Chapter 164 Professional Criminal Gang

Zhou Yi captured several key pieces of information from Qian Hongxing's description.

First, when Liu Jianshe was fired, he threatened Qian Hongxing that he would pay a price. Normally, a boss of Qian Hongxing's caliber wouldn't take such words seriously. But Liu Jianshe's boldness meant it was likely more than just a threat. Combined with Zhou Yi's knowledge that he might have rigged the ransom in a previous life, potentially leading to Qian Lailai's death, it's perfectly reasonable to consider him the prime suspect, as his motive is clear.

Second, judging by the course of Qian Lailai's kidnapping, it's clear this was a gang operation involving at least four individuals. Two people on the motorcycle were responsible for creating a conflict, attracting the attention of Qian Hongxing and Yao Yuling. At least one other person opened the car door from the other side and abducted Qian Lailai, and another person was responsible for driving the vehicle away quickly.

Because the time between Qian Lailai's abduction and the severed finger being placed in a box and dropped at the entrance to the residential complex was very short, this suggests the kidnappers had decided from the outset to amputate one of the hostage's fingers. This process first requires someone to control the hostage and carry out the act of harm, and secondly, a convenient location for the harm to occur.

A moving vehicle is undoubtedly the best option for escaping and committing harm, so there must be at least two people in the car, or even more than two people.

Third, from the motorcycle scam to the hostage-taking, to the kidnappers calling Qian Hongxing as soon as she arrived home and dropping the severed finger at the front door, this demonstrates the professionalism of this criminal gang, with every step meticulously planned. Such an efficient and professional plan doesn't just happen; it requires experience.

This criminal gang must not have committed a crime for the first time.

But a question also arises. Liu Jianshe has been Qian Hongxing's driver for four or five years. How did he suddenly become a member of this professional criminal gang?

This kind of professional criminal gang is very unlikely to accept newcomers, especially in such a short period of time. Because these people have committed serious crimes, they only trust their long-term criminal partners and are unlikely to easily accept outsiders.

No matter how you look at it, Liu Jianshe has no outstanding qualities.

Zhou Yi couldn't figure this out at the moment. It seemed that he could only wait for Captain Wu to find out Liu Jianshe's social relations before making any analysis.

"Officer Zhou...is this finger really not my son's?" Qian Hongxing pointed at the severed finger in the box, his hands shaking.

Zhou Yi knew that Qian Hongxing needed this reassurance.

So he said, "My guess is that the time between your son's abduction and the discovery of the severed finger was very short. It's unlikely that the finger was cut off and then delivered so quickly. It's more likely that the kidnappers had already prepared it in advance."

Zhou Yi's thinking was that Qian Lailai's severed finger was a fact, and whether it could be reattached was still an unknown. But as long as the hostage could be rescued safely, a severed finger was nothing compared to his life.

But what Zhou Yi was afraid of was that this severed finger was just the beginning.

Compared to Sun Kun’s kidnapping, Qian Lailai is now in deadly danger every second.

Qian Hongxing nodded repeatedly: "That's good, that's good."

Zhou Yi checked the time and said, "It's almost time. Let's go to the property management to check the surveillance."

Qian Hongxing led Zhou Yi straight to the property management, which was indeed the best villa area for the rich in Hongcheng. The property manager in a suit and tie respectfully led them to a professional monitoring room with multiple screens.

Qian Hongxing did not introduce Zhou Yi's identity, but the property manager was a very smart man. When he saw Qian Hongxing being respectful and obedient to the man dressed as a maintenance worker, he guessed something.

"We have a total of eight cameras outside Hongcheng Baodi. All visible areas outside the community are under surveillance. In addition, electric fences are installed on the walls. Not to mention petty thefts, even international thieves can't get in." The manager introduced proudly.

"How many surveillance cameras can capture the front door?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Three. There's one directly in front of the main gate, and then there's one at each corner of the community wall to fill in the blind spot at the main gate."

Zhou Yi nodded, truly professional. "Open all three surveillance cameras, starting with the half hour before the incident."

The manager immediately asked someone to do it.

Although the manager said they were using the most advanced and best imported surveillance equipment, the clarity of the 1997 surveillance was still too blurry.

Zhou Yi saw a motorcycle driving quickly from west to east. It slowed down obviously when passing the gate. At the same time, the motorcyclist threw a box to the security guard on duty, then stepped on the accelerator and left quickly, disappearing from the east-facing surveillance.

Zhou Yi had the camera freeze at the moment the motorcycle dropped the box and asked Qian Hongxing, "Mr. Qian, can you tell if this is the same motorcycle that distracted you earlier?"

Qian Hongxing leaned forward and stared at the surveillance screen, wishing he could dig out the motorcycle and the person on it.

"I'm... not sure. But this guy looks very similar to those two people back then, both wearing black clothes and black helmets."

Zhou Yi nodded. It was most likely the person who had previously caused the incident to divert attention. It was just that there were two people before, but it was one person who dropped the box. It was likely that the motorcycle was lighter, making it easier for him to escape.

It's tricky. The other party has thought too much through it.

"Continue to rewind, go back to the twenty-four hours before the incident, and then play it at the maximum speed." Zhou Yi said.

The staff immediately did as they were told, and Zhou Yi began to stare intently at the three screens in front of him that were playing simultaneously, constantly watching the people and cars flashing by quickly on the surveillance camera.

"stop!"

"continue!"

"stop!"

"continue!"

"stop!"

At the end of the picture, a motorcycle appears, and it is obvious that it is the same motorcycle and the rider who dropped the box.

The time on the surveillance camera showed that it was 9:46 this morning, and less than a minute ago, Qian Hongxing's Audi had just driven out of the community.

In other words, this motorcycle had already started following Qian Hongxing when he went out with his wife and children this morning!

Not only that, the first two times he called a halt were because Zhou Yi caught sight of the motorcycle.

They had been keeping watch nearby, waiting for the opportunity for Qian Hongxing to bring the child out.

While Zhou Yi was staring at the surveillance camera, Qian Hongxing and the property manager were already dizzy. The three screens were playing at the maximum speed at the same time, and they had no time to see.

"Officer Zhou...Officer Zhou, do you have any clues?" Qian Hongxing asked nervously.

Zhou Yi pointed at the motorcycle in the video and said, "This motorcycle has appeared multiple times. Besides creating incidents to divert attention during kidnappings, it's also used for surveillance and tracking. The kidnappers warned you not to call the police in their first phone call. This is completely different from the last time Sun Kun kidnapped Qian Lailai."

Zhou Yi heard from Wu Yongcheng that Qian Hongxing had already learned about the details of Sun Kun's kidnapping case from the police through his lawyer, so he no longer concealed it.

"Sun Kun used psychological tactics, but I don't think this group of kidnappers is using them. So it's very likely that this motorcyclist will continue to be responsible for the surveillance mission. This person is likely to be a breakthrough point."

Zhou Yi mentioned the person instead of the motorcycle because the person hadn't been exposed. Qian Hongxing said that when the collision occurred and he was hit, the two people on the motorcycle were still wearing helmets. So, all they had to do was change their clothes. On the contrary, the possibility of the motorcycle appearing again is very small because it is too conspicuous.

"Is there a vacant room? I need to call the team." Zhou Yi asked.

The property manager quickly said, "Yes, yes, I'll take you there."

In a small conference room, Zhou Yi called Wu Yongcheng.

"Captain Wu, I'm at Qian Hongxing's house now. I've already understood the basic circumstances of the case, and I also have some investigative directions."

"Okay, you say, Xiao Qiao is with me, she will record it." Wu Yongcheng said.

Zhou Yi recounted the entire process of the incident, emphasizing his own suspicions and judgments.

Liu Jianshe's whereabouts and his social relations must be thoroughly investigated; defenses need to be deployed near Hongcheng Baodi because the kidnappers may be following them; the motorcycles that have appeared repeatedly need to be investigated; and the roads near the crime scene must also be visited and investigated because there is currently no clue about the vehicle that kidnapped Qian Lailai.

After listening to Zhou Yi's entire report, Wu Yongcheng said, "Zhou Yi, there is one situation that is not optimistic at the moment."

"What's going on?" Zhou Yi's heart tightened.

Wu Yongcheng was silent for two seconds and said, "We don't have enough manpower."

Zhou Yi suddenly felt relieved. So that's it?

"Captain Wu, it's indeed the weekend and everyone is resting, but this case is extremely urgent. Please notify the brothers in the detachment to work overtime."

But just as he finished speaking, Zhou Yi felt something was wrong. It was impossible for Wu Yongcheng not to understand this.

Sure enough, Wu Yongcheng's words made him understand the problem. "That bastard Ni is using the police force's reputation to hold us back. Director Xie is in another important meeting in the province, so we won't be able to contact him for the time being. At least for today, I'm afraid we won't be able to mobilize Team 1."

Zhou Yi immediately said, "That won't do. The kidnappers are extremely vicious. If we delay for even a minute, the hostages could be in danger."

But Zhou Yi was also well aware of the crux of the matter: although Director Xie was absent, there were other leaders within the bureau. Normally, the position of Chief of the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment would be held concurrently by the Deputy Director in charge of criminal investigation. However, Ni Jianrong was parachuted in, and it was said that he had originally intended to follow the direct process of Deputy Director concurrently serving as Chief of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. However, Director Xie found an excuse to block this, leaving him with only the title of Chief, while Director Xie took over the overall responsibility of criminal investigation.

Even if the other deputy directors were in the bureau, it wouldn't matter. Those in charge of economic investigation, transportation, politics, and finance didn't have the authority to directly command the Criminal Investigation Division. Within the criminal investigation sphere, Wu Yongcheng only had Xie Guoqiang and Ni Jianrong above him.

At this time, Qiao Jiali said, "Captain Wu, why don't we ask the Qingshan Branch for help? This is originally their jurisdiction."

Wu Yongcheng thought for a moment and said, "If there's really no other way, this is the only way. But without Director Xie's signature, it's hard to say whether they'll be willing to help."

Zhou Yi knew that Wu Yongcheng's concerns were not unfounded. A group should abide by rules and regulations, and they should not act arbitrarily, otherwise they would be impossible to manage. Furthermore, people's hearts were unpredictable. For such a difficult case, it would be fine if it could be solved satisfactorily in the end.

If any problems arise in the process and if there are no reasonable procedures, the leaders of the Qingshan Branch will be punished.

Few people are willing to gamble their future like this.

Wu Yongcheng also understood this, so he added, "If it really doesn't work, just transfer the case to the Qingshan Branch and we'll help solve it."

Zhou Yi immediately refused, "Captain Wu, we can't do that. First, we need to align our approaches to solving the case. Second, Qian Hongxing currently trusts our Third Squadron. If we let the Qingshan Branch take the lead, it's hard to predict how the hostages' families will react."

Zhou Yi didn't have a problem with the Qingshan Branch, but judging by the results of the investigation into Sun Kun's case in his previous life, the Qingshan Branch probably couldn't handle this case. Furthermore, Sun Kun's case had been intercepted by their Third Brigade before, so who knew what the Qingshan Branch's leadership was thinking, especially with Qian Hongxing making such a high-profile donation.

Zhou Yi suddenly had an idea and said, "Captain Wu, I have an idea. Wait a minute, I'll make a phone call first!"