Chapter 59: Last Time, It Was My Oversight

Chapter 59: Last Time, It Was My Oversight

"Very well, very well."

Watson shrugged, pouring himself a cup of black tea from a silver teapot.

He leaned against the fireplace, looking at the man before him, one of the top ten world-class detectives:

"I don't understand why a Dragon Country youth named Su Chen has captured your interest to such an extent."

"Could it be that he is more important than the currently stolen Margaret jewels? I trust you haven't forgotten Her Majesty the Queen's commission."

"Of course I haven't forgotten. Nothing else could possibly match Her Majesty Queen Yisha the Fourth’s dignified and elegant visage."

Holmes stood up from the sofa and reached for his coat.

"It's simply that I also pay attention to nascent sparks. Who can say whether they might eventually ignite a raging inferno? Am I right, Watson?"

Watson stepped aside, avoiding Holmes's path, and gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I suppose you are right."

"I think we ought to keep an eye on this individual."

Holmes walked out the door, then turned back to say:

"I wonder if this flickering flame will be extinguished somewhere in the Dragon Country, or in some corner of Asia, or if it will burn all the way to the Parrot Kingdom."

"By that time, I would be more than willing to accept Her Majesty's commission and apprehend him."

"Provided, of course, that he manages to burn his way here."

Watson grunted a muffled reply, then drained his cup of tea in one gulp and followed him out of the room.

......

Jinling International Airport.

An incoming flight slowly taxied into the terminal gate.

The biting, howling cold wind of one o'clock in the morning swept across the night sky, forcing the newly disembarked passengers to wrap their coats tightly around themselves.

Asuka Aina, standing at one meter fifty, dragged a bulky suitcase out of the terminal.

She reached into her fluttering hem, pulled out a large smartphone, and fixed her gaze upon it.

Displayed on the screen was the newly updated Asian Detective Rankings.

The beige-colored ranking list showed several lines of bold text.

[Asuka Aina (Sakura Country): Overall Rank 30.]

[Su Chen (Dragon Country Newcomer): Overall Rank 29.]

Su Chen, entering with the status of the tenth-ranked detective in the Dragon Country, had been squeezed into the top thirty of the Asian Detective Rankings.

And she... had been pushed to the very edge by this newcomer.

She had merely taken a nap on the airplane, and upon waking up, Su Chen had actually solved such a massive case.

Pure luck! Sheer luck!

"Su Chen..."

Asuka Aina put away her phone and gritted her teeth.

"I will definitely catch you."

......

So many things had happened; on this night, people were too excited to fall asleep for a long time.

Su Chen drove to the outskirts of Jinling City, right where it bordered Baijin City.

He did not check into a hotel because the expert task force's operations were extremely tight right now, and all hotels in Jinling City had been mandated to log guest identities.

Once his identity was registered, it would immediately draw a relentless hunt from the expert task force.

After all, his persona in the "Manhunt Live" broadcast was that of a wanted criminal listed in the top three of the Dragon Country's most-wanted list: someone who had attacked a power distribution center, committed the Jinling University dismemberment murders, and killed two police officers and an innocent bystander.

Such a hefty string of titles, wherever it was placed, was utterly explosive.

Even inside a prison, he would be the big boss, though his life expectancy would likely be short.

He parked his car in a remote location and spent the night sleeping inside it.

He paid no attention to the international ripples caused by his solved case.

He was too exhausted; only by getting a good rest could he cope with the fugitive life ahead.

Closing his eyes, Su Chen turned on the radio—a hard-to-locate device for receiving information—and listened to the broadcasts.

[Attention everyone, we interrupt with an emergency evening news broadcast. These reports will be repeated in the morning.]

[The Jinling University dismemberment case from twenty years ago has been solved. Both criminal suspects have been apprehended, marking a final period to this cold case that has troubled the police for many years.]

[The perpetrators have confessed fully to their crimes. The facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. As ruled by the Jinling City Court, criminal suspects Zhao and Du are sentenced to death, execution to be carried out immediately...]

[The bounty level for the killer in the "Manhunt Live" program has been raised. The production team announced that greater resources will be deployed for the pursuit.]

[Additionally, confirmed by the director's team, a certain staff member within the program made enormous contributions during the course of the show. To compensate for their hard work, a special cash reward of thirty thousand yuan has been granted.]

[Su Chen's whereabouts have vanished. Where on earth is he...]

After listening to just a few lines of the news, an exhausted Su Chen drifted into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he heard a faint, hazy beast roar, but it failed to wake him.

......

Meanwhile, at the Jinling City Public Security Bureau, Detention Zone.

The death row execution chamber.

Icy white lights shone upon the walls, upon the iron chair, and upon the man strapped to the iron chair.

The butcher, in his fifties, had his hands and feet completely restrained and could not move at all.

Standing before him, wearing a white lab coat and a face mask, a death-row executioner was adjusting the fine needle in his hand, slowly drawing a dose of medicine into the syringe.

"No... no..."

"Please, I beg you..."

The butcher struggled with all his might, his face devoid of a single trace of color.

At this moment, he looked nothing like the ruthless murderer he once was; he resembled more of a pathetic, cringing dog whining for pity.

His hefty body thrashed violently, yet under the restraints, he could not shift even a millimeter.

The executioner, however, uttered not a single word; behind the mask, his expression was unreadable.

Ignoring the man's wails, he thrust the needle into the skin and slowly pushed the medicinal liquid inside.

He even patiently applied a bandage to stop the bleeding from the puncture wound.

"No, I don't want to die, I don't want to..."

The man's body spasmed from intense terror!

Abruptly, he whipped his head around to glare at Zhao Xiaoyue sitting nearby, his eyes blazing with grievance and bitter hatred!

"It's you, this is all your fault!"

"You're the one who turned me into this... You're the one who deserves to die most..."

"Why do I have to die first? I should be watching you die first instead..."

Gradually, the man's struggles grew weaker and weaker.

His pupils slowly dilated.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaoyue sat in the chair directly opposite the butcher in the execution room, similarly restrained.

Yet, she did not struggle.

Her still-pretty face appeared increasingly pale under the illumination of the lights.

Dressed in a white dress with her dark hair cascading down, she gazed calmly and mockingly at the frantically pleading butcher, watching his life ebb away bit by bit.

She offered not a single word in response to his final accusations.

Soon, the butcher stopped moving.

The executioner turned his attention toward Zhao Xiaoyue, once again picking up a needle and drawing the medication.

Zhao Xiaoyue looked at him calmly.

Having prepared the drug, the executioner brought the needle before her and suddenly spoke out of the blue.

"Little girl, I am very sorry."

The doctor's voice was not as young as she had imagined, but rather somewhat aged and hoarse.

That made sense... usually, tasks like this were handled by veteran doctors; younger ones lacked the experience and possessed too fragile a heart.

Zhao Xiaoyue tossed her hair and adopted a bored tone toward the doctor:

"Whatever, I got what I deserved."

"Get it over with quickly."

With that, she closed her eyes.

However, after waiting for a long time, she did not feel the prick of the needle entering her arm.

Had she been tied up for too long and lost all sensation?

Zhao Xiaoyue wondered, feeling a twinge of confusion.

Suddenly, she felt a hand gently stroking her cheek, fingertips brushing along her jawline.

Startled, Zhao Xiaoyue opened her eyes and stared at the face hidden beneath the mask.

The executioner's fingers gently pinched her delicate chin, tilting her head up piece by piece, exposing the fair neck beneath.

"No... that's not what I meant."

The doctor stared fixedly at the shocking scar on her neck, his gaze hazy, speaking in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Little girl, I meant..."

"Last time, it was my oversight that I didn't do a thorough job."

"I am so sorry that you survived."

"This time, I won't make any mistakes. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

The doctor raised his other hand, encased in a latex glove.

Clutched in his hand was a gleaming, sharp scalpel.

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Brothers, Volume 1: "Jinling Dismemberment" has concluded.

Volume 2 will begin immediately:

"Baijin".