Chapter 338: One Mountain Cannot Hold Two Tigers

"Look down on us?"

The man's words had roused the other's temper:

"Why can't we run a factory?"

His voice carried no trace of pretense; it gave the impression of someone forcibly suppressing his anger, struggling to maintain reason.

"Just think about what you lot were like before you got into this line of work."

The other side didn't back down either, still answering with cold mockery:

"If you were on your own, you couldn't even solve your own food and clothing. Listen to me—stop messing around, just stay here and do the work properly."

Good judge of character… Yu Dazhang realized that although the man on the other end spoke bluntly, his words were carefully considered.

At this moment, he was wearing an earpiece, monitoring their call.

Wiretapping technology existed long before liberation.

Developed to today, this technology is utterly commonplace—any technician can complete the wiretap setup in a minute.

"What happens to us in the future is none of your concern."

The man's tone eased as well, as if he sensed the other party was concerned about him, but showed no sign of relenting:

"Arrange for someone to come over on your side as soon as possible. The three of us have already picked out the factory—we'll head over to take it over in a day or two."

After saying this, he looked at the provincial bureau officer standing beside him.

That officer immediately guessed his meaning and quickly held up one finger.

The man nodded, then added:

"I'll give you one day. Come take over within a day, and the vehicles will be left for you too."

"In such a rush?" Now the other side was clearly getting anxious:

"With such a tight schedule, where am I supposed to find someone to replace you lot?"

As expected, the other side had no backup personnel… Hearing this, Yu Dazhang could already guess how things would unfold next.

This line had been running steadily for seven years; when these three suddenly announced they were quitting, the other side would definitely be thrown into disarray.

"That's your problem then." The man had no intention of considering the other party's position, replying coldly:

"I'm grateful you gave me a hand back when I was in a tight spot, but these seven years I've given it my all too—never caused you any slip-ups. Let's part on good terms."

From the meaning in his words, there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

"How about this—wait for me in Yancheng."

The other side seemed to have finally made up some kind of mind, and his voice softened as well:

"If you've got something to say, let's say it face to face. After so many years of relationship, what's there that can't be discussed?"

Took the bait!

The provincial bureau officer's spirits lifted; looking at the man before him, he could barely conceal his excitement.

Yu Dazhang also breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid the man might play tricks during the conversation, but now it seemed that worry was unnecessary.

From the other party's tone, one could tell he was coming to Yancheng to renegotiate compensation with the three people on this side.

This was also the trap the man had dug for the other party.

Making the other party think that, as long as the money was right, this matter could be negotiated.

"Then hurry it up." The man said in an impatient tone:

"I'll wait for you one day. If I don't see you tomorrow, I'll leave the vehicles in the industrial park—go pick them up whenever you have time."

Finishing, he didn't wait for the other party's reply and hung up the phone directly.

The more said, the more mistakes made; saying enough was sufficient.

That evening.

The three of them, Yu Dazhang included, returned to the hotel.

Why not stay at some small inn?

The family had the means—why make do with less?

Yu Dazhang had always advocated solving cases by brainpower, not by enduring hardship to prove his ability.

If in the end the case can't be solved, no matter how frugally you lived, when you go back to expense it you'll still get a scolding from the leadership.

Only by resting well and being fully refreshed can one work more efficiently.

Moreover, before leaving, Qu Tuotuo had told him that the accommodation couldn't be lower than a three-star hotel.

If the bureau wouldn't reimburse, the expenses for this business trip would be borne by her.

Yu Dazhang wasn't worried about this.

For example, last time handling a case in S Province, when it came time to expense it, both sides proactively offered to cover the travel costs.

After dinner, Yu Dazhang took a proper shower, then threw himself onto the bed.

Five consecutive days of stakeout had left him utterly exhausted.

There wasn't a single part of his body that felt comfortable—especially below the waist, which ached terribly.

Having finally gotten a chance to relax today, naturally he had to rest well.

Whatever felt comfortable, go with it!

He stretched hard on the bed, then arranged himself into a "big" character shape.

He had intended to empty his mind, but the case-related content involuntarily surfaced in his brain.

The mastermind wasn't a single person.

Or rather, this case wasn't being directed by one person alone.

As the case had progressed to this point, Yu Dazhang increasingly felt this possibility was very high.

Take just the matter of coercing Hong Liuwen.

Hiring gang members to surveil his daughter, and at the same time kidnapping her friend to record a video of the assault — from this one can tell that the planner is a brutal, unscrupulous person.

People like that usually have very strong psychological fortitude.

They might even pervertedly believe that everything they do is right.

But the person who was on the phone with Hong Liuwen clearly had weaker psychological fortitude.

After being scolded a few times, he hurriedly hung up — clearly his composure had been broken.

Could it be that…

the other side is a criminal organization with a clear division of labor?

The one with weaker psychological fortitude is the brain of this organization.

The one who hired the gang to carry out violent crimes is the organization's executor.

There should also be one person in charge of contacting business and managing the "feet."

An organizational chart gradually took shape in Yu Dazhang's mind.

Organized crime is usually made up of three kinds of members:

ringleaders, core members, and ordinary members.

The three caught today belong to the ordinary members; all the "feet" responsible for transporting the intellectually disabled fall into this tier.

The people who manage the "feet" are the core members of the organization.

They follow the ringleaders' instructions and play a connecting role within the organization.

The person who was on the phone with Hong Liuwen, and the one who hired the gang, both belong to the ringleaders.

They are responsible for organizing, planning, and directing the activities of the entire criminal organization, formulating detailed criminal plans, and secretly controlling the organization's operations.

"A criminal organization of this scale is rare," Yu Dazhang murmured to himself.

And what struck him as strange was that there were actually two ringleaders.

That is extremely rare.

In the face of profit, no relationship is a hundred percent solid.

And this kind of criminal activity can't be guaranteed fair through contracts either.

So the question arises.

How do they manage not to turn on each other?

With such a large profit chain, uneven splits would easily occur, yet they haven't had any disagreements for so long.

Two Monks carry water to drink, three Monks have no water to drink…

This is a law of human nature; it can't be changed by self-awareness alone.

What else is there that I haven't thought of… The more Yu Dazhang thought, the more lost he became, feeling his mind stuck here, unable to turn.

The information he had wasn't enough yet.

He decisively stopped thinking, to avoid getting himself stuck in a dead end.

After closing his eyes and resting for a while, when he opened them again, Yu Dazhang had already recovered as usual, and the trace of confusion in his eyes had vanished along with it.

Sitting up, he took his phone from the bedside, thought for a moment, and dialed Ma Jian.

After it connected, a cacophony of noise came through the receiver.

Car horns and engine roars mingled together, giving one the feeling of being right in the middle of traffic.

"What are you guys doing?" Yu Dazhang asked in confusion:

"Why is it so chaotic?"

(End of this chapter)