chapter 18

Li Qi went from the airport directly to the Interpol office and asked for the name of the investigator that the Chinese detective had given him. When he met the investigator, Li Qi explained why he was there and requested his assistance. The Interpol investigator told him that this person, his target, was very difficult and that their office could not substantiate any of his offences against him previously because there were always Some of his associates bear criminal responsibility in his place, and he has knowledge and connections to organised crime in all of Europe and has extensive influence.

However, Li Qi insisted that he is capable of reaching that man and making him confess, and all he wants from the investigator is legal procedures to make the recording legally valid and to criminalise and imprison this man. Li Qi told the investigator that charging him with the incitement to commit murder is not an easy charge and that he could then negotiate with him on other offences as well. And that could be the start of his overthrow. The investigator thought for a few seconds and then agreed to Li Qi's proposal. He asked him to come back to him after two days and not talk to anyone or trust anyone until he returned, and they agreed on exactly what Li Qi would do. Li Qi agreed.

Li Qi booked a room in a hotel, and after that, he wandered about the city as a tourist. But he was looking for the address of the bar that he had taken from the old man, and when he found it, he entered as an ordinary customer, as if he was tired of wandering and had come to sit for a while to drink something. Li Qi looked around to see if there was someone who seemed to be addicted to alcohol, until a tall, sunken-eyed young man came and sat on the bar stool. The bartender put a bottle of wine in front of him and an empty glass and left without saying a word. Li Qi understood that this young man must be a permanent patron who doesn't like to change his habits, so he expected that this was his target, Max, the addicted member. But he didn't know how he'd know if it was him or not.

With his eyes on the man, Li Qi pulled out his phone and shouted loudly, "Max." The man looked at Li Qi, and when he saw him putting the phone to his ear, he went back to his glass, so Li Qi made sure that this man was his target. He kept talking as if he were talking to someone on the phone, and then left the place and kept roaming the streets for a while. Then he came back and sat in a coffee shop across the street from the bar, watching the bar from a distance until Max left the bar after four hours. He was swaying a little. He seemed to be getting used to the drink. It didn't affect him much anymore, but he looked very tired. Li Qi followed him from a distance until he knew where he lived, after which Li Qi returned to his hotel room, and he didn't leave it until his appointment with the investigator. Li Qi arrived on time and arranged with the investigator to record the mafia man's confession; nevertheless, the investigator warned him that it was perilous, but Li Qi insisted that he was prepared for any outcome. The investigator gave him a transmitter in the form of a medal for keys and told him, "They will not pay attention to it, so I don't think anyone would take it from you, but be careful and don't put a lot of keys that can move and cause a noise that covers their voices."

Li Qi returned to his hotel and stayed in his room until it was approximately time for Max to go to the bar, and then he went out and walked around the city like last time until he made sure that nobody was following him. He went to the bar and sat next to Max, who had already swallowed a quarter of the bottle in front of him. Li Qi asked for a drink from the bartender and kept thinking about how to start the conversation with Max and how to lure him into talking about his gang. Li Qi didn't know what was the right entrance for a person like Max, and after a while he noticed Max picking up his phone and looking at a photo installed as a background for his phone and saw him ruminate on the photo while he was drinking, so Li Qi peeped at the photo with the corner of his eyes and noticed that it was a photo of Mandolin playing the piano. Li Qi found that this was a suitable entrance with which he could open a conversation with him, so he said,

"Are you drinking all that bottle for her?"

The man looked at Li Qi, examining his face, and then went back to his glass without answering.

Li Qi continued,

"Do you miss her that much? Or do you know what happened to her, so you are sad for her?"

The man's eyes blazed as he stared soberly at Li Qi and asked seriously,

"Do you know her? What happened to her?"

Li Qi replied,

"Of course I know her. I am the one who took her to the hospital while her body was soaked in her blood."

With great interest, Max asked him,

"What happened? How is she?"

Li Qi answered,

"Three criminals tried to kill her, and I found her and took her to the hospital."

The man appeared to be affected and furious. So he slammed his glass with the palm of his hand and tossed it on the ground to shatter. The bartender paid no attention to the situation. He simply brought another glass and placed it in front of Max before returning to his duties as if he were accustomed to these actions. Li Qi continued,

"I don't know why these guys don't want to stop chasing her. Why would someone send all these killers to kill her?" What did she do to him to make him hate her so deeply and insist on hurting her far too much?"

Max replied,

"Don't you know her? Don't you know Mandolin's story? How do you say you know her and don't know her story?"

Li Qi replied,

"Yes, I know her, but I never asked her about her past. And she didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to bother her, but she was always cautious and felt threatened, and all I knew was that there is a criminal from her homeland who never stops sending assassins to kill her, and I don't know why, so I came here to understand and to know why all this is happening. And I know you can tell me; you know everything, right?"

Max shook his head and said,

"You want to know why? Well, it's not a secret. Come."

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