What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

"After you were quarantined, your mentor Qin Lan personally led the team and took down Zhang Jianguo, the previous director of the Jiangcheng branch."

That incident caused quite a stir in the entire Jiangcheng folk culture community, and even within the General Administration of Customs.

Lu Yan's voice echoed among us.

"After Zhang Jianguo was brought down, Qin Lan, our mentor, led us to investigate the matter in depth, based on the account books and various clues we handed over."

She paused, her gaze fixed on me, and said, word by word:

"When we got to the very end, we were shocked to discover that Zhang Jianguo wasn't the only person standing behind Master Huai."

Or rather, Zhang Jianguo, a branch director, might very well be just a protective umbrella they put forward.

The remaining, albeit seemingly plausible, clues point to the obscure Qi family.

Upon hearing this, I was immediately surprised.

My fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the table.

In my original understanding, the biggest backer behind Master Huai was Zhang Jianguo.

After all, a branch director of the Folklore Bureau with considerable power could have absolute control over the entire Jiangcheng area.

After Zhang Jianguo was arrested by Lu Yan's mentor Qin Lan, I thought the matter was completely over.

But I never expected that this matter would have such an astonishing sequel.

"Since all the clues point to the Qi family, why didn't we take direct action against them back then?"

I calmed my surprise, looked at Lu Yan, and asked the most crucial question.

Lu Yan shook her head helplessly, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.

"Because there is no evidence."

Lu Yan sighed.

"All of this is just a clue and a suspicion."

Neither the flow of funds, communication records, nor personnel handover provided direct evidence that the Qi family was involved in the whole affair.

She walked to her desk and closed the report on the flow of funds again.

"We are a state agency, and we must adhere to the chain of evidence when handling cases."

It is impossible to raid a seemingly perfectly legitimate local family based solely on clues and speculation.

Therefore, the matter could only be left unresolved at the time.

Lu Yan looked at me and continued:

Before returning to the provincial bureau, my mentor Qin Lan specifically instructed me to list the Qi family as a key target for surveillance and to keep a close eye on them.

"If they dare to show even the slightest hint of their true colors, we will take immediate action."

At this point, Lu Yan frowned again.

"However, for the past six months or so, the Qi family has behaved too normally under my nose."

They were like a group of the most honest businessmen.

He pays his taxes on time, does charity work, has not done anything out of line, and has never committed any illegal or disorderly acts.

It was so clean it was almost unbelievable.

After hearing Lu Yan's words, the three of us fell into a brief silence.

Li Qing leaned against the table, rubbing her cheeks with her hand, breaking the silence:

"A dog that bites doesn't bark."

The more harmless a family appears on the surface, the more shocking and outrageous their clandestine dealings may be.

They've been lying low for so long, and now they've suddenly revealed their true colors; clearly, they have a grand scheme in mind.

I nodded, my gaze returning to the document bearing the Qi family's name.

The black and white handwriting on the paper appeared somewhat cold under the dim blue light of the screen in the underground command center.

I extended my index finger and gently tapped the edges of those A4 sheets of paper, making a soft rustling sound.

At the same time, he mentally processed everything that had happened that day, from Lao Zhang's disappearance, the clues from the antique shop, to Qiu Feng's death.

All of this, up to the desperate counterattack just now, is connected and forms a clear logical chain.

After a moment of silence, I looked up, met Lu Yan's eyes, and asked:

"Lu Yan, now that we've investigated this far, you probably don't want to close the net yet, right?"

Upon hearing my words, Lu Yan nodded slightly and uttered two words crisply: "Smart."

Li Qing, standing to the side, was drinking water from a disposable paper cup.

Hearing our seemingly cryptic conversation, he put down his cup and interjected with a look of curiosity:

Why not close the net?

Old Chen, we've thoroughly investigated the financial records, and with those three people you just sent over, this is irrefutable evidence.

"Just have Director Lu lead the team, seal off the Qi family's gate, arrest all those bastards, and interrogate them slowly. Wouldn't that clear everything up then?"

I turned around and explained, "Li Qing, things aren't as simple as you think."

Lu Yan's words just now reminded me.

The things on the table alone cannot prove any substantial crime.

I pointed to the report on the flow of funds and explained it in detail:

"This report, at best, has brought the Qi family out of the shadows and into the open."

This proves they are very wealthy and that they are using intricate networks to launder money.

However, money laundering, as an economic crime, is not a high priority within the jurisdiction of the Folklore Bureau.

Even if the case is handed over to the Economic Crime Investigation Department, the Qi family has plenty of lawyers who can argue with the authorities.

I picked up the teacup Li Qing handed me, took a sip to moisten my throat, and continued analyzing the current situation:

"Speaking of murder cases... Ma Jianguo's death was Qiu Fengqian's doing, and this debt can never be attributed to the Qi family."

As for the owner and his assistant at the antique shop, they were nothing more than henchmen planted on the periphery by the Qi family.

At most, you'll only know some trivial matters; you won't get anything more valuable out of them.

Li Qing frowned, seemingly trying to process the meaning behind my words.

I looked at him and continued:

"If we were to investigate the Qi family based on these peripheral clues and uncover their secrets, what do you think would happen?"

Given the Qi family's ability to lie low for so long, and even to use the former branch chief as a protector, they would definitely have sensed the crisis immediately.

Then, they will not hesitate to cut their losses and save themselves.

After that, they would immediately put forward a few scapegoats to take the blame, and then shut down the shell companies involved in the case, cutting off all financial chains and evidence.

At that point, all the leads will go cold again.

After listening to my long explanation, the doubt on Li Qing's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.

He touched the stubble on his chin and nodded thoughtfully.

I didn't let him dwell on this issue any longer. Instead, I reached out and pointed to the red silk package on Lu Yan's desk, guiding his thinking:

"Furthermore, Li Qing, think about it carefully."

The Qi family has been lying low for so long without revealing anything, so why did they suddenly start a big fight today?

Why would they risk exposing their own strength by sending those three men to find Qiu Feng?

Li Qing's gaze followed my finger and landed on the red silk wrapping.