396: Reputation

Reputation

Zhao Yu and Miao Ying went to a fully air-conditioned hot pot restaurant, located along C Jiuhe Road. As Miao Ying looked at the menu, Zhao Yu read out a portion of the text from his phone to her.1

The text read: "The surveillance hard drive from the museum was replaced 5 days ago, right after the Gold Buddha temple was robbed." Zhao Yu continued, "Because the robbers were extremely careful, and did not steal anything, the break-in was only discovered after the museum's scheduled maintenance that day."

After Zhao Yu finished reading, he added, "Needless to say, the museum's situation is similar to that of the Cultural Relic Bureau, as well as the Gold Buddha temple. The Tomb robber must be looking for something related to the Buddhist sutras! I have already sent Xiao Liu to secretly investigate the matter. Due to his anonymity, people should not be able to recognize him easily."

Zhao Yu analyzed this new information, then exclaimed, "Yes! Now the sequence of events seems so clear: The Tomb robbers robbed the Qiu Cheng Prefecture, before heading to the Cultural Relic Bureau to steal information on stone engravement, followed by their visiting the Gold Buddha temple and museum. If they had gathered enough information, they would have left for the mountain with a big group of people. So, if we make a trip to survey the villages surrounding the mountain, we might find some clues!"

Miao Ying continued to look at the menu, without giving Zhao Yu any response. Only when Zhao Yu had finished speaking, did Miao Ying raise her head and ask, "Zhao Yu, do you think the Gold Buddha really exists?"

Zhao Yu asked her for clarification, "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean… Do you… have an ulterior motive, for bringing me to the mountain alone?" Miao Yu responded.

Zhao Yu knew that Miao Ying was smart enough to see through his plans, so he raised his right hand and pretended to swear, saying, "Miao Captain, please be assured that, in the mountains, if I peep at you, answer the call of nature, take a bath, or hint to you to make out in the wild ... in short, shall I have any ulterior motive, I am willing to remove my fighting skills and be at your disposal."

Looking at Zhao Yu with disdain, Miao Yu shouted, "Stay away! To think that you stumble upon such filthy thoughts! I was only worried that we might lose our way!"

Zhao Yu quickly replied, "Lose our way? Come on! You are on a break, why stress yourself out? If we find something, it would be a bonus. If we do not, take it as a little well-deserved getaway."

Miao Ying ordered her food and sighed, "Da Fei often says that, behind every crime, there is a liter of tears."

"Zhao Yu, you do not understand. I have been to Dong Peizhuo's home. This incident brought both grief and pressure to his wife and their only daughter, both of whom were workers from the Cultural Relics Bureau."

"Pressure?" Zhao Yu asked, puzzled.

Miao Ying explained, "There were indications that the Tomb robbers did not appear from out of nowhere, but were acquainted with the three experts. Hence, this cannot be simply classified as kidnapping. There were incorrigible gossips, circulating around the idea that the three experts colluded with the Tomb robbers, because of the Gold Buddha."

"Dong Peizhuo and his wife have worked for the Cultural Relics Bureau their entire lives. What mattered to them most was their reputations. But now, not only had the person gone missing, it seemed that they were unable to maintain their reputations. They must be dealing with a tremendous amount of pressure."

"True…"

Zhao Yu silently nodded. Indeed, since the beginning of the case, he had been too focused on the development of the case and the Gold Buddha, neglecting the fact that the case had brought both great grief and pressure to the families of the victims.

Miao Ying said meaningfully, "We must solve this case as soon as possible. Even if we found out that the three experts colluded with the Tomb robbers, at least we could present them with the truth! It would definitely be better than things are now…" 

Zhao Yu gave Miao Ying a thumbs-up and praised her, saying, "I fully understand now! I gained so much wisdom, just by listening to you, Captain Miao!"

Miao Ying shook her head helplessly and said, "What a jerk! Fu Jianxing must have betrayed me. Looking back, he must have been behind the Cultural Relic Bureau's assault incident all along."

Zhao Yu threw a punch on the table and shouted, "What an insidious person! I will surely take my revenge on him for working against my girlfriend."

"Please! Who is your girlfriend?!" Miao Ying glared at him. "I promised to go to the mountains with you, without the company of others, only because I did not want them to take the risk. Did you know that these Tomb robbers are no pushovers? If we were to meet the Tomb robbers in the wild, it would be disastrous!"

"Really?" Zhao Yu scratched his head, his thoughts full of the Gold Buddha.

However, because the timing differed greatly, he felt that the Tomb robbers should have completed their mission already by now. And that, the reason for journeying into the mountains was to find the traces that these robbers left behind them.

The glib-tongued Zhao Yu patted his chest and added, "Captain Miao, be assured that I would use all my might to protect your safety! My devotion to you was so clear. I would not mind to sacrifice for your sake…"

"Shhh…" Upon hearing these words, Miao Ying shivered with goosebumps on her arms. "Zhao Yu, will you stop?! The Bureau Chief Luan might not approve my leave. Since I am forced to take a break, she would be counting on you to shoulder the responsibility, and take over my work!" 

"Holy sh*t!" Zhao Yu was furious. "First forcing my beloved woman to go on a break, then making me take over your work? No way! Let's set off tomorrow. No one can stop me! It's no big deal, at the most, I'll quit!"

"You…You…" Hearing Zhao Yu's impassioned speech, Miao Ying gave a disdained look, but was touched. 

When night fell, Zhao Yu sat at the table, and, with a lighted lamp, made a checklist of what to bring with him to the mountains the next day. Prior to that, he had already ordered the best professional equipment from the outdoor equipment store. Now, he was only lacking his daily necessities.

Since Miao Ying was forced to take a break, and Zhao Yu did not have any task assigned at present, they were unable to retrieve any guns, and could only bring along two electric batons in preparation for the unexpected.

Zhao Yu's adventure for today was considered completed at a completion rate of 94%. Also, he obtained an important item reward, invisible night vision.

The item reward may not be of a higher level, but it was definitely useful, especially when used outdoors in pitch dark conditions. The "gen kan" hexagram not only helped Zhao Yu make progress in his investigation, but also brought him good news in his love life.

He was excited to be able to enter the wilderness with the woman he adored, and could not help wondering if the Qinshan trip the next day would go as planned.

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