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墨書 Inktalez
The sudden interrogation was progressing rapidly, but the results were astonishing...
When asked about all matters related to Wei Heng Business Investment, all the arrested General Managers claimed ignorance. They knew nothing about registrations or corporate codes; at most, they were aware that the General Manager, Lin Musheng, was behind the planning. For these Pyramid Scheme members, who could lie without batting an eye, it would have been impossible to discern the truth from their fabrications if not for the prior arrangements made by the task force.
Responding to interrogation was a mandatory skill in the Pyramid Scheme world. Everyone's expressions and language were identical, as if produced on an assembly line. The majority of their answers to the police were consistent: "I don't know."
He Yuguo, who held the position of Vice General Manager, was a key figure. This old Pyramid Scheme member, who had lost both his niece and money, chose to remain silent. In contrast, his niece Jia Fangfei, who had close ties with informants, provided a different narrative. She insisted that she was merely hired as a secretary to play a decorative role. As for being tied up like a dumpling? She claimed it was because she enjoyed BDSM games—was that illegal?
The task force conducted two rounds of intense interrogations without any breakthroughs. In front of these individuals who relied on their words for survival, any inducement failed to work. Everyone was desperately trying to distance themselves from the massive amount of ill-gotten gains because they understood that participating in a Pyramid Scheme and orchestrating one carried entirely different legal consequences.
Tu Shenhao, who returned from an out-of-town arrest operation, was different. He brought back substantial evidence and chose to speak up. However, he pointed fingers at Lin Musheng as the mastermind and concocted an elaborate story about how Lin planned and executed this Pyramid Scheme.
After two hours of intense interrogation and extensive questioning records, all evidence pointed squarely at Lin Musheng.
The interrogation team believed they had nailed down the mastermind, only to receive a reply from the Provincial Task Force: revise the interrogation plan.
No one knew that the so-called "mastermind" was actually a high-level informant; anyone could be it—except him.
The revised plan shifted focus onto the whereabouts of the missing illicit funds.
Money is a curious thing; however, what was strange here was that no one claimed ownership of the stolen funds. Even when five million was uncovered on-site from Jin Ke Kaiyue, no one stepped forward to acknowledge it. They preferred to portray themselves as impoverished farmers, lamenting how they had been deceived into joining the Pyramid Scheme. During a re-examination of He Yuguo, Old He wept bitterly, recounting how he not only earned nothing but also lost his entire life savings accumulated over more than ten years... Oh, that damned Lin Musheng had ruined him!
Things spiraled out of control; the interrogation was temporarily halted. However, this loss of control also indicated a collapse of psychological defenses, prompting the task force to focus on this individual.
As the convoluted case situation summary reached Fan Wenjie’s phone, he stood at the entrance of the Branch's comprehensive office, staring at the indifferent Xiao Mu. After reviewing everything on his phone, it became clear that among those in the know, their defensive alliance remained unbroken. The so-called "confessions" were merely performances scripted according to their plans; the Pyramid Scheme had meticulously arranged for this scenario and even prepared responses for every possible denial.
Was there a breakthrough here?
Fan Wenjie glanced at Ye Tianshu, who hesitated. Xiao Mu’s calm demeanor made him feel somewhat embarrassed. He recalled how he had once tried desperately to persuade Xiao Mu into this whirlpool; considering it now, achieving this level of composure was no small feat. If it weren't for this situation binding him, this young man might have returned home long ago to live a carefree life.
"Who will go?" Ye Tianshu asked softly, his voice barely audible.
Then several hands—including Ye Tianshu's—pushed Zhang Quan forward without hesitation as if he had volunteered himself. Fan Wenjie almost laughed at this small gesture from everyone. Zhang Quan looked back in confusion but stepped forward nonetheless. Fortunately, he wasn't alone; Luo Guanquan followed closely behind him and took an interest in observing this informant who had achieved remarkable success.
"Can you stop being like this? What happened to you?" Zhang Quan said directly, without any courtesy.
"And you can stop being like this too. I haven't done anything yet," Xiao Mu retorted.
The seemingly feuding pair made Luo Guanquan chuckle. He extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill and said with a smile, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Luo Guanquan, just like you, temporarily hired for the project team."
"You're welcome, but there's still a difference. You're one of them; I'm an outsider," Xiao Mu replied, shaking his hand lightly.
"I know your situation. It's clear that you want to protect Jia Fangfei?" Luo Guanquan asked bluntly. Xiao Mu was taken aback, and Luo Guanquan added weight to his words: "Or perhaps it's not just wanting to; you've already acted... Before taking action, you tied her up in the bathroom and searched her belongings. That way, you avoided her getting caught on the scene and prevented any evidence related to the Case Situation from being found on her."
This was a tough question; admitting it would mean confessing. Zhang Quan shot an unfriendly glance at Luo Guanquan and then at Xiao Mu, worried that Xiao Mu might fall into a trap. To everyone's surprise, Xiao Mu nodded and said, "Yes, that's obvious. I wasn't planning to hide it."
After saying this, the legally savvy Xiao Mu added, "But you also can't produce any evidence. Whether it's proving she is the mastermind or what I took, you have no evidence."
Old Fan snorted heavily, speechless. The others who had gotten along well with Xiao Mu were quite frustrated.
This guy was clever most of the time but foolish at moments like these; yet even in his foolishness, there was a hint of cleverness.
Luo Guanquan was no longer in a hurry. He pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing back at Fan Wenjie without saying much. He straightforwardly continued, "Regardless of right or wrong, there must be a reason for doing this?"
"It's not about disregarding right or wrong; I know it's wrong, but I still did it," Xiao Mu sighed and pondered for a moment before resting his chin on his hands and speaking slowly: "When I saw many people in mental hospitals becoming deranged because of Pyramid Schemes, I hated those people... Those who brought me into their den and forced me to deceive others for my own safety; I wished I could send each one of them to prison... When the opportunity arose, I stood with you all. I won't deny that you're right; no matter how extreme the means used to eradicate this tumor threatening so many people is, it's correct."
He spoke calmly, neither pleading nor seeking sympathy in his tone or expression. Then he shifted his words: "Law enforcement is human in theory and on a macro level; but on a micro level and concerning individuals, it can be anti-human... People like Baldy or me may have a sense of justice, but it's hidden from view. The deceivers are deceiving others while we are also deceiving them to gain their trust before pulling off another deception... After that, we can describe our unsavory actions as clever and brave... Wouldn't you agree?"
"Indeed," Luo Guanquan affirmed directly. "Having been a police officer for decades, I deeply understand this. The base nature of police is often more despicable than noble; how should I put it? It's a helpless situation—when facing victims' families, can we tell them how terribly unfortunate their loved ones were? No, we can only comfort them with lies; when facing the media, can we tell the public how terrible their living conditions are? No, we can only use lies to brush it off; and when dealing with various criminals, can we tell them how many years they will be sentenced? Certainly not—we deceive them, con them, even treat them more harshly just to send them where they belong so that others can live a little better—even if it means we face condemnation ourselves... Do you think we're wrong?"
"Not at all; I agree," Xiao Mu replied.
"Thank you for understanding... So why do I still help her?" Luo Guanquan countered.
"Because I can't convince myself to stand by and do nothing... Even though she has her motives, I can sense that in some ways she genuinely likes me. You can feel whether something is genuine or fake in matters between men and women. If I say nothing and turn a blind eye, what's the difference between that and pushing her into the pit myself? You are police officers; you can do these things under the guise of nobility while I clearly don't possess your level of integrity," Xiao Mu said lightly, with an undertone of sarcasm.
"But she is still a suspect and possibly the mastermind behind this case," Luo Guanquan reminded him.
"Wrong, she is not... she is just an ordinary woman who has failed in love, struggling in both life and career, led into the Pyramid Scheme industry to seek fortune. What I fear is that you overestimate her position and take... some measures against her," Xiao Mu said. He raised his head, resolute and certain, thoughtfully adding, "To say she is the mastermind, don't you find that ridiculous? A mastermind capable of orchestrating such a large scheme would be caught by someone as powerless as me? If she were truly the mastermind... then it seems you wouldn't need to be here."
It was clear that if she were indeed the mastermind, Xiao Mu's handling of the matter would be straightforward. His sharp response made several present feel uncomfortable. Luo Guanquan glanced back at Director Fan, but before he could speak, Xiao Mu interrupted him, saying, "You don't need to waste your breath; it's obvious you are not the mastermind in your organization. No amount of talking will change that."
Luo Guanquan frowned at the provocation but swallowed his words. At this moment, Fan Wenjie could no longer remain silent. He stepped forward as Luo Guanquan yielded his position. Old Fan stared at Xiao Mu for several seconds, as if making a decision, and finally spoke up: "If she is the mastermind, she will be charged with the crime of illegal organization under Pyramid Scheme, and you will also bear responsibility for that; if she is not, then it’s simple. You should know that the sentencing for Illegal Pyramid Scheme has always been light... Tell me, who is the mastermind?"
"Thank you," Xiao Mu smiled and replied directly, "Most of those arrested will identify me as the mastermind."
"This is precisely the script planned behind the scenes," Fan Wenjie said.
"Dig a little deeper, and the General Managers will point to He Yuguo as the mastermind, while He Yuguo will identify Tu Shenhao as the mastermind. As for Tu Shenhao, he will push it back and say it was either He Yuguo or Jia Fangfei who was the mastermind," Xiao Mu explained.
"You mean none of them are?" Fan Wenjie caught on.
"Correct. The person behind it can only fall into two categories: first, someone who has never appeared in your sight but manipulating such a large operation with so many people seems unlikely to remain hidden. Therefore, I believe this scenario cannot hold; it must be the second." Xiao Mu stated.
"What is it?" Luo Guanquan asked eagerly.
"The one overlooked by everyone," Xiao Mu said with a playful expression.
"Yang Menglu?" Luo Guanquan suggested a name.
Ah? Zhang Quan and others exclaimed in unison, and then Ye Tianshu immediately pointed out: "Impossible. She is the whistleblower in this case and has been in contact with Zhong Shihai from the Business Task Force. She reported these Pyramid Schemes even before you got involved, and when the operation was initiated, she provided more detailed collection information to Captain Zhong... The missing illicit funds were all hidden by various General Managers before this meeting; these missing funds belong to seven locations across more than twenty bank cards. The money disappeared when she was taken away; during that time frame, there were always personnel from the Industrial and Commercial Anti-Smuggling team accompanying her—there was no opportunity to take anything away remotely either; the timing was too precise. Otherwise, those General Managers would have panicked long ago."
Having denied her involvement due to lack of time and opportunity was one thing; however, they guessed wrong about whom Xiao Mu referred to. He reminded them: "I am not talking about her; she is too conspicuous for this role."
"Then who?" Zhang Quan thought until his head hurt but couldn't come up with another candidate.
"You all have fallen into the trap of overlooking what's right under your noses," Xiao Mu said: "First, gathering, organizing, and planning such a large Pyramid Scheme requires experience; no one can do it without connections—so it must be someone seasoned. Second, going from over three thousand in fees to sixty-nine thousand indicates a clear escalation in criminal activity that cannot be attributed to a newcomer; such a large fund circulating among different hands requires a foundation of trust—this shows that this organization operates very tightly. Thirdly, the mastermind must be someone trusted by everyone—a die-hard Pyramid Scheme believer who absolutely would not cooperate or compromise with the police; these individuals face light charges after being caught because if they want to come out again there’s still a chance for them to rise again—they rely on such people. The root of why Pyramid Schemes persist lies here; their criminal gains far exceed their costs. Fourthly, there’s no connection or recognition between ranks within Pyramid Schemes. This person can link everyone together and should be someone overlooked by law enforcement; only by being overlooked can they operate freely."
Zhang Quan's face changed dramatically as if he had encountered something terrifying and blurted out: "Are you referring to... Lu the Madman?"
Xiao Mu smiled and nodded. Lian Qiang and Ma Fenghuo exchanged glances while Old Horse remarked: "That can't be right; he really has gone mad. When this started, they sent him straight to a mental hospital."
"That makes it easier to verify. We can just check if he's still there... Don't you think living in a Mental Hospital is the perfect cover? This is a madman's business; you can't play it straight," Xiao Mu said, connecting all the dots.
Mian Mian exchanged glances for a moment before Fan Wenjie picked up his phone and called the project team for verification. This verification required transferring to the local police, and while waiting for the call, Old Fan's hands trembled. If this madman had outsmarted thousands of Police Force members and ended up escaping with the money, it would be a huge joke.
Xiao Mu watched quietly, seemingly confident in this outcome. He didn't mock the police's panic; in fact, he had just figured out the intricacies himself. Just like he understood High-IQ Crime, it was either about achieving the primary goal or reaching a secondary one. Now, the missing stolen funds had proven that the primary goal had been achieved.
The call took fifteen minutes to come back. Fan Wenjie put it on speakerphone on the desk, seemingly wanting to confirm the accuracy of this absurd hypothesis. The project team connected with the local police:
"Patient Lu Hongbo was admitted to Luohe Psychiatric Hospital on June 18 and escaped during a family visit on June 22 at 3 PM. His whereabouts are unknown, and we are investigating whether there were any violations in the management of the Mental Hospital."
He ran away, disappeared; the time of disappearance was today, just before the operation began. This coincidence sent chills down the spines of those in law enforcement. If it really was Lu Hongbo, then today's Police Force and today's operation would become this madman's most brilliant move:
To take advantage of chaos and then vanish without a trace.
The office fell into an eerie silence, the air felt thick, and the atmosphere dropped to freezing point...
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