The torn file on the ground was obviously Duan Yuanjie’s doing. Xiaotao handcuffed Duan Yunjie and searched for her cell phone which had two outgoing calls.
Xiaotao asked an officer to check the number but we couldn’t identify the caller. "Try calling back!" I suggested.
As soon as the call connected, a voice came from the other end of the line, "Duan Yunjie, have you completed the task?"
Xiaotao hung up and raged, "She’s indeed the traitor!"
"More accurately, being a traitor is a personality of hers."
The woman before me was completely different from the one I had met before. I previously always doubted Duan Yunjie’s ability to keep her independence and self-identity in the face of three years of torture. Out of pity and shared agony, I chose not to suspect her.
Judging her actions, however, she was merely pretending. The Dog Trainer had given her a secret mission to come back as an undercover spy and destroy this file which suggested the importance of the file to the Dog Trainer.
Fortunately for us, the Dog Trainer didn't know the existence of another personality in her body which was created by Duan Yunjie during the painful brainwashing process so she could keep her conscience as an officer. In the process of destroying the files, this personality suddenly emerged, interrupting the completion of her task.
The two personalities were independent of each other and did not share the same memories so she didn't recognize me.
I turned to Duan Yunjie, "Did the Dog Trainer give you a mission?"
Duan Yunjie shook her head desperately, "I don't know. I don't know who the Dog Trainer is."
"Do you know that there’s another person in your body?" I asked.
Duan Yunjie nodded, "That woman is very fierce. She occupies my body most of the time. I only dare sneak out in the middle of the night!"
Xiaotao sighed, "Duan Yunjie, I'll have to detain you for now. I’ll send you to a doctor when tonight comes."
"I don't want to see a doctor! I don't want to see a doctor!" resisted Duan Yunjie.
"Don't worry, we won't throw you into a mental hospital,” assured Xiaotao. “We will find a good doctor and kill your wicked 'sister.’ Will you cooperate with us?"
Duan Yunjie finally nodded.
Fortunately, Duan Yunjie had a split personality so we now knew the Dog Trainer had a secret to hide. "Let’s see what this file is about!" said Xiaotao.
"But it’s already torn up," I sighed.
"Don’t worry. We’ll get the others to help piece it back together!"
Xiaotao brought the torn files back to the conference room and got the officers to put them together. It took us half an hour to recover the ten-year-old case documents. A man named Liu Juncheng was suspected of fleeing after murdering a family due to emotional entanglements.
This was a very common case which made me wonder why the Dog Trainer tried so hard to destroy the files. I stared at the photo of the suspect and suddenly found the man a little familiar. After a few seconds, I shouted, "Liu Juncheng is the Dog Trainer. This is a crime he committed in his younger days!"
"So that’s what this is! What a person wants to hide most is their own mistakes. The Dog Trainer has been committing crimes without staining his own hands with blood. There’s almost no evidence to convict him, but this file is his weakness." Xiaotao smiled and said, "It’s all thanks to Duan Yunjie for helping us!"
However, I found it hard to smile. The Dog Trainer disappeared with hundreds of people. He was definitely going to make a move tonight. Just as I followed this line of thought, a sudden explosion sounded in the distance, the sound echoing in the night sky for some time.
We rushed to the window to see what had happened. There was a firelight in the distance. Xiaotao immediately called the police in that jurisdiction and the other party said they were investigating.
Just after she hung up, Sun Tiger called. "Something’s happened! A group of thugs appeared on the street, madly smashing stores. Xiaotao, quickly send three people out to patrol. I suspect it’s related to the Dog Trainer!"
Xiaotao immediately assigned several officers out on duty while I called Dali and told him to close up the store at once as well as inform the other store owners on the same street.
When the officers had been sent out, the phone suddenly rang. Several citizens said that someone in Jiangxing District was attacking people with a knife as loud sobbing rang throughout the street.
After that, the phones were ringing off the hook with people reporting all sorts of crime–
"Officer, a truck suddenly rushed in near my community and injured two security guards. Send an ambulance..."
"I’d like to report a fire on Coast Road. I saw several people throwing burning bottles..."
"Help!!! Officer, save me. Some bad guys broke into my bakery and killed my grandparents!"
Xiaotao was wide-eyed with disbelief. In the blink of an eye, several jurisdictions in Nanjiang City were riddled with crimes. Right then, an officer ran up, panting, "Captain Huang, there’s someone outside who wants to see you."
"I don’t have the time now. We’ve got to head out to maintain law and order!"
"That man is the Dog Trainer!" blurted the officer.
When we arrived downstairs, we saw the Dog Trainer standing alone in front of the station. He grinned, "Song Yang, didn't you say that the next time we meet again would be the day I die? Well, here I am. Are you going to arrest me?"
Behind him, all of Nanjiang City was burning, the flames lighting up the night sky. There were screams in the streets and loud crashing in the distance.
Xiaotao angrily pulled out her gun, "What have you done?"
The Dog Trainer shook his finger playfully, "Don't be impulsive, Captain Huang. I just played all my cards. If I die, Nanjiang City will be buried with me. Can you bear the responsibility of that?"
"You instructed your men to commit crimes all over the city? What the hell do we have to talk about?” I sneered.
"You’re a smart one, Consultant Song,” his lips rose in a smile. “As you can see, my dogs are venting their anger out there. Now I solemnly put forward three demands to the police. First, I need a visa and a criminal exemption order signed by the Ministry of Public Security. Secondly, I want you to escort me to the airport. Lastly, prepare a special plane for me so that I can leave the country. On top of that, you’re not allowed to ever come after me! There’s no time limit. Every time you complete a request, I’ll send instructions to my dogs, ordering them to reduce a portion of the crimes. When all three requirements are completed, they will stop all actions. And these criminals will be arrested by you. You can solve hundreds of cases in one night. Isn’t that amazing?"
“You son of a bitch, are you negotiating with the police?" cursed Xiaotao.
"Crime, as defined by law, constitutes the perpetrator and the victim, and I don't belong to any category. Therefore, from a legal standpoint, this crime tonight has nothing to do with me. But you should know that my life determines the fate of Nanjiang City. Either accept my terms or watch Nanjiang City turn into hell on Earth!"
He walked straight towards us. An officer tried to stop him but Xiaotao bit her lip, shaking her head. A group of officers was forced to make way for a criminal.
The Dog Trainer swaggered through the main entrance of the city bureau, stretched out his arms and said, "I'll go in, have a cup of tea and take a short break. Captain Huang, you talk to your superiors!"
After that, he turned around and smiled, "Song Yang, the law is really a funny thing, isn't it?"