Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Captain Chen stared at them for a long time, then sat down again, lit a cigarette, took a few deep drags, and the smoke billowed from his nose, obscuring his gloomy face.

Thirty-seven lives have been lost; there must be an explanation.

If he were to report that he was killed by an eight-year-old child, his superiors would surely consider him insane.

If word got out, the police station would become a laughing stock in Shanghai.

He needs to find a reasonable explanation.

"Zhao Demao".

"exist."

"How's business lately?"

Zhao Demao was taken aback, not understanding why the detective would suddenly ask this, and stammered in response:

"It's...it's alright, it's just that the current situation is bad, and business is difficult."

"Have you offended anyone?"

"No, no, I run my business honestly."

Captain Chen then looked at Qian Shouyi: "And you? Are the accounts at the money exchange clear? Have you made any enemies?"

Qian Shouyi waved his hands repeatedly: "Captain Chen, I'm the kind of person who's most afraid of trouble and never offends anyone."

Captain Chen then looked at Mrs. Sun: "Mrs. Sun, your husband is in the cotton yarn business, has he ever dealt with small businesses?"

Sun Li's face turned pale instantly: "No...no, my husband never does business with the Japanese."

"Have you heard who the circus owner offended?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Captain Chen sighed, leaned his head back in his chair, looked at the ceiling, and pondered what scapegoat to find.

Sun Li was a meticulous woman and immediately sensed something was wrong. Captain Chen's question seemed rather strange; could it be...?

She quickly took two small yellow croakers from her bosom and placed them in front of Captain Chen. The words Captain Chen was about to say suddenly stuck in his throat.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Demao and Qian Shouyi suddenly realized why Captain Chen was asking so many questions, and why there were at least eight hundred to a thousand people watching the circus.

With so many people present, why single out these three for interrogation? He didn't know why before, but now he does.

Fuck!

It seems that the three of them are the fattest.

But on the surface, Zhao Demao smiled and said, "Captain Chen, I heard you've been into tea lately. I just got some Golden Leaf tea leaves; I'll bring them over to you later."

Qian Shouyi held up one finger and chimed in, "Captain Chen, I heard you like listening to music, I'll treat you."

Captain Chen smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, but thought to himself: Damn, you guys have some sense, otherwise I would have sent you to the shooting range tonight.

"Fine, you can go now. Remember what happened today, and don't mention it to anyone. If I find out you're talking about it outside..."

His gaze turned cold, and the three men nodded repeatedly, stood up, and walked towards the door.

"etc."

The three people froze, then slowly turned around.

"What you saw at the circus today was a short, adult man dressed in black, wearing a hat so you couldn't see his face. Remember that?"

The three men nodded vigorously: "Got it, got it, it's an adult man, wearing a hat."

"Let's go."

The three of them felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and went out the door. Their footsteps quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The young police officer sitting in the corner leaned over and lowered his voice: "Captain, how do we close this case?"

Captain Chen stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "The circus owner offended some gang members, and they've come seeking revenge. The killer is a professional hitman who fled after the crime; his identity is unknown."

"But Captain, all the witnesses said it was a child..."

"eyewitness?"

Captain Chen sneered, "They're terrified, they're seeing things. Do you really believe a kid could kill over thirty people with a submachine gun?"

The young police officer shook his head.

Captain Chen stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The night breeze blew in, carrying a chill.

The streetlights outside cast a dim yellow glow on the empty road, and occasionally a dog barked in the distance.

"This case is closed."

"But Captain, thirty-seven lives..."

"So what if it's thirty-seven lives?"

Captain Chen's voice turned cold, "If you really investigate and find an eight-year-old child, can you arrest him?"

What's the sentence if they're caught? Execution?

How to write a newspaper in Shanghai?

How should newspapers across China be written?

"The police are incompetent, an eight-year-old child slaughtered the entire circus"? You think I haven't embarrassed myself enough?

Besides, that's a Tommy gun, an ugly domestic product.

The young police officer lowered his head and said nothing more.

Captain Chen turned around, picked up the case file on the table, flipped through it, and then closed it.

"They said the gang was seeking revenge, the murderer was on the run, and the circus's property had been looted, so it must have been taken away by the murderer."

"As for those children..." She paused, "we still need to investigate them, after all, the case still needs to be closed."

"Yes."

The young police officer saluted and turned to leave.

Captain Chen stood alone by the window, lit another cigarette, and recalled what Sun Li had said.

How could an eight-year-old child know how to use a submachine gun?

How could they kill so many people?

He didn't believe it.

But deep down he had a feeling that the three people weren't lying.

He shook his head, stubbed out his cigarette, picked up his hat, and walked out of the office.

……

pier.

Manager Sun was already waiting with his men.

A dozen or so men, some squatting, some standing, some leaning against the wall smoking.

They were all handpicked from the docks; they were strong, skilled fighters, and obedient.

Ma Yongzhen stood at the front and saw Lin Tian walking out of the night, so he quickly went to greet him.

"Young Master, you've arrived."

"Um."

Lin Tian nodded. "How's the situation?"

"The children are all settled. We found an empty warehouse, laid out straw mats, and covered them with blankets. They've eaten and drunk water. Some are asleep, while others are still crying."

Ma Yongzhen's voice was low and tinged with a hint of reluctance, "The girl in the jar is asleep now, clinging to my arm and refusing to let go. It was so hard to get her to sleep."

"Find a doctor to examine them, treat any illnesses or injuries. Tell me if you need more money."

"Yes."

Manager Sun squeezed out of the crowd, bending over with a smile plastered on his face, a smile that was much more genuine than before.

"Young Master, you've arrived. The children are all settled, so don't worry. The older ones can help look after the younger ones, so there won't be any trouble for a while."

He rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Young Master, how is the situation on your end?"

"It's nothing serious."

Lin Tian spoke casually, and Steward Sun's Adam's apple bobbed; he wanted to ask but dared not.

He heard about the circus incident; more than thirty people had died.

Police officers arrived, cordoned off the scene, and carried out one body after another.

Who is the killer?

He dared not think about it, nor did he want to.

"As long as the children are settled, that's all that matters."

Lin Tian pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and threw it on the ground. "Yongzhen, take these down and distribute them to the brothers. They've worked hard tonight."

……