Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 183: Mingguang Temple
If one were to ask Tak Jung-Hwa how he managed to find Qin Zhen’s corpse, he could only say that it was a total coincidence.
Since he touched down in China, he had been diligently chasing after Xuanlong’s tracks using those illegal purchase contracts that were sent to the police station by a mysterious man. Tak Jung-Hwa was very intrigued by this person. He had also watched the surveillance footage and could tell that the man’s anti-reconnaissance skill was very solid. It could even be considered professional. Period.
Now comes the most important question. Who had sent this evidence to the police station? What was their intention? Was it purely to help the police apprehend Li Mingzhao, the loyal customer to the illegal auction as well as the one who ordered Zhao Xinya to be killed, or... was there any greater scheme he had no idea of? Despite the lack of evidence, Tak Jung-Hwa tended to lean toward the latter, simply because Xuanlong was involved in it.
As long as Xuanlong was mentioned, this matter could not be simple at all.
That’s why he had acted separately from the Violent Crime Division and tracked down the child trafficking channels and illegal auction parties that were stated on the contracts. Alas, when all was said and done, he was fully aware that organizations or people who had dabbled in this industry for a long time would hide themselves very well, even better than how a rabbit would burrow into soil. So far, he had done an ambush on two locations, but all he could catch were small fishes.
Tak Jung-hwa was frustrated. He really felt like he had been teased. Whoever had sent this evidence to the police station clearly was a confident asshole. They dared to dangle this tempting treat in front of him because they knew that he would not be able to find anything!
Fortunately, those small fishes were not completely useless. After a thorough and tedious interrogation, he managed to dig out a name from one of them.
Cui Yan, 54 years old, male, Beta. He used to be a member of Xuanlong and his position could be considered middle-level at most.
He did not have enough power and authority to make decisions, but he used to receive direct orders from XIU – or at least that was how Cui Yan had bragged. He was an utter alcoholic and a frequent customer to bars and brothel houses. Coincidentally, the fish Tak Jung-Hwa had caught used to be a bartender in the bar Cui Yan often visited. He tearfully vowed that he heard it himself how Cui Yan boasted how he was XIU’s most trusted subordinate, how XIU had delegated a lot of tasks for him, and so on.
Honestly, it sounded quite dubious, but Tak Jung-Hwa was not willing to let go of any clues he could find about XIU.
As such, he immediately set out toward the last location where Cui Yan was seen: an old temple in Jiangnan Road.
Jiangnan Road was located in an old yet busy district. It could even be considered a residential zone. Small apartments, shops and restaurants scattered along the road, squeezing together as if they were Lego blocks that were stacked on top of each other. The temple Tak Jung-hwa was searching for was located between a travel agency and a noodle restaurant. If not for the two yellow talismans stuck in front of the red-colored door, he wouldn’t have guessed that the tiny house was a temple.
It was Wednesday morning, and a group of five able-bodied men lining up together looked particularly eye-catching, especially Tak Jung-Hwa who was wearing a refreshing blue high-collared shirt with its sleeves rolled up and fashionable ripped jeans, looking like a male actor who had jumped straight from a Korean drama.
The auntie from the noodle restaurant was idle as the morning rush had passed. The only customers in the restaurant were a few laid-back uncles who often lounged here for coffee. She caught sight of the group of young men and her eyes instantly glowed. Poking her head out of the window, she beckoned to them, "Handsome men, want to eat noodles? Jiejie[1] will give you a 20% discount!"
Tak Jung-Hwa looked at the auntie who was already in her fifties with half of her hair painted gray, and the corner of his lips twitched. In the end, he gave a signal to the men and they turned to enter the noodle restaurant instead. After they sat down, the auntie enthusiastically handed them the menu and introduced each one to them.
"Jiejie," Tak Jung-Hwa put a bright smile on his face, making the auntie blush like a schoolgirl. He dragged a stool and gestured for the auntie to sit beside him. "You’re a woman. How can we let you run around? Come here and sit down first."
The other men echoed him and asked the auntie to join them in a friendly manner. They had guessed that Tak Jung-Hwa wanted to fish out information first and cooperated seamlessly with him.
The auntie became even more enamored with Tak Jung-Hwa. If he were to ask for an extra bowl, perhaps she might even charge him free. "Aiyah, I am the owner. What’s wrong with me running around in my own restaurant?" Even though she said that, she still hollered to the staff in the kitchen to hasten the preparation and sat down beside Tak Jung-Hwa. The auntie’s gossip radar was instantly activated. "You guys aren’t local, are you? Where do you come from?"
Tak Jung-Hwa let out a smooth and pleasant laugh. "That’s right, we came from out of town. Your eyes are really sharp. What about you, Jiejie? Are you a local?"
"Yeah, yeah, I have lived here all my life."
In a short fifteen minutes, Tak Jung-Hwa learned that the auntie was surnamed Zou, and she had a son who had just entered university. He also knew that Auntie Zou lived in the apartment two blocks from here, the one that was freshly painted recently because the walls had grown all moldy. He saw that the time was about right and pretended to ask casually about the building next door.
Auntie Zou had a look of realization. "Ah, you mean Mingguang Temple? Yeah, you didn’t hear me wrong. It’s really a temple. Do you guys come here for Master Cui?"
Tak Jung-Hwa exchanged glances with the other men. Master Cui... she couldn’t be talking about Cui Yan, could she?
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[1] Jiejie = big sis
