Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1199: Nan Xiaonan

“Little Fatty?”

Zhao Le, who was wiping the sweat off Zhang Xiaoqin’s face, paused in surprise.

The siblings had spent more time together recently, naturally talking about many things. Since the incident, Zhang Xiaoqin had been quiet and reserved, but now, as if reborn, she had become much more cheerful.

“Yeah, little brother, you don’t remember?” Zhang Xiaoqin tapped Zhao Le’s forehead. “Don’t you often go to little fatty’s house to play PS2?”

“I have some memory of it, but not very clear,” Zhao Le shook his head, curious. “Why bring him up now?”

——I’ll crush you with Yagami in a second!

——Pfft! I haven’t even used Terry yet!

——Watch me, 524th Style: Divine Dust!!

——Take my Heaven-and-Earth Overlord Punch!!

——Ha, 38-hit combo! You lost!——One more round!

As they spoke, Zhao Le vaguely recalled a round, chubby face… almost thirteen or fourteen years ago?

Back then, their parents hadn’t divorced yet, and they lived on the street below in town. Their neighbor had a chubby kid who cried easily and was often bullied.

Zhang Xiaoqin smiled. “Nothing, I think I saw little fatty’s mother today. She’s changed a lot—I almost didn’t recognize her… maybe I even mistook her?”

“Here?” Zhao Le was taken aback… He remembered his sister saying she had met an old colleague last time, who even gave her five hundred yuan.

It was quite a coincidence to keep running into familiar people at this rehabilitation center.

“Probably here for treatment?” Zhang Xiaoqin said casually. “She went into a doctor’s room and didn’t come out for a long time. I thought about going to say hello, but then decided against it.”

Zhao Le nodded.

Zhang Xiaoqin had a strong sense of pride. If people pitied her for her current state, she would feel uncomfortable and didn’t want to trouble others.

After helping Zhang Xiaoqin, Zhao Le hurried off. He only had one class in the afternoon, and it was in the latter half of the session. Tomorrow was Zhang Xiaoqin’s birthday, so he planned to pick up her gift at the mall before class.

Of course, first he had to go home to drop off his lunchbox.

After leaving the therapy room, Zhao Le hurried to the center’s exit.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll pick you up tonight to go to the airport.”

A woman’s voice sounded in Zhao Le’s ear. He instinctively turned and saw a woman smiling warmly as she walked out of an office nearby—well-maintained, looking younger than her actual age.

Through the door gap, he could also see a young, handsome doctor inside—though he was actually a physical therapist.

Zhao Le vaguely speculated about the relationship between the two but didn’t pay much attention.

Looking at the woman, he felt a flicker of recognition. He remembered his sister’s words and thought this could be little fatty’s mother—if so, she really did look much younger than expected.

Really little fatty’s mother?

Zhao Le paused, shook his head, didn’t think too much, and hurried home.

After the woman closed the door, she glanced at the young man passing by, frowning. “I feel like I’ve seen this kid somewhere before…”

…

After returning home, cleaning up, and preparing to go out, Zhao Le received a message. His expression changed slightly.

He sat on the sofa for a while, then suddenly gritted his teeth, ran to his room, took a box from his wardrobe, and stuffed its contents into his backpack.

…

“Silver Gun?” Bu Bugao stopped in his tracks.

They had just started and hadn’t yet located one of the remaining three targets. Before this, Bu Bugao had already learned the background from Liu Minghao and Wei Zidào.

Bu Bugao’s identity was verified; his credentials were legitimate, and his Management Bureau equipment was numbered. Liu Minghao didn’t hide anything from a fellow agent.

Information sharing among agents wasn’t unusual, and with Bu Bugao’s clearance, he could know this—though certain confidential matters remained undisclosed.

Now, they were waiting for the target to appear—but Wang Hu was also there.

Wang Hu’s giant, muscular frame and missing arm drew attention. It was hard for bystanders to imagine what kind of accident could cause someone to lose an arm.

Liu Minghao and Wei Zidào were curious but didn’t pry into Wang Hu’s past, asking only casually.

Bu Bugao had prepared for questions about Wang Hu—but in truth, he didn’t know much either. He only knew the big guy had forgotten his past and how he lost his arm. Yet Wang Hu’s incredible combat ability made Bu Bugao feel like he had found a treasure.

This big, clumsy guy was easy to handle and didn’t know when he might suddenly snap out of it. If left to wander outside, he could join some bad group and cause trouble. Bu Bugao also had personal motives; with such a strong companion, his future work assignments would be much easier.

As a rookie, facing demons in the wild, having Wang Hu nearby gave him confidence.

After some negotiation with a senior staff member at headquarters over a few days, Bu Bugao finally sorted out Wang Hu’s identity. Because of the Mount Tai incident, many died, and the bureau was in chaos, so they hadn’t prioritized the file for a small support personnel.

By chance, Wang Hu gained an official record in the Management Bureau: Wang Hu, South China Tiger, Demon for sixty years, gentle and honest in youth.

When Liu Minghao and Wei Zidào asked, Wang Hu answered perfectly. He had also been strongly instructed not to release his demon aura.

And indeed, since that request, the big guy had restrained his aura completely, impressing Bu Bugao. Despite being slow-witted, his abilities were impressive.

“Maybe it’s some special magical tool,” Liu Minghao said simply. “Killing a dangerous criminal isn’t a problem. But the second incident—murder in a busy area—is too blatant. No matter the background, we need to verify his identity.”

Bu Bugao nodded solemnly but was thrilled inside.

He hadn’t officially started his post yet, and here he encountered a problem even an Intermediate Agent would find tricky. Helping here could significantly boost his reputation.

Determined to become a Management Bureau Department Chief, he felt unprecedented enthusiasm.

“Senior, this target hasn’t shown up in a while. How about I try to lure him out?”

Bu Bugao volunteered eagerly.

Liu Minghao and Wei Zidào exchanged a glance, then smiled and nodded—happy to let him take the initiative.

Seeing Bu Bugao and Wang Hu enter an office building, Liu Minghao and Wei Zidào began to chat idly.

“Brother Hao, if we get no leads from the last three, we’ll be stuck again,” Wei Zidào said worriedly.

“Yeah,” Liu Minghao nodded. “We already checked the alleyway scents before. There shouldn’t be any omissions. Qian Er’s testimony also confirms this person exists… unless he has the ability to erase his own presence.”

Wei Zidào had a different perspective. He suddenly said, “Brother Hao, I’m still a bit reserved about that kid from the other day.”

“You mean… the young man that the Gyrfalcon Witch protected?” Liu Minghao frowned.

Wei Zidào nodded. “Yes. You see, we had just captured him and were preparing to interrogate him, when the Gyrfalcon Witch suddenly appeared, like a guardian. Doesn’t that seem a little suspicious?”

Liu Minghao thought for a moment. “It does. Calling it a coincidence is stretching it… but the Gyrfalcon Witch’s identity is too sensitive for us to confront directly…”

He glanced at the Bagua mirror in his hand, which now only showed four light points.

Three of them were still uninvestigated, and the fourth—Chen Mingming’s light point—remained because no real interrogation had taken place. Liu Minghao hadn’t erased it, leaving the position clear.

“Brother Hao, if the remaining three turn out fine, how about… we investigate the guy protected by the Gyrfalcon Witch?” Wei Zidào suggested quietly.

After considering it, Liu Minghao nodded in agreement.

…

With over 200 keystrokes per minute, Little Bao was furiously typing. At the same time, he was multitasking, keeping part of his attention on the office doorway—a skill honed from long periods of slacking at work.

Little Bao couldn’t help but admire his own power. Once he reached the position of Master Bao in the bureau, he probably wouldn’t need such life-or-death speed anymore.

“WIN—!”

As soon as the word appeared on the screen, Little Bao switched the interface back to the office mode without a word. Meanwhile, a woman of graceful build and cold expression slowly entered.

“Department Chief Nan!” Little Bao quickly stood and greeted her.

Nan Xiaonan frowned at Little Bao, then nodded calmly. “Prepare the tools. I’m going to perform autopsies.”

“The deceased from this morning, Hai Dagu?” Little Bao asked instinctively.

Nan Xiaonan shook her head. “It’s Chang Xiao and the previously deceased suspect.”

Little Bao was stunned. “Them? But Department Chief Nan, Bureau Chief Liu said their cases had already been assigned to someone else. I also checked before and found nothing special… except the mystery of the missing bullets.”

“I’ve got approval. Prepare the tools,” Nan Xiaonan said, raising a document in her hand before turning and leaving.

The cases of Chang Xiao and the suspect were so tightly controlled that even Sir Ma had been frustrated when trying to inquire. And now, Nan Xiaonan, a new forensic pathologist who had only been here two days, already had approval?

“Impressive…” Little Bao couldn’t help but admire her.

Though cold and unapproachable, her work ethic was admirable. In just two days, she had completed numerous tasks: the dismembered corpses of Wang Liang and Wu Rong (Wu Rong’s body returned), Hai Dagu’s body this morning, and now Chang Xiao and the suspect—five autopsies in two days.

Nan Xiaonan put on gloves, observing Little Bao preparing the tools and the two corpses on the autopsy table, her pupils slightly contracting. She thought to herself:

“Wang Liang and Wu Rong’s corpses show a brutal but clean method. Minimal blood spillage during dismemberment suggests the killer was very familiar with human anatomy. The incisions are extremely precise; this doesn’t seem like a crime of passion. The crime scenes were also meticulously maintained…”

“Hai Dagu had no external injuries. He hanged himself, but I can sense a residual aura inside him—extremely evil. Possibly consciousness interference and control…”

“Next, Chang Xiao and the suspect… the bullets vanished from their bodies, and the scene doesn’t permit a straightforward shooting. Could their deaths be connected to Hai Dagu’s?”

While pondering this, Little Bao called out, “Department Chief Nan! Department Chief Nan! Ready?”

“Got it. Start,” Nan Xiaonan nodded. “Begin with the suspect.”

“Start? Begin?” Little Bao was taken aback, then shook his head—he must have misheard.

Nan Xiaonan approached the suspect’s body, which already had several sutures from Little Bao’s earlier checks. She ignored those areas and lifted the head, examining the cleaned wound on the forehead—a tiny bullet hole.

Her eyes suddenly contracted.

“What’s going on… Hai Dagu had supernatural powers, though only evil ones, like curses or black magic. But why… why does this wound retain a trace of law’s power?”

She quickly set down the suspect’s head and turned to Chang Xiao’s, repeating the motion, her lips slightly parted under the mask, her expression grave.

“It’s still law…”

…

In the afternoon, the sky was overcast, hinting at rain. Though spring had begun, the weather was still cool. The southern climate was naturally humid, and the cold wind cut to the bone.

A crow slowly flew in, perching on a flagpole. It opened its eyes, surveying the surroundings—the University of Political Science and Law.