. He reacted quickly, raising his hands to block, but hesitated slightly because she was a woman. However, close-quarters combat was second nature to Bayunye, something she could execute accurately even in her sleep. Moreover, the young officer was unarmed. After a few exchanges, in less than ten seconds, Bayunye reversed her grip on the pen and accurately swiped it across his carotid artery. The pen was smooth, and the plastic quickly grazed his skin, leaving a burning sensation but no actual wound.
Combat isn't about who can knock the other down or whose moves are more elegant—it's about survival. A second's delay or a moment of distraction could mean being killed by the opponent. So once you strike, you must incapacitate the other person as quickly as possible.
The officer was stunned, instinctively clutching his neck.
Bayunye casually tossed the pen aside, brushed her sleeves, and said calmly, "In that case, there wouldn't have been any chance for a struggle. Could that old man He Zhengren possibly be more agile than you?"
The police grew solemn and asked, "How does Renlong Duoji compare to you?"
She answered very honestly, "Right now, he's not as agile as I am, but against an ordinary person, he wouldn't be any slower than I was just now."
The police nodded, thinking that if Renlong Duoji had truly intended to kill, He Zhengren would have had no chance to struggle or grapple with him.
Suddenly, Bayunye had an idea and asked, "Did you check what Brother Long bought before he left?"
"Are you asking about the source of the murder weapon?" The police waved their hands. "That can't be disclosed for now."
"Not the murder weapon—things like compressed biscuits, water, chili sauce, especially chili sauce."
The police exchanged glances, clearly indicating that Brother Long hadn't purchased any of these items.Although she hadn't convinced the police, Bayunye felt even more relieved and explained, "We came from Lijiang on this trip, and there were small supermarkets and restaurants along the way. To avoid going hungry, we still brought a few boxes of instant noodles. Killing He Zhengren would be as easy as pie for Brother Long. As someone who used to enjoy hiking and trekking, if he went to find He Zhengren with the intention of fleeing afterward, wouldn’t he need to buy some food for the road? Over the years, he’s said he can endure anything except hunger, especially chili sauce..."
A few drivers, likely finding her reasoning quite sound, finally dared to chime in, "Brother Long would die without chili sauce." "Right, right, he can handle extreme spiciness. Even if there’s no other dish, he can eat three big bowls of rice just by biting into a single chili pepper."
The police recalled that when they found Brother Long’s luggage at the inn, they had indeed discovered a bottle of chili sauce. Before disappearing with He Zhengren, he hadn’t purchased any dry rations or other supplies needed for the journey, which didn’t align with the behavior of someone carrying a weapon and planning to flee after committing a crime. The police couldn’t help but wonder—if Renlong Duoji wasn’t fleeing to avoid punishment, then why had he disappeared?
Bayunye hoped the police would ask more questions, but they seemed unwilling to speak further, especially about He Zhengren’s case. They remained tight-lipped, not even revealing whether the body had been fully examined. Moreover, judging by their expressions and tone, they seemed as relaxed as if they were investigating a theft case, completely lacking the pressure of "solving a murder at all costs." Could they already be certain that Brother Long was the murderer?
Thinking this, Bayunye grew secretly angry.
At that moment, the police officer who appeared to be in charge stepped out to take a call. When he returned, he whispered a few words to the other officers, and their expressions changed instantly.
Bayunye stood up. "What happened? Can you tell us?"
The officer hesitated for a moment, as if waiting for something. A few seconds later, his phone screen lit up. He opened it directly, thought for a moment, and then turned the screen toward Bayunye and the others. "Take a look at these two items and identify them."
Everyone crowded around to look, but the police remained cautious, not allowing them to get too close. He had received two photos: one was a knife with a handle in an awkwardly mismatched ethnic style, and the other appeared to be a pendant from some kind of jewelry. Bayunye recognized it immediately as the sandalwood carving from Brother Long’s bracelet.
The drivers clearly recognized the pendant too, but no one dared to speak first, all turning their eyes to Bayunye. After a few seconds of silence, she calmly said, "Brother Long has a bracelet that he’s worn for many years. He never takes it off lightly and doesn’t let others touch it. This is the pendant from that bracelet—a sandalwood carving of a dragon."
The police exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Then, Bayunye raised her voice and added, "This pendant is attached to the bracelet using a special weaving and knotting technique. It can’t be removed casually. Either the entire bracelet would have to be broken to slide it off, or it would have to be cut off separately."
"What about the knife?" the police asked.
Bayunye chuckled. "You can find those in souvenir shops at any tourist spot. They’re marketed as Tibetan knives, but I bet they’re all made in Wenzhou."
"Is it Renlong Duoji’s item?"
"No," she stated firmly.
"How do you know it’s not?"
Bayunye crossed her arms coolly. "Intuition."
The police looked troubled, whispering among themselves with phrases like "How is this possible?" repeatedly surfacing."Where did you find that thing?" Bayunye clearly wasn't concerned about the origin of the knife, pointing at the sandalwood carving photo.
The police naturally wouldn't answer this question directly, only saying, "The information you provided is very valuable."
Bayunye pursed her lips in displeasure. The young officer she had "killed with one blow" earlier had been paying extra attention to her since then. Seeing her little gesture, he actually felt somewhat amused inside. She seemed to notice his gaze, glancing over with raised eyes. He quickly lowered his head, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"By the way, that Diao Zhuo you mentioned earlier..." the leader among the police officers asked, "what's his phone number?"
Bayunye recited a string of numbers, "...Oh, right, don't tell him we're here."
After the police officers left, Stone asked, "They also seem a bit suspicious about whether Brother Long is really the culprit. They probably won't close the case hastily. What should we do now?"
"We need to figure out where Brother Long threw the sandalwood carving." Although Bayunye could understand the need for confidentiality during the investigation process, she felt she was upright and honest—even if she knew the details, she wouldn't go around gossiping. Therefore, she was somewhat dissatisfied with the police's secrecy. "He wouldn't even let me touch his bracelet, but now he's taken off one of its pieces and thrown it away. He must have seen or known something, forcing him to hide out of necessity, leaving this behind for everyone to find him. If he were fleeing from guilt, of course he'd hide as secretly as possible—how could he leave personal belongings behind?"
"Maybe those gunshots were real!" Old Ma, who had provided this information, slapped his thigh. "What else could make him hide! If it were just a fight, what would there be to fear!"
"Yeah, Brother Long could take on three or five ordinary people alone, but if the other side had guns, he couldn't fight even one." Bayunye covered her face and shook her head.
"Taking on three or five ordinary people alone—that was when he was younger, right?"
Bayunye nodded, "Now... maybe one or two at most?"
Brother Hui said, "Don't speculate randomly. We can't just sit here waiting for doom. Let's stick to the original plan and check near where the body was discovered."
Bayunye neither agreed nor disagreed, thinking to herself: If there really were armed individuals among those involved in this matter, it would be serious. Was it necessary for these brothers from the club—who usually just drove and guided tours—to follow her into danger?
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