The term "Red Informant" is rarely mentioned, even within police circles. This is because they are unlike ordinary informants; first and foremost, one must possess a police identity.
I never took the civil service examination, so there would be no contract for a Red Informant.
"Tang Nan, stop this nonsense. You are not a Red Informant at all. Back in Guangzhou, it was I who provided you with a false identity, claiming it was to protect my informant."
"Captain Luo, you can investigate, can't you? Investigate under the suspicion of Wang Zeyî!"
Luo Bo turned and left. I didn't call out to him and went downstairs alone. I returned home and slept like a log until the next day when someone knocked on my door, waking me up.
It was Chang Dachun, who I had asked to book my flight ticket. I had a flight to Chengdu, Sichuan, that afternoon. Seeing my state, Chang Dachun was startled. "What happened?"
"Wang Zeyî is dead!"
"How did the old leader die?"
"The 'Imposter' did it. I might not be able to leave today. Brother Chang, can you find someone you know to help me investigate someone?"
"Who are you investigating?"
"Ke Yingying!"
"Why are you investigating him?"
"This Ke Yingying was supposed to meet me, but he never showed up. Now, Wang Zeyî is dead, and he's certainly involved."
Just as Chang Dachun was about to agree, someone knocked on the door. "Is this Tang Nan's place? I'm Old Ke!"
Speak of the devil, Ke Yingying, who had been missing, appeared right after Wang Zeyî's death. I looked at Chang Dachun, who whispered, "Do you want to see him?"
"Let him in. He knows everything about me; how could he not know my address?"
"Mr. Ke, I'm here!"
Ke Yingying pushed the door open. He wasn't his usual cheerful self; his expression was stern. He looked at me and said, "Tang Nan, you need to come with me."
"Where?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Chang Dachun's expression soured. "You want us to go, so we just go with you?"
"Buddy, I'm doing this on official business. Let's not let this strain our friendship. I've lived too long in dangerous situations, fighting with knives at the ready. You can't handle that."
I smiled calmly. "From the beginning, you've been playing us, haven't you, Mr. Ke? Are you a Schemer or a pawn?"
"A pawn."
"Whose?"
"You'll know when you get there."
I stood up and said to Chang Dachun, "I'll be back soon."
"Do you need me to notify anyone?"
"No!"
...
I followed Ke Yingying out of the courtyard and into a large, imposing black Hongqi car. I asked, puzzled, "Official?"
Ke Yingying managed a strained smile. "You'll know when we get there."
We went to a community branch. Before entering, Ke Yingying showed his work ID to the staff inside. After he brought me in, he led me to a conference room. A moment later, someone pushed the door open, and I was stunned. The person entering wore a uniform, carried a document bag, and wore reading glasses. It was Teacher Wang Ren, whom I knew well.
"Uncle-Master~"
"Tang Nan, here, you should call me Captain Wang!"
"What is this place?"
"The Special Crimes Task Force, a special task force established to solve peculiar cases. I am its leader and its criminal psychology advisor."
I smiled wryly and noticed Wang Ren's epaulets. When I had met her before, she was a criminal psychology expert, and she hadn't displayed any police rank. Perhaps it was due to this task force that her rank was deliberately hidden.
Teacher Wang Ren was actually a Third-Class Police Supervisor, meaning her administrative rank was likely equivalent to a Deputy Department Head. This background was even more significant than Wang Zeyî's.
"You must have many questions. Feel free to ask!"
"When was this Special Crimes Task Force established?"
"In 2000. You were involved in the first case, Qin Sisi's 'Empty Room' celebrity case."
"Uncle-Master, you've kept so much from me~"
"It wasn't entirely hidden. Task forces like this target specific criminal elements. We were all learning as we went."
"Specific criminal elements? You mean the Schemers, right?"
"You could say that. But criminals and Schemers are different. After all, you and I are Schemers, not criminals. Am I right, Sect Leader?"
I gave a wry smile. "You're still joking about this Sect Leader title."
Wang Ren's expression turned serious. "I'm not joking. Our family has this Red tradition. My teacher was a Red spy who traveled abroad in his youth, contributing to the establishment of New China."
"Are you saying you want me to do this too?"
"It's sort of the expectation of the older generation for you."
With that, Teacher Wang Ren handed me a folder. As I opened it, the first page was an application for a police position without examination. The applicant was Tang Nan, the recommender was Wang Zeyî, and the approving authority was Wang Ren.
"What is this?"
"Wang Zeyî always wanted you to join the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but you were lazy and never took the civil service exam. So, he used the privileges of the Special Crimes Task Force to arrange this waiver for you."
"The recommender is Wang Zeyî, and the approver is you. If I hadn't seen your epaulets, I would have thought this was a joke. But I know you have the authority to approve a police assignment."
I closed the file and placed it in front of me. "If I'm not mistaken, the next document should be the contract for a Red Informant."
"Yes. Do you intend to sign?"
"Yes!"
Teacher Wang Ren looked slightly surprised, then smiled. "This is smoother than I expected. Can you tell me why? After all, you're a billionaire. You could immigrate abroad and live a life of leisure."
"There is no home without a country. Ever since I was a child, people told me I was a successor to communism."
Teacher Wang Ren pouted. "Let's put it another way. What you said is true, but it gives me goosebumps."
"No matter how much money I have, it's useless. With a word from you, you could destroy my entire existence."
"That won't happen. This is a society of laws, not a dictatorship."
"Since you don't believe either of those reasons, it means you're serious. So, I'll tell you the truth. I want to tell everyone that Wang Zeyî was a hero."
...
Teacher Wang Ren was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Wang Zeyî shouldn't have died. Cui Fang's death had already cleared his name. But he loved Cui Fang too much and blamed himself for her death, unwilling to live alone. That's why he deliberately lured out the 'Southern Faction,' using himself as a fuse to ignite this war."
"War?"
"The 'Southern Faction' is Gao Ji's strategists' group. After Gao Ji died, they revived his 'thoughts,' claiming Hong Kong as their own and dividing the territory. However, the Gao Ziyan you support does not accept this 'Southern Faction.' So, the 'Southern Faction' wants to support Gao Ziming in regaining control of the Gao family. In a short period, the Gao family's financial situation saw a large outflow of assets. Gao Ziyan exceeded our expectations; she brought in many new people and gained the majority of the initiative in this takeover war. However, I heard that Gao Ziyan's security team suffered casualties."
"They made a move against Gao Ziyan?"
"They did, but they failed!"
I thought carefully, looking at Wang Ren. "What about Cao Qian? Does Cao Qian also follow the 'Southern Faction'?"
"According to the information we control, yes."
"Is that possible?"
"Cao Qian is a piece planted by Cao Shi in this grand scheme. We haven't determined her exact role yet. Undeniably, this Cao Qian has truly mastered Cao Shi's essence; her actions are unpredictable."
It seemed the 'Southern Faction' had become our greatest enemy.
"How much do we know about the 'Southern Faction'?"
"Not much. The only time they attracted public attention was in Yunnan, where they used the method of selecting Tibetan mastiffs to choose the leader of the 'Southern Faction,' and then they disappeared. To date, we only have one murder case attributed to the 'Southern Faction'."
"Wang Zeyî this time?"
"Correct!"
"With just one murder case, the 'Southern Faction,' which has been in hiding for years, has surfaced."
"Tang Nan, have you heard of the butterfly effect? This murder case orchestrated by Wang Zeyî may seem as small as a butterfly flapping its wings, but in another aspect, it can become a storm of astonishing destructive power. That is why Wang Zeyî was willing to sacrifice himself for it."
"Since we know the mastiff selection was done by the 'Witch Doctor,' why didn't we follow that lead?"
"The mastiff selection was not done by the 'Witch Doctor.' The 'Southern Faction' knew the 'Witch Doctor's' identity and deliberately framed her. I was the one who resolved this matter. Back then, after Li Jiu forcibly brought you into this big family, I went to Hohhot to find out about the 'Southern Faction' from Li Jiu."
"Did he say anything?"
"No. Li Jiu only trusts Cao Shi. Even though I helped him resolve the issue with Wang Zi, he didn't believe me. I think he even suspected I was part of the 'Southern Faction'."
"Are you allowed to kill people with your identity?"
"You mean that Wang Zi? He's still detained and undergoing regular psychiatric treatment."
"He didn't die?"
"Does that matter?"
I smiled wryly. It seemed I needed to re-evaluate this world.