Chapter Fifty Search

  During the local noon news, the donation ceremony event was not unexpectedly mentioned. The news anchor still had a cheerful expression while reporting that the city's wheat and corn production increased by so many kilograms per mu. I think this is not because the local media is irresponsible, I believe they are busy producing corresponding content. Since everything has been broadcast live, there's no use in avoiding it. It's just that our city has never had any major events, nor has it ever had the ambition to host world-class events like the Olympics or Asian Games, so the media lacks emergency experience which is understandable.

  But just because the officials didn't say anything doesn't mean people aren't talking about it. Within a few hours after the live broadcast, the whole city was abuzz with rumors and speculation. All major international and domestic news were ignored by the local residents, who only had one topic of conversation on every street corner - that morning's donation ceremony, which ordinary folks jokingly referred to as "Donation Gate".

  At such a grand occasion, the heavyweight national treasure was taken away by a thief and ran off, with the police and armed police on the scene being as if nothing had happened. The people were also in a state of great shock, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The local forum quickly became popular, with some people uploading videos of the incident onto the internet, which reached tens of millions of views within hours, and after being forwarded multiple times, the impact began to spread across the country...

  Under these circumstances, local officials were also in a difficult situation. The municipal party secretary was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and stared angrily, ordering the vice mayor in charge of politics and law and the public security bureau chief to solve the case within 72 hours. The mayor, however, remained calm - after the incident, he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment due to a sudden heart attack.

  Malaysian Water also expressed his attitude at an unofficial press conference later, and the old man changed his demeanor, saying with a heavy heart: "Jinlv Yuyi has been through wind and rain for 50 years. It hasn't been taken away by foreign adventurers or bought out by wealthy people. How could it be stolen as soon as I brought it back?"

  In the afternoon, a large number of armed police rushed to the train station. Although East Station was already in a state of disuse, the few passing passengers still had to undergo strict checks. Outside, it was chaotic, but I couldn't just watch the commotion - Su Jing still had a task for me. However, I felt at a loss as to what I could do - with thousands of police officers unable to crack the case, what could I, an amateur, possibly accomplish? All I could do was repeatedly watch those few videos online, but no matter how slow I played them back, I couldn't make out the person's face. I could only vaguely tell that they were not very tall, and somewhat resembled a groundhog.

  Before long, a police van with flashing lights stopped outside the hotel. Five policemen got out of the car, two of whom had gun holsters on their waists that were particularly eye-catching. The "Longmen Hotel" had also undergone routine inspections before, but it was the first time it was so serious today.

  I habitually took out the hotel business procedures and check-in register, waiting for them to enter, but immediately panicked and muttered: "It's bad!"

  In this store, apart from Liu Lao Liu who has already run out to watch the commotion and me, the others are not only strange in appearance but also don't even have their ID cards!

  The fat policeman at the front pushed open the door and strode in, his face expressionless: "Temporary inspection, let me take a look at your guest list." The four policemen behind him looked around.

  I handed the roster to the fat policeman with a stiff upper lip. He only took a glance and asked strangely, "How many people are living here?"

  "Uh... six." At this time, Lao Wu, Jin Chengwu and others were sitting in the hall, as well as Su Jing and Duan Tianya who were in closed retreat. I didn't even have room to wink at them.

  "Why were there only two names on the list, and even their ID numbers weren't included?"

  Those two people are Old Wu and Little Qian, which was what I casually wrote when they first came.

  Before I could speak, one of the police officers had already walked up to Hei Shan Lao Yao and stretched out his hand, saying: "Let me see your ID."

  "What thing?" said Hei Shan Lao Yao mysteriously.

  "ID card, hurry up."

  The old demon of Hei Shan said, "None."

  The policeman's face changed: "You're not kidding me, are you?"

  At the same time, the three policemen interrogating Old Wu, Xiao Qian and Duan Tianya were also in a predicament. Old Wu was still able to stammer and prevaricate, but the other two were completely at a loss.

  Several police officers exchanged glances, seemingly all sensing something was off, with two of them subconsciously placing their hands on their holsters.

  I know that at this critical moment, the director of public security has absolutely given a death order. As soon as the donation event came out, his future is already not worth mentioning. Whether he can keep his position depends on his performance. At the critical moment, everyone is in danger, and subordinates naturally dare not be careless! In a hotel like this, I should have thought of such a situation long ago, but now it's too late to say anything. Based on our performance, it's not unjust for others to regard us as a cheating gang.

  The fat policeman stared at me, his tone turning stern: "What's going on here?"

  "They are actually all my friends, they came to play at my place, so I didn't register them." That's all I can say.

  Duan Tianya suddenly appeared and said: "I'm not your friend, first you're the Sword God and I'm not worthy of being with you, secondly I don't need to be polite, I'm here to kill you!"

  The fat policeman looked at me silently, waiting for an explanation.

  "I've had too much to drink and I'm still feeling dizzy." I said with a forced smile.

  The fat policeman said coldly: "Hand over all your house door keys, I want to check them one by one."

  One of the policemen accompanying him pointed at Old Wu and the others and said: "What about these people?"

  The fat policeman said: "Take them all to the station for investigation."

  "Must it be like this?"

  The fat policeman said: "What you have done has already violated the hotel management regulations. Let's talk about this later, just because you don't have an ID card, I should check you out. Do you know what time it is now?"

  I smiled all over my face and said, "Look at us, who among us looks like the kind of person who would take something and run away?"

  The fat policeman said impatiently: "I told you, didn't I? Come with us for a trip. If the situation is true, then there's nothing wrong with it. What are you hesitating about? Open the room first."

  I hesitantly took out the room card, my mind in a mess. With just these few people entering the Public Security Bureau, if nothing goes wrong, it's fine, but if something does go wrong, I'm afraid the Golden Thread and Jade Clothes case will be overshadowed - Duan Tianya is a professional killer, how could Hei Shan Lao Yao be someone who can be manipulated by others? Even Xiao Qian would have to be dragged into human organ trafficking - she doesn't even have legs! The more I think about Xiao Qian, the more guilty I feel. Her corpse is still upstairs, how can I explain it clearly?

  The fat policeman saw me hesitating and became even more suspicious, his tone becoming extremely severe: "Don't play any tricks! Take me there quickly."

  Stalemate...

  Hei Shan Lao Yao saw that I was in a difficult situation, and secretly gave me a signal - she looked at the several police officers in the room and used two fingers to wipe her own neck, implying inquiry. Old Wu immediately stopped her with his eyes, and the policeman next to her suddenly jumped up: "What do you want to do?" He said, pulling out his gun...

  I sighed, who can't understand such a stupid gesture? Moreover, even if Jin Chengwu turned me into a small golden man, I couldn't really take down all these police officers, could I? I knew the situation was already hopeless, and whether or not I could explain myself clearly was no longer the most important thing. What I had to do first was ensure that there wouldn't be any bloodshed on my turf, because no matter whose blood was spilled, the bill would ultimately be footed by me. Just as I was about to give up all hope, I accidentally saw a name - Tie Jili.

  This was still registered when he caught the stone fire that lived in my house, thinking of him, I finally had a glimmer of hope. I said to the fat policeman: "I'll make a call."

  The fat policeman waved his hand and said, "Don't bother, it's useless to talk to anyone today." However, he didn't forcibly stop me, after all, we weren't his prisoners yet, and this freedom still existed.

  Tie Jili left a phone number with us when he walked away. As one of the participants in capturing Shi Zhonghua, he also needed witnesses to keep in touch with him.

  The phone was answered when Tie Jili was busy, and from time to time, the sound of police cars could be heard. It seems that after Jin Lvyu's robbery, the burden on this special police chief's shoulders is not light either.

  "Hey, whoever you are, spit it out if you've got something to say!" He probably didn't save my number and hastily fired off a sentence.

  "Officer Tie, I am Long Yangyang - the boss of the Bin Guan Hotel next to the East Train Station."

  "Is it you? What's up?" Tie Jili asked concisely, probably handling a case outside.

  "Regarding the Jinlv Yuyi incident, I have a situation to report." From the atmosphere on that side, if I directly stated my intention, Iron Ji Li would definitely hang up on me immediately. I could only use a bait to lure him in first.

  As expected, Tie Jili raised his voice a few pitches: "Speak quickly."

  "Uh, before I say that, you have to help me with a little favor first. Those friends of mine who are staying at my place didn't bring their ID cards, and it seems like your colleagues have some misunderstanding about us..."

  "Give them the phone!" Tie Jiyong never minced words.

  I handed the phone to the fat policeman, who looked at me suspiciously before taking it. "This is Iron Jieli, captain of the special police team," he said loudly. "I'm on my way now, you all stay there and wait for me."

  The fat policeman apparently knew Tie Zhi, and unexpectedly said: "Captain Tie?"

  "That's it." Tie Jili hung up the phone.

  The fat policeman returned the phone to me, and his attitude changed immediately: "You and Captain Tie..."

  I casually said, "Helped him out with a few small favors." Although I was just watching from the sidelines when he was catching fireflies, saying it this way shouldn't implicate me in any criminal liability, is bragging not against the law?

  "This time it's the fat policeman who is confused: 'You're helping him? You two are...'"

  I chuckled and said, "I won't tell you the specific identity." The focus of the contradiction is right here. I said that if they could believe me, wouldn't they not need to look for Tie Ji Li?

  But unexpectedly, the fat policeman misunderstood and leaned his head over to ask in a mysterious tone: "You're not a colleague, are you?"

  It took me half a day to realize that he thought we were special police officers under Tie Zhi's command.

  "I deliberately spoke vaguely: 'You'll know when Captain Tie comes.'"

  The fat policeman was even more convinced, instantly relaxed, and waved his hand: "I said so, you are on a mission, right?" He wondered, "Hey, why didn't you bring your ID?"

  "Oh, we usually don't bring our documents."

  The fat policeman didn't pursue the matter further. Since the special police team was coming, he wasn't afraid of making a mistake either. He glared at the policeman holding the gun: "Still not putting away your gun?"

  The police officer put his gun back in its holster and grumbled discontentedly, "Even if you're undercover agents, shouldn't you have ID? Are you trying to make trouble for us?"

  Duan Tianya's face turned red with rage: "Who do you say is the mole?" His hand unconsciously tightened, and the thick glass cup was pinched to produce several cracks. Killer Brother not only hated others calling him a captive, but also disliked being called a mole.

  The fat policeman exclaimed: "What a big hand strength!"

  Hei Shan Lao Yao looked at the gun holster on the police officer's waist and said, "I saw this thing yesterday, it's nothing special. Little Su can grab it with his hand." As he spoke, he reached out to touch the gun handle.

  The policeman jumped three feet high: "Don't move!"

  I anxiously prayed for Iron to arrive quickly, these 5 little white mice are in a precarious situation without realizing it, they might have provoked some master and face disaster, the only one who is relatively gentle in this house is Old Wu, Jin Chengwu has no good feelings towards ordinary humans without common topics, if he's not happy, annihilating someone isn't something he can't do, Su Jing also doesn't like being disturbed at this time, being touched by 5 men won't necessarily make them understand "cherish and pity the beauty" - if it were 5 female police officers, that would be much better.

  Fortunately, it wasn't long before Ironbridge finally arrived. He was alone. The first thing he did when he entered the house was to tell the five policemen: "You can leave now."

  After the fat policeman left with his four subordinates, I asked him in puzzlement: "Why did you have to wait for your arrival before letting them go?"

  "Firstly, they might not believe it's really me just because I'm on the phone. Secondly... I'm telling you the truth, don't get upset, but I'm worried that if no one is watching you, you might be up to something sneaky. After all, we're not very familiar with each other yet, and who knows what kind of trouble you might stir up using me."

  I said with a sense of injustice: "You don't suspect that I did it, do you?"

  Tie Ji Li smiled: "That's hard to say."

  "Why did you let those colleagues of yours leave again?"

  "Now that I'm here, they don't have to stay either."

  I sighed: "You really have confidence in yourself."

  Tie Jili asked me: "Why didn't they bring their ID cards?"

  Can't help but say that this SWAT captain is efficient and not reckless, at such a critical moment he can still be meticulous, I thought the bait I provided was enough to make him ignore other things.

  Hei Shan Lao Yao said impatiently: "What is this thing called an ID card anyway?"

  Tie Ji suddenly asked: "What are you doing here?"

  "Hei Shan Lao Yao said: 'Then where can I go?'"

  Tie Jili smiled meaningfully at me: "You little scoundrel, you're quite quick on the draw! Clearly we rescued him together, but all the credit goes to you - alright, let's get down to business. What leads do you have?"

  Hei Shan Lao Yao interrupted Tie Ji Li and he actually forgot his ID...

  "I said: 'First tell me what clues you police have found so far.'"

  Tie Jili sat down and said bluntly, "From the video playback, there's not much value. Although this kid appeared in front of everyone, he kept his head down throughout the whole process, and the camera couldn't capture his appearance. And yet, among so many people at the scene, no one could see what he looked like. According to several eyewitnesses, the man ran past them with his eyes fixed on something, but they couldn't see his face clearly, as if there was some kind of blurry thing blocking their view. This makes us feel very difficult to understand and inexplicable."

  I said: "Don't you notice his figure?"

  "Of course I noticed, so as soon as I entered your door, the few people present were all cleared of suspicion, there isn't anyone as thin and small among you."

  "Are you kidding me? You really suspect me?"

  Tie Jili smiled: "Alright, now it's time for you to tell me what you know."

  "I'm just giving you a lead, I'm just an enthusiastic citizen. If anything goes wrong, don't come looking for me to settle the bill. And I'm not guaranteeing it was this person who did it."

  "Stop talking nonsense, do you need to tell me these things?"

  "Alright, I'll tell you something: there's a gang of thieves on our local bus, one of whom is nicknamed 'Ground Mouse' and looks just like the guy in the video. He's got a background in this kind of thing, so as soon as I saw it, I thought of him."

  "Wait a minute, use your computer..." Tie Jili entered the public security internal network and searched for a while before slapping his fist on the table: "Indeed, there is a case file!"

  I walked up and took a look, the photo of that sly-looking thin man on the bus screen appeared in front of me, with the information written below: "Zhao Tingtao, from Xiangyang, Hubei Province, born in 1982, nicknamed Ground Mouse, has been criticized and educated several times since the end of 2009 for petty theft..."

  Tie Jili muttered to himself: "Thieving and stealing - how can you suddenly have such a big nerve?"

  I pretended to pick at my fingernails and said in a low voice: "The greater one's ability, the greater one's ambition."

  Division line

  This week I neglected to give everyone a boost, now there are nearly 300 boosts left. After this chapter is released, all related content will have a boosting conference, kids line up to receive the boosts, but don't brush the screen, each person can get two first to try them out.