Chapter 152 06

Chapter 152: 06

Morning, outskirts of Yuncheng.

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, the weather was clear and bright, with a vast, cloudless azure sky.

Countless households were still immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year, and even vehicles on the road were scarce.

To avoid alerting their targets, the police parked the buses and police cars a few minutes' walk away from the motel. Lu Chengshuang and Jin Tingrui efficiently directed their team members to first pose as civilians, approach the motel, and cover all exits.

Lin Hui turned to He Lin and said, "Captain He, we have plenty of officers today. Later, we'll lead the team inside. You and Fang Jue can stay outside and maintain perimeter security."

He Lin usually took point in such operations, but after careful consideration, he realized Lin Hui was right. After all, this was primarily the responsibility of the criminal investigation and public security teams, both of which had their own leaders in charge. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to overstep his authority.

Once the tasks were assigned, He Lin led Fang Jue and a few junior team members to guard the side of the motel.

Jin Tingrui maintained his usual no-nonsense approach. Before entering, he cut power and internet, causing an outcry to erupt from inside the motel.

Soon after, He Lin heard the officers entering, followed by a commotion of footsteps and shouts from within the motel.

"Don’t move!"

"Line up against the wall and squat down!"

A group of scantily clad men and women were brought under control. After being searched and asked for their names, they were lined up and escorted out of the motel to the waiting buses.

Fang Jue, participating in such an operation for the first time, felt it seemed less dangerous than standard arrests. Curious, he listened from outside and tried to peek through the windows.

He Lin immediately pulled the rookie back and whispered sternly, "What are you thinking?! Stay sharp. What if someone takes a potshot? Do you want to be a sitting duck?"

Fang Jue shrank his neck. "We have so many police here. Would they really go that far?"

No sooner had they spoken than He Lin shushed Fang Jue and pulled him aside to stand against the wall.

From the third-floor window of the motel, a fat man, weighing at least two hundred pounds, was climbing down the drainage pipe. He struggled downward, grunting and puffing as he descended.

He Lin wanted to grab him but feared startling him into falling. The height wasn’t lethal, but given his weight, if he landed on something, he could be seriously hurt.

Judging by his appearance, the fat man didn’t look like one of the streamers—more likely an organizer.

He Lin held back an eager Fang Jue, waiting for the fat man to reach the ground.

Several officers stood silently in the shade near the back door, watching as the fat man slowly made his way down.

Finally, he reached the ground safely.

He Lin approached and said, "Police, don’t move!"

The fat man froze, turned around, and struck a pose. Glancing at the officers, he threatened, "I’m warning you—don’t come any closer! I’ve trained in combat. Take one more step, and I won't be responsible!"

He Lin ignored him and crooked a finger.

The fat man let out a roar and charged forward like a wild bull.

He Lin grabbed the outstretched arm, pulled it forward, and simultaneously kicked the fat man’s leg, sending him sprawling. He rolled several times like a round ball and immediately gave up.

The fat man clutched his head and wailed, "Help! Spare me, Officer! I won’t dare again!"

Only then did He Lin signal Fang Jue and the other officers to pin the fat man down and handcuff him.

He Lin frisked him and asked, "Name and ID number."

The fat man replied, "Zhu Peng," and recited a string of numbers.

He Lin ordered him to crouch with his hands on his head.

As Zhu Peng lowered himself, his pants ripped with a tearing sound, revealing red underwear. His fat face reddened with shame, and he knelt down with a thud, awkwardly avoiding everyone’s gaze.

He Lin snorted coldly. "Your livestreams are full of explicit content, and now you feel ashamed?"

Zhu Peng gave an uneasy laugh. "That’s different. Those streamers do it for money—there’s nothing shameful about making money. Officers, there’s nothing worth looking at with my body anyway."

Seeing that Jin Tingrui and the others were still busy inside, He Lin took the opportunity to ask a few basic questions. Fang Jue took out a notebook to record the details.

Zhu Peng began his confession: there were thirty-eight streamers at this location, along with five other staff members—operations and logistics personnel. All of them had been corralled inside except for him, who had risked climbing out only to be caught.

The place operated livestreams 24/7, circulated within a small community and bringing in substantial revenue.

He Lin pressed further, "What exactly is your role here?"

Zhu Peng said, "I handle tech. I’m just a technician. I was checking the network and fixing cables when the internet went down."

He Lin didn’t fully believe him. Tech and website setup were core to such operations, so this Zhu Peng might actually be in charge.

Regardless of his role, he should be able to provide enough information.

He Lin brought up a photo of Chen Shihan on his phone and showed it to Zhu Peng. "Do you know this girl?"

Zhu Peng awkwardly used his cuffed hands to cover his rear, edging forward on his knees to get a closer look. He nodded obediently. "I’ve seen her before." He added, "She had a lot of online loan debt. Someone told her there were better-paying work and opportunities abroad, so she left with them."

He Lin asked, "What’s the name of the person who took her away?"

Zhu Peng hesitated, avoiding eye contact and staying silent.

He Lin glared at him and said sharply, "Stop stalling. Spit it out!"

Zhu Peng finally moved his lips and uttered a name: "Shen Xi."

After questioning Zhu Peng, He Lin escorted him to the bus.

Near the bus, several attractive men and women were sobbing complaints to the recording officers: "You’ve saved us! The conditions inside were horrible!"

"They promised us easy work during recruitment, but once we were in, it was all about elimination of the lowest performers…"

"We were treated like monkeys in a zoo, put on show for others to watch."

Jin Tingrui asked, "What brought you here in the first place?"

"It was because of online loans... The boss said if we couldn’t pay them back, we could livestream here. They promised to show us how to make real money, but it was just a way to exploit us and keep us from leaving."

Jin Tingrui pointed out bluntly, "There are no heavily secured doors keeping you here. Why didn’t you leave? With over thirty people, couldn’t you overpower a few managers?"

The streamers suddenly fell silent.

Jin Tingrui continued his pointed questioning: "If it’s elimination of the lowest performers, then just get cut. Wouldn’t that set you free? And if you hadn’t taken out those loans, wouldn’t you have avoided this? Even if you did borrow, if you paid them back quickly, what could they do to you? If you weren’t willing yourselves, who could force you to put on those kinds of shows?"

The group of attractive men and women stammered, unable to respond.

He Lin, who had been listening, stepped closer to the group, pointing at Zhu Peng from a distance and asking, "Who is that heavyset man?"

The group readily replied, "He's the boss here."

Zhu Peng had wasted half the day spinning lies, and was exposed before he could even get inside.

He Lin then asked, "Have any of you seen someone named Shen Xi?"

A woman spoke up, "He seems to be a friend of Boss Zhu, a recruiter from an overseas company here to recruit workers…"

Someone nearby added, "Yes, he takes people away who want to go abroad to work. We don’t know where those people end up."

.

Meanwhile, a black car pulled into the courtyard of the Provincial Public Security Bureau.

Li Shang—though it was now more appropriate to call him Rong Qing—got out of the car, took the elevator upstairs, where Zhao Lingyue, the base chief, was already waiting for him in the office.

He exchanged greetings with his superior.

After being briefed on the confidential mission, Rong Qing powered down his phone, following standard procedure.

Zhao Lingyue gestured for him to sit and then handed him a stack of documents.

The senior leader said with a serious expression, "Both the Provincial Department and the base attach great importance to this case. Although a task force hasn’t been formally established yet, we’ve been monitoring related cases for about two months. That’s why I called you before the New Year."

Rong Qing’s gaze fell on the photo of a young man about his own age.

The resemblance was striking—even Rong Qing himself had to admit it. Their height and weight were similar; the other man had longer hair, which explained why Zhao Lingyue had earlier told him not to cut his own. The remaining differences could be adjusted through changes in expression.

He then flipped through the documents in front of him.

Inside were detailed biographical records of this person.

Name: Shen Xi.

Age: 28

Place of Origin: …

Zhao Lingyue briefly explained, "The person you need to replace is a second-generation rich kid. Although his family went bankrupt, he knows a lot of people and has been involved in some gray-area projects. He has close ties with bosses running online gambling, online loans, and cosmetic loan schemes. Years ago, his family set up factories overseas and still maintains a shell company. Later, he invested in several travel agencies and used those connections to get involved in human trafficking, luring victims to nearby M Country and J Country under the guise of work or tourism."

After Rong Qing had looked over the materials for a while,

Zhao Lingyue continued, "As you know, although the Lily Garden was taken down back then, through our investigation, following the clues and interrogating some of the individuals extradited from the Lily Garden, we identified a human trafficking route and uncovered a criminal organization in J Country."

"The leader of this criminal organization is still active on the Psi forum, offering human trafficking and smuggling services. We’ve arrested some of their domestic contacts and subordinates and cut off several routes. Based on our interrogations, we can basically confirm that the organization leader’s online ID is Qing Jin, and his real name is Cha Xin."

Zhao Lingyue then placed a photo of the target on the table—a middle-aged man nearing fifty.

Rong Qing thought for a moment and said, "Back then, Shang Ting and Engineer Yuan were trafficked through this very route."

Zhao Lingyue nodded, "It was this group. Including the two who carried out the ambush on Wuque Mountain recently—initial investigations show they were also smuggled in by these human traffickers. These people have been trafficking our citizens for years, causing immense harm. Higher-ups have decided to merge this case with the Psi money laundering network for investigation."

He waited for Rong Qing to digest the information before continuing, "After our crackdowns, human trafficking in J Country isn’t as rampant as before. Now is the best time to completely dismantle this organization."

Rong Qing asked, "What’s the stance of J Country’s authorities?"

In cross-border law enforcement, many factors need to be considered.

Zhao Lingyue interlaced his fingers, his expression extremely serious, "The fact is, the reason we can send people in now is due to changes in the international situation. Previously, high-ranking military and police officials in J Country had ties to this criminal organization. Cha Xin’s father-in-law was a high-ranking official in Mingzhu City and had been acting as his protector, which is why he managed to commit crimes for so many years."

"This year, several of their domestic leaders stepped down, and his father-in-law was implicated. Only then did the military and police higher-ups finally relent and agree to cooperate—but on the condition that we send people in first to gather sufficient evidence before they will join in a joint enforcement operation."

Rong Qing understood: this organization had been operating in J Country for years, and the new leadership also wanted to take it down.

But because these people had deep roots in J Country with many connections, direct action faced too much resistance, so they hoped our police would take the lead.

At this point, the senior leader pointed to the photos and documents in front of him and said, "And this Shen Xi is our entry point for this investigation."

"This young man specialized in recruiting young people domestically who couldn’t stay due to debt or wanted to make quick money, then sold them abroad. He had been trying to connect with this criminal organization to become their 'supply source.' If you can take on his identity and successfully infiltrate, you’ll be able to gather intelligence and help us close the net."

Zhao Lingyue added, "However, that’s the ideal scenario. Using Shen Xi’s identity to cooperate with them is dangerous. But…" the senior leader sighed, "at the moment, there’s no better plan."

This kind of undercover operation, assuming another’s identity, is called identity substitution—it’s the most dangerous and difficult type.

Facing such complex and challenging situations requires constant adaptability, thorough preparation, and coordination with other personnel. Indeed, only experienced undercover agents can handle it.

But now, this is a rare opportunity for the police. If missed, who knows how long they’d have to wait.

Zhao Lingyue looked at Rong Qing and said, "You know, most of the active-duty operatives below are young, tanned dark by daily training—they can’t take on this identity. When I saw his photo, I noticed his age, height, build, and even appearance were very similar to yours."

Zhao Lingyue looked at Rong Qing and continued, "Unless absolutely necessary, I didn’t want to send you. But given the current situation, I have no choice but to ask you to go."

After briefing him, Zhao Lingyue handed him another stack of documents: "The relevant procedures were completed today, which is why I called you over."

Rong Qing picked up the documents and asked, "Can I meet Shen Xi? Or are there more detailed interrogation records?"

Written materials are never as efficient as actual contact and questioning. He hoped to see the person face-to-face to better understand and mimic him.

"Can’t be done," Zhao Lingyue said regretfully, spreading his hands. "Shen Xi was detained by local airport police a week ago when returning to Z Country from abroad. Later, he clashed with the police and was shot during the struggle. He died on the spot. We’ve kept the news under wraps domestically and internationally—it shouldn’t be known yet. All we have are his basic records and his phone."

Here, the senior leader shared another piece of bad news: "But there’s very little information on the phone. Aside from some contacts, there are few conversations—it’s almost blank."

Insufficient investigation depth increases the risk of undercover operations, but there seemed to be no alternative.

After covering all other matters with Rong Qing, Zhao Lingyue took out several more documents.

These were all too familiar to Rong Qing: confidentiality agreements, safety responsibility forms, and… statements for unwillingness to distribute inheritance according to law—all required before undertaking dangerous missions.

These documents ensured that, in the event of his unfortunate death, his belongings and assets would be distributed according to his wishes.

Without hesitation, he filled in "He Lin" in all sections for emergency contacts and inheritance beneficiaries.

Then he signed the name "Rong Qing."

Having grown used to writing "Li Shang," using this name again felt somewhat unfamiliar.

But this was Rong Qing’s mission—he could not evade it and bore full responsibility.

After completing all this, Rong Qing felt a sense of relief.

"This mission is extremely dangerous and carries heavy responsibility, so we will select suitable logistical support personnel to work closely with you."

Zhao Lingyue said to him, "The codename for this joint law enforcement operation between the two countries is 'Carrier Pigeon.' I hope you return safely and triumphantly soon."

.

In Yuncheng City, the entire operation was very successful and smooth. The detainees were processed, basic registrations completed, and items like phones along with criminal evidence were collected.

By the time procedures were finished, it was already noon.

The police detained the involved streamers and staff, planning to conduct individual interrogations in the afternoon.

The officers ate boxed lunches by the roadside for their noon meal.

He Lin sat next to Lin Hui and suddenly remembered something. He asked, "What did Li Shang want with you yesterday around noon?"

Lin Hui hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nothing important."

He Lin didn’t press further, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Lin Hui’s hesitation was a bit odd.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, especially when he recalled the backpack Li Shang gave him yesterday...

Before he could finish his meal, He Lin opened his phone and checked his work email and the department portal. Logically, since it was only the second day of Lunar New Year and they were on a special assignment, there shouldn’t be any new procedures or paperwork. But suddenly, an unread message popped up on his screen.

He Lin frowned and opened it.

It was a reassignment notice from the base, identical to the one he had received when Li Shang left last time. It only listed a start date but no end date.

Even though he had a premonition, seeing it in writing made He Lin feel as if all the blood rushed from his face in an instant.

He stood up, wrapped up his unfinished lunch, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

Fang Jue, sitting nearby, looked surprised. "Captain He, you’re not eating anymore?"

He Lin replied, "No."

Fang Jue asked again, "What about our overtime work..."

He Lin said hurriedly, "It’s done. We’ll just wait for the statements from the Public Security Unit and the Criminal Investigation Department. Enjoy the rest of your time off. If there’s a task, we’ll contact you."

The department van was needed by the Public Security Unit in the afternoon, so He Lin took a taxi home.

On the way, he began thinking about everything that had happened between him and Li Shang recently—the avalanche, the hospitalization, their argument, this case, and Li Shang’s reaction yesterday...

As soon as he opened the door, the house felt empty. Li Shang’s shoes were gone from the entrance.

A neatly folded piece of paper lay on the table.

He Lin opened it and read.

"I’ve gone to the base for a mission. Don’t stay at home recently; stay at the precinct. Wait till I get back."

It was written in his familiar handwriting, just this short sentence. Yet, He Lin’s hand trembled as he held the paper.

He thought back to everything that had happened recently.

Sitting in the empty room, it suddenly clicked why Li Shang had done what he did.

From the moment Li Shang accepted this mission, he had already been on borrowed time. That was why he had returned to Xincheng to relocate his parents’ ashes. And before leaving for the mission, what worried him most was whether He Lin had gotten his memory back.

So, He Lin’s being upfront with him would be especially important to Li Shang.

He Lin opened his phone and dialed Li Shang’s number, but it was already switched off.

He opened and closed their chat window, repeating the action several times. Finally, he took a deep breath, typed out a message, and sent it.

The seconds dragged by.

He didn’t receive a reply from Li Shang.

Just then, He Lin’s phone chimed, and he received another notification.

"He Lin: Hello! After an initial review, you have been granted clearance for interview based on your outstanding achievements in the relevant work field and your physical fitness test certificate... You meet the reactivation protocol of Tianning Base. The assignment details are as follows... We look forward to your excellent performance."

After reading the message, He Lin snatched his jacket, stood up, and headed out.