Chapter 554: Done and Dusted

Is this China?

Yes, that is correct.

Lin Sicheng smiled slightly: "But General Manager Liu, you are an American!"

Liu Anhua felt as if he had been struck by lightning: That's right, he was an American.

Even if he were sentenced, even if he were to serve time in prison in China, there would always be a day when the sentence ended.

When that time came, he would be deported back to the United States.

At the thought of the final outcome, Liu Anhua trembled uncontrollably, not a trace of blood left on his face.

Just as he was stunned, with a "clang," the Police closed the door.

Liu Anhua shuddered all over; when he looked toward the doorway, it was already empty.

He kept his mouth open, as if wanting to call Lin Sicheng back. But he didn't know, even if he did call him back, what should he say?

Ask Lin Sicheng to save him?

No, in this world, there was no one left who could save him.

Thinking of this, Liu Anhua's vision went black, as if the bones had been pulled from his entire body, and he slumped limply onto the iron chair.

The Deputy Interrogator and the Clerk looked at each other: Is this... a breakdown?

It must be a breakdown; they had seen many, many suspects like this:

When the psychological defense line completely collapses, whether they stubbornly refuse to speak or refuse to admit guilt, it no longer has any effect. At the same time, it means there is no longer any hope of luck. When a prisoner is completely desperate, they will present this state.

But there is one point: those like this are mostly facing capital punishment.

For someone like Liu Anhua, even if all the charges were proven, it would only be a few years. He might be afraid, he might give up hope, but it is absolutely impossible for him to completely break down because he could at least still go on living.

The key is that Liu Anhua is not some rookie who doesn't understand anything; he wouldn't be easily fooled by someone trying to scare him.

So, at the very end, what exactly did Lin Sicheng say?

While suspicious, the Clerk pursed their lips toward the door, meaning: why did Lin Sicheng leave?

The Deputy Interrogator sighed: The suspect has already broken down; if he stayed here, it would instead make the suspect concentrate their final willpower to resist him, which is what is commonly called "holding on."

That is why Lin Sicheng left. Once he left, the suspect's spirit would completely lose its support, just like it is now.

Thinking of this, the Deputy Interrogator finally believed a little of what the two leaders of the General Team had said: Lin Sicheng's grasp of a suspect's psychology is more precise than many Experts in psychology.

After a moment of reflection, the Deputy Interrogator pulled themselves together: At this point, it is equivalent to Lin Sicheng having completed ninety percent, with only the last ten percent remaining. Put in some effort; even if we can't finish the interrogation today, we can still exert pressure on the suspect, at the latest within these two days.

The Deputy Interrogator signaled, and the Armed Police brought over a cup of water, placed it on the interrogation table, and gave a reminder.

Liu Anhua blankly picked up the cup, and just as he brought it to his lips, he suddenly shuddered: "I am guilty, I confess!"

The Deputy Interrogator was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.

They had just been thinking that it would take at most two days, and in the blink of an eye, he had spilled everything.

The key is this eager attitude, as if he were afraid that if he confessed too late, they wouldn't be able to convict him?

But why?

There was no time for him to think; Liu Anhua had already begun to explain how he planned this case of switching the goods, who his superior was, who his subordinate was, who all shared the spoils, and how much each received.

How many similar cases there had been, which units were involved, which institutions, and so on and so forth.

The Clerk couldn't keep up with the notes, so the Deputy Interrogator hurriedly picked up a pen.

After finishing Lin Sicheng's case, without waiting for the Deputy Interrogator to ask follow-up questions, Liu Anhua began to talk about others.

The more the two of them wrote down, the more shocked they became:

This order was over twenty million, sold to which pharmaceutical company.

This order was thirty million, sold to which Artifact Research Center.

And this order, sold to which hospital... one by one, item by item, which one did not have a higher case value than Lin Sicheng's, and which one was not more serious in nature?

So, is Liu Anhua crazy, afraid that his sentence won't be heavy enough?

The command room was as if frozen; whether it was the Experts or the leaders, everyone was a bit bewildered.

After all, separated by the screen, they were not as intuitive and could not feel the subtle emotional changes of the suspect. So they still didn't know how great the blow of those two sentences Lin Sicheng whispered in his ear was to Liu Anhua.

They just felt that, suddenly, the suspect had collapsed.

And he was saying everything; things he planned himself, things he carried out himself, and even things where he only acted as a middleman but didn't participate—he was spilling it all out... is this completely giving up resistance?

No, that analogy isn't appropriate. It's more like: two armies are at war, clearly evenly matched, and it is unknown who will emerge victorious. But the commander of one side suddenly turns traitor, letting his own people kill each other first.

The Experts were all a bit unable to figure it out: How did this happen?

Just because the lead interrogator was Lin Sicheng?

But it felt like Lin Sicheng didn't seem to do anything?

Think carefully, from the moment Lin Sicheng went in, he and Liu Anhua only had three conversations.

The first time, Lin Sicheng introduced himself. The second time, Lin Sicheng explained why he had come here. The third time, Lin Sicheng held those few sheets of paper and asked Liu Anhua to confirm them.

The first two times were very normal, only the third time: it was equivalent to not having interrogated him yet, and Lin Sicheng had already listed out Liu Anhua's evidence of guilt.

The impact on Liu Anhua was certainly great enough, and certainly shocking, but it was far from enough to make him have a psychological breakdown or go so insane as to self-harm. More importantly, the two sides had no communication or exchange throughout the process.

Count it up, how many sentences did Liu Anhua say?

Just three: How did you get in?

Why?

Impossible.

Oh right, and the last sentence: This is China!

Lin Sicheng said a little more, but the time he spent not speaking and just focusing on writing was several times longer than the time he spent talking.

So, anyone would be bewildered: The first time they met, there was almost no communication between the lead interrogator and the prisoner, and the suspect was on guard and resisting the whole time, without any cooperation—yet the psychological defense line suddenly collapsed?

Even if you are going to break down, shouldn't there be a process?

Look at him now: Liu Anhua is incoherent, rambling, jumping from domestic matters to foreign ones. One moment he talks about smuggling, the next he talks about how he used his position at Saishi to collude with outsiders and line his own pockets.

Everyone present is a professional in this field, and they can all see it: Liu Anhua is practically ready to confess to wetting the bed when he was a child.

The leadership has never seen a situation like this, and the group of Experts has seen it even less.

Never mind a second-rate amateur; if you invited the most authoritative Expert from the Ministry, could they even do this?

But that is secondary; the main point is that the logic doesn't hold: even if everything Lin Sicheng wrote on those few sheets of paper is correct, and even if Liu Anhua's charges are fully substantiated, it would only amount to a few years.

Does it feel like the current Liu Anhua is practically begging to be sentenced to life imprisonment?

So, what exactly happened?

In a daze, the door to the command room was pushed open, and Lin Sicheng walked in.

Seeing Li Shichen, he paused for a moment: "Director Li!"

Li Shichen had no time for pleasantries with him and pointed at the screen: "Lin Sicheng, what is going on with Liu Anhua?"

"It must be that General Manager Liu has realized the truth, had a sudden awakening, and turned back from the brink!"

Li Shichen let out a "Hah": Lin Sicheng, do you even believe that yourself?

Lin Sicheng certainly did not believe it, but there was no need to explain.

It was not just a matter of procedural violations during the interrogation; it was also because the reason for Liu Anhua's breakdown had little to do with this case, the police, or Customs. There was no need to create extra complications.

Lin Sicheng said unhurriedly: "Leader, it doesn't matter if a cat is white or black; as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!"

Li Shichen was choked up for a moment: This was a phrase he had said himself, and then had Zhao Zongmin pass on to Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng's meaning was: the mouse has already been caught, the process is not important.

Moreover, the result is as good as it could possibly be, so there is no need to dwell on minor details.

That's true!

Even if one is curious, or even worried, this is not the place to ask.

The current priority is to strike while the iron is hot and pursue the victory.

Li Shichen let out a breath, pointed at the screen, and looked at the interrogation Experts beside him: "Everyone, if what Liu Anhua is confessing is true, is it enough to nail down this case?"

More than enough.

There is no need to worry about the foreign side, nor can they manage it, but this domestic line can be considered to have completely surfaced.

As long as they follow the vine to find the melon, they can dig it all out clean.

Look at what Liu Anhua is confessing: starting in 1998, they began ordering refurbished parts from abroad, passing them off as brand-new original parts, and providing after-sales service to various domestic enterprises.

It was also from that time that they began background checks, seeking out organizations and enterprises that had the intent to purchase but lacked professional equipment and technology. Later, until 2001, they attempted technical grading and full-machine outsourcing, shipping them to the country after assembly and selling them under names like "quarterly volume push," "year-end special," or "brand-new discounted equipment."

Because it was cheap and they didn't know much, more and more enterprises were deceived.

By about 2004, they integrated the industrial chain and began seeking orders on a large scale.

According to Liu Anhua's confession, over these eleven years, in the domestic market alone, there were over a thousand victimized enterprises and organizations, with the amount involved in the case exceeding ten billion. Among them, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies were the hardest hit.

In some hospitals, there were contracts worth thirty or forty million, but after being replaced with refurbished equipment, the actual sale price was less than one-tenth of that.

But that is not the point: the point is that the leaders of many units actually knew these machines were problematic.

Li Shichen didn't know what to say.

This damn thing is the job of the Discipline Inspection Commission...

By the way, what did the General Team leader say at the time?

Director Li, this kid is a bit uncanny; the key is whether you dare to use him. And whether you can cover the bottom line.

At the time, he was still puzzled: it was nothing more than the interrogation process not quite following procedure, bluffing a bit, threatening a bit—what serious consequences could that cause?

To the point of needing to cover the bottom line?

Only after the General Team leader revealed a little did he know: a single Wang Chun Case had implicated several big tigers.

At that time, Li Shichen was still somewhat dismissive: this is a Smuggling Case, most of the criminal activities happen abroad, and it is a different concept from the Wang Chun Case.

Even if it were to implicate some big figures, it would only be on the Hong Kong side.

But now?

Although there are no big tigers, it has pulled out a whole bag of flies... Lin Sicheng is truly capable of stirring things up.

Li Shichen didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh.

The workload will definitely increase: no matter how small the case is, it is still a case. With over a thousand instances and over ten billion involved, if the Discipline Inspection Commission requests assistance in the investigation, how could Customs not investigate?

Over a period of ten years, if they investigate one by one, when will they finish?

But Li Shichen didn't feel pained: it is just assistance, an extra task, so he will help as much as he can.

The key is that the deep cooperation between the ports and the free port has been put into practice: over seventy percent of the refurbished equipment shipped to the country was transshipped through Hong Kong.

What a great achievement this is!

Thinking of this, Li Shichen beamed with joy: "Lin Sicheng, you must be tired; I'll arrange a dormitory for you!"

No, do you really take me for a long-term laborer?

Lin Sicheng didn't even think about it and shook his head directly: "Leader, there is no use for me to stay here anymore!"

Of course there is still use, after all, no one can guarantee that everything Liu Anhua said is the truth.

When necessary, he still needs to let Lin Sicheng have a heart-to-heart talk with him.

Li Shichen wanted to say something else, but Lin Sicheng interrupted him first: "Leader, I really have things to do. If you really need my help here, you can notify me again..."

As he spoke, he patted his chest: "I guarantee I'll be there whenever you call!"

That's true, after all, Lin Sicheng is only a Consultant, not a police officer, and he has his own work.

"Alright, it's a deal then!" Li Shichen patted his shoulder, "Come, I'll see you off!"

Knowing that Li Shichen was in high spirits, Lin Sicheng didn't say anything, and the two of them left the command room together.

Just as they reached the door, Li Shichen lowered his voice: "Finally, you leaned into Liu Anhua's ear and spoke in a foreign language, right? What exactly was it?" Lin Sicheng knew what Li Shichen was asking: "Leader, don't worry, it was absolutely not a violation."

Li Shichen was half-doubting, because Lin Sicheng had a prior record: the principal culprit of the Wang Chun Case had been interrogated and broken down entirely by him through a mix of coaxing, intimidation, deception, and threats.

If it were compliant with regulations, why would he not dare to record it in the files?

"Lin Sicheng, don't overthink it: I'm not blaming you. I'm thinking, if it gets translated later, it will be too late to remedy the situation!"

"It doesn't matter if it gets translated!" Lin Sicheng was exceptionally certain, "It's just two sets of system Software program code!"

Program code?

It was just two sets of code, yet it had scared Liu Anhua to that extent, as if he were about to be executed by firing squad immediately?

Vaguely, a glimmer of light flashed in his mind, but he could not grasp it no matter what.

But Li Shichen did not dwell on it: as long as it did not violate regulations, it was fine.

He nodded and accompanied Lin Sicheng to the Reception Room.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng were watching television; upon seeing Li Shichen, they were startled for a moment and stood up in unison.

They had not met Director Li, but they knew how to look at rank insignia: at this level, he was at least Level One, a director-general level.

Lin Sicheng made a brief introduction, the two hurriedly offered greetings, they spoke a few simple words, and Li Shichen arranged a car to send them back.

Sitting in the car, Wang Qi Zhi asked casually: "Why did it take so long just to supplement some materials?"

"I didn't supplement any materials!" Lin Sicheng pinched the bridge of his nose, "The Anti-Smuggling Bureau asked me to help interrogate Liu Anhua!"

You, interrogated Liu Anhua?

Even if Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng did not understand the details, they knew this certainly did not comply with regulations, but that was not the point.

The point was that Director Li had escorted Lin Sicheng to the Reception Room, and the smile on his face could not be hidden.

The two were jolted into alertness: "How did it go?"

Lin Sicheng was concise: "It's done!"

Meaning, he confessed?

"Yes, he confessed!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "He confessed completely and thoroughly!"

The two were stunned for a good while, then exchanged a glance: no wonder Director Li was so enthusiastic?