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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 147: The Mysterious Case Reappears
"Gender: Female."
"Age: 35, with a fluctuation of five years."
"History of drug use; specifically, highlight women registered at rehabilitation centers connected to the network."
Aeming stated this while he was in the Information Processing Center of the Criminal Investigation Division in Luzhou City. As he spoke, the information staff were typing away on their keyboards, inputting search criteria, and multiple computer screens displayed a vast amount of case information.
His two subordinates accompanying him wore serious expressions, but inside, they were feeling a mix of excitement and confusion. Their instructor had always been a master of martial arts and grappling techniques; when did he start engaging in such high-IQ pursuits?
Aeming hesitated for a moment, recalling his discussion with Xiao Mu. That half-baked psychologist had been thrust into the situation without preparation and was now fully unleashing his imagination to speculate on Wang Shou's whereabouts. The starting point for this speculation was based on women and the type of female drug users who favored "Pink Beauty."
"Paranoia and individuality are the reasons he cannot stop committing crimes, and ironically, they also enable him to evade capture repeatedly. He is a highly emotional person; you can see this from how he abducted his fiancée Yao Yuxia's cousin. His abrupt cessation of sending women abroad for prostitution also reflects this. What drives him is not reason or logic but emotion..." Xiao Mu explained.
"Sexual perversion is key here. Pay attention to Zhang Ge's statements—his former accomplice—who often introduced married women for prostitution. Most of them were already married... They would first get close to them. I boldly speculate that his perversion lies in married women because his fiancée became someone else's plaything. Thus, humiliating another man's wife would provide him with a sense of satisfaction both physically and psychologically..." Xiao Mu continued.
Aeming swallowed hard; it was astonishing how much insight Xiao Mu could derive from something as sordid as this. He gathered his thoughts and continued outlining the investigation criteria:
"Married, divorced, or separated women who have long been away from their original address... If there are any leads, they should be far from their original address, not in the same city."
"Eliminate first-tier cities; eliminate provincial capitals; eliminate remote towns and county cities. Focus on second- and third-tier cities where the drug crime rate is below 0.07 per ten thousand people."
While the information staff busily worked, Aeming felt his lips drying out as he spoke. He understood the weight of his words; the accuracy of a single piece of information could mean deploying dozens of police forces for searches and captures. Time and opportunities for this person were likely running out.
"Instructor... is this okay?" one subordinate asked quietly.
It was Xu Jian, the team leader for the arrest operation in Zhaoyuan, whom Aeming had trained. Noticing Xu Jian's doubtful expression, Aeming replied softly, "What do you want me to do if you can't find anyone?"
"Commander, didn't the Provincial Department send an Information Security Expert as well? His direction was also wrong, causing us to run to Dongguan twice," another person remarked.
It was Ren Guoliang, the Field Team Leader, who had returned with Jian Yu. Aeming lowered his voice fiercely and said, "If you can't do it, just listen to me. We have to bring him back this time."
"But the one you're looking for doesn't even match the gender," Xu Jian reminded him.
"Let's start with the mother figure; I think that's reasonable. Stand aside," Aeming dismissed the two, only to notice that several others were waiting for further instructions. One of them pointed out, "Party Political Commissar, if we expand the database nationwide, there should be over a hundred thousand that meet the criteria."
"Remove Wang Shou and all locations involved in the case."
"Split it into two databases: one for our province and surrounding provinces, and another for reference."
"That sounds about right..."
Aeming proposed two more filtering conditions. The challenge with these conditions lay in the lack of accurate biological and physical characteristic comparisons; the data was too vast and would lead to no investigative value.
Indeed, no one could afford such a high cost of investigation and manpower. He pondered this while recalling Xiao Mu's hints, trying to refine the filtering criteria further.
"This person is not good at managing money; his repeated offenses indicate a strong desire for wealth, which is also an emotional marker. This raises the question: where did such enormous expenses go? He wouldn't engage in normal business; he wouldn't dare. If he's hiding in plain sight with such high expenditures, it seems plausible that someone around him is involved with drugs..."
"Be cautious; this person is very careful. His repeated escapes from pursuit and investigation show that he might have found a way to make himself a marginal and transparent individual. In other words, conventional methods like checking identity information, credit card details, or phone records won't link back to him. He must be familiar with Underworld rules... Note that wholesale Counterfeit isn't something just anyone can sell. Wholesale Drugs isn't something everyone can get into either."
"Not good at managing money but very cautious. If the theory about the woman around him holds true, he must choose a relatively Stable environment. An unfamiliar environment not only risks exposure but also cannot satisfy his drug consumption needs..."
Aeming furrowed his brow as if hypnotized. He recalled every word Xiao Mu had said clearly, even remembering her expressions vividly. At this thought, he spoke up, "How many people like this are there in our province and surrounding areas?"
"There are records of 927 individuals," an informant replied.
"Extract them... Xu Jian, Guoliang." Aeming waved his hand for the two team leaders to come closer and instructed, "Take Wang Shou's information and interrogate all local drug suspects to see who recognizes Wang Shou."
"Ah? Instructor, how many people would that take?" Xu Jian was taken aback.
"Yeah, Instructor, when did we get to identify anything?" Ren Guoliang also grumbled.
"Who told you to have such dull brains? What do you think you're doing if not this kind of rough work? I'll give you the database; why don't you sit at home and analyze who that Wang Shou's mistress is?" Aeming rolled his eyes.
This tactic worked; it left the two speechless. As the data was segmented and extracted, the three hurriedly left. Xu Jian and Ren Guoliang relayed the information to the criminal police teams in various cities, requesting cooperation. Before the task force had even arrived, a phone call came in. Aeming saw it was Fan Saili's and quickly picked up, saying, "Saili, I think we can try this method. What he said makes a lot of sense; we can't always be trailing behind others... Huh? What? Another crime has occurred... Confirmed? Alright, I'll be there right away."
Hanging up the phone, he urged Xu Jian, who was driving, "Hurry up, go to Baohe Second Hospital."
"What's going on, Instructor?" Xu Jian asked, sensing a case was unfolding.
"Damn it, we're searching for Wang Shou nationwide, and this old trafficker is committing crimes right under our noses," Aeming exclaimed in disbelief.
"What? Right in Luzhou?" Ren Guoliang said in frustration.
"What did he abduct this time?" Xu Jian asked curiously.
"Damn it! He set up a savings institution there to collect deposits; who knows how many people he's scammed?" Aeming gritted his teeth. Ren Guoliang leaned over from the back seat, gesturing towards Aeming's tablet with the freshly extracted database. Aeming sheepishly stuffed it into his pocket and said, "We can never catch up with the criminals."
"So what do we do..." Ren Guoliang inquired.
"Two-pronged approach: chase from behind while blocking from the front. I'm just afraid he won't commit any crimes; I refuse to believe that," Aeming said angrily, feeling an overwhelming frustration that was driving him mad...
...
The location was about four kilometers from Baohe Second Hospital, near several construction sites and a newly opened building materials market. When Aeming arrived at the scene, it was already surrounded by police cars, with dozens of workers gathered around. The green sign marked "Postal Savings," along with its glass facade, had been smashed to pieces. Inside were people squatting down in tears and others sitting on the ground wailing, leaving the arriving officers at a loss for what to do.
Fan Saili arrived a step behind Aeming. As they watched the car approach, a group of people got out, and at the forefront was the newly appointed project team leader, Zhou Qunyi. He didn’t bother to speak to Aeming and directly ignored him. Aeming felt a bit embarrassed as he shuffled to the back of the line and entered the Police Station in the building materials market. Inside, two weeping female sales clerks were detained, along with several men and women covering their faces.
The surveillance footage was extracted and played back, revealing none other than Wang Shou, who had been elusive. He was dressed in a Postal Savings uniform, casually strolling through the building materials market.
Upon comparing photos, those who were detained frequently nodded in agreement: it was indeed Director Ma.
The case situation was quickly clarified. A month ago, the local Postal Savings Institution began preparations, paying a deposit of thirty thousand to start renovations. According to the contract, they were required to transfer three years' worth of rent to the building materials market management in one lump sum fifteen days after opening. The contract was quite standard and bore the seal of the suburban Postal Savings Branch. During the construction period, a man claiming to be Ma Yichou, the director of the savings branch's deposit department, went around persuading tenants in the building materials market to deposit their money with him, offering interest rates 20% higher than commercial banks, plus some kickbacks... but only if they deposited during the first few days of opening; it would count as part of his mission.
This man was peculiar; compared to usurers who offered exorbitant rates, his offer was far too low and lacked appeal. However, he presented a more convincing argument: mutual support. "I can lend you money," he said. "Every business faces tight cash flow at times; if you find yourself in a bind, you can come to me. I can't just turn you away."
Still skeptical? Ma Yichou had even more tricks up his sleeve; he helped dozens of merchants in the building materials market sell their products—floor tiles, sanitary ware, steel, cement—oh my, he moved goods worth hundreds of thousands with clear accounts.
There was no reason not to believe him. A week ago, this Savings Institution opened its doors, and merchants who came to support them contributed in various ways; preliminary estimates showed over three hundred thousand in funds. Even more impressive was that the opening coincided with payday for nearby construction sites and markets. Dozens of migrant workers sent money back home through this Savings Institution, totaling over four hundred thousand.
It wasn't until many workers realized that their remittances hadn’t arrived in their hometowns that they began to suspect something was wrong. When someone took their deposit slips to a major savings bank for verification, they were met with a shocking truth: it was all fake.
"You've all been here for a month and didn't suspect anything?" Zhou Qunyi asked irritably of the officer in charge at the Police Station.
The auxiliary officer, who had only received a few days of training before being put on duty and whose salary came from the market itself, looked distressed as he replied, "How could we suspect? He drove a Postal Savings vehicle, had an official seal, accepted cash deposits upfront, and was so eager to help everyone sell their products that we thought he was a good guy."
"Didn’t you receive any cooperation alerts here?" Zhou Qunyi pressed.
"No," he replied. "Our city didn’t send any out—only at the branch level."
Aeming chimed in with a reminder: "That’s right; we were so focused on sending alerts nationwide and back home that who would have thought he was operating right under our noses?"
Zhou Qunyi shot Aeming an exasperated glare before calling over a group from the police station who had rushed over. He arranged for them inside while Fan Saili quietly tugged at Aeming’s sleeve as they stepped outside together. Aeming slapped his forehead in frustration and exclaimed, "Damn it! They’ve been running all over the country looking for him when he’s been right here... It’s less than five minutes from our training site!"
After saying this, he bit his lip with an expression that seemed on the verge of tears. Fan Saili wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry either; she said angrily, "What you told me this morning about your theories—I was just discussing them with Team Leader Zhou... Now that this case has unfolded here, what am I supposed to say? I just told them that first-tier cities and provincial capitals are off-limits and then it turns out it happened right here... He’s been here for a whole month!"
Her face shifted between rage and frustration as she glared at Aeming as if she wanted to punch him. Aeming awkwardly replied, "This isn’t my analysis! Didn’t you think it made sense too?"
"You swore to me that it made sense, didn't you?" Fan Saili was furious, kicking Aeming's leg without hesitation, then biting her lip and glaring.
"Alright, alright... I was wrong, I was wrong..." Aeming raised his hand to stop the impending argument, then lowered his voice, almost pleadingly saying to Fan Saili, "I was wrong. You should see that I have good intentions. I can't bear to see you in a difficult position, can I? Just talk to Zhou's Team and ask for a little more time. I promise I'll bring this informant back."
"There is still a chance," Fan Saili replied. Aeming's expression softened slightly, but she deliberately provoked him further, "It's a pity you just ruined it today, Aeming. Don't be foolish. You're just someone who grabs people with a gun; what do you know about reasoning and judgment? Are you even capable of that?"
After scolding him several times, Fan Saili walked away but turned back after a few steps to tell him, "Don't say I didn't take care of you. There was still some hope, but now you're probably in despair. Zhou's Team has already requested assistance from the Provincial Department; they'll definitely bypass your Task Force to get people."
There were no polite words exchanged; in this line of work, if you can do it, then do it; if not, get lost—there was no room for niceties.
Aeming stood there feeling frustrated but was too embarrassed to go inside. Soon after, the group came out and hurried away. The scene continued to be chaotic; a team of police officers arrived to register the fraud cases and inquire about the suspects' characteristics. Only he, the big fool, stood in the corner watching those victims who were so angry they were gritting their teeth and crying.
"What’s going on? It can't be this outrageous," he thought to himself, unable to accept the outcome. Perhaps he had trusted Xiao Mu too much; he always felt that Xiao Mu couldn't possibly be this incompetent.
"Even the best horses can stumble; I've really fallen into a pit this time."
With that thought, he considered giving up. But why did that feeling of anger grow stronger? Not to mention Xiao Mu; he couldn't even forgive himself...
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