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墨書 Inktalez
The convoy sped along for nearly two hours, and after the project team was stationed at Tongguan, they headed straight for the Jinke Kaiyue Building in the development zone.
In summer, the days are long, and by eight o'clock in the evening, it was just getting dark. The lights around the Jinke Kaiyue Building had already begun to glow. Upon arrival, they found three layers of barricades set up around the building. The Interview Vehicle that had rushed over upon hearing the news was negotiating with the expressionless SWAT officers. They were met with a cold shoulder; no matter what, they were not being let through. As soon as the keen-eyed reporters spotted the project team, they all rushed over.
Fan Wenjie noticed that it was actually the Provincial Television Station that had arrived even faster than them. He instructed Ye Tianshu to get out and handle the situation. After some phone negotiations, he granted two limited interviews: they could record but not conduct interviews, and there would be no broadcast until a final conclusion was reached. Thus, two privileged reporters, carrying large cameras, followed them into the scene.
What they saw upon entering left even the seasoned reporters gasping in surprise. Surrounding the building and on the adjacent street were five groups of hundreds of people squatting together. Police officers were distributing boxed meals to them; those who still had some spirit managed to eat a bit, while others who were less fortunate quietly wiped away tears, overwhelmed by thoughts of their lost money.
After capturing several scenes, the reporters realized this was a major pyramid scheme, with a strong possibility of intentional fraud involved. There were over six hundred victims present, with total losses exceeding ten million. Recognizing the newsworthiness of this situation, the team leader quickly made another call to have their station dig up more valuable information.
The commander of the Tongguan Action Team, Yang Shizhuo, and Zhong Shihai, captain of the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce Anti-Smuggling Team, met in the lobby with representatives from the Provincial Department. They introduced themselves and exchanged pleasantries before heading straight to the scene.
On the 22nd floor, evidence collection was nearing completion. The provincial economic investigation professionals were verifying funds through POS machines and online banking while tracking their whereabouts. According to bank settlement rules, most of these funds had not yet been transferred out through the Provincial Bank's management center. The economic investigation team provided a rough report:
"We are currently tracing funds transferred via online banking; as for POS machine transactions, we have verified an amount of over twenty-four million."
"According to information provided by Business Investigation, this Wei Heng Commerce is not related at all to Wei Heng Investment in Singapore. The company registration, corporate codes, and even capital verification reports are all fake. The Wei Heng P2P platform has no electronic registration; it’s merely a website."
"Verifying the total amount will take some time; they did not centralize collections. Some funds were collected privately, making tracking rather chaotic..."
This information was already known to Fan Wenjie, Ye Tianshu, and Luo Guanquan, who clearly showed little interest in it. The three made their way directly to the door marked for the general manager's office. Glancing sideways at a photo on the wall depicting Xiao Mu pointing towards a grand vision was quite a ridiculous sight; it was also a laughable scam—who could have anticipated such a massive snowball effect?
Upon entering, they conducted an on-site inspection where several areas were marked. Data stored on computers was being extracted; this was a critical juncture in the case that could determine an individual's culpability. Ye Tianshu hesitated for a moment before looking at Director Fan; Old Fan understood his meaning and said directly: "What is what; how it should be is how it should be—no bias or favoritism; no one should have any concerns... Who will report?"
One person stepped forward—a member of an undercover unit. Ye Tianshu prompted him: "Be detailed."
"It is... Xie Xiaobo from Chang'an City Criminal Investigation Division Technical Investigation Team's Fourth Group reporting as follows: seven minutes before our informant initiated action, he threw his audio-visual recording equipment into a washbasin where it became ineffective after being submerged... During this seven-minute gap, we are unable to ascertain his detailed activities." The technical investigator reported thoroughly and pointed out where Jia Fangfei had been discovered—tape and towels used for binding her were found there.
There was a problem. It seemed that Jia Fangfei, who held a significant position within the organization, had nothing on him when arrested—neither in his office nor on his person. Unlike other Pyramid Scheme members, who had nearly all their assets tied to them, everything was clear-cut with them. But Jia Fangfei had even destroyed his phone.
This highlighted the severity of the issue; if he had destroyed evidence, it would be a serious problem.
"Go ahead," Fan Wenjie dismissed the Technical Investigator and turned to Action Team's Yang Shizhuo, casually asking, "What do you think, Team Leader Yang?"
"The urgent interrogation has begun. Almost everyone is pointing fingers at Lin Musheng as the general manager of Wei Heng, claiming he orchestrated everything," replied Yang Shizhuo.
Upon hearing this, Fan Wenjie thought the Commander was being foolish to take such quickly gathered information at face value. He chose not to expose it, while Ye Tianshu smiled quietly, remaining silent. Realizing this, Yang Shizhuo shifted his tone: "Leaders, even if this person isn't the mastermind, he has significant suspicions. With someone as important as Jia Fangfei now denying everything like a hired Temporary Worker, who would believe such a large operation could be run without any accountability?"
"Let's check upstairs," Fan Wenjie interrupted directly, stepping out with his hands behind his back while Yang Shizhuo led the way.
The elevator ascended two floors. The scene here was even more intense—a group of heavily armed SWAT officers surrounded a cash counting machine that had just finished tallying up over five million in cash. After the search, additional cash was found on another table alongside thousands of bank cards labeled according to names provided by the Pyramid Scheme members, which were currently being registered.
The SWAT officer who had experienced the scene stammered through his report. Despite his poor expression skills, it was clear to the listeners how chaotic things had been—money was being thrown around on stage while people below scrambled to grab it. Then came the surprise raid by the Action Team, catching everyone off guard. Ye Tianshu inexplicably recalled Xiao Mu's sly face... right, it fit perfectly with his penchant for chaos.
In reality, this was a rather perfect achievement for an informant but ended with an incongruous note. Unlike Yang Shizhuo, who believed in hiding and destroying evidence, Ye Tianshu suspected that it was their personal relationship that prompted Xiao Mu to take such drastic actions.
"Verify the total amount of funds involved as soon as possible."
"Understood."
"Accelerate the urgent interrogation; with this evidence laid out before us, I refuse to believe they won't confess. Is it really that hard to interrogate? If it's not a Pyramid Scheme, then what is it? If we can't get results, we'll change personnel."
"Yes."
"Personnel identification and repatriation—Captain Zhong, please work hard on this. The public security and police forces from the precinct will be under your command. Ensure that personnel are repatriated quickly, safely, and securely to prevent any future issues."
"Don't worry, Director Fan, we have already started preparing and will finish before dawn."
...
"By the way, Team Leader Yang, please entertain the reporters from the provincial station. You can discuss anything except for matters related to the Case Situation. After all, it's an achievement in Tongguan, so be careful with your wording."
"Understood."
Yang Shizhuo rushed off, and as he exited the hall, everyone went about their business. A reporter chased after him, and Team Leader Yang immediately engaged. Meanwhile, several members of the Provincial Task Force took the opportunity to slip away. Ye Tianshu felt a growing sense of anxiety; interviews were strictly prohibited, and it seemed that this fool from Tongguan had no awareness of the bigger picture. If he showed his face first, it would be a slap in the face for their superiors.
Indeed, it was Director Fan who had quietly set a trap for him. This leader from the Political Department clearly did not favor Team Leader Yang. Ye Tianshu glanced back at Yang Shizhuo, who was animatedly speaking, and he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, gaining even more respect for Old Leader's tactics.
With arrangements in place, they inspected the area before heading straight to the Branch in the development zone. Several key personnel involved in the Shaanxi Province Pyramid Scheme Case were being held nearby for urgent questioning, less than six kilometers from the scene. The entire Branch was heavily secured. Outside the security perimeter, Fan Wenjie, Ye Tianshu, and Luo Guanquan got out of the car and finally saw several main players who had been missing for over a month.
Lian Qiang, Ma Fenghuo, and Zhang Quan approached quickly and saluted them. They looked gaunt and darkened by stress. Fan Wenjie had prepared many words to say but sighed without uttering a single one.
"We can catch up later; where are they?" Ye Tianshu took on the role of the stern face.
"At the Branch," Lian Qiang replied.
"What exactly happened?" Ye Tianshu pressed on. Old Horse shook his head slickly and said, "I don't know. I led the team to capture Tu Shenhao and just returned; I ran into them halfway."
"You tell me," Ye Tianshu turned to Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan pouted and said, "I don’t know either. Once we entered Jin Ke Kaiyue, he separated from me. I really have no idea what happened afterward."
"Lian Qiang, are you saying the same thing?" Ye Tianshu asked.
"Well... he has a good relationship with Jia Fangfei, but I think he’s mostly here to do our bidding. At most, it’s just a game for him, but... tsk." Lian Qiang fell silent, unable to articulate his thoughts.
As for whether they had asked or not, they did, but Xiao Mu said nothing. It was clear that the kid was determined to protect Jia Fangfei.
And these three boys were equally resolute in shielding him.
Luo Guanquan chuckled and unexpectedly interjected, "It's common for informants and suspects to develop feelings after a case situation arises. However, it's rare to see someone trying to exonerate a suspect... Heh, I actually kind of like this informant."
"Luo Chu, please don’t complicate things. If it turns out he really destroyed evidence, where does that leave us? Are we going to abandon him once he's no longer useful? Or will we throw him under the bus?" Fan Wenjie pointed out sharply, his perspective different as he expressed disdain for those who misuse their power.
They didn’t rush inside; on one hand, they were sorting through the case situation, and on the other hand, they were waiting for the results of the sudden interrogation. Of course, there was another layer of concern: Xiao Mu was proving difficult to handle. If it turned out that Jia Fangfei was involved in a significant case situation, then Xiao Mu's act of shielding him and destroying evidence could truly backfire.
After a long silence without resolution, Fan Wenjie stated, "Stop arguing. Think about it; after all, he is a registered Red Line Informant. Whatever we say should be justified. With so many eyes watching us and such a major case at hand... 3326, you have more experience; what do you think?"
"I don’t have much to say. I just feel we shouldn’t target him. He hasn’t taken any money or committed any crimes. We can’t just handle such a big matter and then slap handcuffs on him," Zhang Quan replied directly but was immediately reprimanded by Ye Tianshu: "You are law enforcement personnel, not some street thug. Is that how you speak?"
"Team Leader Ye, civilized law enforcement is itself a false proposition. If we were truly civilized and followed the law, we could handle anything; instead, we can’t even investigate properly," Zhang Quan countered, leaving Ye Tianshu momentarily speechless. Indeed, since coming from the mental hospital until now, there had been no civility; it wasn’t conspiracy theorists who saw this result.
"Ah right, I just remembered something," Lian Qiang suddenly said as he glanced at Zhang Quan. When others pressed for details, Lian Qiang shared three of Xiao Mu's speculations. Upon hearing them, Fan Wenjie was stunned and asked incredulously, "What? He guessed that measures would be taken against him... See? I told you this kid is doing it on purpose; he dares to commit such a serious offense without regard for the rules."
"Wait..." Luo Guanquan interjected curiously. "Are you saying he suspects that part of the money went missing?"
"Yes, he mentioned that a significant portion is missing because the mastermind got away," Lian Qiang explained.
Ma Fenghuo responded with disbelief, "No way! The more I hear, the more he sounds like the mastermind himself; he seems to know everything."
"No no, I actually agree with his view. We’ve never confirmed who Old A really is, but given the urgency of the case situation, we can only adopt an inverted approach—casting a wide net first and then reeling in the catch later. However, based on my experience with such large organizations and plans, the main culprit will definitely not be at the scene," Luo Guanquan stated.
"Is it Tu Shenhao? He has a transfer point set up in Sanmenxia, and a black site at the Tongguan Longfa Building Materials Market. Both his assets and activities resemble those of the mastermind behind this Pyramid Scheme... Yes, most of the Pyramid Scheme materials come from his black site," Ma Fenghuo said.
This proposition left Luo Guanquan hesitant to draw any conclusions. It seemed similar, yet not quite; it was very much like it, but ultimately, what was needed were evidence, witnesses, and testimonies—where would they find those?
As the discussion reached a stalemate, the phone rang. It was a direct contact from the Provincial Task Force. Fan Wenjie answered the call, and after picking up, the excitement from their day's operations faded away. He looked at Luo Guanquan with a somber expression and murmured, "Unfortunately, it’s true... The information we just verified shows that there’s a batch of illicit funds in the account that went missing. They were transferred between five and seven this afternoon."
"Huh? That was exactly when we were operating?" Ye Tianshu asked in shock.
"Damn it, who could it be? Committing crimes right under our noses," Lian Qiang lamented, feeling utterly defeated. After all their hard work, the big fish had slipped away. He didn’t even realize he had cursed until Ma Fenghuo quickly nudged him to keep quiet.
"Don't look at me," Luo Guanquan said as he glanced around at everyone. He directly suggested, "We need to find an informant; he would have the most insight. I'm just guessing based on experience, but if he has also figured something out, I believe he must have noticed something."
No need for further discussion; they all got into their vehicles and drove straight through the lockdown area to the Branch office. They burst into the office where Xiao Mu was being held. The space was spacious, and Xiao Mu remained as nonchalant as ever, eating instant noodles with his feet propped up on the desk, casually clicking away at the mouse. The screen displayed a simple game: Minesweeper.
When they entered, he wore an expressionless face—or perhaps a haughty one—and ignored everyone...
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