Crazy Detective

The masked man remained sullen even after Zhao Yu had spoken. His eyes were cold, full of disgust and hatred.

His right hand was holding a pistol, which trembled slightly.

At first, Zhao Yu thought he was angry, but upon taking a closer look, Zhao Yu realized that his shoulder was injured and soaked in blood!

Oh?

Zhao Yu was secretly thrilled that his marksmanship had improved by leaps and bounds. He managed to hit him even without taking proper aim.

Noticing that the masked person had not said a single word after all this time, the big guy walked over and murmured in his ear.

In response, the masked person started grinning widely, then mumbled at Zhao Yu. "Humph… @#￥%%..."

The masked person had just spoken in a Southeast Asian dialect, much to Zhao Yu's surprise.

D*mn!

Zhao Yu rolled his eyes, musing to himself. Is this guy acting cool or what? Does he actually not understand Mandarin?

Hmm…

That can't be, right?

If this guy couldn't speak Mandarin, then how had he managed to hypnotize Cui Lizhu?

"Mr. Zhao…" The masked person suddenly spoke in Mandarin, breaking Zhao Yu's reverie. "Guan Qing Hall was where emperors used to watch celebrations.

"But the Manchurian emperors spent their childhood in Mongolian yurts. They enjoyed open spaces and being unconstrained and free. This is why they chose to hold the celebrations at Da Zheng Dian Square instead. This palace was practically abandoned…"

The masked man spoke Mandarin with a terrible accent. Zhao Yu could barely understand his horrible pronunciation.

Even so, it was apparent to Zhao Yu from his voice that the mixed-blood person before him was indeed the masked man.

Mm…

Zhao Yu paused for a moment, before saying, "You seem to be digressing from the topic at hand. Are you trying to show off your knowledge, or trying to buy some time?"

"Haha…" The masked man chuckled. He muttered a string of English words, and only switched to Mandarin when it became apparent that Zhao Yu couldn't understand him. "Mr. Zhao, I thought you were just lucky. I didn't expect you to be this bold! I thought you wouldn't show your face, even if we killed a few hostages!"

"The Chinese people are not cowards, especially righteous and compassionate people like myself," Zhao Yu said with balled fists. "How about we get to the crux of the matter?" he asked impatiently.

"I was impressed by your performance! It was as if we had switched roles…" sighed the masked man, his eyes closed. "Alright, I have a question…"

"Don't bother asking, your explosives have expired!" Zhao Yu cut him off. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Your biggest concern must be why the explosives hadn't gone off in the base?

"Humph! I knew it! I knew that we wouldn't be able to fool you guys with the fake news we created!

"Honestly, you guys should check the explosives you've brought along. If they're all from the same batch, then they've probably expired as well!" Zhao Yu continued. "So, don't waste any time. You better cover your own a**es and get to the relevant department!"

"…" The three thugs gazed at each other in dismay.

The short one, who was standing a distance away, immediately went through their belongings…

"Baka!" The masked person roared, halting the man's actions. [1]

"#￥%%…" the masked man glared angrily at Zhao Yu, mumbling what were probably profanities in an unidentified Southeast Asian language. "How sly of you. You thought you could figure out where the bombs were, just like that?"

Chey…

Zhao Yu cursed inwardly. Why would I have to resort to that when I have the Invisible Detector? It's fine if you don't want to heed my advice… he thought to himself.

"Baka…" the masked man yelled and signaled with his hands. The short ruffian promptly aimed his pistol at a hostage's temple.

"Zhao Yu!" the masked man threatened. "If you don't tell the truth, then this person will die because of you! You claim to be righteous! Want to give it a try?"

"Please, please don't…" pleaded the hostage at whom the pistol was directed. The hostage collapsed to the ground and was on the verge of fainting.

"Sure!" Zhao Yu shrugged, seemingly nonchalant. "Go ahead and shoot! As soon as you pull the trigger, our people will barge in. Let's all perish together!"

"You!?" The masked man glared at him, before turning to the big guy, earnestly asking, "What did he just say?"

After the big guy's explanation, the masked man smiled coldly and snapped his fingers.

Upon the snap of fingers, the short ruffian withdrew his pistol and exchanged it for a dagger instead!

"Ok, mother f*cker…you win!" Zhao Yu's brows furrowed as he held up his thumb. "Alright, there's no harm in telling you!"

"The captain of our Special Forces is a bomb disposal expert. She carries with her a High-Frequency Seismomagnetic Disruptor which, through Lester's Principle, destroys the bomb timer and prevents the bomb from exploding.

"All it takes is a button and your bombs become ineffective!" Zhao Yu said, shrugging. "So, our biggest challenge at the moment is locating the bombs! Comprende?"

Bullsh*tting was Zhao Yu's forte, he didn't even have to try.

The masked man and his cohorts had mixed reactions to what Zhao Yu had just said. Some were shocked, while others were apprehensive. Regardless, it was a fact that the explosives at the secret base had not gone off, so there was little room for doubt.

"You were stuck at the base the whole time, cut off from the outside world…" said the masked man. "Then… how did you manage to find your way here so quickly?"

"Wahaha…" Zhao Yu guffawed, saying loudly, "I say, although you are terrorists, you ought to show some basic courtesy. I've already answered a question of yours, how about you answer one of mine?"

"Reciprocation…" Zhao Yu gestured, "bridges the distance between us, doesn't it?"

"Hmm..." the masked man thought for a moment. "Alright then, shoot!"

"I wanted to ask for your name, but there are more important issues at hand, so…" Zhao Yu smiled. "I'd like to know how you guys managed to solve the mystery of the Russian nesting doll."

"%￥￥#..." The big guy swore, scowling in fury and surprise.

"Oh?" The masked man had a slight frown on his face. After contemplating for a while, he nodded and asked, "You guys have known about the nesting doll all along?"

"You haven't answered my question!" Zhao Yu prompted.

"Alright… alright…" the masked man nodded and said, "The officer who hid the treasure not only left behind a nesting doll, but also a matching kaleidoscope!"

Ah?

Kaleidoscope?

Zhao Yu was astounded.

"The nesting doll was left in China, and the kaleidoscope was brought back to Japan!" The masked man sneered. "But by a twist of fate, the kaleidoscope landed in our hands."

"That means we'll be able to find a clue if we combine the kaleidoscope and the nesting doll?" Zhao Yu's eyes widened in excitement. "So only you guys would be able to find the exact location of the treasure?"

While speaking, Zhao Yu inadvertently glanced toward the people digging in the distance.

"Haha…" laughed the masked man. "I've answered your question. It's your turn now, Mr. Zhao. How did you guys find out about the nesting doll? And how did you manage to figure it out without the kaleidoscope?"

[1]: Baka means idiot in Japanese.