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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 160: Bad Habits Die Hard
In the sweltering heat of Anhui Province, the Provincial Criminal Investigation Team gathered in the courtyard. Two groups of detectives had returned last night and now stood in a line at the training ground. Aeming wore a dark expression as he scrutinized each one of them. The leftover crowd knew they had made mistakes and kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
"Who wants to explain?" Aeming asked.
No one dared to respond.
"Just as you returned, complaints came flooding in. Who was in charge?" Aeming pressed.
After asking twice, Xu Jian stepped forward, standing with his head bowed.
"Tell me about the arrest process. Why didn’t you activate the body camera? Do you think the public won’t find fault with the police now?" Aeming scolded. It wasn’t a good situation; they had brought back Fang Dingjun, but then a report came in, and upon investigation, it turned out that those ruffians were actually victims. To make matters worse, someone had even harassed the suspect's girlfriend.
"Well... Instructor, if there’s any punishment, just direct it at me," Xu Jian said, unable to provide an explanation for the situation.
"You haven’t learned any real skills but have mastered being shameless," Aeming fumed. Some people shrugged their shoulders, trying to suppress their laughter. He shouted, "Stand straight! Do you know how serious this is? If conditions aren’t sufficient, it’s fine to abandon the arrest... but you can’t target a woman! Who came up with this ridiculous idea? Step forward! I’m itching for a fight today; let’s practice together."
No one stepped forward. After another shout, they all took a step forward, still keeping their heads down.
"What’s going on here?" Aeming was taken aback; it seemed like they had formed an unspoken alliance below him. He angrily remarked, "Do you think being a police officer means acting like dogs? What can you even do like this? Have some dignity! I’d rather see you injured than lose face over this! Who touched that girl... Don’t think you can hide from this; there are cameras in the market. Step forward and accept your punishment."
Still, no one spoke up. This truly stumped Aeming. At that moment, Ruhua came running over with a bowl in hand, cheerfully calling out, "Hey! Hey! What’s going on? You haven’t even eaten breakfast and you’re already training? Bald Brother, what are you doing?"
"Could it be... this troublemaker?" Aeming said in shock, only to notice that the group of detectives had lowered their heads in shame. He was furious and marched forward, asking, " Ruhua, what did you do yesterday?"
"I didn't do anything, just drove," Ruhua replied casually while eating.
"Last night, when we caught Fang Dingjun," Aeming pressed on.
"Oh, you know about that... Well, I don't want to take credit for it; it's nothing. The credit belongs to everyone," Ruhua said cheerfully.
"You touched that girl, and you still want credit?" Aeming asked angrily.
"If I didn't tease that girl, how could I lure that thug away? I was surprised by my own cleverness... Haha, that guy may look tough, but once he got in the car, he backed down... What's wrong, Bald Brother? Why are you staring? It's not like I touched your wife," Ruhua said dismissively, clearly unconcerned about Aeming's anger.
The detectives chuckled quietly. Aeming felt helpless; he couldn't argue with her. Besides, he thought keeping Ruhua around might help him get Xiao Mu involved. But now it seemed he had to make a tough decision. With this troublemaker around, who knows what mess she might cause? He changed his tone to one of negotiation and said, "Mr. Sun, you've been here for quite a while. How about we send you back to Binhai... maybe today?"
"No need, no need! I get along well with the Brothers; it would be too hard to leave all of a sudden," Ruhua replied.
"No way, it has to be today. You must go," Aeming insisted through gritted teeth.
"What is this? Trying to scare me? My Undercover Officer status was approved by the Commander; you don't get to decide," Ruhua said while holding her bowl and ignoring Aeming. This infuriated him even more; he turned around and saw that although the detectives were keeping their heads down, they were all shrugging and shaking with laughter. Enraged, he kicked one of them in the rear and shouted:
"Dismissed!"
The group scattered and surrounded Ruhua instead. This unconventional character was impossible to manage. Aeming had only managed to place her in the Field Duty team as a driver, hoping that the high-intensity work would scare her off. Who would have thought he was wrong? Not only did it not intimidate her, but if she stayed any longer, his team might just fall apart.
Just as he was about to head to the cafeteria, he encountered Commander, Zhou Qunyi, and Fan Saili approaching him. Feeling a bit anxious, he rushed forward to stand at attention and salute them. He greeted them loudly: "I'm sorry, Commander; there was an error in Field Duty yesterday; it's my responsibility."
"Error?" Fan Saili asked in confusion.
"There's no mistake, the results of the sudden interrogation of Fang Dingjun are out. We’ve inadvertently caught a big fish," Zhou Qunyi said excitedly.
"Huh?" Aeming was taken aback, glancing at Commander. This news had come after Commander had scolded him for a while; how could it change so quickly? Yet, Commander was now smiling, completely different from the stern look he had this morning when he had been glaring at Beard. He patted Aeming on the shoulder and said, "We'll discuss responsibilities later. You did well; Fang Dingjun has provided information about an online contact, Xu Tonglei, which corroborates the news from Binhai... Whoever caught Fang Dingjun should report it; the Task Force will commend them properly."
Uh... Aeming let out a sound of confusion, swallowing hard. Zhou Qunyi continued with a grin, "Party Instructor, you all will have to showcase your skills next. Binhai has sent an invitation to collaborate on the case; Field Team Leader, I think you’re the one for the job."
"Don't mention it... I..." Aeming murmured, feeling unworthy.
"Come on... my office has seen its fair share of trouble; a bunch of counterfeit money rascals have come our way. Our Task Force can handle them easily," Commander said with a hearty slap on the table, pulling Aeming along. The discussion about collaborating on the case was quickly settled over breakfast.
At nine o'clock, the emergency assembly whistle blew. The team members who had just dozed off stood straight in formation on the playground once again, ready for action. This time, the team was trimmed down to its essence, selecting a five-member group to take the high-speed train to their next target:
Binhai.
…………………………
…………………………
At eight o'clock sharp, at the Hyde Hotel in Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Three or four hurried figures emerged from this foreign-related hotel, sneaking around. As soon as they stepped outside, they pointed in a direction and ran along the wall behind the hotel, laughing joyfully. Occasionally, someone would lean against the wall to catch their breath, as if they had just accomplished something immensely satisfying.
"Hurry up, get in the car," Big Gourd shouted.
The four rushed towards the car. Big Gourd slapped each of them on the head and said, "Damn it, that felt good."
"Yeah, it felt amazing... thanks, Gourd Brother," one of them with a sharp face replied.
"Go back and work hard; let's finish all the plastering today," Big Gourd said.
"Alright, no problem."
"I'm more than willing to work myself to death."
"Hey, Gourd Brother, aren't you coming along?"
Little Bun was preparing to leave with someone, but at that moment, Big Gourd unexpectedly spotted a person appearing at the corner of the wall: Mulin Shen.
He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "You all go back first. Work hard; this will really make you feel like you're living large."
With a whoosh, he pulled the car door shut and sent it off. He hurried over to Xiao Mu, ecstatic as he exclaimed, "Brother, what brings you here? You even found this place!"
"This... what are you doing with these people?" Xiao Mu was a bit surprised. Big Gourd and his crew showing up at a high-end hotel was never a good sign.
"Oh, I'll explain everything in a bit. These are just a few small foremen from work. I thought it would boost their morale, so I brought them..."
"You introduced them here for some fun?"
"Huh? It's with foreign girls."
"What?"
Big Gourd's words shocked Xiao Mu. He knew very well the prices for foreign girls; this reward was too generous. He couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, saying, "Spending thousands on this? I can't believe you thought of that."
Hearing this, Big Gourd excitedly replied, "It didn't cost much... guess how I managed it?"
Looking at the excitement on his face, Xiao Mu's eyes moved and he was a little frightened. He pulled Big Gourd, searched up and down, and pulled out a pile of money from his trouser pocket. Without saying a word, Big Gourd Anxious: "No, no, no, no...Brother, this is fake. If you want the money, I will go to the bank and get it for you." "You are such an idiot, the police are checking Counterfeit Money, you put it all in your pocket, you idiot Idiot. "Xiao Mu was so angry that he slapped Big Gourd, and Big Gourd explained hurriedly: "Who gave it to me?" . "Crooked Toad gave it to me. You said he's an acquaintance, so I'm embarrassed not to sell it to him." Big Gourd said, out of loyalty, this was nothing. "Where are all the sales? No one knows you, right? Let the police arrest you later. This is selling Counterfeit Money, which is much more serious than prostitution and fighting." Xiao Mu said angrily. When he was angry, Big Gourd would smile, so mysteriously and treacherously, and said with a smile: "No one will call the police." "Ah? You... you won't... use Counterfeit Money to pay foreigners Is the girl gone?" Xiao Mu said blankly, this method is like Big Gourd's style. Sure enough, Big Gourd pulled Xiao Mu away with a sly smile, and reported: "...I thought of many ways, this money is not easy to deal with, but then I thought about it, and I thought of this, this foreign girl is right Renminbi I must be a little slow, and the price is so high... So I gave them two thousand each and let them go whoring... I guess, these goods came out after working all night. " Xiao Mu on the verge of laughter yet close to tears, wanting to cry but with no tears left. BigGourd is afraid that Xiao Mu worriedly told him: "They don't know how to call the police, and no one will pay attention to them when they call the police... Nima can sell his pussy even across the country. , isn’t this taking away the business of our local girls... In fact, it’s quite a lot, the wholesale price given by Crooked Toad is twenty per piece..." Xiao Mu couldn't bear it anymore, squatted down and covered his head. Holding his belly, he laughed hard for a while. When he stood up again, Big Gourd was still giggling. He pulled his face and walked ahead. Big Gourd was afraid that Xiao Mu would be angry, so he chased and swore. : "Brother, don't be angry, I won't do this anymore... Crooked Toad I'm going to die just like this... I know you are worried, it's really okay, besides eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, I don't do any other bad things now. Ah." "You still think you haven't done enough, right? I came here to ask about Crooked Toad, why did you go to transport Counterfeit Money for someone?" Xiao Mu asked, Crooked Toad His real name is Li Jingbo, or Liu Yang told him that something happened. Because of the Counterfeit Money matter, many gangsters around him were summoned by the police. "I'm not sure, isn't Landmine's Lackey hiring drivers? They hire drivers all the time. Delivery is so normal." Big Gourd said. In the eyes of Big Gourd, I'm afraid there is no concept of right or wrong. Giving money to do things is normal. There is no doubt about it. They are definitely not serious people. Serious people will not come to people with such unorthodox methods. manage. "How many people have you recruited?" Xiao Mu asked, adding: "Nearly two months."
"Yesterday you called me, and I found out that Wai Tuo, Old Jie, Fathead Fish, and Starfish have all been involved with him, probably seven or eight times," Big Gourd said.
"You knew they were dealing in Counterfeit Money?" Xiao Mu asked, glancing sideways.
"Of course. This is way more conscientious than food fraud; at least it doesn't kill anyone," Big Gourd replied.
Xiao Mu made a sound of disapproval, realizing he couldn't discuss the Legal System or moral issues with this guy. He asked, "How do they operate?"
"Each has their own methods," Big Gourd said. He began to count off, mentioning various tactics. Most of them targeted small vendors and shops, especially those selling vegetables, fruits, and mountain goods from the countryside. They would spend a piece of Counterfeit Money and receive real change in return. The more sophisticated ones would drop a bag in a suitable spot; as soon as someone picked it up, they would be surrounded and accused of stealing the bag. If they protested, they'd be told, "Look, I have over ten thousand bucks in here! You see this? You’ll get at least two years if I take you to the police." With that intimidation, anyone else who had been conned would lose all their cash too. The higher-end scams involved more illicit activities: popping pills in clubs and passing off fake money; arranging hookups on the street and slipping in counterfeit cash; or dealing in stolen goods at mobile markets where trades were made under the table.
Big Gourd might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he certainly had a wide range of experiences to draw from. Xiao Mu felt a headache coming on as he listened to him rattle off over a dozen schemes. Changing the subject, he asked, "Do you know Landmine?"
"I don't know him. When he was at the top, we were still hustling on the streets," Big Gourd replied.
"He became famous quite early; how come I've never heard of him?" Xiao Mu questioned.
"Yeah, he was well-known early on. We couldn't even qualify to carry things for him... He's quite impressive—lives off the sea and rarely comes ashore," Big Gourd said, sharing some anecdotes about Xu Tonglei. However, these were mostly hearsay about how impressive he was—according to Big Gourd's standards, that meant having plenty of money and women, which was gossip among street thugs.
"How can I find him?" Xiao Mu interrupted Big Gourd's rambling.
Big Gourd stiffened slightly and looked at Xiao Mu warily. He hesitated before asking, "Bro, you’re not thinking... Oh right, a cop called me last night."
"Don't jump to conclusions; I'm just asking how to find him," Xiao Mu said.
"Oh boy, that's really hard to say. If he's not on the water, he's probably hiding out with women. People like him don’t show their faces; they usually settle in small fishing villages by the sea after finishing their work and might be out partying there... Those Delivery guys are just doing errands for Landmine's Lackeys," Big Gourd said, clearly reluctant to share more with Xiao Mu.
"Heh heh, you think I can't find him?" Xiao Mu continued walking, ignoring Big Gourd's reluctance.
"Wait a minute," Big Gourd said, chasing after Xiao Mu. "What are you going to do? You’re not planning to sneak into someone’s belly again and tip off the police, are you?"
"He’s a celebrity, and I’m sort of a celebrity too. Do you think I would report him?" Xiao Mu asked.
"Oh, that makes sense..." Big Gourd conceded.
"How do we find him?" Xiao Mu inquired.
"I really don’t know," Big Gourd admitted honestly.
Xiao Mu glanced at him; his sideways glance and dazed expression indicated he was being truthful. Changing his tone, Xiao Mu said, "Crooked Toad is dead. Don’t you have any thoughts about that?"
"Tsk, he crashed into a truck and died. What thoughts could I possibly have?" Big Gourd replied.
"But their car was fully responsible, and they were involved in the incident. Plus, they had been drinking... Not only will they get no compensation, but they’ll also have to cover the damages to the truck," Xiao Mu lamented about this frustrating situation. Wai Tuo was just like him; even in death, he managed to make things worse.
"This is truly hopeless. That guy has always been a few screws short, and he really hit rock bottom. You could teach him how to scam people, and he still wouldn’t do it right. The day before the accident, he picked a Volkswagen Passat to crash into, and guess what? It turned out to be a vehicle from the city’s inspection team. They got out and beat him up right away... I can’t even begin to explain," Big Gourd said.
Xiao Mu slapped his forehead in frustration. No matter how good a designer one is, poor execution can ruin everything. He sorted through his chaotic thoughts and said, "I’m not planning to do anything either. You mentioned covering for someone; if a person dies, shouldn’t there be some kind of settlement for their family?"
"Oh, that’s true. His father is still sweeping the streets for sanitation work, and the police have turned their house upside down... But brother, this money won’t be easy to get," Big Gourd pondered. The more shady the situation, the harder it would be to handle; those responsible would definitely slip away. Even if you found them, don’t expect them to admit anything.
"If we find them, we’ll figure something out," Xiao Mu stated confidently.
"Wait a second; let me think... Starfish might know something..." Big Gourd paused, pulling out his phone and reaching out to some old friends. Indeed, people tend to gather in groups; within two calls, they found a way forward. After discussing for a moment, they hopped into a taxi and headed straight for their destination...
At two o'clock in the afternoon, a high-speed train from Luzhou slowly pulled into the station.
Lin Qizhao stood on the designated platform with several officers in uniform. As the train came to a stop, a suspect wearing a hood was escorted off, quickly taken away by accompanying law enforcement personnel. A five-member team led by Aeming disembarked, and both sides exchanged greetings, clearly familiar with each other. Lin Qizhao smiled and said, "I really didn't expect we would end up on the same case."
"This is fate," Aeming replied with a chuckle. "Let's go."
Wait, there was an extra person. A beauty dressed in undercover officer attire awkwardly joined the group. Lin Qizhao was so surprised that he nearly bit his tongue and asked in astonishment, "I mean, Party Instructor, who is this…?"
"Can't get rid of her; even Fang Dingjun was caught by her," Aeming explained. Lin Qizhao was skeptical until Aeming briefly recounted the details. Lin Qizhao couldn't help but laugh; it turned out that the biggest contributor in Luzhou was none other than Xiao Mu, with Comrade Sun Qinghua being a close second. The undercover officer's designation had been specially approved by the task force; it was initially meant to be a consolation prize, but who would have thought that Brother Hua took it as an order? Even Aeming couldn't intervene.
"What should we do? She definitely can't join the special project team," Lin Qizhao whispered.
"Once we get home... we'll find a way to hand her over to Xiao Mu," Aeming said.
The two watched as the beauty confidently boarded the vehicle with the Luzhou police, exchanging glances and stifled laughter. As they drove away, Aeming asked, "Lin Department Head, what mission requires us?"
"Well, first is this cross-province case that may need coordination between both sides; let's share information and see where we can make connections... Secondly, our Special Training Division has designed a sting operation; I’d like you to assess its feasibility," Lin Qizhao replied, handing Aeming a tablet.
According to Fang Dingjun's account, he had previously worked in Binhai where his boss was Xu Tonglei. He started selling counterfeit money under Xu Tonglei's guidance and later met Ge Feifei. He had dealt with both of his suppliers. Aeming reviewed the plan and realized they intended to use this individual as a breakthrough point, posing as someone interested in purchasing counterfeit money to probe Xu Tonglei's background.
If the supply was abundant, it could lead to significant findings; if not, he might end up being just another low-value suspect like Ge Feifei.
"Good plan; we'll need to work on Fang Dingjun," Aeming said.
"Right now, it's about feeling our way across the river; let's gather as much information as possible. The best outcome would be pulling out clues along with the suspects," Lin Qizhao stated.
"No problem, we'll get ready right away. Fang Dingjun is not an issue," Aeming said.
"Sure, by the way, Xiao Mu has also found some information about Xu Tonglei," Lin Qizhao added, briefly mentioning what Xiao Mu had revealed. Aeming chuckled, "That kid is quite clever. If he wants to dig up clues, there's nothing he can't uncover."
"This time it might be quite challenging. Just take a look at Xu Tonglei's identity information," Lin Qizhao reminded him.
A passport, an ID card, and a list of details were laid out. Aeming was surprised. "A foreigner?"
"Yes, he has foreign status. Nowadays in Binhai, it's popular to fake foreign identities and then return home to make money. To be honest, the situation here is even more complicated. One careless move and they could end up in the Sea or run abroad; it's hard to trace. In some places, you have to show your credentials to get in, but by then the person has already vanished," Lin Qizhao explained.
"Don't be so pessimistic. I actually feel this could be a big catch..."
Aeming's interest was piqued as he looked at the profile of Xu Tonglei on the tablet. With a round face, a suit, and a humble expression, he seemed harmless. However, the more unassuming he appeared, the more Aeming felt he was dealing with an equally formidable opponent, which rekindled his long-dormant interest...
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