Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 636 Motive
At 9:00 AM on the 31st, in the deputy director's office on the second floor of the municipal bureau's office building.

Li Yancheng, sitting behind his desk, put down the documents in his hand, yawned, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was a little tired after not sleeping all night.

He pinched the bridge of his nose a few times, then picked up the strong tea he had just brewed and took a sip. He lit a cigarette, picked up the document he hadn't finished reading earlier, and continued reading.

After glancing at it a few times, he slammed the document back onto the table, stood up, and twisted his waist a few times to loosen it up, which had become slightly stiff from sitting for so long.

The "Winter Operation" has been basically arranged, and we are just waiting for the mobilization meeting this afternoon before it officially starts tomorrow.

Having lived two lives, totaling over ninety years, this was the first time he had hosted such a large-scale operation, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

Because of his nervousness, he seemed a little irritable and couldn't even concentrate on reading the documents.

After stretching his back for a while, he stood there and took several deep breaths to suppress the trembling in his heart. He sat back down in his chair, and this time he didn't look at the documents. Instead, he picked up a photocopy of the case file of Yang Chao's case. At this moment, only studying the case could calm him down.

What was the purpose of this case? It's quite obvious: the murderer killed two people for the remaining 50,000 yuan in wages.

What is the purpose of needing so much money?

In this day and age, money is important, but it's not the most important thing. Moreover, the murderer wouldn't dare to spend so much money recklessly, nor would he dare to let the people around him know that he has money.

Because at this time, everyone's monthly income is roughly the same. If your family suddenly buys this and that, spending money extravagantly and significantly exceeding your income, your neighbors will definitely report you.

There are many people who don't care about things that don't concern them, but if people from the same social class can only afford to eat meat once a week or once a month, and suddenly you can afford to eat meat every day, it's no wonder that others are jealous.

Jealousy can drive people to do many unexpected things.

Therefore, Li Yancheng was 100% certain that the murderer did not obtain that money to improve his own family's life.

So what does he want so much money for?
For a man who isn't exactly settled, the biggest expenses besides food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are gambling, prostitution, and drugs.

Although the ancient trade of "yellow" has never been completely eradicated since its inception, there are not many people doing this business these days, and they all do it secretly. Even if many men wanted to find it, they probably wouldn't be able to.

Another very important point is that finding a backdoor in this era doesn't really cost much money, and Li Yancheng doesn't believe that the murderer killed and stole so much money just for this.

Is it poison? If you really get infected with this stuff, you'll lose all your wealth. Forget 50,000, even 5 million wouldn't be enough to make it work, even though money is still very valuable now.

However, since the early days of liberation, there has been a severe crackdown on cases involving this stuff, and there are indeed not many cases in China now. In Beijing, there have been no cases involving this stuff for a long time.

Therefore, Li Yancheng still leans towards the idea that the murderer got the money for gambling.

This trade is quite ancient. From dice games and dominoes to mahjong and poker, there are many tools that can be used for gambling, and it has been repeatedly banned but never stopped.

There are countless people who want to make a fortune without working by playing this game, and there are also countless people who use it to set up schemes. The files of various criminal cases that have been brought to light by this game could fill several rooms.

Is it really for gambling?
Gamblers who lose everything are capable of anything. If they borrow money from private lenders with high interest rates because of gambling, they are very likely to take desperate risks.

Thinking of this, Li Yancheng reached out and picked up the receiver of the light yellow landline phone on the table, and dialed a few numbers on the dial with his index finger.

"Old Zhu, this is Li Yancheng."

"Da Cheng? Uh... just tell me what you need me to do."

Li Yancheng, on the other end of the phone, felt a little embarrassed by his old classmate Zhu Yongyang's words. Thinking about it, it seemed that every time he took the initiative to contact this old classmate, it was indeed because he had something to ask for.

"There is something I need to ask. I just want to know how much you know about gambling for money?"

"Are you referring to the people who play the cards, or the people who set up the venue? If it's the people who play the cards, I know a few, but we're not very close."

I know a few people who run gambling dens. They make money by taking a cut of the winnings. Someone once tried to get me to lend money at his place. The daily interest rate was 20 cents for a ten-dollar loan, which is two percent. The maximum loan term was one month.

This is indeed quite profitable, but Da Cheng, as you know, I don't have a good impression of card games, so I didn't get involved.

Two percent daily interest? Li Yancheng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

This is even worse than the nine-out-of-ten-out-of-treasury pawnshops of the late Qing Dynasty. At least those were monthly interest rates, but this is daily interest. Borrowing 100 yuan for a month means 60 yuan in interest. In just two months, the interest exceeds the principal. This is not making money; it's faster than robbing someone.

Actually, Zhu Yongyang hadn't finished speaking. He only mentioned daily interest, but didn't mention the compound interest.

When money is taken at a gambling table, it is generally assumed that the money will be returned on the same day or the next day, and at most within five days.

So, are there cases where payments are not made within five days? Of course, there are. It's true that some people genuinely don't have the money to pay and can only wait for their salary. But after five days, interest starts to accrue.

If you don't pay back the money after a month, the debt collectors will come to your house. If you still don't pay back at home, the next step will be to your workplace. In short, money from gambling is easy to get, but it's a hot potato.

As for what to do if you don't have a job, it's simple: people who don't have jobs simply won't lend you money.

Those who can deposit money in such places are either the people who set up the venue, earning both a cut from the venue's operations and interest.

Some people who set up gambling dens may not have enough money to lend out, so they will find someone to cooperate with, bring in someone with spare money to lend to their den, and then take a cut from the interest.

These kinds of places are very secretive; you can't get in without someone you know. They know the people who frequent them very well, which is why they dare to give you money without any collateral, just an IOU.

Are there any venues like that in Yangchao District?

"Of course there is. I happen to know someone who used to run a venue in Yangchao. Later, that venue was shut down, and he was sent to a labor camp for two years. He has been out for a year now, and it's hard to say whether he's still running it now."

But I think he's probably still doing this kind of work; he needs to eat, after all. Even if he's not running his own venue, he's probably running someone else's.

"Can you find this person now?"

"Sure, I know his house." "That's good. Here's the thing, Lao Zhu, I'll have Xiao Guan deliver some photos to you now. Ask that person to take a look and see if he recognizes the people in the photos."

If he doesn't know them, try to find out if there are any other venues in Yangchao's area, and get a few more people to help me check."

"No problem, your business is my business. I'll go right away once the photos arrive."

Zhu Yongyang on the other end of the phone agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you, you can wait at home."

“No need for such formalities between us brothers. I won’t wait at home. I’ll go to the alley entrance and tell Xiao Guan I’ll wait for him there.”

"it is good"

……

Li Yancheng then instructed Guan Weidong to take the photos of the two deceased to Zhu Yongyang, asking him to inquire whether these two people were regulars at the card games.

He did this on a whim, thinking that the murderer must have a purpose in making such a big fuss and getting so much money. There are only so many ways to spend money these days, and gambling is the biggest expense.

Check it out. Even if you don't find anything, it's okay. Eliminating possibilities is also a kind of gain.

His idea came to him suddenly. After questioning the wife of the first victim, An Hongwei, Jin Zhihai was basically certain that both victims had participated in the card game, and that the case was likely committed by the two victims in collusion with another person.

The other person is very likely Wang Hongyang, the driver for the neighborhood committee.

As for why the murderer killed both of them, it's very easy to understand: it was a case of double-crossing.

After figuring this out, Jin Zhihai immediately arranged for the criminal police team of Yangchao Branch to investigate gambling dens in their jurisdiction, especially near the home of Fan Yimin, the deputy director of the Finance Office.

You definitely won't find anything by investigating gambling dens during the day, because these places only open at night and are usually not open during the day. They are also very well hidden, so you have no idea what they do inside unless you go in.

There will be guards outside. If they notice anything amiss, they will immediately relay the information inside. Once the people inside receive the information, they will arrange for the card players to move out quickly.

These card players are their gods of wealth, and they must ensure the safety of their gods of wealth. Even if they are caught, they will not easily reveal the information of the card players.

Only in this way, even if something bad has happened, as long as they take full responsibility, will people continue to come to their place to play when they set up a venue again after they come out.

What if you can't find the venue during the day? No problem. The officers of the Yangchao Branch Criminal Police Team will mobilize all available resources to find the person who set it up. It doesn't matter if you can't find the venue, as long as you find the person who set it up.

With a clear target and all connections mobilized for the search, by lunchtime, people were being brought to the office of the Yangchao Branch Criminal Police Team.

Jin Zhihai has also arrived from the headquarters.

Even if these people who frequent gambling dens are taken to the criminal investigation team, they won't honestly answer any questions. Many of them have been arrested multiple times and are seasoned veterans. No matter what they are asked, they will claim ignorance. Even with the photos of the two deceased in front of them, they will only glance at them indifferently and shake their heads, saying they don't know.

But whether they actually saw it or not, only they themselves know.

"Mr. Jin, these people are all veterans. Not to mention that we don't have any concrete evidence to prove that they set up gambling dens, watch over gambling dens, or engage in illegal activities, even if we caught them in the act, they would all be stubborn and refuse to confess. It would be almost impossible to get them to identify the people playing cards at their place."

"Nothing is impossible."

Standing outside one of the interrogation rooms, Jin Zhihai looked through the window into the room. Inside was a man in his thirties, and just by looking at his nonchalant manner, you could tell he was a repeat offender.

The guy sat there, and when questioned, he only answered with three words: "I don't know." Even when the police asked him about his gender, his answer was still the same three words.

"If your men can't get these people to talk, I'll send the headquarters over."

After watching for a while, Jin Zhihai turned to Captain Duan of the Yangchao Branch Criminal Police Team, who was standing next to him, and said.

As soon as he finished speaking, Captain Duan's face turned bright red.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Jin, give me some time. I will make sure they all confess before I start work this afternoon."

"Okay, let's not do it before the start of the workday this afternoon, let's do it before the end of the workday this afternoon. If you still haven't managed to get it done here, then we'll send someone from headquarters over."

After saying this, Jin Zhihai turned and walked towards the two-story building, continuing as he walked, "Captain Duan, take me to the conference room and tell me about the investigation situation on your side."

He didn't want to make things difficult for anyone, but Captain Duan immediately made it impossible for him to get these people to talk, which immediately ignited his anger.

He has worked on the front line of criminal investigation for more than ten years. He has seen all kinds of tough guys. Some of them are indeed very difficult to get to talk, but that is not a reason to give up.

What, you're not going to ask questions if they don't speak up? What's the point of having the police then? What kind of cases are they working so hard to investigate? They should all go home and sleep. If there's a case, just wait for the criminals to turn themselves in.

Captain Duan realized he had misspoke; this was the criminal investigation team, not the security team he used to work for.

"Mr. Jin, I..."

After catching up, he was just about to admit his mistake when he saw Jin Zhihai wave his hand.

"I only care about the results. There's no need for further words. I'm here on behalf of the headquarters to guide you in handling the case. Although some of the investigation tasks are being handled by the headquarters, the main control of the case still rests with your Yangchao branch. The longer the case drags on, the less likely the money will be recovered. That's salary money; hundreds of people are waiting anxiously for it."

If the case remains unsolved, you, as the head of the criminal investigation team, are primarily responsible.

The unpaid wages were actually paid out by the finance office the next day. It's impossible that wages were withheld simply because the funds were stolen. The wages will be paid out once the case is solved and the amount recovered is paid out.

He said that simply to put some pressure on Captain Duan.

(End of this chapter)