"Yes, a former colleague from the police force once told me about a case involving a pyramid scheme company. When they tried to flee, the police discovered large sums of money being transferred. Each month, billions were sent to overseas accounts. Later, these individuals did indeed escape abroad, but our criminal investigators eventually brought them back. They had even applied for green cards, but after their illegal activities were exposed, foreign countries revoked their qualifications."
"I've heard of that case. It was around 1998, wasn't it? Those criminals fled abroad, and the police pursued them for six years. It wasn't until the seventh year that the police found crucial evidence. The police flew back and forth all those years; it must have been quite arduous," Xiao Yuande recalled.
I thought this case must have originated from the provincial department, so he would surely have heard of it. Now that the situation at Pin Hong International Trade seemed similar, I realized we needed to expedite our actions. We couldn't afford to repeat the mistakes of that past case; otherwise, it would be a significant problem.
One day, Liu Yuning and I, along with several economic crime investigators, went to Pin Hong International Trade. With the suspicious transfer records, we now had grounds to confront the boss, Mr. Niu.
When Mr. Niu saw us, he appeared completely unfazed. Even though he knew we were accompanied by economic crime police, he acted as if we weren't there.
"Gentlemen, are you here again about our company's substantial fund transfers? Are you all economic crime investigators?" Mr. Niu, smoking a cigar, stared at us imperiously, his eyes shamelessly scanning Liu Yuning. His gaze was vulgar and filled with disdain.
"We are criminal investigators, assisting the economic crime department!" Liu Yuning stated coldly.
"Assisting? Is that so? Then please, let the comrades from the economic crime department speak to me!"
Captain Yang then said, "Mr. Niu, this isn't the first time we've asked about the funds. However, this time the situation is different. We've discovered that your recent transfer records are significantly larger and far more frequent than usual. I doubt it's merely for work purposes, is it?"
Captain Yang's tone was laced with extreme probing and sarcasm. Mr. Niu certainly picked up on it, but he showed no signs of nervousness. Instead, he casually replied, "The business has grown, and we're investing more overseas. Is there a problem with that?"
As he spoke, he contemptuously flicked ash from his cigar in front of us, blowing a puff of smoke and scrutinizing us with utter disdain.
"Mr. Niu, please refrain from smoking!" Liu Yuning's comment at this moment seemed somewhat out of place, as this was not a police station, and it was Mr. Niu's own territory. However, Mr. Niu seemed unfazed. He deliberately extinguished his cigar, appearing to express admiration for Liu Yuning. "Miss Police Flower, could you be the renowned young detective Liu Yuning?"
"It seems you have some knowledge. But that was then, and this is now. I'm hardly a young girl anymore."
"Heh, interesting. But I suspect you've made this trip in vain. My funds are all for legitimate use. I have no other intentions; I simply want to expand my business. As a businessman, profit is paramount. I even plan to expand into Russia, Japan, and other countries."
Mr. Niu presented himself as ambitious, discussing his grand plans with us, acting like a distinguished entrepreneur. He clearly didn't take our investigation seriously and projected an image of legitimacy, making it impossible for us to uncover anything.
Just as I was about to speak again, the door to the CEO's office was knocked. A man entered. It was none other than He Xin's boyfriend, Chang Xing, the special forces soldier.
Upon seeing us, Chang Xing gave us a knowing glance. He then approached Mr. Niu and whispered something in his ear. For some reason, upon hearing this, Mr. Niu slammed his fist on the table in anger. "You little bastard, what's going on? Always causing trouble for me! Chang Xing, let's go and see!"
"Mr. Niu, we haven't finished our conversation!" Captain Yang tried to intercept him.
"Gentlemen, my son is in trouble, and I need to go there now. We can discuss things later, alright? I beg you, I'll talk to you as soon as I have time!"
"This..." Captain Yang looked at us. The initiative had shifted to our side. The economic crime unit had already been unable to handle this man. Now Captain Yang was requesting our help, so we had considerable decision-making power. I could see that continuing to pressure Mr. Niu was useless, so I let him go, and simultaneously dispatched someone to follow him.
I also instructed He Xin to thoroughly investigate the Niu family's situation.
The information came back quickly, as the police had already investigated them many times. It was essentially a rehash. He Xin sent me the data in an instant.
Niu Dahong, male, 53 years old, a local of Huahua Town, Guangming City, currently the President of Pin Hong International Trade Company. A few years ago, he was a container worker. Unexpectedly, he became incredibly wealthy overnight the year before last. There are many rumors in the industry about his entrepreneurial history, suggesting he was involved in drug trafficking or dealing in cultural relics. However, within a year, he constantly generated positive news, donated money, built schools, and participated in various charitable events to forcibly launder his reputation. Now, he has transformed into a philanthropist with great compassion.
Niu Lisheng, Niu Dahong's son, 26 years old, Vice President of Pin Hong International Trade Company. However, he seems to have no interest in company affairs, spending his days indulging in debauchery and treating girlfriends like clothing. He also has a penchant for heavy drinking and fighting, a bad habit he's had since childhood. In school, he was almost incorrigible. It's said that one year, he and a few classmates gang-raped a girl at a cement factory. The girl's elderly mother intended to report them, but Niu Dahong paid some money and persuaded her extensively. Eventually, the mother gave up the idea of reporting them. No one even knew. If the police had found out, even if the victim didn't press charges, the police have the right to prosecute cases like rape.
However, this incident did not end there. It is said that the girl's family moved away shortly after this incident.
As I reviewed the information, I mused, "They suddenly moved away? That seems suspicious. Could it be that they were..."
"Father, are you implying that they might have met with foul play?"
"Sigh, let's investigate. It's possible these things are related to the past drug trafficking case. Think about it, isn't it quite normal for spoiled brats like Niu Lisheng to get involved with drugs?"
"That's true. I'll start investigating immediately."
After some investigation, He Xin suddenly told me, "There is indeed a problem. Niu Dahong's household registration was transferred after he became wealthy. He was originally from Jiangxi. But not long after the incident with the girl, he moved his entire family. Although he wasn't a boss back then, he had a stable foreign trade job locally. If something hadn't happened at the time, he wouldn't have moved his family so easily. This incident occurred five years ago, which is close to the current timeline."
"It seems we need to go to Jiangxi to investigate this case. You continue to follow Niu Lisheng. I'll leave Xiao Yuande with you."
"Alright. You go investigate with peace of mind. We'll work from both ends, and we'll definitely find Yue Xiuping and solve the drug case!"
"Indeed! May your words come true!"
After leaving He Xin, I clearly explained to Liu Yuning and the others that we would be heading to Yingtan, Jiangxi, the next day to investigate Niu Dahong's hometown, primarily to look into the matter of the girl from back then. Before departing, Liu Yuning had already contacted the local police station and found the girl's information. Her name was Xiang Yitong, and she had attended Yingtan Central High School.
To save time, we split into several groups. Liu Yuning and I would first visit the vicinity of Xiang Yitong's former residence. Xiahou and Lu Chusheng would go to Central High School, while Zhang Keying and He Bailing would investigate the detailed circumstances of Xiang Yitong's parents.
Upon arriving at Xiang Yitong's home, we discovered it had been abandoned long ago. The records mentioned that she had an elderly mother. That woman was in a difficult situation; she had her daughter around forty years old, and the man passed away later. Xiang Yitong was reportedly mentally unstable, as if her brain had been damaged when she was a child.
Our routine is to investigate the interior first. Even though many years had passed, I hadn't given up. After entering, I used my forensic tools and crawled on the ground, re-examining the area. The examination umbrella moved around like a lizard on the ground searching for food. Liu Yuning assisted me throughout. However, the house was extremely dilapidated, with scattered furniture everywhere. We had to move these pieces of furniture as we searched.
I also noticed that the furniture seemed to have not been moved for a long time. Logically, moving out wouldn't be so hasty, would it? As I thought this, a sense of unease washed over me. Finding nothing inside, we went to the backyard. Old houses usually had a backyard for gardening. Even the poorest families would have a small plot of land. I took out seaweed ash and some yellow wine and sprinkled them around, noticing bluish-green traces near some patches of soil. This indicated the presence of residual blood.
Having witnessed my methods, Liu Yuning immediately became vigilant. "This place is not right."
"Yes, we need to find a shovel and dig down."
About ten minutes later, we called for assistance from the local police. Five officers joined us, and together we dug vigorously with shovels. After removing some soil, we discovered a sealed, dry well underneath. A well that could have been used but was suddenly sealed must have been suspicious.
The scene before us piqued our curiosity. We continued to dig, and in a short while, we were covered in sweat, our clothes soaked. However, we did not slacken our efforts.
After about ten minutes of digging, we actually found some fabric fragments from clothing at the bottom of the dry well, along with daily necessities like a washbasin, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Later, we even dug up a human skull!