We held a case discussion, during which Bingxin concluded that the school playground was the crime scene by comparing the sand found on the corpse with the sand on the scene.

Several officers spoke to witnesses at the scene. It was very late at the time, so there was no one on the road. The school used to employ a gatekeeper who reportedly left due to urgent matters at the time. My guess was that he was a habitual loafer on the job.

During the meeting, I heard the name Ma Sanyou come up constantly. Many thought we should keep an eye on Ma Qiaojun. I had nothing to say about that since I planned to solve the case with just the five of us.

I ask the fat officer for a favor. I needed a list of all the residents on that street over the past 20 years, especially those who lived on the first floor and had basements.

After the meeting, I briefly explained the situation to our team members. Turning to Song Xingchen, I said, "Xingchen, I have an important task for you. I hope you can protect Shen Lijuan."

Song Xingchen arched an eyebrow, "My duty is to..."

"No one will hurt me here,” I interjected. “Besides, Wang Yuanchao and Xiaotao can protect me. If... if this crime was really committed by the same murderer, then Shen Lijuan will be a great threat to him! Since Shen Lijuan never contacted the police, the murderer is very likely to target her."

While Song Xingchen pondered, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. "Leave the task of protecting her to us!"

We turned around to see Song Heting and Song Jie standing there. I stared in astonishment as an officer grabbed Song Heting's shoulder and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you enter without so much as explanation! Get out!"

Song Heting glanced at the officer’s hand and with a shake of her shoulder, she tossed the officer aside.

"Police attack!"

As soon as the officer yelled, his colleagues in the corridor were alerted. Several of them even pulled out their guns. I rushed outside and explained, "It’s a misunderstanding! These two assist the team.”

The officers stared in astonishment before dispersing.

After that episode, Song Jie jumped up like a rabbit, grabbed Song Xingchen's hand and smiled, "Gege, are you surprised?"

Although Song Xingchen merely smiled, his emotions were hard to conceal.

"Aunt Song, why are you here?" I asked.

"Can't I come? Or are you deliberately avoiding me?" she sneered.

After receiving the email that day, Song Heting was worried about us because Grandpa once mentioned this unsolved case. Afraid that something would happen to us, she rushed down to Liangchen with Song Jie.

After asking Song Jie to shut the door, I proceeded, "Aunt Song, what did Grandpa tell you? Is this case related to the organization?"

"Yes, it was their people who secretly manipulated the case. The murderer hired one of the leaders in the organization to clean up after him."

Watching as Bingxin moved the chairs, Song Heting revealed a look of appreciation. She sat down and began her story.

In fact, she didn't learn about it until four years ago, that is, six months before Grandpa was killed. Because of the money he gave Nie Yalong and Shen Lijuan, Grandpa was unable to repay his debts and didn't want any outsiders finding out. His only option was to ask the martial Songs for help.

Song Heting promised to settle the debt for him, but on the condition that he explained the situation. Back then, Grandpa had found enough clues to narrow the scope of suspects to less than five people. The real murderer was one of these men. However, the murderer obtained help from the Jiangbei Daggers who organized the destruction of evidence and bought witnesses for him, washing him clean of his crimes.

This wasn’t Grandpa’s first clash with the organization. Only this time, the man he was dealing with was rather skillful in both making and spending money. Yes, this man was the Infernal Bone Trader!

The Infernal Bone Trader cleaned up after the real murderer and bought a scapegoat to take all the charges. Of course, Grandpa knew but had no way of convincing others. Besides, the Infernal Bone Trader had something on Grandpa, though he didn't say exactly what it was.

At around this point, the eighth and ninth murders happened one after another, and the victims were family members of the police. Many officers withdrew from the investigation out of fear, and the task force faced an unprecedented crisis.

Grandpa tried every means possible to prevent scapegoats from being convicted and collected criminal evidence of the real murderer. He wasn’t going to throw in the towel.

Unexpectedly, the Infernal Bone Trader suggested a deal at this point. If Grandpa stopped the investigation, he would release a living victim and guarantee that the murderer would never commit another crime. If Grandpa refused, then his client would continue to commit crime without a care. Perhaps one day Grandpa would solve the case, but it would cost many innocent lives.

After a long internal struggle, Grandpa finally agreed to his deal. In order to save two innocent lives, he paid the price of his guilt and twenty years of suffering from his conscience!

At the end of her story, Song Heting sighed.

"The murderer promised never to commit crimes again. If he really committed this murder then that’s equivalent to breaking their agreement…” I analyzed. “Aunt Song, who is the real murderer?"

Song Heting shook her head, "Your grandfather never told me. Although he hated the organization more than anyone else, he never broke his promise. But he did reveal one thing..."

"What is it?"

"He mentioned that hiring the Infernal Bone Trader came at a terrible cost. Only drug lords, mafia bosses and big warlords in the Middle East and Africa worth over 100 million could afford him. But twenty years ago, he actually helped this man for free," Song Heting replied.

"Free?" My eyes widened.

"Only after your grandfather was killed did I understand that this was the Infernal Bone Trader’s plan. He forced your grandfather into carrying an indelible stain his entire life till he eventually died to the hands of the Blade Master."

Of course, this was merely Song Heting's conjecture. Perhaps there were other more profound reasons behind this. I was filled with countless thoughts that made my heart turbulent.

Xiaotao placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and patted lightly.

"I have repeatedly forbidden you to risk your life,” Song Heting began. “Why do you have to investigate this case? One wrong move and you’ll involve a huge enemy."

I smiled bitterly, "It wasn’t my idea. The Blade Master sent me the file!"

When I explained the ins and outs of the matter, Song Heting looked rather surprised. Gritting her teeth, she muttered under her breath, "That persistent old bastard!"

"Do you know him?" I asked keenly.

"No, of course not!"

I activated Cave Vision as soon as Song Heting answered. I wasn’t sure if she was too good at acting or if she was telling the truth. Her microexpressions seemed genuine.

Announcement:

Regrettably, this will be the final chapter for Netherworld Investigator. Although we've kept it going for this long, sadly it hasn't experienced the popularity necessary to cover the costs of its translation to any significant degree. As such, we're left with the unfortunate situation of needing to place the novel on indefinite hiatus. Thank you for following it until now, we hope you'll consider reading some of the other novels we have available!