บท 17: Going Undercover
The next morning, they ran the details of the van in the Alpha at the Cave, and managed to locate its owner and the owner's personal files in just a span fo 5 minutes.
"Wow, this computer really does wonders." Leon said, peering behind the swivel chair. "We even got his biometrics, his driver's license and IDs, birth certificate and his job resume... Really scary stuff."
"According to this files, the van is not owned by a company or tied to it. It's a personal van, though that's quite common in small businesses." Wolfe chuckled. "Or black market ones."
Leon snickered. "If he ever went to a black market , that place would immediately be raided with the amount of information Alpha can get."
"You've ever been to the Black Market?" Wolfe asked.
"Not 'THE' Black Market. 'A' Black Market. It's a common misconception for civilians to think there's just one-stop place for all criminal dealings. "
"Oh? Pray tell." Wolfe said with interest, since he had always been disinterested in the criminal business besides the fictional ones in action movies and in TV.
Or maybe he just wanted to distance himself as much as he can from it all. But here he was, pulled into a child abduction and murder case because of Leon Mo.
"Black markets are any form of network that allows illegal distributions of contraband or any shady transactions. Just like how there's no literal 'criminal underworld', the black market can be anywhere and widespread." Leon explained.
"A black market can even be virtual. You bought a banned international movie through a 3rd-party buyer? You already bought it in a 'black market'. As long as it's an illegal business, or at least non-complying one, it is already a black market."
"Ah. That makes sense. So the dark web is some sort of black market then too. After all, many hackers use it to buy and sell information." Wolfe nodded.
"Exactly."
Leon then pointed at the screen. "His resume. This would tell us what the warehouse is and what company he's exactly working for."
Wolfe nodded, enlarging the document. "Let's see..... Ah, here it was."
"Long Zhufu Noodle House." Len frowned. It means 'Dragon Blessing'.
Wolfe typed some more on the computer's rickety keyboard. "Hold on, let me look for the address."
The screen then showed a Google Maps directing to this. It was a tiny local restaurant that was not that popular, located near the slums that they went to. The symbol was a dragon holding a bowl of soup, with round lumps floating among the noodles.
Leon frowned. "I still don't understand why they need to cook children. There needs to be a motivation for every crime, especially something organized like this, or else the police would not buy it."
"You're going to report it once you find that motivation, huh? Then after that they just... bust out the business and put them in jail?" Wolfe asked.
"That's pretty much it." Leon looked at his watch. "I'll go observe it for a while and gather more conclusive evidence as a customer."
"Let me come with you---" Wolfe was about to stand up, and Leon pushed him back down the chair.
"No more. You stay here. This is getting into more dangerous territory." Leon said. "Go visit our parents, they've been giving me missed calls and asking me again and again what we think about the contract."
"But after that, I could join you---"
"No." Leon said. "That's final, little wolf. Don't be stubborn, this whole case will be over soon and we'll finally clear Yao Yuzhui's name."
As he left, Wolfe gritted his teeth. But he followed as Leon said, visiting their parents and informing them about their decision.
--------------------------
Leon entered the dainty restaurant that did not look anything suspicious at all. There were patrons, mostly old people who probably had been eating in her for years and have been regulars since who knows when.
He doesn't know whether these old people knew they were eating children or not, and if they were in on it. So, he went around to put his smooth-talking to use.
The easiest way to make someone admit a crime without them realizing it was to make them believe that you have them figured out, even when you were not really sure.
But all these oldies were in the clear. They answered brief, no doublespeak or euphemisms, and was merely interested on the fact that someone as handsome as this young man was here alone and unmarried.
Many of them, especially the old women, used their own tactics to slyly get Leon to meet their daughters and go on a blind date with them. Leon politely refused, and ordered some food that he never touched, leaving the store to not seem suspicious.
He can't just go around talking to people all day, that would be too obvious. And so, he decided to go back everyday at varying hours, claiming that he had found the food delicious.
No one noticed at all that he barely moved his spoon and looked at every single noodle soup like it has poison inside. That was how well his acting was, he was on par with a professional himself.
One day, he noticed that the van from before came to bring new goods in tightly-shut boxes. He watched them with narrow eyes while being talked to again by an old lady that 'someone with good genes as him should do the world a favor and spread it around'.
He skillfully excused himself from the conversation, and followed after to see where they would put it by asking for a bottle of water. He saw that they went to some sort fo staff room, though there wasn't any signs for these places really.
Customers just don't go there and mind their business. Some of the waiters and cashiers also go there, besides the cooks.
Leon thought about he would be able to go there and check these 'goods'.
Perhaps tomorrow, he should make a distraction like a commotion and go inside while everyone was distracted. No one was guarding that door anyway since that would really look suspicious if they only put noodles and cabbages and carrots there.
"Here's your water, sir." A staff member told him cheerfully.
"Thanks." He turned his eyes away, and drank from the water bottle. But then....
His eyes widened upon seeing the smiling waiter. He then choked, and coughed out the water that got pushed in his throat.
"Are you alright, sir?" The waiter asked worriedly.
He handed him some tissues and patted Leon's back. Leon grabbed his wrist.
"Where's the bathroom?"
The waiter blinked. "Well, it's right over there, sir---"
Leon dragged him towards it. "I'm a little nearsighted, can you guide me there?"
The bathroom was near the storage room where they placed those boxes, and the two of them didn't go there, but inside the storage room instead.
No one noticed since they walked quickly, and there was a waiter that went there, so it must have been fine for that gentleman to enter too.
When Leon closed the door behind him, he slammed the restaurant staff member on the wall.
"Ow! Sir, you're hurting me..."
"Wolfe Fang. What the hell are you doing here?" Leon asked, his eyes looking absolutely deadly.
Wolfe couldn't believe it. His disguise was absolutely perfect, not even his parents recognized him when he asked them about it.
"Do you have the eyes of a god, Leon Mo? How did you even...."
"I repeat. Why are you here?" He clasped the collar of Wolfe's uniform. "How did you manage to pretend as an employee so fast?"
Wolfe grinned. "Just a little bit of Wolfe Fang magic. Impressed?"
Leon could not lie that he really was impressed. Even when he managed to recognize him, that disguise was really too good, no one could tell at all that he was wearing prosthetics.
"Tsk. What did you find out?" Leon asked. "Have you seen what these boxes were for?"
"I was on it. This is actually just my third day on the job, but at least that's better than you buying food you never ate like some weirdo for weeks, right?" Wolfe mocked.
Leon ignored him, and took out a pocket knife. Wolfe whistled. "Whoah, didn't know you have that in your person."
Leon just rolled his eyes, cutting one of the boxes open slowly but surely when-----
"Haha, everything is in proper order, Mr. Long. Would you like to check?"
"Where's the manager?"
"The Boss is not around, he must be somewhere nearby. He'll come here soon enough."
Their eyes widened. Someone was about to go inside.
There was no place to hide. The boxes are not big enough to hide two grown men no matter how much they stack them and cram their bodies.
The only way out was the door. They were completely fucked.
Wolfe gave Leon a look that was like 'what are we going to do?'. Leon also looked a bit panicked, when suddenly---
He grabbed Wolfe Fang and carried him all the way to the door, slamming him once again!
BANG!
"What was that?" They heard this 'Mr. Long' ask.
The door had this rectangular glass peephole too, and they saw the back of Wolfe's head.
Wolfe hissed. "What the hell are you doing, Leon Mo!?"
Leon whispered back, burying his head on his neck. "Say 'Don't, Boss! Please, someone might see us!' and moan."
Wolfe. exe stopped working for a moment.
But there was no time, the other person shouted. "Who's there!?"
Wolfe played along, as Leon ground against him and caused loud banging on the door.
"Oh, Boss Chu~ Not here, mn! Please, someone might hear us, ah~"
He gave a very convincing performance, as the two men outside paled in fright like they just saw a ghost.
"Fuck my mother, this is what your boss has been up to!?" Mr. Long exclaimed. "Truly unprofessional, I'm telling this to my father! This branch has been the weakest link anyway, it deserves to be burned to the ground!"
"Oh, sir! This may have been a misunderstanding! Please, don't do that---"
"Mmm! Ahhh! Boss Chu, please! No~"
Mr. Long huffed, his heavy footsteps could be heard booming as he walked with a stride. "My decision is final. No more funding, no more pesky repairs--- out all of you!"
The two men left as the other guy followed after Mr. long that went outside to make a call, trying to change his mind.
The two Oscar-worthy actors stopped and huffed with relief.
But then, they had another situation.
Wolfe pointed down. "Leon Mo.... Your pants....."
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