Chapter 15: Wanted and Bounty

To be honest, who would want to go about their life and call the police for no reason? If there were any way to rid himself of this troublesome passive trait, Mo Fei would throw money at it without hesitation.

Officer Tang only smiled at Mo Fei’s words, offering no comment. “I heard you were the one who found the person this time?”

Mo Fei nodded. “Right over in the wasteland nearby. There was also someone trying to attack people with an axe.”

As he spoke, he took out his phone, opened the photo album, and showed Officer Tang. “That’s him.”

Most of the screen was obscured by wild grass and the long-haired man, but the face of the one wielding the axe was still mostly captured.

Officer Tang stared at the screen for a while, silent, before finally asking, unable to contain himself, “Your first reaction upon seeing this was to take a photo?”

Mo Fei grinned sheepishly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Officer Tang looked at this young man—smiling darkly, his gaze cold, yet speaking in a tone almost like he was trying to be endearing—and swallowed hard.

Even after more than a decade in the force, he hadn’t seen a scene like this.

“Send me this photo,” Officer Tang gestured to his phone, “and if possible, take me to the location.”

Mo Fei turned to look at Director Wang.

They were still on set, so leaving required the leader’s approval.

Director Wang’s expression was dark as the bottom of a pot; he waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. “Go.”

Li Cangyu, who had accompanied Officer Tang, stepped forward. “I’ll go too.”

When Mo Fei made the report, Li Cangyu had been with Officer Xiao Xu and the others looking over materials. Upon hearing someone had attacked people with an axe, he immediately volunteered to join the investigation.

He hadn’t said much along the way, simply observing Officer Tang handle the case without getting involved.

With two officers by his side, Mo Fei’s sense of security soared; he plunged ahead into the wild grass.

The three stopped at the spot where Mo Fei had seen the axeman.

Mo Fei pointed to where the axeman had stood. “There, that's where he was. There’s still blood on the ground.”

“Blood?” Officer Tang’s brows furrowed.

Li Cangyu stepped past him, squatted by the bloodstains, and after observing for a while, asked, “The blood is fresh. Was that person injured?”

He was asking Mo Fei, who shook his head. “It dripped from his axe.”

Li Cangyu’s expression changed instantly. With a terse “Don’t move,” he followed the trail where the grass had been flattened.

Mo Fei was now past the stage of being most curious about the smell of blood; what he really wanted to know was—

“Officer Tang, is he your superior?” Mo Fei leaned in and lowered his voice.

For ordinary people, this would be a whisper. But as Mo Fei drew close, every instinct in Officer Tang screamed for vigilance.

Suppressing the urge to slap cuffs on Mo Fei, Officer Tang forced a polite smile, leaned in the same way, and said loudly, “You can ask openly!”

“Ugh—” Mo Fei's face twisted as he rubbed his ear, his head buzzing.

Officer Tang exhaled and finally answered, “He’s my senior.”

“Oh, I see.” Mo Fei nodded hurriedly. “No wonder he looks so formidable. Impressive.”

He gave a sincere thumbs-up.

Clearly, praising the senior brought Officer Tang more joy than receiving the compliment himself.

Yet looking at Mo Fei—who, no matter how you saw him, didn’t seem entirely innocent—Officer Tang’s smile became forced and hollow.

Just then, the person being flattered emerged from the wild grass, his face grave.

“Report to the team: there are two bodies here.”

Officer Tang’s smile vanished completely.

The case had escalated.

Director Wang’s expression darkened even further.

Though the incident hadn’t happened within the film crew, it was only a few hundred meters away. With no one else around, the crew would be the closest group for questioning.

Those unaware of the details might think the police were merely looking for the axeman, but Director Wang, having lived through decades of changing police methods, saw through it immediately.

This was clearly not the standard procedure for an assault case.

He knew well that no matter how clear things were in his mind, it couldn’t be exposed. As long as a veil covered the matter, the crew wouldn’t panic. If the truth came out, the production would be ruined.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, glaring at Mo Fei mingling with the police.

He realized now—this guy was a jinx.

On his first day with the crew, Mo Fei found dismembered limbs, and now he had stirred up so much trouble just by venturing into a patch of grass.

Earlier, Director Wang had worried about actors quitting and needing contracts to secure them. Now, firing Mo Fei would mean paying a penalty!

Director Wang was seething.

He was from the Purple Thorn region, and the old locals held certain beliefs.

Mo Fei, it seemed, was destined to bring disaster to this production.

At that moment, Mo Fei had no idea he’d unwittingly revealed his misfortune to everyone.

He was still diligently cooperating with the police.

As the first person to discover the scene, and having even greeted the axeman face-to-face, the officers took his account extremely seriously.

That photo on Mo Fei’s phone was copied immediately.

He hadn’t yet processed what was happening before he found himself seated in a familiar spot.

He calculated and felt that since switching cards, he’d encountered even more trouble than before.

Black Card [Jack the Ripper], truly black indeed.

This time, the interview was conducted not by the officers he’d previously met, but by Li Cangyu and another unfamiliar policeman.

During the questioning, Mo Fei recounted the events exactly as he’d witnessed them.

Li Cangyu produced a stack of photos, spread them out on the table, and asked, “The axe you saw in that person’s hand—which type was it? Can you recognize it?”

Mo Fei’s photo was poorly composed, with the axeman’s raised hand completely out of frame, so the weapon was not visible.

To identify the murder weapon, they had to rely on Mo Fei.

He leaned over to examine the array of axe photos, then pointed to one. “It was like this, but a bit smaller.”

Li Cangyu pointed to the photo. “Are you sure?”

Mo Fei nodded confidently. “My eyesight is 5.2 unaided; even if there were bits of flesh hanging from the axe, I’d recognize it.”

Li Cangyu glanced at the picture.

A single-blade carpenter’s axe, roughly matching their previous suspicions.

The questioning wrapped up, and Li Cangyu stood to thank Mo Fei. “Thank you, Mr. Mo, for your support in our investigation. Please be extra cautious in the coming days. Since you photographed the suspect, there’s a strong chance he may seek revenge. If you notice anything unusual, notify us immediately.”

Mo Fei paused, then asked, “Officer, does that make this man a wanted criminal?”

Li Cangyu hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes. There’s a photo, suspicion, and victims—official notices just haven’t been released yet.”

Mo Fei’s face broke into a wide grin. “How much is the reward?”

Li Cangyu: ...