"Are you ready to talk now? Let me remind you, the Zhongshan suit, the fat guy, the bald guy with glasses. It doesn't matter if you can't remember, we can do it again," Li Fugui said to Tian Erwa, looking down at him.
Tián Èrwá looked at Li Fugui in terror, his voice hoarse, "I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll confess everything."
"Zhao Hu, you record," Li Fugui said, wiped his hands, and walked out.
Zhang Long and Sun Yang followed closely behind. Li Fugui leaned against a pillar and looked back at the two of them.
Zhang Long quickly took out a cigarette and lit it for Li Fugui. "Captain, what was that just now?"
Li Fugui took a satisfied puff. "It was waterboarding. According to the Treatise on Penal Law of the Tang Book, there was a man named Lái Jùnchén who loved to pour vinegar up the nose during interrogations. When performing the torture, they would first place a wet cloth over the suspect’s mouth and nose, then continuously pour vinegar on it. As soon as the prisoner inhaled, they would be choked by the vinegar, finally thrashing like a fish out of water, writhing in intense suffocation and a feeling of drowning. Generally, no one could last more than a few minutes."
Zhang Long and the other nodded, as if they had learned something.
Not long after, Zhao Hu came out, his face full of excitement, holding a notebook. "Captain, Captain, that kid confessed. He said he used to work for a Xià Dōnghǎi. One night, he went over and found something was wrong. He heard a beeping sound, like sending a telegram. Fearing he might be enemy agents, Tián Èrwá wanted to run away. Today, he planned to get some money for travel expenses and hide in his hometown tonight."
Zhang Long and Sun Yang were also excited upon hearing this.
Li Fugui took the notebook and looked at it. It contained detailed information about the enemy agents. "Go home and change into plain clothes first. We'll meet at the entrance later."
"Yes," the three said and ran out the door.
According to Tián Èrwá's confession, there were three other people at Xià Dōnghǎi's house. The other two, like him, were just helping out. Only Xià Dōnghǎi had a gun. Four people and four guns against three people and one gun, we have the advantage.
Li Fugui also walked home. As he passed the guard room, he was stopped by Old Man Zhang. "You rascal, where did Zhang Long and the others go just now? They ran like they were being chased by wolves."
"Nothing, we're just going out for a bit later," Li Fugui said, waving his hand.
"You're not really going to catch enemy agents, are you?" Old Man Zhang looked at Li Fugui suspiciously.
"I wanted to show off to you after we caught them. We have a lead, one enemy agent liaison, and a gun. Don't worry, the four of us will go together, no problem."
"Then you should be careful too," Old Man Zhang said as he took out a small dagger and gave it to Li Fugui. "Take it. Sometimes this thing is more useful than a gun."
Li Fugui nodded, took the dagger, and put it away. He put it in his pocket on the surface, but in reality, he put it in his space.
He quickly changed at home. By the time he got back to the entrance, the other three had also arrived.
"Let's go, bring Tián Èrwá," Li Fugui said, looking at the three excited men.
The five of them arrived at a secluded alley, at the entrance of a courtyard.
"Everyone be careful. If anything unexpected happens, shoot directly."
Li Fugui pulled Tián Èrwá aside and whispered, "Go knock on the door. If we catch Xià Dōnghǎi this time, you'll get credit."
"Really, leader?" Tián Èrwá asked, trembling.
"Really. Hurry up," Li Fugui patted his head.
Tián Èrwá nervously reached out and knocked on the door.
A low voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
Tián Èrwá forced himself to stay calm and said, "Brother Dong, it's me, Erwa. I have news about what you asked me to find out."
There was a moment of silence inside, and then the door slowly opened.
As Xià Dōnghǎi opened the door, Li Fugui instantly lunged forward and kicked him in the philtrum.
Instantly, Xià Dōnghǎi's eyes widened like two copper bells about to pop out of their sockets, bloodshot webs stretching across the whites, his pupils rapidly constricting. Veins bulged on his forehead like twisted earthworms, and sweat rolled down his forehead like a fine beaded curtain. His mouth gaped open, but due to the extreme pain, he could only let out a strange hissing sound from his throat, like an old bellows struggling to be pulled, unable to utter a complete scream.
His body convulsed and arched, like a large shrimp. His hands instinctively covered his crotch, and his legs trembled and bent uncontrollably, as if he would collapse at any moment. His face turned from red to white, then from white to purple. The whole person swayed in place like a fallen leaf in a fierce wind, utterly pathetic, every breath trembling with pain.
I guess it's broken, Li Fugui twitched the corner of his mouth. He had used ninety percent of his strength just in case.
He had clearly forgotten that his body had just been strengthened by the system, let alone that vulnerable spot on his philtrum.
Zhang Long and the others felt a gust of cold wind and subconsciously tightened their legs, looking at Xià Dōnghǎi with sympathy.
"What are you looking at? Arrest him, and search the house," Li Fugui said to the stunned men, patting Tián Èrwá's shoulder with satisfaction.
Tián Èrwá plopped to the ground, secretly relieved that they had held back when they caught him earlier.
Zhang Long and the others also reacted, took out handcuffs, cuffed Xià Dōnghǎi, and then escorted him into the house to search.
Li Fugui found a stool and sat down. He looked at Xià Dōnghǎi, who was sprawled on the ground and still moaning. He casually grabbed a pair of dirty socks and stuffed them into his mouth. Then, he took out half a pack of Da Qian Men from his shirt pocket, lit one, and coughed after taking a puff. Sigh, Huazi had really messed with him, he coughed even when smoking other brands.
He turned and threw the cigarette to Tián Èrwá, who was standing nearby. "This time counts as credit for you. I'll report it truthfully at the station later."
"Thank you, leader, thank you, leader. I also know where the other two are. We can go catch them later," Tián Èrwá took the cigarette, lit one, and replied respectfully.
"What are the names of the other two, and where do they live?"
"One is named Sān Lǘzi, and the other is Sì Lài zi. They live in an old-style multi-unit housing compound in the alley next door," Tián Èrwá said cautiously.
Li Fugui felt a headache coming on when he heard it was an old-style multi-unit housing compound. It was different from Xià Dōnghǎi's isolated courtyard; if the two resisted and hurt others, it wouldn't be good.
Tián Èrwá seemed to sense Li Fugui's concern and suggested, "Leader, why don't I call them over?"
Li Fugui's eyes lit up. "Are you sure you can do it?"
"No problem, leader. They're not very bright. I could tell something was wrong with this one (referring to Xià Dōnghǎi), but those two are still clueless," Tián Èrwá said, patting his chest, still a bit smug.
"Alright, then you go," Li Fugui said.
Tián Èrwá nodded and walked out. Zhang Long came over. "Captain, is it okay? He won't run away, right?"
"Run? Where can he run? Once he's out of the city, he can't go anywhere without a letter of introduction," Li Fugui said dismissively.
Even if Tián Èrwá really ran, he could still catch him.
Because just now, he heard the system's pleasant reward voice in his mind again.
Captured one enemy agent, reward: footprint analysis, Twelve Needles of Affectionate Labor.
He knew about footprint analysis; it was a course in school, though it was taught very superficially. He wondered who was more skilled, the footprint analysis rewarded by the system, or that folk detective born in '72.
And these Twelve Needles of Affectionate Labor? Shouldn't it be Twelve Circles of Affectionate Labor? As a security guard who was well-versed in slacking off, he had indeed seen that anime. But could that formation turn into needles?
Li Fugui looked at the introduction to the Twelve Needles of Affectionate Labor in his mind and finally understood. It was completely different from the lightning, smoke, and cannon in the anime; only the name was similar.