Logic Closed Loop

Lin Xiaosu said, "Voluntarily revealing case details violates discipline, but analyzing the case doesn't. Let me ask you: was the mastermind he confessed to Ghost Eye Lao Qi?"

The three people in the room were startled at once...

Captain Zhang frowned. "You know Ghost Eye Lao Qi?"

"Before you arrived, I already questioned him. The name he gave me was Ghost Eye Lao Qi."

That made sense!

Detective instinct. Since he had been attacked, naturally he would pursue the person behind it.

"Ghost Eye Lao Qi entered our sights long ago. We suspect that the person pulling the strings behind Feng City's vast criminal network is Ghost Eye Lao Qi. But this person is extremely cunning. His contact with his underlings is always highly covert, and he has never shown his real face. According to these two killers, they too acted on instructions received by text message."

Now this was starting to sound like case analysis.

Captain Zhang did not want to let such a good opportunity slip away. Lin Xiaosu's previous interventions had been too miraculous; he had nearly succeeded every time, giving Captain Zhang a certain hope.

That was why he further laid out the name Ghost Eye Lao Qi, which had troubled him for years, before Lin Xiaosu.

"You believe what they said?" Lin Xiaosu slowly raised his eyes.

Captain Zhang smiled faintly. "A police officer's instinct is to doubt everything. Of course, we wouldn't so easily trust a suspect's statement. So I've already arranged for people to investigate the movements of those two men over this period. We should have a report in about two hours. Are you... willing to wait?"

Willing to wait?

Those four words carried deeper meaning.

The investigation into the suspects' movements would bring back firsthand clues.

Theoretically, Lin Xiaosu should have left.

Yet Captain Zhang had specifically asked whether he was willing to wait.

Lin Xiaosu said, "Captain Zhang, are you saying I can participate deeply in this case?"

"Some things are contradictory. By the rules, I can't allow you to participate. But I truly hope this case can be broken. For more than ten years, too many tragedies have happened every day on this ancient land. The tears and blood shed by families ruined overnight, the corpses lying in pools of blood, the panic in people's hearts under the shadow of crime... perhaps the word discipline cannot contain all of that. So if violating discipline once can bring that bunch of scum to justice, then I think I'm willing!"

Lin Xiaosu let out a soft breath. "Since Captain Zhang has put it that way, then I only have one word: let's do it!"

Captain Zhang laughed heartily. "Do you play chess?"

"Chinese chess or Go?"

Captain Zhang said, "Go takes too much brainpower. I don't have many brain cells to begin with, and I can't afford to waste them. Chinese chess it is!"

The two of them began playing chess.

Sun Yang tilted his head beside them and offered advice.

As for Zhou Mei, she did not know much about Chinese chess, so she did not make trouble. After refilling their water, she leaned back in her chair and played on her phone for a while. Then there was no then—she fell asleep.

Lin Xiaosu held a chess piece between his fingertips. His gaze swept over Zhou Mei's face before settling on Captain Zhang.

Captain Zhang did not look at him, merely replying calmly, "She didn't sleep at all last night. People in our line of work need to be able to sleep whenever they get the chance."

"Before meeting you all, I honestly didn't have much of a good impression of the police." Lin Xiaosu smiled.

"Why? Got caught gambling? Got caught soliciting prostitutes? Or were you fined two thousand for driving without a license?..."

"Damn it! Captain Zhang, do you have to dig into my record? When have I ever gambled or slept around?"

"Why are you shouting? Zhou Mei just fell asleep. Would you feel good waking her up?"

Sun Yang laughed from the side.

He had never seen Captain Zhang like this before.

He could even joke around...

Time passed minute by minute.

The county town gradually grew quiet.

The steady stream of traffic on the streets also dwindled, until a car passed only once in a long while.

The Criminal Investigation Building fell silent as well.

Suddenly, the elevator gave a crisp ding.

Both men looked up at the same time.

The meeting room door opened, and two officers entered side by side. "Captain Zhang, we found something..."

Their gazes shifted to Lin Xiaosu, and they did not continue.

Because an outsider was present.

Zhou Mei woke up too. She had probably slept for exactly two hours.

"Go ahead," Captain Zhang said.

"Yes!" The officer on the left walked to the computer, took out a portable hard drive, and connected it.

The screen at the front lit up, displaying the computer's projection.

"These are the recent movements of the two criminal suspects..." The officer gently moved the mouse and marked seven locations.

"One vehicle among them caught our attention, because the suspects got into this vehicle twice over the course of three days. This person is highly suspicious!"

A surveillance video appeared, zooming in on the location.

It showed a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Captain Zhang's pupils abruptly contracted. "Qi Hongzhong!"

The officer said, "Captain Zhang, you know him? Should we introduce him?"

Captain Zhang waved his hand lightly. "No need. We can read what's in the files ourselves. Is there anything... not recorded in the files?"

"Yes!" The other officer said, "We just checked Qi Hongzhong's whereabouts. He has left the country!"

Captain Zhang shot to his feet. "When did he leave? Where was he headed?"

"He took a flight at three yesterday afternoon. His destination was Qingmai, the capital of Qingmian Country. We checked his visa—he has permanent residency in Qingmian Country!"

Captain Zhang's face darkened like still water. Slowly, he raised his head. "Any other information?"

"No!"

"Go get some rest first."

"Yes!"

The two officers left the meeting room.

Captain Zhang walked over to the computer and reviewed all the information they had obtained...

Lin Xiaosu, Zhou Mei, and Sun Yang were all fully awake, staring at the projected screen.

All signs indicated that this assassination had been planned by Qi Hongzhong.

And Zhou Mei had an even crazier thought, one concerning the overall structure of Feng City's criminal syndicate...

"Now that you've finished reading, what do you think?" Captain Zhang slowly raised his head from the computer.

Zhou Mei spoke up. "Captain Zhang, I think the Ghost Eye Lao Qi we've been desperately searching for is very likely him."

"Tell us your reasons..."

Zhou Mei organized her thoughts and began.

Feng City had a Ghost Eye Lao Qi. That had long been common knowledge.

But no one knew who Ghost Eye Lao Qi was. They only knew that this person had immense influence and connections across every line of business.

He was closely connected with a local group.

Though this group had never openly formed itself into a gang, it had long since become gang-like internally. The police had also placed them under surveillance and called them the Flying Tiger Gang.

The Flying Tiger Gang had five key members: Brother Tiger Zhao Yihu, Brother Crane Li Henian, Sister Feng Wang Sanfeng, Brother Qing Song Qingliang, and Brother Shui Zhong Shuiping.

Brother Tiger was in construction.

Brother Crane ran restaurants.

Brother Qing was the president of the chamber of commerce.

Sister Feng was the chairwoman of a technology and trade company in an industrial park.

Brother Shui had the wildest connections. He dealt in aquatic products, with his reach extending into every township. His presence could be found in nearly every sizable body of water.

All of them had become leaders in their respective industries, each commanding a huge team beneath them.

Signs of gang-style management had long appeared, but their cleverness lay in not making it obvious. They did not do foolish things like smashing, looting, or robbing. Of course, several vicious cases involving deaths had their shadows behind them, but only shadows—not nearly enough to form ironclad evidence.

The police's suspicion was that these people had accumulated wealth far too quickly. There were faint signs that they were connected to the underground drug trade.

People like them, with networks spread so widely and connections so extensive, were indeed ideal candidates to be the hidden bosses behind drugs.

At the very least, conducting transactions would be much more convenient for them.

But a drug syndicate could not be without a direct leader. That person was presumed to be Ghost Eye Lao Qi.

Then this Ghost Eye Lao Qi had to meet several conditions...

First, he had to have the means to come into contact with these industry elites.

Second, he needed a source of supply.

Third, he also needed influence and capability.

Who was Qi Hongzhong?

He worked for a multinational corporation in Qingmian Country, with the title of commercial representative for Great Xia.

To become a commercial representative for a major country, his ability obviously needed no explanation.

Moreover, he was a lecturer in success studies.

Many prominent domestic business figures had attended his lectures.

That was why the success studies lecture he gave in Feng City had attracted industry elites from nearly every field, including the five people mentioned above.

After that lecture, Feng City's elites all treated him as an honored guest.

Quite a few people invited him to give speeches at their own companies.

In that sense, he had the conditions to establish contact with the Five Tiger Generals.

More importantly, Qingmian Country was a global hub for drugs. Eighty percent of Great Xia's drugs came from Qingmian Country. Others might be unable to obtain supplies, but this legendary lecturer who could get anything he wanted in the business world could probably get them easily!

When she reached this point, Captain Zhang's eyes gleamed. "Anything else?"

"One final point! His surname is Qi!" Zhou Mei said.

Once she finished, she herself became a little excited...

"The surname Qi, Ghost Eye Lao Qi..." Captain Zhang lightly tapped his fingers against the table. "Xiaosu, what do you think?"

While Zhou Mei had been speaking, Lin Xiaosu had stared out the window the entire time. Perhaps that was one of his thinking habits...

Now Captain Zhang directly called on him.

Lin Xiaosu slowly withdrew his gaze. "Captain Zhang, let me first ask a basic question. Is there any way to extradite Qi Hongzhong after he enters Qingmian Country?"

"No. Qingmian Country has no extradition treaties with any country. That is the special nature of a drug kingdom."

Lin Xiaosu said, "Is there another special factor... Qingmian Country is extremely chaotic. Even if agents entered Qingmian Country, they would face near-certain death. So if he does not want to return, there is almost no way to bring him back."

"Yes!"

"Fine. Let me ask you a second question." Lin Xiaosu said, "If we identify him as Ghost Eye Lao Qi, then before we catch him, we can't make any move against Feng City's drug syndicate, can we?"

"Yes! That is common sense when dealing with this kind of criminal syndicate. Before we have clues regarding the core figure and the supply source, we must not alert the enemy."

Lin Xiaosu slowly nodded. "The logic is now complete."