Chapter 348: Consumers

Jiang Yuan read the file on the counterfeit currency case himself and reviewed recent reports from other regions before going to see Huang Qiang.

"Director Huang." Jiang Yuan entered Huang Qiang's new office, greeted him, and began his report.

Huang Qiang felt a surge of satisfaction just hearing Jiang Yuan address him as "Director Huang." After listening to the report, he paused for a moment and said, "Cases handled by the Economic Crime Investigation unit aren't impossible to pursue, but counterfeit currency cases usually involve extensive networks and are difficult to crack—it's not just the investigative challenge; the case itself will require traveling to many locations."

Jiang Yuan nodded. He hadn't thought much about this aspect, but he said: "The people in my unit have been pretty idle lately."

"True enough—they're all borrowed anyway." Huang Qiang's mind instantly switched to a new channel. He realized Jiang Yuan's team was mostly temporary transfers—from Changyang City or the newly arrived Gufu City—and none of them would stay long. So they might as well be used to full capacity.

Jiang Yuan, unaware of what Huang Qiang was thinking, returned to the case: "I'd like to involve the provincial bureau."

"Ah, that's a good idea!" Huang Qiang slapped his thigh.

The core issue with counterfeit currency cases is their vast scope. Although the real culprits are the counterfeiters, during early investigations, investigators rarely reach them directly—they can only circle the periphery, arresting users and transporters in hopes of tracing back to the source.

These users and transporters clearly move across the entire province, even nationwide.

No counterfeiter would produce fake bills and sell or use them only in their immediate vicinity.

For a small county bureau like Ningtai, even just the travel expenses for handling these minor cases add up significantly.

But if the provincial bureau gets involved, they'll at least allocate some funding and resources. Even if it's pocket change to them, it's a comfortable boost for the county bureau.

Of course, ordinary county bureaus can't summon the provincial bureau like a divine force. Each province's bureau operates differently—some focus on public order, others on smuggling or drug trafficking, some on stability maintenance… In short, criminal investigation is just one puzzle piece in the provincial bureau's eyes. Important, yes—but not the most important.

Even as Director Huang, Huang Qiang couldn't command the Shan Province bureau—but Jiang Yuan speaking up? That was no problem.

That afternoon, Liu Jinghui arrived from Changyang City.

Working with Jiang Yuan was far more interesting than his usual cases.

Liu Jinghui was simply too high-ranking and a provincial bureau employee; otherwise, he'd gladly spend every day embedded in Jiang Yuan's unit.

Frankly, as a Level Four Senior Police Officer, Liu Jinghui had little promotion potential left—even if he rose to Level One Senior Police Officer, without a leadership post, it was just an empty title. His motivation came from the work itself.

If he could… work alongside Jiang Yuan, Liu Jinghui believed his efficiency would be extremely high.

As usual, Liu Jinghui came alone. After meeting Huang Qiang and others at the Ningtai County Bureau, he sat with Jiang Yuan in the conference room and began reviewing files.

The mid-forties Liu Jinghui was neatly groomed, his shirt and uniform pressed perfectly. Sitting alone at the far end of the table, he exuded an air of distinction—utterly unrecognizable as the once-decayed man he had been.

Anyone, even without knowing who Liu Jinghui was, could tell from the conference room scene that this man was extraordinary.

Opposite Liu Jinghui, Jiang Yuan also had a file before him. He idly played with a pothos plant on the table while glancing at the documents.

He had already reviewed these cases before Liu Jinghui arrived, but hadn't expected him to come so quickly. To facilitate discussion, everyone simply waited for him.

Liu Jinghui knew this, so he flipped pages faster—but where details mattered, he still examined them carefully.

Working under pressure was standard procedure in this line—nothing to complain about.

"Huh… judging by this, the dozen or so recent counterfeit currency reports should all be part of the same series."

Liu Jinghui closed the last file: "But not a single case has been resolved—no suspects arrested at all."

"All the reports came from small restaurant and supermarket owners who received fake bills and got angry enough to report them. Few people actually cared about twenty-yuan notes. But by the time police arrived to investigate, the suspects were long gone. From surveillance and timing, these users appear to be multiple groups. Also, the twenty-yuan fakes they used seem to have five different serial prefixes…" Tang Jia, who had previously worked with Liu Jinghui, spoke up enthusiastically.

After all, Jiang Yuan's case team had suddenly added two female officers, and Tang Jia felt someone was targeting her—worried Jiang Yuan might be manipulated.

Liu Jinghui, having just finished reviewing the files, also felt a strong urge to explain. He nodded slightly and said: "These groups likely acquired the fake bills around the same time. They're probably very peripheral members—possibly even pure consumers."

Tang Jia: "Counterfeit bills have consumers?"

Dong Bing, now somewhat familiar with the environment and this colleague with the high-pitched voice, asked: "How do you know they got the fake bills around the same time?"

Liu Jinghui, being questioned simultaneously by two female officers, felt as if he'd been fawned over by two hundred men. He patted his belly contentedly and said: "One question at a time."

Liu Jinghui glanced at Jiang Yuan, saw he was listening, and grew even more cheerful: "The timing judgment comes from their movement patterns. Not every shop owner who received fake bills reported it—some might not have noticed at all. There's some predictive element here, but we can verify it later."

Liu Jinghui paused, then continued: "As for counterfeit bill consumers—twenty-yuan fakes are inherently consumer-grade. Of course, that's just my phrasing."

Tang Jia promptly followed up: "Why are they consumer-grade?"

"It's the difference between twenty-yuan and hundred-yuan fakes. Users of hundred-yuan fakes tend to make small purchases, paying with the fake bill and receiving change—the change becomes their profit. With twenty-yuan fakes, users usually spend them directly—handing out one or two fake bills when paying dozens of yuan, or mixing them with real bills. Because the denomination is small, most people don't notice."

"But hardly anyone uses cash anymore, right?"

Liu Jinghui nodded: "Still plenty on the road. Gas stations, roadside eateries, small supermarkets, and remote towns—places with poor internet and more elderly people—still rely heavily on cash. I see this trend in these cases…"

Liu Jinghui's mind was already brewing multiple lines of reasoning—all highly actionable.

At that moment, Jiang Yuan said: "Let's look at the surveillance footage."

Liu Jinghui blinked, then chuckled: "These transactions happened in remote backwaters—surveillance isn't even complete. And these cases span several provinces; many local reports weren't properly handled…"

"Look at whatever we have." Jiang Yuan smiled. "There'll always be something useful."

"That's too crude," Liu Jinghui muttered, glancing at Jiang Yuan. He thought: If I have to solve cases this boringly, why did I come all the way here?

The two seniors' eyes met. The subordinates dared not speak, lowering their heads and quietly doing their work.

Soon, several collected surveillance videos were played.

Jiang Yuan and the others fixed their gaze on the screens.

Since Liu Jinghui had just arrived, the surveillance footage had already been screened by Wang Chuan and others.

Now, four videos were displayed simultaneously on the large screen, creating clear contrasts.

"Each time, it's just one person," Tang Jia pointed out first.

"They use only one or two bills per transaction, but total spending is very low," Dong Bing countered.

"All wore masks and hats—so they were prepared, knowingly committing crimes."

"If they use only one or two fake bills each time, wouldn't they have to visit many places daily to make it worthwhile? The number of reports seems low."

Liu Jinghui sighed: "So these are the final-end consumers. Even if we catch them, they probably won't know anything. The key is identifying their pattern to reconstruct the full picture."

"So your meaning, Director Liu, is to find more such consumers and analyze their patterns?" Jiang Yuan summarized slightly.

"Not entirely reliant on analysis—but more clues make it easier to find the counterfeiter. These guys usually hide deep." Liu Jinghui pointed at the videos: "These people keep moving around, driving themselves—it's hard to track them."

"Use mobile phones to locate them," Jiang Yuan suggested.

"What about their phone numbers?" Liu Jinghui asked, then answered himself: "Check checkpoints? A bit troublesome. Didn't I just see a vehicle with its license plate captured?"

The officer beside him immediately rewound the footage.

"Here," Liu Jinghui pointed to a corner: "I think tracking phones via vehicles is a good approach."

"Fine." Jiang Yuan didn't care how the case was solved. Seeing Director Liu so engaged, he gladly saved his own effort.