Chapter 203 10

Chapter 203: 10

Among these cases, several had occurred in the provincial capital, prompting the team to visit the individuals involved for more information.

Zhou Tianyi temporarily assigned several officers from the criminal investigation team to investigate specific cases.

He Lin selected a case from the files and entered Li Shang’s office.

"This case is quite representative," he told Li Shang. "If you have time, let's go investigate it ourselves."

Li Shang quickly reviewed the case file. The complainant was the thirty-something daughter of an elderly couple, who adamantly claimed her parents, both in their fifties, had fallen victim to a scam.

Given the police's heightened focus on fraud cases, two officers had visited the couple's home for verification. However, the elderly couple denied any scam, accusing their daughter of meddling. They refused to cooperate with the investigation or provide further clues.

Since the alleged victims denied the fraud, the case could not be formally opened and was subsequently shelved.

The Economic Investigation Team retrieved the couple's bank transfer records, which indeed showed monthly transfers to unknown destinations, a pattern that had persisted for a considerable time.

This data and situation aligned well with the characteristics of the "Psi" special case.

Recognizing its typical nature, Li Shang nodded in agreement.

He Lin promptly made arrangements.

He and Li Shang, accompanied by Zhou Tianyi and Sun Cheng, drove together to first visit the elderly couple's daughter.

The daughter, Zhao Yi, was thirty-two years old and worked as an accountant in a small company, making her particularly attuned to financial matters.

Upon seeing the police arrive again to inquire about the situation, Zhao Yi unleashed all her pent-up frustrations.

"I first noticed something was wrong with my parents a year ago. My mother fell ill and suddenly needed money. They came to borrow from me, claiming their savings were tied up in fixed-term investments or something similar."

"I gave them the money, but the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. Later, I did some calculations. They had substantial savings from earlier years, earning interest in the bank. My father also received a monthly pension. The medical expenses weren't significant—their monthly income could have easily covered it. There's no way they should have been so financially strained. Saying everything was in fixed deposits was clearly a lie."

"Later, I happened to see my father using online banking and noticed some questionable transaction records. I asked my parents where their monthly cash was going, but they were evasive, refusing to explain. They told me it was their money and I shouldn't interfere—they could spend it however they wanted."

"That made me even more suspicious."

"I believe filial piety is one thing, but if they're genuinely spending the money on daily necessities, that's fine. However, if they're being scammed, I cannot accept it. After all, that's their retirement fund."

"Later, I reported it to the police. But when the officers came, they just asked a few questions. My parents didn't cooperate at all, so the officers on duty could only make a record and then left…"

At this point, Zhao Yi looked at the officers before her, her expression tinged with disappointment. She said helplessly, "I've tried reasoning with them, even argued several times, but nothing has stopped this. I suspect they're still transferring money this month."

Then, she lowered her voice: "What's more, they've become secretive and odd. I even suspect they might have gotten involved in some strange cult."

The woman spoke rapidly, her words pouring out like a machine gun, only pausing when she finished.

Sun Cheng, tasked with note-taking, was overwhelmed by her rapid-fire testimony, breaking into a sweat. In the end, he recorded the conversation and jotted down key points to organize later.

He Lin asked her, "Have they placed any unusual objects at home?"

Zhao Yi pondered for a moment and shook her head: "Not that I've seen, which is why it's just a suspicion. I once tried to subtly inquire, but they denied it immediately."

Li Shang asked, "You mentioned they sometimes say strange things?"

Zhao Yi recalled: "They asked me if I believe in the soul…"

From a scientific perspective, the existence of the soul remains unverified, yet the concept is widely prevalent in many cultures and religions.

He Lin followed up: "Do you know how much money they transfer out each month?"

Zhao Yi thought about it: "The amounts vary. There are many small transfers, not even round figures. From what I saw, it was probably a few thousand that month."

She added: "It may not sound like much, but it adds up. Sometimes, there are larger, irregular transfers."

This aligned with the suspicious transaction amounts the police found in the elderly couple's accounts—mostly small, scattered transfers made via online banking.

Such amounts were too small to trigger protective mechanisms and easily went unnoticed.

If Zhao Yi hadn't reported it, the police would have struggled to detect these anomalies.

However, if the elderly couple were indeed involved in money laundering, and the perpetrators had found thousands of similar individuals, these small monthly contributions could accumulate into a significant sum, potentially fitting the profile of the "Psi" money laundering operation.

At this point, the woman seemed to have nothing further to add.

But Li Shang added another question: "As far as you know, when did this behavior start?"

Zhao Yi bowed her head in thought: "After New Year's Day last year."

He Lin understood Li Shang's reasoning and continued: "Around that time, did anything unusual happen in your family?"

Zhao Yi thought for a moment: "That was after my younger sister died."

He Lin checked the household records. The family originally had two daughters. The second daughter had died in early January last year, over a year ago.

After gathering information from Zhao Yi, the group departed. Zhou Tianyi and Li Shang went to retrieve the car.

He Lin and Sun Cheng waited outside.

He Lin reviewed Sun Cheng's notebook and patted his shoulder: "Note-taking is a fundamental skill. You still need more practice."

Sun Cheng, who had been flustered earlier, frowned and complained: "That woman spoke so fast and so much, and with an accent. Even voice recognition software would struggle."

He Lin said: "It wasn't that bad. If it were one of the note-takers from my old team, they'd have gotten it all down easily."

Sun Cheng was skeptical: "Captain He, you must be joking? How quickly would they need to write?"

As the car arrived, He Lin smiled at Li Shang, who was sitting in the back seat, and whispered to Sun Cheng: "Why would I kid you? There was this officer on my old team who took notes quickly, was very efficient, and was very compliant." He added, "If you don't believe me, ask Commander Li."

Sun Cheng flinched nervously. The stern Commander Li seemed intimidating, and having heard he also worked with SWAT and might be connected to Tianning Base, he certainly wasn't going to casually inquire.

He Lin had anticipated this and was merely teasing him.

But Sun Cheng secretly made a mental note of this, planning to verify it when an opportune moment arose.

They then drove to the home of Zhao Yi's father, Zhao Shouning. Zhou Tianyi had arranged a call ahead, so the elderly man was home.

The four officers went directly to the house and met the couple in the living room.

Zhao Shouning, fifty-six, and his wife, fifty-five, were a typical middle-aged couple—the wife retired, the husband not yet. Their financial situation was moderately comfortable, with some disposable income but not wealthy.

There were tens of thousands of such families in the city.

These families were like countless grains of sand on a vast beach.

When they learned the visit concerned that matter, Zhao Shouning remained reluctant.

As He Lin asked questions, both elderly individuals lowered their heads and remained silent.

After persistent questioning, Mother Zhao spoke softly, "The money wasn't spent recklessly."

Zhao Shouning also spoke up, "It's our own money, can't we spend it how we want? We did it voluntarily and haven't broken any laws."

He Lin explained in a reasonable tone, "The police are currently investigating a case and suspect that criminals are laundering money in a particular way, so we'd like to understand more..."

Zhao Shouning cut him off, looking annoyed, "Then let me ask you, officer, do you have any evidence?"

He Lin paused, saying nothing.

Zhao Shouning continued, "In investigations, there's a rule that you can't be forced to incriminate yourself, right? We didn't report this matter in the first place; it's all a misunderstanding. If you have evidence that we're involved in money laundering, then come to us and we'll cooperate with the investigation. But if you have no evidence, then we have nothing else to say. We also have the freedom to spend our money."

The elderly couple's transactions were not large sums, nor were the funds of unclear origin. The law clearly stipulated that they could not be compelled to testify.

At this point, the police merely found the case unusual and were seeking information without any concrete evidence.

Therefore, since the elderly couple was unwilling to cooperate, He Lin had no choice but to advise them to call if they noticed anything suspicious.

Sun Cheng asked the elderly couple to sign the interview record.

Li Shang stood up and scanned the room. He had been pondering Zhao Yi's mention of a strange cult and hoped to find clues in their home's arrangement.

His gaze fell on an opened pack of incense.

However, it wasn't incense for worshipping Buddha, but rather the kind used to honor deceased loved ones.

Then, Li Shang's eyes landed on a photo on a nearby shelf. The girl in the photo was very young, smiling faintly. She was not Zhao Yi, whom they had met earlier.

Li Shang recalled Zhao Yi's statement—that her parents' unusual behavior began after her sister's death. He inquired, "Is the person in that photo your second daughter?"

After a moment of hesitation, Mother Zhao admitted, "That's our second daughter, Zhao Jing."

Li Shang continued, "How did she die?"

This detail was not in the case file.

Mother Zhao looked down. "It was an accident... that lantern festival stampede..."

Li Shang was unaware of the incident, as he had been on a mission abroad at the time. However, He Lin suddenly remembered, and the other two officers clearly recalled it as well.

Everyone's expressions changed.

As they discussed this, the air seemed to thicken, and for a moment, no one spoke.

After a pause, Zhao Shouning said hoarsely, "You should go now. We have nothing more to say."

After leaving Zhao Shouning's home, Zhou Tianyi sighed and said, "I witnessed that accident with my own eyes. I was one of the officers handling it that night."

He recounted the entire incident to the other three.

The accident occurred during the lantern festival the year before last. It coincided with university holidays, and online promotions claimed that the festival's organizers would offer hundreds of thousands in cash, along with gold, bags, phones, and other prizes.

Many students went to check it out, and plenty of locals also went for an evening stroll. A venue designed to hold ten thousand people suddenly became packed with tens of thousands.

Then, around 8 p.m., a stampede occurred at a narrow passage in the park.

Young people were crammed together, almost shoulder to shoulder, unable to move forward or back. Bright lanterns hung overhead, while heavy breathing and cries filled the air. Yet, more and more people continued to push forward from behind.

In the narrow space, hundreds of people were suddenly crushed together, forming an impenetrable wall of bodies.

If anyone fell, they would be trampled by countless feet.

The entire scene turned into a living hell.

The accident resulted in multiple deaths and numerous injuries.

It wasn't until the police arrived and gradually dispersed the crowd that things calmed down, leaving behind several bodies and people in need of rescue.

That night, over a dozen young people lost their lives.

Afterward, the lantern festival was never held again, and the park was filled with flowers and memorial candles.

But those young lives could never return.

Sun Cheng, who was standing nearby, said, "I wasn't there when it happened, but I saw the videos. It was truly tragic." He paused and asked, "But could their strange payments be related to their daughter's death?"

Zhou Tianyi shook his head.

Based on the evidence gathered so far, no one could answer that question.

He Lin checked the time and saw it was the end of the workday. He said to the others, "Let's call it a day for now. We'll continue tomorrow. Maybe the other teams will have some leads."

They returned to the municipal bureau. On the way home, He Lin asked Li Shang, "Do you think there's something suspicious about this?"

Li Shang said calmly, "What are they spending money on that they need to hide from their eldest daughter and the police?" After a pause, he added, "And that line about 'not being forced to incriminate themselves'—I suspect someone taught them to say that."

He Lin nodded slightly.

The elderly couple was not highly educated and were older. When they used that term, it seemed really odd and didn't fit. Most people, even if they wanted to express that idea, wouldn't use such a professional term.

"Also, do you remember Zhao Yi's suspicion?" Li Shang asked again.

He Lin, reminded, thought of what the woman had said about something feeling off: "She said she suspected her parents had joined some kind of cult."

Li Shang looked ahead. "If it's about worship or donations, that would match the spending pattern."

Hearing this, He Lin had a realization.

Indeed, during the earlier meeting, they hadn't considered this possibility. It might not be a scam but another form of exploitation.

Only faith, or a patron relationship, could make people repeatedly give without expecting anything in return.

Then Li Shang reassured him, "This couple is very defensive; they're not the best point of entry. Let's look for more suitable informants and investigate gradually."

.

Meanwhile, at Zhao Shouning's home.

Finally, late at night when all was quiet, the elderly couple tremblingly took out a tablet. They huddled around it, and suddenly, a video call came through.

The video was answered immediately, and a beautiful young girl appeared on the screen. She looked around and asked, "Dad, Mom, have the police left?"

"They're gone, they've left," Zhao Shouning said, reaching out a trembling hand as if to touch the girl in the image.

Mother Zhao added, "Good child, don't worry. We said everything exactly as you taught us."

"You did very well. Those people are bad; they want to separate us..." The girl's sweet voice came through the screen. "Dad, Mom, I love you most. We will be together forever."