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墨書 Inktalez
The cleanup operation began at nine in the evening and was gradually approaching its conclusion.
Aside from Tongguan, the remaining Pyramid Scheme groups were basically impoverished farmers who had been plundered. The police had to find a way to cover their transportation costs. This time, the operation was quite extensive; in Yulin City alone, there were thousands of people involved, with more individuals trickling back from various locations. A rough estimate put the total number at over ten thousand.
The number of personnel in the task force was dwindling. Some were dispatched to various locations to direct and identify individuals, while others organized repatriations. There were also those who, based on investigative information, worked overnight to liaise with provincial departments to freeze accounts. Soon, the once large task force was reduced to just a few visible members.
Xu Ting did not leave. After receiving a lengthy phone call in the hallway, she maintained a stern expression. The accompanying Business Leaders dared not ask too many questions. Subsequently, the usually cautious Xu Ting issued a strange order: to open up investigations and send out invitations to the media.
Moreover, there was a total mobilization from the City Bureau. What had originally been a highly confidential operation suddenly felt like it had been declassified. Personnel from the City Bureau were dispatched to several heavily affected areas across the province to assist in sorting out the Case Situation and establishing effective feedback channels, aiming to quickly address this unstable factor.
That night, countless police cars raced along major thoroughfares, their lights flashing as they sped through the darkness.
Numerous news Interview Vehicles accompanied the police cars, heading towards a location that could attract nationwide attention.
A turbulent wave surged through the internet as images and reports flooded online—depicting raided hideouts, stacks of incriminating notes, and victims who had been brainwashed into a state of zombie-like existence—revealing glimpses of a chaotic world to outsiders.
Fortunately, this time there was no public outcry against the police's actions...
At twenty-one forty, Ye Tianshu glanced at his phone's display before opening a webpage. In just one hour, news of Shaanxi Province's significant operation that rescued nearly ten thousand Pyramid Scheme victims had climbed to the top of various news portals.
He silently handed his phone to Luo Guanquan, who took a quick look and then gestured for Director Fan to see as well. Director Fan glanced at it but seemed uninterested; for law enforcement personnel, news often lacked truth. Much of what was reported by journalists had been edited down significantly; the reality was far more brutal than what could be seen now.
How exactly was it that Brainwashing was omitted? In that Closed Environment, every means possible is employed to erase your sense of resistance.
This has led to countless criminal cases being overlooked—those who were driven to desperation and jumped from buildings, those who took reckless risks, and even instances of group explosions leading to internal strife. In this crazy world, unrelated individuals can end up in bloody conflicts, all for a fleeting notion of “Wealth Dream.” Those who truly became wealthy no longer care about the fates of others.
There is an even deeper social issue at play; one member signifies a connection to a family. The destruction of one person can trigger a Chain Reaction of consequences that are immeasurable. Perhaps those who can be repatriated are the lucky ones; many who have fallen into desperation or Mental Breakdown may never return to their former lives.
Now, these Instigators stand before them.
In the Branch’s Surveillance Microcomputer Room, more than a dozen isolated Minor Leaders await. The Interrogation Room is currently on hold. Unsurprisingly, among these individuals, none appear flustered despite their long immersion in Pyramid Scheme and Brainwashing tactics.
“Luo Chu, you’re right. The penalties for Pyramid Scheme offenses are indeed too lenient. For these people, sending them to the guillotine would be in line with public sentiment,” said Fan Wenjie, uttering words that seemed out of character for him.
Luo Guanquan smiled and replied softly, “If Pyramid Scheme were punishable by death, they would surely find new methods for their crimes. The Legal System will always lag behind the evolution of crime; they will do everything possible to evade legal risks.”
“Actually, that statement carries a negative connotation, but in today’s society, it seems the meaning has shifted,” remarked Ye Tianshu. Various industries echo this sentiment, with an underlying implication to circumvent legal stipulations.
“It has changed; the entire societal direction is no longer guided by moral standards but categorized by Wealth Disparity. This will undoubtedly overturn many things. For instance, when a person acts legally but immorally, or when someone breaks the law yet faces no repercussions—these situations cause the greatest damage to the environment of the Legal System,” explained Luo Guanquan. After saying this, he glanced apologetically at Fan Wenjie, adding, “I’m sorry, Director Fan, I was just speaking offhand.”
“It’s fine; we have our share of immorality as well. I’ve had quite a few realizations during this process. The biggest one is that we should never hold ourselves to high standards and strict requirements because if we did so, we would appear as a joke in the eyes of those who have no bottom line and disregard rules,” said Director Fan, gesturing upward. “Choose one; let’s verify.”
No evidence indicated that it was Lu the Madman orchestrating all of this, and surprisingly, none of those arrested mentioned his name. This unexpected outcome further convinced the task force of Lu the Madman’s potential involvement.
Luo Guanquan began counting: “Zhang Anping, alias Zhang Fei, Ma Bufang, also known as Ma Jianfeng, along with Dong Chenyuan, and Liu Yong, these General Managers. I believe their positions should be one level below He Yuguo. Perhaps in their eyes, ‘Boss Jia’ refers to Tu Shenhao. However, He Yuguo insists that Boss Jia indeed exists; this seems contradictory.”
“What about Yang Menglu? If there’s someone relaying messages in between, then it makes sense,” reminded Fan Wenjie.
"He Yuguo's intelligence seems to be lacking; he must have been pushed to the forefront as a pawn," Luo Guanquan remarked.
"Could it really be as the informant suggested? A game within a game, where this group is setting up a trap, spreading their influence across the province to cover up Tongguan's grand scheme? Meanwhile, we are also setting a trap to ensnare them. Beyond our confrontation with them, there are others orchestrating their own schemes, and these traps ensnare not only them but us as well," Ye Tianshu said.
High-IQ Crime: either achieve the primary goal or the secondary one, and the manipulator will remain invincible.
This was a complex setup, essentially sacrificing everyone involved in the Criminal organization while they absconded with the money. Luo Guanquan thought for a moment and unexpectedly nodded. "It resembles Pyramid Scheme Master A's style—decisively betraying and severing ties."
"The easiest person to pry information from would be him," Fan Wenjie pointed at Tu Shenhao.
He was the most heavily involved and suffered the greatest losses. If he had indeed been deceived by the Criminal organization, he could easily be turned.
The three of them nodded in agreement; they would start with the person most deeply implicated...
Outside, the stars twinkled like beans against the solemn sky, which appeared ethereal, reminiscent of freedom about to be lost.
Tu Shenhao, confined in a room, had just emerged from the psychological adjustment period following his arrest. At this moment, he subconsciously reminded himself: hold on, hold on.
He had to endure; otherwise, he would face the consequences of confessing for leniency and serving a long sentence. He had dealt with those cunning police officers before. In deception and trickery, they were no less skilled than professionals. Just like during his earlier questioning, they would tempt him to reveal how money was collected, assuring him that everything would be fine once he did. They would entice him to betray the Criminal organization and then tell him it was all right... but in reality, they were all in the same boat; nothing would be fine at all.
Bang... The door opened.
Another round of interrogation began. Two older men dressed in plain short-sleeved shirts entered. To Tu Shenhao, they seemed to be opponents of equal caliber. He squinted his eyes to take a look before disdainfully closing them again.
"Don't resist so much; we're not here to interrogate you, just to have a chat." Luo Guanquan suddenly interjected with a local saying from Guangxi, which sounded close to colloquial speech. Ye Tianshu didn't understand it at all, but Tu Shenhao casually replied, "What's there to talk about? If there's evidence, just convict me."
Then, Tu Shenhao's eyes widened in surprise, blinking rapidly. Damn it, he had slipped up.
Ye Tianshu smiled. Lu the Madman was indeed from Guangxi, so these two must have some common ground; at least communication wouldn't be an issue.
"Not a bad start. Here, have a cigarette," Ye Tianshu said politely, lighting one for himself and passing it across the table directly to Tu Shenhao's lips. Tu Shenhao accepted it without hesitation, taking a puff while his guard went up.
"Actually, we really sympathize with you. A big shot like you being betrayed must feel terrible," Luo Guanquan remarked.
Tu Shenhao scoffed and laughed it off, ignoring them. In his mind, the items found in the car were insufficient for a conviction. He could easily pin the blame for the Sanmenxia hideout on He Yuguo or Jia Fangfei. As for the Tongguan incident, that was all under the purview of "General Lin."
"There’s a saying: 'Don’t fear a wolf-like opponent; fear a pig-like teammate.' What do you think?" Ye Tianshu asked.
Tu Shenhao reacted immediately, denying it outright: "I don’t know them. If you don’t believe me, call them over and let’s see if they recognize me."
No need to admit anything; the General Manager under He Yuguo wasn't important enough to know this money laundering mastermind behind the scenes.
Ye Tianshu ignored him and continued as if talking to himself: "Actually, that saying isn’t quite right; it should be: 'Don’t fear pig-like opponents; fear wolf-like teammates...' Because fortresses are breached from within. To be honest with you, in criminal cases, half of the resolutions come from testimonies of those involved. If everyone just refuses to cooperate, we police wouldn’t be able to do our jobs at all."
Like a crow rambling on, Tu Shenhao listened in confusion. He didn’t dare to respond too readily for fear of falling into their trap; he simply continued smoking while watching warily.
"Don’t think we’re trying to coax confessions out of you. We’ll let the facts speak for themselves... Let the facts tell you how you were betrayed," Luo Guanquan said.
A flat screen was placed before them, and they began playing recorded footage. The first file showed Ma Tuchui brutally beating Big Mouth and another person before reporting Boss's black hideout. The Tuchui brothers insisted that this matter couldn’t get out; otherwise, their reputation would be ruined and they wouldn’t be able to survive on the streets anymore.
"Oh no, Tu Shenhao was so furious that he rolled his eyes, grimacing and wishing he could stab this fool dozens of times.
'Guess who the second person to betray you is?' Luo Guanquan asked with a smile.
Tu Shenhao remained silent, his eyes dark and brooding as he stared at the screen. The flat document began to play, showing the underground parking lot where Yang Menglu handed something over to Captain Zhong before hurriedly leaving. This was the only remaining evidence concerning Yang Menglu.
But this was enough. The revelation struck Tu Shenhao like a bolt from the blue, leaving him dumbfounded. His lips moved silently, repeatedly whispering, 'It can't be true, it can't be true.'
'Don't you want to say something? I know you're hoping for a verdict of not guilty, and at most a charge of illegal business operations that would get you three to five years in prison. After that, someone would fund your comeback, right?' Luo Guanquan asked. Tu Shenhao dared not respond, while Ye Tianshu reminded him, 'Unfortunately, today's payments weren't transferred out. However, the payments made before that were transferred in batches after five o'clock this afternoon—right when you were preparing to escape... Tell me, did the one who took the money flee far away? Or do they still care about your little Criminal relationship?'
Tu Shenhao felt like crying but had no tears left. The unprovable truth and his tangled emotions made him feel utterly humiliated. He had forgotten to smoke the cigarette hanging from his lips and stared blankly at the two.
'You can choose not to speak, but don't think we can't convict you. There's a third person who betrayed you; do you want to know who it is?' Luo Guanquan said.
'Who?' Tu Shenhao asked in despair.
The door creaked open as someone stepped in. Upon seeing this police officer, Tu Shenhao's eyes nearly popped out of his head. The cigarette butt slowly slipped from his lips and fell onto his pants without him noticing. His expression was one of sheer shock, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
It was Zhang Quan. He stepped forward, picked up the cigarette butt, and smiled as he said, 'Thank you for your generous hospitality, Boss. When your prison term is over, we can still be friends. I really admire your boldness.'
With a salute, Ye Tianshu waved his hand as Zhang Quan left. Luo Guanquan smiled and asked, 'I guess we don’t need to ask anymore? Just impersonating a government official could get you over three years in prison. Printing illegal publications, illegal business operations, organizing a Pyramid Scheme, multiple charges... I must say, Boss, your life as the mastermind will be spent behind bars.'
Tu Shenhao broke down. He closed his eyes tightly and grimaced painfully as he lamented, 'Mastermind? I'm just the most unfortunate fool on Maral Gobi... Oh my god, how did all this crap end up on my head? I can't even recognize all those losers involved in the Pyramid Scheme. Do I have that much power? You can't catch the real mastermind and pin everything on me!'
'But for now, it seems you're the only one,' Luo Guanquan replied."
"All the evidence points to you," Ye Tianshu said.
Tu Shenhao's eyes turned bloodshot as he realized he had been cornered. The only way out of this deadlock was to betray others, and that meant there would be no turning back from that moment on.
Luo Guanquan and Ye Tianshu stood up, seemingly ready to leave, showing no intention of continuing the conversation. Desperate, Tu Shenhao hurriedly called out, "Hey, hey, don't go... I'll confess, I'll confess everything. I... I... I want to report..."
As expected, the person he intended to report was named Lu Hongbo.
The two had been secretly collaborating under the guise of a fictional "Boss Jia," organizing pyramid scheme groups across various locations for profit. One handled personnel organization while the other managed money laundering; they had been working together for several years.
The mastermind was finally identified.
However, this revelation brought no joy. The elusive mastermind and the stolen funds he took with him became the greatest regret of this operation...
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