Pristine Darkness

Chapter 100

Bo Jinyan reveals his plan to flush out the masked killer and take down Buddha's Hand, the criminal gang at the China-Myanmar border he has infiltrated. It is clearly not going to be a walk in the park, but Bo Jinyan is determined to succeed. As he and Jian Yao prepare, then travel to the border town to meet their contact, Bo Jinyan has two unexpected encounters, one touching (and maybe chilling?), and the other, hilarious. Read on to find out more . . .

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Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Anks

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Jian Yao understood then. Firstly, the border was unlike mainland China; it was even more dangerous. That captain's identity could be a sensitive matter, and he would need to be very cautious. Secondly, to deduce the identity of the masked killer from among the criminals would probably be something only Bo Jinyan himself could achieve. Moreover, if he could actually talk to a front line criminal investigator rather than merely looking at the information in the books and documents, coupled with his powers of observation and thinking ability, he would definitely be able to dig out more clues from the conversation.

In addition, Bo Jinyan possessed such pride and this situation had hurt him greatly. He also wanted to capture the criminal personally to avenge himself and Fu Ziyu.

Sure enough, Bo Jinyan also said, "Only I can do this. The 'Buddha's Hand' gang is extremely secretive and tightly organised, and it won't be easy to shake them up. The masked killer brought along his lackeys and hid all of them within the gang. He's also very crafty; the slightest hint of the wind in the grass and he's likely to bolt. The enemy we have to fight is no longer on one side, but rather on two sides. However, our advantage is that the masked killer thinks that I've been completely broken down and defenceless.

Therefore, I will gather all the clues that can be used and follow them, like following a vine to get to the melon*, to discover the gang's hideout and ascertain the members' identity. Before this, though, there must not be any indication of action which might alarm them. Each move I make will be supported by a large police force working in concert with me. Until the last step, when I will join forces with Zhu Tao to launch an all-out attack, capture all the Buddha's Hand gang members in one swoop and ferret out the masked killer at the same time, leaving him no way to escape. This is my comprehensive plan.

*T/N 顺藤摸瓜 (shun teng mo gua) - lit. following the vine to get to the melon; to trace something using clues.

Jian Yao grabbed his hand, looked up at him and said, "This is not a one-time battle with criminals, this is a war . . ."

He smiled faintly. "Yes, this is our war."

However, when Jian Yao thought about this comprehensive plan, she felt thoroughly uneasy, and once again exhorted, "But you promised me one thing, to never allow yourself to rush to the front line again." Nonetheless, Bo Jinyan replied, "I'm surely not going to rush to the front myself. To deal with criminal gangs requires a large police force; how could I do something so foolish?"

Jian Yao thought so too. She recalled the time when they were dealing with the flower cannibal case. Actually, the situation was no different from what they were facing at this time. Bo Jinyan had also constructed a comprehensive plan, which included achieving his aim by sneaky means. He both oversaw and directed the operation as well as penetrated the tiger's cave personally. Armed forces from land, sea and air worked together at his command, and in the end, they captured the flower cannibal and his base of operations at one go. When her Jinyan embraced his dark side he was fearfully formidable, being able to manipulate the entire situation and advance, step by step, while entrenching himself firmly with each step. Having thought about all this, she felt somewhat at ease. She looked once again at the clear sky outside the window and felt that the road ahead did not seem to be that rocky. When they had captured the masked killer, they could go home at last.