Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 77 begins with the inquiry.

Before Zheng Tianyou's relatives and friends arrived at the station, Chen Shu returned to the second-floor security office, asked Zheng Tianyou to provide his name, and then printed out the identity information of this series of key witnesses.

There weren't many people, just three.

One is Zheng Tianyou's older cousin, Wang Hongyi, 48 years old, divorced, and unemployed; another is his uncle's next-door neighbor, Chen Mengke, 63 years old, retired; and the third is his cousin, Wang Boke, 28 years old, a state-owned enterprise employee.

Chen Shu chatted with Zheng Tianyou for a while, and at this point, Boss Zheng spilled everything, revealing everything. He even openly discussed his older cousin, Wang Hongyi, how her gambling addiction had caused her family to fall apart and how she remained unrepentant. He didn't hold back on such family scandals.

Chen Shu poured him a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table, saying with a smile, "Gambling has been around for thousands of years, and as our ancestors said, 'Nine out of ten gamblers lose.' This stuff is really off-limits. If I had known you were into it, you probably wouldn't have felt good either."

Zheng Tianyou was about to reach for the disposable cup when he heard this, so he immediately stood up, waving his hands frantically and stammering, "Hey, leader, I really didn't gamble! Hey! If you don't believe me, just ask anyone. If I was involved, shoot me on the spot!"

When venturing out into society, the first thing to remember is that you can't believe a single word from drug addicts or gamblers.

You can't trust a single punctuation mark.

Chen Shu patted Zheng Tianyou, gesturing for him to sit down. He then sat down on the sofa beside him, squinting at him with an ambiguous expression.

Zheng Tianyou was restless and unable to say anything, so he could only sit on the sofa and worry anxiously.

Seeing that the time was right, Chen Shu slowly had Zhu Chaoran open the law enforcement record and begin taking Zheng Tianyou's statement.

In his statement, Zheng Tianyou first confirmed his relationship with Wang Hongyi, Chen Mengke, and Wang Boke as relatives and friends. He then identified the three men as having repeatedly mentioned to him the illegal act of gambling at No. 299 Shangcheng Road. Finally, he identified the suspects who were managing and maintaining the casino that night through photographs.

After giving his statement, Zheng Tianyou did not read it carefully. He just flipped through a few pages and signed and affixed his fingerprint, perhaps to gain Chen Shu's approval of his cooperative attitude.

Chen Shu had seen too many of these petty tricks and didn't expose them. What he needed was the result, the ultimate goal of this case—to criminally detain those who ran the casino.

After pressing the last fingerprint and handing the statement to Chen Shu, Zheng Tianyou looked up and asked timidly, "Sir, what should I do with this in the end?"

Chen Shu looked through the signatures and fingerprints on the transcript, but remained silent.

Zheng Tianyou thought that Chen Shu had changed his mind after obtaining his confession, and he became so anxious that his face turned red.

After calmly reviewing the statement, Chen Shu put it aside, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and said indifferently, "Zheng Tianyou, we've known each other for a long time. I usually turn a blind eye to whatever you do."

Zheng Tianyou nodded repeatedly: "Yes, my business usually relies on your protection, boss."

"You're exaggerating. If you're running a legitimate business, do you need a policeman to protect you? Unless you're doing something shady right now, huh?" Chen Shu glanced at him and slammed his hand on the glass of the coffee table.

"Snapped!"

Zheng Tianyou was stunned and quite frightened, but he still nodded vigorously: "You're right, leader. Ah, no, no! I'm just buying and selling electric bikes now, and they all come through normal channels. There are records, there are records."

Chen Shu took a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table, pulled one out, and forced it on Zheng Tianyou, lighting it for him: "This time, it's just a 500 yuan fine, no detention. If I run into you again next time, hehe, you'd better have a good idea of ​​what will happen."

Zheng Tianyou's fingers, holding the cigarette, trembled uncomfortably, but he still understood the meaning behind Chen Shu's words. He quickly stood up and bowed repeatedly in thanks. At this moment, he should have forgotten the unfortunate incident in the old residential building where Chen Shu had practically roasted him on a stove in front of everyone.

However, Chen Shu didn't forget: "Old Zheng, I'll explain to your relatives and friends later. Don't worry too much about it in the future; they'll remember your kindness after all."

Zheng Tianyou was stunned, his lips trembling as he couldn't utter a word.

Chen Shu picked up the Liqun cigarettes and the prepared statement, slammed the door shut with a loud "bang," and walked out of the police station.

After all, he was my informant of many years, so I had to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't fall into the river.

Drug use and gambling not only harm yourself, but also ruin your whole family.

Untouchable.

Chen Shu walked to the detention room and stood aside silently watching the three people who had been brought in earlier being thoroughly searched one by one.

Those under surveillance undergo extremely rigorous body searches when brought to the police station's detention room. Items such as cell phones, belts, necklaces, and even shoelaces are temporarily confiscated. This is done to prevent them from carrying offensive objects and to prevent self-harm or suicide.

After the three completed their physical examinations, Chen Shu instructed the auxiliary police officer to take Zheng Tianyou, Chen Mengke, and his cousin Wang Boke to an empty office on the second floor and detain them. He then took Xu Lei and Wang Hongyi to the interrogation room.

In the interrogation room, while Xu Lei was turning on his computer, Chen Shu walked up to Wang Hongyi with a smile and asked, "Wang Hongyi, did you win or lose today?"

Wang Hongyi, who had just sat down, immediately jumped up and said hurriedly, "Officer, I didn't gamble, I really didn't gamble. I don't have any money, how could I gamble? I just had nothing to do after eating at home today, so I came over to take a look."

Chen Shu gestured for him to stop, saying, "What's the rush? You've been to the police station a few times for gambling, what's the point of saying all this? What's the use?"

When Wang Hong heard the police expose her past experiences, she slumped into a chair like a deflated balloon, but she didn't stop talking and cursing Zheng Tianyou.

Chen Shu then slapped Zheng Tianyou's statement in front of Wang Hongyi, specifically turning to the page where Zheng Tianyou had accused Wang Hongyi of gambling.

“Wang Hongyi, look, your cousin has already said it. What, are you still trying to deny it? You’re going to be detained for three to fifteen days. How many days are you prepared to spend?” Chen Shu only glanced at the record for Wang Hongyi, barely confirming the few words Zheng Tianyou pointed out, before taking it back.

Wang Hong suddenly fell silent.

Chen Shu returned to the inquiry desk and sat down. He turned his head and whispered to Xu Lei, "I'll leave the rest to you. Do what you want to do, ask what you want to ask. Don't be nervous. I'll sit here and take your pulse."

Xu Lei nodded gratefully and began to seriously question Wang Hongyi about the details of the gambling case that night.

Wang Hongyi confessed everything with a numb look in her eyes.

Chen Shu lit a cigarette for himself, and as the smoke swirled around him, he wondered if Wang Hongyi was thinking of her family at that moment.

(End of this chapter)