Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 113 The Army of Justice 15
Lu Rongzhi was taken to the police station just after dark.

After a full day of intensive investigation and interrogation, everyone was a bit tired and decided to grab a bite to eat before continuing.

Jin Xiangyuan and Qu He, who were in the interrogation room, were experiencing their most energetic moment.

The lack of attention for half a day made them tense and restless. They kept standing up to ask the police at the door when they could leave, but received no answer. After several attempts, they finally lost their temper and questioned the officers.

"Why can't I leave? Hasn't the matter already been investigated and cleared up? You should be detaining the murderer!"

"My mother's and son's bodies are still waiting for me to take them to the funeral home, and you haven't returned my jewelry yet. What exactly do you mean by this?!"

The loud noise couldn't mask the underlying panic and unease; it was all bark and no bite.

Tan Ming: "We'll interrogate the other two after we've investigated the others. It'll be quite interesting to see them trying to justify themselves and then we rebut them."

In recent cases, I've encountered some stubborn criminals. I kind of miss the criminals who would come in and confess honestly, so they could leave work quickly.

Tan Jia, while kneading the dough figurine, struck up a conversation with him. He didn't need to watch where he was going; he just needed to keep pace with the two tall, burly men.

"Jiajia," Tan Ming called to her.

"Speak." She was sculpting the human-shaped clay figure to resemble Jin Xiangyuan, her attention focused on her fingertips.

She has already identified three key elements in this case: steamed buns, jade, and medicine. Now, all that's left is the clay sculpture of the mastermind behind the murder. When all the finished products are put together, this episode of "Crime Scene" will also feature a new mode and gameplay – reconstructing the truth of the case by following the clues.

Such a meaningful clay sculpture, with just a little promotion, wouldn't the police station collect it? Once they collect it, she'll be considered someone with a representative work.

"Jiajia," Tan Ming called again, then stopped.

Tan Jia's clay sculpture of Jin Xiangyuan almost bumped into his back and flattened his head, but luckily she stopped in time.

"What are you doing?"

Looking past his obstruction, Lin Zhiyue stood at the gate, staring at her.

"..." She looked up and met Tan Ming's gaze. "It's probably important business. Look at the look in your eyes."

After saying that, he walked over to Lin Zhiyue and asked him, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Hmm. There's a problem with the steamed bun shop's partner."

Tan Jia waited for him to explain the specific problem, but he stopped there. He paused for a moment when he met her questioning gaze before saying the next sentence.

"Did you have meal?"

"..."

Tan Ming and Zheng Yan walked to the cafeteria at a very slow pace, and were successfully overtaken by Tan Jia, who arrived a little late, halfway there.

"Just letting you guys know, Lin Zhiyue has discovered something fishy and needs me to come over for a meal before he tells you. You two can eat in the cafeteria yourselves."

She left as soon as she finished speaking, without giving anyone time to ask questions.

Lin Zhiyue was waiting for her at the door. He was tall, thin, fair-skinned, and handsome. In the dim light of the evening street lamps, he looked like a young married woman.

Tan Ming's eyes were deep and unsettling: "I told you, that kid is no good. Why did you only mention it when Jiajia was freeloading off him, when he was contributing to social stability? If Jiajia had treated him to a meal, it would have been one of them contributing money and the other contributing effort. What does it mean that he's helping out and treating her to a meal at the same time?"

The prisoners being escorted can be identified within two seconds of passing by.

Zheng Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry unnecessarily. Don't you even know what kind of person Tan Jia is?"

It's still uncertain who will suffer the loss.

Tan Jia was unaware of the crickets buzzing behind her. She got into Lin Zhiyue's luxury car, the air conditioning dispelling the stifling heat, and a fresh, delicious meal was right in front of her. "You're addicted to sharing," she said, taking a bite of beef brisket and satisfying her craving before asking, "Mind talking while we eat? What did you discover?"

Lin Zhiyue has practiced how to quickly get to the point; he didn't stumble once, and his sentences flowed smoothly and naturally.
"The steamed bun shop only has three real partners, and the one that should least have any interaction is a three-star hotel. Jin Xiangyuan's shop is not big, and it also has other shops that distribute steamed buns. Hotels usually don't buy things from such small steamed bun shops, but they are indeed cooperating. The hotel staff said it's because someone from above put in a good word for them."

Tan Jia certainly hadn't expected this outcome.

"So Jin Xiangyuan is really running a legitimate steamed bun business? Are you sure that hotel isn't doing anything illegal?"

Lin Zhiyue: "I didn't find anything. Jin Xiangyuan leaves after delivering the buns; there are security cameras there."

“So…” She left the beef brisket in her bowl without eating it, frowning in thought. “Could this be a smokescreen by Jin Xiangyuan to deal with the inspection? The one least likely to cooperate legitimately is the one least afraid of being investigated. That means the person who got the hotel to buy the buns through back channels is probably involved in Jin Xiangyuan’s illegal business, and this person must have a relatively high status.”

Is this person Lu Rongzhi, the current husband of Qu He and the owner of a small plastic factory, whom they are about to investigate?
Or is there someone else?

Lin Zhiyue watched her quietly as she pondered, without touching her chopsticks, her gaze following her every move.

Tan Jia finished thinking and caught him precisely: "Why are you staring at me? Haven't you observed me enough after all this time? Let's eat."

Lin Zhiyue's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't express himself accurately, or even know what he wanted to say. He could only frown and lower his head.

He finished the meal in a state of agitation, and seeing that the person was about to leave, he called out to Tan Jia.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Tan Jia looked at him with amusement, and only after he looked away did she suddenly remember something and say, "Oh, there is something I need your help with. Go back and see if anyone has sent me any letters or packages, or if anyone has left anything strange in front of my door."

Lin Zhiyue nodded seriously.

……

Back at the police station, Tan Jia discovered that the interrogation of Lü Rongzhi had ended.

When Zheng Yan saw her return, he asked meaningfully, "What important business did you discuss?"

"It's definitely serious business. Jin Xiangyuan bought his house and car through other businesses, but besides these illegal ventures, he's actually been seriously making steamed buns, probably to pass the investigation. That most suspicious hotel only had dealings with him through steamed buns, but—"

Tan Jia took a sip of water before continuing with the "but": "Given the size of that hotel, it's unlikely they would cooperate with Jin Baozi Shop. The hotel staff said that someone from above put in a good word for them, allowing Jin Xiangyuan to get in through the back door. And Jin Xiangyuan's reaction wasn't very enthusiastic or cautious about this business that came through the back door."

Zheng Yan immediately guessed: "They're covering for him. There are even people of higher status involved in Jin Xiangyuan's illegal business."

Then he frowned and said, "There are still people here. This gang is quite large."

She nodded: "Do you think this person could be Lü Rongzhi?"

“No,” Zheng Yan said, taking out the interrogation statement from Lü Rongzhi. “He shouldn’t have been involved in these things, but Qu He did have the idea of ​​winning him over.”

She opened it and took a look.

"Qu He has been trying to get involved in the management of the plastics factory for the past few months. She even said she would introduce customers to the factory and believed that a big business would come knocking on her door next month. Is this big business jade smuggling or counterfeit medicine trafficking? Or is there some illegal scheme tailored for her?"

"I don't know, you'd have to ask Qu He herself to know."

"Are they going to start interrogating them?" Tan Jia asked with some anticipation.

Zheng Yan shook his head: "The evidence is not enough."

The purchase records and financial situation of Yang Shun's pharmacy have not been thoroughly investigated. The value of that batch of jade, and whether Jin Xiangyuan and Qu He have any more jade at home, all require further investigation.

He raised his hand to check the time and said, "Perfect timing, the anti-smuggling team I hired should be arriving soon."

(End of this chapter)