Yong County Criminal Investigation Team!
In the conference room, a dozen or so detectives sat around the table, listening to the deputy captain brief them on the case. The expressions on everyone’s faces were grave.
After the deputy captain finished his briefing, Xiao Zhanwu said in a grave tone, “Comrades, this is the situation. As of now, our county bureau has received more than five reports of missing persons, and all of them are women.”
“These cases have already caused a very negative public reaction and have even drawn the attention of the Municipal Bureau, which has ordered us to solve them as soon as possible!”
“Yes, sir!”
Xiao Zhanwu then softened his tone and said, “Everyone, please share what you’ve discovered over the past few days!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged police officer picked up the thread, saying, “Captain Xiao, I’ve compiled and analyzed these cases of missing women. I’ve found that the missing women include both locals and outsiders—some came to Yong County to visit relatives or friends, while others were locals who went out to run errands. Yet in the end, they all seem to have vanished into thin air. The entire process is highly suspicious!”
“Furthermore, these victims share several common traits. Aside from all being women, they are all between the ages of 18 and 30. This suggests that the criminals are targeting a specific demographic. Therefore, I’d venture to say that there may be a major human trafficking ring operating within Yong County.”
Deputy Captain Liang Yongxin immediately responded, “I agree with Old Yang’s analysis. Targeting only women and making them vanish without a trace—it’s highly likely they’ve been trafficked to other regions!”
“Moreover, the fact that they commit crimes so frequently yet leave no trace at all makes it clear this isn’t the work of a lone perpetrator. I think we should focus our investigation on human trafficking and organized criminal activity!”
The team leader then chimed in, “Right, I also think this case is likely human trafficking…”
Just as they were speaking, the conference room door suddenly swung open.
A female officer immediately tiptoed in and whispered a few words into Xiao Zhanwu’s ear.
Xiao Zhanwu frowned briefly, then said, “Old Liang, you guys keep analyzing the case. I’m going out for a bit. Let’s meet up after the meeting!”
“Alright!”
Xiao Zhanwu then closed his notebook and turned to leave the conference room!
As soon as Xiao Zhanwu stepped out of the conference room, he spotted two people standing outside his office from a distance. To his surprise, one of them was Li Yi.
He immediately strode over!
Upon reaching Li Yi, Xiao Zhanwu immediately asked with a smile, “Finished reviewing the files that quickly?”
Li Yi shook his head, then said in a subdued tone, “Captain Xiao, I’d like to ask you about something. Is now a good time?”
As Xiao Zhanwu fished out his keys to unlock the door, he said, “Brother Li Yi, you’re asking about Tang Bing and Tan Cheng, aren’t you?”
“Right. How did those two bastards manage to get out of prison early?” Li Yi cut straight to the chase.
After opening the office door, Xiao Zhanwu turned to Li Yi and said, “Let’s go inside and talk.”
Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush; he simply followed Xiao Zhanwu into his office.
Once inside, Xiao Zhanwu first poured Li Yi a cup of hot water, then sat down across from him.
“I am indeed aware of the situation with Tang Bing and Tan Cheng. Both were released early because they demonstrated meritorious conduct!”
Xiao Zhanwu continued, “Specifically, three months after her incarceration, Tang Bing reported a case of rape and theft of public and private property. After our investigation, we found that her reports were all true. Therefore, in accordance with regulations, her sentence was reduced by one year, and she was released early!”
“It was verified?”
“Yes, Tang Bing reported her own brother, Tang Lei!” Xiao Zhanwu said.
Li Yi was taken aback at first, then remarked with admiration, “She’s a real tough one!”
Xiao Zhanwu nodded and said, “You’re telling me. Not only did this woman report her own brother, but she also reported her husband, Liu Ermaozi. Now Liu Ermaozi’s sentence has been extended to life imprisonment!”
“Whoa! She’s really hammered Liu Ermao into the ground this time!” Li Yi said.
“Exactly!”
“So, does that mean there are no issues with the procedures or grounds for this woman’s early release?”
“Yes, I personally led the investigation. There’s absolutely no issue. You can rest assured on that point, Brother Li Yi!” Xiao Zhanwu said with certainty.
“What about Tan Cheng? What did he do to earn early release?” Li Yi asked.
“He reported a fellow inmate’s escape attempt!”
Xiao Zhanwu continued, “A year after he was incarcerated, Tan Cheng suddenly reported to the guards that an inmate in his cell was planning an escape and had already prepared a plan and tools for it.”
“The prison authorities immediately sent a search party and actually found some tools for the escape. The inmate who was planning the escape had three years added to his sentence, while Tan Cheng, due to good behavior and his meritorious service, had his sentence reduced by a year and a half and was officially released not long ago!”
After hearing Xiao Zhanwu’s account, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
If what Xiao Zhanwu said was true, then the early release of these two men seemed reasonable, lawful, and entirely appropriate—there was nothing amiss.
Although Li Yi felt there was something off about the whole situation, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Just then, Xiao Zhanwu’s voice rang in his ears again: “Brother Li Yi, I know you must feel particularly upset seeing these two scumbags get out after only a year and a half in prison.”
“But that’s the law. They’ve demonstrated meritorious conduct, so we have to reduce their sentences according to the regulations. No one can change that, so you’d better just accept it.”
Li Yi nodded and said, “I understand what you’re saying, but I just can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t as simple as it seems!”
“Are you suggesting there’s something fishy going on here?” Xiao Zhanwu asked.
“It’s possible. After all, these two were released one right after the other for meritorious service—how could that be such a coincidence?” Li Yi said.
“But…”
Before Xiao Zhanwu could finish, Li Yi spoke up: “Captain Xiao, may I review the records regarding these two men’s sentence reductions?”
“That’s against the rules. I don’t have the authority to do that!”
Just as Li Yi was beginning to feel disappointed, Xiao Zhanwu changed his tone and added, “Although I can’t hand you the case files, you can be present while I review them!”
Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly; Xiao Zhanwu was actually quite flexible in how he handled things.
As an outsider to the case, he certainly wasn’t in a position to review the case files of others—after all, it involved their privacy.
But as the captain of the criminal investigation team, Xiao Zhanwu had the authority to access any materials related to cases he suspected—including case files.
If a friend happened to visit while he was reviewing the files in his office and happened to see some of the contents, that would seem perfectly reasonable.
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “That’s absolutely wonderful. I wonder when you’d be available, Captain Xiao…”
Just as Xiao Zhanwu was about to speak, the office door suddenly swung open.
Immediately, a young police officer rushed in and said to Xiao Zhanwu, “Captain, trouble! Someone else has come to file a report!”
Hearing this, Xiao Zhanwu immediately stood up and said to Li Yi, “Brother, come see me tomorrow morning. I’ve got something to take care of right now. We’ll talk later!”
With that, before Li Yi could reply, Xiao Zhanwu hurriedly left the office…
………