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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 127: Cross-Border Pursuit 11
Starting from five o'clock in the morning, the police officers assigned to the task force underwent a brief training session and rushed to various branches with their questioning plans. Both they and the summoned individuals were equally bewildered; this case situation had escalated rapidly, bypassing several stages, leaving those waiting for updates in the task force sweating with anxiety.
The command center, initially located in Suzhou and Hangzhou, had now shifted to Binhai. The core team had just arrived, and the entire operation was being conducted remotely. Although the police force deployed was not large, the volume of information was comparable to that of an international case.
"Currently, there are 47 suspects summoned by various branches and police stations, including 14 public officials and 33 others. Eleven registered companies have been identified, all extracted from the peripheral clues related to Nie Qifeng and Rong Wu... Commander, can we begin?"
In the video call, an officer was seeking permission from the commander of the Suzhou and Hangzhou task force.
Zheng Kegong, Chen Dingli, and Deputy Director Yan formed a temporary iron triangle but hesitated for a moment. Zheng Kegong gestured for them to wait, ended the call, and turned back to ask, "Deputy Director Yan, Old Chen, today’s summoned individuals carry significant weight; it’s overwhelming."
This plan originated from Lin Qizhao, likely influenced by an unseen Red Line Informant. The key was its specificity; a group of public officials had been summoned, many of whom came from high-ranking positions. This was not even the most alarming part—companies like Harmonious Credit, Auspicious Guarantee, Bridge Commerce, and Yiye Auction—well-known names in Binhai—had also been called in. If nothing came of this, it could spell trouble for the police.
"Old Chen, what do you think?" Chen Dingli asked uncertainly. The pace of this investigation was too rapid; there were undoubtedly intricate connections at play. Without precise leads, it felt like crossing a river by feeling for stones—if the water turned out to be too deep, they might get swept away.
Deputy Director Yan pondered for a moment. Using remote interrogation methods to concentrate and unify clue investigations while processing them quickly was uncharted territory for him. The multiple screens on his desk displayed key figures: Pan Shuanglong being interrogated, Li Derli just apprehended and under questioning, along with a group waiting outside Nie Qifeng's operating room, plus a recently detained Criminal Police Captain. The web of connections among them was overwhelmingly complex.
"Let’s start. Severe cases require strong measures; Lin Qizhao isn’t reckless—there must be a reason behind his actions."
Deputy Director Yan agreed but wore an expression heavy with skepticism.
...
In Binhai at the City Bureau's Information Center, all computers were connected to the remote interrogation interface. Orders were issued, and dozens of screens relayed information back simultaneously. The forty-plus individuals being interrogated appeared live on the Information Center's display.
On one screen was labeled: Ethnic Street Police Station Officer Du Yehua.
He stared at the images displayed before him, dumbfounded and speechless for a long time...
A2 displayed the label: Bridge Commerce Legal Representative: Cao Wenzhong.
He stared at the image in front of him, sweat beading on his forehead, each droplet clearly visible on the screen. This guy was beyond saving; he opened his mouth to speak but trembled, unable to form coherent sentences...
A4 displayed the label: Yiye Auction Legal Representative: Wu Ruolan.
A woman, equally astonished, was rendered speechless...
A5 displayed the label: Longgang Public Security Bureau Political Commissar, He Qi has retired.
The Old Cop shifted his gaze, and with a glance, he immediately sensed that something was amiss...
...
B3 displayed the label: Ethnic Street Street Office Director: Wang Erhu.
This street official clearly had poor psychological resilience; upon being shown the evidence by the investigators, he fainted outright...
...
C15 displayed the label: Auspicious Guarantee Legal Representative Lindelong.
Finally, there was sound. It came in the form of wailing, as if mourning a loss: "It's over, it's over! My money, my money..."
...
Things took a bizarre turn; backstage, it was unclear what kind of material the project team had presented that could frighten so many people into turning pale.
The front desk was also somewhat puzzled. The interrogation plan was simply to present these materials first and then wait for these reactions. Moreover, the plan clearly indicated that conversations should be conducted in vague and non-specific language, with a tone and expression that must convey confidence—questioning without seeking definitive answers.
It seemed that the inquiry, which didn't even require results, was too easy. However, it appeared that there was still some deeper meaning behind it.
In Room A1, Officer Du Zhihua heard a colleague ask him, "Du Zhihua, you should know these people, right?"
He nodded. "I know them."
"I won't go into details, but the current situation is that Nie Qifeng has suffered eleven fractures and has been in surgery for eight hours without any sign of finishing. Li Derli is suspected of a major theft case and is currently being interrogated. Rong Wu is on the run, but don't worry; a citywide manhunt is underway... Time is tight. If you wait until dawn to find out the truth, you might miss your chance to take credit for this case." The investigator recited this information as if reading from a script, stopping there without further elaboration.
Next came the focus on the person being questioned.
The effect was quite evident; the individual being interrogated was visibly shrinking, becoming tense and fearful...
...
In Room C15 at the Lindelong Guarantee Company, the police officer continued to inform him:
"I won't go into details, but the current situation is that Nie Qifeng has suffered eleven fractures and has been in surgery for eight hours without any sign of finishing. Li Derli is suspected of a major theft case and is currently being interrogated. Rong Wu is on the run, but don't worry; a citywide manhunt is underway... Time is tight. If you wait until dawn to find out the truth, you might miss your chance to take credit for this... Bankruptcy and financial loss are not the same concept," the officer stated.
The person broke down quickly, kneeling before the police officer and pleading, "Please save me, Officer! You mustn't let him get away! Rong Wu took ten million from me... ten million... my entire fortune... you have to help me!"
Mr. Lin raised a finger, crying out in despair. The officer helped him up and asked kindly, "Now tell me about your debt situation in detail."
"What did he use as collateral?" another officer inquired. The plan indicated that if the person broke down, they could continue with their strategy.
"Artworks. The loan matured two months ago; he only paid interest. I've urged him several times, but he hasn't repaid anything... The market for artworks is terrible right now; his collateral isn't worth enough... Oh no, I'm doomed... This thing can't be..." Lindelong's lament halted abruptly as he looked anxiously at the police.
The questioning officer said little more than a calm reminder: "He’s also involved in several homicides, Boss Lin. I think you haven't fully considered this. Why don't you go back for now? We'll clarify things and come find you later?"
"No, no, no... This... this... I also used that as collateral; I truly have nothing left," Lindelong began to show some cleverness.
"Who did you mortgage it to?" the police officer asked.
"The bank, of course. The real estate is mortgaged, all locked up in the bank. I don't actually have much money on me; I'm just making a profit... Well, we are all legal here, with signed agreements," Lindelong stammered.
This time, the police officer was taken aback. Could this be the target? After all the investigation, it turned out that it had been transferred several times and was now sitting in the bank?
...
Information kept flashing on the screen. In the ambulance, Shen Lingchen and Lin Qizhao both noticed this piece of news at the same time. Their eyes lit up as they exchanged shocked glances. Shen Lingchen blurted out, "Maybe this is the truth."
"Absolutely possible. Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang received bribes from stolen goods; they wouldn't dare to make it public. The thief definitely wouldn't openly sell it either; selling it would require a lot of twists and turns, which is troublesome. But using it as collateral makes things much easier. As long as it's genuine, someone will want it, and even if they later find out it's stolen, they might not dare to speak up," Lin Qizhao said.
"These rascals really know how to operate. If it gets traced back to the bank after being passed around, that would be quite a spectacle," Shen Lingchen remarked.
"I'm afraid that might be an unfortunate prediction." Lin Qizhao looked at his phone and handed it to Shen Lingchen. A new message refreshed: Rong Wu also owed money to Yiye Auction, similarly using antiques as collateral. The amount wasn't large; presumably, the boss wanted to keep things quiet and had decided to come clean first. It involved two Guanyin Statues, currently lying in a company-leased insurance cabinet, which had already been notified for appraisal.
"That's right. After Wang Zihua's incident, they couldn't sit still anymore. The tighter we investigate, the more they feel pressured to cover their tracks. It seems that the stolen goods from two years ago should still be around us," Shen Lingchen sighed in relief, feeling completely at ease.
Amidst his surprise, Lin Qizhao glanced at Xiao Mu lying on the bed. In the darkness, he could see Xiao Mu's eyes wide open, glimmering with light. He softly asked, "Mu, when did you think of this?"
"If you've done underground business and reached a certain level, it's not hard to figure out. Rong Wu might become one of the most unfortunate thieves," Xiao Mu chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Shen Lingchen inquired.
"When he brought me onto the boat, I accidentally overheard a phone call urging him to replenish his stock... If he's trading stocks, given the current market index, all the money he painstakingly stole should almost all go back into the stock market," Xiao Mu explained.
The key was here; Lin Qizhao and Shen Lingchen couldn't help but burst into laughter. Shen Lingchen said with a smile, "Then he has even more reason to commit a crime—to leave behind his debts and take off with the goods."
"I never expected it to be so shallow," Lin Qizhao sighed.
The two of them were intrigued as they scrolled through the messages on the screen. These were inquiry records organized by the Information Center of the City Bureau, sorted by number. Dealing with antisocial personalities was challenging, but those who mingled in society were much easier to handle. The latest information came from the Street Office on Ethnic Street, where a problem lay within. Nie Qifeng not only lent him money at usurious rates but also bought a Rolex watch worth four hundred thousand, paying only half the price.
Lin Qizhao and Shen Lingchen excitedly discussed this; it seemed that finding channels for selling these luxury goods wouldn't be difficult, likely within their social circles. They speculated about a criminal pattern: Pan Shuanglong, the mastermind, was responsible for contacting and recruiting seasoned thieves. They committed theft along the coastal areas and transported high-value items to Binhai, an international metropolis, using logistics or carrying methods. The layer of Suzhou and Hangzhou effectively helped them evade police tracking.
"But what about the stolen goods from the Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang cases? Were they all disposed of this way?" Shen Lingchen asked, feeling that the answer was almost clear but just out of reach.
"Have you heard of financial instruments for artworks?" Xiao Mu, lying on the bed, interjected softly.
"What do you mean?" Shen Lingchen was taken aback.
"Oh, I think I understand... You mean those secured by asset credit that have a securities nature?" Lin Qizhao inquired.
Xiao Mu smiled and said, "Exactly. If you can articulate that, I suspect you've lost quite a bit in the stock market."
Lin Qizhao seemed triggered by this comment and sighed lightly, falling silent.
"What does it mean?" Shen Lingchen pressed on.
Lin Qizhao organized his thoughts and explained, "It's quite complicated. To put it simply, if you have an artwork and need money but don't want to liquidate it, you can use a third party for collateral. You can obtain a loan at about 40 to 50 percent of its market value. If you can't repay it by the due date, the guarantor can sell it to repay the principal and interest... But until maturity, neither the guarantor nor the lender has disposal rights over the artwork."
"Oh, so he has a bunch of artworks he can safely use to secure loans without fear of exposure?" Shen Lingchen remarked.
"That's likely the case," Lin Qizhao replied, suddenly realizing that this method bore striking similarities to the thefts in Wang Zihua's case. The truth hidden beneath complex social relationships might be safer than buried underground.
Both felt a chill at this realization; such operations could be used indefinitely. It was no wonder that police struggled to find more leads on stolen goods.
"It may not seem sophisticated at first glance, but what's clever is that if one understands the rules well and has vested interests involved, everyone gets tied to his ship of thieves... Even if they know it's stolen property, whether it's the collateral provider or lender, when it comes to matters of profit, they'll choose silence," Xiao Mu said softly, having almost guessed the methods used just by observing who was around him.
In the society governed by the prevailing unwritten rules, many things are understood by everyone, yet no one speaks of them.
This large-scale summons without a clear target serves only one purpose: to break the silence. Ironically, this simplest of actions can yield remarkable results under specific circumstances.
"Actually, regardless of whether you catch him or not, he has already reached a dead end. Those who are deeply obsessed inevitably meet a tragic end. I think he is unable to let go of too many things—family ties, friendships, feelings of longing—too much. The more isolated a person is, the more sensitive they become to emotions," Xiao Mu remarked, reminiscing about the few encounters with Rong Wu, filled with deep pity.
"Family ties? Friendships?" Lin Qizhao found it hard to accept.
"Your mind has been formatted by the system; you lack emotions. That's why you can't understand why He Shi committed suicide or why Nie Qifeng would risk everything to eliminate me... Or perhaps you also can't comprehend why that good-for-nothing would light a pile of Signal fires by the sea... Buddhism teaches that one must be mad to become a Buddha. From another perspective, there is no distinction between Buddha and demon; both are forms of obsession," Xiao Mu said softly, his last words almost inaudible, as if he were saying, "Am I not the same?"
In the darkness, Shen Lingchen gently touched Lin Qizhao, a subtle gesture that Lin Qizhao understood as a warning not to argue with Xiao Mu for fear of touching on painful subjects. In truth, Lin Qizhao had no intention of arguing; he realized that these two could understand each other so deeply because they were essentially similar people.
"Then he will definitely come," Lin Qizhao stated confidently.
"Yes, he will be here soon," Xiao Mu replied.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the car's alarm blared—a red light flashing in sync with Xiao Mu's pale face, which seemed to take on a hint of color…
…………………………
Ding-dong… The doorbell rang.
Guan Yiqing, her hair disheveled and wearing a nightgown, waited in her bedroom and bathroom while several SWAT members signaled quietly, hiding their presence. She waited for two more rings before deliberately making loud noises as she slipped on her shoes and went to open the door.
Yes, she was now in Rong Ying's safe haven, and it was four forty-five in the morning, waiting for clues about the missing Rong Wu to emerge.
With a loud bang, she opened the heavy security door, her hair disheveled as she poked half her head out and asked, "Who is it?"
"Are you Yingzi?" the two people outside asked cautiously.
"Yeah," Guan Yiqing replied with a slight nod.
"I'm a friend of your brother. He sent us to take you away," one of them explained.
"Nonsense! Why didn't my brother call me?" Guan Yiqing muttered, her voice thick with sleep, but it seemed like the two had no idea who Rong Ying was.
"Can we come in to talk? This should help... your brother arranged this passport for you." The other person showed her Rong Ying's passport as proof of their identity.
With a clang, the door opened. Guan Yiqing stepped inside, and the two quickly followed, shutting the door behind them. They spoke urgently, "Yingzi, we need to leave quickly. Your brother is in trouble and can't see you right now... There's a flight at seven; we can still make it. We've got everything ready for you... huh?"
Guan Yiqing turned back with a smile that startled the speaker. The difference seemed significant; the person glanced at the photo on the passport and stammered, "Did we get the wrong person? Who are you?"
"That's exactly my question. You answer first," Guan Yiqing said with a smile.
Behind two bedrooms and a bathroom, seven or eight fully armed police officers surrounded them with guns drawn. The two were stunned, staring wide-eyed as the passport slipped from their hands and fell to the floor. The two rescuers were silently subdued.
At that moment, in the shadows downstairs, an ambulance door opened. Shen Lingchen and Lin Qizhao carefully helped Xiao Mu out of the vehicle as they slowly approached the apartment building.
The plan was straightforward: control Rong Ying and wait at her residence for her to return. Lin Qizhao had been skeptical about this approach, but now all doubts were shattered. The two moved as if under Xiao Mu's command, quietly stepping into a trap before dawn. He even began to suspect that Rong Wu might not have escaped as Xiao Mu suggested but was hiding in some corner of Binhai, watching events unfold.
"Be careful on the stairs," Lin Qizhao whispered to Xiao Mu as he assisted him.
"Thank you, Mu. I never expected it would end like this," Shen Lingchen said.
Turning his head slightly, Shen Lingchen wore a grim expression. Xiao Mu smiled lightly and replied, "It's obvious you're not being sincere; you're clearly still worried about whether this line will lead to Rong Wu and if he can be convicted."
As they spoke of their inner thoughts, Shen Lingchen smiled and said, "Don't be so aggressive. Regardless, I am quite grateful... By the way, may I ask how strong this line is?"
Lin Qizhao chuckled, perhaps this was his own concern as well. Xiao Mu continued walking and said, "Very strong. To rely on each other is to share a life; to stay together is to have a home."
"You haven't known Rong Wu for long, are you sure he values feelings this much?" Lin Qizhao countered.
"If he didn't value feelings, he wouldn't have lasted this long. There wouldn't have been Old Cripple's suicide, Nie Qifeng's desperation, or Li Derli's ongoing situation that you all can't seem to resolve. Emotions and crime are like law enforcement and violence; they contradict yet are indispensable. Despite decades of development in criminal psychology and justice, the issue of your police force's mindset towards lawful versus unlawful enforcement remains unsolved. Just like those criminals who, despite their heinous acts and refusal to repent, cannot completely sever their ties with society. This problem is emotional; it cannot be resolved with reason or theory."
Xiao Mu spoke softly, his strange yet profound words resonating more the more one pondered them.
When the three entered the room set for the ambush, it had already been prepared. The two backup personnel were sent by Rong Wu, who had provided a phone number through a call. From police analysis, this number was already turned off, which did not surprise Shen Lingchen; it was merely the prelude to a flight. That phone number would likely only be used once.
The only remaining contact was the backup personnel's phone, and they could only hope that Rong Wu would reach out proactively.
Xiao Mu sat quietly on the sofa, appearing tired and weary as he closed his eyes, waiting for the final act to unfold. In his mind, scenes from this journey with the informant replayed vividly. He searched through all memories related to Rong Wu and felt an inexplicable sense of lingering guilt rising within him as those memories surfaced...
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