Mad Detective
[Author: Kuang Hai Wang Hu]
[TL: Spades]
[PR: Blitz]
[QC: Lumi]
Chapter 09 — The Hand-Chopping Case
——————
At 5:30 a.m., with dawn barely breaking, most of the city was still cloaked in shadows.
The KFC on Jiuhe Road was open 24 hours. At that moment, only two high school students, rushing to morning study sessions, sat near the entrance, hurriedly munching on burgers.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and a woman staggered in. She wore an expensive trench coat, but it was splattered with blood.
Her hair was disheveled, her steps weak. After pushing through the heavy glass door, she nearly collapsed. Struggling to the students, she gasped hoarsely, "Help, help, save me…"
The students looked up, shrieking in horror, backing away as their soy milk spilled across the floor.
Shockingly, the woman had no right hand! At the end of her right arm was only a crudely bandaged, blood-oozing gauze, her hand, gone!
…
Comfy!
Hell yeah!
Around 7 p.m., Zhao Yu sprawled on the big bed in his new apartment, feeling bliss from head to toe. The rent was still 2,000 a month, but the landlord's daughter had covered it, a deal so sweet it was practically unheard of!
Heh heh heh…
Zhao Yu let out a sly chuckle. From the 5,000 he got from Jiang Xiaoqing, he paid Jiang Dafeng 4,000 for two months' rent, keeping 1,000 for pocket money.
Dafeng was too intimidated to argue with Zhao Yu. As long as the rent was paid, he agreed. They signed the lease on the spot, and Zhao Yu finally had a decent place to crash.
Zhao Yu was a crafty one. If he'd greedily pocketed all 10,000 from Jiang Xiaoqing, he'd have made a quick buck. But that'd be a one-time deal. By striking a partnership with her, he'd get a cut every month, a far better long-term play.
Of course, Zhao Yu knew that encouraging account theft and taking bribes was illegal, especially for a cop, making it a serious offense.
But he didn't see himself as a real cop yet. Still stuck in his pre-transmigration mindset, he was even toying with the idea of returning to his old life and making a comeback! Compared to his past misdeeds, Jiang Xiaoqing's scam was small potatoes.
So, Zhao Yu enjoyed it all guilt-free, even pondering whether to use the leftover 1,000 to buy a fancier phone.
Just then, the system in his head spoke up, its genderless, mechanical yet clear voice ringing out, "Current adventure completed. Completion rate: 79%. You have received one invisible item. Please check!"
It's back?
What reward this time?
Zhao Yu eagerly checked. A virtual image appeared in his mind, showing another small black sphere.
Tapping it, the system voice announced, "Invisible Tracker. Disposable item. Upon use, enables invisible tracking, undetectable by any equipment, with a duration of 48 hours."
Invisible tracker?
Zhao Yu mused, probably something to stick on someone to monitor their movements?
Honestly, he was a bit let down. He'd hoped for something cooler, like a badass weapon, x-ray vision, wall-phasing, or cloning powers. Even an invisible camera or knockout drug would've been nice!
But eavesdropping and tracking, with a time limit? What's the fun in that?
Tch tch…
Zhao Yu wondered about the 79% completion rate. If it was higher, would he get better rewards?
But how exactly could he boost the completion rate?
Thinking this, he decided to try triggering the system again, this time observing closely.
He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. Oddly, this time he didn't cough, puffing away several times without issue.
Huh?
What's going on?
Why's it not working now?
He puffed furiously, nearly choking himself, but the Adventure System stayed silent, his mind quiet as ever.
Hmm…
After a brief panic, Zhao Yu calmed down and analyzed. Recalling the timing of the previous activations and completions, he had a theory, could it be, the Adventure System can only trigger once a day?
Used up today, gotta wait for tomorrow?
As he mulled this over, his phone rang. It was Li Beini.
"Hey, Officer Zhao, where are you? Why aren't you here? You're the only one missing!" Li Beini's anxious voice came through.
"What's up? Go where?" Zhao Yu asked lazily.
"No way!" Li Beini gasped. "Didn't you get the text? The Hand-Chopping Case! The whole team's in the office for a briefing! Hurry up, come on…"
Hanging up, Zhao Yu checked and saw the notification text. A new case had popped up, requiring a 7 p.m. case analysis meeting at the station, mandatory for the whole team.
Glancing at the clock, it was almost 7:30.
Damn it!
Zhao Yu groaned. After pulling an all-nighter yesterday, he'd finally wanted a decent sleep, only for a new case to drop out of nowhere, and what's this "Hand-Chopping Case"?
He was tempted to skip it, but the words "Hand-Chopping Case" intrigued him, so he got up and headed to the station.
Entering the office, it was packed like last night, everyone gathered around the whiteboard, listening intently to Team Leader Qu Ping's case briefing.
Captain Jin was there too, his face darkening slightly when he saw Zhao Yu arrive late.
Deputy Captain Liu Changhu gave him a smug smirk, as if waiting for Zhao Yu to screw up. But when Zhao Yu took a coffee from Li Beini, Liu's grin froze.
"If we don't catch the culprit quickly this time," Qu Ping pointed at the whiteboard, "there's a high chance they'll strike again soon!"
Zhao Yu had just settled in when Qu Ping finished her briefing, and Captain Jin took over. Jin first praised the swift resolution of the Electric Baton Case, then stressed the importance of the Hand-Chopping Case, urging everyone to stay sharp and solve it fast.
Zhao Yu listened hard but couldn't grasp the full picture. He only caught that he was assigned to the team investigating the victim.
After the meeting, he was about to ask Li Beini for details when Liu Changhu blocked his path.
"Heh heh heh," Liu sneered mockingly, "What's up, Xiao Zhao? Late because you were chasing clues again? Found any, Lone Ranger? Gonna wrap this case up tonight too?"