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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 172: Looking Back
A Calm Night was anything but calm for the Police Fighter sitting behind the computer screen.
A crucial lead had been interrupted, causing the entire Sky Net System to spring into rapid action. The Shangqiu City Public Security Bureau, unrelated to the case, received an urgent request for assistance. All traffic surveillance footage from city to city was reviewed. This was a silent battle, with all confrontations taking place on the screen, through the keyboard and mouse. Dozens of intersections and over thirty police checkpoint surveillance records needed to be examined frame by frame as they traced the path of a white van.
Aeming's team, having tracked down leads in Shangqiu, began their return. They maintained a ten-kilometer distance but unfortunately fell into a trap. Upon arriving in Shangqiu, they discovered that only Qiu Guanghan remained in the vehicle, and this pawn held no significance for the overall Case Situation. The special task force decided to abandon the pursuit.
It was a delicate situation; the precedent set in Anhui Province loomed large. Just how many highly alert counterfeit money suspects were still lurking beneath the surface remained uncertain.
At the Coastal Special Training Command, Lin Qizhao paced back and forth. Xiao Mu's remarkable skills were at work again, sketching three portraits of workers from the counterfeiting workshop—skilled laborers aged between thirty and forty. Based on their accents, they likely hailed from Fujian Province. This lead intriguingly connected with Li Qian, who came from Sanshui City, separated from Taiwan by just a body of water. For two decades, that area had been a hotspot for counterfeit money operations.
Just as they found information about two of the three suspects who had recently left Anyang, disaster struck— Aeming lost track of their informant.
This mistake was utterly unforgivable. Zhou Qunyi, at another command center far away in Anhui Province, erupted in anger, berating Aeming for being Zhang Quan and careless. He recounted all their past misdeeds since their collaboration began, scolding them mercilessly. If not for Shen Lingchen's intervention, Zhou Qunyi might have replaced them on the spot.
Due to this turn of events, Shangqiu became the focal point of attention. This city sat at a crossroads with numerous exits. The Police Force deployed across the city adjusted their timelines as they searched for any anomalies regarding the van's movements.
They pressed forward, seeking intersections along their route.
The challenge lay in examining captured footage of vehicles and magnifying faces seen through windows frame by frame. For Wang Lishong, Xu Tonglei, and Mulin Shen’s facial features, over forty Technical Investigators were dispatched from both Shangqiu and Binhai. They even extracted footage from county roads to ensure no other vehicles were overlooked.
“Boss, it should be right here… Jizhuangkou should be near some temporary parking spot close to this exit where vehicles can head directly into two provinces. Qiu Guanghan's vehicle went straight to Shangqiu City; it only takes about forty minutes… He drove for one hour and five minutes before noticeably slowing down…” a senior Technical Investigation officer deduced.
“That means he relaxed once he completed his task,” Lin Qizhao remarked.
“Exactly. According to the data just extracted by the Shangqiu police, this vehicle is highly suspicious; it came out of Shan County via Takahashi Town onto the highway and entered G105. From Takahashi to Jizhuang is less than one hundred kilometers… Look here; this shows when the vehicle entered and exited the highway…” said the Technical Investigator as they analyzed both entry and exit surveillance footage showing an interval of two hours and eighteen minutes.
“With that type of vehicle and speed, it must have waited on the road for over an hour?” Lin Qizhao asked.
“Yes, although we didn’t capture a clear image of the driver’s face, look at this…” The Technical Investigator displayed two enlarged images side by side—one showing an empty compartment and another revealing a hand clearly resting on the front seat between two seats.
"That's it... Move forward and relay the information to Field Duty," Lin Qizhao said as he hurried back to the office.
He sat down and connected the call to Shen Lingchen. The two on the other end were in a car, and Lin Qizhao quickly briefed them on the situation. After a moment of contemplation, Shen Lingchen brought Aeming into the call. The first thing was Zhou Qunyi speaking up, "I'm sorry, Party Instructor. I got a bit emotional earlier."
"It's fine, Zhou's Team. You were right to scold me; I'm quite the jerk. The informant treated me like a brother, and I almost lost him... You can punish me later," Aeming said over the phone.
"Haha, Aeming, this isn't about punishment right now. You are closest to the suspect, and there are thousands behind you. Success or failure rests on your shoulders. Listen to me: we need to find a location that meets these criteria: First, it should be heavily polluted, preferably near heavy industry or chemical plants; such places provide the best cover for counterfeiting noise and pollution. Second, it shouldn't be too remote—there must be at least one road that can accommodate a Tank truck; but it also shouldn't be in an overly bustling area. Third, even if you find such a place, you might not find people there. According to their style, everything is closed off; they might pack up and leave immediately after finishing a batch. You need to figure out how to locate the informant being held captive; it's not complicated—the informant's location is our target... We don't have much time left; bite down and find them," Shen Lingchen instructed.
"Understood, Master Shen. I'll dig three feet into the ground if I have to; I'll unearth them," Aeming growled before hanging up.
The remaining two on the call fell silent for a moment before Shen Lingchen spoke up again, "Qizhao, we're on our way to the detention center to re-interview Wang Shou and Section Chief Fan. Although it seems we haven't gained much from this round, I still feel there's some connection. What do you think?"
"The printing factory commanded by Xu Tonglei used three Fujian workers, along with Xiao Mu and Wang Lishong... The three technicians definitely came from there and must have some connection with Li Qian. But I don't understand—there haven't been any signs of moving printing machinery around Anyang. By timeline calculations, moving from Bridge Village in Anhui Province to Anyang would have been sufficient, yet in recent days they've moved machinery from Anyang to another province?" Lin Qizhao pondered.
"There’s a mystery here: the police caught someone based on facial features matching the suspect; eyewitness identification confirms it's this person, but fingerprint and DNA checks don’t match those from the crime scene. What do you think is going on?" Shen Lingchen asked.
"This is something we joked about back in school—the suspect could be a twin," Lin Qizhao replied.
There was silence on the other end as they processed this revelation. Zhou Qunyi exclaimed in surprise, "Are you suggesting... there’s more than one set of printing machinery?"
"Huh?" Lin Qizhao's mouth dropped open; they couldn't even confirm one machine yet, and now another bolder idea emerged.
"There are several unresolved points: First, Xiao Mu mentioned that there’s still a boss who hasn’t shown his face; Xu Tonglei and Wang Lishong are boldly digging into the boss's territory—who is this upper figure? It's rare for underground organizations to manage so poorly. Second, with Xu Tonglei's level of operation, it’s practically suicidal—hiring someone to pull off Counterfeit Money schemes while Qiu Guanghan even swallowed our bait; he still dares associate with such people? And selling Counterfeit Money looks like he's hawking agricultural products—it’s ridiculous! Thirdly, we don’t know who this boss is above them, but surely he can't be so incompetent as to let this guy run wild," Shen Lingchen questioned. The two fell into contemplation over these points before Shen Lingchen shifted gears: "But if there’s another higher-end Gravure Printing Press involved, everything would make sense."
"The one in Anyang might not be their main focus; could they be trying to divert our investigative direction?" Lin Qizhao blurted out.
"Exactly! If Anyang undergoes extensive scrutiny, they'll just hide deeper and continue their work during that time gap," Zhou Qunyi added nervously. "Is there someone that bold?"
"Then explain where the Superb Dollar from the offset printing came from?" Shen Lingchen probed.
"Master, this gang's core business can't possibly be Superb Dollar? If they have channels for such goods, that would be far more profitable than selling counterfeit Renminbi—and much safer too," Lin Qizhao asked in astonishment.
"Master is not omnipotent; the answers need to be revealed by you all... Qi Zhao, we are now at a critical moment. You need to take your position in the central army formation. The time left for you is also limited, and we need a thorough overhaul of the production, supply, and sales processes. You can start working on the plan now," Shen Lingchen said.
"Master, I'm not sure if we can find it right now," Lin Qizhao replied.
"Confidence is important, but believing in others is even more crucial. You are not fighting alone, and you cannot rely solely on your own intelligence to reach the peak," Shen Lingchen said softly.
After pondering for a while, Lin Qizhao firmly replied, "Thank you, Master. I will start preparing immediately."
Once the call ended, Zhou Qunyi glanced at Shen Lingchen a few more times, seemingly having gained a lot from the conversation. As he drove along, he contemplated for quite some time before asking, "Master Shen, may I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"Why does everyone listen to you so obediently, including several commanders? It's quite strange."
"Well, that's because they all know I have no desire for power."
"Right, that's another strange aspect. I feel like you could easily command a large-scale operation."
"And not just be a nominal advisor like now?"
"Exactly."
"No, those who know are not as good as those who enjoy it; those who enjoy it are not as good as those who find joy in it. If I had only focused on fame and profit, I probably wouldn't have come this far. There was a time when I was quite proud of calling myself a Theft Expert. In reality, there were many cases I couldn't solve at all... Someone taught me to view crime from an appreciative perspective. When I tried it out, I found that those criminals might feel a greater sense of achievement than we do from our police work."
"What do you mean? You... admire them?"
"Yes. Capturing those criminals you admire brings an even greater sense of accomplishment, doesn't it?"
Shen Lingchen smiled but did not elaborate further. The person who taught him was still missing, and he couldn't help but feel anxious about how the case situation would ultimately unfold.
However, one should never expect to glean anything from such people's expressions. Even when taken into custody, they still appeared calm and collected. Dressed plainly compared to the shining Zhou Qunyi, he looked almost like an old man casually visiting. This demeanor bore some resemblance to the Trafficker King Wang Shou he had seen two days ago; Wang Shou still wore that innocent expression that made him seem harmless—one glance made you think he must have been wronged.
Seated in the Interrogation Chair with restraints on, Wang Shou began again: "Oh dear, why are you two here again? I've already confessed everything. Do you think there's anything I'm still hiding? I'm not far from death now—counterfeit money and drugs... Honestly, you'd say it's better for me to just die than to trouble the state for my upkeep."
Shen Lingchen smiled, but his expression was a mix of urgency and anxiety. Unlike the earlier smugness, he now appeared flustered, filled with anger, embarrassment, and tension, compounded by a sense of guilt, even as he mentioned the printing money incident in Bridge Village.
Zhou Qunyi observed Shen Lingchen's expression closely, secretly admiring him. Ultimately, law enforcement had to face suspects; if one couldn't learn to read them, then law enforcement was merely empty talk. In this regard, Zhou sensed that Shen Lingchen had reached an extraordinary level.
"There's nothing much, just wanted to inform you of something," Shen Lingchen interjected calmly.
"What is it?" Wang Shou asked, momentarily taken aback. Was there really a need for a notification?
"Li Qian is dead," Shen Lingchen stated.
"Ah?" Wang Shou was stunned.
"I just received the news. Withdrawal symptoms caused cardiac arrest; they couldn't save her... sigh, she was only in her thirties," Shen Lingchen lamented.
"Oh." Wang Shou seemed to exhale slightly, still in shock.
"Wang Shou, your expression isn't right. After all, they say a day as husband and wife means a hundred days of affection. She's your responsibility; how can you not feel anything?" Shen Lingchen questioned.
"I do... of course I do," Wang Shou replied, his face changing to one of sorrow. With just a few words, he became overwhelmed with grief; after a couple more sentences, tears streamed down his face as he apologized to Li Qian, the government, and the people. He felt utterly guilty and began to cry uncontrollably, his sorrow so profound that it nearly brought tears to the onlookers' eyes.
Zhou Qunyi stood there with his mouth agape. He had to admit that this Trafficker King had impressive acting skills; even winning an Oscar wouldn't allow someone to cry on cue like that—especially not so quickly. It was absurdly fake, yet his performance almost evoked sympathy from others.
"Wang Shou, may you find peace in your grief," Shen Lingchen said.
"Yes, thank you to the government. I am guilty; I truly am guilty," Wang Shou said through his tears, feeling ashamed.
"Oh right, it seems you never told us... Li Qian's father is your coworker. He used to work at Tengfei Paper Industry and was a well-known level eight worker," Shen Lingchen suddenly remarked.
Wang Shou's gaze froze as he sniffled and muttered, "I really am sorry about that."
Don't try to question him about why he committed such a despicable act as abducting a coworker's daughter; he felt no pangs of conscience over it. At most, he'd cry like just now and say sorry—was that even useful?
Shen Lingchen's approach was different. He asked, "Is there anything you want to tell him? I mean Li Qian's father."
"No." Wang Shou nodded slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"It seems like there's a bit of a relationship between you two, something not known to outsiders... Interested in talking about it?" Shen Lingchen asked.
"What is there to talk about? I harmed someone’s daughter; what else can I say?" Wang Shou replied gloomily.
"Perhaps you didn't harm her... Oh right, I must sincerely apologize. As a police officer, I shouldn't lie. Li Qian is actually alive and well; our people are with her right now," Shen Lingchen suddenly smiled.
Wang Shou was infuriated. He gritted his teeth and glared at Shen Lingchen, asking each word with emphasis, "Are you messing with me?"
"Isn't this what you taught me? You've been playing us all along," Shen Lingchen said with a sidelong glance, starting to laugh.
"You..." Wang Shou was so angry that his stomach twisted.
Shen Lingchen reminded him, "It looks like she's not dead, which really angers you... Wang Shou, did you really think we couldn't uncover this connection?"
Wang Shou paused, his angry expression shifting to one of surprise, then slightly tense.
"Li Yingzong is a level eight worker. He entered the factory at fifteen and designed the earliest printing plates. He participated in the disassembly and replication of the first generation Heidelberg Printing Press. Later, when Tengfei Paper Industry transitioned to color printing, he became a key technical figure... However, he served four years in prison for embezzlement and lost his job. But for someone like him, finding another job shouldn't be too difficult, right? Don't lie to me; Li Qian is with our people while Li Yingzong is being interrogated." Shen Lingchen's eyes sparkled like electricity, making Wang Shou unable to meet his gaze.
At this moment, Zhou Qunyi was utterly impressed. The line between truth and deception blurred so much that it had completely fooled Wang Shou. So far, Guo Wei and Fan Saili hadn’t even found Li Yingzong; they didn’t even know where Li Qian was. The photos shown on the phone were old ones taken during her arrest.
Wang Shou fell silent but it was clear he was tense; veins throbbed on his forehead as his gaze darted around.
"You don't need to explain yourself. You're such a successful con artist; your thinking is more normal than anyone else's, and your IQ isn't low either. I think you've planned this out: your crimes are already clear, so whether you confess or not doesn't matter. You could end up with life imprisonment or a suspended death sentence; after serving ten years or so, you could still get out. You must have studied the law thoroughly, right? Your home is filled with books... Moreover, you could confess to other crimes; if you show some merit in your confession, maybe you'll even get a reduced sentence, right?" Shen Lingchen pushed his judgment further, fearing he might go wrong. He suddenly sensed Xiao Mu's pulse because he clearly saw the muscles in Wang Shou's face twitching—this was telling him the correct answer. So he continued:
"You participated in counterfeiting? ... That doesn't seem right. If you had that connection, you wouldn't need to go through the trouble of designing scams. But it seems likely that you wanted to participate; otherwise, you wouldn't have put effort into studying those fake U.S. Bills. You were preparing for something big, right? You must know someone who made money doing this... That's why you abducted Li Qian."
As Wang Shou listened, beads of sweat began to form on his twitching face; the first droplet slowly trickled down from behind his ear.
"So you're scamming large sums of money for a purpose... You actually know these people. I've always wondered why you didn't counterfeit money but still kept them around; it seems clear now that keeping them would provide you with a backup plan... And you wouldn't want to see them get into trouble either; perhaps you have many dark secrets that they hold over you—your relationship is one of mutual restraint."
Shen Lingchen concluded there, feeling he was still a step away from Xiao Mu's understanding. The language expressed by every subtle facial expression varied greatly, and capturing it was no easy task.
However, it seemed to be enough. Wang Shou's hands began to tremble with tension, and his lips quivered uncontrollably.
"How about we leave?" Zhou Qunyi suddenly suggested, glancing at Wang Shou with a disinterested expression.
"True," Shen Lingchen replied, appearing uninterested as well. He stood up and said, "Let's wait for Li Yingzong to finish the interrogation, then we can have him verify everything."
The two of them got up and called for the prison guard to release them, leaving their seats. In reality, their hearts were already in their throats; this was truly a case of catching a wolf with empty hands. It was incredibly difficult to expose this con artist. Even now, Wang Shou was drenched in sweat and had not uttered a word. The two could only brace themselves and push through, leaving without looking back. Zhou Qunyi lowered his voice and asked, "Master, did I overdo it?"
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Shou in the interrogation room suddenly screamed, banging on the restraints loudly. His voice cracked as he shouted, "Don't go! I want to confess! I want to come clean! I'm not involved in counterfeiting!"
Shen Lingchen chuckled and told Zhou Qunyi, "I told you, you should have confidence. Look at that; you played it just right."
The two of them suppressed their laughter and deliberately waited for the guard to call them back before returning. Upon their return, they feigned impatience and asked, "What’s wrong with you? Are you annoying? Just say what you need to say; what time is it? Are you going to let us sleep or not?"
Wang Shou was now in a panic as he began to hurriedly confess his remaining crimes...
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