Chapter 965: The Path of No Return

“Around 9:15 this morning, the suspect appeared at this Xinquan Convenience Store, claiming he had lost his phone and requested to borrow the clerk’s to make an emergency call; afterward, he asked to exchange cash, requesting his friend to transfer money to the clerk’s Alipay, after which the clerk would give him the cash in person…”

The police officers surrounding the convenience store quickly completed on-site questioning and immediately called back.

Cui Qi slammed his fist and muttered a curse, then said “Understood,” and began assigning personnel to investigate the suspect Zhang Weili’s “friend,” followed by sending teams to bring him in.

This “friend” of Zhang Weili was an old Beijing hustler, somewhat particular in his ways but not very bright; his relationship with suspect Zhang Weili wasn’t close, but because he owed him a favor, he ended up wearing the hat of harboring a criminal.

Only after sitting in the interrogation room and nearly finishing the statement did the old hustler suddenly realize: “Damn, is Ningtai Jiangyuan after Zhang Weili? Did he steal the Forbidden City?”

“So look at you—your information’s outdated, still wasting your days around. When you get out of jail, just live a decent life. What’s the point of running around like this?” The interrogating officer was barely in his early thirties, scolding the old hustler like a grandson.

“No, you have to let me out,” the old hustler, who had sat calmly until now, grew anxious, rattling the chains on his chair.

“Sit still!” the interrogating officer barked. “Now you’re worried? Where were you when it mattered?”

The old hustler, being elderly, was especially good at controlling his emotions; he took a deep breath and said, “What I mean is, your method of arresting Zhang Weili is too slow. Let me out—I’ll find a way to bring him back to you.”

“No need for you,” the interrogating officer didn’t even look up. The man was already in custody; there was no way he’d be released again. Even if they needed him later, it would be for some other purpose.

The old hustler took another deep breath: “Street folks have street methods. Give me bail, let me out for two days—I guarantee I’ll bring him back.”

“No need for you. Don’t you understand?” The interrogating officer repeated, then added: “Just confess your own case clearly and sit tight. Your offense isn’t serious—cooperate fully, maybe you’ll get probation. Don’t make things harder for yourself.”

“What happens to me doesn’t matter,” the old hustler said, visibly moved by his own words. “The underworld can’t be destroyed because of me.”

The interrogating officer stared at him for a long moment, then stood up: “Go reflect on this.”

After speaking, the interrogating officer stepped out and headed toward the conference room.

In the corridor outside the conference room, several veteran smokers stood by the window, puffing cigarettes; when they heard the elevator ding, they all turned to look.

“Xiao Qi,” Cui Qi waved him over. “You interrogated the old hustler? How’d it go?”

The interrogating officer recounted the situation, then added: “I came up just to ask—should we let him out?”

Jiang Yuan had already begun using confidential informants and sources; using a suspect of this caliber was perfectly normal.

Cui Qi thought for a moment, then offered him a cigarette before saying: “Don’t tell Jiang Yuan yet. That old hustler won’t find the guy even if he goes out.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“You’ve been in the interrogation center all day, right? Over a hundred suspects were brought in today—Jiang Yuan’s been buried in cases there. The ‘underworld’ the old hustler mentioned? It’s already gone.” Cui Qi sighed heavily.

The interrogating officer blinked: “I didn’t see that many people coming into the center.”

“It’s packed. The rest are using the municipal bureau’s space,” Cui Qi said. “Because of Jiang Yuan’s reputation.”

“Ah… like this… won’t this draw attention…?” Xiao Qi glanced nervously at Xiao Si, who was smoking heavily beside him.

Xiao Si, sharp as ever, immediately looked over and offered Xiao Qi a cigarette, then took a drag himself: “No problem. Jiang’s team pulling off something this big—aside from us, everyone else has already forgotten we exist.”

Xiao Qi couldn’t help laughing: “That’s a bit much… not really…”

“As long as we don’t stink up the place, don’t parade ourselves around, and just bring in the suspects and close the case, nothing will happen,” Xiao Si said, speaking to Xiao Qi but also to Cui Qi.

Cui Qi nodded in agreement: “Alright, I’ll make a few more calls—try to speed things up. While we still have enough manpower, finish this quickly. Don’t want another big case coming up later…”

“Cui Da,” Xiao Si cut him off, his expression serious. “Put away your magic.”

“Ah… no way,” Cui Qi waved his hand, as if brushing away smoke.

“Sometimes people still need to believe in a little mysticism,” Xiao Si said, seeing Cui Qi’s skeptical expression and sensing he wanted to argue. “Like a man who curses his wife…”

Xiao Qi coughed twice: “Xiao Si, be politically correct.”

Xiao Si shifted: “Say a man who curses his wife—he marries one wife, she dies; marries a second, she dies; marries a third, she dies too. The villagers say he curses his wife—is that mysticism or science?”

Cui Qi chuckled twice, about to say something, when his phone rang.

Xiao Si and Xiao Qi’s expressions instantly turned grim.

Before Cui Qi could answer, Xiao Si said: “Cui Da, you still have time to change your mind. I don’t care, but Xiao Wei’s young, a college grad—he’s got his whole life ahead of him.”

“Enough, enough,” Cui Qi glared at Xiao Si. “If you didn’t say anything, I’d assume this call is about catching the guy. What nonsense are you spouting?” He swiped to answer: “Hello, this is Cui Qi… Mm… Mm… Alright… I understand.”

After hanging up, Cui Qi’s brow furrowed slightly—his scholarly dignity made him look like a slightly ugly, ascetic middle-aged man, like a strict, well-groomed department head.

The officers nearby, still smoking, felt the heavy pressure; their cigarette puffs grew gentler.

“What happened?” Xiao Si, uncomfortable with the atmosphere, asked outright.

Cui Qi let out a heavy sigh: “You were right, kid.”

“Which part?”

“Come on.” Cui Qi walked into the conference room, found Jiang Yuan busy, and said: “Jiang Team, suspect Zhang Weili was tied up and dumped outside the police station—with a cake decoration stuck on his head.”

Jiang Yuan, busy comparing crime tools on his computer, paused and asked: “Confirmed it’s Zhang Weili?”

“Confirmed,” Cui Qi said. “Facial recognition matched, fingerprints matched. DNA will take a few hours.”

“Then bring him back,” Jiang Yuan said, still clicking his mouse rapidly on the screen.

“Got it.” Cui Qi replied, then stood beside him, watching Jiang Yuan’s actions. In just a few minutes, Jiang Yuan had locked onto another suspect and forwarded the file to Wang Chuan.

Wang Chuan immediately began preparing documents; once done, he passed them to the prosecutor beside him. Yes, to speed things up, the prosecution had sent personnel to intervene early.

Cui Qi watched for a moment longer, then whispered: “Jiang Team, shouldn’t you take a break?”

Jiang Yuan looked up at the system interface.

Task: Purge Them!

Task Description: Criminal Zhang Weili has unswervingly chosen a path of no return—send his kind after him.

Task Progress: 132 arrested.

Jiang Yuan turned to Cui Qi and said: “No rush—we’re here already. Let’s catch a few more.”