Chapter 421: Meeting Bureau Chief Zhou

The office furnishings are very simple: just a desk, a wooden sofa, and a small tea table.

Bureau Chief Zhou wore a white high‑rank police uniform; seeing Ye Cheng enter, he warmly rose from his desk and pulled Ye Cheng to sit on the sofa.

Xiao Li stood to the side, silently recording the scene; usually Bureau Chief Zhou receives guests while seated in his office chair, and few are allowed to have him come down to sit on the sofa.

"Xiao Ye, I heard you came to see me with an honor certificate? What's up? Were you bullied and want me to back you up?" Zhou Zu Hai said with a teasing smile.

"Chief, I don't want to either—I just didn't have your number saved, so I had to use this; otherwise it'd be too hard for me to see someone as senior as you."

"Hahaha, you make it sound like I'm all about bureaucracy." Zhou Zu Hai laughed and then pulled out his phone.

"Come on, come on, I'll add your number now so you won't have to complain later."

Xiao Li's heart skipped a beat—holy crap, this treatment is insane.

Ye Cheng wasn't shy either; he quickly entered his phone number into his phone.

"Go ahead, what do you need me to help with? I have an important meeting coming up right away."

"I don't need help; I just have a situation to report."

Zhou Zu Hai frowned slightly; anything that involves reporting a situation is never just a personal matter.

If it were a personal matter, Zhou Zu Hai could handle it easily—after all, Ye Cheng holds a good‑citizen certificate, so arranging a job or introducing resources would be justified.

Reporting a situation gets complicated, as it could involve matters in their village or the surrounding area.

"Go on." Zhou Zu Hai said calmly.

"Chief Zhou, I've discovered a pyramid‑scheme operation in our township." Ye Cheng got straight to the point.

As soon as he heard "pyramid‑scheme organization," Chief Zhou's eyes flashed with a sharp light, then quickly withdrew it.

"Do you know what pyramid selling is?"

"I know—it's selling stuff at inflated prices, then brainwashing you to find downstream recruits, who find more downstream recruits; the so‑called sales network is like passing a flower while beating a drum, and because the goods are so expensive they target people you know, not only cheating money but also creating many unstable factors—an absolute disaster."

Zhou Zu Hai nodded repeatedly,

"I didn't expect you to know so much about pyramid selling; you said your township has it—tell me the situation."

Ye Cheng roughly outlined what he knew, but didn't mention Xia Guangliang's case, only saying that many people in Shang Ling Village, Liu Village, and his own village had bought in.

While speaking, Ye Cheng watched Zhou Zu Hai's expression; the chief listened intently, occasionally flashing a hint of thought—it seemed he was truly taking it in.

After hearing Ye Cheng's words, Zhou Zu Hai nodded,

"Xiao Ye, you're a good comrade; let me share a bit—we've already received a cooperative‑investigation notice saying a pyramid‑scheme gang has come to our Donghai City; we're now screening them, just wait, we'll surely find them soon and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Hearing Zhou Zu Hai say he already knew about this, Ye Cheng was genuinely surprised—looks like the police bureau isn't just collecting salaries.

However, from Zhou Zu Hai's tone, they still haven't located the gang's organization.

This...

"Chief Zhou, actually I can find out who's doing the selling; why not just go arrest them directly?"

Zhou Zu Hai shook his head,

"It's not that simple; they're just small fry who only know how to sell and transfer money, with no clue about the upper‑level structure of the pyramid scheme—arresting them would only scare the snakes."

"This pyramid‑scheme outfit is very alert; at the slightest sign of trouble they'll definitely flee, making them hard to find again."

"It's that hard?"

"Then what level is that Xia Guangliang I caught?"

"Then Chief Zhou, may I ask what rank a senior consultant holds?"

"According to our information, a senior consultant is already considered mid‑level personnel in their pyramid‑scheme organization."

Upon hearing they were mid‑level, Ye Cheng felt reassured.

He rubbed his hands, feeling a bit embarrassed as he looked at Zhou Zu Hai,

"Um, Chief Zhou, actually I have information about their senior consultant."

"What?" Zhou Zu Hai exclaimed, then waved his fist excitedly: "You actually know about their senior consultant? Great! We've been worried about that—tell us quickly, we'll organize a capture right away."

Seeing Zhou Zu Hai so excited, Ye Cheng relaxed and raised a finger.

"Chief Zhou, I can tell you this information, but I have a condition."

"A condition?" Zhou Zu Hai blinked—this kid actually dares to negotiate terms?

Xiao Li's eye twitched—holy shit, you dare to discuss terms with our bureau chief? Want to die, huh?

"Ye Cheng, if you want a reward I can give you one, but if you're trying to cover for someone, that's definitely out of the question."

"Chief Zhou, it's not about covering for anyone—our village has a guy named He Feiyang who was also duped into joining, and this time he was the one who lured out that senior consultant; isn't that making amends through merit?"

"Heh, that credit is you letting him have it, right?" Zhou Zu Hai said lightly; as a bureau chief he's seen it all, and he saw through Ye Cheng's little trick at a glance.

"Or it's Chief Zhou's brilliance—you see through our little tricks instantly." Ye Cheng gave a thumbs‑up, laying on the flattery thick.

This kind of thing would be exposed as soon as they looked into it.

No matter what turns up, he just wants Zhou Zu Hai to give him a promise.

"Don't try to butter me up." Zhou Zu Hai gave a cold snort.

"So, Chief Zhou, does that mean you're agreeing?"

Zhou Zu Hai glanced at Ye Cheng,

"If your information really lets us catch someone, I can consider it."

"Old f‑‑‑, damn, after all this you're still hesitating?"

"That's just how leaders are."

But fortunately Ye Cheng also kept a backup.

"Chief Zhou, actually I've already captured that senior consultant." Ye Cheng said with an innocent, harmless expression.

"Caught? You're saying you caught that senior consultant?" Zhou Zu Hai this time jumped up from his chair in surprise.

"Yeah, I caught him—he's in our village; I can take you there."

"Good! Good! Hahaha, Ye Cheng, you really are my lucky star, hahaha." Zhou Zu Hai couldn't help but burst out laughing loudly.

I was worrying about how to do it, but Ye Cheng said he had already caught them.

You should know, the situation report from the other side said that this gang's shipping speed is very fast; basically, they change location after each shot.

In several places, they still haven't found anyone, yet they've already swindled a large sum of money and fled.

This time, if we can catch a mid-level member, even if we have to use the Great Memory Recovery Technique, we must net them all.