Because there were quite a few suspicious individuals among them, as they entered from one entrance and exited from another in Er Ma Lane, and were recorded in both people's notebooks, there were many duplicate entries.

They quickly reorganized the two notebooks, and now the total number of suspects is seventy-four.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Chu Guang came in and said, "Section Chief, as you instructed, the owners of the five newsstands in this area have all been brought back!"

Xiang Yan nodded and said, "Let them in quickly!"

Chu Guang turned around and led in five trembling men. They had been forcibly brought back by the action team, led by several plainclothes officers. They were all terrified and didn't dare to breathe loudly after entering the room, looking at Xiang Yan and Ning Zhiheng.

Ning Zhiheng thought to himself, "Xiang Yan is quick on his feet. He arranged the work well in advance. He truly is a veteran of action."

Ning Zhiheng stepped forward and placed the compiled list on the table. Then he said to the five stall owners, "I brought you here for no other reason than to ask you about some things. You set up your newspaper stalls around here every day, so you must have some regular customers who come every day, or even regular customers who have been subscribing to your newspaper stalls for a long time. Today I need you to identify them."

Let me make this clear upfront: there will be a reward for speaking out if you know anything, but anyone who knows and doesn't report it, or who intentionally conceals it, will be immediately arrested and imprisoned for life! Think carefully before you act!

After using intimidation and enticement to explain the stakes, Ning Zhiheng pointed to the list and said, "Five people, come forward one by one to identify the people on the list who subscribe to and buy the Minsheng Daily every day at your newsstand. You must identify them all without missing anyone."

Let me emphasize again, never make a mistake! Is it worth wasting your entire life on someone who has nothing to do with you?

After saying that, he drew his Browning pistol from his waist and placed it on the table, his intimidating eyes coldly fixed on the five stall owners.

These words terrified the men, who dared not utter another word. Looking at the cold, hard pistol, they repeatedly nodded and bowed, repeatedly replying, "We wouldn't dare! We wouldn't dare!"

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, they stepped forward one by one to examine the list. Ning Zhiheng carefully observed their behavior to prevent anyone from concealing anything.

Chu Guang then picked up a pen and made notes on the paper. In less than twenty minutes, he had finished identifying the people.

Of the 74 suspicious individuals on the list, nine were identified by the five stall owners. These nine individuals were regular customers who had long subscribed to and purchased the Min Sheng Daily from the five stall owners' newsstands.

Xiang Yan took the list from Chu Guang and nodded to Ning Zhiheng with satisfaction. Ning Zhiheng then turned to the five stall owners and said, "You've done very well, but we can't let you go back now. You'll have to stay at the police station tonight. As long as you behave, I'll let you go back tomorrow!"

The reason Ning Zhiheng locked up all five stall owners was to prevent them from leaking the information when they returned. Although the possibility was slim and the stall owners might not have the guts, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Ning Zhiheng always believed that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Upon hearing that they were to be taken to the police station, the five stall owners were so frightened that their legs went weak. One of the bolder stall owners knelt down on the ground with a thud and pleaded repeatedly, "Sir, we were just following your orders and we didn't do anything wrong! Please have mercy and let us go!"

The other four stall owners also quickly begged for mercy. They were already terrified to have been dragged back at gunpoint in the middle of the night, and now they were going to be locked up in the police station. They all knew that once they were locked up in the police station, how could they possibly get out safely? They were immediately disoriented and at a loss for what to do!

Chu Guang's face immediately turned cold, and he said fiercely, "Don't be stubborn. Our superiors keep their word. If we lock you up for one night, we'll release you tomorrow. If you dare to utter another word..."

He reached for his sidearm at his waist, drew it, and whispered, "I'll make sure you never go back!"

Chu Guang's fierce and menacing appearance immediately frightened the stall owners into silence, and they were then pushed and shoved away by the action team!

Xiang Yan ignored these trivial matters. He carefully examined the list of nine people in his hand, frowned, and asked Ning Zhiheng, "You just said you'd lock them up for one night. Does that mean you're planning to make your move tonight?"