Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Haunted House
Africa.black continent.
Kang Zhefu, who was half kneeling in front of the cabin door, looked down at the dark land below through the windshield goggles.
The powerful engine noise of a military transport plane seems to have reached the limit of human hearing.The body trembled violently due to the turbulent air flow, which further stimulated Kang Zhefu's already beating heart.
In Kang Zhefu's eyes, the dark continent under the belly of the machine is neither backward nor forward, but frozen in the crack of time until eternity...
He raised his head and looked at Scott Riley who was squatting beside him with bewildered eyes.Riley is sorting out the telescoping-stock XM-177 assault automatic rifle slung over his shoulder.He and Kang Zhefu wore the same style of black commando military uniform, carried the same style of parachute, and had the same style of emblem of the "Sixth Airborne Company" stitched on the left shoulder: under the claws of a sturdy eagle, holding a With a cracked skeleton.A vicious cobra emerged from the hollow eye sockets of the skeleton.Below the coat of arms is written the following sentence in English:
"When we die we go to heaven, because we were in hell when we were alive."
"Are you afraid?" Riley looked at Kang Zhefu and asked in a roaring voice.
Kang Zhefu recognized Riley's question from the noisy engine sound, and nodded slightly.
Riley craned her neck to look down into the darkness. "Don't be afraid." He seemed to ignore whether Kang Zhefu could hear him. "Our hearts are darker than it is."
Darkness... Kang Zhefu suddenly felt his feet lift off the ground.A violent crosswind blew him far across the horizon.Kang Zhefu, who was plunged into the boundless darkness, looked up with sad eyes like asking for help, intending to find the faint light from the transport plane.
— Riley, where are you? ...
"The turbulence has passed, passengers please rest assured. I apologize for the inconvenience caused just now." The captain said in English. Kang Zhefu, who was sitting in the business class seat of the "Japan Airlines" airliner, woke up from a profound dream and found that he was still holding the folder. He has read the entire fifty-six-page document more than ten times, and has fully grasped the characteristics, identity and background of the deceased Chen Changde. Briefly, Chen Changde is a Chinese-American double agent based in Hong Kong.Being a visiting professor (Department of History) at the University of Hong Kong is just a cover-up. In fact, he is an intelligence agent of the CIA of the United States, who is responsible for spying on China's arms sales, especially the export of missile technology to Iran, Pakistan and other countries. At the same time, Chen Changde is also a dealer who is good at using the intelligence network to engage in underground arms transactions. In recent years, he has mainly purchased US military equipment and parts for the intelligence agencies in mainland China, such as infrared targeting technology for missiles and supercomputer technology. The United States explicitly prohibits the sale of equipment to China. According to the intelligence of the CIA, Chen Changde secretly belonged to a large-scale international black market arms trading network. Non-political military organizations (such as private armies, mercenary regiments) and other services directly and indirectly hand over batches of weapons that cause a large number of deaths to those who use terrorist and bloody means to achieve their goals. Since China and the United States also need Chen Changde's capable skills, they have never taken any action against him, allowing him to accumulate wealth freely in the cracks of the intelligence networks of the two countries. "But I have to spend my energy to find the murderer who killed this kind of person..." Kang Zhefu couldn't help admiring the killer.Regardless of his motives, this mysterious "Super Swordsman" (as Ryuichiro Takahashi's adjective) has wiped out a deadly parasite for the international community. "That's fine... let's see what kind of guy this swordsman is..." Kang Zhefu closed the folder and put it back into the briefcase inside the seat. ——Swordsman... "Don't try to touch that guy." Kang Zhefu recalled Xia Wei Oxun's words.
After stepping off the red taxi at six o'clock in the evening, Kang Zhefu sincerely admired the skills of Hong Kong's professional drivers. Repulse Bay Road in the southern district of Hong Kong Island is an amazing and dangerous path: an extremely narrow one-lane two-way road, tightly sandwiched between straight mountain walls and towering cliffs, and in the middle of it, there are countless curved corners .You can take a taxi; what is even more puzzling to Kang Zhefu is that even the gigantic double-decker bus can smoothly pass through the narrow road like a roller coaster, carrying countless excited beachgoers back and forth in early summer. ——I really can’t figure it out, the mansions of the rich and powerful are all chosen here... "Chao Heen" is a luxurious residential building standing on the hillside beside Repulse Bay Road. Kang Zhefu took out a white handkerchief to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, climbed up the hillside along the driveway, and walked to the main entrance of the downstairs lobby of "Chaoxuan". "Is sir a visitor?" The guard in the lobby asked Kang Zhefu politely in Cantonese as he looked at Kang Zhefu's well-knit suit. Kang Zhefu felt an unreasonable sense of intimacy.He grew up in New York's Chinatown, and Cantonese is his mother tongue. He said the name of "master" to the guard. "Room A on the sixteenth floor. Mr. Jackson." The guard nodded after checking the guest list, and the button opened the electronic gate in the lobby. "Would you like a cold drink?" asked Vinny Jackson, wearing a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar and an unknotted tie. Kang Zhefu shook his head. Jackson is a member of the US Consulate.It was CIA liaison officers who first revealed the murder of Chen Changde. They managed to cover up the whole thing and smuggled the body out of the country with the assistance of the consulate.When Chinese intelligence agents discovered that Chen Changde was "missing," it was too late to intervene.The ownership of the mansion has already been transferred from a fake company owned by the CIA to the consulate, which technically belongs to the domain of extraterritorial power of the United States. In order to maintain the original state of the murder scene, the CIA ordered the consulate stationed in Hong Kong to station personnel at the residence. Kang Zhefu paced and watched in the house with an area of about 2,000 square feet.The residence is a two-story duplex, connected by an elegant curved wooden staircase in the hall. The furnishings in the hall are breathtakingly gorgeous: thick carpets made in Europe, genuine leather sofas that are wider than ordinary people's beds, all kinds of top-grade furniture and equipment that can be called the brand... "How does it feel?" Jackson asked with a smile while holding a can of Budweiser beer. "Glaring feeling." "En." Jackson's eyes showed envy. "Look carefully. The crystal chandelier, the frame of the bar counter, the hangings on the wall, and the frame that projects the TV screen... are all made of pure gold!" Jackson whistled. "The multimedia audio-visual system is the most attractive to me. The TV screen is about fifty inches in size. CD, DVD, DAT..." He took a sip of beer. "The house seems a little small to us, but in Hong Kong, it is an incredible big mansion." Kang Zhefu looked around. -pure gold...Damn... He knew with what money all this was bought. Kang Zhefu pointed to the shiny wooden stairs—the carvings on the handrails are also pure gold... "Is the study up there?" Jackson nodded. "The guy died in there. What? How can I help?" "No." Kang Zhefu rolled up his briefcase and walked up the stairs. "You stay here and watch TV. I want to go in alone." After turning on the light button on the wall, the first thing that caught Kangzhefu's eyes was a "human figure" surrounded by thin tape on the carpet. The "human figure" shows the position and posture of the dead body in detail.There was a puddle of black stains on the carpet around the neck. --Blood…… Kang Zhefu closed his eyes for a few seconds.Despite the treatment, there was still a faint smell of corpses in the study. After calming down, Kang Zhefu opened his eyes hidden behind the glasses again. The condition of the site has been maintained to an extremely high degree. When the CIA personnel arrived that day, they felt suspicious when they saw that the gate of the house was not closed, so they entered and found Chen Changde who had been dead for eighteen hours.Except for the deceased himself and the liaison officer, no fingerprints of a third person were found in the entire house. The study is very spacious, and the floor is covered with the same light blue thick carpet as the hall. The "human figure" is located on the floor in the center of the study, and behind it is a six-foot-long wooden desk. The leather executive chair in front of the desk is facing the door. Kang Zhefu approached the left wall of the study.A row of eight certificates and diplomas hung neatly on it, as well as several modern paintings, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, and a few small art ornaments.All frames are also made of solid gold. All the gold, cash and valuables in the house were not lost (the unlocked drawer under Chen Changde's desk contained more than 10,000 U.S. dollar bills), so it can be concluded that the murderer was not an accidental murderer.Since all the doors and windows showed no signs of destruction, it is very likely that Chen Changde knew the murderer. The question is: It has been determined that the murder weapon is a sword with a length of more than 70 centimeters. How did the murderer bring the murder weapon in without arousing the suspicion of the deceased? Kang Zhefu quickly found the answer from the wall based on the evidence collected by the CIA personnel: there is a pair of small hooks next to a Chinese calligraphy and painting, arranged diagonally at about 45 degrees to the upper right, and the distance between the two hooks is Corresponds to the length of the murder weapon.The style of the hook is the same as that used to hang other calligraphy, paintings and diplomas, and only these two hooks are left empty on the entire wall. It is almost certain that the murder weapon was originally hung here.The murderer took it away after the murder. "So, does the murderer's identity have nothing to do with the shape of the sword? He just got the murder weapon by accident?..." Kang Zhefu turned his head, stepped over the "figure" on the ground and walked to the desk at the back of the room. Apart from the wound on the neck of the deceased, the CIA has only three clues so far.One of these points is located on the wall behind the desk.
"The first clue is on the small safe on the wall." Xavier Orson pointed at the slide image projected on the white screen with a telescopic metal rod. Kang Zhefu, together with more than a dozen experts and investigators in front of the rectangular conference table, watched intently the slideshow photo of the murder scene. The conference room of the counterintelligence branch of the Langley CIA headquarters was filled with distress. Orson was a black man of forty in appearance, with short, curly hair that was already graying.A dark gray twill suit wraps around his strong, bear-like frame. "A steel safe is embedded in the wall behind the desk. It had been opened when the body was found." Orson pointed the stick in his hand at the safe door on the slide photo. "The safe has dual security devices of key and combination lock. It is a fine product made in Germany. The fingerprint of the deceased is left on the combination lock wheel." "So the deceased opened it with his own hands," said a blond man in his forties.Peter Kanos, the able operations chief of the Counterintelligence Division. "Is it under the threat of the murderer?" "There's no way to be sure," said Orson. The slideshow image turns into a close-up of the vault. Orson continued his briefing: A safe is where the deceased keeps important information and documents. After deciphering the computer disks and documents left in the cabinet, the CIA found that, in addition to the intelligence content that Chen Changde spied for both China and the United States, there were also a large number of records related to black market arms and art document transactions. "It's also impossible to say..." Orson said, "whether the murderer took anything from the safe." Kang Zhefu nodded.If the murderer didn't even take away these valuable intelligence materials, what kind of things would he (she) take away (if they were really taken away)? "As for an important discovery in these materials, please explain to Mr. Lin." Orson pointed to a Chinese man sitting beside him. Simon Lin, a third-generation Native American, is the director of a team in the CIA that monitors international arms movements. Lin Ximeng, who had a cropped haircut, looked more like a Japanese. Standing up, his body was only five feet four inches, which didn't match the well-fitting suit. "From this batch of materials, we made an astonishing discovery." Lin Ximeng said in fluent English: "Chen Changde is currently purchasing two units code-named 'Tiger A63' for an unknown buyer." Holding a stack of documents in his hand, he stared at them intently, and said in a mechanically businesslike tone: "According to the information collected by my team, the 'Tiger' is used by Chen Changde for fighter jets or attack aircraft in the black market arms trade." code." Most people in the meeting room were moved. Lin Ximeng continued: "However, the password 'A63' has never appeared in Chen Changde's previous records of black market fighter jet transactions. We estimate that this represents a new type of aircraft that has never entered the black market." Kanos gritted his teeth and said, "Could it be... our country's active jet fighter?" Lin Ximeng once again raised his emotionless and fluctuating voice, only to interrupt the whispered discussion in the meeting room. "In addition, according to the records stored in the safe, this customer who ordered two 'Tiger A63', code-named '1/30', has had a trading relationship with Chen Changde for six years, with more than 30 transactions , the procurement items are almost different every time, such as automatic rifles, howitzers, portable rocket launchers, shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missiles, small combat boats, armored combat vehicles, infrared night vision goggles, and radar reconnaissance systems. Astronomical sums that only a consortium of multinational corporations can afford.” The air in the meeting room became more dignified. "According to the speculation of our bureau's experts, this '1/30' buyer may just be a black market arms seller who bought such a large number of weapons for the purpose of reselling them for profit." "What if it wasn't for resale?" Kanos stood up from the chair, his body was more than two heads taller than Lin Ximeng. "Wouldn't that form an advanced armed force comparable to that of a small national army?" For the first time, Lin Ximeng's eyes left the document in his hand, and looked at Kanos with a slight contempt. "Of course not. This 'army' still lacks one thing: people. Soldiers who have not undergone rigorous training manipulate these sophisticated weapons, which are no different from scrap iron." Lin Ximeng's voice was like a machine gun. "To cultivate a group of soldiers and commanders who have rich knowledge, technology and experience, and can really put into actual combat, the money and time spent are often several times that of weapons and equipment. Especially in today's emphasis on computerization and information In modern sophisticated military affairs, the quality of soldiers must not be inferior to those in business or academia. This is also the main reason why advanced countries are actively developing fully automatic unmanned weapons and military robots. Without the 'head', bullets It is impossible to kill." "It's like losing the sharp sword of a swordsman..." Kang Zhefu murmured at the conference table. Everyone present looked at Kang Zhefu. The word "swordsman" has become an extremely sensitive word here. Kang Zhefu didn't need to look, he could feel Oxun's slightly sullen eyes staring at him. The only person in the conference room who did not respond to "Swordsman" was Lin Ximeng.His professional tone did not change in the slightest because of Kang Zhefu's intervention. "The quality of this '1/30' buyer's arms procurement is indeed not inferior to those ambitious small countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. It is a pity that before Chen Changde was killed, we had to deal with this project that could threaten the international military balance. Nothing is known about..." Orson, who was sitting next to him, stood up again, frowning and said: "For this matter, we are under great pressure. This murder case must be solved as soon as possible..."
"Chen Changde is an information dealer who is absolutely mercenary. What power does this buyer have to make him keep his mouth shut?" Kang Zhefu put his left hand in his trouser pocket, pressed the back of the leather executive chair with his right hand, and stared at the safe that had been emptied by the investigators. "Was Chen Changde silenced? Could it be that the 'Super Swordsman' has something to do with this mysterious big buyer?...Sharp sword skills and modern military equipment seem to have nothing to do with each other..." Kang Zhefu took out a pair of handheld computers from his suit pocket, entered some of his thoughts and questions into the memory, and then walked to the huge bookcase on the left wall of the desk. This is where the second clue is found. Kang Zhefu stretched out his right index finger and swept the neatly arranged spines on the bookcase: Churchill’s The Second World War, Sima Guang’s, Marx’s Capital, Freud’s, Encyclopedia Britannica, Four versions of English "Bible", "Sun Tzu's Art of War", ancient Japanese bushido textbook "Ye Yinwen Shu", "Selected Works of Mao Zedong"... There are also a lot of dictionaries, legal books, etc., which are books of literature, art and other types None.No Greek epics, no Shakespeare, not half a novel. "The third row...found it." Kang Zhefu's finger rested on a gap in the middle of a row of history books. On the left is a set of three books about the traditional life of American Indians; on the right is a large picture book about the history of Australian Aboriginal people. A book was clearly missing here, but it was impossible to say whether it had been taken by the murderer. According to the imprint left on the cover of the History of Australian Aboriginal Painting on the right, the missing book is hardcover, 20 centimeters long and 13.5 centimeters wide, and its thickness cannot be determined. It is estimated to be between 2.5 and Between three and a half centimeters. All the books on the bookcase are strictly arranged according to general categories, so it can be judged that this missing book must be related to history—and it is the history of ancient ethnic minorities. "Is there any use for the murderer to take away such a book?" Kang Zhefu was only puzzled. Suddenly he remembered the strange long sword again. "I just want..." Takahashi Ryuichiro's words sounded again from Kang Tetsufu's mind: "...Behind the appearance of this sword, there seems to be a very profound and long-standing culture..." ——Is the content of that book related to the culture behind this sword? Kang Zhefu recorded this discovery into the handheld computer.However, he didn't have too much hope: after all, in the vast sea of books, it's really impossible to find a book with unknown content based on the information the size of the cover. Kang Zhefu took off his glasses, walked behind the desk, and sat on the senior executive chair made of leather. He relaxed his limbs, lay back on the back of the comfortable chair, and stared at the desk in front of him. The huge teak desk was six feet long and covered with a large pane of shining glass.A leather writing pad and various stationery are placed in the center of the desk.The fountain pen is a high-end British product.On the left is a stack of documents and files, and three or four small dictionaries in different languages.On the right is a personal computer connected to a modem and a fax machine.There was a thin layer of dust on the beast's teeth-like keyboard. A decoration on the upper left corner of the desk attracted Kang Zhefu's attention.It is a colored globe.The side facing Kangzhefu is the Asian region. Kang Zhefu unconsciously stretched out his left finger to turn the globe.The distance symbolizing thousands of miles passed slowly under his fingernails. "So what if you hold the whole world in your hands? A piece of metal moves for a hundredth of a second, and everything you own is taken away...you can take nothing away..."
"The third clue was discovered by the forensic doctor between the first and second middle fingers of the deceased's left hand." Orson directed the staff to play another slideshow. "It is this small piece of old and rough paper. The area is less than one centimeter square, and it is slightly triangular in shape. It seems to be a small corner torn from the paper. There is no paint or ink stain left on the paper." Kanos stroked his golden-brown beard and said, "Maybe the murderer took the paper from the dead man and left it..." Orson nodded. "The strangeness of this physical evidence lies in its material. After testing by experts from our bureau, it was determined that the paper was pressed from the fibers of a certain plant. But even botanical experts cannot deduce the plant species from its chemical composition and fiber structure." "It's not surprising." Kanos said with a smile. "In the Amazon forest in South America alone, there are probably tens of thousands of plant species that humans have never seen before..." "Stranger things are yet to come." There was no trace of a smile on Orson's broad face. "An expert conducted a carbon fourteen test on a sample of the paper, and deduced that the plant that made the paper grew around AD 925..."
"925 A.D...." Kang Zhefu stopped the slowly rotating globe with his finger.Just before my eyes were China and the West Asia area. In 925 A.D., China was in the midst of the split of the Five Dynasties...Wars were still dominated by cold weapons. Damascus steel, also known as iron, had been introduced from the Silk Road for a long time, and steel swords were prevalent... As for Europe, Kang Zhefu remembers that it was probably the early Middle Ages...the Crusades and the terrible religious trials had not yet happened, but the issue of the unity of politics and religion caused disputes between the Eastern and Western Christian churches... The pieces of paper that were made more than a thousand years ago but are still well preserved, the history books of ancient ethnic minorities, the shape of a sword that has never been seen before... Kang Zhefu felt that a thread running through these things is looming.But he failed to draw any rudimentary conclusions from it. "If..." A hypothesis suddenly popped up in his mind.A hypothesis so bold that even he himself laughed. It is even more difficult to associate this assumption with the double agent and arms dealer Chen Changde, and the secret and huge black market arms buyer. He took out a small paper bag from his briefcase. There was a cracked wax seal on the mouth of the bag, and the CIA logo and the words "Top Secret" were stamped underneath. Kang Zhefu opened the paper bag and took out a photo inside. The photo shows the appearance of a middle-aged Chinese man.Half white hair, with a mustache under his lips.The originally thin eyes widened in confusion, and the mouth, which was obviously having difficulty breathing, opened into a very strange shape.The pale skin had lost all vitality and was still faintly blotchy.There was a horizontal cut on the throat that Kang Zhefu was very familiar with.The blood stains have been washed away. Although Chen Changde is forty-seven years old, his body is still very strong after undergoing rigorous intelligence training.He officially joined the CIA at the age of 26. In the assessment, both "Close Combat" and "Actual Shooting" were rated above 80 points, which is equivalent to A-level.His body was found with a Smith & Wilson M649 9mm automatic pistol still in the holster under his arm. Chen Changde lives on the most dangerous stage in the world, and there is absolutely no reason for him to relax his vigilance. Kang Zhefu put the photo on the desk, stood up from the chair, and walked to the "figure" on the carpet in the center of the room. According to evidence collected, Chen Changde fell prostrate.The front face of the corpse had bruises from hitting the ground. "So, he almost fell to the ground immediately after being hit by the sword, and he died without much struggle..." Kang Zhefu looked at the "human figure" on the ground, and found a very strange thing: The direction of the head of the corpse when it was lying down was just facing away from the wall with the small hook. Chen Changde must have received the sword from the front.So, did the murderer take the murder weapon from that wall, and then go around to the dead to make a move? Kang Zhefu shook his head, ruling out this possibility.Facing a formidable person like Chen Changde, the murderer would never take any risks, and would definitely attack immediately after getting the long sword.Otherwise, Chen Changde should have time to draw his gun. However, the murderer was behind Chen Changde. How did he cut Chen Changde's throat? Judging from the blood stains on the carpet, Chen Changde had not been moved after his death. If he hadn't come to see the scene himself, Kang Zhefu would not have been able to detect the contradictions. "Could it be that the murderer can use the strange trick of drawing a sword from the enemy's back and hitting the opponent's front?" Kang Zhefu had never even heard of this kind of swordsmanship. Although there is a moderate central air conditioning in the study, Kang Zhefu still feels cold sweat seeping out from his back. He took out the handkerchief from the inner pocket of his suit, but it also fell out with a long and narrow booklet. What fell on the carpet was a flight ticket to Madrid, the capital of Spain, starting at 8:15 tomorrow night. "Dagui...It seems that only Daguina kid can solve this riddle..."
It was nearly ten o'clock in the evening when Kang Zhefu returned to the urban area.The Central District on Monday night was like an air-raid shelter after an air raid, and was hastily abandoned by an astonishing number of commuters, leaving behind the breathless tension and the smell of gunpowder smoke that smelled like banknotes during the day. Central, located on the south bank of Victoria Harbour, is the core of Hong Kong's politics, economy and culture.With the "Landmark" on Pedder Street as the center point, almost all the most important buildings in Hong Kong are gathered in this small area with mountains and seas: the administrative organs of the Hong Kong government; the Legislative Council building; The "flagship" buildings of giant enterprises and major banking groups; the Hong Kong headquarters of the world's top brands; the consulate area; the United Stock Exchange; "Hong Kong Soho" - Lan Kwai Fong; The Admiralty District has a garrison base, a high court, and the Hong Kong Island Police Headquarters... The strange thing is that such an important lifeline, Hong Kong's "Washington + Wall Street", becomes the venue for picnic gatherings of tens of thousands of Filipino, Thai and other foreign maids every Sunday. —What a strange society... But Filipino maids' picnic garden parties are much better than the street sleepers in Washington. He is glad that today is not Sunday, and he can freely wander the deserted streets of Central. The briefcase had been returned to the hotel's single room.Kang Zhefu put his hands in the pockets of his trousers easily, and walked up the long stairs at the end of "Duddell Street".It is famous for the four remaining gas lampposts in Hong Kong. Across the top of the stairs is the deserted Xuechang Street.Kang Zhefu unconsciously walked towards the direction with the fewest pedestrians, walked west and climbed the uphill road. Under the dim street lights, Chen Changde's "dead face" appeared before his eyes again. "Did the murderer really draw a sword from his back?" Kang Zhefu thought of another possibility: Chen Changde was originally facing the murderer, but he made a reflexive dodge after being hit by the sword, or the thrust from the opponent's blade caused his body to turn 180 degrees and fall down. The second case can be overridden.As Takahashi Ryuichiro described, this super swordsman's technique is "cutting" rather than "cutting". In addition, the sharpness of the weapon is astonishing. Chen Changde's 156-pound body would not be turned over. As for the fact that his own evasive action caused his body to turn... Kang Zhefu believed that although Chen Changde had been trained as a special agent, it was doubtful whether he could respond to a sudden sword move at a speed of 230 kilometers per hour. What made Kang Zhefu more sure of his thoughts was Chen Changde's gaze when he died.Those staring eyes were visibly out of focus.Kang Zhefu firmly believed that, not to mention the deadly sword light, when Chen Changde received the fatal blow, he couldn't even see the face of the person who took his life. "Eyes..." Kang Zhefu walked past a closed art gallery. ——"Your eyes. You are a man with a sad past..." ——Tilia... —Have you ever seen green petals? ... —A green flower? ……green……! Kang Zhefu suddenly stopped and looked back. He looked at the gallery window with dim light, turned back and walked over step by step. The inside of the closed art gallery was pitch black, only a few lights in the window were still on, displaying a pile of abandoned orphan-like art works: ceramic utensils with colorful glazes; wool carpets with strange patterns; A statue of a human face with only one eye; an oil painting that smells musty even through the light... --painting. Just behind a pile of pottery with the style of an unknown oriental nation, the oil painting almost one meter high leans against the lower left corner of the window. Strange flowers with green petals and yellow stamens are painted with rough brushstrokes, rippling on the pool made of light blue oil paint. Kang Zhefu took off his glasses in a daze, and looked down at the author's title in the lower right corner of the oil painting: Tilia "Tilia...!" "Are you calling me?" The familiar voice came from behind Kang Zhefu.A raving and slightly hoarse female voice.
"The turbulence has passed, passengers please rest assured. I apologize for the inconvenience caused just now." The captain said in English. Kang Zhefu, who was sitting in the business class seat of the "Japan Airlines" airliner, woke up from a profound dream and found that he was still holding the folder. He has read the entire fifty-six-page document more than ten times, and has fully grasped the characteristics, identity and background of the deceased Chen Changde. Briefly, Chen Changde is a Chinese-American double agent based in Hong Kong.Being a visiting professor (Department of History) at the University of Hong Kong is just a cover-up. In fact, he is an intelligence agent of the CIA of the United States, who is responsible for spying on China's arms sales, especially the export of missile technology to Iran, Pakistan and other countries. At the same time, Chen Changde is also a dealer who is good at using the intelligence network to engage in underground arms transactions. In recent years, he has mainly purchased US military equipment and parts for the intelligence agencies in mainland China, such as infrared targeting technology for missiles and supercomputer technology. The United States explicitly prohibits the sale of equipment to China. According to the intelligence of the CIA, Chen Changde secretly belonged to a large-scale international black market arms trading network. Non-political military organizations (such as private armies, mercenary regiments) and other services directly and indirectly hand over batches of weapons that cause a large number of deaths to those who use terrorist and bloody means to achieve their goals. Since China and the United States also need Chen Changde's capable skills, they have never taken any action against him, allowing him to accumulate wealth freely in the cracks of the intelligence networks of the two countries. "But I have to spend my energy to find the murderer who killed this kind of person..." Kang Zhefu couldn't help admiring the killer.Regardless of his motives, this mysterious "Super Swordsman" (as Ryuichiro Takahashi's adjective) has wiped out a deadly parasite for the international community. "That's fine... let's see what kind of guy this swordsman is..." Kang Zhefu closed the folder and put it back into the briefcase inside the seat. ——Swordsman... "Don't try to touch that guy." Kang Zhefu recalled Xia Wei Oxun's words.
After stepping off the red taxi at six o'clock in the evening, Kang Zhefu sincerely admired the skills of Hong Kong's professional drivers. Repulse Bay Road in the southern district of Hong Kong Island is an amazing and dangerous path: an extremely narrow one-lane two-way road, tightly sandwiched between straight mountain walls and towering cliffs, and in the middle of it, there are countless curved corners .You can take a taxi; what is even more puzzling to Kang Zhefu is that even the gigantic double-decker bus can smoothly pass through the narrow road like a roller coaster, carrying countless excited beachgoers back and forth in early summer. ——I really can’t figure it out, the mansions of the rich and powerful are all chosen here... "Chao Heen" is a luxurious residential building standing on the hillside beside Repulse Bay Road. Kang Zhefu took out a white handkerchief to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, climbed up the hillside along the driveway, and walked to the main entrance of the downstairs lobby of "Chaoxuan". "Is sir a visitor?" The guard in the lobby asked Kang Zhefu politely in Cantonese as he looked at Kang Zhefu's well-knit suit. Kang Zhefu felt an unreasonable sense of intimacy.He grew up in New York's Chinatown, and Cantonese is his mother tongue. He said the name of "master" to the guard. "Room A on the sixteenth floor. Mr. Jackson." The guard nodded after checking the guest list, and the button opened the electronic gate in the lobby. "Would you like a cold drink?" asked Vinny Jackson, wearing a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar and an unknotted tie. Kang Zhefu shook his head. Jackson is a member of the US Consulate.It was CIA liaison officers who first revealed the murder of Chen Changde. They managed to cover up the whole thing and smuggled the body out of the country with the assistance of the consulate.When Chinese intelligence agents discovered that Chen Changde was "missing," it was too late to intervene.The ownership of the mansion has already been transferred from a fake company owned by the CIA to the consulate, which technically belongs to the domain of extraterritorial power of the United States. In order to maintain the original state of the murder scene, the CIA ordered the consulate stationed in Hong Kong to station personnel at the residence. Kang Zhefu paced and watched in the house with an area of about 2,000 square feet.The residence is a two-story duplex, connected by an elegant curved wooden staircase in the hall. The furnishings in the hall are breathtakingly gorgeous: thick carpets made in Europe, genuine leather sofas that are wider than ordinary people's beds, all kinds of top-grade furniture and equipment that can be called the brand... "How does it feel?" Jackson asked with a smile while holding a can of Budweiser beer. "Glaring feeling." "En." Jackson's eyes showed envy. "Look carefully. The crystal chandelier, the frame of the bar counter, the hangings on the wall, and the frame that projects the TV screen... are all made of pure gold!" Jackson whistled. "The multimedia audio-visual system is the most attractive to me. The TV screen is about fifty inches in size. CD, DVD, DAT..." He took a sip of beer. "The house seems a little small to us, but in Hong Kong, it is an incredible big mansion." Kang Zhefu looked around. -pure gold...Damn... He knew with what money all this was bought. Kang Zhefu pointed to the shiny wooden stairs—the carvings on the handrails are also pure gold... "Is the study up there?" Jackson nodded. "The guy died in there. What? How can I help?" "No." Kang Zhefu rolled up his briefcase and walked up the stairs. "You stay here and watch TV. I want to go in alone." After turning on the light button on the wall, the first thing that caught Kangzhefu's eyes was a "human figure" surrounded by thin tape on the carpet. The "human figure" shows the position and posture of the dead body in detail.There was a puddle of black stains on the carpet around the neck. --Blood…… Kang Zhefu closed his eyes for a few seconds.Despite the treatment, there was still a faint smell of corpses in the study. After calming down, Kang Zhefu opened his eyes hidden behind the glasses again. The condition of the site has been maintained to an extremely high degree. When the CIA personnel arrived that day, they felt suspicious when they saw that the gate of the house was not closed, so they entered and found Chen Changde who had been dead for eighteen hours.Except for the deceased himself and the liaison officer, no fingerprints of a third person were found in the entire house. The study is very spacious, and the floor is covered with the same light blue thick carpet as the hall. The "human figure" is located on the floor in the center of the study, and behind it is a six-foot-long wooden desk. The leather executive chair in front of the desk is facing the door. Kang Zhefu approached the left wall of the study.A row of eight certificates and diplomas hung neatly on it, as well as several modern paintings, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, and a few small art ornaments.All frames are also made of solid gold. All the gold, cash and valuables in the house were not lost (the unlocked drawer under Chen Changde's desk contained more than 10,000 U.S. dollar bills), so it can be concluded that the murderer was not an accidental murderer.Since all the doors and windows showed no signs of destruction, it is very likely that Chen Changde knew the murderer. The question is: It has been determined that the murder weapon is a sword with a length of more than 70 centimeters. How did the murderer bring the murder weapon in without arousing the suspicion of the deceased? Kang Zhefu quickly found the answer from the wall based on the evidence collected by the CIA personnel: there is a pair of small hooks next to a Chinese calligraphy and painting, arranged diagonally at about 45 degrees to the upper right, and the distance between the two hooks is Corresponds to the length of the murder weapon.The style of the hook is the same as that used to hang other calligraphy, paintings and diplomas, and only these two hooks are left empty on the entire wall. It is almost certain that the murder weapon was originally hung here.The murderer took it away after the murder. "So, does the murderer's identity have nothing to do with the shape of the sword? He just got the murder weapon by accident?..." Kang Zhefu turned his head, stepped over the "figure" on the ground and walked to the desk at the back of the room. Apart from the wound on the neck of the deceased, the CIA has only three clues so far.One of these points is located on the wall behind the desk.
"The first clue is on the small safe on the wall." Xavier Orson pointed at the slide image projected on the white screen with a telescopic metal rod. Kang Zhefu, together with more than a dozen experts and investigators in front of the rectangular conference table, watched intently the slideshow photo of the murder scene. The conference room of the counterintelligence branch of the Langley CIA headquarters was filled with distress. Orson was a black man of forty in appearance, with short, curly hair that was already graying.A dark gray twill suit wraps around his strong, bear-like frame. "A steel safe is embedded in the wall behind the desk. It had been opened when the body was found." Orson pointed the stick in his hand at the safe door on the slide photo. "The safe has dual security devices of key and combination lock. It is a fine product made in Germany. The fingerprint of the deceased is left on the combination lock wheel." "So the deceased opened it with his own hands," said a blond man in his forties.Peter Kanos, the able operations chief of the Counterintelligence Division. "Is it under the threat of the murderer?" "There's no way to be sure," said Orson. The slideshow image turns into a close-up of the vault. Orson continued his briefing: A safe is where the deceased keeps important information and documents. After deciphering the computer disks and documents left in the cabinet, the CIA found that, in addition to the intelligence content that Chen Changde spied for both China and the United States, there were also a large number of records related to black market arms and art document transactions. "It's also impossible to say..." Orson said, "whether the murderer took anything from the safe." Kang Zhefu nodded.If the murderer didn't even take away these valuable intelligence materials, what kind of things would he (she) take away (if they were really taken away)? "As for an important discovery in these materials, please explain to Mr. Lin." Orson pointed to a Chinese man sitting beside him. Simon Lin, a third-generation Native American, is the director of a team in the CIA that monitors international arms movements. Lin Ximeng, who had a cropped haircut, looked more like a Japanese. Standing up, his body was only five feet four inches, which didn't match the well-fitting suit. "From this batch of materials, we made an astonishing discovery." Lin Ximeng said in fluent English: "Chen Changde is currently purchasing two units code-named 'Tiger A63' for an unknown buyer." Holding a stack of documents in his hand, he stared at them intently, and said in a mechanically businesslike tone: "According to the information collected by my team, the 'Tiger' is used by Chen Changde for fighter jets or attack aircraft in the black market arms trade." code." Most people in the meeting room were moved. Lin Ximeng continued: "However, the password 'A63' has never appeared in Chen Changde's previous records of black market fighter jet transactions. We estimate that this represents a new type of aircraft that has never entered the black market." Kanos gritted his teeth and said, "Could it be... our country's active jet fighter?" Lin Ximeng once again raised his emotionless and fluctuating voice, only to interrupt the whispered discussion in the meeting room. "In addition, according to the records stored in the safe, this customer who ordered two 'Tiger A63', code-named '1/30', has had a trading relationship with Chen Changde for six years, with more than 30 transactions , the procurement items are almost different every time, such as automatic rifles, howitzers, portable rocket launchers, shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missiles, small combat boats, armored combat vehicles, infrared night vision goggles, and radar reconnaissance systems. Astronomical sums that only a consortium of multinational corporations can afford.” The air in the meeting room became more dignified. "According to the speculation of our bureau's experts, this '1/30' buyer may just be a black market arms seller who bought such a large number of weapons for the purpose of reselling them for profit." "What if it wasn't for resale?" Kanos stood up from the chair, his body was more than two heads taller than Lin Ximeng. "Wouldn't that form an advanced armed force comparable to that of a small national army?" For the first time, Lin Ximeng's eyes left the document in his hand, and looked at Kanos with a slight contempt. "Of course not. This 'army' still lacks one thing: people. Soldiers who have not undergone rigorous training manipulate these sophisticated weapons, which are no different from scrap iron." Lin Ximeng's voice was like a machine gun. "To cultivate a group of soldiers and commanders who have rich knowledge, technology and experience, and can really put into actual combat, the money and time spent are often several times that of weapons and equipment. Especially in today's emphasis on computerization and information In modern sophisticated military affairs, the quality of soldiers must not be inferior to those in business or academia. This is also the main reason why advanced countries are actively developing fully automatic unmanned weapons and military robots. Without the 'head', bullets It is impossible to kill." "It's like losing the sharp sword of a swordsman..." Kang Zhefu murmured at the conference table. Everyone present looked at Kang Zhefu. The word "swordsman" has become an extremely sensitive word here. Kang Zhefu didn't need to look, he could feel Oxun's slightly sullen eyes staring at him. The only person in the conference room who did not respond to "Swordsman" was Lin Ximeng.His professional tone did not change in the slightest because of Kang Zhefu's intervention. "The quality of this '1/30' buyer's arms procurement is indeed not inferior to those ambitious small countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. It is a pity that before Chen Changde was killed, we had to deal with this project that could threaten the international military balance. Nothing is known about..." Orson, who was sitting next to him, stood up again, frowning and said: "For this matter, we are under great pressure. This murder case must be solved as soon as possible..."
"Chen Changde is an information dealer who is absolutely mercenary. What power does this buyer have to make him keep his mouth shut?" Kang Zhefu put his left hand in his trouser pocket, pressed the back of the leather executive chair with his right hand, and stared at the safe that had been emptied by the investigators. "Was Chen Changde silenced? Could it be that the 'Super Swordsman' has something to do with this mysterious big buyer?...Sharp sword skills and modern military equipment seem to have nothing to do with each other..." Kang Zhefu took out a pair of handheld computers from his suit pocket, entered some of his thoughts and questions into the memory, and then walked to the huge bookcase on the left wall of the desk. This is where the second clue is found. Kang Zhefu stretched out his right index finger and swept the neatly arranged spines on the bookcase: Churchill’s The Second World War, Sima Guang’s, Marx’s Capital, Freud’s, Encyclopedia Britannica, Four versions of English "Bible", "Sun Tzu's Art of War", ancient Japanese bushido textbook "Ye Yinwen Shu", "Selected Works of Mao Zedong"... There are also a lot of dictionaries, legal books, etc., which are books of literature, art and other types None.No Greek epics, no Shakespeare, not half a novel. "The third row...found it." Kang Zhefu's finger rested on a gap in the middle of a row of history books. On the left is a set of three books about the traditional life of American Indians; on the right is a large picture book about the history of Australian Aboriginal people. A book was clearly missing here, but it was impossible to say whether it had been taken by the murderer. According to the imprint left on the cover of the History of Australian Aboriginal Painting on the right, the missing book is hardcover, 20 centimeters long and 13.5 centimeters wide, and its thickness cannot be determined. It is estimated to be between 2.5 and Between three and a half centimeters. All the books on the bookcase are strictly arranged according to general categories, so it can be judged that this missing book must be related to history—and it is the history of ancient ethnic minorities. "Is there any use for the murderer to take away such a book?" Kang Zhefu was only puzzled. Suddenly he remembered the strange long sword again. "I just want..." Takahashi Ryuichiro's words sounded again from Kang Tetsufu's mind: "...Behind the appearance of this sword, there seems to be a very profound and long-standing culture..." ——Is the content of that book related to the culture behind this sword? Kang Zhefu recorded this discovery into the handheld computer.However, he didn't have too much hope: after all, in the vast sea of books, it's really impossible to find a book with unknown content based on the information the size of the cover. Kang Zhefu took off his glasses, walked behind the desk, and sat on the senior executive chair made of leather. He relaxed his limbs, lay back on the back of the comfortable chair, and stared at the desk in front of him. The huge teak desk was six feet long and covered with a large pane of shining glass.A leather writing pad and various stationery are placed in the center of the desk.The fountain pen is a high-end British product.On the left is a stack of documents and files, and three or four small dictionaries in different languages.On the right is a personal computer connected to a modem and a fax machine.There was a thin layer of dust on the beast's teeth-like keyboard. A decoration on the upper left corner of the desk attracted Kang Zhefu's attention.It is a colored globe.The side facing Kangzhefu is the Asian region. Kang Zhefu unconsciously stretched out his left finger to turn the globe.The distance symbolizing thousands of miles passed slowly under his fingernails. "So what if you hold the whole world in your hands? A piece of metal moves for a hundredth of a second, and everything you own is taken away...you can take nothing away..."
"The third clue was discovered by the forensic doctor between the first and second middle fingers of the deceased's left hand." Orson directed the staff to play another slideshow. "It is this small piece of old and rough paper. The area is less than one centimeter square, and it is slightly triangular in shape. It seems to be a small corner torn from the paper. There is no paint or ink stain left on the paper." Kanos stroked his golden-brown beard and said, "Maybe the murderer took the paper from the dead man and left it..." Orson nodded. "The strangeness of this physical evidence lies in its material. After testing by experts from our bureau, it was determined that the paper was pressed from the fibers of a certain plant. But even botanical experts cannot deduce the plant species from its chemical composition and fiber structure." "It's not surprising." Kanos said with a smile. "In the Amazon forest in South America alone, there are probably tens of thousands of plant species that humans have never seen before..." "Stranger things are yet to come." There was no trace of a smile on Orson's broad face. "An expert conducted a carbon fourteen test on a sample of the paper, and deduced that the plant that made the paper grew around AD 925..."
"925 A.D...." Kang Zhefu stopped the slowly rotating globe with his finger.Just before my eyes were China and the West Asia area. In 925 A.D., China was in the midst of the split of the Five Dynasties...Wars were still dominated by cold weapons. Damascus steel, also known as iron, had been introduced from the Silk Road for a long time, and steel swords were prevalent... As for Europe, Kang Zhefu remembers that it was probably the early Middle Ages...the Crusades and the terrible religious trials had not yet happened, but the issue of the unity of politics and religion caused disputes between the Eastern and Western Christian churches... The pieces of paper that were made more than a thousand years ago but are still well preserved, the history books of ancient ethnic minorities, the shape of a sword that has never been seen before... Kang Zhefu felt that a thread running through these things is looming.But he failed to draw any rudimentary conclusions from it. "If..." A hypothesis suddenly popped up in his mind.A hypothesis so bold that even he himself laughed. It is even more difficult to associate this assumption with the double agent and arms dealer Chen Changde, and the secret and huge black market arms buyer. He took out a small paper bag from his briefcase. There was a cracked wax seal on the mouth of the bag, and the CIA logo and the words "Top Secret" were stamped underneath. Kang Zhefu opened the paper bag and took out a photo inside. The photo shows the appearance of a middle-aged Chinese man.Half white hair, with a mustache under his lips.The originally thin eyes widened in confusion, and the mouth, which was obviously having difficulty breathing, opened into a very strange shape.The pale skin had lost all vitality and was still faintly blotchy.There was a horizontal cut on the throat that Kang Zhefu was very familiar with.The blood stains have been washed away. Although Chen Changde is forty-seven years old, his body is still very strong after undergoing rigorous intelligence training.He officially joined the CIA at the age of 26. In the assessment, both "Close Combat" and "Actual Shooting" were rated above 80 points, which is equivalent to A-level.His body was found with a Smith & Wilson M649 9mm automatic pistol still in the holster under his arm. Chen Changde lives on the most dangerous stage in the world, and there is absolutely no reason for him to relax his vigilance. Kang Zhefu put the photo on the desk, stood up from the chair, and walked to the "figure" on the carpet in the center of the room. According to evidence collected, Chen Changde fell prostrate.The front face of the corpse had bruises from hitting the ground. "So, he almost fell to the ground immediately after being hit by the sword, and he died without much struggle..." Kang Zhefu looked at the "human figure" on the ground, and found a very strange thing: The direction of the head of the corpse when it was lying down was just facing away from the wall with the small hook. Chen Changde must have received the sword from the front.So, did the murderer take the murder weapon from that wall, and then go around to the dead to make a move? Kang Zhefu shook his head, ruling out this possibility.Facing a formidable person like Chen Changde, the murderer would never take any risks, and would definitely attack immediately after getting the long sword.Otherwise, Chen Changde should have time to draw his gun. However, the murderer was behind Chen Changde. How did he cut Chen Changde's throat? Judging from the blood stains on the carpet, Chen Changde had not been moved after his death. If he hadn't come to see the scene himself, Kang Zhefu would not have been able to detect the contradictions. "Could it be that the murderer can use the strange trick of drawing a sword from the enemy's back and hitting the opponent's front?" Kang Zhefu had never even heard of this kind of swordsmanship. Although there is a moderate central air conditioning in the study, Kang Zhefu still feels cold sweat seeping out from his back. He took out the handkerchief from the inner pocket of his suit, but it also fell out with a long and narrow booklet. What fell on the carpet was a flight ticket to Madrid, the capital of Spain, starting at 8:15 tomorrow night. "Dagui...It seems that only Daguina kid can solve this riddle..."
It was nearly ten o'clock in the evening when Kang Zhefu returned to the urban area.The Central District on Monday night was like an air-raid shelter after an air raid, and was hastily abandoned by an astonishing number of commuters, leaving behind the breathless tension and the smell of gunpowder smoke that smelled like banknotes during the day. Central, located on the south bank of Victoria Harbour, is the core of Hong Kong's politics, economy and culture.With the "Landmark" on Pedder Street as the center point, almost all the most important buildings in Hong Kong are gathered in this small area with mountains and seas: the administrative organs of the Hong Kong government; the Legislative Council building; The "flagship" buildings of giant enterprises and major banking groups; the Hong Kong headquarters of the world's top brands; the consulate area; the United Stock Exchange; "Hong Kong Soho" - Lan Kwai Fong; The Admiralty District has a garrison base, a high court, and the Hong Kong Island Police Headquarters... The strange thing is that such an important lifeline, Hong Kong's "Washington + Wall Street", becomes the venue for picnic gatherings of tens of thousands of Filipino, Thai and other foreign maids every Sunday. —What a strange society... But Filipino maids' picnic garden parties are much better than the street sleepers in Washington. He is glad that today is not Sunday, and he can freely wander the deserted streets of Central. The briefcase had been returned to the hotel's single room.Kang Zhefu put his hands in the pockets of his trousers easily, and walked up the long stairs at the end of "Duddell Street".It is famous for the four remaining gas lampposts in Hong Kong. Across the top of the stairs is the deserted Xuechang Street.Kang Zhefu unconsciously walked towards the direction with the fewest pedestrians, walked west and climbed the uphill road. Under the dim street lights, Chen Changde's "dead face" appeared before his eyes again. "Did the murderer really draw a sword from his back?" Kang Zhefu thought of another possibility: Chen Changde was originally facing the murderer, but he made a reflexive dodge after being hit by the sword, or the thrust from the opponent's blade caused his body to turn 180 degrees and fall down. The second case can be overridden.As Takahashi Ryuichiro described, this super swordsman's technique is "cutting" rather than "cutting". In addition, the sharpness of the weapon is astonishing. Chen Changde's 156-pound body would not be turned over. As for the fact that his own evasive action caused his body to turn... Kang Zhefu believed that although Chen Changde had been trained as a special agent, it was doubtful whether he could respond to a sudden sword move at a speed of 230 kilometers per hour. What made Kang Zhefu more sure of his thoughts was Chen Changde's gaze when he died.Those staring eyes were visibly out of focus.Kang Zhefu firmly believed that, not to mention the deadly sword light, when Chen Changde received the fatal blow, he couldn't even see the face of the person who took his life. "Eyes..." Kang Zhefu walked past a closed art gallery. ——"Your eyes. You are a man with a sad past..." ——Tilia... —Have you ever seen green petals? ... —A green flower? ……green……! Kang Zhefu suddenly stopped and looked back. He looked at the gallery window with dim light, turned back and walked over step by step. The inside of the closed art gallery was pitch black, only a few lights in the window were still on, displaying a pile of abandoned orphan-like art works: ceramic utensils with colorful glazes; wool carpets with strange patterns; A statue of a human face with only one eye; an oil painting that smells musty even through the light... --painting. Just behind a pile of pottery with the style of an unknown oriental nation, the oil painting almost one meter high leans against the lower left corner of the window. Strange flowers with green petals and yellow stamens are painted with rough brushstrokes, rippling on the pool made of light blue oil paint. Kang Zhefu took off his glasses in a daze, and looked down at the author's title in the lower right corner of the oil painting: Tilia "Tilia...!" "Are you calling me?" The familiar voice came from behind Kang Zhefu.A raving and slightly hoarse female voice.