Chapter 768: Reputation

Wang Yan was organizing the clue materials. There wasn't any prescribed format, but what he needed to do was to turn them into text so that the other comrades could understand the clues at a glance. Then, he would supplement this with the screenshots he had captured that included surveillance timestamps, the images he had enhanced himself, and the identity information of the two human traffickers—one male and one female. It wasn't enough to just have electronic documents; they also had to be printed out to form actual files.

Everything he compiled together became the initial version of the case file. Later on, as the comrades from the Anti-Trafficking Office conducted investigations, surveillance, and arrests, the relevant materials would grow, organized into documents according to time and the progress of the case, until the case was fully closed. This would be the complete case file for a child trafficking case. Future generations, as long as they reviewed the file, would be able to see the police's investigative logic and all the efforts made for it.

These things didn't take much effort. In less than twenty minutes, a little past seven o'clock, under the eager anticipation of Wang Shouyi's chrysanthemum-wrinkled old face, the materials for the two cases were organized and carefully placed into file folders.

By this time, the veteran police officers at the station were also coming to work, yawning. It was because this period was quite special; in order to busy themselves with the cases assisted by image enhancement, they had to arrive early and leave late. Otherwise, unless it was a day like Zhou Yi or Friday when meetings and studies were customary, they would usually arrive around eight in the morning and leave around eight in the evening.

Gao Chao seemed to always be so full of energy. He walked into the building with a gust of wind, and seeing Wang Shouyi guarding behind Wang Yan, he greeted the station chief and walked up laughing heartily, giving Wang Yan a friendly slap on the shoulder: "You kid are amazing! Four hours, four fingerprints? You really have a way with things."

"I'm just practicing in actual combat now. After seeing more, I'll be able to do it even faster." Wang Yan laughed and took a sip of what was said to be this year's first-picked Mingqian Longjing tea.

"Good kid." Gao Chao liked this unpretentious style.

"Wait, why didn't I quite understand?"

"Station Chief, it's like this. He knows how to do fingerprint comparison. The day before yesterday, I gave him four theft cases, and fingerprints were collected, but the branch bureau hadn't had time to process them yet. As a result, last night at past twelve, this kid sent me a message saying they had all been matched."

"This is just the beginning." Wang Shouyi was very calm, maintaining a steady appearance. "Gao Chao, how many times have I told you? Be steady, be a little steadier. They were just four petty thieves. You don't know yet, but this brat has been watching surveillance footage here all night, specifically for the child abduction cases from the last two months. And you know what? He really found a clue. Wang Yan, bring up that half-face image for your master to see."

The old guy was putting on an act, but it was for his sake, so Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, obediently operating the computer, locating that frame, and pointing to the corner with the mouse: "It's right here. This half-face stayed here for more than four seconds. This is the enhanced image. I feel his expression is not quite right..."

Stunned as he listened to Wang Yan recount the process from discovering the clue in the surveillance to the final investigation, Gao Chao turned to look at the smiling Wang Shouyi: "Station Chief, if he keeps working at this efficiency, you might even get deputy department-level treatment by the time you retire. Isn't there a 'Fengqiao Experience'? Then we'll have the 'Balihe Method.' By then, you'll be going out every day for inspections, research, and giving reports, tsk tsk..."

"Go on, you kid are also unreliable, just spouting nonsense." Wang Shouyi laughed happily. Although deputy department-level wasn't realistic, the words sounded pleasant.

"Alright, alright. Wang Yan has been watching surveillance all night; young people can't handle such exhaustion. Hurry up and tidy up. Let's have breakfast first. After a while, you can explain the situation to the people from the branch bureau, and then go home to rest. I'll give you a day off."

"I say, Station Chief, your face changes too fast. Just a moment ago you told me to go to our dormitory to rest for a while, and now you're giving me a day off?"

Wang Shouyi felt nothing: "Brat, you're not willing to take a day off? Go ask the veteran comrades in our station—who has taken a day off in the last month? A while ago, there was another special operation to crack down on organized crime, then we organized a joint fire inspection with the fire brigade, and at the beginning of the month, we had to stand guard and patrol for the college entrance exam. Which one isn't work? I'm giving you a benefit, and you don't cherish it. Let me tell you, if things really get busy, you won't even have a chance to rest if you want to."

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile: "No need to rest. It's nothing for a young person to pull an all-nighter or two. Mass work is more important. At worst, I'll just go back a bit earlier today. Let's go, Station Chief, let's go have breakfast. Don't say, I'm really hungry after working all night."

"Fine, if you're willing to work, I can't stop you. But one thing must be agreed upon: act according to your ability. Our work here isn't something that can be completed in a day or two. Oh, by the way, is the demonstration file for fingerprint extraction you mentioned earlier done?"

"I made a PPT. It's here, Station Chief, take a look."

"I won't look at it. You send it directly to the group. After a while, when everyone is here, I'll tell them about it. Let's go, let's go, hurry up and eat." Wang Shouyi didn't dawdle either, pulling along the top favorite in his heart and leaving.

How many days had it been since he arrived? He caught a fugitive, caught two car thieves, provided clues on drug users, perfectly handled a murder scene and received a commendation, used image enhancement technology to break through the station's backlog of cases, and with fingerprint comparison technology, broke a three-year serial theft case in one day. Even more, in one night, he matched four relatively large-scale theft and robbery cases and found clues to the traffickers' operations.

Moreover, his mass work in Dongning Village was very successful; he was well aware of all this. Although he trusted Wang Yan to go out and conduct visits on his own, he still had to pay attention. He had also learned from the side about the villagers' evaluation of Wang Yan over the past two days.

In just these few days, the things this kid had done were more exciting than what many police officers did in two years...

Following along to the station's cafeteria for breakfast, there were no fancy varieties, just steamed buns, mantou, porridge, eggs, milk, and a few small side dishes to go with the meal.

"The craftsmanship of our station's master chef is quite poor." Wang Yan complained mercilessly.

"I'll just ask you, can you eat it? Does it cost money?" Wang Shouyi glared, eating very happily. "You're the one with all the issues. Look at them, isn't everyone eating more happily than the last? Besides, you keep complaining about the poor craftsmanship, but I haven't seen you eat any less."

Gao Chao didn't speak, giving Wang Yan a look that meant "just make do," and ate heartily.

"Station Chief, what you're saying is unreasonable. Our meal subsidy is a welfare benefit provided by the state. I've inquired; the master chef in our station earns seven or eight thousand a month, and the two assistants earn three or four thousand. They are also in charge of purchasing ingredients. That's not a small amount of money, right? I don't believe that if we look for a master chef outside, we can't find someone who cooks well for a salary of seven or eight thousand.

Director Song can handle this matter. Station Chief, if you have connections, you must use them quickly. You are standing your last post; before you step down, solve some practical problems for the comrades in our station. Going into battle, if logistics have problems, in the military, that's going to a military court; in wartime regulations, you could be shot directly. We are also soldiers charging on the front line; we can't be treated like we're not human."

"Shut up." Gao Chao put down his chopsticks helplessly. "I was eating quite happily, but after you said that, I feel uncomfortable eating."

"I say Gao Chao, are you talking about him? I think you're targeting me."

Wang Shouyi glared at the two of them unhappily. "I'm just a station chief; can my words be effective in this matter? Find Director Song? He's just a branch bureau chief; what use can he be? This is managed by the municipal bureau. Every police station in our city that has a cafeteria is in this situation. It's just that the craftsmanship is a bit poor, but everything that should be there isn't missing at all. Meat, eggs, milk—which one is missing? Lunch and dinner are both two meat and two vegetable dishes. Be content."

"No, Station Chief, you misunderstood. My meaning is, you let Director Song come forward to communicate and replace the master chef in our station with someone with good skills. That's not a problem, right? Isn't this wasting things now? It's all good money coming in; it must be done well."

"Hey, Station Chief, he's right. I think you can bring it up. This is a real, solid good deed for our station."

Glaring at the two of them, then looking at the veteran comrades who had arrived early at the station and were all listening carefully, stirred up by Wang Yan, Wang Shouyi rolled his eyes, leaned forward slightly, and whispered: "What you said isn't unreasonable. How about this: the previous murder and dismemberment case can be closed in these two days. If we go through the procedures, it will probably take another week, and your commendation will come down.

Our station has had good results recently; Director Song will definitely come to commend us in person and give a speech to our station. Based on my understanding of him, he will ask you about some difficulties or something. At that time, you just bring up the cook issue. Later, I'll put in some effort, and this matter will be done. If I talk to him alone, wouldn't that make it look like I'm an old guy looking for trouble? You're young and speak directly. In front of so many people, would he dare not handle it?"

"Let's do it this way." Gao Chao laughed heartily. "Why else would I say it still has to be you, Station Chief."

Chatting about this and that, during this time, the comrade from the branch bureau's Anti-Trafficking Office ran over in a rush with a bird's nest of hair. Wang Yan explained the discovery process again, and then the comrade from the branch bureau expressed his gratitude, took the materials Wang Yan had organized, and left, calling people to gather while walking.

Just as Wang Shouyi said, the difficulty in catching human traffickers is not knowing who they are. Now that Wang Yan had pulled out the identity information of the two suspects—one male and one female—and even locked onto the license plate number, they would definitely hold a meeting to arrange the operation immediately.

It was also at this time that everyone in the station, except for the instructor who was busy with elderly and children's matters at home, had all arrived at the station before 7:30.

"Station Chief, Station Chief Gao, Brother Yan, here are your car keys." Li Dawei walked over with a cheeky smile, followed by Yang Shu, Zhao Jiwei, and Xia Jie.

Leaving late yesterday, Li Dawei finally couldn't hold back and borrowed the car from Wang Yan with a grin. Young people all quite liked this kind of performance car. Moreover, Wang Yan's Golf had been modified, and the engine program had been flashed. A small gadget like that could reach over 260 horsepower, which was very powerful.

"Jiwei, are you feeling better?" Putting the keys in his pocket, Wang Yan looked at Zhao Jiwei, who was lagging behind and still looked quite haggard.

Wang Shouyi also turned back to look: "Jiwei, you can't force yourself; you'd better recover from your illness first. If your body is uncomfortable and your mind isn't focused, you can't do any work, and you're prone to making mistakes. I'll give you two more days off. Don't worry, I won't deduct your pay. Go back and have a good rest."

Zhao Jiwei waved his hands repeatedly, his voice muffled by the cold: "No need, no need, Station Chief. I'm already better; I just don't have much energy, it won't affect work."

"Young people nowadays are all motivated. Since you requested it yourself, I won't force you. That Zhijie, you arrange some light work for him. Let him stay in the station for two days; don't follow Wang Yan out for now. I'm not at ease with him looking so top-heavy.

Hey, Jiwei, don't talk. You don't even think about it—catching a cold in the middle of summer, and you go into the homes of the people; are you welcome? Every household has children. If you infect them, what should we do? Listen to your master; whatever he arranges, you do. Alright, go get your food."

It was just a small cold, and Wang Shouyi didn't actually care. Who among this group in the station hadn't worked while sick or injured? It was just that Zhao Jiwei had seen the terrifying dismemberment scene, and this step wasn't easy to walk out of; it was easy to leave sequelae. Otherwise, for such a small ailment, he would just ask once and that would be it. Rest? Let's see the situation.

Watching everyone finish getting their food and sitting there chatting, Wang Shouyi clapped his hands and stood up, stomping his dirty leather shoes, reaching out to pull up his trousers—a set of small actions that perfectly captured the temperament of a station chief.

"Everyone, I'll talk while you eat. Three things. The first one, everyone knows, is the case that happened in Dongning Village. In the future, when we handle similar conflicts involving infidelity, we must pay attention. It's not enough to just be fine at the moment; we must also pay more attention to the emotions of the parties involved in the future, nipping this danger in the bud."

Looking at everyone's strange expressions, Wang Shouyi knew that this group of people was associating it with the dismemberment case, so he quickly continued speaking, "The second thing is the fingerprint comparison part. Everyone might not know yet, but last night, Wang Yan spent four hours matching the suspects for four theft cases. This greatly accelerated our case-handling speed. Everyone must attach importance to this area.

How about this: take some time to go through the cases in your hands again. For those that the branch bureau hasn't started comparing yet, ask for the fingerprints back. During this period, Wang Yan will visit the masses during the day and work overtime when he returns at night. It's hard work, but let's centrally match all the fingerprints we have on hand."

"Another point is the fingerprint extraction at the crime scene. You've all seen it; Wang Yan has already sent the file to our station's large group. Everyone take a look when you have time and learn. We can't not use the technical support from the branch bureau. How about this: those you can do yourselves, do them yourselves. Those you can't do, call the branch bureau. If it's really urgent, bring the things back, and Wang Yan will extract and compare them."

"In this way, we'll all be relaxed. The case-handling cycle for small cases will also be much faster, and the feeling given to the people will also be better. Let the people in our jurisdiction know that the police officers of our Balihe Police Station are doing practical things for the people, not the 'eating for free' that they talk about all day."

"As long as the people recognize our work, then there's no need to worry about public satisfaction. Everyone work hard recently; of course, Wang Yan has to work even harder to break all the cases in our station that need fingerprint comparison. Difficulties are temporary; as long as we persist through this period, then the future will be a relaxed time."

"As for the last thing, it's the two child abduction cases that happened in Dongning Village before. Last night, Wang Yan watched the surveillance footage all night, and after careful and detailed searching, he finally found the key clue. Here, I want to commend Wang Yan. Why did so many of us watch it over and over again and find nothing? It's because we weren't careful enough, not patient enough. Everyone..."

Amidst the surprise of everyone, Li Dawei's wide-open mouth, the cold-stricken Zhao Jiwei suddenly perking up, Yang Shu unable to help but widen his eyes, Xia Jie's disbelief, and Cao Army Supervisor's envy, jealousy, and hatred, Station Chief Wang emphatically commended Wang Yan's careful and detailed work attitude and called on the comrades in the station to learn from Wang Yan. He didn't forget to remind them that currently, only clues had been found, and there was no further progress, so people in the station should not spread it, let alone disturb the victim's family, and so on...

Breakfast was eaten quite quickly. By the time Wang Shouyi finished speaking, everyone had basically finished eating. After he finished speaking, everyone left the cafeteria one after another to start a new day's work. Wang Yan also ate a lot of the not-so-tasty breakfast, bought toiletries from the small supermarket opposite the police station, wiped his face, brushed his teeth, and washed up.

Coming to the flower bed in the backyard, he puffed on a cigarette and drank the already-steeped first-picked Mingqian Longjing tea that he had swiped from Director Song's place by the Station Chief.

"I was only gone for one day, and you've made another contribution?" Zhao Jiwei's words were full of exclamation and envy.

Li Dawei puffed on his cigarette and laughed: "Don't worry, even if you were here, this contribution would have nothing to do with you."

"Is that what I meant? I just feel Brother Yan is too amazing. It seems like from the time he started working until now, every day he's either breaking cases or making contributions. Counting the clues for finding the traffickers, he broke five cases yesterday. Yang Shu, you're all in public security; have you received five cases in these few days?"

"If you put it that way, then really no." Li Dawei shook his head, then let out a long sigh, "Brother Yan is Brother Yan. It's really incomparable. He has money and ability. You tell me, what should we ordinary people do? Oh, you also made a contribution, so you don't count."

Zhao Jiwei was confused: "What contribution did I make?"

"Just that murder and dismemberment case two days ago. You didn't hear it, but the veteran police officers in the station all said that in this situation, it's 'whoever sees it gets a share.' Although you were a bit of a drag, there will definitely be benefits for you."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "You indeed have a contribution. Let's just say this among the three of us; the official document hasn't come down yet. Jiwei will have three months less probation. We joined the police in June, so you'll be regularized next March. The others still have to wait a year."

"The Station Chief told you?" Seeing Wang Yan nod, Li Dawei sighed, "Really good. Why didn't I do community work at that time? Hanging out with Brother Yan every day, the contributions would definitely not be lacking."

"If you know how to talk, say more." Wang Yan happily accepted Li Dawei's flattery.

Zhao Jiwei's slow brain digested this news and asked the key question: "What about you? It must be much better than mine, right?"

"That won't be said much; you'll know when the time comes. Alright, Li Dawei, go call Brother Chen and Brother Zhang and let them go to the dormitory; I'll give them a massage. I was supposed to do it yesterday, but it was delayed by sending Jiwei to the hospital. These ailments, the sooner they are relieved, the better, so you don't do anything sluggishly."

"Alright." Li Dawei responded briskly and went straight to call people.

After extinguishing his cigarette, Wang Yan also went to the dormitory upstairs to wait.

Before long, Chen Xincheng and Zhang Zhijie arrived at the dormitory. After being massaged by Dr. Wang himself, the two middle-aged men who had no choice but to work thanked him repeatedly, sweating profusely, and left the dormitory feeling comfortable.

This could be considered a benefit Wang Yan provided them. They were all good police officers, so he handled their small ailments with a wave of his hand, without much effort.

After doing all this, and receiving another round of reminders not to be reckless, Wang Yan buckled on his eight-piece set, hung his law enforcement recorder on his chest, filled his thermos with hot water, and drove to Dongning Village again to visit the masses.

It was actually impossible for him to see everyone in this village because their daily routines were all different. Some worked as sanitation workers in the city, some worked in restaurants in the city, some were on business trips, some worked day shifts, and some worked night shifts. Those who rented houses weren't all migrant workers who came to the city; there were plenty of people who were just looking for cheap rent.

Just like Zhao Jiwei, if there was no one else to help in the end, he would most likely have lived in Dongning Village because the houses were cheap enough. A quite large wing room that could accommodate four or five people only cost a few hundred yuan a month.

Compared to renting an apartment, even if sharing with others, it would cost over a thousand yuan. The difference in money, compared to a monthly salary of four or five thousand, was not a small amount.

But even if he couldn't see everyone, he still had to visit every household, and if he couldn't see anyone, he would take the time to make a phone call to chat. Doing this had two benefits. The first was, of course, to have a more detailed understanding of the village and have an impression. Once any problem occurred, he could match it immediately.

The second point had already been revealed, which was to increase his personal popularity. Let the people know him, trust him, and think of him when they had problems. He would solve what he could solve, and he would try his best to help think of ways for what he couldn't solve.

Arriving at the first household today, he saw an old lady taking advantage of the fact that the sun wasn't too strong in the morning, playing outside with a child.

"Is that Little Wang?"

As soon as the old lady spoke, Wang Yan fell silent for a moment.

This was, of course, a joke. In reality, there was no change on Wang Yan's face. He nodded with a smile: "Auntie, it's Little Wang, but not 'Little Wang Ba' (Little Bastard), that's cursing people."

"Oh my, hahaha..." The old lady reacted and laughed, "Why else would people say that when you get old, you become annoying? I really didn't think of that; it just slipped out."

"That's my fault, Auntie, I apologize to you." Wang Yan laughed, "Do I have such a big reputation in our village now? You even know me?"

"Your reputation is huge now; everyone in the village knows you. They all say you're a 'divine detective.' That kid from the Liu family stole for so many years and no one could catch him, but you came and caught him in one day. It seems like you mentioned something about fingerprints, right? I know that's high technology. We were talking about it while eating last night. Why didn't you come to our house to take a look? Seeing you today, I'm relieved."

The old lady was truly relieved; her dentures even fell out from laughing.

The masses were still simple. Catching a thief made him a "divine detective." In fact, it was just that Liu Jialiang's behavior was quite bad, making the people of Dongning Village like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. And Wang Yan acted fast, really catching the person in one day, making everyone no longer worry. Especially that big brother from before—once he was happy, he blew it up hard. With rumors spreading, he, Wang Mou, became a "divine detective."

Seeing the old lady's appearance, Wang Yan laughed and asked: "Auntie, do you know what I'm here for?"

"I heard, I heard. Isn't it to understand the situation? Like whether there are any suspicious people in the village, and checking the residence permits for renting houses. We don't rent out houses; they all build houses, and we just built a small room. Our family is doing very well, there's no conflict at all..."

Without Wang Yan asking, the old lady rambled on herself. This old lady had four sons and three daughters. Her husband passed away early, and she lived in the village with her youngest son. This was why the old lady had dentures, but the grandson was still quite small.

Except for the youngest son and the second daughter, the others were quite capable. Some settled in Beijing, some were civil servants locally, and some were small bosses. Except for the second son-in-law who was an ordinary employee, the other two daughters married well, lived even better, and their sons also studied well.

Having money could, of course, save a lot of trouble. The three older brothers and sisters didn't have high requirements for the youngest brother; as long as he served their mother well, there would be no problem. They all sent money every month and sent things back from time to time. This youngest son sponging off his older brothers and sisters was completely enough for him to live.

But they were all born to the same parents, and the thirty-something youngest son was also competing. He was a programmer, working hard from early morning until late at night every day. The wife he married was arranged by his older brothers and sisters, a woman who lived a proper life. After giving birth, she found a job selling medicine at a pharmacy, right at the corner of Fengdan Bali Street, one of a row of pharmacies. It was close to home, convenient for taking care of the old lady and her son.

With these conditions, they could have bought a house in the city long ago, and they did have a house, but the old lady wasn't used to living in an apartment, which was why they left the apartment empty and lived in a bungalow.

Listening to the old lady's nagging and looking at the neatly packed, high-end furniture and appliances in the house, Wang Yan felt that, so far, this should be the wealthiest and most harmonious family in Dongning Village, besides the legendary village chief.

In the old lady's eyes, everyone was a good person, and she couldn't chat about any new situation.

Wang Yan took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over with a smile. This was something he had made at a small shop on the side of the road two days ago, to be handed out at will. On it was his phone number, WeChat, and a note to include residence and name when adding WeChat.

"Auntie, this is my business card. When your son or daughter-in-law comes back tonight, show it to them. If there's anything, just call me. Also, Auntie, be careful when taking care of the child. There have been two families in our village in these two months."

"I know, the children of the Lao Ma family and the Lao Zhang family. Little Wang, you are a divine detective; you must help. Which family's child isn't the apple of their eye? I saw them the day before yesterday; they were in a terrible state. It's painful to look at."

"Even a divine detective has times when they aren't divine, Auntie. I went to both families last night to understand the situation. After going back, I also made some efforts and am investigating. We police definitely can't just watch and not care. Don't worry, Auntie."

After saying a few more words and declining the food and drink the old lady took out, Wang Yan ended the first visit of the day and walked toward the next household.

He didn't visit households one by one in a row, but rather staggered them quite far apart. His whereabouts were uncertain, so others couldn't grasp them, giving people a feeling that he could arrive at any time.

Having visited for two consecutive days, his visiting speed was already very fast. Now that he had a reputation in Dongning Village, many people were quite enthusiastic when they met him, saving time on closing the distance. Basically, including travel and chatting, visiting a household took about fifteen to thirty minutes. If he felt there was a problem, he would chat more; if there was no problem, he would just understand the situation simply.

Near noon, Wang Yan had already visited eight households. Arriving at the ninth, looking at the tightly closed but unlocked large iron gate, he knocked loudly.

The main person didn't come out, but the neighbor was knocked out. That was a somewhat thin middle-aged man in his forties, shirtless, with rough and dark skin, looking like he did physical labor, coming out with a bird's nest of hair.

He was originally a bit dissatisfied, but seeing the well-equipped police officer, his unhappiness turned into a big yawn: "Comrade Police, don't knock in the middle of the day. You are the Officer Wang who has been investigating in our village recently, right? Everyone in the village says you've been investigating door-to-door recently. I know the situation of their family; I can tell you."

Looking at his yellow teeth stained with smoke, Wang Yan waved his hand: "I don't dare to call myself an officer; I'm just a small policeman. Since you know, let's go to your house and chat. It's convenient, right?"

"Definitely convenient. Have you eaten? If not, have a bite at my place."

"Thanks, Big Brother, but no need. This is the last household. I heard this family is quite difficult, so I came to see what's going on."

"Come inside and talk. If you don't eat, then eat some fruit. I bought a watermelon last night; it's in the refrigerator, cool."

This big brother was very enthusiastic, leading Wang Yan into the house. Although Wang Yan refused repeatedly, he still took out half a large watermelon sealed with plastic wrap from the refrigerator and cut it onto a plate.

During this process, Wang Yan also strolled around and looked at their house. They also rented out their own house, so there were only him and his wife at home, with two children, an older daughter and a younger son. The daughter married to Qingdao, and the son graduated from university this year and was looking for work in Beijing. The house was also packed okay; not to say it was messy, but it wasn't too clean either.

In the corner outside the house were stacked several empty beer bottles. On the floor inside the house were scattered quite a few cigarette butts and melon seed shells. On the table, there was a trend chart for the double-color ball lottery, marked with a bunch of messy things in pencil. At a glance, this big brother had studied it quite a bit...

Crunching on a piece of watermelon, the big brother said: "Next door to our house, surnamed Zhao, now only the kid is left living alone. His name is quite loud, called Zhao Zilong. This kid also has a bitter life. His parents divorced early, and both found new partners. The kid was only fifteen at the time, so he lived with his grandparents. Two years ago, the old man and old lady passed away one after another. The children handled the funeral, and then no one cared about this kid."

"But at that time, the kid was already twenty-something, so he didn't need anyone to care. Everyone knows that the houses in our Dongning Village will be demolished, but there's no definite news; no one knows when it will be demolished. So at that time, the houses were all distributed, and this kid was just living here. Actually, the house has nothing to do with him."

"This kid, maybe it's the influence of his parents' divorce. He used to study quite well, but later he started acting foolish and not learning well. He dyed his hair yellow, followed a bunch of thugs out to fight and go to internet cafes all day. I haven't heard of him going to work either. Anyway, he just messed around, not living a proper life at all, spending money as soon as he had it, smoking and drinking. Two years ago, he even got that 'Ghost Fire' motorcycle; once he twisted the throttle, it went 'weng weng weng'."

"That's not all. He often brought people home on weekdays. Men and women, it was a mess. Oh my, it annoyed me to death. He was noisy in the middle of the night all day. I didn't dare to talk to him. You say that mixed-up kid has no one to care for him; if he really got anxious with me and brought a bunch of people to block my house, it would be too late for me to call the police, right? Young people nowadays are really ruthless."

"He's been quiet these two years. Maybe he's older, and his hair isn't dyed in all sorts of colors anymore; he looks like a normal person. He basically doesn't bring men home; it's just that occasionally he has a few good brothers drinking together, but it's not as noisy as before."

"But he brings girls home often. If you want to say this kid has ability, those girls one by one, oh my... tsk... But I feel those girls might not be good people either, dressed in all sorts of flashy ways; they might be prostitutes."

"So you don't know what he's doing now at all, but he still has money to live extravagantly, and he still brings women of unknown identity, suspected to be prostitutes, home. Is that it?"

"This isn't reporting a crime, right? Don't say it was me who said it. This kid's hands are ruthless. He broke someone's four ribs before, but because he wasn't sixteen at the time, he was released after being locked up in a juvenile detention center for a while. Later, I heard he might also have something to do with the underworld. I'm so scared. If he didn't have something going on, how could he be so extravagant?"

"It's just that we are on the edge of the village, and I haven't seen him for a long time, otherwise it would have spread all over the village long ago. You said you came because you heard he was in difficulty? He's really not in difficulty. He drinks and smokes; last time we met, he gave me a cigarette—it was a 'Hua Zi' (Chunghwa). He also drives a new Santana. He told me he bought a second-hand car, but that's still a car. I've worked for half a lifetime and haven't even managed to drive a car."

"Then what is his situation now? When I came, I saw a white Santana at the intersection, which could be about fifty percent new. Then he should be at home, right? Why don't I see him?"

"Probably sleeping, or maybe he's not at home at all. This kid never locks the door when he goes out. He doesn't have anything valuable at home, so he's not afraid of people stealing. I haven't seen him for two days either."

"Aren't kids like this all night owls? Didn't you hear any movement last night?"

"He's changed for the better. Even if he's a night owl, there's not that much movement at night. Besides, I wasn't at home last night; I was on the night shift at the construction site, and I only came back in the second half of the night."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "How should I address you, Big Brother?"

"I'm also surnamed Zhao, Zhao Xianming. Speaking of which, I'm even related to the next door."

"Then what does Big Brother Zhao do?"

"That, I tie steel bars at the construction site, right at the construction site not far away. We're rushing the work recently, so we're working in three shifts."

The big brother didn't look at Wang Yan, felt his body, got up and went to the table to get a cigarette, talking while walking. He took a pack of 'Taishan White General' from the table, pulled one out, and lit it.

Wang Yan asked: "Does Big Brother gamble or something when you're free?"

"I don't dare to gamble; I just play mahjong occasionally. What kind of family background do I have? I can't afford to gamble. My son still wants to stay in Beijing. Even if I, the father, don't have any help, I can't drag them down." Zhao Xianming shook his head repeatedly.

"Stop it, Big Brother. You've rubbed calluses on your hands from playing mahjong, and you say 'occasionally'? Don't find excuses saying it's from working; the calluses from tying steel bars don't grow on your fingertips. You play mahjong quite hard, right?"

Zhao Xianming looked at his hands in a daze, subconsciously wanting to hide them behind his back, but seeing Wang Yan's smiling appearance, he didn't know where to put his hands, feeling very awkward and restrained, like a big girl.

Wang Yan shook his head amusedly and pointed to the stool: "Sit down and talk."

Zhao Xianming finally reacted, reached out and took the cigarette from his mouth, shook off the ash, took a long puff, and then sat on the stool. He was already regretting it so much he wanted to die. 'Let you be cheeky, let you be cheeky,' a little person in his heart was slapping his mouth one after another.

"Big Brother, you don't need to be nervous. I didn't catch you in the act, so I can't catch you. Don't be afraid. But gambling is definitely not good. Not to mention it's addictive, it could also harm your family. You said it yourself, you can't drag your son down. Aren't you slapping your own face?"

"I don't play big; this thing also has wins and losses." Hearing that he wouldn't be arrested, the big brother felt relieved, and there was a smile on his face.

"How long do you play? How are the wins and losses?"

"I've only been playing on and off for a year, and now I've lost more than thirty thousand. Recently, my luck has been bad; I lost it all in these two months. I had good luck before and won fifteen or sixteen thousand. If I had stopped then, it would have been good. Actually, I didn't play big before; the wins and losses were only a few hundred yuan. Later..."

Zhao Xianming reacted and closed his mouth.

"Covering up?" Wang Yan laughed, crossing his legs, his big leather shoes, which had already lost their luster from the dust on the road, swaying. "Big Brother, you might not understand very well. Let me explain it to you simply. For someone like you who only participates in gambling, if we catch you in the act and the amount isn't large, you'll just be detained for ten days or half a month, and that'll be it. It's not a big problem."

"But the initiator of the place where you gamble—based on your loss of nearly two hundred thousand, the cut he takes in the middle is not small, so he will definitely be sentenced. Do you understand what being sentenced means? It means going to prison. Look at how many people play there, how large the amount is, and how much money he has earned. If it also involves high-interest loans, then more time will be added. Anyway, the more people and the larger the amount, the longer the organizer and initiator will be sentenced."

"What is your situation now? Knowing and not reporting, deliberately covering up for criminals. Then I now have reason to suspect that you are an accomplice with this initiator. If that's the case, Big Brother, come, you haven't touched handcuffs before, right? Feel them."

Wang Yan took out handcuffs from his back waist and slapped them into Zhao Xianming's hands.

Zhao Xianming stayed there, looking at the heavy, cold handcuffs shining under the sunlight entering the room.

At this time, Wang Yan's words continued: "Isn't your son still looking for work in Beijing? If he's not happy working there, he'll definitely have to come back, right? What's the best way out? Doesn't he have to take the civil service exam? If you are sentenced as an accomplice, that's criminal responsibility. Your son won't be able to take the civil service exam or work in a public institution for the rest of his life..."

"Zhu Yong, it's Zhu Yong. He brought me there to play."

"Very good." Wang Yan nodded with satisfaction and laughed, "Then tell me about this Zhu Yong."

"He works with me, but he's not a local; he came from the county town below. I've known him for two years. At first, it was just when we didn't have work, we got together to play mahjong and mess around. Last September, he said he found a good place and even said he won more than twenty thousand in one night, asking me to go take a look. I thought, whether I play or not, can't I just go take a look? Then I went over."

"In the end, I couldn't hold back, and it happened to be three missing one, so I sat at the table. Although we played bigger than before, it wasn't that big; it was just a few hundred yuan a hand. My luck was good that night, and I won five... I don't remember clearly. Later, I kept playing. But until now, I haven't played very big; a hand is only a thousand or eight hundred yuan. Back and forth, the wins and losses in one night are only ten or twenty thousand."

"There are quite a lot of people in that place; there are seven or eight tables. I heard that some of them win or lose ten thousand a hand. It's right over at Qinglin Road; there's a 'Tongle Chess and Card Room.' When someone checks, it's just ordinary entertainment. When no one checks, the play is big. Every Zhou Yi, Wednesday, and Friday, after eight o'clock in the evening, is when they play big."

"Then what about this Zhu Yong? Does he still play?"

"He's playing. I found out later that it seems the boss is some relative of his; he didn't pull fewer people to play there." Looking at the deep eyes of the police officer in front of him, Zhao Xianming raised his hand and swore, "Comrade Police, everything I said is true. If I lie, may I be struck by lightning."

"I really don't know that much; I just occasionally go there to play. I didn't organize with them; I was just pulled there by Zhu Yong to play. And I didn't play big. You say I've played for almost a year and only lost thirty thousand; that's not big, right? Others win or lose hundreds of thousands."

"Your son is quite sensible, right?"

"Sensible. He even studies computer science. I asked him, and he said he earns quite a lot. When he was in school before, my son could earn money by relying on the computer science he studied. After his sophomore year, except for tuition, he didn't ask for money from home. He even has a girlfriend; he's very capable."

Although he didn't know why Wang Yan asked this, when talking about his son, Zhao Xianming still had a face full of pride, and even the nervousness from just now disappeared.

"Big cities aren't easy to mix in; your son isn't that relaxed. It's been more than a year, and you only lost thirty thousand? And you say 'only'? Is thirty thousand not much? Do you want to lose more? Big Brother, you tie steel bars at the construction site for a month; when work is good, you earn ten or twelve thousand, right? Most of the time, it should be around eight or nine thousand. We only have eight or nine months of work in a year, so you can earn about eighty or ninety thousand. This is almost half gone in one go, and you say it's not much?"

Wang Yan waved his hand, stopping his words, "Shut your mouth. I know you want to say that if you had won, life would be good, right? You want all the good things to happen to you? I look at the double-color ball trend chart in your room; you've studied it quite thoroughly. Did you win the lottery? I don't want to talk too much nonsense with you; I'm afraid you'll delay your children. By then, you'll regret it, and it'll be too late. Thinking about making a fortune all day long—how can that be good?"

"How about this: let's add each other on WeChat. When I organize the materials tonight, I'll show you how people who gamble end up with broken families. Don't be unconvinced, thinking it's a low-probability event that won't happen to you. Those who think like that are either begging for food now or don't know where they died."

"We will definitely crack down on this 'Tongle Chess and Card Room.' Be careful. If that Zhu Yong looks for you again, think of a good reason to deal with him. If the news leaks, you definitely won't be able to run. Do you understand?"

"Understand, understand. Don't worry, Comrade Police, I definitely won't leak a bit of news."

Wang Yan beckoned: "Bring them here."

"What?"

"The handcuffs. Or do you want me to put them on you? You go back and stay for a week, so as not to leak the news and destroy our operation."

"No need, no need." Zhao Xianming handed over the handcuffs in a hurry.

Putting the handcuffs back to his back waist, Wang Yan stood up, took out a business card and handed it over: "If you meet the kid next door today, give him the business card and tell him to call me. If you don't see him, I'll come back to take a look tomorrow."

Amidst Zhao Xianming's send-off, Wang Yan swayed away, leaving only Zhao Xianming slapping his own mouth at the door of his house.

When he reached the intersection, Wang Yan deliberately leaned closer, looked at the white Santana parked there, wiped the dust on the car, looked at the tire tracks, and confirmed that it hadn't moved for a day or two.

Undoubtedly, this Zhao Zilong definitely had a problem. Just the fact that he seemed to have no proper job but still had money to spend, and brought a woman home from time to time, was inexplicable.

However, he hadn't seen the person yet, and the information he had mastered was still scarce, so he couldn't determine what Zhao Zilong's situation was for the time being...

Thanks to the ten big brothers (Yu Fang), (Zhuo Ran), (Guang Pi Dou Xiao Jiang Shi), (Zhan Yong), (Tianshan Xiong Ying), (Love Han Fei), (Li Jian), (Niu Niu Hao Ge Nu), (Jue Jiang De Bing Dong Kuang Quan Shui), (Yi Jiu) for their continued support.

Daily thanks to the good brothers who voted for monthly tickets for their support.

Thanks to the brothers who voted for recommendations for their support.

Thanks to the big brothers who read the book silently for their support. ===== CHAPTER 769 =====