Fog City Detective

Chapter 14: The Eagle

Several people sat in the MI5 conference room, and the large screen played the footage of Liang Xi entering the apartment. A robust man around fifty years old briskly entered the office and asked, "Who is he?"

Someone beside him replied, "Liang Xi. A detective from the Rose Detective Agency."

The man asked, "John?"

The man in the suit answered, "No, the current owner of the detective agency is Liang Xi."

The man inquired, "How long has he been inside?"

The man in the suit replied, "He entered room 1501 three minutes ago."

The man said, "Cai Wu lives in room 1502?"

The man in the suit confirmed, "Yes."

The man walked over to the technical personnel, reviewed Liang Xi's information, and then dialed a phone number. "John, long time no see."

John replied, "Hey, Mark."

Mark asked, "What's your relationship with a guy named Liang Xi?"

John countered, "What has he done?"

Mark answered, "We have reason to believe he's searching for a list. This list contains the names of individuals that a woman named Angela has corrupted within certain British institutions over the past few years. One of the victims discovered Angela's identity and sought the help of the Eagle. The Eagle found Angela, who then committed suicide. Instead of finding the list at Angela's residence, the Eagle received a call from the police, saying they had apprehended a thief."

Mark continued, "Detectives investigating Angela's death discovered her identity, and we took over the case. Upon learning that the thief had been taken by someone, we identified the thief. Soon, we also found a woman closely associated with the thief, named Cai Wu. We tapped into Cai Wu's phone and overheard negotiations between Cai Wu and the Eagle regarding the list. Cai Wu demanded £500,000, and the Eagle said he needed to consider it. We were preparing to secretly arrest Cai Wu when she died in a car accident."

Mark: "We searched the apartment building where Cai Wu lived, but found nothing. Because the building is scheduled for demolition in three days, we've stationed undercover detectives in the vicinity, hoping to catch the Eagle."

John asked, "Isn't the Eagle dead?"

Mark replied, "That's correct. This group first appeared in Paris last September. I suspect it's a sophisticated team operating under the guise of the Eagle in European crimes."

John: "Is Liang Xi currently searching for the list in the apartment buildings?"

Mark: "Yes."

John said, "Don't worry, he's not a bad guy."

Mark responded, "He may not be a bad guy, but he's definitely working for someone bad. We identified the thief who was taken away and discovered that the thief was a member of a former magician's theft group. Liang Xi is also a member of that group. You should pass the detective agency to Liang Xi; he must be someone close to you. I owe you a lot of favors, and I wouldn't have made this call if it weren't for you."

While talking to John, Mark noted John's phone number and then wrote down Liang Xi's name, circling it. The technicians understood and immediately began monitoring John's and Liang Xi's phones.

John said, "I don't think there should be a problem. Thank you, Mark. Give me a call if there's any further information."

Mark replied, "Will do."

Mark hung up the phone and asked, "How is it?"

The technicians nodded, indicating that they were monitoring communication on both phones.

Mark pulled a chair and sat down, waiting quietly. The fact that John could hand over the detective agency to Liang Xi indicated a different level of relationship between them. Mark had emphasized the rise to fame of the Eagle team over the past six months to make John worry about Liang Xi. This way, John would call Liang Xi, and through monitoring, they could gather information unknown to their side.

Dealing with a sly fox like John, Mark spoke nothing but the truth, just like a genuine friend with an excellent relationship with John.

However, John did not call Liang Xi, and Liang Xi's phone received no calls.

...

An hour passed, and the person waiting grew drowsy. At this moment, both the Eagle and Mark received a message: Liang Xi had come downstairs.

Did he find what he was looking for?

A detective by Mark's side asked, "Boss, shall we make a move?"

Mark hesitated, "Let me think." The trap was set to detain Liang Xi, expecting the Eagle not to return. However, if they didn't detain Liang Xi, what if he had found the list?

The undercover security personnel, in contact with the command center, reported, "The target is about to leave."

Mark finally decided, "Be as courteous as possible in attitude and manners."

In the apartment building, a detective, disguised as security, showed his badge, "We're the police; please come with us."

Liang Xi smiled, "Thank you."

"Thank you?" The detective questioned.

Liang Xi smiled but didn't answer.

At the command center, Mark commented, "He has somewhat guessed that the employer isn't a good person. He's glad to have a police escort. He must have found what he was looking for. Amy!"

A blonde beauty stood up, "Yes."

Mark instructed, "Go check it out."

Amy understood and nodded, "No problem."

...

One hour later, the waiting person was dozing off when both the Eagle and Mark received a message: Liang Xi had descended.

Has he found what he was looking for?

A detective next to Mark inquired, "Boss, should we take action?"

Mark hesitated, "Let me think about it." This trap was set to detain the Eagle; by detaining Liang Xi, they hoped the Eagle wouldn't return. However, if they didn't detain Liang Xi, what if he had found the list?

The undercover guard, posing as security, contacted the command center, "The target is about to leave."

Mark finally said, "Be as polite as possible in demeanor and manners."

In the apartment building, the detective, revealing his identity, states, "We're the police; please come with us."

Liang Xi smiled, "Thank you."

"Thank you?" The detective asked.

Liang Xi smiled but didn't respond.

At the command center, Mark commented, "He's somewhat guessed that the employer isn't a good person. He's happy to have a police escort. He must have found what he was looking for. Amy!"

A blonde beauty stood up, "Yes."

Mark instructed, "Go check it out."

Amy understood and nodded, "No problem."

"I object." In the police interrogation room, Liang Xi refused the request to undress for a search.

Amy sat in a chair next to Liang Xi, gazing at him like an enamored fan. With her right index finger, she pointed at Liang Xi's chest and asked in a soul-stirring voice, "Shall I do the search? Alone."

Damn! How could one resist this?

Liang Xi finally understood the difference between theory and practice. No wonder people say human nature can't withstand trials. He knew that this person named Amy dressed provocatively, was prepared for him, and he knew he should resist. However, Liang Xi wasn't very eager to resist. Why resist?

Amy's beautiful eyes flickered, captivating the soul. She stood up, took Liang Xi's hand, and led him away. Liang Xi knew, intellectually, that he should resist, but his body was brutally honest. Just like that, he was easily led by Amy to a separate room. However, Liang Xi still had a trace of clarity. It wasn't a rational resistance against the assistance of a beautiful woman in undressing; it was a firm belief that these people weren't police officers but rather special agents. Only special agents would do something like that. Reverse inference: The employer who tasked him with finding the item was probably someone he shouldn't mess with.

Five minutes later, Amy walked out of the room looking disappointed, shaking her head at a detective to indicate she hadn't found any deliberate items. After putting on his clothes, Liang Xi also emerged from the room and asked, "Can I go now?"

Mark said, "Let him go."

The detective said, "You can go."

The Beetle had already been driven by the police to the entrance of the police station. After retrieving personal items such as car keys and a cellphone, Liang Xi got into the car. During this time, the police conducted a comprehensive search of the car and Liang Xi's personal belongings, finding nothing.

Mark considered two possibilities. The first was that Liang Xi hadn't found anything. The second was that Liang Xi had found something but hadn't taken it with him.

Liang Xi drove back to the detective agency building by nine o'clock in the evening. Instead of going upstairs, he entered a café. At this time, the café wasn't crowded, but there were still around a dozen customers. Liang Xi ordered a cup of tea and some snacks, finding a corner to sit in. After chatting with a familiar waiter for a while, Liang Xi sipped tea and ate snacks, casually dialing the number on the business card.

The Eagle picked up the phone, paused for a few seconds, and said in a deep tone, "Hello."

The hacker, Bai Lu, signaled that this was an electronic tone and there was no need to be so deliberate.

Liang Xi said, "I've got the item. I'm in the café. Please bring the money."

The Eagle asked, "I'm in Oxford. Can we trade tomorrow?"

Liang Xi said, "Tonight, I need to receive my payment within an hour."

The Eagle said, "One hand delivers the money, and the other hand delivers the goods." Was he treated like a rookie? If he didn't receive the goods and got scammed out of 50,000, how would he survive in this business?

Liang Xi said, "Regardless of when or how you get the goods, I must receive my reward within an hour."

The Eagle said, "100,000 pounds. I'll give you 100,000 pounds tomorrow."

Liang Xi replied, "If you have 100,000 pounds, we can trade tomorrow. However, I'm an ethical detective. I said 50,000 pounds, and I'll only take 50,000 pounds. So, tomorrow is not acceptable; it's now."