Chapter 1397: The Cruel Truth!
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Camelback Island, the seash.o.r.e…
Xia Fan and Cheyenne were sitting on the beach, completely soaking wet and enjoying the warm afternoon sun of the autumn day. After returning from the underground world that had no real sunlight back to the world of the living, the two felt as if they had just been granted a new lease on life after surviving a catastrophe..
Cheyenne glanced at the message she had received from the communicator on her wrist and let out a bitter chuckle, “According to the seismology bureau, there was a 3.2 earthquake somewhere seventy kilometers deep under the sea. It was probably caused by the self-destruction of the trial ground.”
Xia Fei did not give her a reply. He pulled some things out from his spatial ring and placed them neatly on the ground. Among them was the key-shaped sapphire pendant called the Ocean Code.
Xia Fan and Cheyenne already knew that the Ocean Code was what the Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon gave to prospective members of their squads. It was a key to enter the trial grounds, and they had only managed to escape the self-destruct sequence through the emergency pa.s.sageway because they found the key on Lajah’s body.
Xia Fan softly said, “Can you bring me back to the Bar a.s.sociation’s filing office?”
Cheyenne was taken aback. “Haven’t we already cracked the case? We already know who killed Jiang Xiaohan, so why do we have to go to the Bar a.s.sociation?”
Xia Fan chuckled, turning his gaze toward the clear blue sky above, “I don’t want to think too purely of humanity, but it’s too bad, the truth can’t be avoided. No matter what, I still want to clarify a speculation of mine.”
…
The Brenia Planetary Bar a.s.sociation…
After flas.h.i.+ng their IDs, the director of the filing office, w.a.n.g Tianmin, received Xia Fan and Cheyenne. Faced with Xia Fan’s request, w.a.n.g Tianmin gave them a troubled look, but after Cheyenne tapped her Special Bureau badge on the office table quite a few times, w.a.n.g Tianmin sighed helplessly and complied with Xia Fan’s request.
“Please wait for a moment. I’ll head to the archives room.” After w.a.n.g Tianmin acquiesced, he stood up and left the room.
Xia Fan smiled. “The words ‘Special Bureau’ sure are very useful. Even something like lawyer-client confidentiality can be ignored. Director w.a.n.g is actually willing to show us the filing doc.u.ments in private.”
Cheyenne scoffed, “You’ll slowly come to realize just how deep the authority of the Special Bureau runs. Honestly, you’re quite the exception, having been able to become a trainee Investigator without having any qualifications whatsoever. Of course, while our authority is seemingly limitless, you mustn’t abuse it. These past few years, the Union have had issues with how much authority we wield and there has been quite a bit of grumbling.”
Xia Fei nodded. He had been wondering if it was more beneficial for him to use the authority of the Special Bureau to search for the Skywing Token that would let him meet his kin. He was still just a trainee investigator right now, and did not truly hold any official authority. He was also quite uncomfortable having Cheyenne help him investigate matters regarding the Skywing Clan in his stead.
“This is Jiang Chunwen’s will. According to the bar a.s.sociation’s requirements, there is always a duplicate of the will set forth between a client and their lawyer, one to be placed in the custody of the lawyer, and the other deposited in the archives, for verification,” Director w.a.n.g explained to them.
Xia Fan nodded and picked up the file. He opened it up and retrieved the doc.u.ments within, perusing it quickly.
“Huuu!” Xia Fan suddenly let out a long sigh. He then shook his head helplessly, and muttered to himself, “Sure enough, that’s how it is!”
Cheyenne was curious, hurriedly asking him, “Sure enough what? What exactly did you discover?”
Xia Fan did not reply. He returned the file to w.a.n.g Tianmin and smiled, “Thank you, Director w.a.n.g, for your help. This is her personal card. If you ever need any help in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us.”
w.a.n.g Tianmin was delighted. He clutched Cheyenne’s card like he had just received a precious treasure, repeatedly bowing and giving them his thanks.
——
Leaving the Bar a.s.sociation, Cheyenne sniffed in dissatisfaction, “Why did you give my name card to him? My private number was printed on it!”
Xia Fan shrugged, “Fisherman Grandpa once said that the most important aspect of the Beast Control Technique is in ensuring mutual benefits. Little animals help you, so you must give them benefits in turn. I treat humans in a similar fas.h.i.+on; the crux of the Beast Control Technique isn’t controlling animals, but in granting mutual benefits,opening your heart to one another.
“Don’t worry. Director w.a.n.g is just a commoner, and the chance that he could encounter any trouble for the rest of his entire life that would require the help of the Special Bureau is miniscule at best. Even if he runs into some minor trouble, he would not dare bother you with it. That thin personal card of yours has earned you long-term trust and respect from the other, so it’s a very worthwhile transaction. Did you not see just how moved Director w.a.n.g was when he accepted your personal card?”
Cheyenne froze, “You actually adopted the same line of thinking toward w.a.n.g Tianmin as what you would toward little animals?”
Xia Fan nodded. “Different species they may be, but the logic remains true nevertheless.”
“Freak!” Cheyenne rolled her eyes at Xia Fan.
…
…
Before heading to Jiang’s villa, Xia Fan had Cheyenne make a few calls beforehand. By the time their hovercar landed at their compound, Xia Fan spotted two police hovercars parked there as well, and the local police’s major crime squad had already arrived.
When Jiang Chunwen learned that the case had been cracked, he was so excited that he had Caretaker Feng to push him into the yard. The moment he saw Xia Fan and Cheyenne arrive, he was so thrilled that he practically got up from his hoverchair.
Everyone sat down in the Jiang living room. Jiang Chunwen was asking impatiently for details, but Xia Fan merely shook his head slightly, addressing the two policemen in windbreakers seated beside him. “Restrain Caretaker Feng and his wife.”
The police were stunned, while Jiang Chunwen was flabbergasted. The color abruptly drained from the faces of the Feng couple.
The police were still uncertain, but they moved to hold down the couple, who were already elderly individuals past their seventies. They were kindly and seemingly harmless, in no way the sort that would require any excessive effort. The policemen merely made a show of it, and held them down by their shoulders.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Chunwen asked in a panic. “Old Feng has been with me my entire life. Even the temperature of my bath water has not been off by a degree, and there’s no way he would be the one behind Xiaohan’s incident.”
Xia Fan chuckled, “I didn’t say he killed Jiang Xiaohan.
“However, there is something that I could not make sense of from the start till now. Feng Mao, you and your wife live on the first floor, in a room right next to the kitchen. You said that there was a storm the night of the incident, with lightning flas.h.i.+ng and thunder cras.h.i.+ng, which was why you didn’t hear a sound coming from the bas.e.m.e.nt, right?”
Feng Mao nodded vigorously.
“Then you’re lying!” Xia Fan said to the policemen, “Send two men, one to speak in the bas.e.m.e.nt, while the other goes and lies on Feng Mao’s bed. There’s a water pipe that runs beside his bed. Try and see if you can hear anything from the bas.e.m.e.nt through that.”
In no time at all, the police returned, shocked looks on their faces.
“I can’t hear any sounds from the bas.e.m.e.nt when I stand in the room, but if I were to lie down, with my ears near that water pipe, I could hear someone speaking in the bas.e.m.e.nt, though it is rather soft,” the policeman reported to those in the living room.
Xia Fan continued, “That was something that I simply couldn’t make sense of. The killer possessed great strength, and so there was no way no one would hear what they were doing. However, with so many children all gathered together, they were bound to make plenty of noise given how energetic and exuberant they were. Could no one have heard of the din they made?
“That pipe that connects from Feng Mao and his wife’s room to the bas.e.m.e.nt happens to be near the left side of the bed. From what I know, that is the spot where Feng Mao’s wife habitually sleeps.
“She is sure to have heard the commotion the kids were making from the bas.e.m.e.nt, maybe even complaining to her husband about the young masters being too noisy, and that they were preventing her from getting any rest.
“When the noise suddenly stopped at midnight, Feng Mao’s wife grew somewhat worried, and sent him to go down and check.
“Finally, when Feng Mao finallywent down, he saw an absolutely gruesome scene through the gap of the door.
“Don’t tell me that there’s no light in the bas.e.m.e.nt; In fact, there is a bay window in the bas.e.m.e.nt, and according to the weather records, the intensity of the storm was so great in the area that there were 7539 bolts of lightning recorded, lasting through the entire night.
“Every time lightning flashed the sky, there would be a temporary flash lighting up the bas.e.m.e.nt. Through that weak light, Feng Mao could very well see the traces of blood on the ground, and even the killer’s butcher knife.
When Xia Fan rattled off his speculations, everyone was left dumbfounded.
Cheyenne also had no doubt that when the killers were doing the deed, there was no way they would make even a hint of sound. They were special ability users, and were all experienced killers.
But everyone, including the police investigating the case, had all been too preoccupied with the sounds the killers made, and had forgotten about the fact that when so many children were gathered, they were bound to make a din. The reason why they shut the door to the bas.e.m.e.nt was just so that they could have as much fun as possible without bothering the adults. Were children not all like that everywhere?
But since there was a way for them to hear the noise the children were making, and then the noise suddenly came to a halt, how could anyone not get suspicious?
Though Xia Fan had cut into this murder case, a rather strange angle, Xia Fan’s speculation as to what had happened left everyone impressed.
Xia Fan could tell that sweat was already beading out profusely from the foreheads of the old couple, who appeared exceptionally anxious. This was normal, given that they were just regular citizens who had not received any specialized training. Feng Mao did not commit any major mistake, but over the past four years, his conscience had been eating at him, acc.u.mulating a growing pressure. Now that the truth had been found out, the hearts of the Fengs naturally collapsed.
After a pause, Xia Fan said, “We went to the Bar a.s.sociation and checked. According to Mister Jiang Chunwen’s will, his granddaughter Jiang Xiaohan would be the only inheritor. In this sense, Mister Jiang is far too harsh, not even leaving any a.s.sets to the old caretaker who has been taking care of you your entire life.”
With that, Xia Fan lifted his head to look at Jiang Chunwen, and saw a sad expression on his face, rubbing his hands in chagrin.
Xia Fan continued, “It is just as you said yourself, Feng Mao and his wife have been here since their twenties, and have been taking care of you for your whole life. Even their three children were born here in this villa, across the span of nearly fifty years.
“I wonder how much salary you pay the couple every month?”
Jiang Chunwen lowered his head and replied with the barest of whispers, “1800 Union dollars every month.”
Everyone frowned. That came up to be 900 per person, which was the minimum wage dictated by Union law. Who would have guessed that a billionaire like Jiang Chunwen would actually pay his old servants such a low salary?
Perhaps it was because he felt everyone gaze on him, that Jiang Chunwen feebly added, “But they get to live on my property for free.”
“Hmph!” Xia Fan chuckled coldly and commented heartlessly, “With a merchant’s personality, all you see is profits. They have taken care of you your entire life, yet they live in a small and narrow cubicle next to the kitchen, paid with the lowest possible wages in the Union, and yet you’d actually have the face to mention that you let them eat and live for free on your property? Why not ask anyone out there in the world if there’s any servant who does this sort of work, starting at the crack of dawn until late at night, who would not also have their food and lodging covered?
“From what I understand, the Feng couple have three children of their own, and eleven grandchildren. All of them live in poverty. While Feng Mao and his wife see it, they are helpless to aid their descendants in any way.
“ALl they could hope is that because they’ve taken care of you your whole life, you’d actually leave them a portion of your inheritance.
“Unfortunately, you gave a large portion of your a.s.sets to your granddaughter, who was barely the age of seven, not leaving even a cent to them.
“When you signed the will with your lawyer, Feng Mao was witness to it too; this is something I’ve confirmed with your lawyer. Feng Mao accompanied you and him for the entire session, serving tea and refreshments, and so he was well aware of the details of the will.”
“He was disheartened, but given how old the pair are, there was no way they could leave you, or leave this villa out in the wilderness. In fact, they might even have a problem feeding themselves.”
“That is why they have no choice but to remain behind, leading lives without any hope.”
“Which was why, on that night, when Feng Mao suddenly realized there was no sound coming from the bas.e.m.e.nt, and saw the blood on the floor, he chose not to call the police. That is because he knew that the moment Feng Xiaohan died, he might be able to inherit your huge estate. Even if he cannot have it all, he could at least get a decent share of it.”
Xia Fan turned toward the couple at this point, his gaze sharp like daggers as he stared right into their eyes, “Greed blinded your conscience, and while Feng Chunwen has been unkindly toward the two of you, that was his fault, and the seven-year-old Jiang Xiaohan was innocent!
“For the sake of wealth, the two of you let this tragedy happen, giving false statements to the police, leading the case to grow cold. The young Jiang Xiaohan died without her body intact, and while what happened to you two is pitiful, what you did in return is also very detestable.”
Xia Fan’s callous words caused Feng Mao’s wife to break down completely.
She was wailing loudly as she knelt down on the ground, tearing at her hair in anguish, like she had gone insane.
“Take her away.” Xia Fan waved his hand dismissively.
The policeman dragged Feng Mao’s wife away, leaving the room with an oppressive atmosphere.
No one would have guessed how cruel the truth of this case would turn out. The life in Jiang Chunwen’s eyes gradually dimmed, looking like a zombie who had collapsed in his hoverchair.
Cheyenne’s look of shock was still there she asked in consternation, “Just when did you begin to suspect that there was something off with Feng Mao and his wife?”
Xia Fan sighed, “The first time we came, Jiang Chunwen was disheartened, while Feng Mao and his wife were spirited. They had kept the villa clean this entire time, while the courtyard outside was filled with withered leaves, creating a great disparity.
“The reason was precisely because they knew that the villa would be theirs soon. The courtyard appeared unkempt solely for appearances sake. People would suspect something if they cleaned it up too much.
“When I made this observation, I still refused to believe it. After all, I grew up in isolation from the world, and my grandparents always warned me that the world beyond is treacherous, but I always had my doubts.
“It was only after I saw the three men did I realize that humans could be so distastefully terrible to such a degree. On our return, I began to face the observation I made frankly, and my grandparents were proven right. There’s truly far too much inexorable cruelty in this world.”
Cheyenne was rendered speechless by his statement. She was quite acquainted with what Xia Fan had been through. It turned out that he had long since noticed this dissonance, and had only been unwilling to consider this most malicious possibility out of the kindness of his heart.
The experience in the trial ground had changed Xia Fan. It seemed like he had matured overnight. Of course, this could also be because he had inadvertently learned about his familial clan. The Skywings were no doubt bold and brave, and Xia Fan hoped that he would be able to face everything with the same boldness and bravery.
Nodding, Xia Fan turned to the expressionless Feng Mao and said to the policeman there, “Have him brought away, as well. You shouldn’t have any problems finding the truth if you follow the breadcrumbs.
“However, I do hope that you’ll treat them leniently. In truth, he could have had Jiang Chunwen killed at any time, and that way he could have gained the wealth that he sought more quickly.
“But, he didn’t do such a thing, choosing to continue to care for Jiang Chunwen, slowly waiting for him to die of old age.”
The policeman nodded, thanking Xia Fan profusely before leaving. After all, he had helped solve the cold case, which had raised a huge rock from their chests.
Getting up, Xia Fan made his way to Jiang Chunwen’s side and handed him the pendant, Ocean Code, as well as Cheyenne’s bank account number, “What’s mine should be mine; not a cent less, not a cent more. Please make the ten million transfer as soon as possible.”
Jiang Chunwen was startled, but slowly nodded faintly.
Xia Fan’s gaze and voice were filled with indifference. Though he sympathized with Jiang Xiaohan and the innocent children, he did not have any warm feelings for Jiang Chunwen.
Cheyenne and Xia Fan left the villa together, departing in their hovercar. The sky was clear and bright, with the autumn sun hanging over them.
—
Behind him the sound of heartrending sobs from Jiang Chunwen rose from inside the villa. A large and lonely manor, a cold courtyard. Everywhere was devoid of life.