Zhou Yan looked at Bao C and A-K behind him: "The person who reported the case was the deceased's colleague. At first, it was reported as a missing person report, but a week later, the body was found by farmers in a banana grove, and it was confirmed that the body was that of the missing RAB Bank executive. Bao C, you and A-K are handling this case, right?"
Bao C immediately got to work; he was also one of the people in charge of the case.
He nodded and answered briskly, "Yes, Mr. Zhou. According to the information provided by the person who reported the case, the deceased was named Rasin, a Malaysian, and had originally arranged to meet with Chen Jingsong, the chairman of the Jialin Group, a week ago in the afternoon."
"They were to discuss and sign a loan agreement for up to four million dollars, but only the deceased's colleagues were present all afternoon. The deceased did not appear until the loan agreement was signed. However, the deceased called the person who reported the incident twice, saying that he was busy with other matters."
Zhou Yan added calmly, "Later, Rasin completely lost contact until his body was discovered by banana farmers in Dapu District."
Ah K nodded and said, "That's right. According to the available information, the deceased Rasin was a senior auditor at RAB Bank in Malaysia. He was transferred to Hong Kong from the Kuala Lumpur headquarters this year. His job responsibilities included managing accounting and loan matters."
C flipped through the documents and pointed to a page: "In fact, RAB Bank headquarters had long suspected that the head of RAB Bank's Hong Kong branch had not followed the proper procedures to lend money to Jialin Group, so they specially dispatched this auditor to conduct a covert investigation."
"Who would have thought that Rasin would die far from home before the investigation had even yielded any results? We suspect that the Jialin Group is involved and that someone is trying to silence him."
As soon as Zhou Yan uttered those words, an eerie silence filled the air, and everyone's gazes involuntarily drifted toward Zhou Yan, who was sitting behind his desk.
After all, who doesn't know the relationship between Mr. Zhou and Jialin Group?
Chen Jingsong recently announced to the world that his goddaughter, Cha Meiling, who was once Hong Kong's top socialite, was engaged to Zhou Sir.
Zhou Yan remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the hidden meaning in Bao C's words, and flicked his cigarette-holding finger lightly.
"Have the deceased's social connections been investigated? Those from the Hong Kong government, Malaysia? Is there any possibility of a crime of passion, revenge, or accident?"
His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
But for some reason, the boss asked the question in a very normal and routine manner.
To these cops, there was a subtle feeling that their boss was trying to distance the murder case from Jialin Group.
Ah K instinctively straightened his back and blurted out, "That shouldn't be possible, Mr. Zhou. Rasin has only been here from Malaysia for three days. My colleagues have checked his whereabouts. Apart from going to the Regent Hotel and the Jialin Group, they haven't seen him get into any conflicts with anyone else."
He paused, pointed to a line of text on the file with his pen, and emphasized: "And there are no women either."
C flipped through the documents in his hand and added, "We also got a social relationship survey of Rasin in Malaysia from RAB Bank headquarters. This guy's life is as bland as plain water. He goes between three points: home, church, and company. Besides going to work, he prays."
"A typical STEM guy, also religious, probably hasn't even been to a bar more than a few times, let alone had a lover. Love-related murder or revenge killing can basically be ruled out."
He looked up, his expression grave: "The only thing he got involved in during his ordinary career was the Hong Kong branch's illegal lending to the Jialin Group. He became an undercover investigator sent by the Malaysian headquarters."
"It is said that he originally intended to prevent the RAB branch general manager from signing the contract with Chen Jingsong that afternoon, but he died that afternoon, and the contract was signed. Jialin Group also obtained a loan of 4 million US dollars."
Bao C paused for a moment, not avoiding Zhou Yan's gaze, but looking directly at his boss: "So we suspect that Rasin was probably silenced by some people in the Hong Kong branch of RAB Bank, or by Chen Jingsong's people from Jialin Group. After all, they are the only ones who benefited from this."
As soon as he said that, the office became so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Everyone was on edge.
The wealthy businessman Chen Jingsong was directly implicated in the murder case.
And his prospective son-in-law—their boss, Zhou Yan, or Zhou Sir—sat in this office.
Zhou Yan slowly lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and let the smoke swirl around him, obscuring his expression.
No one dared to speak, and no one dared to move.
Bao C was a rough and straightforward person. He hesitated for a few seconds, gritted his teeth, and continued, "Inspector Zhou, this case involves the Jialin Group. Your fiancée, Miss Cha, is the goddaughter of Chen Jingsong of Jialin..."
His voice was a little strained, but he still firmly asked the question that no one dared to ask: "Do you want to request recusal from the case?"
Case recusal – This is a regulation in the police system that requires officers to voluntarily withdraw from case handling and adjudication if they have personal entanglements with the parties involved.
This is not only about avoiding suspicion, but also about professional ethics.
For a moment, the air in the office seemed to freeze.
An agent named Big D slammed his hand on the table, glaring at Explosive C, his face full of resentment—
"Hey C, what are you saying, you bastard? What has Inspector Chow ever done wrong to us? He takes us on cases big and small, and even shares the credit with us. How can you say such rubbish?"
Another detective, Ah Cheng, chimed in, "Exactly! We all know what kind of person Inspector Zhou is. Even if he doesn't request recusal, he won't bend the law for personal gain! You're just looking for trouble!"
Bao C blushed and stubbornly defended himself, "I didn't... I didn't mean that! I was thinking about Inspector Zhou! If someone catches him doing something wrong and says he's showing favoritism, it won't be good for his future!"
"Shut up!" Big D interrupted him without any politeness—
"You think you'd care about Inspector Zhou? I bet you're just trying to climb the ranks! If Inspector Zhou avoids suspicion, wouldn't you be in charge of this case?"
Explosive C was so angry that he trembled all over and couldn't speak: "You..."
Ah K stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire office: "Don't go crazy, you guys. C is right, this case does involve Zhou Sir's future father-in-law, and according to the rules, he should recuse himself!"
Big D slammed his hand on the table, making a loud thud: "What rules are we talking about? We're brothers in this business, we live for each other, it's all about loyalty! Don't we know what kind of person Zhou Sir is? When has he ever sought personal gain?"
The office instantly descended into chaos, with supporters of Bao C and supporters of Zhou Yan arguing back and forth.
On C's side, there were only him and A-K, who were clearly at a disadvantage and were being verbally abused.
"You ungrateful wretch!"
"Ungrateful wretch! Doesn't he even realize that without Inspector Zhou's promotion, would he have become a detective?"
"If you want to climb the ladder, you should at least know your own limitations!"
C clenched his fists, his face turning ashen, while A-K trembled with rage.
The two were surrounded and attacked by the crowd, feeling indescribable grievance and anger.
Zhou Yan suddenly put down his long legs that were crossed on the windowsill and sternly stopped the argument: "What's all the fuss about!"
Zhou Yan slowly stood up, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the office.
Finally, the focus shifted to BaoC. He stubbed out his cigarette and said calmly, "BaoC is right."
Everyone was stunned by those words, including BaoC himself.
Zhou Yan slowly walked to the center of the office, crossed his arms, and said coldly, "According to regulations, I should indeed apply for recusal in this case, but this case is too complicated and involves a huge amount of money."
He lit a cigarette in the hand of the detective beside him: "This is not just a matter for Jialin Group. It may also involve the Ning family, or even other wealthy families in Hong Kong."
He glanced around, his gaze sharp: "If I really back down, who can bear the consequences? Who dares to touch me?"
No one answered, because the answer was obvious—no one could bear it.
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