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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 138: Profound and Mysterious
Upon returning to the hotel where they were staying, Xiao Mu drank two cups of tea without uttering a word. He seemed enchanted, completely absorbed in the case files provided by Fan Saili.
Aeming noticed the change in Xiao Mu; he had shed some of his previous superficiality and gained a sense of steadiness. There was less embellishment and more authenticity about him. He no longer resembled the confused young master from Aeming's memories; every word and action exuded an indescribable confidence.
"He has undergone a transformation," Aeming thought to himself. It was akin to a rookie police officer starting their career, beginning with handling firearms and making arrests. Such experiences could rapidly shape a person's character, especially considering that Xiao Mu's experiences likely far exceeded those of an ordinary person.
Finally setting down the tablet, Xiao Mu lifted his cup and took a light sip, a teasing smile appearing on his face.
"I can see you're intrigued," Aeming remarked with a smile.
"In this line of work, there are so many prodigies, haha," Xiao Mu couldn't help but laugh.
Aeming and Fan Saili shared a knowing chuckle. They were discussing the protagonist of the case files; if one were to remove the label of criminality, calling this person a genius wouldn't be an exaggeration. Otherwise, they wouldn't have traveled such a long distance to seek advice.
...
The Trafficker King, originally named Wang Shouhe, was born in Anhui Province in the 1970s. In 1999, he was sentenced to six years in prison for human trafficking but was released after serving four years and four months. This was during a nationwide crackdown on trafficking, marking the only case that left a record of Wang Shouhe; there were no further records of his arrests thereafter.
However, his criminal record continued to accumulate. In 2001, during a raid against prostitution in Macau, local police arrested 22 women involved in the case from mainland China. Upon repatriation and verification, they uncovered a shocking case involving thirteen women who had been brought to Macau by a man using the alias "Wang Quan" for sexual services. All these women were married and notably attractive young wives from Anhui Province who had been trafficked into prostitution rings.
Just before this mastermind was identified, he managed to escape. It took months of investigation based on physical characteristics and immigration records to confirm Wang Shouhe's identity.
As soon as this case was confirmed, the suspect changed his line of work again. Two years later, in a neighboring province bordering Anhui Province, an extraordinary incident occurred where over ten children of wealthy businessmen were detained by local police in Canada and collectively repatriated. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that this agent was a fraud who had collected substantial fees from these wealthy individuals before absconding with their money.
It was later confirmed that Wang Shouhe was behind this as well. He had engaged in multiple similar schemes and had topped the online wanted list in Anhui Province back then.
The case remained unsolved, and within three years, another bizarre incident occurred. In 2007, in the southern part of Anhui Province, Zhaoyuan County's government reported a case that was even stranger. A man posing as an investor approached the county, claiming he wanted to build a factory to help lift the county out of poverty. He promised to invest a large sum and train a group of skilled workers without requiring any payment upfront. Naturally, the county government was eager to support such a beneficial initiative. The labor bureau stepped in and began recruiting suitable laborers from towns across the county, sending them all to the factory arranged by this so-called investor.
It was later discovered that this individual was not like those who trick banks by acquiring land; he was far more ruthless. Over two thousand laborers were deceived. With a labor shortage in the south, this "investor" collected referral fees per head and sold all the workers to factories. By the time those workers realized they were not there for training but were being treated like livestock, the "investor" had vanished without a trace. Similar cases emerged in neighboring provinces, with over three thousand laborers falling victim that year, ultimately leaving the local government to clean up the mess.
As a result of this case, Wang Shou earned the title of "Trafficker King."
The most recent incident occurred eight months ago when Wang Shou, who had been on the run online, resurfaced in an even more astonishing manner. Without even seeing him in person, an Anti-Drug Team in Anhui Province dismantled a drug den and seized funds that turned out to be counterfeit—six hundred thousand Renminbi and twenty thousand dollars. Through interrogations with drug dealers, they traced back to a meeting where it was unexpectedly revealed that the so-called "big client" purchasing with counterfeit money was none other than Wang Shou himself.
...
Xiao Mu couldn't help but chuckle as he held a photo of this "Trafficker King," captured by surveillance but not very clear. With a round face and a slightly plump figure, he wore a humble smile that seemed almost playful, directly contrasting with the furious expressions of Aeming and Fan Saili.
"Are you done laughing? We have plenty of opportunities to mock him later. Now tell me, how do we find this bastard?" Aeming asked directly.
Fan Saili frowned; could it be that they were sitting across from a fortune teller?
Certainly not, Xiao Mu replied with a smile: "Baldy, why do you think I have any special abilities? Even if I did, it wouldn't be so quick! If I knew where he was, why would I bother with tattoos? Anyone can just charge for finding people; how many are abducted every day nationwide?"
"Oh right, I overestimated you," Aeming said, repeating himself before asking again, "Just give me some pointers; you've already cost me over ten thousand."
"You want my help now after being stingy before?" Xiao Mu retorted angrily. This guy hadn’t changed at all; he still wouldn’t loosen his purse strings.
"You can't do anything useful; just spit out what you owe me! This old trafficker has made me lose face—I've rounded up over thirty good men since last year and haven't caught a single hair of him!" Aeming exclaimed angrily. Fan Saili shook his head at this discussion about the case; it was all just venting frustration.
But it seemed Xiao Mu enjoyed this approach; he scoffed at Aeming: "Your methods of visiting relatives or blocking doors are too childish. They might work for catching small fry but won't work on an old trafficker who's been around."
"You know that much?" Fan Saili asked curiously. During holidays and family reunions was when the police force was busiest chasing fugitives, using methods like Xiao Mu described—waiting for people to come home or visiting graves.
"He knows quite a bit," Aeming answered for Xiao Mu and then asked him directly: "Most are caught like that or when they commit another crime. If this guy isn't caught during his crime spree and can't be watched closely, where on earth can we find him?"
"He's not exactly a dangerous suspect that needs to be captured," Xiao Mu said, strangely picking up the tablet again. Noticing Aeming's anxious expression, he realized something unusual about the case. After glancing at Fan Saili, Xiao Mu blurted out, "He's not important; the source of the Counterfeit Money is what matters, right?"
Aeming smiled and looked at the surprised Fan Saili, asking, "Are you convinced now?"
Fan Saili was taken aback by Xiao Mu's reaction and curiously asked, "How did you figure that out?"
"Kidnapping a few women isn't a big deal; you can choose to catch them or not. Kidnapping thousands of Migrant Workers is similar. Even if they have a few kilograms of Drugs on hand, it wouldn't warrant you coming all this way to find me... Unless it's about Counterfeit Money; only large amounts of Counterfeit Money are truly dangerous," Xiao Mu explained. There were priorities in this matter, and it seemed that the Old Trafficker had stirred up a hornet's nest. The swarm of police wouldn't let him, an important informant, off easily.
Fan Saili was left speechless. Changing the subject, she said, "Then give me some advice; don't make me come all this way for nothing... Please don't take this as a command. The r7 Counterfeit Money circuit has been found in many places across the country, and so far, we haven't traced its origin. The longer it exists, the greater the harm it poses to society."
Xiao Mu shrugged helplessly and looked at the focused Aeming. "Baldy, it's not that I don't want to help you; how can I help? I haven't studied I Ching; I can't predict where he is... And there's another issue: this Wang Shou is a Trafficker King. How do you know if the Counterfeit Money in his hands was obtained through deceit? He might not even know where it originated."
"The clues... It doesn't matter if he obtained it through deception, theft, or purchase; as long as this line isn't broken, there will be somewhere to search. But right now, we're just running around like headless chickens," Aeming said with a look of deep frustration.
Seeing this, Xiao Mu couldn't bear it any longer. He stroked his chin and pondered for a long time while the two looked at him expectantly. This heavy responsibility was indeed daunting. Hesitating for a moment, Xiao Mu asked tentatively, "If there's really no other way, why not try thinking from his initial motive?"
"Initial motive?" Fan Saili was taken aback.
"You mean... the original motive for committing the crime? I can't even find that; why would I look for motives? Besides, it's been so many years," Aeming replied angrily, clearly disappointed to have traveled so far only to receive such an idea.
But Xiao Mu was furious. He slammed his hand on the table, startling both of them. Pointing at Aeming, he said, "Listen closely: the initial motive plays a decisive role in shaping a person's criminal methods. Analyzing motives will greatly help you understand the suspect's thought process when committing crimes. If you have insight into their methods, you'll have a chance to find their escape routes. You've really fallen behind; your approach of catching people based on cases is decades out of date."
"But it's been twenty years since he first went to prison," Fan Saili pointed out incredulously, implying that such information might be useless. Indeed, Aeming scoffed and said, "What good does finding the motive do?"
"It’s genuinely useful. For example, committing a crime is like... You might have lost count of how many people you've interacted with throughout your life and how many times you've done so. But you'll definitely remember your first time very clearly... That first time plays a crucial role in forming a suspect's criminal mindset... Take this Trafficker King; he wouldn't just start kidnapping women for no reason. Moreover, the profit isn't substantial—selling a wife only brings in fifteen hundred; that's quite reasonable," Xiao Mu explained.
"Fifteen hundred was quite a lot back then," Aeming remarked.
"And after that? Kidnapping any woman is easier than abducting married ones? Plus, without psychological or moral pressure, why would he specifically target married women? It's not purely about money; kidnapping these types incurs greater expenses," Xiao Mu questioned.
Who knows? Or, who would think so deeply? The two were dumbfounded. “Also, to kidnap workers in Poverty County, he must have been exposed to this field, otherwise he would not be able to figure out this bad idea on his own, what kind of seedlings will grow, and what kind of soil will be needed... Looking further, overseas When studying abroad, he followed the trend and looked for loopholes... As for kidnapping the goods from the drug dealers, it can be ignored," Xiao Mu said. "How could it be ignored?" Aeming didn't understand. "Let's put it this way, twenty years of cheating is equivalent to going from a rookie to a master who can pick flowers and fly leaves and hurt people. It doesn't matter if you deceive people or deceive ghosts. Whoever you catch and deceives may be the best. Those who make Counterfeit Money and sell drugs were all abducted by him." Xiao Mu said with a smile. After reading the case file, his admiration for such strange people was like a torrent. That's right, this is to put them in a position where they are hunted down by black and white and become the public enemy. "Initial motive?" "Criminal thinking?" Fan Saili and Aeming looked at each other in confusion, but they understood that Xiao Mu, a half-baked psychologist, had changed his career for so long. Is he getting better or better? Degenerated. "Don't be surprised. You don't need a desperate suspect, so you have to burn your brain. First of all, your information is too incomplete. There is almost no information about this person's growth environment and education. Secondly, there is no information about his prison sentence. Why are there so few records? Thirdly, there are no clues and no analysis, so blind people like you can figure it out." Xiao Mu asked. It’s hard to say this. Aeming said it. In the last century, villages and towns were merged into towns. A large number of township schools were withdrawn. Where can I find old materials? Fan Saili said that the prison where the sentence was served was checked. In Anhui Province, However, the judicial supervision Prison Warden system has also undergone several reforms, and several prisons with poor efficiency have long been dismantled. Wang Shou and the prison serving sentences are among them. When the entire criminal system is digitized, it will be able to The prison sentence information provided is very sparse, and it is good enough that the names and genders are not mistaken. "Then what do you mean? Even Zhuge Liang needs to know the birth date before I can calculate it? I don't have anything, and you let me make up my mind?" Xiao Mu was really angry this time. Fan Saili was extremely embarrassed. He looked at Aeming, and Aeming said tremblingly: "It's not impossible... is there such a way to commit the crime? When you arrested Lu Hongbo, didn't you just look at it? Just thinking that he ran away with Yang Yun? ""Baldy, you were kicked in the head by a donkey. How long have we spent together with Lu the Madman? Personality, hobbies, background, conversation, I We all know it so well, how can it be the same?" Xiao Mu said. "Hey...it seems a bit difficult, but I think it's normal to embarrass me, but it's impossible to embarrass you? Do you know how difficult it is for us to come here to see you? Provincial DepartmentSecretary Department Registration, Provincial DepartmentOffice Letter, if I didn’t know you, they wouldn’t have told me when they came... Don’t say anything. If you say it’s not possible, then Yama will wave his hand, it’s not cured, and I will go home immediately.” Aeming is decisive. road. Too absolute, right? Fan Saili didn't understand yet, but Xiao Mu laughed and scolded: "You illiterate, it was Medicine King who waved his hand that you are incurable."
"I have such a high cultural background. If I hadn't encountered you halfway, I probably wouldn't be where I am today... You are my benefactor," Aeming said.
Xiao Mu glanced at him sideways and smiled, saying, "I take back what I said. You've made progress; at least your flattery skills have improved, making me feel so accomplished... Haha."
"Then tell me... Is there really no hope?" Aeming asked eagerly.
"You came to me out of desperation, so as a half-baked doctor, it wouldn't be right not to give you some diagnosis. Let me share my thoughts..."
"Wait a minute..."
Aeming interrupted, and Fan Saili quickly took out a recorder, afraid of missing anything, ready for Xiao Mu to continue.
"First, we must identify the initial motives and incentives. Based on the timeline of the crimes, he committed his first offense at the age of 24, targeting women. There was no violence or sexual assault described during the abduction; it seems this woman was willingly deceived... The initial criminal behavior is closely related to his growth, habits, and behavioral patterns. I believe this is the kind of person he is: he definitely has a way with words and charm with women. However, ironically, his victims are also women. This contradiction suggests that he may have been hurt by women in the past or that someone he cared about was harmed, leaving him powerless... For example: parental divorce, being abandoned; failure in love, being left behind. Don't look at me with doubt; he is fundamentally different from those who abduct women purely for money. This is also why his sentence for his first imprisonment was light... If it wasn't purely for money, then the motives and incentives become particularly important."
The two listened in confusion but dared not interrupt.
"...You can also see from what follows that the consequences of serving time in prison drastically lowered his moral standards while rapidly increasing his criminal skills. He began using various means to entice married women and traveled abroad under the guise of tourism before selling them to sex trafficking rings... This further supports my earlier conclusion that he has been hurt by women or that someone he cares about has suffered harm... He treats these women well, but they cannot fill the void in his heart. This creates a conflict and serves as an ongoing incentive for him to commit crimes..."
The two seemed to understand but were increasingly skeptical.
"The second step is to investigate the time frame between his release from prison and his second offense—where he was during that period. This timeframe may relate to the subsequent case situation. He might have stayed in the north but wouldn't necessarily have channels to know about labor shortages in the south. Yet he had opportunities to engage in transactions with private company bosses for referral fees based on headcounts... What he's done is so grand and clever that I believe he must have struggled within this circle before turning back to old ways... Therefore, what happened during this timeframe and who he met are crucial. An ordinary farmer wouldn't typically engage in transactions with overseas prostitution rings after just a few years in the south; that's not something just anyone can pull off."
This made sense but lacked verifiability. During the era of millions of migrant workers heading south, who would notice what kind of tragic stories unfolded around an inconspicuous person?
"...As for the subsequent cases, there's no need to look further. After escalating his crimes, he will instinctively prioritize counter-surveillance awareness. His methods will increasingly diverge from his original mindset, so the key lies in the earlier cases... Identifying initial incentives, motives, and how his criminal behavior formed—finding these critical moments and individuals—will allow us to deduce where he frequently goes, what kind of environment he prefers, and whom he can't let go of. That way, we might have a chance to locate him..."
Having finished speaking, Xiao Mu waved his hand and looked at Aeming with a sense of accomplishment. However, it seemed like he was speaking to a wall; Aeming was still staring blankly at him, clearly less comprehending than Fan Saili. Fan Saili sighed and said, "It sounds plausible but a bit mystical."
"On the contrary, what I'm telling you is about the process of how a person's criminal behavior forms. Retracing this helps us understand his character better than just standing guard at his doorstep without knowing anything. He's already committed such serious crimes; would he be foolish enough to return home during the New Year for you to catch him red-handed?" Xiao Mu asked.
"Yes, it's too simple and easy to think about, but Xiao Mu makes it sound so difficult," Aeming said, nervously gnawing on his fingernails. After a moment, he added, "With the case situation being so urgent, you want us to start from scratch to investigate the motives and causes? Is that even feasible?"
"I don't have a quick solution. A person who has been away from home for over twenty years and is also a fugitive—who knows where he could be, what identity he might be using, or what he has become? If you really have no other options and must proceed, then try this approach. If you can clarify these simple matters, you might have a chance to uncover the truth," Xiao Mu replied, still wearing that inscrutable expression he had maintained for the past two or three years. It was a look that made you both hesitant to believe and unable to dismiss.
Fan Saili was out of ideas. He looked at Aeming, who was equally lost in thought. Aeming uncertainly asked Xiao Mu, "Are you sure this will work?"
"Baldy, how often can you be certain about what you're doing? Most of the time, we think the worst and act for the best. If we were truly certain, what would be the point of doing anything?" Xiao Mu countered. Just then, his phone rang. He excused himself to take the call. The moment he answered, he didn't seem as composed as he appeared. "What’s wrong with Lezi? What? Ruhua is crying... Well, that's not unusual; after stock trading, it’s common to wake up crying after a nap. He’ll cry for a bit and then fall back asleep... What? Not crying over lost money but over his wife? At this hour, where am I supposed to find him a wife... Tsk, fine, fine! Just wait; I’ll be there soon..."
It seemed that the person who jumped off was having another episode. Xiao Mu shrugged apologetically and said, "Sorry... It's just a mess of issues that can't be untangled easily. If you two are not leaving yet, I'll treat you tomorrow. We can hang out and I’ll show you around Binhai..."
"It's fine, it's fine; you go ahead and handle your business," Aeming replied heavily.
Xiao Mu excused himself and left first. Aeming and Fan Saili exchanged glances filled with concern. This conversation hadn’t resolved any issues; instead, it deepened their worries. They began to revisit the ideas Xiao Mu had presented and realized that his request was to find the initial motives and causes as well as the people and environment that Trafficker King had once interacted with.
Damn it! This wasn’t solving the problem; it was just presenting another challenge. Aeming scratched his head in frustration—this was more troubling than when he had gone undercover among a group of mentally unstable individuals back in the day...
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