You must have done something for Moore's wife to get promoted, right…
Chen Che thought carefully, then asked Bobby for more details.
"Tell me—how long ago did the boss make a move on Moore?"
"Yesterday."
Three days in, and An Nishang only acted against Moore yesterday—means she really did dig something up.
Set the stage for today's spectacle.
"Tch, if I hadn't been attacked, fine, but since that happened—the black man's as good as dead."
Bobby's heart jolted, his eyes darting around. Bobby knew damn well—in a place like this, you wouldn't last long without a boss to back you up.
[This pretty boy's got so much confidence, maybe he got some inside scoop?
Plays his cards right in bed, made the boss feel real good—maybe he actually got something useful.
Damn it.
If that black man really dies—they're the one who pulled me up. If the boss settles scores and others come for me, I won't survive.
I need to find a new thigh to hold onto.
Don't know what this pretty boy's deal is, but fuck it—better latch on first, questions later…]
As Bobby's thoughts churned, Chen Che's mind spun too.
This Bobby's an idiot, but he's useful—at least his shooting's sharp.
And by the looks of it, the moron isn't all that close to the black man.
An Nishang sent him to pick me up—just using the dumbass as a gun for hire.
Brand new in this hellhole, Chen Che needed to build his own network fast.
The original body's contacts? Who knows how risky they were.
If Bobby's eager to suck up, might as well use the shit out of him.
Bobby grinned obsequiously, "Brother Chen, uh, what do you mean by that? You got some inside info?"
Chen Che glanced at the other two in the car.
Bobby caught on instantly. "Relax, Brother Chen, these are all my guys."
"Well, it's not much of a secret—the black man, he's probably someone the Tasting Commerce Association planted by the boss' side. That batch of arms the boss lost? It's tied to the black man."
Bobby hissed a sharp breath through his teeth.
As a Special Operations guy, Bobby knew full well how furious An Nishang got after her top stash of arms was grabbed out from under her.
She rounded up a bunch of people—better to kill the wrong ones than let anyone go. The interrogations were nuts.
The devil-woman did it herself.
Some guy's lower half had the flesh carved off right down to the bone.
It was a fate literally worse than death.
Bobby never imagined the black man could be tangled up in this mess.
Chen Che shot a sidelong glance. "The black man tried to pin it all on me. Look at my neck—I nearly got strangled to death by the boss in bed.
Lucky I made it out, and spotted a few holes in their story, so I suggested it might be the black man's doing.
The boss let me go, put me under house arrest, and went to investigate him—two days she investigated, and yesterday locked the black man up. She must've found something on him."
Bobby stared at Chen Che like he'd seen a ghost.
[Goddamn, what's so special about this pretty boy?
The black man frames him as a traitor, and all the devil-woman does is try to strangle him to death? And even doesn't finish the job? She's going soft—
The last guy who betrayed her, she melted his skin and muscles away with Corrosive Agent, bit by bit… Even kept him alive for three extra days with precious Life-extending Potion, just to torture him.
What, is this pretty boy some kind of VIP?
If he died that easy, fine. But the devil-woman—who'd sooner kill ten innocents than let one slip—she's even willing to take what he says and start investigating her own right-hand man again.
Fuck!
He didn't fuck the devil-woman into submission, did he?
No, he's definitely a golden thigh to cling onto. If I manage to catch onto this guy, he whispers a word in her ear—maybe not only will I survive, I might even shoot up in rank?]
Bobby's tangled thoughts surprised even Chen Che.
So he actually did hold some weight in the devil-woman's mind.
Enough to shock even her top dogs.
But then—why did the devil-woman's desire to kill him spike so hard, all of a sudden?
Maybe she's reached the limit of her patience?
That can't be right.
Headache—Chen Che shelved the thought.
Bobby kept asking, "Brother Chen, then why did you say that since you were attacked, the black man's as good as dead?"
Chen Che coughed and went on, "The evidence the boss has probably isn't hard enough to nail the black man for good, or maybe she really just hasn't got anything concrete yet.
I don't have the details.
So the boss is testing… like you said, the rumor is that I set up the black man.
Only told the boss about the rumor, so it could only have got out through her.
Why'd she do it? To turn attention onto me.
If I'm right, she even spread some word that I'm holding evidence that could bury the black man.
If the black man was clean, I'd have arrived at the Judicial Bureau safe and sound.
If the black man had real backers—a force that launched him all the way to the boss' side—they'd never want to lose that pawn. They'd send people to kill me.
It's an open trap, get it?"
Bobby suddenly realized, swallowing hard.
"So now—didn't matter if there was evidence, there is now. The black man's toast."
Bobby forced a fawning smile. "Brother Chen, I was so clueless before. Swore loyalty to a damn traitor.
Any disrespect I showed you before, Brother Chen, please forgive me—if you ever need Bobby's help, I'll risk my life and be your vanguard, no question!
Brother Chen, if you're willing, from now on you're my boss!"
Shit, want me to look out for your ass?
Chen Che let out a mocking chuckle. "Don't go pledging your loyalty so soon. Whether I live depends on the boss… Let's talk after we make it out of the Judicial Bureau alive."
Bobby's heart tightened.
Maybe there's more to this than he knows.
Bobby shut up after that, waiting nervously in silence.
The convoy soon arrived at the Judicial Bureau's main prison.
The Judicial Bureau's a catch-all—for law enforcement, special ops, criminal investigations, and detention.
The prison's basically where they stash the suspects.
The Special Operations Department even has its own unit for interrogations.
After all, Special Ops has massive authority—sent on all sorts of special missions.
Snagging those brothels that didn't pay taxes off that back-alley raid before? That's them too.
They stick their noses everywhere.
Which is why no other department wants to mess with Special Ops.
Always stirs up a shitstorm.
The vehicle rolled to a stop. Chen Che exhaled deeply, got out, and headed into the prison under Bobby's escort.
An Nishang deliberately brought the black man here for interrogation—couldn't care less about dirty laundry going public.
She wants everyone to know—to shake up whoever is backing him.
And to set an example for the rest.
The prison's outer walls were ominously high.
Inside… the place reeked of blood and rot.
This sure as hell isn't civilization—it's post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Anyone locked up here after the apocalypse? Human rights are a joke.
This shithole's as bad as those prisons in the Philippines.
Beneath the prison were the interrogation rooms.
The lighting was dim and sickly.
As they reached the basement, Chen Che grimaced.
He saw torture beds stained with dried blood, all types of torture tools racked up on the walls.
The stench was overwhelming—utterly foul.
Way worse than any spy thriller's torture cell.
Straight to the innermost interrogation chamber.
He knocked on the door.
A cold woman's voice called from inside—
"Come in."
Bobby opened the door nervously, signaling frantically for Chen Che—no way he'd dare go in himself.
Chen Che strode in without hesitation.
Inside, a huge, glowering black man—Moore, just like in Chen Che's memory.
An exquisite woman, perched on a chair, crossed her long legs and played with a scalpel still slick with blood.
Three others stood—
The other three Special Ops squad leaders—minus Moore.
And a few of An Nishang's most trusted followers.
Among them, Chen Che spotted a girl in a tight-fitting black combat suit, short purple hair, even her irises bright purple, her face masked with just a pair of eyes visible.
If he remembered right, that girl was Xia Na, An Nishang's personal bodyguard…
His eyes swept the room.
Tch—what a fucking lineup.
"A triple bureau trial?!"
The black man heard him enter, turned to Chen Che, and shot him a beastly, murderous glare.