Chapter 58: Calling the Police

The infamous Chopsticks Fiend vanished into the darkness, and the security guards rushed to the dormitory. There they found Liu Yu, Zhao Bin, and the corpse of an old beggar.

“What on earth happened?” one security guard asked.

Inside the dormitory, the frail Yang Shou spoke up, “Here’s what happened: Liu Yu and Zhao Bin were plotting to kill a rich man after leaving the reform school, planning a robbery to make their fortune. Just then, the renowned Chopsticks Fiend appeared and killed both Liu Yu and Zhao Bin in an instant. Then an old beggar showed up, claiming to be a three-bag elder of the Beggars’ Sect, extremely formidable, and he wanted to kill the Chopsticks Fiend.”

“The two fought here. In the end, the Chopsticks Fiend killed the old beggar.”

As soon as Yang Shou finished speaking, the security guards felt their heads spinning.

Even the Beggars’ Sect showed up!

How absurd!

This was all too much like a martial arts novel!

Still, there were signs of a fierce struggle at the scene, forcing the security guards to admit that perhaps these wandering heroes really existed.

One guard asked, “What should we do now, chief?”

The security captain replied irritably, “Of course we call the police. Something this big, with both the Chopsticks Fiend and the Beggars’ Sect, is way beyond us small fry.”

With that, the captain dialed 110 himself. The operator on duty was Lin Wei, and hearing it was another case involving the Chopsticks Fiend, she felt her heart tighten. Was she somehow connected to the Chopsticks Fiend? Every time he struck, it was her turn to take the report.

She silently grumbled to herself, then quickly reported to Captain Meng Zhi Tan.

...

Half an hour later.

Captain Meng Zhi Tan and his team—Su Qiu, Lin Chen, and several others—arrived at the scene. The news of another incident by the Chopsticks Fiend no longer surprised them. Moreover, when Liu Yu and Zhao Bin were apprehended, they had said, “We’re not even fourteen yet, so even if we killed someone, we wouldn’t go to prison,” which was chilling. So, despite doing official work, deep down, they cared little about the fate of Liu Yu and Zhao Bin.

But seeing the scene before them, the officers couldn’t help but twitch their eyelids.

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The scene was terrifying.

These were iron bunk beds, the kind used in reform schools. Yet the iron frames were bent out of shape. The wooden desks had enormous cracks running across them.

What kind of battle could have produced such devastation?

“You’re saying the Chopsticks Fiend killed those two first, then this dead old beggar appeared? The two exchanged dozens of blows and wrecked the place like this?” Su Qiu exclaimed, unable to believe it. “Impossible. This old man looks at least seventy, maybe eighty, or even ninety. How could someone his age fight like that? It’s ridiculous.”

“When I’m seventy or eighty, I’ll probably have trouble walking, let alone fighting. If someone attacks me, I’d just lie down for them,” Su Qiu joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Meng Zhi Tan shook his head, forcing a smile. “An old man like this, still able to fight so fiercely, it’s incredible. Maybe we witnessed a duel between two superhuman beings. In the end, the Chopsticks Fiend won, and the old beggar died. Wait, this person—!”

Meng Zhi Tan’s pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the beggar.

“What’s wrong, captain? You know this beggar?” Su Qiu asked, curious.

“The man who brought me into the police was once the chief of our county police station, a Red Guard in his youth, very experienced. He once said that in N County, no matter which big shot committed a crime, he could easily catch them. But there was one man he absolutely couldn’t touch. That man, though not a match for the government,”

“Could storm into the government compound, fight you, and escape far and wide.”

“He was known as the most vicious man in N County.”

“He became famous early, before the founding of the country.”

“Anyone who offended him died.”

“It’s said that once, some people took several guns and tried to ambush this villain. But all of them died.”

“His most active years were before the founding and in the seventies and eighties. He hasn’t been active much in the past decade. I thought, given his age, he must have died long ago.”

“But I didn’t expect he was still alive—and now, he’s been killed by the Chopsticks Fiend.” Meng Zhi Tan shook his head, recounting a story from the past.

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Su Qiu, Lin Chen, and the other detectives listened in stunned silence. They’d been on the force for years but had never heard such a tale. After a long pause, Su Qiu muttered, “Captain, you’re not just telling us stories, are you?”

Meng Zhi Tan rolled his eyes. “You think I have a reason to tell you stories? I never expected the most vicious man would die at the hands of the Chopsticks Fiend. The Chopsticks Fiend is even more formidable than I imagined.”

“Captain, hearing all this, I feel the Chopsticks Fiend is terrifying. Even though we have guns, we don’t usually carry them, and even Lu Youwei, who had a gun, lost to the Chopsticks Fiend. Is it really safe for us to pursue him?” Lin Chen asked.

Meng Zhi Tan shook his head, “That possibility doesn’t exist. Judging by the Chopsticks Fiend’s actions, his sense of justice is very strong. Besides, it’s likely we won’t be handling this case much longer.”

“Not us? What do you mean?” Su Qiu asked, surprised. “We’re the only ones investigating homicides in N County.”

“Last time, the child traffickers led by Li Jin Guo were killed by the Chopsticks Fiend, which caused a huge stir in society, especially online. The higher-ups, particularly at the very top, are now aware of the Chopsticks Fiend’s existence. We’ve been investigating him without results, so they’re preparing to send a Special Action Group C to look into this.”

“Special Action Group C? What’s that? Sounds so mysterious,” Su Qiu frowned. “Captain, I feel like nothing you say today makes sense.”

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? This world likely has a martial underworld. People in the underworld are superhuman. Regular police like us can do nothing against them. That’s why there are several Special Action Groups.”

“Group A handles matters in the capital.”

“Group B handles martial underworld incidents in Shanghai.”

“Group C handles such incidents in the Lingnan region, based in Shenzhen.”

“Group D handles central China, based in Wuhan.”

“Group E handles the west, based in ZQ, and Group F handles the northeast, based in Shenyang.”

“In fact, this is good. I really can’t track down the Chopsticks Fiend. It’s better for the higher-ups to take over. We’ll be relieved and can focus on other matters in N County. Because of the hunt for the Chopsticks Fiend, we haven’t handled other criminal cases much.” Meng Zhi Tan looked visibly relaxed.

“Actually, Captain Meng, since the Chopsticks Fiend appeared, he’s been relentlessly hunting evildoers. Recently, crime in N County has dropped sharply. The thugs all keep their heads down. So, there have been very few criminal cases lately,” Su Qiu quietly reminded him.

“Really? The Chopsticks Fiend has that effect?” Meng Zhi Tan narrowed his eyes. “So, the Chopsticks Fiend has unwittingly become a sword hanging over the heads of criminals.”

This left Meng Zhi Tan feeling awkward—the criminal Chopsticks Fiend had become a blade above the other criminals’ heads. The whole thing sounded so bizarre.