Chapter 72

The Last Case 4: The Night Passes

Jiu Yi, leading the villagers, ran towards the distance, weaving through turns until they reached the crossroads, where they saw Os and his team getting out of their car.

Jiu Yi hurriedly shouted, "Help, help!"

The group didn't catch up with him, as the police officers led by Oss intervened.

"What about Anger and the others?" Os asked anxiously, "And the five kidnapped businessmen?"

"Businessmen?" Jiu Yi widened his eyes in surprise, "Kidnapped by whom?"

"Unknown. This morning, they took a helicopter for a vacation but were hijacked en route. The flight control records show they headed in this direction and then disappeared..."

"Wow..." Jiu Yi raised an eyebrow, "They're probably buried alive by now."

"What?" Os yelled, causing Jiu Yi to quickly cover his ears.

"Where are they?" Os demanded.

Jiu Yi pointed towards a wooden house, "Probably in that room?"

Os hurriedly led his team to search the wooden house. After checking upstairs and downstairs without finding anyone, he came down to question Jiu Yi.

Jiu Yi scratched his head, "Well, they're probably hiding in some other room."

Os, resigned, ordered his team to search each room.

Jiu Yi smiled slightly, hoping Anger and the others would quickly resolve the situation, as police intervention at this point would be quite a buzzkill.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Anger, Mofei, and Black JK followed Ace, who sniffed and ran ahead, deeper into the woods.

They were familiar with this place; it was a graveyard.

Angler's heart clenched. Although he had no clear memory of his father, he always felt a connection, probably because they shared the same profession. And then there was his mother's deep love and admiration for him... He must have been an extraordinary man, despite his seeming indifference towards his mother.

"Woof, woof!" Just then, Ace suddenly started barking loudly.

Everyone rushed forward to find that five more graves had been erected beside Jack's father's tomb.

And on the ground lay a person.

In the night, Angler and Mo Fei could sense that the person was not dead, but extremely weak.

Angler grew tense. Seeing his panic, Mo Fei hurried forward a few steps and gently turned the person lying on their side. The first thing he saw was a bloody hole in the chest and blood oozing out.

With a heightened sense of dread, Mo Fei glanced at the face and let out a sigh of relief. This person must be Black JK's father, as they bore a striking resemblance. At least, Angler's father wouldn't have such a distinct Eastern European appearance.

Black JK also approached. Contrary to what Angler and others had imagined, he did not exhibit sorrow or anger but maintained a calm demeanor as he slowly walked to his father's side.

Mo Fei stood up and returned to Angler's side, pulling him back to prevent any misdirected anger from Black JK over his father's death. After all, if it had been a duel, the killer would likely be Angler's father. However, Mo Fei noticed something odd: Black JK's father had only one gunshot wound, but there had been two shots fired, and a handgun lay nearby. This meant the other shot was aimed at Angler's father. There was no sign of him now, and Mo Fei hoped he was unharmed.

Mo Fei looked back at Angler, noticing his slightly furrowed brow as he stared into the dark, dense forest.

"It seems he lost," Black JK murmured as he reached his father's side and crouched down. "You seem to have a connection with this place, and now you'll rest here forever."

"Heh," the old man smiled faintly, looking up at Black JK.

"I won't seek vengeance for you," Black JK said while tidying the old man's disheveled hair. "Your feud has ended, and besides, I rather like Angler."

The old man slowly curved his lips into a smile, then after a long pause, he said, "You have done better than I ever did..."

"Of course," Black JK said, slightly narrowing his eyes. "Thanks to good genetics, and because I work hard."

The old man nodded and turned his face towards Angler.

Angler, already looking at him, met his gaze and asked, "What about him?"

The old man slowly shook his head, "I think I hit him, but he escaped... that fox."

"Who was the person buried in your grave back then?" Angler inquired.

The old man slowly closed his eyes and asked, "What do you think..."

Angler pondered for a moment, "I remember, there was a sheriff in the forest over there, but later there seemed to be no news about him."

"Heh... cough, cough," the old man laughed, then began to cough. "Truly the son of that man, a smart child."

"Why did you do that back then?" Angler asked.

"Poverty," the old man replied slowly. "I wanted to change my fate, but there were too many entanglements and no wealth."

"Then why did you change your mind?"

The old man was silent for a moment, then smiled, "Because of Jack..." he said, looking towards the expressionless Black JK. "He is a promising child."

Despite the look of affection and contentment in the old man's eyes, Black JK remained indifferent, his expression detached as he watched his father's life slowly ebbing away. Mo Fei felt an illusion of sorts; the child who was once so deeply attached had become a complete stranger over the years, indifferent even in the face of his deeply loved father's death.

"You will go farther than I did," the old man said slowly, smiling as he gazed into Black JK's eyes.

"Go in peace," Black JK replied nonchalantly. "I will."

With a farewell that seemed more like a brief separation, the old man passed away with a smile.

By now, noises from outside the forest could be heard, as Oss finally managed to press Jiu Yi for answers and rushed into the woods.

Black JK stood up, glanced at Angler and Mo Fei, and offered a slight smile, "I am quite satisfied with how this case turned out. I will pay the fee as agreed. Farewell."

Angler asked him, "Will you return?"

"Probably not for a while," Black JK replied with a faint smile. "I need to disappear for some time, to heal my wounds."

"I hardly see the scars you speak of," Anger commented.

Black JK chuckled, "Anger, you're as delightful as ever. I hope we meet again." With that, he casually walked deeper into the forest.

Soon, Anger and Mo Fei watched a helicopter ascend in the distance.

"Hey!" At that moment, Os and his team rushed to the scene.

"Where is he?" Os, spotting the distant helicopter, stamped his foot in frustration.

"Os, you truly are an excellent cop," Anger shook his head in resignation, "always a step late, aren't you?"

Os sighed, accustomed to such jibes upon meeting. He turned and gasped upon seeing the body and the five graves.

"They're all dead?" Os exclaimed in shock.

His officers hurriedly excavated the graves to find the bodies of five businessmen, long deceased.

Shaking his head, Anger walked away.

Following, Mo Fei asked in a low voice, "Aren't you going to look for your father?"

Anger smiled, "If he wants to see me, he'll return to the gallery. If not, there's no point in me seeking him."

"But he might be injured," Mo Fei voiced his concern.

Walking on, Anger sighed, "I wonder why the Sha Qi and Sha Fan brothers didn't show up." Mo Fei was slightly stunned.

Anger stretched lazily and leaned back.

"Hey!" Mo Fei, startled, quickly caught him, "What's wrong?"

Resting against Mo Fei's shoulder, Anger patted his cheek, smiling, "I'm quite content with life right now, especially since you weren't buried alive this time."

Mo Fei gazed at Anger for a while, then lifted him into the car and started the engine, feeling a sense of relief.

With Black JK gone, it seemed a peaceful period awaited him and Anger. Meanwhile, Mo Fei harbored a secret plan, quietly preparing... sure to ruffle Anger's feathers once revealed. But no matter, everything could proceed slowly.

……

That evening, after bathing and drying Anger's hair, Mo Fei tucked him into bed and stepped out to the neighboring building.

"Sha Qi and Sha Fan were there, smiling as they saw Mo Fei," indeed.

Mo Fei asked, "Did you two see him?"

They nodded in confirmation.

"Is he injured?" Mo Fei frowned.

"He hurt his arm, but we've taken care of it. No need to worry," Sha Qi explained. "He left, apparently having other cases to attend to."

"He's still a detective?" Mo Fei was surprised.

"Yes." Sha Qi produced ten thick notebooks from his bag and handed them to Mo Fei. "These are gifts for Anger from him."

Accepting them, Mo Fei inquired, "Did he say anything else?"

"He mentioned he didn't want to see Anger because it would remind him of a woman he loved and bring sadness," Sha Fan added.

Mo Fei sighed, unsurprised by the eccentricity typical of Anger's father.

Returning to the room, Mo Fei found Anger awake, propped up on his elbow, watching him.

"What's up?" Mo Fei approached, placing the ten notebooks on the bed. "A gift from your father."

Anger breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "So, a gift, not a legacy?"

Mo Fei affectionately tousled Anger's hair, shooing away Eis occupying his side of the bed, and chuckled, "Sha Qi said it's just a minor injury."

Anger yawned, bored, flipped through the notebooks, and scoffed, "That man is still playing detective."

"Are these his notes?" Mo Fei also picked up a notebook, intrigued by the detective-novel-like writing.

"Burn them!" Anger suddenly declared.

"What?" Mo Fei hastily hid the notebooks. "It would be a shame; they're his life's work!"

Anger's eyes narrowed, seemingly angered.

After a pause, Mo Fei added, "Oh, and he had a message for you."

Anger eyed Mo Fei with a slanted gaze.

Approaching the bed, Mo Fei gently pinched Anger's nape to calm him, saying, "He mentioned he didn't want to see you because it would remind him of the woman he loved and cause him pain."

Anger paused, his previously fierce demeanor quickly fading to a softer expression.

Mo Fei patted his shoulder, smiling, "Satisfied now?"

Anger didn’t respond.

Mo Fei asked, chuckling, “Still want to burn the books?”

Anger arched an eyebrow, relenting, “Never mind.” He glanced at the stack of notebooks, “Bring them here, let me see.”

Mo Fei fetched them with a smile.

The two lay in bed, flipping through the notebooks page by page, and before they knew it, dawn broke.

Mo Fei had fallen asleep halfway through the previous night, while Anger eventually got up and settled into the rocking chair, diligently finishing the remaining notes.

“Anger?” Mo Fei, noticing the time was 7:30 am, saw Anger awake on the rocking chair, lost in thought with a notebook.

“You didn’t sleep all night?”

Anger turned to Mo Fei, nodding, “Mhm.”

“What’s wrong?” Mo Fei asked as he got out of bed, sensing Anger’s seemingly irritated mood.

“That man, he’s truly infuriating,” Anger said angrily, setting the notebook aside. “Did he come all this way just to prove he’s smarter than me?”

Mo Fei paused, recalling his own reading from the previous night; Anger’s father indeed possessed extraordinary intelligence and deductive skill.

Gently, Mo Fei tucked Anger into bed, “Get some sleep.”

Anger turned over, pulling the covers up, “Just you wait, you old fool!”

……

Mo Fei shook his head, smiling, and closed the door, heading downstairs to cook.

The day was exceptionally bright, with Sha Qi, Sha Fan, and Jiu Yi arriving early for a meal, while Os had to start his day early and go to work.

At noon, a courier delivered a package.

Mo Fei opened it to find a letter and a check inside.

“Wow!” Jiu Yi leaned over to see, “So much money? Is it a commission fee?”

“Maybe…” Mo Fei opened the envelope, revealing two tickets inside. He examined them and realized they were for a luxurious cruise journey invitation.

“What does the letter say?” asked Jiu Yi.

Mo Fei read the letter aloud. It was a simple commission request, urgently inviting Anger to embark on this journey to solve a peculiar case.

“Is it scheduled for next week?” Sha Fan examined the tickets, “This is the Miracle, right? Rumored to be the most luxurious cruise ship in the world.”

Jiu Yi stroked his chin, pondering, “Wonder if Anger will be interested. Who knows what treasures might be on the world’s most luxurious cruise.”

“He’ll likely go,” said Mo Fei, placing the letter on the table, just as melodious piano sounds drifted down from upstairs.

“Oh? He seems in good spirits,” Jiu Yi commented, listening, “It’s more passionate than what he usually plays.”

Mo Fei smiled slightly and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Of course, Anger would go. He was in need of a challenging case, now having someone he aspired to surpass. Their journey in solving mysteries was far from over.