Chapter 963

“Chen Zhi, hello, this is Jiang Yuan.” Jiang Yuan, brimming with emotional intelligence, held the landline receiver with a smile: “Yes, we have a case here and would appreciate your support… Thank you… Alright, we’ll contact you again later.”

Jiang Yuan ended the call, set down the receiver, and Cui Qi rushed forward to respectfully take it, offering tea with a smile: “Team Leader Jiang, you’ve worked hard—please wait a moment; next we’ll connect with Director Liu of Pushan Municipal Bureau… Director Liu is 45, also a veteran detective, always leads from the front, frequently appears on-site—he often mentions you in meetings…”

Jiang Yuan nodded, took another sip of tea, and gestured with his eyes for Cui Qi to proceed.

Cui Qi immediately picked up the extension, dialed, and when the line connected, said quickly: “Director Liu, please hold—a moment, Jiang Yuan is on the line…”

Jiang Yuan picked up the receiver, his face radiating emotional intelligence:

“Director Liu, hello, this is Jiang Yuan… Yes, I’m the forensic doctor from Ningtai County Bureau… Haha, still just a junior forensic doctor… That’s right… Director Cui is with the Zhengguang Bureau Criminal Brigade; I’ve assisted him on several cases before, and this one’s hit a dead end… Thank you very much for your help…”

After a three- to four-minute call, Jiang Yuan hung up and nodded again to Cui Qi.

Cui Qi immediately grabbed a pen, found Director Liu on the printed list, and checked off his name.

Wei Changxue, in the corner of the meeting room, typed quietly on his notebook: “Just one phone call, and you’ve secured one city?”

“You’re joking, right? This is Jiang Yuan from Ningtai,” Mu Zhiyang said, also waiting nearby, his own notebook open as he scrolled through news: “Team Leader Jiang never contacts people directly—this time, he’s doing it just to save the two of you.”

Wei Changxue nodded vigorously and whispered: “I understand.”

“What exactly do you understand?” Xiao Si glanced at Wei Changxue.

“I… what should I understand?” Wei Changxue looked to his master, Xiao Si.

Xiao Si paused, sighed, and said: “Since you can’t repay him, you’ll just have to offer yourself in return.”

“Master, you’re joking again,” Wei Changxue said, forcing a half-hearted smile.

Xiao Si turned his face away and asked: “Did you see me smile?”

Wei Changxue blinked, thought for a moment, and whispered: “Master, when I first joined the Criminal Brigade, I thought my master would be like Team Leader Jiang—but now I’m your disciple, so I can’t go over to Jiang’s team…”

“You think it’s that easy? Would that turn into a reward?” Xiao Si glared at Wei Changxue, then spoke slowly: “In any case, you’re Jiang Yuan’s man now—even if you refuse to admit it, that label is already on you. Stay sharp in your work.”

He said this right in front of Mu Zhiyang, who remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Wei Changxue was a bit simple-minded, but not stupid—he asked: “Then what about you?”

“I’m your junior brother,” Xiao Si shot him a sharp look.

Wei Changxue understood, chuckled twice, and fell silent.

An hour and a half later.

The video conference resumed.

Cui Qi had checked off every name on the list and let out a heavy breath: “Even if this kid’s fast, he’s got no way out now.”

“If he takes the high-speed train, he could be out of the encirclement in half a day,” Liu Jinghui’s head bobbed in the screen.

Cui Qi frowned slightly: “High-speed rail stations aren’t that easy to enter.”

“It depends on how much risk he’s willing to take. If he enters a station, it’s dangerous,” Liu Jinghui paused, then added: “But someone bold enough to escape prison? He’s got guts.”

Cui Qi slowly nodded and asked seriously: “Then how do we prevent it?”

“Wait and see—it might not be a bad thing,” Liu Jinghui said. “Taking the high-speed train means he needs cash, new clothes—he’ll need someone to help him.”

“True. That means he might have to contact relatives or friends. He doesn’t seem to have any living family—so it’s probably his shady associates.”

“Right. So we keep spreading the rumors, keep applying pressure,” Liu Jinghui said. “This is when informants are most effective.”

In truth, informants could remain useful for several days, especially in cases like this, where the suspect was still reeling and might delay contacting anyone. But for Cui Qi, the first 24 to 36 hours were critical.

“Alright. I’ll make a few more calls—we’ll see who outlasts whom,” Cui Qi gritted his teeth.

“Yes, now’s the time to revisit all the cases tied to this suspect,” Jiang Yuan said, having arrived, he naturally took initiative.

Cui Qi had been waiting for Jiang Yuan to say this—he immediately waved his hand: “Bring the files!”

Someone immediately carried over a large cardboard box and began spreading case files across the conference table.

More people followed, bringing box after box of files—clearly pre-prepared. Or perhaps, long-planned?

The files spread out barely covered two cases; the rest piled up in the corner.

Soon, the meeting room looked exactly like a special task force headquarters.

“Here’s the last case committed by suspect Zhang Weili—a series of home burglaries. The highest-value incident: the victim didn’t lock the safe. Stolen: a Longines watch, a Glashütte Original, 12 pieces of gold jewelry totaling less than 150 grams, plus platinum jewelry and jade…”

Cui Qi gave a brief summary—he hadn’t personally followed this case. By case level, a series like this was appropriate for a detective with Xiao Si’s seniority. Ultimately, it was still theft—though the home invasion aspect was serious, the investigation didn’t require additional manpower.

Jiang Yuan listened carefully. His task wasn’t merely to solve the case—he hoped to use the investigation to aid the manhunt.

After carefully hearing Cui Qi’s report, Jiang Yuan shifted into focused reading mode.

Suspect Zhang Weili operated alone, so the goal of solving the case wasn’t to confirm who committed it—obviously, it was Zhang Weili.

But on the other hand, Zhang Weili couldn’t truly be a lone actor.

In terms of income and purpose, he needed someone to fence the stolen goods; otherwise, handling so many stolen items in such a short time would be impossible.

In terms of execution and preparation, Zhang Weili needed lock-picking tools and transportation. At the very least, he couldn’t have stolen things riding a shared bicycle.

As he thought this, Jiang Yuan’s vision flashed with the system interface:

Task: Clean Them Out!

Task Content: Criminal Zhang Weili has chosen a path of no return—send his kindred spirits after him.