Chapter 326: You Can Still Be Saved

According to Fang Peng's earlier statement, about four groups of people leave that underground prison each month.

Eight per group, that's thirty-two a month.

Over a year, that's nearly four hundred people.

At first glance the number seems large, but it depends on what you're comparing it to.

Supplying one Yancheng is certainly enough.

But what if you expand the scope to an entire province?

Calculated that way, even two underground prisons might not be sufficient.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Yu Dazhang called Director Liu.

Before leaving, Director Liu had personally instructed him: if it concerned cooperation between the two jurisdictions, come straight to him.

Once the call connected, he gave a brief report on the situation here, and explained the severity of the matter in detail.

Twenty-two factories, over three hundred intellectually disabled persons — the manpower of a single police station simply isn't enough.

"Understood." Director Liu was concise:

"Keep your phone line open, wait for my word."

After the call ended, Hong Liuwen said anxiously:

"We can't move yet. If we raid the factories, the other side will get the news immediately, and then my daughter will..."

"I understand." Before he could finish, Yu Dazhang raised a hand to cut him off:

"Assembling police doesn't mean an immediate operation; I'm just preparing in advance."

He knew Hong Liuwen was worried that if they acted here, his daughter's side would be in danger.

But Yu Dazhang no longer had such concerns at this point.

As long as Li Mingzhao agreed to rescue her, his daughter basically couldn't be in any further danger.

Besides, he had great confidence in the State Security's efficiency.

For an overseas rescue mission like this, Li Mingzhao wouldn't go personally; in the eyes of State Security, this barely even qualified as a mission.

What Yu Dazhang was considering now was how to catch those responsible for transporting the people.

Actually, that still wasn't the most foolproof approach.

The best option would be to follow them back to that underground prison.

"Have you ever seen the vehicles they use to transport people?" Yu Dazhang asked, looking at Hong Liuwen.

"Once." Hong Liuwen replied:

"Every time they told me a factory's name, I'd go to the industrial zone to confirm the factory's address."

"Once I went at night and happened to see several adult males being herded off a box truck."

"It was a 4.2-meter box truck, blue-plate, the body painted dark brown; since it was night, I couldn't make out the license plate."

Even if he'd seen the plate it wouldn't have mattered... Yu Dazhang added silently.

Given how cautious the other side was, they'd definitely use a cloned plate instead of the vehicle's real one.

The person pulling the strings behind all this was someone who plotted every step carefully.

That was Yu Dazhang's assessment of the other party so far, and the only judgment he could make.

He was about to ask another question when his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID: Director Liu.

"It's already been coordinated."

Director Liu spoke quickly:

"I'm calling to tell you — don't have any reservations, investigate this to the end. If you run into pressure from above, you don't need to shoulder it yourself, just call me directly."

His voice carried thick confidence, as if Yu Dazhang had already cracked the case.

After a pause, Director Liu seemed to think of something else, and finally admonished:

"But don't go too far."

After saying that, Director Liu hung up.

Listening to the "beep beep" from the phone, Yu Dazhang didn't react for a moment.

Don't go too far?

What does that mean?

Don't go too far in what way — at least be clear about it... Yu Dazhang stood holding his phone, staring blankly at the others in the room.

Hong Liuwen looked completely bewildered.

Lv Zhongxin and Zhang Sen turned their heads away, not looking at him.

Just as Yu Dazhang was still guessing at Director Liu's meaning, the phone rang again — this time an unfamiliar number.

The moment the call connected, a deep, resonant male voice came through:

"I'm Hua Kaiquan, Deputy Captain of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Brigade. The higher-ups have me coordinating with you. Where are you now? I'll bring people over."

Deputy captain?

Yu Dazhang turned to glance at his master.

He had no real sense of that rank, especially since everyone he'd dealt with recently was a top leader.

Lv Zhongxin had also heard the self-introduction; seeing his apprentice look over, he immediately moved his lips but made no sound.

At the very least, division-level... Yu Dazhang instantly read his master's lip movement.

It was laughable — in his past life, encountering someone of that rank, he'd have had to stand at attention and salute.

Yet now he could face a deputy-ministerial-level leader without batting an eye.

"Hello, Captain Hua. I'm currently in Yancheng. I'll send you the specific address shortly."

Logically speaking, someone at that level should have "Chief" added after their name.

Calling him Chief Hua is not only respect for his position, but also reflects Yu Dazhang's regard for him.

But away from home, Yu Dazhang felt it was better to keep a low profile; being too smooth would actually come across as insincere and would make people look down on him.

"Alright, I'll head to Yancheng right now. We'll talk when we meet."

You could tell Hua Kaiquan was also a decisive, no-nonsense sort of person — straight to business the moment he opened his mouth, no nonsense or dawdling.

After ending the call, Yu Dazhang sent the police station's address to Hua Kaiquan, then looked at Hong Liuwen across from him and said:

"Before the operation, you cannot leave this office. Hand over your phone."

"Understood." Hong Liuwen replied, then pulled his phone from his pocket and set it on the desk:

"This is my only phone. I don't have a backup."

As he spoke, he turned out every pocket on his person in front of Yu Dazhang and the other two, then lifted his shirt to show there was no police equipment at his waist.

Yu Dazhang took the phone, handed it to Lu Zhongxin beside him, then said to Hong Liuwen:

"We'll deal with your issues later. Right now, the most important thing is that you cooperate with our operation — not just for your daughter's sake, but for your own. I think you understand what I mean."

Some things he left unsaid, but the meaning was already crystal clear: you can still be saved.

Passing information to criminals — that alone is the crime of harboring and concealing offenders.

As a law enforcement officer, that's knowingly breaking the law — an added aggravating factor.

The maximum sentence is ten years' imprisonment.

But Hong Liuwen's situation was a bit special — he had been threatened and had no choice but to make that decision.

In law, there are two key factors for judgment:

One, whether the other party used violence or threatened to seriously harm the lawful rights and interests of the person or their close relatives.

Two, whether the threat carried an immediate, real danger of being carried out.

Under these two circumstances, a person forced to commit a crime is generally not deemed to have committed a crime.

And Hong Liuwen happened to satisfy both conditions fully.

He only needed to provide evidence to prove these two points.

There was another key point: after the threat was lifted, whether he actively and voluntarily cooperated with the investigation.

Hong Liuwen was certainly very familiar with the relevant legal provisions, and he had long been waiting for this day.

So the meaning behind Yu Dazhang's words, he understood at once.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate." Hong Liuwen said through gritted teeth:

"No one wants those scumbags caught more than I do."

(End of this chapter)