Detective: Open your eyes, I am handcuffed in the interrogation room.

Chapter 623 White Shirt at the Police Station
The director of Shuigong Police Station is surnamed Lu. He had already left work a long time ago and is probably now enjoying the company of his wife and children.

The duty is rotated, and the director, as a leader, generally does not participate in the duty, unless there are some special circumstances, such as special operations or knowing in advance that a leader is coming to inspect.

There are very few people like Chen Yi who don't say hello.

After receiving a call from his subordinate and hearing Chen Yi's name, the director's hair stood on end. He grabbed his clothes and ran out, skipping outside the door to put on his shoes, looking quite embarrassed.

"Has a big case happened?!" the wife's voice rang out in the living room, and the child also stuck his head out of the bedroom to look.

The husband and father are police officers, and they are used to it.

"It's okay! There's an inspector coming to check it out!"

He left a few words and closed the door, but his wife didn't pay any attention and continued watching TV.

After driving to the police station, Chief Lu was glad that he didn't drink tonight.

I was going to have a drink at home, but gave up because my eyelids started twitching. Sometimes, it’s hard to explain what’s going on in the world.

"Captain Lu!" The police officer at the booth hurried out.

Director Lu asked as he walked over: "How many people are here?"

Police officer: “Six!”

"I understand." Chief Lu walked quickly into the hall and saw Chen Yi sitting there. There was no police officer accompanying him, and everyone was sticking to their work posts.

"Chen Xun." Director Lu smiled and stretched out his hand from afar.

Chen Yi stood up and exchanged some greetings, and then both parties went into the office.

It was not until Chen Yi left that the staff on duty in the hall dared to whisper to each other, and finally took out their mobile phones to search for Chen Yi's name and learn about his resume in detail.

"He's already a deputy director in his early thirties. That's too fast."

……

"It's not a position of real power, but it's okay."

……

"The deputy director of the police department is more frightening than the actual power. Who dares to look down on him when he gets to the local area... Besides, he is also the deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Corps of the Yangcheng Provincial Department. Who says he has no real power?"

The two men's voices became lower and lower, wondering why the other party came to Dongli. They felt that it could not be just an inspection. The most important thing was that the special case team was brought here.

In recent years, there seem to be no major cases with serious impact in Dongli, nor any major unsolved cases left unsolved.

As they were chatting, a dispute arose in the jurisdiction, and the two quickly notified their colleagues to call the police.

Director's office.

Chen Yi stopped the director from making tea and first chatted about some harmless details during his duty, and then asked about the catering alliance.

"Restaurant Alliance?" Director Lu had an impression. "During this period, we have indeed received several reports from catering businesses. They reported that some unscrupulous people came to the store and forced them to join the alliance and collected membership fees, which is similar to the restaurant-consumer alliance in the past two years.

But this group of people are very careful, and it will be difficult to deal with them if we can’t find any evidence against them.”

It is legally permitted for non-governmental organizations to collect membership fees, provided that the corresponding conditions are met.

First, legal registration.

Second, the charging standards are reasonable.

Third, the principle of voluntariness.

Fourth, openness and transparency.

and many more.

Chen Yi knew that the catering alliance dared to appear because it must have met some or even all of the conditions, but it just skirted the line in specific actions.

For example, regarding the principle of voluntariness, if merchants do not want to join, they will find ways to make them "forced to volunteer."

Another example is the principle of reasonable charging. In the absence of clear standards, a slightly higher price will not attract attention.

As the police crackdown intensifies, this group of people will also escalate.

Director Lu said that he was planning to report the case to the police station in the near future. If police force could be allocated to conduct a special investigation, it would be more effective.

These are just a few streets in Shanhai District. If the scope is expanded to the whole of Dongli, there may be more.

Finally, Chen Yi mentioned Zhong Liyun's name.

Director Lu was certainly no stranger to Zhong Liyun, the chairman of Yunjie Group, a pioneer in drug control in Dongli, and a celebrity to be sure. Even if he didn't know him, he had heard of him.

He had no idea about his early years.

Because when Zhong Liyun founded Yunjie Company, Director Lu had just started working, and the two sides just missed the intersection.

If you want to understand the situation, you need to find an old police officer who is over 45 years old or retired.

Chen Yi came to Shuigong Police Station to get the names of veteran police officers in the area and to ask Chief Lu whether he had ever heard his predecessors talk about the past of that street after he started working.

As a master, the old policeman still likes to brag to his apprentice when they are drinking.

Director Lu didn't know why Chen Yi was concerned about that street, but it was not his place to ask. After careful recollection, he said, "Old Wu was in charge of that street back then. Old Wu and I were not in the same group, but I remember that street very well. Fights and brawls happened frequently and we often received calls to the police. Later, it got much better under the nationwide campaign to crack down on gangsters and eliminate evil."

Chen Yi could imagine the chaos of 20 or 30 years ago and asked, "Do they arrest people every now and then?"

Director Lu: "We arrest people, but 90% of them reconcile when they arrive at the station, and we give them a warning and let them go."

The way things were handled in the early years was very different from how it is now. In the early years, if reconciliation was possible, then it would be reached. But now, even if reconciliation is reached, it is very likely that everyone will be detained for mutual fighting.

Fighting in public places is no longer a personal issue.

To put it simply, I would say two things about the past and today: I used to avoid quarrels when I could resort to violence, and now I never resort to violence.

If you use violence, you have to pay compensation. Law and order have been tightened and everyone's legal awareness has improved a lot.

"Has Zhong Liyun been caught?" Chen Yi asked.

Director Lu said: "I remember that he was arrested more than once. There was a period of time when Zhong Liyun often reported to the station, but it didn't take long for him to get better. Old Wu even said that since Zhong Liyun stopped, even fewer people called the police."

Chen Yi guessed that it must be Zhong Liyun who integrated that street and defeated it.

When he first arrived at the dance hall, fights were inevitable, so Zhong Liyun went to the police station again and again. Later, no one dared to go against Zhong Liyun, so there were fewer fights and fewer calls to the police.

Later, Zhong Liyun founded Yunjie.

"I'll go ask Lao Wu directly. Please give me his contact information and full name."

Director Lu took out his cell phone and said, "No problem. He will retire next year."

Chen Yi knew that Old Wu must be quite old, and that to be in charge of managing the most chaotic street, he would need experience accumulated over the years.

If young police officers were sent to handle the incident, they would not be able to suppress the arrogance of Zhong Liyun and his gang. The deterrent power of the local police officers back then was not as great as imagined. High-level criminal police and special police would not take care of trivial matters such as public security unless a major chaos broke out.

Therefore, the petty thieves and gangsters are very familiar with the local police officers. When they meet, they politely pass cigarettes to each other. Those who don’t know would think that they are brothers.

The special case team left the police station and got in the car.

I definitely can't go to see Old Wu tonight. It would be a bit presumptuous to meet him, as he's an old comrade who's about to retire. He might have already fallen asleep.

Let’s talk tomorrow.

On the way back to the hotel, He Shi found a new person: Ji Hao.

Ji Hao, male, 37 years old, from Jiacheng, chairman of Dongli Haijian Credit Company.

He is the owner of the restaurant where we are having dinner tonight.

There is no simple role for people who work in the credit industry. The word "credit" is quite reasonable and fits the overbearing style of doing things. However, even if they are overbearing, they are also doing it to protect tenants from extortion, so their starting point is good.

He Shixin looked at the computer screen and said, "Captain Chen, Ji Hao owns more than a dozen properties, eight of which are shops, and all of them are on the street where we ate."

"Oh?"

Chen Yi was surprised. This was somewhat unexpected.

There are eight shops on one street, which is much more impressive than what Zhong Liyun had back then. Zhong Liyun was just an employee, but Ji Hao actually holds the industry in his own hands.

"Let's see the time," he said.

When Xin swiped his mouse to bring up the transfer date, he replied: "All... about ten years ago."

"Ten years..." Chen Yi repeated silently. By that time, Zhong Liyun had already left this street and embarked on a new path of development, making Yunjie bigger and stronger.

I have to say that Ji Hao is also a character.

"Let's do this for now, let's go back to the hotel."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Yi did not pay too much attention to this person. There were too many bosses like him in Dongli.

After arriving at the hotel, Chen Yi allowed the five members of the special case team to move freely, with two principles: they could not drink too much and they could not walk too far.

Su Ying didn't want to go out at first, but was tricked into leaving by the four men. She had finally come to Dongli and couldn't waste the precious opportunity and time.

Anyway, there is no case to investigate, and I am here just for "travel".

Chen Yi went back to his room and made a video call with Fang Shuyu as usual.

……

The next morning, the special case team contacted Lao Wu. The other party now has more flexible working hours, and the institute generally will not arrange work for him. He can just wait for retirement smoothly and steadily, which will only take a few months.

Chen Yi personally spoke to Old Wu.

Old Wu was very surprised to learn that the other party was from the police department. He wanted to go out to keep the appointment, but Chen Yi said he wanted to go directly and asked Fang if it was inconvenient.

"That's convenient, Chen Xun, just come over. I'll tell you the address."

After hanging up the phone, the special case team drove to a residential area in Donglishanhai, found the designated house number, and knocked on the door politely.

The door opened quickly.

Fifty-nine-year-old Old Wu was dressed casually, with half of his smoke-stained teeth showing when he smiled. He had heavy bags under his eyes and a face full of vicissitudes.

His wife was also there, and the couple expressed their welcome to the special case team.

living room.

The seven people sat down, and Old Wu's wife went to make tea. This time Chen Yi did not stop her. If they could not even have tea during a visit, the host would definitely not allow it.

Soon the hot tea was served and Old Wu’s wife tactfully returned to her room.

Chen Yi had been looking at the police uniform hanging in the living room. Not only him, but the other five people were also looking at it, with a certain amount of respect in their eyes.

Because it was a white shirt.

Dongli is a municipality directly under the central government. It is not surprising that veteran police officers from the urban police stations under the Shanhai Branch can reach the [High Police Third Supervisory Unit] before retirement and enjoy department-level treatment.

What matters is the treatment, not the level.

I will retire soon, so my rank is of no use.

"Patron Chen, I've heard of you a long time ago." Old Wu seemed very happy for some reason. It might be because he got to meet a deputy-department-level police inspector who was almost thirty years younger than him before retiring.

He got to his position mainly through seniority. He has real ability, otherwise he would not have been promoted so quickly. He would have needed to be promoted out of turn many times, and behind each of his promotions there was an outstanding contribution.

"Director Wu..."

Just as Chen Yi opened his mouth, Old Wu interrupted: "Hey, don't call me Director Wu, just call me Old Wu, everyone calls me that, even my wife and children call me that, haha."

Old Wu has a good personality and is in a good mood. It seems that his family is harmonious and his work is going well. He is also about to retire and enjoy his later years. When the time comes, he will raise birds and plant flowers and live a very comfortable life.

Chen Yi was not polite and said with a smile, "Old Wu."

Old Wu became even happier and motioned for everyone to have some tea.

After putting down the cup, Chen Yi got to the point: "Old Wu, I came here tonight mainly to ask about Zhong Liyun. Do you still remember him?"

"Zhong Liyun..." Old Wu raised his head slightly and thought for a while, then nodded: "Yes, how can I forget him? This guy caused me a lot of trouble back then. The most exaggerated period was that he was the one who caused me trouble three out of five times I went out on police duty. He really made me worry."

Chen Yi: "He is quite famous now."

Old Wu: “That’s right, he’s a pioneer in drug control. I saw it on the news. Not surprisingly, this guy had a zero-tolerance policy against drugs 20 years ago and even reported drug users to me.

Well, we are friends, but I was ruthless when I caught him and taught him a lesson."

Chen Yi asked directly: "Do you know what else he has done besides fighting? I mean illegal and criminal behavior, even if there is only a little sign of it."

"This..." Old Wu hesitated, "Every time the police went out to arrest him, there was a fight. I really don't know anything else... What's wrong with this kid?"

Chen Yi smiled and denied: "No, no, just treat it as a casual chat."

Old Wu said "oh" and nodded. He probably didn't believe it in his heart. But he wouldn't care and wouldn't take the initiative to find out.

Chen Yi changed his perspective: "What about his subordinates? Have any of them been arrested for committing serious crimes?"

Old Wu's memory became clearer and clearer, and he shook his head decisively: "No, it's true that this group of people 20 years ago were ruthless and unruly, but they didn't have the courage to commit a big crime.

He was young and just trying to make a living. He wasn't a bad person. Zhong Liyun was always well behaved every time he came to the institute and was very respectful to us. One time, one of his younger brothers named Ji Hao scolded me, and Zhong Liyun slapped him and asked him to apologize. I was deeply impressed. "

Chen Yi nodded subconsciously, then suddenly froze and asked, "Who? Jihao? Which two words?"

Old Wu: "Ah? Just... Jihao, Ji for season, Hao for vast."

Chen Yi immediately looked at He Shixin, who took out his mobile phone to look for Ji Hao's photo and showed it to Lao Wu.

Old Wu came closer to take a closer look and said with certainty, "It's definitely him. He hasn't changed much in twenty years."

The old policeman was very experienced. Seeing that the other party could produce photos to confirm a name he mentioned at random, he was certain that Chen Yi and his companions were coming for Zhong Liyun, and they were investigating events that happened twenty years ago.

On the other side, the name Ji Hao came into Chen Yi's sight again.

He didn't pay attention to it at first, but he didn't expect that Ji Hao was once Zhong Liyun's younger brother.

In this case, it cannot be ignored. Even if the two parties have later parted ways and started their own careers, the traces of the early years cannot be erased, and you can follow the clues to gain a deeper understanding.

The fact that he dared to scold the police shows that Ji Hao's behavior back then was much more arrogant than Zhong Liyun's.

It's hard to change one's personality, and now... I'm afraid he's not someone you can easily deal with.

"Old Wu, back then... taking the area you were in charge of for example, were there any particularly profitable businesses? Both legal and illegal are included. Buying lottery tickets is not included, but those with extremely good luck are not mentioned." Chen Yi changed the question.

Old Wu thought for a moment and said, "Drugs?"

Chen Yi: "Besides drugs?"

Old Wu: "Opening casinos and brothels, you can make a fortune every day. Lending at high interest rates is also quite high, with the interest being higher than the principal. Other things... smuggling? Extortion? Kidnapping? And..."

Chen Yi: "These have nothing to do with Zhong Liyun, right?"

Old Wu: "It doesn't matter. He's far away. He has never been involved in these messy things... Unless he hid it deeply and didn't get exposed, then I don't know."

It seems impossible to get a direct answer from Old Wu.

Chen Yi planned to move the timeline forward and have a good chat without rushing.

(End of this chapter)