Chapter 143: The Net Cast by the Fisherman

Chapter 143: The Fisherman Casts His Net

The interrogation wasn’t as difficult as expected.

Xiao Yu briefly outlined the penalties the suspect might face.

He added, “As long as you cooperate, you can earn a reduction for remorse. Refuse to confess and your sentence will be harsher!”

Zheng Yong confessed everything…

He has a wife and child. Even if he avoids the death penalty by not confessing,

he’ll never leave prison to see his family again.

Unfortunately, what the suspect didn’t know was that the penalties Xiao Yu mentioned were light.

Even if he confessed, Zheng Yong would never be released from prison in his lifetime.

That’s just the way Xiao Yu is.

His honesty only applies to humans.

Can you be sure he’d keep his word with animals?

“I don’t know Dong Qi. I only know he’s our boss and that above him is a Big Boss.”

“My contact above is Liu Xinggang. He’s supposedly one of Dong Qi’s lieutenants and is in charge of the Beggar’s Gang in our province.”

“Beggar’s Gang… that’s what we call it internally. Without it, we couldn’t monopolize the begging business in this province.”

“As for earnings… in good years, it’s several million a year; in bad years, around 1.8 million.”

“I know that in our group—there are eight teams in all—each team has six beggars, two wardens, and one person responsible for the morning and evening pickups. All the money collected is deposited in the bank the next day, then transferred to the account specified by Liu Xinggang.”

“And what if you don’t hand it over? Liu Xinggang sends people for random checks. They inspect some beggars, and if they find any money withheld, it could be fatal. There have been cases where team members… died!”

“As for where Liu Xinggang resides… I’m not really sure. He rarely interacts with us unless there’s a problem.”

“He has plenty of informants. If we slack off, he’ll know and call to warn us.”

“His phone number is never fixed. Every time he calls, it’s from a brand new number.”

“Only the account used for transfers is fixed…”

“That’s all I know!”

The interrogation ended. That was Zheng Yong’s complete confession.

After Zheng Yong was taken away, Xiao Yu sat back in his chair and fell into deep thought.

An organization with strict discipline, surveillance, and informants—it was like managing a production line… and incredibly cunning!

His scalp was practically on fire.

No guessing needed; Xiao Yu knew that the suspect Liu Xinggang’s account was definitely fake.

The money was likely funneled through some kind of transfer trick to avoid detection, landing in a real account.

Could they trace it?

It was nearly impossible!

For example,

money could be used to purchase foreign goods directly.

Really buying things?

No. The items you’re buying are virtual.

Transaction fees are deducted, and the converted money is then transferred to your designated account.

Isn’t that money laundering?

Exactly. These methods are essentially laundering money.

But abroad, such techniques are legal.

Otherwise, how do you think money from online gambling gets out?

If there were fixed accounts, do you think the police wouldn’t eventually trace them?

Never treat criminals as fools.

Their methods are beyond anything you can imagine!

Using Zheng Yong’s confession, technicians sketched a portrait.

It was a likeness of the suspect, Liu Xinggang.

According to Zheng Yong, it was about an 80% match.

Is an 80% likeness useful?

Somewhat, but not decisively.

What’s the population of the country?

There are too many people with similar features; even a slight difference makes it hard to narrow down.

It’s like in movies where a sketch alone can pinpoint who someone is and where they are, leading straight to an arrest.

Is someone’s intelligence being insulted here?

So what’s the point of a sketch?

It is useful. Knowing the approximate appearance helps the police narrow down suspects—even if it takes time.

But Xiao Yu had another idea.

A method to catch them as quickly as possible.

He glanced out the window.

Only three hours had passed since the operation began.

It was barely six in the morning.

Xiao Yu ordered Zheng Yong to continue begging with his men while the Criminal Police set up a sting.

Are we stupid?

Didn’t Zheng Yong mention that Liu Xinggang’s informant would be watching them?

Exactly. The person Xiao Yu wanted to arrest was that informant!

…

At 6:30,

a pale-faced Zheng Yong drove a van carrying six disabled beggars and two deaf-mutes.

He dropped each of them at designated spots along the city’s streets,

then drove off… only to be taken away by the police.

Later, the two deaf-mutes were also quietly taken into custody.

Plain-clothed Criminal Police officers gathered around the six disabled beggars, keenly watching their surroundings.

Their primary target: the suspected informant within the criminal gang.

Xiao Yu changed into plain clothes, his face set in a smile like that of a cheerful college student.

With such an appearance, no one would suspect he was a police officer.

Yet he approached one of the beggars and started chatting with the disabled man.

What was Xiao Yu planning?

He needed to make an arrest!

A person so sunny and cheerful talking with a beggar was bound to attract attention.

Most passersby would simply glance out of curiosity.

But what if an informant was watching?

Do you really think they’d only take a cursory look?

They’d be suspicious about why someone would be chatting with beggars.

And so, they’d unconsciously keep an eye on Xiao Yu,

trying to figure out his true purpose.

Xiao Yu, with his ‘Psychological Expert’ skills, had perfected the art of reading minds.

And then,

there was a man standing by a snack stall, his face set in a mask of concentration as he nibbled on deep-fried stinky tofu, observing Xiao Yu chatting with the beggar for over ten minutes.

The observer was a young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six.

Until Xiao Yu stood up, turned, and walked over with a beaming smile.

The young man first looked stunned, then his expression shifted abruptly to one of terror.

Just as he turned to leave, a pistol was pressed against his head.

“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”

Guo Qiang, holding the pistol with a cold, ruthless expression, spoke in a low tone.

The young man’s face drained of color, devoid of blood.

Xiao Yu strolled over to the young man, ignoring the onlookers.

His sunny smile was gone, replaced by a steely glare locked on the young man’s eyes.

One by one, Criminal Police officers assembled around, all watching the young man coldly.

“I don’t have time to waste. I want you to quickly tell me what I need to know.”

Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on the young man, his words as cold as ice.

“Where is Liu Xinggang?”