Chapter 63

The Bear Country is Now Mine Chapter 63

063 Unexpected Results / Even Experts Didn't Know, But You Figured It Out

After checking all the pieces of paper in the box, it turned out that only one had a number written on it.

'It must be the third row, right?'

This means that only one person in the third row knows who possesses firearms.

In the same way as before, the 20 people in the third row were lined up in a row.

This time, they were numbered from 1 to 20, and the people behind them were asked to write down the number of the person hiding the gun.

The 20 people in front also had to write down a number and put it in the box.

After all the work was done, the person hiding the gun could be identified among the 20.

Nicolai quietly called the police chief and the military leader to the back.

"I will tell you the number, but don't look in that direction. Pretend to look the other way and remember the person's face, attire, and distinctive features. Make sure you can recognize them later."

"Understood."

"Yes."

Following his instructions, the two walked back and forth, observing the person in question.

After they circled a few times, the vice president asked,

"Shouldn't we arrest him right now?"

"We can't do that now."

"Huh?"

The police chief also thought the same as the vice president.

"Isn't this the person who killed the employee here? If we don't catch him now, he might run away."

"If he had intended to run away, he would have done so already."

The fact that he had stayed in the company until now meant something else.

"We can't conclude that he's the one hiding the gun based on just the tip."

Since no employees had quit after the murder, the probability that he was the culprit was high, but not 100%, so further verification was needed.

"That's true. You mean there's some ulterior motive?"

"We need to uncover it."

"The police couldn't even find any clues, but you've thought this far, Mr. President."

"I just thought a bit deeper because it's my company."

Nicolai climbed the stairs again and said loudly,

"Although it might not feel good, the 20 people who came forward will have to stay for a while."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked at the 20 people with various expressions, but no one knew exactly who the culprit was, so they just stared.

The 20 people were kept inside the cafeteria, and soldiers guarded outside.

"Do you know who that person is?"

"He's a familiar employee."

"Are there personnel files and photos in the office?"

"Yes, we have them from when they joined."

"Write down the home address and bring the photo."

"I'll bring them right away."

The vice president quickly went to the office and soon returned with what he had mentioned.

Nicolai gave it to the police chief.

He formed a team of five: the military leader, the vice president, the accounting staff, and an employee who had been there for a little over a year.

This way, there would be two more people besides the vice president who knew the employee's face, making it harder for anyone to lie.

"I'll send the rest of the people home except for the 20. The five of you should go to this address, stake out the area, and find out who enters and leaves the house."

"...?!"

"Since it's a single-family home, there won't be many people coming and going."

"Are we all going to stake out?"

The vice president asked, and Nicolai replied firmly,

"It won't take long. Focus on whether any of our company employees enter or leave. If you see one, remember and come back immediately."

"...Understood."

"Five of you should leave now. Be especially careful not to be noticed by the appearance or vehicle."

"Don't worry. I've done this many times, so it's no problem."

Nicolai trusted his confidence.

Since he was a police officer of a high rank, he must have had such experience.

The five left first, and about an hour later, Nicolai sent the rest of the people home except for the 20.

"Thank you for your hard work. You can all go home now. The work will start a few days later, but if you don't come to work then, we'll consider you the culprit and issue a nationwide arrest warrant."

The one-hour delay was to allow the five to stake out first.

If the person who wrote the number was among the 20, it would have been a bit complicated, but fortunately, he wasn't.

Three hours later, he said the same thing to the 20 and sent them home.

There was a three-hour gap here too.

To make the person with the number go home later.

* * *

Nicolai and his group were waiting in the vice president's office for the people who went to stake out.

"If a number came up, we could just catch the person on the spot. Why are we waiting? With the police and soldiers, he can't run away."

Kirill asked, puzzled.

"You must be so relaxed. Living in such a simple world."

"What?"

"It's a murder case. The police haven't found any clues yet. Do you think it's that simple?"

"Someone died here?"

"Do you think I'm just trying to find the gun?"

Kirill quietly got up from his seat and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Haha, I forgot I have something to do in Moscow."

"I won't stop you if you want to go, but go tomorrow. It's already dark."

"I can go now…."

At that moment, the door opened, and the five who went to stake out came in.

"Thank you for your hard work. Have a drink and catch your breath."

The accounting staff took out Milks from the fridge and poured them into glasses.

The vice president, who seemed thirsty, drank the cup in one go and asked in amazement,

"How did you know, Mr. President?"

How did you know that another employee would go to the house of the person with the number?

"Wasn't today a great opportunity to frame someone else? I would have used this chance too."

He killed someone and made it look like someone else did.

The reason he didn't run away after the murder was probably to frame someone else when an opportunity like today arose.

Of course, the opportunity was created by Nicolai.

"Someone appeared shortly after we started staking out. As you expected, it wasn't the employee living in that house."

When Nicolai's prediction was confirmed, the lingering doubts disappeared.

"He went inside for about five minutes and then came out. He must have hidden the gun inside the house. Everything you said was correct, Mr. President."

The police chief and others also looked amazed.

"Do you remember who it was?"

"Yes, just a moment."

The vice president took out a file from the cabinet behind him and pulled out a sheet.

"It's him. He's been here for three years and is unmarried."

But Nicolai didn't even glance at the file.

"Mr. President, shouldn't we go catch him now? The thought of working with such a dangerous criminal makes me shudder."

"Let's catch him before it's too late. I've prepared the police and soldiers to come in."

The police chief asked, but Nicolai shook his head.

"There's no need."

"Huh?"

"Mr. President, why not? We know who the culprit is and have the evidence. We should arrest the dangerous criminal immediately."

"There's no need to do that."

"What do you mean?"

The others also wondered why Nicolai wasn't moving, as they felt the same as the vice president.

"He'll come on his own, so just wait."

"The dangerous criminal will come on his own?"

The criminal will come on his own?

The vice president looked at the others in confusion, and they also looked puzzled.

No one understood.

Even the police chief, who had a lot of experience with such cases, couldn't figure out what Nicolai was thinking.

"First, hide the police and soldiers where they can't be seen. Call the five inside and have them hide in the bathroom for a moment."

Although they didn't know what he was planning, they decided to wait and see as Nicolai suggested.

While waiting in the office, the time passed, and it was just about midnight.

Creak—

The door opened quietly.

"Um… I'm the person who wrote the number earlier."

Everyone turned their gaze to the door at the man's voice.

But…

The five who went to stake out widened their eyes.

The vice president, who couldn't believe it, stammered,

"Y-You?"

The vice president jumped up from his seat.

At the same time, Nicolai said to the bathroom next to the door,

"It's him. Arrest him."

The police and soldiers quickly came out and grabbed the man from all sides, handcuffing him.

"Ugh! What are you doing? I came to get the diamonds. Why are you doing this to me?"

The man struggled, but it was no use.

The vice president, who was staring at the man in a daze, turned to Nicolai.

"Mr. President… What's going on here?"

The other four felt the same way.

The person who wrote the number and came to get the two diamonds was the same person who sneaked into the house during the stakeout.

The man who entered the office had not only killed someone but also tried to frame someone else and get a reward.

Everything Nicolai said matched perfectly.

It was an incredible feat, not just predicting that the criminal would appear at the stakeout location, but also showing a level of ability that couldn't be compared to that.

Even Sasha, Kirill, and Dima, who had experienced Nicolai's abilities many times, were speechless.

They had seen his abilities related to money, but this was the first time for them.

Everyone was in shock for a moment, and the man, who was handcuffed, shouted in anger.

"You've got the wrong person! Let me go! I came to get the diamonds. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you killed the employee."

Despite Nicolai's confident statement, the man vehemently denied it.

"What are you talking about? Why would I kill someone?"

"You're the one who wrote the number, right? And you're also the one who killed the employee with a gun, aren't you?"

"No! I just came to get the diamonds. It's not me!"

Nicolai was certain that this person would come today.

Human greed has no limits, so he must have wanted to get the two diamonds in his hands today.

"Since the police officer knows the details of the case, please handle it."

"Understood. Thanks to you, Mr. President, we solved the case easily. Thank you."

"This person should be sent to a logging camp in Siberia."

"Most likely. All serious criminals are sent there."

The man continued to deny it, but no one believed him.

"It's not me! Why are you doing this to an innocent person! Let me go! It's not me!"

"Shut up!"

The police officer kicked the man's side mercilessly.

Ugh!

The man groaned as he fell to the ground.

"I saw it with my own eyes, so don't lie!"

The police and soldiers took the man outside.

The next day, the police who went to the house where the stakeout was conducted found the gun easily.

The employee who owned the house was so shocked that he almost fainted, but he calmed down after the police explained.

* * *

The government investigators arrived two days later than Nicolai's group and began checking all of Alrosa's documents.

After a day of the seven investigators occupying the office and examining the documents,

"How is it?"

"There are no abnormalities."

"Everything is correct on paper?"

"Yes, the production has indeed decreased, but there are no signs of document tampering or someone siphoning off resources."

The lead investigator said confidently.

They caught the person who killed the employee with a gun, but they hadn't caught the one who siphoned off resources.

It could be the same person, but he only killed the employee.

This meant that the person caught was not involved in embezzlement, and there was a separate person siphoning off resources.

The investigators said there were no issues, but Nicolai thought there must be something.

'A 50% decrease in production means something must have happened.'

He decided to broaden his thinking.

"If these documents are accurate, we need to check something else."

* * *

Nicolai walked around the site, recording and comparing anything he found suspicious.

He assigned separate tasks to Sasha, Kirill, and Dima.

"You check the restaurant's food costs, you check the dump truck's fuel usage, and you check the electricity usage."

'Sometimes, it's faster to find things by digging through the ground.'

The others were very curious about how he would catch the culprit, but since he didn't say anything, they could only follow him and do what he asked.

Nicolai handed the investigators documents from before the problem started three years ago.

He pointed to the dates and said,

"Check the average usage from three years ago to here, and then check the usage from here to the present. Something will come up."

"Understood."

Since they were professionals, their work didn't take long.

The next day, the investigator's face was full of surprise as he reported,

"After checking the employee restaurant expenses, electricity usage, and the number of times the portable toilets were emptied, it was found that they were 50% below the average of the past three years."

'So that's why the site manager, the dump truck driver, and the restaurant lady were unusually nervous a few days ago.'

It wasn't just them.

Perhaps everyone was in on it.

"That means the site wasn't operating properly?"

"Exactly. It means they only operated the site at 50% capacity, even though they pretended to be working."

Nicolai looked at the vice president, who was sweating profusely.

"Vice President, explain. What's going on here?"

"Well, that is…."

"Why did you pretend to operate the site when you weren't?"