Chapter 89: The Dazzling Black Fox

At seven in the evening, news of the horrific multiple murder had prompted the national police command to dispatch forensic specialists and other dedicated personnel by helicopter to clear and search the site where the bodies had been concealed.

Xing Xiaolong, Black Fox, and the senior superintendent who led the special police unit took the returning helicopter back to the police headquarters in Nairobi.

An emergency high-level meeting was about to begin, and the three of them, drenched in sweat and reeking of blood and grime, needed to clean up first.

Xing Xiaolong was the quickest. After showering and changing into plain clothes, he arrived first in the first-floor lobby to wait for Black Fox. Mounted on the wall there was a liquid-crystal television, and it happened to be airing live coverage of the drug traffickers’ hideout.

A bold headline blazed across the screen: Breaking News, House of Horrors Discovered in a Border Town!

A presenter stood on the road outside the house they had taken that day, her back to the large building, and spoke into the camera with a microphone in hand: “So far, thirty-five bodies have been recovered. According to the clues we have, some of the victims hidden within the walls had already mummified, and their time of death dates back at least a year.

“Their identities have not yet been confirmed. They may be casualties of gang warfare over territory, or they may be undocumented migrants who could not come up with the ransom.

“The discovery of so many bodies so close to the refugee camp undoubtedly proves that the trafficking network in the region has escalated and is growing increasingly rampant.

“To explain how such a shocking atrocity could occur in a small border town, only the police can provide the answer.

“Needless to say, the police headquarters in Nairobi is under enormous pressure. It will take a long time to investigate before the victims’ identities can be determined...”

“Let’s go.”

Black Fox, freshly washed and changed, looked far better than before, when she had been so pale from vomiting. She motioned to Xing Xiaolong and headed for the elevator.

“Thirty-five people, just bricked up inside a wall. Life back home really is peaceful,” Xing Xiaolong thought, his feelings tangled and unsettled. He missed the ease and safety of his own country, and a trace of fear crept in as he imagined the possibility of one day simply disappearing without warning.

And yet he knew full well that wanting to make big money without putting in the work, lying there and waiting for cash to fall from the sky, was nothing more than fantasy.

No effort, no reward. High risk, high return.

Of course, effort had to be spent in the right place; the right screw had to meet the right nut. A number-three screw with a number-three nut could work, but a whole number-five screw with a number-one nut would be useless.

Since he wanted to make a fortune, Xing Xiaolong could only suppress the unease in his heart.

Keep moving forward.

...

Xing Xiaolong and Black Fox took the elevator to the third floor, where police officers and staff moved back and forth in the corridor. They went straight to the high-level conference room at the far end.

“Sir, you may not enter.”

When Xing Xiaolong reached the door, the guard by the entrance stopped him. “I’m sorry, but the chief inspector only notified Colonel Irina to attend the meeting.”

Colonel Irina was Black Fox’s current identity.

“Damn it, I’m not authorized? What the hell...” Being blocked outside, Xing Xiaolong felt awkward.

Fortunately, Black Fox was formidable enough.

“He is my assistant and has the right to enter with me.”

With a cool, aloof look, Black Fox stared at the guard, then gave Xing Xiaolong a slight nod, signaling him to ignore the guard and simply follow her in.

That was how domineering she was.

But before Xing Xiaolong could move, the guard did not back down in response to Black Fox’s words. Instead, he reached out and stopped Xing Xiaolong again, insisting, “This is the Kenya Police Headquarters. Please observe our rules.”

“Get lost, bitch.”

Black Fox, who was already about to enter, turned back and snapped sharply. She lifted the identification badge hanging from her chest and thrust it forward so close it was nearly touching the guard’s face.

With a frosty expression, she said righteously, “I am a counterterrorism and anti-drug consultant specially appointed by the United States, and I have been formally authorized by the United Nations Narcotics Committee. By what right do you keep my assistant outside?”

“This...” The guard, who had just moments ago been full of confidence, was immediately deflated by Black Fox’s rebuke and stood there at a loss.

The United States and the United Nations were both major powers; how could a minor cop like him afford to offend them?

Just then, the tightly shut conference room door was pushed open from inside, and a black man in a purple-black police uniform stepped out.

The guard was about to say something, but the man waved him off.

“The meeting is urgent. Let them in.”

“Yes, sir!”

Since even the senior assistant director had come out personally, the guard realized he had offended someone he should never have crossed. He hurriedly bowed and apologized to Black Fox and Xing Xiaolong.

Xing Xiaolong had not expected that wearing the badge of the United States government and invoking the United Nations would be such a powerful display.

So this was what it meant to work as a private military contractor? Inside the highest police headquarters of an entire country, one could still point at the guard’s nose and curse him out.

And after cursing him, not only would you not be arrested, the other side would come over and apologize.

One had to admit, the feeling of standing above others was truly intoxicating. It was damn near unbelievably satisfying.

The only slight regret Xing Xiaolong felt was that all of this was borrowed from Black Fox’s authority. He did not know how long he would need to work before he could attain such a status himself.

To have identity, status, and face: these were the things everyone dreamed of.

Xing Xiaolong looked forward to that day as well.

“Thank you.”

He was grateful to Black Fox for backing him up. But when he looked through the open door and saw the conference room already packed with more than a dozen stern-faced black men, his excitement instantly faded.

What Xing Xiaolong hated most was meetings. The mere sight of one made him want to sleep.

On top of that, his English was still painfully clumsy. Going in would amount to nothing more than sitting there like an idiot, listening to a crowd of people jabber away.

How dull that would be.

He pointed to himself, then gestured to the rest area against the wall on the right, meaning he would not go in and would wait there for her to come out.

“Looks like I really need to find some time to learn the language, or talking will always be too inconvenient,” Xing Xiaolong thought.

Black Fox understood what he meant. She curled her lips, shrugged as if to say suit yourself, and went inside.

The conference room had clearly been soundproofed. Even though more than a dozen people were meeting inside, not a single sound could be heard from outside.

Xing Xiaolong had no idea what they were discussing, and he did not care all that much.

He sat for a while in the rest area, then stood up and wandered around headquarters, his eyes darting everywhere like those of an inquisitive child.

This was the first time in his life that he had entered the police headquarters of a country.

Even if Kenya was only a small African nation.

About an hour and a half later, the conference room door opened again, and the attendees, some in uniform and some in plain clothes, began to file out.

One of them headed straight for Xing Xiaolong and, coming to a stop before him, said with a smile, “Sir, the chief inspector asks that you come in. He has something very important to discuss.”