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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 150: A Thread of Connection
As Xu Jian and Ren Guoliang hurried back to the Task Force, night had already fallen. They rushed straight to the Training Room, where the Party Instructor had ordered everyone to gather due to a lead on the Trafficker King. This left the weary detectives feeling frustrated; they had spent days searching outside with no results, while it seemed those sitting at home had managed to find something.
Jumping out of the car, they were greeted by Aeming at the entrance, who waved them over and said, "Come here, all of you. Stop with the useless chatter."
Seven or eight people gathered around, momentarily taken aback. Sitting on the doorframe was a relaxed figure munching on sunflower seeds, his eyes darting around to observe everyone. Xu Jian, sensing the atmosphere, smiled brightly and said, "Oh, Instructor, have you brought in an expert? Is this the specialist?"
"Of course! Just munching on seeds and already found a lead?" Ren Guoliang chimed in sarcastically, sounding a bit grumpy.
However, Ruhua, still cracking seeds, complained even more loudly. "What kind of look is that? No wonder we can't catch any bad guys. Do I look like an expert? The term 'expert' is an insult... Haven't you heard that there are experts everywhere but they're not worth much? Go on then, he's inside."
"Ruhua, are you taking this chance to insult me? Do you believe I won't sell you off to a sweatshop as a laborer?" Xiao Mu shot back from inside.
This left everyone confused as they followed Aeming into the room. There sat a young man with long hair and delicate features who didn’t seem to fit the typical image of a serious professional. He was engaged in conversation with a female informant from their team. Aeming stopped everyone and said, "Today’s lesson is something I won’t cover myself; I can only teach you about combat and apprehension... So perk up and listen closely! To catch a fraudster, you need to think strategically; you can't just flail around like a headless chicken."
"Instructor, without accurate guidance from above, we can’t be effective at all. Since we took on this case, we haven’t received a single accurate piece of information from headquarters. How are we supposed to catch anyone?" Xu Jian lamented. This fraudster had managed to confound even seasoned detectives with numerous serious cases under their belts; his movements were too erratic and time was running short.
Ren Guoliang echoed his frustration: "Exactly, Instructor! The population of Official Post County is less than 150,000, and the mountainous area covers over 40,000 square kilometers. If he hides somewhere random, how are we supposed to find him?"
What both men said made sense; only accurate information could lead to precise captures. The role of Skynet in apprehensions was becoming increasingly significant. Unfortunately, this fraudster had become adept at evading police advantages time and again.
"This is what we need to learn today: how to use limited information to determine accurate directions... Now then, Xiao Yu, please replay the information regarding Wang Shou and his activities in Luzhou," Aeming instructed as he pulled up a chair next to Xiao Mu.
The explanation came from the female informant dressed in training gear. She had an average appearance but spoke loudly and roughly—perhaps influenced by the environment—listing out various pieces of information gathered by different teams. The biological profiling from residences proved largely ineffective; they found hair and skin flakes belonging to four different individuals which muddled their investigation. The salespeople who had been duped by fake Savings Institutions also provided accounts that painted Wang Shou as an amiable person who was generous and often seen playing chess or drinking with merchants at the building materials market.
This was clearly an effort to build trust; all fraudsters understood that before taking something from you, they must first give you something in return.
How he deceived people wasn’t important; what mattered was how he escaped afterward. The Criminal Investigation Sixth Division had organized manpower to trace nearly a month’s worth of his activities and were astonished to discover that he operated like clockwork—arriving at the building materials market every day at eight in the morning and leaving on the last bus at nine each night before blending into chaotic rental areas. Tracing back through a month’s movements yielded almost nothing of value; he hadn’t visited shops, banks, supermarkets, malls or even busy transportation hubs at all.
Counter-Surveillance Awareness was quite high, and the police watching immediately noted this definition; the more such individuals there were, the harder they were to catch.
“Pay attention, on the 17th, the day he escaped, at that time,” Aeming reminded.
The informant pointed out that at two in the afternoon, surveillance at the entrance of the building materials market captured him taking bus number 29. He was carrying a large bag. According to the salesperson's account, he withdrew the last portion of money from Savings Institution, totaling over 90,000. The bus surveillance recorded his back as he faced away from the camera, riding for ten stops before getting off.
Then it went dark; he got off near the Five Textile Factory, close to the Expressway Entrance. That area was on the outskirts, making it impossible to find any further surveillance footage.
Next, at five in the afternoon, he appeared at the train station.
The explanation paused. Aeming looked at his confused subordinates and smiled as he asked, “I can tell you that the breakthrough is right here.”
“There's nothing here; this is a breakthrough?” Xu Jian questioned.
“To read extraordinary books in silence and hear thunder in stillness—why can something arise from nothing?” Xiao Mu began to speak leisurely.
Ruhua interrupted with a series of claps and said, “The show-off has begun; give some applause.”
With no response, he stopped awkwardly. Xiao Mu gave him a slight nod and said, “Thank you… Baldy, are you sure I should be speaking?”
“Absolutely; I want to give you a sense of achievement,” Aeming replied with a smile.
Even Party Instructor, who usually refrained from flattery during training sessions, was being so ingratiating. The Leftover Crowd dared not underestimate him and listened intently. Meanwhile, Xiao Mu waved his hand and said, “Don’t be so solemn; relax… First of all, I’m here as a friend and have been moved by this Trafficker King’s deeds. How should I put it? My way of assessing people is a bit different from yours. For instance, when I look at this person, I would define him like this: outwardly honest but inwardly cunning, acting insidiously while being timid as a mouse.”
“This…” Xu Jian replied somewhat unconvinced. “I could come up with that definition too.”
“We need clues, not definitions,” Ren Guoliang interjected.
A few detectives laughed, their laughter tinged with a hint of disdain. After years of navigating the sharp edges of guns and knives, did they really need a young rookie to teach them how to do their job?
Aeming also chuckled, a hollow laugh that offered no commentary.
Xiao Mu responded with a smile, “If you extend the definition of personality to behavioral patterns, are you still afraid of not finding clues?”
The detectives paused, momentarily taken aback. This didn’t seem like mere bravado; it felt almost mystical.
“Mu, keep it simple. I trained this bunch, and their IQ is lower than mine,” Aeming remarked.
The others snickered but didn’t dare retort. However, one informant couldn’t help but laugh. Xiao Mu shifted his approach and asked, “Let me ask you this: Does Trafficker King have any Criminal associates?”
“No. If he did, it would be easier to handle. He’s always been a lone wolf, dealing with drug traffickers on his own,” Ren Guoliang replied.
“Do you think his tricks are impressive?” Xiao Mu inquired.
“Not really. There aren’t enough fools around these days; whenever something goes wrong, it’s always someone getting duped,” Xu Jian said.
“Does this Trafficker King have any special abilities? Can he scale walls or summon storms? What makes you repeatedly fail against him?” Xiao Mu pressed on.
“He has an excellent grasp of timing and hides very well. Tsk… It’s true; he’s not considered a major criminal, yet we can’t find any trace of him,” Ren Guoliang admitted.
“In psychology, there’s an effect known as the advantage effect. It means that a person is only likely to succeed in areas where they have an advantage, not in their weaknesses. This effect applies to suspects as well; during a crime, they subconsciously leverage their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses… In this case, what do you think Trafficker King’s advantages are?” Xiao Mu asked.
“He’s articulate; it’s like he has two tongues…”
“Exactly. He dares to run an underground bank and has so many people believing in him.”
"I said, expert, this doesn't seem like cowardice; it seems more like audacity."
"Right, expert, stop talking so much. Can you really analyze any clues? How long will it take us to verify everything?"
"Instructor, do you think we're working too hard and want to give us a break?"
The last sentence was spoken by Xu Jian. As soon as he said this, the tough police officers burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became chaotic. The Ruhua looked at these men, whose eyes were fierce or faces were brutish, all dressed in plain clothes. A casual movement revealed handcuffs and guns at their waists, which startled them into silence.
Xiao Mu smiled, his face neither red nor pale.
Aeming chuckled, watching the situation unfold.
"It seems I've been rambling too much. Let me demonstrate something. If we connect personality traits to behavior patterns, as the previous speaker mentioned, the Trafficker King has always acted alone. The key to this scam's success isn't just getting money but successfully escaping. In fact, that's quite easy to achieve; however, doing so without leaving any clues is a bit challenging... I have one question: if someone takes a bus to the suburbs at 2 PM and returns to the train station at 5 PM, what could be the reason for this strange behavior?" Xiao Mu asked.
"Who knows? Taking a train out of the province is safer, right?"
"Wrong. If they were on an intercity bus at 2 PM, they would have left the province by 5 PM, wouldn't that be faster? Of course, that would lower the safety factor; long-distance buses now have onboard monitoring." Xiao Mu refuted.
"Money; he left with money... but wait, he came back. Why did he return?"
"Consider his personality traits: cunning yet extremely cautious. There aren't many images captured on surveillance; how did he suddenly appear at the train station? That’s something that can be tracked when exiting..." Xiao Mu countered.
"Damn it, could it be that he intentionally lured us into a trap?" Ren Guoliang realized, glancing at his team members, who seemed to think so too.
"Not only did he lure you into a trap, but he also mocked you. Using the alias 'Gao Yichao,' which should mean 'one step ahead'; he got off at Official Post—Official Enforcer ends here... I'm just guessing here, but I feel he has this intention... Now let's confirm something: do you think the Trafficker King fled from the train station in a panic or deliberately left a trace there for you to chase him around in circles?" Xiao Mu asked.
"It should be a decoy. The train station is just a smokescreen," Ren Guoliang understood.
"Alright, I agree... Now, explain the next question. According to estimates, after deducting his expenses, he must have taken away around seven to eight hundred thousand... This money definitely won't go through the bank; he's running a fake bank. Once he shows his face, don't expect to get any money back... Moreover, there are no criminals involved here in Luzhou; everyone is just his pawn... The question is, has the money been transferred elsewhere? Or is he carrying it on him?" Xiao Mu asked.
"It should have been transferred, right?" Xu Jian replied uncertainly, glancing at his colleagues. They had been too focused on tailing the Trafficker King to sort out those details completely.
"Set up surveillance... We'll deal with that bunch from the Sixth Division another day," Aeming said angrily.
The informant played a segment of the footage. In the blurry surveillance video, Wang Shou was marked as he entered, carrying a bag, queued for security checks. The train station's security checks could be ignored; as long as he wasn't carrying flammable or explosive items, he could pass through. Then he queued to buy tickets, taking about thirty minutes. This guy really had patience; on the fast-forward screen, there was hardly any movement.
"I can't see anything here. Maybe he took the money with him," one of the detectives said.
Suddenly, Ruhua laughed and couldn't help but interject, "A million probably weighs around thirty pounds. Seventy thousand plus some other stuff would definitely exceed thirty pounds. You try carrying half a bag of flour and standing still for half an hour without moving!"
The realization hit Xu Jian like a wake-up call as he slapped his forehead. The other detectives' eyes widened in shock; they immediately understood that this was a complete facade, which explained why they couldn't find any leads.
"Then the next question arises automatically: where did he hide the money? Or where did he transfer it to?" Xiao Mu asked with a smile.
"It must have been transferred between two and five o'clock," Ren Guoliang blurted out. Those three hours outside of the surveillance footage were crucial. Xu Jian's interest piqued as he chimed in, "We can't rule out the possibility of assistance."
"Wrong. If there was assistance, wouldn't it have been better for him to disappear directly? Why take the risk of complicating things? Do you think he's someone who fears being caught by the police?" Xiao Mu asked.
This was a correct interpretation; having one more criminal involved meant more danger. The Trafficker King repeatedly escaped precisely because he acted independently. If there had been assistance, for safety reasons, he would have fled several hours earlier.
"What if he deliberately came back to disrupt our tracking?" Ren Guoliang countered.
"You're half right and half wrong. Disrupting our tracking is certain; he knows he's on the wanted list. But it wouldn't make sense for him to come back intentionally. A cautious con artist like him wouldn't easily take risks after succeeding," Xiao Mu replied.
If it wasn't intentional, then it must have been necessary. The reason had to be related to the money, but what about its whereabouts? Surely he didn't just bury it somewhere?
As the debate grew more heated, Ruhua could hardly contain himself. Aeming snapped at him, "If you know the answer, keep quiet."
"Oh, I won't say a word. It's the first time I've felt a sense of superiority about my intelligence," Ruhua replied solemnly.
Xu Jian chuckled helplessly, "Instructor, are you really just playing with us?"
"If I don't tease you, how will you learn your lesson? Mu, give them a demonstration," Aeming said with a smile.
"Actually, this relates to personality. A person's character determines the kind of environment they choose and the methods they employ. If you look at his past crimes, he always used simple and straightforward methods—common techniques that surprisingly yielded great results in his hands... When I reviewed these records yesterday, I tried to put myself in this person's shoes and thought about how to transfer the stolen money in a simple yet inconspicuous way without drawing attention... This morning, Baldy—your instructor—and I waited on that stretch of road without surveillance until noon, and finally witnessed such a simple method..." Xiao Mu explained.
The informant began playing an unrelated video. At an intersection, someone was waiting for a ride, waving down a vehicle and tossing a package in front of a bus before getting in. In another clip, a van marked with "XX Technology" pulled over as the driver waved down another car and loaded several packages into the trunk... The detectives exchanged bewildered glances; this was a common method. Merchants or ordinary people often used long-distance buses to transport goods—just a phone call at both ends, and payment could be made upon arrival at the pickup location.
Could it be that he transferred the stolen money this way?
The detectives' jaws dropped in disbelief; they couldn't fathom it.
"Just like you wouldn't expect him to set up a fake Savings Institution for deposits, what's wrong with using this method? He doesn't stand out; he can just throw everything into a shabby bag and casually toss it into the car... How much can he carry each day? The driver won't have x-ray vision to see that it's cash inside..." Xiao Mu chuckled. This breakthrough perfectly matched Trafficker King's whimsical personality and employed an extremely simple technique.
"I find it hard to believe too, but if he did do it this way, what do you think the outcome would be?" Aeming asked.
"Making innocent people unwitting accomplices?" Ren Guoliang suggested.
"Exactly. That's his usual tactic—salespeople, merchants—many of whom are both victims and accomplices," Xiao Mu added.
"Using something that everyone overlooks to conceal his true intentions," Xu Jian remarked.
"Right. In fact, when he was at the train station, someone had already received the money. He just took the train to deliberately divert your attention," Xiao Mu concluded.
"Is there still a Criminal?" someone asked.
"We'll talk about that later. His Criminal might be a bit unique... perhaps even the Criminal doesn't know what he's doing," Aeming replied.
"Then hurry up and investigate," Xu Jian urged.
"We're already looking into it. By the time you all figure things out, everything will be missed," Aeming said with a smile.
The information officer opened a direct communication window and asked through the microphone, "Sixth Team, Sixth Team... any results..."
As the transmission was delayed, the screen here displayed the Criminal Investigation Sixth Division, where a group of people were identifying something. Aeming explained that they had summoned nearly all the intercity and provincial bus drivers who passed through the North Suburb intersection from 2 PM to 5 PM, extracting all the surveillance footage from their buses to check for anyone carrying goods during that time.
The other side asked them to hold on for a moment. Soon, a video file was sent back. After downloading it and opening it to play, they saw less than ten seconds of footage from a bus's surveillance camera.
Bang... the door opened.
Thud... a package was thrown into the front space of the bus, and a man with half his head showing said, "Carry a package."
That's enough. The detectives who had been pursuing this case for months gritted their teeth and said, "Old Trafficker, it really is him."
The information officer downloaded several more videos, including identifications and statements from Savings Institution employees and merchants at the building materials market. The voice and half-exposed face were enough for confirmation.
Seeing this left everyone stunned and shocked. Aeming pointed at his subordinates with a smile and said, "I had my doubts during this morning's test; I felt it couldn't be this simple. I even casually packed something for the bus to take to Chaohu City... Oh, what struck me as odd was asking if your phone number was correct, what time for Pickup, just get on and go—nothing could be more convenient than that."
Scratching their heads, clenching their jaws in frustration, the expressions of the officers varied widely. Yet Aeming remained cheerful as he said, "Now you know how formidable this face-slap expert is? I've been slapped more than once... Haha, look at you all standing there like that. Everyone stand at attention, dismissed! Hurry up and eat; we'll soon have results from checking the delivery location. Get ready for us to bring someone in."
"Yes!"
The officers saluted and hurried away, but Xu Jian and Ren Guoliang turned back after a few steps. They warmly shook Xiao Mu's hand, one of them saying thank you, really thank you; the other asked, "Instructor, who is this person? Much more impressive than that Public Safety Expert from last time."
"Get lost, this is my personal security expert. Don't go prying," Aeming waved his hand, shooing them away.
Once the leftover crowd left, even the informant looked at Xiao Mu in surprise a few more times. Just as Xiao Mu was feeling proud, he noticed Ruhua biting her finger. He was taken aback for a moment, then Ruhua indignantly said, "Damn it, you hogged all the glory for yourself. You didn't leave me any chance to speak. It was me who told you how heavy money is."
"Oh, that's true, Baldy," Xiao Mu laughed.
"Exactly! You're really selfish, taking all the chances to speak without leaving any for Mr. Sun... Come on, Mr. Sun, I'm with you on this. I can't stand this show-off either; with him around, it makes us look like we have a serious IQ problem," Aeming said with a smile as he put his arm around Sun Qinghua, ready to take him out for a meal.
"I quite like your humility, but your IQ really isn't that high; asking for help over such trivial matters," Ruhua retorted angrily.
"Well... hey Mr. Sun, next time I'll have to ask you for help. It's a good thing you know how heavy a stack of ten thousand is; otherwise, he wouldn't have figured it out either," Aeming teased him.
"Of course! I'm closest to money," Ruhua said proudly.
The two of them walked off together. Aeming turned back with a smile and gestured to Xiao Mu, who followed them. In this unfamiliar environment, he felt as if he had rediscovered a sense of trust he had once experienced, which made him inexplicably feel safe and fulfilled—almost reluctant to leave...
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