Crazy Detective

"That's two questions!" Zhao Yu chortled. "You're in luck, I'm in a good mood so you get another one!

"Your truth serum is imperfect. Despite having administered the serum, Cui Lizhu still remembers the questions you asked her. All it took was a little hypnosis and she recalled everything!" Zhao Yu said solemnly. "I guess you guys already knew about the inadequacies of the serum. That's why you killed those experts, right?"

"Then… only a photo of the nesting doll remained. How did you manage to crack the code without the kaleidoscope?" the masked man repeated his question.

Heh!

Zhao Yu snickered to himself. Why did it sound as if he had said 'his mom' instead of 'nesting doll'? No wonder the Lip-Reading Device couldn't interpret it accurately! [1]

"Did you notice the dress worn by the nesting doll?" Zhao Yu asked. "The color of the dress, the lace hem, and the embellishments – they're all similar to the red walls, green tiles, and the clouds on the eaves of the Qing Imperial Palace.

"We've checked. In the whole of China, only the Qing Imperial Palace has such architecture. That's why we're here." Zhao Yu smiled. "We were going to check it out but hadn't expected to actually run into you guys! What a small world!"

Zhao Yu was well-versed in lying. He knew that the best way to lie was through half-truths. Otherwise, it would appear to be too fake.

As expected, the masked man and his cohorts fell for Zhao Yu's explanation hook, line, and sinker. "It didn't occur to us that the maker of the nesting doll would have such a card up his sleeve…" the masked man mused.

There's more than one card up my sleeve, Zhao Yu thought to himself.

Zhao Yu chuckled. I haven't told you about the female ghost dressed in red! But that story involves another country, so let's not talk about it.

"No wonder…" sighed the masked man. "You guys managed to find your way here, but didn't know the exact location!"

"Don't we know now?" Zhao Yu gestured toward the group of people who were digging. "Alright, I suggest that you save your effort. You've already been surrounded, what good is it even if you manage to dig out the treasure? You'll just be doing us a favor."

"Humph!" The masked man narrowed his eyes. "It's too early to determine the victor! We've got hostages, and as soon as the helicopter arrives, we've still got a shot at winning!"

"Haha…" Zhao Yu laughed, shaking his head. "I really don't understand you guys! China is huge, so what if we provide you with a helicopter?"

"Let me ask you. If you weren't certain, then why did you evacuate the tourists in advance?" the man asked.

"We had to play safe!" Zhao Yu motioned toward the hostages. "We didn't want something like this to happen, but it still did!"

"Then… how did you manage to find me under the Chaofenglou?" the masked man wondered. [2]

"Don't you know what I specialize in?" Zhao Yu replied without hesitation. "When we engaged at the secret base, I already committed your foul moves to my memory! I recognized you immediately when we were under Chaofenglou! It's just that you were too fast for me! However, I really didn't expect that guide to be your accomplice…"

"Then…" the masked man seemed to have more questions.

"Hey! It should be my turn now!" Zhao Yu retorted. "What's your name, and whose command are you under? Your backer must be really powerful to allow you guys to come and create such a ruckus in our country."

"Haha…" the masked man snickered. "There's no need for you to know! I won't tell you, even if you are about to die!"

"Eh?" Zhao Yu grinned. "You're untrustworthy, huh? I look down on people like you!"

"Hahaha…." the masked man could no longer hold in his laughter. "Mr. Zhao, I really admire your abilities. We wouldn't be so passive if it weren't for you!

"But, did you think I would let you go? After you've killed so many of my teammates?"

"Hey! You're really shameless…" Zhao Yu pointed beyond the main hall. "You were the one that killed your colleagues outside. You're indeed ruthless, silencing them like this!"

Hmm?

The big guy and the short ruffian were stunned at what Zhao Yu had just said.

"Baka! Still trying to sow discord?" The masked man raised his pistol in rage, about to pull the trigger.

At that moment, a loud boom came from the excavation site, startling the hostages in charge of digging.

Everyone was distracted by the sudden commotion and turned toward the source of the sound. The hostages had all stopped digging and instead stared at the pit as if they'd just seen something unusual.

Upon seeing this, the short ruffian jumped into the pit and started pounding away at something. It sounded like rock disintegrating…

Not long after, the short ruffian climbed out of the pit and nodded excitedly at the masked man.

"Hehe…" The masked man gleefully took out a small rectangular leather bag, passed it to the big guy, then aimed his pistol at Zhao Yu again.

The big guy swiftly opened the bag and took out a syringe, then quickly filled it with fluid.

"Mr. Zhao," the masked man said in disdain, "You were right, we were indeed trying to buy time. That's the reason I talked so much crap with you."

"Now… this is the moment that is truly important!" The masked man winked at the big guy and continued, "It's actually really easy for us to make you tell the truth! However, if you want to know the truth, you'll have to find out in h*ll. You'll have you're a** handed to you!"

Just as he finished speaking, the big guy started approaching Zhao Yu with the syringe, evidently planning to inject Zhao Yu with it.

"Hey, hey… hang on, bud…" Zhao Yu pretended to panic, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Wait a minute, I still have something to say! The whole point of using the truth serum on me is to find out what we know, right? I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything we know…"

"No, no, no," the masked man said as he moved his pistol. "I'll only trust you after you've been injected with the truth serum! I don't like you clear-headed, you're too fake…"

"Why?" Zhao Yu protested. "An honest person like me never lies, you can't do this… hey… hey…"

Despite Zhao Yu's resistance, the big guy still managed to overcome him with one arm. Restraining Zhao Yu, he quickly injected the syringe in his neck.

Ah…

Zhao Yu grimaced, but the big guy was too strong for him. There was no way Zhao Yu could break free.

In the blink of an eye, the entire contents of the syringe had been injected into Zhao Yu's body. It was only then that the big guy removed the syringe.

"Ah… argh argh argh…" Pressing down on the spot at which he had been injected, Zhao Yu started swaying and foaming at the mouth. Soon after, his eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground.

"Hahaha…" The masked man walked toward Zhao Yu gleefully, gently patting him on his cheek. He then said to him softly, "Zhao Yu… Zhao Yu… you're exhausted, have a good rest. Don't resist, you'll feel really comfortable. Adjust your breathing… yes… take it slow…"

Zhao Yu lowered his body in sync to the masked man's whispers as if he had become a wooden puppet.

Hmm…

The masked man nodded in satisfaction before asking, "Zhao Yu, how much do you guys actually know regarding the treasure?"

"##￥￥%..." Zhao Yu answered in a stupor. His voice was barely audible.

The masked man had no choice but to move closer to Zhao Yu. He finally heard what Zhao Yu said. "Ni nai nai ge xiong… go to h*ll, motherf*cker…" [2]

[1]: Pronunciation for 'his mom' and 'nesting doll' sound somewhat similar in Mandarin; they are pronounced 'tama' and 'taowa', respectively

[2]: Chaofenglou is the palace that Zhao Yu originally noticed the masked man under when he ran into the tourist group

[3]: 'Ni nai nai ge xiong' is literally translated as 'Your grandma's bear'; it's used as profanity and is meant to be offensive