Chapter Thirty-Six [Gold Digger]
At the police station, Anderson presented his credentials and a series of documents, including authorization from the M Country headquarters. After this, he gained access to the disclosable, closed-case materials concerning Yao Weishan's cause of death.
Anderson put on his glasses and went straight to the page containing the forensic conclusion, reading it carefully.
Then, he flipped back to the page outlining the police's closing theory.
After finishing, Anderson, appearing like an ordinary senior employee, politely shook hands with the police liaison and thanked him.
The interpreter conveyed Anderson's courteous words, and then translated the liaison's official remarks back to Anderson.
Upon exiting the police station, the interpreter asked, "Mr. Anderson, shall we return to the hotel now? The Chinese representatives have arranged a banquet in your honor this evening at..."
"No, I want to inspect the company first. Headquarters requires an official conclusion on Yao's death. We also need to conduct some basic cleanup of the work situation for the investment projects Yao managed here. Therefore, please take me to the company. As for this evening's banquet, kindly send my regrets."
Anderson's tone was very gentle.
Upon arriving at the company, Anderson went to the office Yao Weishan had used. There, he received the work materials and a list of matters Yao had handled in recent months, all organized by Yao's company assistant.
Anderson examined them very thoroughly, working until eight in the evening before leaving.
Before he left, he politely and highly praised the company staff for their meticulous and comprehensive organization of the materials.
Overall, the investment company staff found this specialist from headquarters quite agreeable, though his declining the banquet made him seem somewhat ignorant of local cultural etiquette.
It was nearly ten at night when Anderson returned to the hotel.
He was staying in the same hotel where Yao Weishan had resided before his death.
Naturally, the room Yao Weishan had used was temporarily sealed.
As a sign of respect, the investment company provided this specialist from headquarters with a luxury suite of the same class as Yao Weishan's.
The room layout was identical.
After politely thanking the driver and interpreter for their work, Anderson returned to his hotel room.
The moment he closed the door, the polite smile on his face switched to a severe expression.
He put down his bag and took off his coat.
Anderson began to search every room, checking each corner.
Using exceptionally professional methods, he meticulously inspected the room, ensuring no eavesdropping or surveillance devices were present.
He even took out his glasses case, retrieved a thin, black lens from a hidden compartment inside, and carefully scanned the room to confirm the absence of hidden infrared or night-vision cameras.
Then he began to take some strange measurements in the suite's living room.
Evidently, after reviewing the police files, he had first located the spot in the room where Yao Weishan's body was discovered.
Then he looked around in the bathroom.
He walked from the bathroom to the living room twice, then sat on the sofa for a while.
Finally, he walked to the glass door of the balcony.
He frowned at the door lock, then glanced back at the room's main entrance.
A look of deep thought flashed in his eyes.
Pulling a satellite phone from his bag, Anderson considered for a moment and dialed a number.
"It's me. I've arrived and reviewed the preliminary files," Anderson said calmly.
The voice on the phone asked, "Your judgment?"
"Regarding Gold Digger #16, my initial determination is accidental death by natural causes. Everything in the file appears normal: a cerebral hemorrhage caused by excessive drinking after an evening bath. Reviewing the Gold Digger's project operations before his death, I found nothing that would provoke hostility. His investments and projects made no moves likely to incite animosity. I've also checked the company's project progress."
"Since it's normal, let's wrap it up quickly. He was just a Gold Digger earning money for us on the periphery; we needn't waste energy on this."
"But..." Anderson hesitated. "It's precisely because everything is *too* normal, with no hint of suspicion. Perhaps it's my Sixth Sense, but I feel that beneath this ostensibly normal death lies a hostility that makes me very uncomfortable."
"...Hostility? You mean, this is only your Sixth Sense?" The voice on the other end sounded dissatisfied.
"Yes. I request to conduct a further investigation."
"We don't want complications. Your task is to determine if the Gold Digger's death was normal and if our project has provoked third-party hostility. If there are no issues on either front, you are to return as per procedure."
"...Just consider it my Sixth Sense. I need two pieces of information... Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. In this ancient country, I won't cause any major disturbances or bring any trouble to headquarters."
"I hope you really do know! We've only just begun developing business in this ancient country. Gold Digger #16 was the first one we sent; more will follow. I don't want you using a 'Sixth Sense' as a pretext for any reckless actions that could draw unwanted attention to our organization. Remember, we are meant to remain hidden in The Abyss!" The warning in the voice on the other end was clear.
"Understood, I'm very clear. Right now, I need two pieces of information. First, I need the credit card expenditure statements for the Gold Digger's last six months here. Second, I need the call list from the Gold Digger's phone from before his death."
The voice on the other end hesitated, then conceded, "Alright, but the investigation ends there. This is the absolute limit of what I can authorize! Finish what you need to do, then return immediately."
After a pause, the voice continued slowly, "The situation in South Korea has been resolved. Gold Digger #4's death has been classified as a high-priority investigation. They need your assistance there more urgently."
"So, it's truly been an unpleasant year, hasn't it? It seems headquarters' business development in East Asia isn't proceeding smoothly," Anderson remarked, as if joking.
"No need to be overly pessimistic; these aren't our core operations. They're just peripheral Gold Diggers helping us make money." The tone on the other end grew stern again. "I warn you once more, no reckless actions! I don't want to attract the CIA's attention like last time."
Anderson hung up with a cold laugh.
That night, two encrypted emails arrived in his inbox.
Sitting in front of his laptop, Anderson held a coffee in one hand and a pen in the other, rapidly sketching and writing on a piece of paper.
First, he listed names from Yao Weishan's call history that he deemed worthy of attention.
Then, he combed through Yao Weishan's credit card statements from before his death, identifying a few transactions that merited further scrutiny.
Among the credit card expenditures Anderson singled out, one was particularly noteworthy: a record of a jewelry purchase from Van Cleef & Arpels.
An hour later, he was back on the satellite phone.
"I may have found something suspicious."
"...Speak."
"First, Yao was helping a woman named Yang Xiaoyi with some futures trading and had opened an M Country futures trading account for her. Second, his phone records showed frequent contact with this woman. Third, this woman was among the last people to see Yao on the night of his death. Fourth, Yao's credit card statements showed several purchases apparently for a woman, including jewelry. I've also seen a photo of this Yang Xiaoyi—she's very beautiful, and married."
"So what? This only proves our Gold Digger might have been a lecherous fellow who found a local companion while making money for the organization. That's not unusual. Did you think we hadn't noticed this? What are you trying to imply? A crime of passion? No, that woman and her husband are ordinary people! Ordinary people don't have the ability to silently kill our Gold Diggers." The voice on the other end chuckled. "Alright, I'll give you three days. If you haven't found anything by then, come back. South Korea needs you more!"
The following morning, Sun Keke was coughing incessantly.
Before the second class ended, Chen Nuo went over, touched School belle Sun's forehead, and confirmed she had a fever.
Ignoring the girl's struggles, he simply took her hand and informed the class president, "She's sick. I'm taking her home to rest."
"I... I just caught a cold last night. The heater at my place is broken," Sun Keke said pitifully, looking at Chen Nuo.
Chen Nuo paid no heed to her words, simply taking her hand and helping her leave the school.
Fortunately, she didn't live far, so he accompanied her home.
On the way, Chen Nuo learned that Old Sun had been out for the past couple of days. Old Sun was off somewhere, without mentioning what he was busy with. Chen Nuo, however, knew he was dealing with loan procedures.
As for Yang Xiaoyi, she still had to go to work.
Once upstairs, School belle Sun used her key to open her front door. Chen Nuo helped the weak girl into the apartment.
School belle Sun, somewhat out of breath, blushed and timidly called out, "Dad? Mom?"
When no one answered, School belle Sun sighed in relief, though her gaze towards Chen Nuo grew more uneasy.
The moment Chen Nuo stepped inside, his lowered gaze suddenly flashed with a chilling glint!
He subtly helped School belle Sun to the sofa, positioning himself in front of her. Then, he turned his head and narrowed his eyes towards the inner room...
Someone's... in the house!
The door to the master bedroom of the Sun family's apartment was closed.
Behind the thin door panel, Anderson stood silently, a slender steel needle held between his gloved fingers, his expression grim.