Chapter 319: What Shook Your Bottom Line

Twenty years in criminal investigation?

Hong Liuwen's work history gave Yu Dazhang a bit of a surprise.

Countless cases solved, commended many times, but his career never went smoothly — in the criminal investigation unit he was only a team leader.

After reading through his file carefully, Yu Dazhang finally found the reason.

Hong Liuwen was the old-workhorse type — diligent, conscientious, serious and responsible in his work, but with limited ability.

He didn't lack for cases solved, but they were all minor ones.

The criminal investigation unit isn't like other places, where you can coast on seniority and land yourself some minor post.

What matters most here is ability. Letting someone incapable lead the criminal investigation unit would be irresponsible to the officers.

Criminal investigation is, by nature, a profession that deals with danger.

Minor cases are one thing, but with major or critical cases, casualties are easy to come by.

From Hong Liuwen's file, you could tell this man clearly understood that principle, and could see where he stood.

So he never slacked off just because he wasn't promoted.

Later he was transferred to a police substation as deputy chief — for him, that counted as a kind of promotion too.

In the criminal investigation unit, Hong Liuwen's ability was relatively weaker, but at the substation he could hold his own.

Within the system, this was normal.

When a criminal investigator's age no longer suits staying in the unit, they get transferred to a substation for groundwork.

Yu Dazhang finished reading the personal file quickly, no unusual expression crossing his face.

Hong Liuwen wasn't a complicated person.

Transparent background, simple social ties, family situation clear as day.

He divorced his wife ten years ago, stayed single afterward, never remarried; his daughter went abroad to study six years ago and hasn't returned since.

That doesn't add up… Yu Dazhang muttered to himself.

Hong Liuwen held the line for over ten years in the criminal investigation unit, and then turned once he got to the substation?

By reason, investigators have the most frequent contact with criminals — if he were the easily tempted type, he'd have gone rotten long ago.

Could he have been colluding with criminals back when he was an investigator?

No.

Yu Dazhang dismissed that hypothesis at once.

The reason was simple.

His record was too clean.

What kind of place is the criminal investigation unit? Even an ant could be traced down to the last detail. Investigators may not all have fiery golden eyes, but they at least possess a sharpness beyond ordinary people.

So if Hong Liuwen really had been colluding with criminals, he couldn't have hidden it.

"Have you checked his bank records?" Yu Dazhang asked.

"Already sent someone to check." Lv Zhongxin glanced at the door and said quietly:

"But I don't think it'll turn up anything. Hong Liuwen's one of us, and he's got over twenty years on the force — he knows our investigative methods too well."

"He wouldn't leave any illegal income in his own bank records either."

A bit of explanation is needed here.

Illegal income and unlawful income aren't the same thing.

First, a legal income ceiling is set. Anything above it that can't be shown to come from a legal source is treated as illegal income.

Lv Zhongxin wasn't wrong — checking bank records to determine illegal income was a method Hong Liuwen himself commonly used.

So he wouldn't have left a crack in that area himself.

"His daughter abroad, and his ex-wife — check them too." Yu Dazhang also lowered his voice:

"Especially his daughter. Living abroad burns through money."

Lv Zhongxin nodded:

"I've had people looking into those two as well. I handed it to my team members over in Songhai."

After all, as a mentor, he thought things through pretty thoroughly.

In his past life, Yu Dazhang's casework had been trained by him personally — only in this life, Yu Dazhang's circumstances were a bit unusual, which led to a shift in his thinking patterns.

As the two were talking, footsteps came from the corridor outside, and then the door was pushed open.

"These three are colleagues from Songhai."

Yang Feng stepped in and made introductions between the two sides:

"This is our deputy chief."

Following Yang Feng's introduction, Yu Dazhang and the others looked at the middle-aged police officer walking in.

He wore his uniform, tall and lean, looking the capable type — bright eyes, dark skin, very alert.

"Hello." Yu Dazhang stood and shook his hand.

Hong Liuwen sized him up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes — he seemed not to have seen a criminal investigator with that build before.

After sitting back down, Yu Dazhang said solemnly:

"We'd like to talk with you alone."

It sounded like a request, but there was already a hint of command in his tone.

Hong Liuwen frowned slightly, seeming a bit displeased, but still said to Yang Feng:

"Go on with your work."

Once only the four of them remained in the room, Yu Dazhang stood, pointed at the chair he had been sitting in:

"Sit here."

"Why?" Hong Liuwen didn't move, but glared and asked.

"No reason." Yu Dazhang glared back:

"Sitting this way makes it easier for us to communicate."

While speaking, Lu Zhongxin and Zhang Sen also stood up, walked to the doorway, and together with Yu Dazhang formed a surrounding formation, encircling Hong Liuwen in the center.

This was a probe.

Or rather, using actual action to tell Hong Liuwen that we feel there's something wrong with you.

Contrary to Yu Dazhang's expectations, Hong Liuwen didn't say anything more; after standing up, he sat down on another chair.

Yu Dazhang, meanwhile, came to sit across from him, behind the desk, while Lu Zhongxin and Zhang Sen remained standing by the door.

Unconsciously, the room had taken on an atmosphere only seen during interrogations.

"The Fang Peng case from five years ago — I don't suppose you've forgotten it?" Yu Dazhang stared at him and asked.

Hearing this, Hong Liuwen's expression remained as usual, his eyes showed no sign of evasion either; he merely looked calmly at the opposite side:

"Of course I remember. I was the one who led the team to search the factory involved that time."

Yu Dazhang was stunned upon hearing this.

It wasn't because there was anything wrong with what Hong Liuwen said, but because his reaction felt strange.

Too calm.

Even Lu Zhongxin and Zhang Sen standing to the side sensed something off, and couldn't help casting their gazes toward Hong Liuwen.

No matter how good an actor's performance is, when faced with sensitive questions involving themselves, they will still appear at a loss.

Look at those professional actors caught for drugs.

Many of them have commendable acting skills, but at the moment of arrest, their reactions are just like ordinary people's — their acting is completely useless.

Because that's a person's normal reaction; it can't be deliberately faked.

"That night you received Yang Feng's report — why didn't you continue reporting it upward?" Yu Dazhang asked again.

This time he stared fixedly at Hong Liuwen's eyes, afraid of missing any detail.

"Because I couldn't determine whether the report's contents were true or false."

Hong Liuwen answered very smoothly, without the slightest hint of guilt:

"Besides, the report's contents were too bizarre. With something like this, I had to verify it before reporting upward."

So smooth… Yu Dazhang almost found himself convinced.

Unfortunately, just now Hong Liuwen's left shoulder still twitched slightly.

He had even fooled himself, but his body still gave the most honest reaction.

All of this naturally couldn't escape Yu Dazhang's eyes.

"Twenty years in criminal investigation — why bother?" He looked at Hong Liuwen and gently shook his head:

"I'm truly very curious — what exactly shook the bottom line you've held to all this time?"

(End of chapter)