Chapter Thirteen: The Man Named Kang Ning

Soon, Zhang Jianhan, tall, robust, and cold-faced, strode briskly into Wei Mingzhong’s office. He said nothing, simply sat down in the chair opposite his superior, picked up the Yunyan cigarettes on the desk, lit one, and started smoking.

Wei Mingzhong ordered Xiao Tian to leave and close the door, then stood up from behind his desk and smacked Zhang Jianhan on the head.

“Useless! Just a little trouble and you’re this rattled? You graduated from the Police Academy with honors, yet you have no brains at all.” Wei Mingzhong berated his favored subordinate loudly.

Zhang Jianhan lifted his head and replied calmly, “Chief Wei, someone just informed me about the meeting. I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe the figure I glimpsed passing through Litang Station on the train this morning was Kang Ning. It was only a brief glance, but I was suspicious. I just never expected he could escape our encirclement of over a thousand officers.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“How could I? I only escorted the suspect to the detention center after ten o’clock. When I returned, the instructor told me you were at a meeting and instructed me to keep away.”

While flicking ashes into the tray, Zhang Jianhan continued, “Besides, if I hadn’t learned Kang Ning escaped to Litang, how could I have confirmed my suspicion?”

Wei Mingzhong sighed, slumped heavily into his chair, and said, “There’s nothing wrong with having you keep away, but we should treat each case individually. I dare say if you were in charge, things would be better. But principles are principles; you must uphold your Party consciousness.”

Zhang Jianhan fell silent, picked up another cigarette, quietly lit it, and watched the smoke rings, lost in thought.

Wei Mingzhong leaned forward across the desk and asked, “Tell me honestly, how skilled is your sworn brother?”

“He’s no worse than me—especially after this ordeal, I’d say he’s improved.”

Wei Mingzhong, clearly interested, waited a moment as Zhang Jianhan explained, “We both started learning Xingyi Boxing from our adoptive father—Professor Kang Ning’s father—from primary school. Our father was from Shandong, part of the first batch of descendants brought to Guangxi by veterans after settling there. Kang Ning’s grandfather was General Li Tyou’s chief bodyguard and medical officer; he passed away in ’78.”

“Wait! I know now—Deputy Commander Kang from the Border Defense District! Good heavens, that old commander is the most respected among our reconnaissance soldiers. When I was in the service, he came to inspect the Third Division. He was so old yet broke eight bricks with a single palm—over a hundred of us were floored. That night, he stayed for dinner, and I was the one pouring the drinks!”

Wei Mingzhong exclaimed loudly, smacking his lips, then said to Zhang Jianhan, “You don’t need to tell me; I already know. You were lucky to learn the renowned martial arts of the Kang family!”

Zhang Jianhan was surprised to discover this connection and stared at Wei Mingzhong.

Wei Mingzhong sighed again, “No wonder Kang Ning is so formidable—fractured two ribs, yet still managed to leap onto a moving vehicle and escape capture. I hear he’s always quiet and scholarly, well-educated, not one to show off. Such people are hard to deal with.”

Hearing Wei Mingzhong mention Kang Ning’s injuries, Zhang Jianhan grew furious: “How could those two bastards in the pretrial unit treat Kang Ning like that? Don’t think sending me off to Guilin means I don’t know what’s going on. Four hours of torture and beatings—ordinary people would be crippled or dead! Even if they have protection from above, aren’t they afraid that someday a victim will take revenge? Aren’t they afraid—”

“Enough! Don’t you dare do anything rash. If you try anything against those four, I’ll tear you apart!” Wei Mingzhong interrupted sharply. Seeing Zhang Jianhan’s dark expression and angry silence, Wei Mingzhong softened and spoke quietly, “As I’ve always said, trust the organization. Believe in justice and truth.”

Zhang Jianhan shook his head and sighed, “I know Kang Ning better than anyone. He’s intelligent, kind, proud, confident, always believing in truth and justice. From childhood, our adoptive father instilled in us the values of loyalty and righteousness. That’s why, when disaster struck, Kang Ning didn’t run or hide, but called the police and waited calmly. Yet, because he believes so much in justice, he’s been so cruelly framed! Chief Wei, think about it—what motive would Kang Ning have? Why was the key female corpse, who died of a drug overdose, cremated in haste at nine this morning? Why did the only witness—a young beggar—drown in South Lake at noon today? Why can’t the transcript of Kang Ning’s interrogation be made public internally? How do you explain all this?”

Wei Mingzhong shook his head, soothing his agitated protégé, “Listen, don’t lose hope. I’ve always believed evil cannot defeat good. Don’t let this shake your ideals and your oath. Trust me, the truth will come out in the end.”

“Then why is there a secret order to kill if the suspect resists?” Zhang Jianhan pressed.

Wei Mingzhong shot up, staring hard at Zhang Jianhan, “Who told you that?”

Zhang Jianhan shook his head helplessly, “Chief Wei, you trained me yourself—you won’t think I’m lying, will you? Who said it doesn’t matter; what matters is that someone has already acted on it. If you don’t believe me, check the armory records. I’m really worried—if my sworn brother loses his head, who knows what madness he might do. Not being involved in the case is good; it means I won’t have to—won’t have to face my own brother in deadly conflict…”

Wei Mingzhong painfully closed his eyes as he watched the tall man silently shed tears. After a long while, he gently stood, opened the door, looked outside, then closed it again, returned to Zhang Jianhan, and patted his shoulder softly, “I’ll privately call a few old friends in different places soon. You don’t have to worry too much. But judging by the current situation, I fear your brother won’t escape this inescapable net, even if he grew wings.”

Zhang Jianhan wiped his tears and sneered, “Not necessarily. Kang Ning is far more formidable than you think. I’d wager few in the bureau could match him. If he’s determined to flee or hide, even I wouldn’t be confident catching him.”

Wei Mingzhong asked in shock, “Why do you say that?”

“Imagine a skilled internal martial artist who studied surgery for six years. Plus, after this calamity, I believe, as our adoptive father said, Kang Ning’s mind and ability will be greatly enhanced. I had a similar experience a year ago.”

Seeing Wei Mingzhong’s astonished face, Zhang Jianhan continued, “Maybe it’s my influence, but Kang Ning took ‘Criminal Psychology’ as an elective in university. Another thing—I must confess that he’s read all forty-plus textbooks I studied at the Police Academy.”

“My god…”

Wei Mingzhong stood dumbfounded, mouth agape, watching Zhang Jianhan stride away, unable to utter a single word.