#The interaction between China and skulduggery is on page 495 in book 13

[the-ghost-of-a-spirit]

I FIGURED IT OUT

I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED

I KNOW WHY SKUG LEFT THE CITY GUARD

Kinda

So, remember Somnolent? From resurrection? when skug said "I didn't want to tell you about Somnolent" yeah

WELL GUESS WHAT

China was ordering skulduggery to kill serpine, he said "that's not what i do" then china said "oh really? Tell that to detective Somnolent"

this implies that skulduggery had to kill Somnolent (and might have been ordered to by china)