Chapter 51: The Fish That Escaped the Net (Completed)

True to his word, Guo Jianglong quickly handed over the hiding place of Ma Sanhua's gang members to Yan Zhengchuan.

He was also the owner of the Ural Hotel, and generously waived the room fees for He Changyi and Yan Zhengchuan.

Yan Zhengchuan immediately handed the list to the young person in charge of the Emei police. The person in charge took it very seriously and immediately dispatched special police to the scene to arrest the suspects.

The reconnaissance team also went to the hiding place, but because they were traveling in plainclothes and did not have law enforcement authority, they could not personally arrest the criminals and could only wait on the periphery.

Masked SWAT officers stormed into a dilapidated residential building. Gunshots and roars immediately erupted inside, mixed with chaotic footsteps, like cold water being poured into boiling oil. The entire building exploded with a deafening roar.

Some robbers, desperate to escape, jumped from fourth-floor windows when they had nowhere else to go.

Before he could get up from the ground, the SWAT officers guarding downstairs rushed over and hit him with the butt of their rifles.

Regardless of whether the suspect had any broken bones when he jumped, this one fall alone would definitely break his bones.

Zhou Cheng watched in amazement and couldn't help but say to the teammate next to him, "Those Russians are really ruthless!"

The team member said, "They're a capitalist country now, they don't use that kind of prison reformation stuff anymore."

Taking advantage of the fact that the people of Eguo couldn't understand, the two of them didn't control their volume at all. Yan Zhengchuan gave them a warning look, and Zhou Cheng immediately shut his mouth.

Yan Zhengchuan glanced at the Eguo police officer beside him. The young, blond-haired officer stared expressionlessly at the residential building, occasionally turning his head to talk to his subordinate.

Under the relentless assault, disregarding the lives of the suspects, the gunfire quickly ceased, and masked SWAT officers escorted all the suspects out of the building—some of them emerging sideways.

Zhou Cheng stepped forward to identify the suspect's appearance. After checking the list against the list, he walked solemnly to Yan Zhengchuan's side.

"Captain Yan, the number of people is wrong. More than half are missing, and those caught today are all small fry. Ma San and Sister Hua are not here!"

Yan Zhengchuan relayed this important information to the person in charge in Emei through a translator, and the other party's expression immediately darkened.

Yan Zhengchuan understood him well. The train robbery occurred in Ejin Horo, which had a negative impact internationally and attracted the attention of the leaders of both countries. As the head of the police force in the jurisdiction where the case was handled, his colleague was under no less pressure than him.

The person in charge politely thanked Yan Zhengchuan and said that he would need to borrow his translator later. Then he gave some instructions to his subordinates.

The burly subordinate walked straight up to the suspect, who looked like a minor leader, and without warning, he suddenly punched him, breaking his nose and causing it to bleed profusely.

The suspect had an arrogant expression and looked at the police with dissatisfaction. He was clearly a tough nut to crack, the kind of person who would be hard to get out of an interrogation without some tricks.

But no one expected that the Emei police would not even conduct an interrogation.

For a moment, the wind was still, and only the muffled thuds of a person being severely injured could be heard.

The air smelled of rust.

Zhou Cheng watched with trepidation, and asked Yan Zhengchuan uneasily:

"Captain Yan, are they going to beat someone to death...? Shouldn't we try to stop them?"

Yan Zhengchuan didn't speak, but looked at the blond-haired manager, who was calmly watching his subordinate beat the suspect.

Other police officers in the country remained calm and continued with their duties.

Special police officers were reprimanding agitated suspects, while officers collecting evidence passed by with cameras and evidence bags. Police on the perimeter were blocking residents from going home.

Clearly, apart from these naive Chinese people, the Chinese side was already used to it.

Yan Zhengchuan suddenly asked the translator, "What did he just say?"

The translator was arranged by the embassy; he had a clean background, was politically reliable, and was used to seeing big scenes, but this was probably the first time he had faced such a bloody and violent scene directly, and he stammered a bit before speaking:

"He said he needed to know where the rest of the people were."

Zhou Cheng couldn't help but interject, "You heard me right, didn't you? He didn't ask anything, he just started hitting people!"

The translator said with a pained expression, "That's exactly what was said..."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and Zhou Cheng said what all the Chinese people present wanted to say:

"You keep telling people to tell the truth, but why don't you ask them first!"

We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, we'll only be able to put handcuffs on the urn when we return to China.

In court, the judge will ask, "Where is the suspect?"

Are we supposed to answer, "I'm sorry, there are no living suspects, but I have a few dead ones here. Please make do with that"?

Even if he lacks law enforcement authority and is punished for affecting bilateral relations upon returning to China, Yan Zhengchuan still has to step in and stop them. He can't just let these Russians beat the suspect to death right in front of him.

Yan Zhengchuan, accompanied by a translator, expressed his opinions to the seemingly unreliable Eguo official.

The person in charge glanced at him, raised his hand, and gestured for his subordinates to stop the one-sided beating.

Yan Zhengchuan, however, did not feel at ease.

“Mr. Yan, I know your goal is to bring the prisoners back to the country, but this is Emei, and we have our own way of working.”

The person in charge had a cold expression, like a perfect and austere ice sculpture.

“I hope you remember that this is not Jong-guk. You should act according to our requirements. Otherwise, you will be regarded as deliberately slowing down the progress of the case investigation, and I will apply for the E-guk police to take sole charge of this case.”

Yan Zhengchuan's expression was tense.

Even if the translator tries to use the most tactful language, it still cannot conceal the other party's blatant threat.

Either follow the Emirates police's rules, or get out.

After ensuring that Yan Zhengchuan fully understood his meaning, the person in charge suddenly smiled.

"Please do not worry, we will transfer the suspect to your side for processing in accordance with the agreement between the two countries."

"After all, in Zhongguo, the death penalty cannot be replaced by other punishments, and only the dead are considered good criminals."

After hearing the translation, Yan Zhengchuan also smiled through gritted teeth.

“Tell him that in our country, even if someone commits a crime deserving of death, they must first be convicted and sentenced by the court, rather than being subjected to vigilante justice by a few individuals. That is what it means to govern a country according to law.”

The person in charge calmly said, "What you say is very good, but this is Oros."

Both sides reached a temporary agreement: the person in charge would send people to drag the unfortunate suspect, who was still in critical condition, to the hospital for emergency treatment, while Yan Zhengchuan would lead his men to interrogate the remaining suspects on the spot.

The effect of making an example of someone was astonishing. The suspects, terrified, answered every question, sometimes even more than they were asked, for fear of being dragged away by the watchful SWAT officers and taught a lesson.

They told us that Ma San and Hua Jie were originally hiding in this apartment building, but for some reason, Ma San suddenly took Hua Jie and his confidants away the day before, without saying where they were going, only that he would contact them later.

Yan Zhengchuan immediately realized that someone under Guojianglong's command had leaked the information.

For a loosely structured, informal social organization, demanding secrecy is truly difficult. Information leaks out like a sieve, and everyone might even know that the outsider is wearing cartoon underwear.

The person in charge looked somewhat disappointed upon hearing the news.

He said nothing and ordered all the suspects to be taken back to the police station.

Just as the special police were about to escort the suspects into the police car, one of the suspects suddenly broke down, hugging Yan Zhengchuan's leg and crying bitterly.

"Officer, please take me away! Don't hand me over to the Russians! I'd rather go back to China and be shot than stay with them!"

Once this person took the lead, the other suspects followed suit and howled.

"We're all from China. For the sake of our compatriots, let's save this brother's life!"

"Sir, I swear, I will confess and be treated leniently. Please give me another chance!"

Yan Zhengchuan: ...

He looked at the person in charge not far away, and the other person also looked in his direction.

Look closely, he seems to be smiling.

It's confirmed, it's mockery.

Yan Zhengchuan pulled the suspect off his lap and said through gritted teeth:

"Okay, you said it, don't regret it if you get shot later."

—Damn it, he's definitely incompatible with this area of ​​Mosk!

He Changyi received a notification from the Emei police that the missing Director Peng had been found.

Fortunately, he survived; even more fortunately, he lost ten pounds.

He Changyi went to the police station to pick up the person. Director Peng sat dejectedly among a group of Emei people, looking like a homeless man.

When Director Peng saw He Changyi, he almost burst into tears.

"Xiao He, I almost didn't get to see you again!"

When he saw He Changyi approaching on crutches, he exclaimed in surprise:

How did you get hurt?

He Changyi said casually, "The robber shot me in the leg, but thankfully, he didn't hit my head, so I'm still alive."

Director Peng, who had been full of complaints, was now too embarrassed to say anything more and could only sigh repeatedly.

"Who would have thought that a business trip would almost cost me my life abroad..."

He Changyi picked up the person and took Director Peng back to the Ural Hotel.

It wasn't mealtime yet, so He Changyi tipped the hotel's Chinese chef and ordered a table full of dishes.

Director Peng stared wide-eyed, forgetting all table manners. Without washing his hands, he grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling incoherently:

"This is still the best food! The bread from those Koreans is inedible; I haven't had a proper meal in days!"

He Changyi didn't compete with him for food, but helped him pick up food and ladle soup. Only after Director Peng was full and slumped in his chair, clutching his stomach, did she ask where he had been these past few days.

Director Peng let out a long sigh.

"It's a long story, a long story indeed..."

It turned out that after Director Peng jumped off the train, he saw the robbers stop the train and chase after him, so he quickly crawled under the train carriage and escaped to the other side of the tracks, narrowly escaping the robbers.

Fearing that the robbers would realize what was happening and catch up, he walked all night in the opposite direction of the railway tracks until he reached a sawmill at dawn.

Director Peng was exhausted and hungry. He saw an unlocked house and went in to look for food. As a result, he was mistaken for a thief by the sawmill workers who came to work and was taken to the town's police station.

This is an extremely remote town, and there isn't a single person in the entire town who can speak Chinese. Director Peng's knowledge of Ethnic languages ​​is limited to Harashao and Sukabul.

The two sides could not communicate, and Director Peng had no passport or money, so he was detained for three days as an illegal immigrant.

It wasn't until the Oroqen police opened an investigation into the train robbery and distributed photos of the robbers to police stations along the railway line that the town police, who were face-blind, mistook Director Peng for a robber and sent him to Mosk.

The police in Mosk also have face blindness, but fortunately the police station has Chinese translators.

Finally, Director Peng found someone he could communicate with normally.

He Changyi had previously reported the disappearance of Director Peng to the police station. When the Mosk police saw that the information matched, they released Director Peng from the prison area and notified He Changyi to come and pick him up.

Director Peng had never suffered such a great injustice before, and tears were about to fall as he spoke.

"What a terrible place Oros! I'll never come here again in my life... My company has to compensate me; this counts as a work-related injury!"

He also complained about Ho Chang-yi.

“Xiao He, if it weren’t for you selling some scrap steel, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this. Look how thin I am, my ribs are showing. My wife and daughter will be heartbroken to see me like this…”

He Changyi smiled and poured him a cup of hot tea.

"You've suffered."

Director Peng kept nagging, sometimes saying He Changyi was bad and shouldn't have sold the scrap steel from Eros; other times saying there was a problem with her arrangements, why did they have to take the train, they should have taken the plane.

Judging from the implication in his words, he probably wanted He Changyi to give him something in return.

He Changyi listened with a smile, after all, Director Peng was indeed quite unlucky, so it wouldn't hurt to hear him complain a bit.

However, Director Peng got more and more excited as he spoke.

"I jumped out of the car and lured the robbers away. You guys were safe inside the car and arrived in Mosk without any problems. I should have stayed in the car; it would have saved me from suffering alone..."

It seems he is out of touch with the world and unaware of the details of this shocking train robbery.

He Changyi politely interrupted him.

"Director Peng, things are not quite as you think. Your jumping out of the car lured away a group of robbers, but there was another group on the car, larger and more vicious. We almost didn't make it to Moscow alive."

Director Peng was taken aback.

"besides?!"

He Changyi said, "Yes, they haven't caught them yet. Everyone should be careful when going out recently, in case the robbers retaliate."

Director Peng immediately became restless.

"I want to go back to China! Book me a plane ticket right away, I need to go back today!"

He Changyi readily agreed, “No problem. However, there are only three flights a week from Moscow to Beijing. The earliest flight is the day after tomorrow. You can rest at the hotel for two days and go back the day after tomorrow.”

Director Peng sighed heavily.

"The day after tomorrow it is, anyway, I'm never coming to this godforsaken place again!"

After venting his emotions, Director Peng finally remembered the three private enterprise representatives who had accompanied him. He Changyi told him that Dong Dezhi and the other two had already returned to China.

Director Peng said, "I always said Oros wasn't a good place. Otherwise, why would people have gone back to their home countries so long ago? I guess they're like me, never wanting to come to Oros again in their lives!"

He Changyi gave him a cryptic look.

"Section Chief Dong and his team returned to China to expedite the transfer of contracts and advance payments. Steel is in short supply right now, with prices changing daily, and they are eagerly awaiting the delivery of scrap steel. Speaking of which, Section Chief Dong will be coming back again in a while."

Director Peng said incredulously:

"What? You're saying he's going to come to Oros again? Are you crazy?!"

He Changyi said unhurriedly:

"Making money is the priority. Each ton of scrap steel is only $280. ​​Even if you don't use it yourself, you can make a lot of money by reselling it. I heard them say that if the factory can't handle so much scrap steel, they can find buyers themselves and become middlemen. They can make at least several hundred thousand dollars just by buying and selling it."

Director Peng's eyes widened.

"Hundreds of thousands?!"

Seeing the disbelief on Director Peng's face, He Changyi patiently explained it to him.

“The price of scrap steel in China is 3,000 yuan per ton, but you can buy scrap steel from me for less than 2,000 yuan, which is a difference of 1,000 yuan per ton. Small steel mills can make 500,000 yuan just from the price difference if they buy 500 tons at a time. Not to mention those big steel mills with money, they can become millionaires in one go if they buy thousands of tons at a time. Even if you have to share the profits with the purchasing leaders, the money that is left in your hands in the end is not a small amount.”

Director Peng's breathing grew heavier and heavier; he could no longer maintain his composure and impatiently asked He Changyi:

"Are you telling the truth?!"

He Changyi retorted, "What's the point of lying about this? You can just ask Section Chief Dong and the others whether it's true or false, can't you?"

That makes sense, but Director Peng then asked He Changyi with suspicion:

"Such a good business, why don't you do it yourself?"

He Changyi shrugged helplessly.

“I would like to do it, but I have no connections or background in China. I don’t even know which way the steel mill’s gates face. Even if I wanted to sell, I couldn’t get in. Director Peng, you work for the steel mill, so you know more about this than I do.”

Director Peng thought about it and realized that made sense.

Procurement has always been the most lucrative area, and ordinary people can't even get close to it unless they are a close confidant or relative of a high-ranking leader.

Take his state-owned enterprise as an example. Even if it can provide scrap steel at a lower price than its partner suppliers, it's useless. The money for purchasing the scrap steel comes from the factory anyway. It doesn't matter how much it costs. Who would be so foolish as to save the country money?

But it would be a different story if that money ended up in someone's pocket...

He Changyi remained silent, watching with a smile as Director Peng's expression changed, clearly showing that he was tempted.

She added another handful of firewood.

"Director Peng, we're just having a casual chat. Please don't take it to heart. After all, I only have a limited amount of scrap steel on hand. Section Chief Dong and the others have already ordered more than half of it, and we've agreed to reserve the rest for them—"

Director Peng interrupted He Changyi, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Why?!"

He Changyi raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly.

Director Peng realized he had lost his composure and quickly tried to make amends:

“What I mean is, since you haven’t signed a contract, it’s uncertain whether you’ll keep it or not. What if they don’t buy it? Wouldn’t you be stuck with this scrap steel? If you ask me, you should sell it as soon as possible and put your money in your pocket.”

He Changyi pondered, "What you said isn't entirely unreasonable..."

Director Peng immediately said, "I'm here with a purchasing assignment for our factory. How about this, no matter how much scrap steel you have left, I'll buy it all, Xiao He, what do you think?"

He Changyi tried hard to suppress his laughter and pretended to be distressed.

"Sigh, but I've already promised Section Chief Dong..."

Director Peng said anxiously, "Business is business, words are not enough! I can sign a contract with you right now, can Xiao Dong do that? I know their factories, they are all small private factories. If there is any fluctuation in steel prices over there, the bosses here have to sell their children to get loans. How can they compare to our large state-owned factories? I have a stamped contract in my briefcase. As long as you agree, we will sign the contract immediately!"

Under Director Peng's pressing gaze, He Changyi let out a long sigh.

"Sigh, well, it seems I have no choice but to break my promise."

Director Peng was overjoyed and praised her lavishly without reservation:

"What do you mean by breaking a promise? Only a signed contract counts. Otherwise, how can you go to court with just words? Xiao He, I could tell on the train that you're definitely capable of great things!"

He Changyi took over Director Peng's briefcase, which he had entrusted to him for safekeeping, and right there at the dining table, the two signed a contract to purchase three thousand tons of scrap steel.

Director Peng was very satisfied, and He Changyi was also very satisfied.

She put away the contract, the ink still wet at the signature, thinking to herself that she needed to speed up the process of acquiring scrap steel.

She already has orders for 6,000 tons of scrap steel. At this rate, she fears that one day all the scrap steel in Vladimir City combined won't be enough for her to sell.

When He Changyi returned to her room with the contract, she happened to run into Zhou Cheng at the door.

He Changyi asked him, "What are you busy with?"

Zhou Cheng said, "We caught a few small fish, and Captain Yan told us to interrogate them all night to see if we could find the big fish. I can't talk to you anymore, I have to hurry back to the police station, Captain Yan is waiting for me. That guy from Ejin was too ruthless, he was splattered with blood, and he's in a hurry to change his clothes."

Zhou Cheng was in a hurry; he grabbed a few clothes from the room and was about to leave again.

He Changyi was waiting at the door and handed him a bag full of canned goods, sausages and instant noodles.

"I reckon you won't have time to eat, and you're not used to the bread from Eka, but no matter how hard you work, you still need to take care of your health."

Zhou Cheng was deeply moved and squeezed out two tears to show He Changyi.

"It's Sister He who knows how to care for people!"

He Changyi watched Zhou Cheng leave, thinking that it seemed the fourth wave of robbers had been caught, but they should have caught the lower-ranking henchmen, not the leader.

She recalled the two robbers, a man and a woman, she pulled out the Glocker from under her pillow, removed the magazine, reloaded the bullets one by one, tested the empty gun, and finally put the magazineed gun back under her pillow.

If she were to encounter this couple again, she would grant their wish and send them to the underworld to become a ghost couple.

In the evening, He Changyi heard someone knocking on the door outside, calling out in dialect.

"Hello, I have a shipment to ship. Please open the door so we can talk."

She put her cane aside, took the gun in one hand, and limped silently over, pressing her ear against the door to listen intently.

The people outside were still persistently knocking on the door.

"Is anyone here? Please open the door. I was introduced by Xie Shirong."

He Changyi still did not open the door.

A few minutes later, she heard a second voice outside, hushed to the ear, as if afraid of being overheard.

"Does she really live here? Why is no one answering the door?"

The person knocking on the door said in a low voice, "I've inquired, she lives in this room, a woman, no one else lives here."

The second person asked, "Is there a mistake? Isn't she from the South? Try speaking Mandarin and see if you can understand her this time."

The person who knocked on the door spoke again, this time much louder.

"Miss He, hello. I was introduced by Xie Shirong. I have some goods to sell to you. Please open the door!"

He Changyi left the doorway and slowly backed away, facing the door, until she bumped into the high table in the living room where the landline phone was placed.

She leaned against the edge of the table, her eyes fixed on the door, holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other.

Unexpectedly, yet not entirely unexpectedly, there was no sound coming from the microphone.

This means that the hotel's telephone line had been cut.

He Changyi stood by the window and carefully looked downstairs—the Eguo security guard on night duty at the entrance was nowhere to be seen.

The lintel above the gate partially blocked the view, leaving only two legs in uniform visible on the ground, which quickly disappeared from sight.

Someone dragged the security guard from the ground inside.

The knocking grew more urgent.

"Miss He, please open the door! I know you're in your room. It wouldn't be very kind of you if you didn't open it!"

哢哒.

He Changyi released the safety on the gun.

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Author's note: Andrei: I am a policeman, how could I not know what kind of people the police are?

Yan Zhengchuan: ... (The last part is a fragment and doesn't translate directly.)