S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 7

The Doppelganger Killer 07 - Kingdom of Dark Night

Bai Yutang waited in the car, watching as Zhan Zhao stormed out of the cafe looking utterly fierce, rushed into the car, and slammed the door shut like a victorious cat that had just scratched someone.

"What's wrong, Cat?" Bai Yutang chuckled. "You're always roasting other people, but today you actually met your match?"

Zhan Zhao glared at him. "Who's roasting people? The one inside is the truly dark one!"

"Did you get anything out of it?" Bai Yutang started the engine and drove toward the police station.

"I got a phone number. If I ever need help, I can call and find him. Does that count as a harvest?" Zhan Zhao propped his chin on his hand to look out the car window, then suddenly blurted out, "Ah!"

"What is it?" Bai Yutang turned his head to ask.

"Hmm..." Zhan Zhao gazed out past the car window and said, "I think I just saw someone..."

"Saw who?" Bai Yutang brought the car to a halt.

"That Loach kid from noon." Zhan Zhao didn't seem entirely certain. "It was too dark, and he's pitch-black to begin with, so I only caught a silhouette."

Bai Yutang looked in the direction Zhan Zhao was pointing and saw a commercial street featuring a rather eye-catching building with a neon sign reading—Kingdom of Dark Night, which looked like a club.

At that moment, a traffic police officer walked over and tapped on Bai Yutang's car window. "Parking is not allowed here!"

Bai Yutang flashed his credentials for the officer to see, explaining that he was in the middle of official business and would leave immediately.

The officer nodded and was about to leave when Bai Yutang called him back.

"What kind of place is that?" Bai Yutang pointed toward the Kingdom of Dark Night and asked.

"Oh..." the traffic cop replied. "That Kingdom of Dark Night is a club."

"What kind of club?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Well... I've only heard about it," the officer leaned in and said. "That place looks like a bar on the surface, but it's actually a gambling-style fighting club."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances and nodded. After the traffic cop left, the two drove back to the police station.

"Maybe I was just seeing things," Zhan Zhao rubbed his temples and said. "A place like that isn't somewhere a kid could get into."

"Hmm..." Bai Yutang nodded in silence, concentrating on his driving while a vague sense of doubt lingered in his heart.

When the two returned to their office, they found everyone clustered around a desk.

"What are you all doing?" Bai Yutang walked in.

"Chief, we're testing Bai Chi," Zhao Hu said happily. "We're having him recite maps... He's memorized the entire S City layout, making him more reliable than a GPS."

Bai Yutang smiled, but Zhan Zhao beside him paused, tilting his head in sudden thought.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang looked back at him. "What is it?"

"The district where the Kingdom of Dark Night is located... there are old underground tunnels running beneath it," Zhan Zhao said.

"Kingdom of Dark Night?" Ma Han suddenly frowned. "I heard Wu Qiang's subordinates mention that he went to Dark Night before he died... Could this Dark Night and the Kingdom of Dark Night be the same place?"

"There's this too!" Wang Chao rummaged through an evidence bag, pulled out a small packet, and handed it to Bai Yutang. "Chief, look. This is what was inside Heiyu's pockets."

Bai Yutang took it and saw a box of matches. Against the black packaging, a few blood-red characters stood out—Kingdom of Dark Night.

"Chief, this district falls within Chen Jie's territory," Jiang Ping said, flipping through his files. "This club is ten to one hers."

Everyone's eyes lit up—they had found a common link.

Bai Yutang nodded, then asked, "Didn't all the evidence get handed over to the Anti-Gang Unit? Why is this still here?"

Jiang Ping gave an awkward chuckle. "I delivered it earlier, but Captain Lan said their investigative style differs from ours. They focus on the macro picture, so he asked us to take our time, dig up some more data, and hand it over later when we have free time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu exploded. "Who does he think he is! I've dealt with that guy surnamed Lan before. He's the ultimate elitist cop, putting on airs while investigating cases. I almost lost my life because of him a few times, and yet he still struts around."

Bai Yutang nodded. "Ignore him. We'll conduct our own investigation, but remember everyone, try to avoid getting into direct conflicts while working the case."

After giving his instructions to the team, Bai Yutang shot Zhan Zhao a meaningful look. "Come on, Cat, let's go check out that club too."

Seeing the two leave, Zhang Long patted Zhao Hu on the shoulder. "Stop getting worked up. You didn't know? That Lan Chenglin has a personal grudge against our boss."

"What kind of grudge?" Everyone crowded around, each wearing an expression full of juicy gossip.

"Before the SI was established, who was the most badass figure in the police force if not the captain of the Homicide Squad?" Zhang Long said. "Originally, that position was slated for Lan Chenglin, but Bureau Chief Bao pulled every string to secure it for our boss. Back then, the boss had just retired from military service, so Lan Chenglin was extremely unconvinced at first, relying heavily on the backing of the boss's old man and the bureau chief. But within half a year of the boss taking charge, the entire precinct was won over, and he even saved the lives of the entire Anti-Gang Unit once."

"I've heard about that incident," Ma Han chimed in, growing interested. "I heard about it back when I was in the S.W.A.T. unit. The head of the Anti-Gang Unit miscalculated and insisted that a suburban garage was being used for a gang trade. In the end, the boss drove his car at breakneck speed all by himself to forcefully intercept them, almost getting into a fistfight with Lan Chenglin right before the garage exploded."

"That's right!" Wang Chao nodded. "That saved a good twenty-plus lives from the Anti-Gang Unit!"

"Then why wasn't Lan Chenglin disciplined?" Jiang Ping asked, puzzled. "Causing such a massive mess?"

"Heh heh," Zhang Long chuckled. "If penalties were handed out, several officers in that unit would have faced disciplinary action together. After saving them, the boss just drove off by himself without mentioning it to a soul, and those who knew simply kept it an unsaid secret."

"I get it now. That means that guy surnamed Lan could never command his subordinates properly after that, so he's held a grudge ever since." Zhao Hu curled his lip, then turned to see Bai Chi standing there in a daze, giving him a gentle smack. "What's wrong, kid? Did hearing your idol's glorious deeds fry your brain?"

Bai Chi turned his head and blurted out an irrelevant question: "Why did Big Brother know there were underground tunnels around the Kingdom of Dark Night? He only glanced at that map once."

Once the others caught on, they couldn't help laughing, and Ma Han patted Bai Chi on the shoulder. "You're still a bit green... Keep working hard."

Wang Chao pulled over a stool, sat down, and beckoned to Bai Chi. "Come, come, let me tell you about Dr. Zhan's glorious exploits."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao drove to the Kingdom of Dark Night.

Pushing open the doors, they found that the interior wasn't as murky and smoke-choked as they had imagined. The upper level functioned like a normal bar, decorated with quite an elegant touch.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stepped inside. Instead of taking a seat or ordering drinks, they stood in the center of the room to survey their surroundings. Both of them possessed striking looks, making them instantly eye-catching.

At that moment, a waiter-looking staff member walked up to ask, "Is there anything I can help you gentlemen with?"

Bai Yutang glanced at him and turned back to ask Zhan Zhao, "Was old Hong's kid just talking nonsense? Where's all the fun stuff he talked about?"

Zhan Zhao shrugged and shook his head.

"You two were referred by Brother Hong?" The waiter forced a smile and said, "Not on the first floor. It's downstairs." With that, he led Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao down toward the lower level.

Passing around a folding screen, they found a heavily concealed staircase. Following the waiter downward, they began to hear the thumping vibrations of deafening music.

As they descended the stairs, they saw young men and women crowding the dance floor not far away. At least half of them looked like they were high on drugs, thrashing about in a manic frenzy. Bai Yutang frowned deeply at the sight, while Zhan Zhao, experiencing this kind of place for the very first time, wore an expression of eager excitement, thinking to himself: Whoa! Is that guy dancing on stage a man? He's wearing so little—those are practically just strings.

Bai Yutang turned his head to glare at him—don't look!

Zhan Zhao shot him a side-eye—if you say so.

The waiter stopped at the foot of the stairs and said, "Right here." With that, he gestured toward the dance floor.

"Ha..." Bai Yutang let out a cold laugh. "Do you take me for a child?"

"Huh?" The waiter wore a blank look of incomprehension. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden rush of strong wind swept past his eyes. By the time he registered what was happening, Bai Yutang's fist had halted less than half a centimeter away from the tip of his nose.

Swallowing hard, the waiter offered an ingratiating smile. "Ah, so you're connoisseurs... It was my eyes playing tricks on me. We need to go down one more level." With that, he hurriedly led the two further down.

Reaching the next level down, they stepped into a long corridor where a faint, sweet scent of blood hung in the air. The smell was remarkably distinct, as if capable of stirring up a person's most primal violent urges. Zhan Zhao frowned, reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of chewing gum, and handed it to Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang was momentarily startled, but quickly took it, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. The moment the intense peppermint flavor rushed from the tip of his tongue straight to his brain, Bai Yutang understood the difference. That previous scent had been dangerously potent, capable of driving people manic and instilling an urge to destroy; once washed over by the minty freshness, that feverish sensation in his head instantly vanished.

Zhan Zhao popped a piece into his own mouth as well and nodded at Bai Yutang—there's something wrong with that scent!

The waiter guided the two to an iron door, knocked three firm times followed by two light taps, and then, with a loud clank, the heavy door was unlocked. The waiter gestured for them to enter before turning around to head back.

Stepping through the iron door, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao were both struck dumb by the scene before them.

It was a vast, brightly lit space divided into several distinct zones. There was a boxing ring where a match was underway. There was an iron cage where two bulky men were brawling bare-handed, using wrestling techniques; and in another area, two lean foreigners were sparring in sanda... The common thread among them all was that neither side used any protective gear. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises, yet they fought tirelessly with berserk fury, while the surrounding spectators cheered them on with an unhealthily manic excitement.

Zhan Zhao leaned close to Bai Yutang's ear. "That scent has hallucinogenic properties; it makes people irritable and violent."

Bai Yutang nodded, scanning his surroundings. He noticed an upper tier resembling VIP boxes, where quite a few well-dressed people sat watching the fights below, complete with betting scoreboards nearby—evidently, it was a gambling-fueled operation. To put it bluntly, it resembled a Roman colosseum, except here, humans were the ones forced to fight.

"Bai!" Zhan Zhao suddenly pointed ahead. In a corner, they spotted a boy carrying a tray walking by. Though he had changed into a waiter's uniform, the two instantly recognized him as Loach.

At the same time, Loach spotted them too. He froze for a second, then whirled around and sprinted away.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances and gave chase. However, the crowd ahead was dense and emotionally charged, and just as one large spectator spun around, he collided directly with Bai Yutang. The burly man threw a hand out to grab Bai Yutang's shoulder, wanting to say something, only to be grabbed by the wrist and flipped over in a textbook shoulder throw. The big guy spun through the air with zero grace, faceplanting hard into the floor.

Zhan Zhao pursed his lips—Bai Yutang's move was definitely pure instinct! Zhan Zhao had figured it out long ago: perhaps due to his martial arts training, Bai Yutang possessed hyper-heightened vigilance. When sitting down, he instinctively chose positions that allowed him to launch attacks or defend against them at any moment. Right now, his nerves were strung tighter than ever, so patting his shoulder was a guaranteed invitation to get beaten up. Zhan Zhao concluded—this was the combined consequence of reflex action and severe mysophobia, or as he liked to call it, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It took the big guy quite a bit of effort to crawl back up from the ground. Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, he sized Bai Yutang up from head to toe, assumed a fighting stance, and beckoned with his hand, as if wanting to exchange a few blows.

Other people nearby had also noticed the commotion and curiously crowded around. By this time, Loach had long since vanished without a trace. Seeing the belligerent, provoking giant before him, Bai Yutang got an idea. He slipped off his jacket and handed it back to Zhan Zhao. Zhan Zhao immediately understood that Bai Yutang wanted to draw out the ringleader in charge so they could ask about Loach. Taking the jacket, Zhan Zhao clenched his fists. "Go get 'em, Bai!"

Bai Yutang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ever since they were kids, Zhan Zhao had held his jacket every time he fought, and what was funny was that Zhan Zhao never tried to stop the fights; instead, he would cheer him on from the sidelines with a cry of "Go get 'em, Bai!" paired with an expression of pure excitement.

Bai Yutang's physique was lean and well-proportioned. On the surface, he might have looked somewhat slender, but only Zhan Zhao knew that beneath those clothes lay layers of pure muscle, as sinewy and resilient as a leather whip!

Compared to Bai Yutang, the bulky opponent was nearly twice his size. The man exaggeratedly twisted his neck, cracking his knuckles and neck joints until they popped audibly.

At a single glance, Zhan Zhao could tell the guy was an amateur. Bai's joints could all pop, too, and he didn't even need to press them—just a casual shake would do.

Bai Yutang didn't bother with elaborate warm-up stretches, merely rolling his neck slightly. With the movement came a faint, rhythmic cracking of bone, smooth and fluid in execution. Right at that moment, someone from the upper level let out a whistle. Looking up, everyone saw a foreigner with long red hair and a floral shirt leaning over the railing of a VIP box, watching the scene unfold with great amusement. Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were startled—it was Eugene! What on earth was he doing here?

After letting out a whistle, Eugene called down to the person standing beside the boxing ring, "Hand him a pair of gloves, make 'em sixteen-ounce ones."

A wave of amused laughter rippled through the crowd. Sure enough, a few meddlesome onlookers grabbed a pair of gloves and handed them to the big man. Just as the giant reached out to take them, Eugene burst into loud laughter and shouted, "Not for you, for him!" He pointed down at Bai Yutang, telling the big man, "Hand-to-hand bare-knuckle? I'm afraid he's going to beat you to death!"