Netherworld Investigator

The woman insisted that Young Master Wang raped her and the reporters had witnessed the scene with their own eyes so the young master was unable to justify himself.

Needless to say, Baldy must have arranged this. The triads were really resourceful to have so easily set up Young Master Wang for the blame.

In fact, this was nothing compared to what I had seen in another case where an officer had been set up. A gangster shot and killed someone, dug out the bullet and replaced it with a bullet from a police gun. Then, he stripped the body and dressed it in clothes that had the officer’s fingerprints, not forgetting to scatter some of the officer’s hair at the crime scene and forging his footprints. With all that “evidence,” the case was airtight. Although the officer was later cleared, he had already committed suicide with a sharpened toothbrush in prison.

How terrifying it was to offend the triads!

Young Master Wang vehemently shook the cell bars. "Xiaotao, I was framed. They were colluding with each other and this guy must’ve done it!"

Xiaotao glanced at me in surprise but I calmly asked, "How can you be so sure I did it?"

"Because yesterday, I..." the young master stopped abruptly.

While he hesitated, I was happy to go on speaking. "What happened last night? Would you like to share it with the police?"

The rape accusation against him was false but it was true he had hired gangsters to hurt me. Afraid to continue on with the subject, he glared at me with hateful eyes.

"You better behave yourself!" warned Xiaotao.

When we turned around to leave, Young Master Wang heatedly maintained his innocence. "Xiaotao, I didn’t do it. You have to believe me!"

Xiaotao couldn’t be bothered with him and asked me what happened last night instead. I narrated the whole incident with Dali as my witness. 

"He deserves it!" laughed Xiaotao.

"What will you charge him with?" I asked.

"Right now, we don’t have much time so I can’t be bothered about him,” replied Xiaotao. “We’ll just charge him with rape. After all, we have the evidence."

Young Master Wang was detained for only one morning before he was released on bail by his lawyer at noon. At the time, I happened to pass by the same corridor as him. "Did you tell her everything?" demanded the young master.

"So you have the guts to do it but you’re afraid people will know?" I mocked in a tit-for-tat manner.

He gnashed his teeth, face contorting as he threatened, "I'll get someone to rip off your tongue next time!"

I didn't think anything of his words at first. But just when Young Master Wang reached the door, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. "Stop!" I yelled.

Words reflected the subconscious mind. What a person said could inadvertently reveal what they had seen or done. To give an example, once Dali asked the oldest in our dormitory, who was also on the board of the Student Union, how to write the word “wei” in “weiqu”(wronged). What the latter replied was: “Exactly how you write “wei” in “weiyuanhui”(committee).”

I was certain the young master’s use of words wasn’t without reason. Based on my intuition, I speculated that it had something to do with the case we were investigating.

Without wasting a moment, I walked up to Young Master Wang. "Where did you see someone’s tongue being ripped out?" I asked, using Cave Vision to observe his body language.

Though well disguised, Young Master Wang still revealed a hint of panic. “I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he argued.

"Are you familiar with the scene of a man in copper armor walking on fire?" I continued questioning him.

Beads of cold sweat wet his forehead as he bit his lower lip. "I have matters to deal with so I don't have time for an idle chat with you. Goodbye!"

"Stop right there!" I commanded.

For an instant, Young Master Wang was like a mouse that had been caught by a cat. His reaction made me absolutely sure he had something to do with the case.

"Officer, my client is not required to answer any questions from you,” interposed the lawyer. “I will answer your questions on his behalf."

"This is regarding another case,” I explained. “You’re only representing him in the rape case. If you want to speak for him, show me your representation agreement, otherwise I’ll take this as a provocation to the Ministry of Public Security."

The lawyer was stunned into silence. Usually, it was the other way around when I was asked to come up with an arrest warrant. I was pleased to find that I could turn around and use the same move against others!

I asked a few passing officers to bring in Young Master Wang. In the conference room, Xiaotao was discussing the case with several officers. Seeing that I had come back with the young master in tow, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happened? It’s been less than five minutes since he left. Is it a second offense?"

"He might be related to the serial murder case that’s currently under investigation."

Everyone stopped what they were doing; the grave look in their eyes solidified. An officer pushed Young Master Wang into his seat while Xiaotao interrogated, "Tell me, are you involved in the case or are you just part of the audience?"

Face pale, the young master trembled like a leaf but still attempted to brave it out. "I refuse to answer any questions until my lawyer comes back!"

"Looks like you won’t play nice!” exploded Xiaotao as she heavily struck the table. “Do you know how the police deal with criminals?"

Young Master Wang was taken aback. "That’s against the law! You have no right..."

"What’s the big deal?!” scoffed Xiaotao. “Worse comes to worst, I’ll take off my uniform and turn myself in after I deal with you!"

Xiaotao’s disregard scared the young master into talking. "I-I’ll confess! I’ll talk!"

When Xiaotao sat back down, I noticed she was rubbing her hands under the table. There was probably some truth to the fierce intimidation she had just displayed. After all, putting on a show of force to terrorize suspects had always been her forte.

Young Master Wang explained that he was actually a member of the live streaming website called “In-depth Live Stream.” The website was dedicated to airing hardcore content. Even the “swamp eel” video that caused a great stir on the internet was child’s play compared to the content released on this website.

This website was a well-protected secret and didn’t employ any publicity methods. Similar to entertainment clubs, only members could introduce new members. Young Master Wang had been introduced by a friend who knew he wanted something a little more thrilling. Each new member had to undergo a long probation period before they were allowed to enjoy the more taboo content.

Two weeks ago, the website launched a very exciting live stream called "Hell's Judgment" by the streamer “Storm Punisher.” The content was similar to the movie, “Saw,” where the streamer trapped several immoral people in a place equipped with an escape mechanism and gave them a chance to survive.

In the first episode, a man was locked in a complicated contraption that was difficult to describe with words alone. There were retractable blades attached to the device. If the victim wanted to pull out his legs, the blades would fall onto his arms. But if he decided to move his arms, his legs would be lost. The design of this contraption was very elaborate.

The man had been brought in for trial by the torturer because of the lengthy abuse he had inflicted upon his own mother. After crying for a long time, he finally sacrificed his hands before he escaping.

That night itself, the website experienced a staggeringly high click-through rate and the in-stream donations went through the roof. The streamer actually made more than 2 million from that video.

After watching the live stream, everyone had a heated discussion in the forum. They were all hungry for more. This was the real hardcore content, far more exhilarating than watching people eat their own excrement or self-harm. 

Seeing the warm response from the audience, the website decided to move up the release of the next "Hell’s Judgement" episode, going from the originally planned once–a–month schedule to once a week. Young Master Wang had watched the burning episode last week and the tongue-pulling one released this week.

When he finished speaking, pin-drop silence enveloped the room. 

Finally, I asked, "Can anyone enter the website and watch the live streams?"

Young Master Wang shook his head. "You have to pay!"

Due to the special nature of the website, each member had to deposit an amount of 1 million US dollars to ensure that they wouldn’t leak the contents to the public. Incidentally, this rule also determined how wealthy the members had to be. However, due to Young Master Wang’s recklessness, the existence of the most horrendous, bloodthirsty live streaming website in all of history had finally floated to the surface.