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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 170: My Heart is Hesitant
With a clang, an iron door swung open as the officer struggled to move a stack of dust-covered documents, sifting through them.
At a certain branch in Dongguan, the archives were sealed away. The entire basement level of the logistics department was filled with them. Standing at the entrance, Fan Saili and Guo Wei exchanged glances, both feeling disheartened.
After three days, they had accumulated nothing but disappointment. Tengfei Paper Industry had gone through one bankruptcy and two acquisitions, leaving it unrecognizable. The small factory that once employed thousands of migrant workers from the south now lacked social security, and the factory registration had been lost. Even the first owner had died from drug abuse. After more than a decade of drastic changes, everything was different. They had searched extensively but only found Li Qian's family records. With no other options, they decided to visit the police station to inquire about the temporary residence permits issued back then.
"These are the people registered at the factory," the officer said, flipping through a pile of documents.
The two saw a stack of yellowed and moldy paper records. This case situation was confidential, so the officer tactfully stepped back.
Flipping through the damp, musty pages that reeked of decay, Guo Wei chuckled and said, "Fan Ke, we’ve really taken on a tough job here. How long will this take?"
"Take it slow; this is our level of police work. For something from over a decade ago, it's already good if we find anything useful," Fan Saili replied. She remained optimistic; the situation behind them was quite promising. Breakthroughs in hazardous materials vehicle inspections and new informants were continuously revealing clues. Compared to when they first started, they had made significant progress. As she flipped through the documents casually, she asked, "Guo Wei, how did your mentor end up in the Criminal Research Department?"
"He likes it," Guo Wei replied.
"Come on now, that's a retirement department with hardly anyone working there. In our police work, those who truly study crime are in public safety... but honestly, it doesn't amount to much. When they were catching Wang Shou and his crew, they analyzed a ton of data and considered every possible scenario—except for one thing: that Trafficker King never even left the province," Fan Saili remarked. These days, one couldn't put too much faith in what those office experts said.
Guo Wei laughed and added, "If we're talking about criminal research, that informant is the real deal; he specializes in Judicial and Criminal Psychology... Their teaching methods abroad are different from ours. We learn theory in classrooms while they interact with inmates in prisons. That guy is something else—he can con a conman and trick a ghost."
"Then why not recruit him into our team?" Fan Saili asked.
"Oh, you're talking like an outsider. At his level of cultivation, he's tried all sorts of crimes. Our pure team can't handle that," Guo Wei said with a smile.
"Tried what?" Fan Saili asked, puzzled. There are limits to the indulgence of informants.
But when it came out of Guo Wei's mouth, it sounded terrifying. He counted off, "Pimping, extortion, burglary, loan sharking, fraud... Maybe even drug use... It's unimaginable. If someone like that were in our sight, they should be rotting with sores on their head and oozing pus from their feet. Yet at a life-and-death moment, he stands on our side."
"Informants aren't stupid. They know what crimes they've committed; standing over there is just waiting for death," Fan Saili replied, unfazed. Instead, he pointed out, "That's a bit too much. This isn't about cultivating informants; it's about ruining people."
"True... Sometimes the lines between right and wrong aren't so clear, especially in our line of work," Guo Wei sighed. Turning a young man who indulges in drinking and gambling into an informant skilled in deception and theft is indeed destructive. From a societal safety perspective, it's actually easier to accept someone who just drinks and gambles.
"Wow... Haha, look at that! Hard work pays off..."
Fan Saili exclaimed as Guo Wei leaned in to see what it was—Wang Shou's temporary residence permit. Fan Saili compared the signatures and confirmed it was genuine.
"Then let's use this date and dig through this pile to see if we can find any familiar names," Guo Wei said excitedly.
An hour passed as the two dug through the documents, and they found a temporary residence permit signed by Sun Yong, which thrilled them.
Two hours later, they continued their search and found another temporary residence permit belonging to Li Yingzong. They were stunned; this name was even more familiar—it was linked to Li Qian's information they had just uncovered. Li Yingzong was Li Qian's father... If Li Qian's father had also been associated with Wang Shou and his coworkers, the implications could be significant, and the answers would soon become clear.
After a moment of shock, their motivation grew even stronger...
"Is the connection here? Haha, thank you both for your hard work."
Lin Qizhao smiled; those old temporary residence permits were the best indirect evidence.
"It seems Wang Shou is still lying; he should know Sun Yong," Zhou Qunyi said in the video call.
"Never expect a liar to be honest; he probably has more serious crimes hidden," Lin Qizhao replied.
"Then abducting Li Qian seems to have ulterior motives. This person really has no bottom line. Li Yingzong should be his coworker. He abducted and detained his coworker's daughter, causing her to become addicted. Tsk... our oversight; we didn't realize that the Drug Addict Woman was the key," Zhou Qunyi remarked.
"By the way, Zhou's Team, who picked up Li Qian?" Lin Qizhao asked.
"It was her biological mother and aunt, Guo Wei and Fan Saili. They went to San Shui but couldn't find her. But by age, Li Yingzong should be over sixty, right? Could he be involved?" Zhou Qunyi responded.
"We'll need to investigate further; this group likely isn't small... We've already identified eleven suspicious Hazardous Materials Vehicles, and these vehicles have no loading records for hazardous materials. The problem seems significant... By the way, it's time to pay Wang Shou and that place a visit," Lin Qizhao said.
"Okay, we're preparing to go to the detention center... Master is really impressive," Zhou Qunyi remarked with admiration.
"Don't try to claim Master for yourself; I'm his closed-door disciple, and he isn't taking any more students," Lin Qizhao joked as they ended the video call. He casually walked out of the office and handed a new name to Technical Investigation:
Li Yingzong
On that day, Xiao Mu woke up in a daze, still holding a warm and fragrant beauty in his arms. He groggily asked Yingzi what time it was, but her giggles startled him awake. When he focused his eyes, he realized he was in another woman's bed.
Xu Tonglei was quite the character, lingering in the city just for fun and entertainment. Yet, these seasoned individuals didn’t even bother going to entertainment venues. Xiao Mu watched as Xu turned around a couple of times, chatted with a taxi driver, and soon found the place where Lounge Girls frequented. He was quite trendy too; with a quick flick of his phone, he managed to hook up.
The women spread their legs while the businessmen relied on their words; both were skills in their own right. After some casual conversation, companions for dining, sleeping, and shopping were arranged. And just like that, one was assigned to Xiao Mu.
“Is Yingzi your girlfriend?” the beautiful woman asked lazily, her supple arm wrapping around Xiao Mu's neck like a water snake.
“Yeah,” Xiao Mu replied absentmindedly.
“Is she pretty?” the beauty inquired.
“Of course,” Xiao Mu smiled.
“Is she prettier than me?” the woman teased, pouting at him.
“Discussing this question goes against your professional ethics and weighs on my conscience,” Xiao Mu said, feeling displeased.
The woman laughed heartily, saying that talking to Xiao Mu was more interesting than anything else. Xiao Mu glanced at the time, got up to take a shower, and put on his clothes. The girl playfully said, “Hey, brother, take me shopping for clothes.”
“Go buy them yourself… I have some matters to attend to. I'll contact you after noon,” Xiao Mu replied as he tossed some money aside and hurriedly opened the door to leave. It was only then that he heard her exclaim, “Hey, brother, you didn’t even give me your phone number! How will I contact you?”
“It’s fine; I’ll reach out to you,” Xiao Mu said as he was already heading down the stairs.
The three parted ways. It had been three days without seeing anyone. They had agreed that if they couldn’t meet up, they would exchange phone numbers. At that moment, Xiao Mu found himself uncertain about whether to stay or go.
He hurried out of the single apartment rented by the Lofeng Girl, thinking to himself how he had finally gained their trust and had a chance to escape. It felt a bit regrettable to let this opportunity slip away, especially considering the dreadful environment of the manufacturing and trafficking scene; just recalling it sent shivers down his spine.
Yes, escape… He quickened his pace, waved as he exited the community, and a taxi pulled up beside him. After getting in and settling down, he said, "To the train station."
"Hey handsome, have you bought your ticket?" the driver asked.
Startled, Xiao Mu turned his head and gasped. The driver, who had taken off his hat, was none other than Aeming, grinning at him. "Didn’t expect me to arrive so quickly, huh?"
"You idiot, too slow! I've already sold all the goods I had on hand. Now I'm left empty-handed trying to find someone. What are you even catching?" Xiao Mu retorted.
"No worries, we’ll fish for big ones with long lines... Hurry up and tell me what happened," Aeming replied.
At that moment, Xiao Mu became like a well-prepared tape recorder, recounting how he got in, how he was knocked unconscious, how he was transported to Henan Province without any sense of time in that dark workshop, and then how they traveled south to unload hundreds of millions in counterfeit money before hiding out in this city called Xiaogan… until now.
"What kind of place is this? Do you know anyone here?" Aeming asked.
"Know anyone? Just some Lounge Girls. As long as you pay them, they’ll not only keep you company but also cook for you," Xiao Mu said.
"Oh man, this counter-surveillance is something else… Those two haven’t left either; they’re not far from you. How did you arrange that?" Aeming inquired.
"We're meeting in the afternoon. If we get separated, he told me to call him; the number is…" Xiao Mu began to recite.
"So what do you mean? Planning to escape again?" Aeming asked.
"What’s wrong? This information I’m giving you is worth quite a bit, right?" Xiao Mu shot back defiantly.
"You volunteered for this, so backing out isn't really your style," Aeming said.
Xiao Mu grimaced. "I really didn't volunteer."
"Then why did you go to Xu Tonglei's hideout?" Aeming asked.
"I just wanted to pretend to be a buyer of Counterfeit Money, lure them out, either con them or get some money from them. If that didn't work, I could sell them to you guys for a bit of cash... When I went in, I told Big Gourd that if I didn't come out, he should report it to Old Shen. Damn it, why is no one looking out for me? Is it Big Gourd dropping the ball or Old Shen not taking it seriously?" Xiao Mu was furious; he felt wronged for falling into such a trap after trying to be clever.
"It wasn't like that. We organized a big operation that day too, trying to catch those selling Counterfeit Money. In the end, we didn't catch anyone and lost over three hundred thousand in cash to Qiu Guanghan," Aeming explained.
"Wow, you guys really are impressive," Xiao Mu mocked.
Aeming retorted, "Well, your skills must be pretty good too. How did you get caught then? You should have been able to talk your way out of it."
"They didn't even listen to my pitch; they just knocked me out cold. Can you believe it? I ran into someone from the Tagou Martial Arts School who got sent back from the Pyramid Scheme in Shaanxi Province, and they really worked me over," Xiao Mu said.
Aeming laughed uncontrollably. Xiao Mu quickly sketched something and handed Aeming a drawing. "Hurry up, the printing factory is right there; you guys should go take it down... Just make sure my reward isn't shortchanged."
"Look at you, already starting to print money and still worried about cash," Aeming said as he drove the taxi into a courtyard. Once inside, the main gate closed tightly behind them. He adjusted his earpiece and confirmed that everything was quiet before turning back to Xiao Mu. "Those two haven't even gotten up yet. You running away like this isn't very considerate."
"Baldy, that's enough; I'm feeling a bit guilty," Xiao Mu replied.
"They're both dazed from what you did—giving them money and treating them well. What are you afraid of?" Aeming asked.
"Tsk, those two are doing side jobs behind their boss's back. The real goods are on the Hazardous Materials Vehicle; do you expect me to play the hero here?" Xiao Mu glared, realizing he had walked a dangerous path. If he had some confidence going into Maple Forest before, now he was starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
Aeming's way of thinking was different from that of ordinary people. As Xiao Mu grew anxious, Aeming gave him a thumbs up and said, "Look at you, you even guessed the background of the Case Situation... Come on, take a look."
He handed Xiao Mu a tablet, but Xiao Mu shook his head. "No way, I'm feeling timid right now."
"Stop talking nonsense. The worst you have is kidney deficiency; when have you ever been timid? This time, your bonus is going to be unprecedented. I bet it won't be less than a million," Aeming insisted.
"You’re the one talking nonsense. With your broke unit, giving me a million in Counterfeit Money is more likely," Xiao Mu retorted.
"Come on, how can you be so stubborn? Really, look at how many Police Forces are waiting for your command to take action... Your position now is even more powerful than the Commander’s. This opportunity to save a fallen society—do you think we want to handle it ourselves? We just don't have the brains for it... Please, I'm begging you," Aeming pressed, shoving the tablet into Xiao Mu's hands, almost begging.
"Begging is useless; I'm not going," Xiao Mu snapped angrily.
"Then introduce me to Xu Tonglei and Wang Lishong; I'm not afraid," Aeming declared boldly.
"Do you think you can pass their tests? If I give you a stack of Counterfeit Money to sell, would you know how? If I give you a girl to sleep with, would you dare?" Xiao Mu challenged. At this point, Aeming's face lit up with a smile as he understood that his style and demeanor were probably too suited for the Underworld environment.
Aeming chuckled and said, "The advantage effect applies to you too. A person can only succeed from their own strengths... Why look down on yourself? Most people might be stronger than you, but in certain matters, you can do things that most cannot. Everyone in this world is unique."
"Oh, so you've been reading self-help books?" Xiao Mu laughed.
"Yes, I know your heartache lies with Rong Ying. But let me ask you this: even if you went back and knelt for three days and nights, could she forgive you? Even if you run far away, could she respect you? I know you're disgusted by being an informant, but that role isn't something just anyone can have. Ninety-nine percent of police officers aren't as good as you—myself included... In this matter, no one can surpass you. Without this advantage, you're just someone nobody respects—not even yourself," Aeming said fiercely.
Provocation was more persuasive than comfort. Xiao Mu's eyes widened in anger as he growled, "Baldy, I've always considered you a friend, yet you've been using me without caring about how dangerous it is."
"Using you because you're still somewhat useful and still have some humanity left. How many things have you done in your life that are worth remembering or bragging about? I don't believe that someone like you finds fulfillment in money or women. Your arrogance lies here; do I even need to use you? If it weren't for your special status and connections with the police, you'd probably have started your own Black Society by now," Aeming replied dismissively before cursing under his breath, "Just get lost; I'll handle it myself. Catching them is just a matter of time."
"Hand it over." Xiao Mu was furious. He reached out, flipping through the Case Situation, and finally shot Aeming a glare, saying, "I'm a top expert in criminal justice and psychology. When it comes to studying crime, you guys are just... a pile of crap compared to me."
Aeming chuckled in relief. Xiao Mu quickly skimmed through the information, noting the progress with Wang Shou. He commented that Shen Lingchen and Old Horse were experienced; upon seeing Li Qian's connection to the Case Situation, he remarked that the initial personnel were right there among them. When he looked at the investigation of the Hazardous Materials Vehicle, he commented that someone must have taught them this; people within their system wouldn't think of it. Then he saw that they were focusing on areas severely polluted around Anyang, supplemented by three electrical inspections of potential hideouts. He stopped commenting and directly asked, "Whose idea was this?"
"It was decided after discussion with Shen Lingchen and the others," Aeming replied.
"Old Shen can finally take action. I guess I’ve motivated him; he’s been learning a lot these past two years," Xiao Mu said.
"Feeling ashamed," came a voice from behind him. When Xiao Mu turned around, he saw Shen Lingchen's face on his phone. Shen smiled and said, "You haven't fallen behind either; you've improved in both theory and practice. I'm struggling to keep up."
"It seems we need to catch this hideout. If we don't get this bonus, it'll feel a bit unjust... Alright, I'll take it on so that some people don't look down on us," Xiao Mu said, tossing the tablet onto Aeming's lap. His eyes rolled as if contemplating that easily obtainable bonus.
In an instant, he was back in his previous state of lying on a sickbed, directing a large-scale capture operation. Aeming turned the car around quickly to send his invigorated partner back...
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