The Breakthrough

Inside the meeting room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Economic Crime Investigation Division, the lights were on, but the air seemed to be frozen. The only sounds were the faint clicking of the mouse and the typing of the keyboard, as well as the slight airflow caused by the turning of papers.

Captain Li and several key economic crime investigators had been working here for over ten hours straight. Their eyes were bloodshot, coffee cups were piled up like a small mountain, and ashtrays were already overflowing.

The initial investigation into Qin Ming and his immediate family's assets did not go smoothly. Although the amount of money in Qin Ming's accounts was considerable, most of it corresponded to his legitimate income and some relatively clear investment and financial records. Even the some ambiguous areas were far from constituting "unexplained wealth." His wife, a middle school teacher, had an account that was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

The investigation seemed to have reached a stalemate once again, and the invisible pressure made everyone in the conference room feel suffocated.

"Boss, we've checked all the accounts of Qin Ming and his wife's immediate family members, including his parents and siblings, and haven't found anything obviously abnormal yet." A young police officer rubbed his throbbing temples, his voice weary as he reported.

Captain Li stared at the densely drawn relationship diagrams and fund flow charts on the whiteboard, his brow furrowed. Could the other side really have done something so flawless? Had they even concealed the channels for transferring benefits so deeply?

"Expand the search! Investigate his social network, especially his in-laws and those he interacts with closely—don't miss a single one!" Captain Li slammed his fist on the table in frustration, his voice hoarse but filled with unwavering resolve. "Cast an even wider net! Focus on those with no fixed occupation but whose spending habits are clearly inconsistent with their income!"

The order was given, and the massive police system sprang into action once again, expanding the scope of the screening to include Qin Ming's social network. Time passed in silent, anxious waiting, the sound of the printer chugging paper particularly jarring.

Suddenly, a police officer responsible for screening Qin Ming's wife's social connections abruptly looked up from his computer screen, his chair creaking loudly from the sudden movement. His face was filled with disbelief and extreme excitement, his voice trembling with emotion:

"Captain Li! We've made a discovery! A major discovery!"

Instantly, all the weary eyes in the conference room focused on it like searchlights, and even the air seemed to jolt.

"Qin Ming's wife's younger brother, Zhao Cheng! Thirty years old, no fixed occupation, platform records show his main source of income is driving for a ride-hailing service, occasionally claiming to do some small commodity wholesale business!" The officer spoke rapidly, almost shouting, "But look at his personal bank account statements!"

He quickly projected the data onto the large screen in the conference room. A clear curve of capital inflow appeared before everyone.

"Starting three years ago, almost without fail, every two to three months, a sum ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 yuan would be transferred into his account! The remitter names varied, all being shell trading companies or personal accounts registered in remote areas with no actual business premises! Crucially," the officer pointed forcefully to several peaks on the curve, "The timing of these remittances highly overlaps with the times when Qin Ming was admitted to certain high-spending patients at Ankang Hospital or underwent major surgeries! Over the past three years, the total amount of these remittances from unknown sources has exceeded 2.3 million yuan!"

The unusually active money flow curve on the screen, completely inconsistent with Zhao Cheng's claimed meager income, was like a beacon lit in the dark, pointing the way forward in the eyes of all the investigators!

"Excellent!" Captain Li slammed his hand on the table, abruptly standing up, the bloodshot in his eyes seemingly dispelled by excitement. "That's him! Immediately! Right now! Locate Zhao Cheng's current location and invite him to the station for a 'cup of tea' to properly 'assist in the investigation'!"

Based on vehicle location and cell phone signal, the police quickly located Zhao Cheng's position—he was waiting for a ride-hailing order near an old residential area in the north of the city. Two inconspicuous civilian-plated cars silently approached, and several plainclothes police officers quickly got out and blocked the driver's seat and passenger door of his vehicle.

Zhao Cheng was a somewhat unkempt young man with greasy hair and wearing a cheap T-shirt. He was leaning back in the driver's seat playing on his phone. When the police officer knocked on the car window and showed his identification, he was stunned for a moment, and then a visible look of panic flashed across his face.

"What... what are you doing? I... I didn't break any rules!" He tried to remain calm, but his voice was trembling.

"Zhao Cheng, right? We're from the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. We need you to go back and assist in the investigation of a case to gather some information." The lead officer spoke calmly, but his attitude left no room for refusal.

"Economic... Economic Investigation? What case? I don't know anything about it! I'm just a ride-hailing driver!" Zhao Cheng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his hands gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.

"We just need you to go back and cooperate with the investigation, and explain things clearly. Please get out of the car and cooperate with our work."

At the police officer's "invitation," Zhao Cheng was almost limp as he was led out of the car and into the police vehicle. Along the way, his eyes darted around, his lips trembled, and he kept repeating, "I don't know anything" and "I'm just an ordinary person." Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, almost soaking his collar.

Upon arriving at the municipal police station's investigation area and sitting in the interrogation room, facing Captain Li and another recorder, Zhao Cheng's nervousness reached its peak. The monotonous lighting and oppressive atmosphere in the room made him restless.

"Zhao Cheng, do you know Qin Ming?" Captain Li asked directly.

"I... I know him. He's my brother-in-law." Zhao Cheng lowered his head, not daring to look Captain Li in the eye.

"Then explain what's going on with these large sums of money that have been appearing in your account regularly since three years ago? It adds up to more than 2.3 million yuan. Can you really earn that much driving a ride-hailing car?" Captain Li pushed the printed bank statement in front of Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng glanced at the densely packed account records, his body trembled visibly, and his face turned even paler. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around in a panic, and he began to stammer as he started to fabricate a story:

"That... that's what I earned from doing business! Yes, I do some small commodity wholesale, and sometimes... sometimes I can make a little money..."

"What small commodities do you sell? Who is your supplier? Who is your buyer? Show me your purchase invoices, shipping records, and tax payment certificates." Captain Li's questions came like a machine gun, relentlessly firing off his own.

'I... I...' Zhao Cheng was speechless, sweat rolling down his forehead. 'It's been too long, I... I can't remember...'

"Can't remember?" Captain Li leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Fifty thousand, one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand per transaction—such regular income, and you're telling me you can't remember? What do these payments to your shell company have to do with the small commodities you're dealing in? You don't even know who the recipients are, yet the money is being transferred to you?"

"I... I..." Zhao Cheng's mental defenses crumbled rapidly under the professional and relentless questioning. He covered his head with his hands, crying out, "I don't know! I really don't know anything! Someone just asked me to provide an account where money would be deposited regularly, and they asked me to keep it safe for them, and occasionally withdraw some cash... I don't know anything else! They gave me a little kickback... I... I just took a little advantage..."

He finally admitted that the large sum of money in his account came from an unknown source, but he insisted that he was just a "tool" being used and had no idea about the ultimate source or nature of the funds.

However, this was enough for the police! Zhao Cheng's reaction and confession precisely confirmed their deduction—there was indeed a hidden channel for transferring benefits, and Zhao Cheng's account was a key node in this channel! Qin Ming, and even the Ankang Hospital behind him, were inextricably linked to these huge sums of money of unknown origin!

"Keep him calm and dig deep into the details, especially the cash withdrawal process, the people and places involved in the cash exchange!" Captain Li suppressed his excitement and whispered instructions to his colleagues. He knew that by focusing on Zhao Cheng, they could uncover the truth, and Qin Ming's seemingly impregnable fortress had already developed fatal cracks.