Chapter 140 Snake Sis

Chapter 140 Sister Snake

Da Lin rarely had so many visitors, let alone a group of police officers. He was flustered and hurried to serve snacks and tea.

Zhou Qiming stopped him, saying, "We’re already intruding by coming so late, and we just have a few questions before leaving." Only then did Da Lin sit down.

After hearing their purpose, he paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Brother Xu?"

"Gambling... surnamed Xu..."

He frowned deeply, thought hard, and let out a soft sigh. "I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone surnamed Xu in that circle..."

"I know a thing or two about the scene around Pingjiang, and I’m familiar with a few people who specialize in gambling. But as for someone notable surnamed Xu—I really haven’t heard of them."

He looked at the group seated across the sofa. "Are you sure his surname is really Xu?"

Shen Qingye and the others exchanged glances. Cui Rongshan had only overheard the surname—could she have misheard?

"Xu..."

"Or perhaps Xu, as in ‘许’? Or Yu?" she suggested.

Da Lin shook his head. "No, not those as well. Among the prominent individuals, I’ve not heard of anyone with the surname Xu (许), Xu (徐), or Yu. Nor any similar surnames either."

The group frowned at this. Seeing their reaction, Da Lin added, "Of course, I don’t know everything about that circle. Maybe there really is someone like that. How about this—I’ll ask around among my contacts. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know?"

Zhou Qiming snapped back to attention and nodded. "Alright."

He stood up and patted Da Lin’s shoulder. "This case is urgent. Sorry to ask you to go the extra mile."

Da Lin quickly grinned. "Come on, Zhou-ge, cut the polite talk! Who do you think you’re talking to?"

Zhou Qiming chuckled, chatted a bit more, and then left with the others.

While they were investigating, Captain Yang and Captain Ma were also working separately.

Captain Yang, with his years of experience, naturally had his own network of contacts and was making inquiries one by one. Captain Ma, meanwhile, took his team to the Public Security Bureau.

Vice—gambling and drugs—had always fallen under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau. They had been cracking down on various criminal activities recently, so they certainly knew more about the local underworld than the criminal investigation department did.

After a whole night of work without a break, the group reconvened at dawn, only to find everyone looking grim—clearly, there had been no luck.

"Erhu and Lao Ying also said they’ve never heard of anyone by that name," Captain Yang said, rubbing his temples, his face weary.

Captain Ma added, "Lao Cao hasn’t come across any organizations with someone surnamed Xu among the groups he’s been monitoring recently."

The large office fell silent.

From the early hours until now, they had gone over twenty hours without rest, running around conducting investigations. Physically and mentally exhausted, they were on their last legs, barely holding on.

But with no leads in the case, no one could take a break.

Yan Haifeng had just finished reporting to his superiors. Setting down his phone, he looked at the group, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. After a moment of thought, he was about to suggest expanding the search when a piercing ringtone cut through the silence.

Zhou Qiming picked up his phone, perking up slightly when he saw the caller ID. "Hello?"

Da Lin’s voice came through, weary and apologetic. "Zhou-ge, I’ve asked around, but no one I asked has heard of any ‘Brother Xu.’ Are you sure this person is really part of our circle?"

The room went quiet.

Still no trace of this person.

Luo Kaiyang couldn’t help scratching his head and muttered, "Are we just chasing the wrong lead?"

Shen Qingye pressed her lips together, silent.

They’d already confirmed Liang Wenjun had debts, but if it wasn’t due to gambling, what else could it be?

Da Lin continued, "Got any other leads? I’ll keep digging."

Zhou Qiming sighed and was about to speak when Yue Lingchuan, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up:

"If it’s not a man… could it be a woman?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room went dead silent.

Shen Qingye caught on a beat late, her dark eyes flashing with realization.

A woman…

A woman?

A woman!

Shen Qingye, fresh out of the academy, had less investigative experience and hadn’t seen much. But the moment he said it, it clicked—the pieces fell into place. Cui Rongshan’s words, the club manager’s comments—it all made sense now.

Right, who said ‘Brother Xu’ had to be a guy?

Zheng Rui and the others mentioned Liang Wenjun cycled through girlfriends fast; the club manager said he was always surrounded by different women and had never been seen with unfamiliar men.

If that’s how it is, then why couldn’t Brother Xu be a woman?

If the other party intended to conceal their identity, wouldn’t hiding behind a male alias be perfect?

Even if not deliberately hiding, some folks call tough women ‘brother’ out of respect.

Shen Qingye didn’t fully understand this mindset, but she knew such behavior existed.

If so… if so… wouldn’t everything make sense?

Da Lin, still on the line, froze. After thinking for a moment, he sucked in a sharp breath and said, "Now that you mention it, I do recall someone!"

His tone grew urgent, "But that woman isn’t surnamed Xu or anything like Xu or Yu—she’s actually surnamed She!"

"This person doesn’t float between nearby cities often, and I’ve never met her. The reason I remember her is because of some rumors I’ve heard about her."

"Word is, she’s vicious and runs gambling scams."

"She usually lets people win a few rounds first to get them hooked. Once they’re addicted and in deep, she strikes big, cleaning them out in one shot!"

"Some are lucky enough to lose only the cash they have on hand, but others aren’t so fortunate—they lose their houses, cars, and entire fortunes, wiped out completely!"

"She doesn’t strike often, but when she does, she targets high-rollers. The amounts range from hundreds of thousands to millions. It’s said that once, in a neighboring city, she swindled someone out of nearly ten million!"

"That woman floats between several nearby provinces and cities, rarely showing her face. Every time she operates, she uses a different name. No one knows her real name, only that her surname is She, and everyone calls her Snake Sis—yeah, like the reptile."

"When you mentioned a woman, I immediately thought of her."

"Her MO matches what you’ve got."