Chapter 37

When the police come to clear the premises, they might not take it seriously, but when the criminal police come to arrest fugitives, it's a completely different matter.

The manager of the Silver Palace arrived quickly, and Zhang Zhitong and several colleagues were led to a luxurious corner of the hall. A man with a somewhat short and stocky build, his eyes darting around, was brought over by a hostess.

"Are you the manager here?" One of Zhang Zhitong's colleagues stood up and asked, "Can you provide us with a list of the current guests?"

"My name is Cao Weihua, and I am the general manager here." Cao Weihua opened a pack of Yellow Crane Tower 1916 and warmly distributed cigarettes to the several criminal police officers.

After passing out the cigarettes, Cao Weihua said with some difficulty, "This is a members-only venue. The people who come here to play are all big shots in Zhongyun. If I provide their names, I'm afraid the bosses of the Silver Palace will hold me accountable."

"I understand your concerns, but we also need your cooperation," the police officer gestured for everyone to sit on the sofa. "The Silver Palace is a members-only venue, but if a suspect has managed to slip in, this news will tarnish the Silver Palace's reputation, won't it?"

"Yes, yes—assisting the police in their investigations is the duty of law-abiding citizens," Cao Weihua smiled apologetically. "I will consult with our boss."

The call was quickly connected, and after explaining the situation, Cao Weihua said to the several police officers, "We can provide you with the list, but our boss has instructed us that if the suspect is found, please be discreet during the arrest."

"Alright, we will keep it confidential," Zhang Zhitong, sitting in the central position, nodded, exuding the air of a leader.

The front desk responsible for check-in quickly printed out a list of the current guests, but after a thorough search, the police officers did not find the information they were looking for.

As the manager had said, the people who could afford to visit the Silver Palace were no ordinary individuals. The guest list included many well-known local entrepreneurs.

Of course, public officials would not appear on these lists. Even if they came, it would be because they were invited, not because they paid for their own entertainment.

"Bring up the surveillance footage from tonight," one of the police officers said authoritatively.

"It can't be done..." Cao Weihua explained cautiously, "The surveillance room can only monitor the live footage of the public areas. The recorded footage is stored on encrypted servers, and without the boss's key, our employees can't access it."

"After all, our club often has people of status coming in and out. If the surveillance footage could be accessed casually, it would upset these people."

"Contact your boss and have him come here. We need to review the surveillance footage to investigate the suspect's network," Zhang Zhitong instructed Cao Weihua to make the call. "The person we are looking for is not on the list; they might be using an alias."

Cao Weihua was busy making the call, and Zhang Zhitong turned her attention to the hostesses. "Was there a middle-aged man who brought in two young men tonight?"

"The middle-aged man looked very distinguished, and the two young men were about 1.8 meters tall, with well-built physiques and a very spirited appearance."

"Yes!" Two hostesses immediately reported, eager to contribute, "Mr. Rong brought two people over around eight o'clock, which matches the description you provided."

"Which Mr. Rong?"

"A big boss in the industrial park, named Rong Wei. I can't remember which factory, but the detailed membership list is only backed up on the computers of a few bosses."

Cao Weihua recalled, "But he doesn't seem like a bad person; he has come here several times this year."

"Please recall carefully, are there any others who match the description?"

A police officer stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes never leaving the elevator. "Our lead is solid; these three people are definitely in your club."

"We are giving your club some face and not conducting a large-scale room-by-room search. But if you misidentify the targets and we arrest the wrong people, we will seal off the entrances and exits and conduct a large-scale search."

Cao Weihua broke out in a cold sweat. If they conducted a large-scale search, the Silver Palace would be out of business. It might as well turn into a KTV.

Of course, the possibility of a large-scale search was small. With the backing of several big bosses, the Silver Palace had never been raided by the police in all the years it had been open.

However, Cao Weihua had only dealt with fire safety and public security before. He had never interacted with the criminal police and was not familiar with their investigative style. What if they didn't care about anyone's face and conducted a large-scale search to catch the criminals?

"Wait a moment, I'll call Supervisor Xue; Mr. Rong was her guest tonight." Cao Weihua immediately used his earpiece to call the internal channel and asked Supervisor Xue to come down immediately.

Supervisor Xue, dressed in a Chanel business suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, soon walked over in high heels.

The police officers finally turned their gaze from the entrance and the elevator.

"How could it be Mr. Rong? He is a long-time member," Supervisor Xue's every smile and frown exuded charm. "Mr. Rong's chemical factory makes tens of millions of yuan a year. Why would he commit crimes?"

"By the way, when I was escorting Mr. Rong and the others to the elevator, I encountered three other people. They seemed to be watching Mr. Rong and his group with disapproval."

The police officers stood up abruptly, their eyes flashing with authority. "You mean Mr. Rong runs a chemical factory?"

"Ah—could it really be him?" Supervisor Xue was startled and said fearfully, "But when I met them in the elevator, I also encountered three other people. Could it be them?"

The police officers immediately gathered around Zhang Zhitong and quietly analyzed this lead.

Now there were two groups that matched the description, and they might know each other.

They were after a group of criminals who dared to sell highly dangerous chemicals, which are strictly monitored by the police, particularly the chemicals used in the illegal production of drugs.

These chemicals were originally used in medical anesthesia but have been gradually replaced by other chemicals in recent years due to their high toxicity and significant side effects.

But precisely because of these drawbacks, they have become a prized possession for some criminals.

According to intelligence, this group was scheduled to meet a chemical factory owner in Zhongyun City at the Silver Palace at 9 PM tonight to negotiate a large-scale transaction of these chemicals.

The two groups that matched the description had exchanged glances in the elevator...

After questioning several service staff, the whereabouts of the three people who had met Rong Wei in the elevator were quickly determined.

They seemed to have been staying there since yesterday. The supervisor responsible for their reception was on leave today. A call to the supervisor revealed that a very unfamiliar member had checked into a lounge room at 3 AM yesterday and had not moved since.

They had just left the lounge room and, after exiting the elevator, did not leave the premises.

Instead, they went to the Western dining area and were sitting at a table near the entrance, enjoying a meal while listening to a pianist.

Based on the current leads, the two groups were likely just making initial contact. They would probably go upstairs to discuss the details after their meal.

It would be better to wait until they had finalized the contract and conducted a financial transaction before making the arrest.

The seven police officers split into two groups. Zhang Zhitong led three colleagues to guard the room opposite Rong Wei. The other four were stationed at the exit of the Western dining area, monitoring the situation through the staff通道.

The identities of the three people in the Western dining area had been confirmed; they were the targets of the arrest.

Rong Wei was a strong suspect. If these three people finished their dinner and went to meet Rong Wei, they could be caught like fish in a barrel.

"Attention, the three suspects are getting up," less than two minutes after taking up their positions, Zhang Zhitong received a report from her colleagues downstairs.

"Bad news, they are leaving, heading towards the main entrance," the colleague downstairs suddenly said in a low, anxious voice.

"Move in and make the arrest," Zhang Zhitong shouted.

Then, a slender and graceful figure leaped out from the room opposite Rong Wei, her legs kicking up high to kick open the intricately carved wooden door. For mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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