New Lead

When Shao Lin arrived home, she took a shower, washing away her confusion and guilt, as well as her embarrassment. She curled up in the middle of her shower; her elbows wrapped around her legs, letting the water run down her back.

So far, all she knew was that the Dragon Syndicate was involved in her father's demise. She then received a warning to stay away from the Long family when her mother shouted she wanted all of them gone. And then, she met Long Yat-sen and he was everything she expected and yet not.

Shao Lin scrunched up her brows together, trying to puzzle the mess in her mind. She then lifted herself, turned off the valve and finished her bathroom routine. She then glanced at her phone. "Shit," she muttered, realizing Detective Zhong was waiting for her at her office. She almost forgot she was supposed to meet with him.

Shao Lin messaged him to meet her at her home, so she put on a casual sunflower dress and made her way downstairs.

The doorbell rang and she let Detective Zhong inside and she guided him to the dining room.

Zhong Bai observed her home, looking at the knickknacks, vases, and pictures she kept.

Shao Lin watched him impatiently as she took a seat. "Is there anything you have for me or are you going to gawk at my things all day?"

Zhong Bai grinned slightly before he took a seat across her. "The Dragon Syndicate made a move the other night and I looked into it; it was a murder, execution-style."

Shao Lin shifted in her seat, her heart pounding uncomfortably. "And?"

"After it happened, the police task force was not able to locate anyone." He leaned forward. "But I was able to find some potential suspects from hidden cameras I set up. That place is a hot spot for crime rate, especially when they're involved, and the other cameras in that area are often hacked or tampered with, but they can't tap into mine if they don't know it exists there."

Shao Lin stared at him. "And you believe that one of these suspects may have a connection to my father?"

Zhong Bai shook his head. "I'm not sure. Any of these people can just be bystanders and nothing more, but it's important to keep them in mind. Any connection to the Dragon Syndicate is a new lead especially since they run this part of Shanghai."

"This part?" Shao Lin replied.

"Yes," he responded. "The Dragon Syndicate is just one of the seven organizations that operate across Shanghai. But it expands all the way to Beijing."

Shao Lin's widened her eyes. "There are seven?" she asked shockingly. "But the Dragon Syndicate seems to be so big and they stir so much trouble and there's more of them?"

Zhong Bai swallowed. "Yes," he answered hesitantly. "But the Dragon Syndicate is the biggest and oldest among them. Whether they are the main organization, no one knows. They operate secretly and anyone that dares betray them, they find themselves in the bottom of a river."

Shao Lin stared out dazed.

"What we do know," Zhong Bai continued, "is that the Dragon Syndicate is connected to your father with that tattoo, and with that, we can undermine their operation and take the whole thing down by uncovering his murderer," he said, his lips curving upward.

Shao Lin looked at him warily. "All right, then. What do we have?"

Zhong Bai went on and spent twenty minutes explaining some suspects and their identities. "And lastly," he said, "Long Yat-sen. He's thirty years old. Over six feet tall, blue eyes, black hair. He's the wealthiest of our suspects, as he operates Long Group. I can't see him being part of an Underground operation, though, given he's a classy man, but…" he paused. "His power with the conglomerate, Long Group, makes him the type of person that has the money and resources to pull off something as big as this."

Shao Lin felt as if she was out of breath as panic flared in her chest. Her eyes widened. Zhong Bai seemed to take notice. His expression fell and he reached out to touch her hand but Shao Lin pulled away.

"Sorry—" Zhong Bai swallowed. "Is there something wrong?

Shao Lin shook her head. "No," she answered. "This just all feels a bit overwhelming."

He nodded. "I understand."

She thought she should tell Zhong Bai that she had seen Long Yat-sen last night and that she was within close proximity of him. But she didn't know why she couldn't mention it. Perhaps she was afraid of what Zhong Bai might think.

How could she explain that she passed out alone in a deserted hall and that Long Yat-sen happened to be there? It would only drive more questions and concern from him.

But Shao Lin felt like she might be making assumptions too quickly. Long Yat-sen was only one of five suspects, and it still didn't prove that he was the one that killed that victim nights ago or that he's even part of the largest criminal operations in Shanghai. But her mother's warning echoed in her mind.

"Sorry," Shao Lin said, trying on a warm smile. "Please continue I was just lost in thought."

Zhong Bai glanced at her grimly before he continued. "Long Yat-sen is the eldest of five from the Long family; though he's a very classy man, he's very to himself. No one ever knows much about him or what he does in his spare time."

"So what can we do?" she questioned.

"I'm going to keep watch of these suspects. Observe them and their activity carefully. I will report back to you if I find anything."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shao Lin questioned.

Zhong Bai's mouth tightened. "Not really. You're not authorized to and it's dangerous. Besides…" he paused. "You'll only hold me back."

Shao Lin felt stung. In other words, she'd be a nuisance.

Detective Zhong read her expression. "Lin…"

"No, no. You're right," she said with a tight grin. "I will only hold you back on your investigation. I'll just wait until you have any news."

"Lin. I'm doing this to protect you."

She shook her head. "No need to explain. I understand. I'll wait."

Zhong Bai looked at her once more; his expression held some sadness and something like longing. He stood and straightened his coat before he left.

When Shao Lin heard the door shut, she ran to her room directly to her computer and searched Long Yat-sen.

There was not much about him except for some old pictures of his family and some articles about their accomplishments. There were pictures of him when he was younger next to two red-haired twin boys, the three of them unsmiling. In others, some were cropped or the camera faced the backs of young girls, Shao Lin suspected were his sisters. Odd, she thought.

There was then a post in a blog of an upcoming event that listed Long Yat-sen as a guest.

Shao Lin picked up her phone and made some calls until she sweet-talked her way to be put on the guest list. If detective Zhong was not going to let her in on the investigation, then she'd do some research and spying of her own.

Even if Shao Lin was to find something, she would not confront it. She only wanted answers and confirmation of her suspicions.