40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 483 1. Those who come from afar (6.6k)

Tujia sat down slowly.

"Did you enjoy your trip, Mr. Investigator?" a woman asked with a smile.

Her chestnut eyes were cold and completely opposite to her expression, her skin was very pale, and a long scar spread from her right cheekbone to her lower lip, turning her thin lips into four pieces. It was weird, and she was anything but beautiful.

Things like chemicals and the intensity of work destroyed the looks the woman might have had in her genes, turning her into someone who was immediately difficult to live with.

But that's not something Tujia needs to worry about.

"Not much," he said.

His journey certainly wasn't great, he came to this remote world on a cargo ship.

Moreover, he is just one of countless investigators employed by the Imperial Legal Department, and his salary is not generous. This makes it difficult for him to get a private room on any ship, even a cargo ship.

So, he had to squeeze into the same dirty room with forty-two sailors. The place was dark, hot, and humid. His clothes were constantly switching back and forth between wet and dry, and his food was terrible.

In fact, the food is always terrible.

"Oh, I sympathize deeply," the woman said without sincerity. "So, what are you here for?"

"Investigation," Tujia said.

He raised his head and took off his wide-brimmed hat. This black tweed hat had been with him for a long time, and it was no longer the same as before.

"Investigation?" the woman asked.

Tujia didn't look at her anymore, but looked away and turned his attention to other corners of the room. He began to observe and nodded.

"What are you investigating, Mr. Investigator?"

"Some trivial matters." Tujia turned back and answered her question dryly.

At the same time, he put his right hand into the inner pocket of his coat. The woman's cold eyes moved at a constant speed and followed his hand into the inner pocket.

Seconds later, Tujia pulled out a handful of organic candies. They were wrapped in cheap gray paper with some twisted and wrinkled words printed crookedly on them. It took him several minutes to pick out one of them.

The woman stared at him silently as he put the rest of the candies into the right pocket on the outside of his coat. Her eyes still kept that weird movement and she never blinked.

Tujia ignored her. He just lowered his head, slowly peeled off the specially selected candy, and threw it into his mouth. His battered taste buds experienced no sweetness, only a strange sourness.

He narrowed his eyes, seemingly enjoying himself.

"Mr. Investigator." The woman finally spoke again. "Welcome to Litatra."

Tujia nodded to her, stood up, placed the candy wrapper on the table, and spread it out little by little, and a line of small gray words appeared on it.

[The Emperor is waiting, citizen! 】

He left the candy wrapper, put on his hat, turned and left the second district police station in Litatra.

The ship he was traveling on was anchored at the star port in this area and was inspected, so he had to show his ID to the law enforcement team who came to inspect. They immediately became nervous after seeing the ID with a double-headed eagle printed on it. stand up.

Even a low-level investigator has some kind of power that they absolutely cannot resist. What's more, this person doesn't look like an ordinary person.

So, about fourteen minutes later, Tujia was taken back to their work place by the hurriedly arrived Second District police officers, and began to undergo ID verification and some simple questioning.

Of course, during the fourteen minutes of waiting, the captain of the cargo ship continued to curse him in public.

Tujia ignored him.

Just like this moment, he ignored the looks coming from the streets and alleys. He walked slowly, aimlessly along the dirty and greasy road for about two-thirds of Terra's hour.

This place in Litatra was no different from any other nest he had ever seen. The environment was just as bad and lifeless. From time to time, cars would speed past in the middle of the road, mostly police cars and sometimes transport vehicles.

The buildings on both sides of the road are very old and look gray. The sky is dark, and it is almost night here. Workers in blue uniforms are walking lifelessly and tiredly on their way home or elsewhere.

The workers who were responsible for replacing them walked through them with an even more lifeless expression. Their toes were sweating and wrinkled in their boots, shrinking from the upcoming hard work, but there was no way to escape.

Tujia reached into his coat and stopped on the side of the road.

He didn't have a suitcase or anything else, at least not anymore, the captain had burned them all. He was angry and angry, so he did something irrational. But it doesn't matter, Tujia understands him.

If a cargo ship establishes a relationship with an investigator, it will basically never have any smuggling business in the future. Moreover, for all captains, the smuggling business is the most stable part of their income source.

The Smugglers who roam the galaxy have much better credibility than the Imperium.

Tujia narrowed his eyes.

The crowds came and went, but he remained unmoved. He stood in the blue-gray ocean, like a black-gray ghost. His coat was dirty, his pockets were bulging, and his green eyes under his black wide-brimmed hat were darting around like a hungry eagle.

After a few minutes, he left the spot and started walking along the sidewalk. He had never been to Litatra, and this area was naturally included. But, somehow, he seemed to know how to find his way.

As time passed and his footsteps became faster, the ground his old boots stepped on began to become dirtier and dirtier. The air he breathed was also changing from muggy to cool, and the pungent smell of chemicals filled his nostrils.

He walked all the way down. Finally, he came to a strong man and then slowly stopped.

This man was taller than him and was looking down at him. The jacket made of leather material did not fit well and was very tight on the arms. He was holding an automatic gun and standing in front of a door.

The surface of this heavy iron door is very gorgeous and colorful. But that's not its original color, it's the neon tubes that were tied to the door with wire that created the color.

The light tube bent, forming a dozen letters, and then pieced together a difficult made-up word. A very scary noise was coming from behind the door, accompanied by vibrations.

【Hi kiss】

"Are you okay?" the man holding the gun asked rudely.

"I want to go in," Tujia said.

"What?"

"drink wine."

"We don't sell alcohol! Get out of here!" the man yelled rudely, stench and saliva spewing out of his mouth.

The condition of his teeth was very bad, and the statement that he would not sell alcohol was of course a lie, and the statement that followed was even more rude. However, for the sake of the gun in his hand, Tujia allowed the lie to be true for the time being and silently forgave him for his rude behavior.

Logically speaking, most people who are looking for trouble will be scared off at this stage, but Tujia is different.

He is an expert at finding trouble.

"Let me in." He raised his head and asked the man. "I won't be in there very long."

"Oh, don't even think about it." The man gave him a fake smile. "Do you think I don't know who you are, idiot? The news about Starport has been spread!"

At the same time, Tujia was keenly aware that there were some deliberate noises coming from behind him. Some people were approaching, and it was obvious that this bar had as many guards as their countless counterparts.

He frowned.

Yes, all people living in the gray area of ​​the hive city have either rudimentary or complex intelligence networks. They are always well-informed and can always get what they want through various means.

However, he only stayed in the police station for less than forty minutes.

Even counting the time it took him to arrive here, the total would not exceed three Terra hours. This amount of time is not even enough for a drug addict to have a good time, but his identity has been exposed at a glance.

While he was thinking, a gun was pressed against his waist. Tujia glanced sideways, and an ugly and sweaty face broke into his eyes.

"You don't want to die, Mr. Investigator?" the man asked.

"Of course." Tujia said.

Other than that, he said nothing. Everything seemed calm, but his muscles were completely tense. It all came down to a scent he caught.

It was a strong, abnormal odor that was emanating from the owner of that ugly sweaty face.

Tujia slowly raised his hands, turned around, passed through the malicious crowd, and left the alley little by little, remembering the faces of those who gave off the stench.

What surprised him a little was that except for the big man, everyone else actually smelled like that.

Thinking about this, he walked out of the alley, but did not go far. Instead, he leaned against the wall at the left end of the outside of the alley entrance, and slowly reached his right hand into the inner pocket of his coat.

At this moment, the sky has completely turned dark. I don't know if it's because he's far away from the normal living area. This place is neither dark nor bright, and the low-rise buildings have a strange and disturbing quality.

Tujia looked at them absentmindedly, and then he took out a heavy revolver. Extended barrel, twelve rounds of projectiles, composite material grip

He walked all the way to this remote world and underwent a total of three body searches. Once it was a cargo ship, once it was a law enforcement team, and the last time it was a police station.

However, for some reason, neither the sailors nor the absent-minded members of the law enforcement team, nor the police officers who were on standby, could find this heavy weapon that had been in the inner pocket of Tujia's coat, as if it had never been seen before. Doesn't exist.

"That bastard is absolutely crazy. Damn it, these investigators are crazy. Litatra is not a place where they can run wild." Someone said while walking towards where he was.

There were many footsteps, not just one. The sound of their boots on the ground was not very pleasant, just as noisy as their jeers. They joked and walked slowly over. Obviously, they were not worried about Tujia and wanted to confirm whether he was really gone.

And this gave him the opportunity.

There was a bang, and a bullet penetrated an ugly, sweaty face. Three more gunshots followed, and Tujia walked away from the wall, his coat flapping, his green eyes under his duffel hat staring intently at the stunned guards.

This is their final look.

Tujia fired twelve bullets in one go, leaving seven corpses behind. He turned around, unloaded and replaced his ammunition, and slowly returned to the entrance of the alley, leaning against the wall again and waiting.

About half a minute later, there was the sound of heavy footsteps rushing from the alley, and the sound of a man breathing heavily. He came closer, then froze, and the sound of his breathing suddenly disappeared. Tujia can almost imagine the expression on his face

But he still wanted to see it with his own eyes.

So he left the wall and returned to the alley.

He raised his gun.

"Don't move," Tujia said, coughing twice. "You don't want to die, citizen?"

The strong man released his hand at the speed of light and wisely threw his automatic gun into a pool of blood and the bodies of his companions. The shock and confusion on his face were quickly changing into a more complicated mixed expression. Tujia ignored him and just tilted his head, signaling for him to turn around.

The man nervously complied, the back of his neck covered with sweat. Tujia raised his right foot, kicked him to the ground, and pointed the gun at the back of his head. He looked back at the entrance of the alley, but no one had come to check yet.

This is good, it shows that the security situation in this place is not much different from the world he has experienced. Law enforcement teams and police officers are only willing to stay in safer places, and it is up to their residents to maintain order in these gray areas.

Tujia turned around and put his gun into the back of the man's head.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"What?"

"Who's in charge of this place?" Tujia asked, slowly pressing the hammer.

He has asked this question at least a dozen times, and there are many such people in every hive. ‘Boss’ is just one term, they are also bosses, bastards, bitches, and murderers or sadists.

To Tujia, though, they were all indistinguishable. They all deserve to die.

"Gore!" the man replied immediately.

"I won't ask you how you know my identity, but I want to know another thing. I have only one request for you, citizen, do you understand? Just such a request, as long as you agree, I will leave immediately ”

"Say it, damn it!" the man said tremblingly.

"This Gore, where can I find him?" Tujia asked. "I want to hear at least three place names from your mouth."

The man immediately did as he was told, Tujea wanted only three, but he gave twelve. His mouth turned into a machine gun, and those place names were ammunition, constantly spurting out of his mouth.

His low Gothic accent was so strange that Tujia yawned and couldn't help but hit his head with his left hand. His mind was emptying out little by little. While remembering those names, he had even begun to guess about this big man's childhood.

"Is that all?" Tujia asked.

"You won't get anything more even if you kill me!" the man screamed in reply.

"Well, thank you for your cooperation, citizen." Tujia said. "I won't kill you. After all, you are a citizen of the empire. Of course, these people are not included in it. Now, I want you to do two other things for me. Can you do it?"

The man nodded stiffly.

"I hope you lie down with your head in your hands and stay there for at least five minutes. I will leave at four minutes and thirty seconds. You can choose to wait for the time to end, or get up early and take a gamble with me."

"As a friendly reminder, I am a person who attaches great importance to time and absolutely keeps my promises. Therefore, I will go crazy whenever I see people who are not punctual and like to lie. Do you understand?"

The man lay face down in a pool of blood and let out a vague groan.

"Thanks, Citizen, and one last thing. I'd like you to report something to your boss."

Tujia turned to look at the seven corpses.

"Wha, what's the matter?"

"Let him check these people." Tujia said. "Gray order is also order, what do you think?"

——

Tujia didn't like interrogations very much.

Don't get me wrong, he likes what he gets after interrogation. Such as information and messages, names or places. But he didn't like the interrogation process. He didn't want to get himself dirty. But, sometimes, you have to do this to make some progress in your work.

"Go on, citizen," Tujaa said. "Until you finish drawing."

A sobbing female employee sitting opposite him nodded tremblingly and began to write and draw on the paper in front of her with redoubled efforts. She was not harmed. After all, this was a legal institution and she was just an ordinary person making a living.

The reason why I cried was simply because I was scared. This is normal, after all, not long ago, Tujia just brought down all the guards in the exchange in front of her, very simply and neatly, without a single gunshot from the beginning to the end.

Tujia slowly lowered his head as he listened to her crying and the sound of pencil rubbing on paper. He raised his right foot and kicked a man. The man groaned and stopped trying to touch the gun. A viciousness mixed with fear appeared on his bruised cheek.

"Gore will kill you, investigator," he said vaguely. "You have no idea who you're up against."

"No, I understand very well," Tujia said. "Also, sorry, citizen."

He raised his foot and kicked the man in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Of course, Tujia doesn't know whether this Gore has the courage and determination to kill an investigator, but he will use his discretion to judge whether he should kill that Gore.

He has this power. Investigator is actually just a glorified title. Tujia is very clear about the nature of his work and understands the only requirement of the Ministry of Justice for them. Tujia does not always follow this requirement, he has his own code.

But Gore, whom he has never met, may have violated this rule.

His guidelines, not those of the Ministry of Justice.

Frankly speaking, there are not a few such people. Most people with certain powers in gray areas are actually very afraid of death.

They know what can and cannot be done. Smuggling contraband and dangerous goods are completely different things. However, there are always some people who can't tell the difference between right and wrong. They not only like to challenge local laws, but also like to challenge the laws of the empire.

Tujea would not refer to these people as citizens of the Empire.

The scratching sound of pencils suddenly stopped.

"Have you finished painting?" Tujia asked.

The female staff member cried and nodded, and handed over a simple map with twelve place names Tujia got from the big man's mouth marked on it. Also, if you ask, yes, the exchange he is currently on is not one of those locations.

He was not familiar with Litatra, but he was familiar with the gray areas. He understood that in a place like this, any 'legitimate institution' that might have anything to do with the authorities must have someone behind it.

So he picked an exchange and broke in. He was lucky. Although he didn't find Gore, he didn't provoke a new 'manager', and he also got a map——

"--Jingle Bell"

Tujia turned his head and looked at the phone with a brass handle that was placed on the wall. He did not pick it up immediately, but nodded to the female staff member and thanked her for her help.

Then, he lowered his head and began to fold the map carefully, taking this opportunity to observe the scenery outside the open door. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of several shadows flashing in the darkness.

Tujia raised his head, put the map into the inner pocket of his coat, then walked to the phone and picked it up.

He didn't speak, just waited. A few seconds later, a female voice came from the other end of the phone: "You are really crazy, investigator."

"Thank you, Citizen Gore." Tujia said, leaning against the wall and putting his right hand into the inner pocket of his coat. He remained motionless in this position, observing the scene outside the door.

The shadows he saw increased.

"You have disgraced me today. Although Xiqiu is not my property, those people you killed will be blamed on me. I took the money and sent them there. Do you understand?"

"Are they your people?" Tujia raised his eyebrows.

"So what?" Gore asked slightly irritably.

"Then, I suggest you check them out. This is not to sow discord, it is just a simple suggestion. Whether you follow it or not is up to you. Also, Citizen Gore, did you send someone here?"

"No, there are only a few little guys who tipped me off." Gore was silent for a moment before answering. "What do you mean?"

Tujia put down the phone and pulled the trigger toward the door. Twelve bullets, twelve gunshots, deafening. After he finished shooting the bullet, he put the phone in his neck and continued to lower his head to reload.

"Damn, what happened?!" Gore roared on the phone. "I'm warning you, you'd better not touch anyone in that exchange!"

"I didn't kill them," Tujia said. "It's some other people, they want to kill me."

As if in response to his words, a corpse smashed the glass door of the exchange and fell on its back. Blood immediately stained the black and white floor red.

"What?"

"You heard it right." Tujia replied and waved to the female staff member, but she did not dare to leave from behind the desk no matter what. So he had no choice but to sigh and turn to another plan.

He raised his gun, pointed it outside the exchange, and said into the phone: "Can you send someone to back me up?"

".What?" Gore asked in a confused tone.

"My death will do you no good, Citizen Gore. According to the speed of your intelligence network, many people probably already know that I am looking for you."

"So if I were to die or go missing, the news would quickly leak out and create a rumor that you killed me."

"Then, according to the law, Litatra's law enforcement team and police officers will have to come to find me. You will suffer, believe me. Therefore, your best choice now is to send someone to support me and deal with The Emperor prays that I will not die."

At the end of his tirade, Tujia shut up and fired twelve more bullets toward the door.

The attackers roared outside the door and fired back. Their accuracy was very poor, and not many bullets even hit the exchange. But, no matter what, Tujia now regrets that he knocked out all the guards.

He lowered his head to reload and began to wait for an answer.

On the other end of the phone, amid the extremely reluctant silence, Gore spoke.

"If you go out from the back and go east, you will see a church." She said slowly. "There are still twenty-two minutes until midnight. As long as you can enter that church before midnight, you will be safe."

She hangs up.

Tujia frowned slowly.

midnight? church?

For some reason, he felt a chill.