Chapter 5: The Guidance of the Big Fish

Master Ma indeed had keen eyesight. Du Long didn’t dare to hide it from him and smiled bitterly, saying, "I did it on purpose. Isn’t Master always saying that one should be low-key? My colleague was beaten up badly last night. If I didn’t take a couple of hits, it would make others feel unbalanced."

Master Ma nodded and said, "It’s good that you think this way. Today is Saturday, and there are more people around. Since your hand is not convenient, you should go home first. Think carefully about what you saw today. If you come back next time and are still clumsy, the guests won’t drive you out, but I will kick you out."

"No problem, I’ll go home first." Du Long bid farewell to Master Ma and was about to leave when his phone rang. It was Yang Chengfa calling. Du Long answered the call and heard Yang Chengfa excitedly say, "Du Long, are you free? Come to the police station quickly, there’s something to discuss with you."

Du Long laughed and said, "Yang Chief, can’t we discuss it over the phone? Is it about those thugs from last night? Have you had breakfast? Do you want me to bring some breakfast over?"

Yang Chengfa laughed and said, "We really haven’t had breakfast. We’ve been arguing with the thugs we caught last night. Come over quickly and bring... six breakfasts. Hurry up, the interrogation has made significant progress. We need to act fast, or the criminal investigation team will get the credit."

Du Long’s spirits lifted, and he agreed to go immediately. He hung up the phone, quickly bought breakfast, and rode his electric scooter to the Lijuan Police Station.

As soon as Du Long arrived, Feng Weiwu followed. After last night’s incident, their relationship had improved significantly. Feng Weiwu greeted Du Long warmly and said, "Du Long, you’re here too. I heard we caught some big fish last night. The promotion should be no problem!"

Du Long also smiled and said, "I hope so, but I didn’t dare to have high hopes."

The two of them entered the police station. Officer Zhang, who was on duty, told them that the chief, deputy chief, the guidance officer, and three experienced veteran police officers were still in the interrogation room.

Du Long carried the food boxes into the interrogation room and saw Yang Chengfa and Chief Liao Dongsheng chatting in the rest room. Although the isolation interrogation rooms had good soundproofing, the sound of questioning could still be heard. Everyone was still busy.

Du Long walked in and said dramatically, "Chief Liao, Chief Yang, you’ve worked hard! Feng Brother and I represent the Party and the government to comfort you!"

Chief Liao Dongsheng and Yang Chengfa burst into laughter. Yang Chengfa laughed and said, "You little brat, what qualifications do you have to represent the government? You’re not even a party member, are you?"

Du Long laughed and said, "Although I’m not a party member, don’t we police officers represent the Party and the government to protect the people’s interests and fight against all anti-people and anti-society forces? Why can’t I represent the Party and the government to comfort the police officers who are fighting on the front lines?"

Chief Liao Dongsheng laughed and said, "Alright, you’re quite eloquent. Since you’ve brought the comfort items, let’s not disappoint the Party and the government. Let’s divide the food and eat it. We still have work to do."

Du Long opened the large plastic bag and started distributing the breakfast: "Chief Liao, this is your authentic fried sauce noodles. I know you like it spicy, so I added extra chili sauce. Chief Yang, this is your Guilin red oil rice noodles, not too spicy, and it’s still hot. Everyone else gets a large cup of extra strong coffee with sugar and milk, and a pile of steamed buns to fill you up."

Although the two chiefs didn’t say much, their expressions showed that they were quite satisfied with Du Long’s thoughtfulness. The breakfast was distributed, and everyone was very satisfied.

The conversation quickly turned to the interrogation. Of the five people caught last night, three had already confessed. The remaining two were still not willing to confess, but the police station had already uncovered some of their backgrounds. It was confirmed that these five people were indeed part of the same gang as the two killers from last night.

This gang was not just a few people. They were all farmers from a northern province who had come to work in Tianan Province. They were fellow countrymen and had gathered together. The composition of this gang was quite complex, including truly honest farmers, some who were quick-tempered and prone to trouble, and even those who had committed crimes in their hometowns or elsewhere and had fled to Tianan Province to hide!

The seven people caught by Du Long and his team were not good people. They were led by a man nicknamed Liu Hu, whose real name was Liu Changshun, but experienced police officers knew that the ID card was fake. Facial and fingerprint comparisons with online wanted criminals were currently underway. From his behavior after being caught, it was likely that he had a criminal record.

Another man nicknamed Shuiyu had a similar situation to Liu Hu. They had rich experience in resisting interrogation and had not yet confessed. Instead, they kept shouting about wanting to sue the police for wrongful injury, illegal detention, and torture.

The other three were much easier to deal with. They gradually confessed to their crimes, including one habitual thief and two experienced motorcycle robbers. However, these were not major cases, and Yang Chengfa and his team wouldn’t have called Du Long back just for these.

Du Long remained calm and didn’t say anything. After a while, Feng Weiwu couldn’t hold back and asked, "Chief Liao, theft and robbery are not big deals. Did they confess to any major cases?"

Chief Liao Dongsheng laughed and said, "We’re getting to the point. Although Liu Hu and Shuiyu haven’t confessed, their accomplices have revealed that when they first came to Yukuang City, they joined forces to cripple their former leader, Ah Kui, to compete for the top position. Their brutal and experienced methods show that these two are not first-time offenders.

Although Liu Hu and Shuiyu usually kept a tight lip, the people they mixed with were very observant and still managed to deduce that both had committed murders. They might even have more than one murder on their hands. This is what excites Chief Liao and the others. If they catch two top-level wanted criminals, the Lijuan Police Station will become famous in Tianan Province and even nationwide!"

Everyone quickly finished their meals and continued to interrogate Liu Hu and the others. Even the three who had already confessed couldn’t be let off easily; more information needed to be extracted from them.

Soon, only Guidance Officer Wang Suwen, Yang Chengfa, Du Long, and Feng Weiwu were left in the rest room. Wang Suwen was a scholarly-looking man in his early thirties, with no particular skills. He only read scripts and spoke empty words during meetings. Neither the chief nor the deputy chief liked him much, and even the experienced veteran police officers didn’t pay much attention to him. Only newcomers like Du Long still showed him respect.

Wang Suwen handed a cigarette to Yang Chengfa and lit one for himself. He smiled at Du Long and Feng Weiwu and said, "Feng, Du, you caught some big fish last night!"

Feng Weiwu’s face lit up with excitement, and Du Long also felt some anticipation. The identities of the two men were still unknown. Were they about to be rewarded for their efforts?

Wang Suwen continued, "Your contributions won’t be forgotten. Everyone involved in the case has made contributions, especially Chief Liao and Chief Yang, who discovered significant cases during the interrogation..."

As Feng Weiwu and Du Long listened, their hearts sank. It seemed that they had only caught a few thugs, while the major cases were solved by the police officers involved in the interrogation. In the reward distribution, others would get the meat, and they would only get the scraps. This was too unfair.

Du Long’s face remained calm. He had been prepared for his contributions to be overlooked, and although he was extremely unhappy, he didn’t show it. Feng Weiwu’s hopes were dashed, and he said excitedly, "Guidance Officer, Chief Yang, this is unfair! We caught the people, and it was you who thought we were inexperienced and didn’t let us participate in the interrogation. Now, why do we get no credit?"

Wang Suwen’s face turned a bit sour, and he said, "Feng, you need to have a broader perspective. It’s true that you caught the people, but without the experienced Chief Liao and Chief Yang, who worked hard all day to interrogate the suspects, how could we have uncovered their backgrounds? Your contributions won’t be overlooked. You’re young, and you need to look at the long term. I heard that most of them were caught by Du Long, right, Du Long?"

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