Chapter 9 Shocking Wealth
"Xin Xiao, do you have time?" Ji Feng shouted with his head tilted.
"Captain Ji, did you get anything?" Xin Xiao responded as he walked up to Ji Feng and sat down.
"It's not a big deal. I won't comment on Captain Jiang's previous investigation, but there may be a detail overlooked in this transcript. Of course, Captain Jiang may think it's insignificant." Ji Feng analyzed slowly.
"What details?" Xin Xiao asked.
"According to Lan Ruojin's description, Chen Zhaoran controls 80% of the high-quality resources in the Thuja spice circle. At a time when the value of Thuja spice is becoming increasingly apparent, it is undoubtedly a huge piece of fat meat. What does this huge profit represent?" Ji Feng asked.
"Does it represent a sharp conflict?" Xin Xiao guessed.
"That's right." Jifeng nodded.
"But this spice is a niche collection after all." Xin Xiao asked.
"Niche? That's something for the high-end!" Ji Feng explained. "Do you think wealthy people in the Middle East wear perfume just to smell good? It's a status symbol, just like wearing haute couture."
"Oh, that's it." Xin Xiao thought thoughtfully.
"According to Lan Ruojin, the price of Thuja spices has been rising steadily in recent years, and it showed a rapid expansion trend in the Middle East in the years when the incident occurred. The Middle East is a major center for spice consumption in the world." Ji Feng continued.
"I only know that in the Middle East, spices are not only taste elements, but also necessities for religious rituals. The per capita perfume expenditure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is three times that of the world's total. In history, there was also the famous 'Spice Road', which was once an important trade route connecting the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean." Xin Xiao added.
Ji Feng glanced at Xin Xiao approvingly and continued, "As far as I know, Thuja spices have been extremely popular in the Middle East in recent years. Even European luxury perfume brands are rushing to stock up on them, which has undoubtedly fueled the market for Thuja spices."
"It seems that the interests here are quite big. I indeed overlooked this detail before." Xin Xiao sighed.
"Chen Zhaoran has multiple identities as a player, collector, buyer, and seller, and he has absolute voice and pricing power in the circle. This identity of his is even many times more valuable than his identity as the owner of an auction house." Ji Feng made an in-depth analysis.
"Oh my God!" Xin Xiao exclaimed.
"I'm reminded of a passage from Capital: 'If there's a 10% profit, it's guaranteed to be used everywhere; with a 20% profit, it becomes active; with a 50% profit, it takes risks; for 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; with a 300% profit, it dares to commit any crime, even at the risk of being hanged.'" Ji Feng quoted.
"Therefore, there are many people who covet Chen Zhaoran's resources." Influenced by Ji Feng, Xin Xiao gradually learned reasoning and analysis.
"If we still can't find any enemies or scandals about Shen Zhaoran, the possibility of murder for money will be even greater. But the scope of murder for money will also expand, including all those who are jealous of his cliff juniper resources." Ji Feng said.
"Then the focus should be on the interior of the Thuja circle."
"That's right. After this period of work is over, you should carefully research the connections among the local Thuja community."
"Okay. No matter who gets that Thuja sutchuenensis resource warehouse, it can be considered a windfall!" Xin Xiao exclaimed.
"Have you checked the performance of Baoyingli Auction House in recent years?" Ji Feng remembered that this matter had not yet been implemented.
"I checked. No wonder the female employee didn't say it directly. The performance can be said to be getting worse and worse every year." Xin Xiao replied.
"This is not surprising. We used to make commissions from the Lan family's auction items, but now this cash cow of the Lan family can't make any money. Plus, Lan Renxuan is an outsider, so it's strange that the performance is good." Ji Feng analyzed.
"Although the auction house's value has shrunk, Shen Zhaoran's death insurance money and the hidden Thuja juniper warehouse are still an astonishing fortune." Xin Xiao added.
"What is the connection between Lin Wantang and the Lan family?" Ji Feng muttered to himself, his thoughts entangled with this again.
"No matter what the relationship is, the Lan family is indeed the most likely to be the mastermind behind this." Xin Xiao expressed his opinion.
"Let's put aside the question of whether the Lan family is behind this. Let's first determine if there is a mastermind behind this." Ji Feng took over the topic and said, "If there is a mastermind behind this, then designing this murder case by substitution at least shows that he is a calculating person. But would such a 'clever person' overlook such an obvious flaw?"
"Flaw? What flaw?" Xin Xiao asked in confusion.
"Use your brain and think about it." Ji Feng inspired Xin Xiao.
Xin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "If the target is the top-grade spice ornament 'Little Dragon', then the 'Little Dragon' shouldn't be in Lin Wantang's house. If it were, it would reveal that the real culprit's real goal is to kill people, not the spices. The spices are just a tool he uses to mislead us."
"You've made progress." Jifeng said with a smile.
"Birds of a feather flock together, haha." Xin Xiao said modestly with a hint of pride.
"But that's not all. Will this 'smart guy' easily reveal his true intentions? In other words, the fact that he deliberately exposed his misleading behavior just shows that his real purpose may not be to kill people - perhaps there are other purposes besides spices and murder." Ji Feng analyzed in depth.
"You're confusing me." Xin Xiao scratched his head.
"That is to say, this 'smart guy' won't let us discover his true intentions so easily. He knows we are not that easy to fool, and this is the flaw. All of this is to lead us into revenge killings and murders of passion," Jifeng explained.
"Oh, the more you talk about it, the more it sounds like the Lan family." Xin Xiao said, seemingly understanding.
"We can only say that the Lan family is the greater suspect, but we still cannot rule out the possibility of love killing or revenge killing." Ji Feng emphasized.
"Then which direction of investigation should we determine?" Xin Xiao was still a little confused.
"Since he wants to lead us to investigate the case of a love killing or revenge killing, this direction is most likely a trap. So I think that for the time being, we should focus our investigation on the Lan family. The most likely possibility is that they are trying to kill for money. I have to emphasize again that revenge killing or love killing cannot be completely ruled out." Ji Feng made a decisive decision.
"It is said that the 'Little Dragon' that was stolen that year only required a piece the size of a fingernail to fill a room with fragrance for three years. And the files show that the evidence retrieved from Lin Wantang's home weighed nearly one kilogram - I don't even dare to calculate its value." Xin Xiao added.
"You mean, excluding Shen Zhaoran's other assets, we shouldn't give up on the direction of the 'Little Dragon'?" Ji Feng asked.
"Yes, after all, it's such a valuable thing, it's worth a try to fake it." Xin Xiao analyzed.
"Fake? Are you saying that the thuja spices in Lin Wantang's home are fake? Have they really been swapped?" Ji Feng guessed.
"I can only say that this situation cannot be ruled out. After all, we are not professionals." Xin Xiao replied.
Ji Feng nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Two-pronged approach: First, continue investigating along the lines of your previous suspicions; second, call Lan Ruojin to come in for questioning."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
