Ning Zhiheng and his group quickly arrived at Xinqu Street in the south of the city. They got off the car at the street entrance and walked along the street. Soon they found a shop on the side of the street with the words "Anhe" written on the signboard.
Sun Jiacheng waved his hand, and several team members immediately began to arrange personnel along the shop, subtly surrounding the shop from all sides.
Yu Cheng, standing behind him, couldn't help but nod in approval at the sight. The Action Section had made tremendous progress over the years, becoming more and more methodical in its work. This small detail alone demonstrated their well-trained nature.
Ning Zhiheng didn't give any orders, but everyone under him knew what to do, where to be on guard, and how to bring the scene under control as quickly as possible.
It is evident that the Action Section's status is gradually surpassing that of the Intelligence Section, and there are reasons for this. At the very least, the Intelligence Section's performance on the ground is not as accurate and thorough as that of the Action Section.
Ning Zhiheng led his men into the shop and found a public telephone on the counter.
Behind the counter was a female shopkeeper in her early thirties. When she saw Ning Zhiheng and his group enter the shop, her eyes twitched!
These merchants, who deal with outsiders year-round, naturally have a keen eye that ordinary people can't match. They can tell a person's approximate economic status and social standing at a glance from their clothing and demeanor.
The people in front of them were all dressed in the same style of Zhongshan casual wear, and they were all robust young men who were clearly not ordinary people.
The young man before me had a somber expression, but his bright eyes were sharp as a knife.
A chill ran down her spine; she knew things were going badly. These people weren't there to buy anything; trouble was probably on their way.
"Are you the only one here? Are you the manager of this Anhe shop?" Ning Zhiheng asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, my man is behind me. Is there anything I can help you with?" the female shopkeeper replied cautiously.
Ning Zhiheng remained silent, but Sun Jiacheng, who was standing to the side, said, "Bring your man out too, our superior wants to question him."
After saying that, he placed his military officer's identification on the counter.
Upon hearing Sun Jiacheng's words, the female shopkeeper was startled. She picked up the officer's ID and examined it carefully before her anxiety subsided slightly.
The domestic situation has not yet deteriorated, and military discipline is relatively well maintained. In the capital city of Nanjing, merchants are most afraid of corrupt police officers who demand bribes and harass thugs. On the other hand, these respectable soldiers are more measured in their actions, and serious incidents rarely occur.
The female shopkeeper quickly turned around and went into the back room, calling out the male owner of the shop.
The couple looked at the people in front of them, feeling uneasy and wondering why Ning Zhiheng and his group had come to their door.
Ning Zhiheng coughed lightly, trying to keep his tone calm, and then asked, "Don't be nervous. We're just here to understand the situation. As long as you answer truthfully, we won't make things difficult for you!"
At this point, he pointed to the telephone on the counter and asked, "Is your shop's telephone a payphone?"
The couple nodded quickly, and the male shopkeeper cautiously replied, "Yes, the current cost of installing telephones is too high; we only charge a small fee to maintain operations!"
In this era, the cost of installing a telephone was very high. Ordinary people, except for businesses and offices, simply wouldn't install one. Using public telephones required paying a certain fee, so some shops deliberately installed telephones to make a profit from the price difference.
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand and said, "I don't care about your charges. I just want to ask you, three days ago at 10:30 a.m., someone used your shop's phone. The call was very short. The caller was a Mr. Liu who requested a loan of 123,000 yuan and invited him to have dinner at a restaurant called Liansheng. Do you remember this person who made the call?"
The couple felt relieved after hearing Ning Zhiheng's question; it turned out he was just inquiring about a phone call.
The male shopkeeper said with difficulty, "Sir, our small shop has too many people coming and going every day, it's really impossible to remember so many people, especially since it happened three days ago!"
Ning Zhiheng knew that the male shopkeeper was telling the truth, but he still wanted to try again because there was another possibility: the male shopkeeper might not want to cause trouble and might simply say he didn't know. He figured Ning Zhiheng and the others wouldn't make things difficult for them because of that.
In this turbulent era, these ordinary people are like duckweed on the water. Any little storm can easily scatter them and destroy their peaceful lives. Naturally, they do not want to cause trouble or get into trouble easily.
Ning Zhiheng, however, would not let the couple off so easily; he still wanted to bluff them.
He pulled out a wad of banknotes from his pocket, casually placed them on the counter, and then slammed his service pistol down on the counter as well.
Then his voice turned harsh as he said, "I'll give you two choices. One is to think it through and give me a satisfactory answer, and this money will be your reward! The other is if you remain stubborn and refuse to speak, I will take you both back and give each of you a bullet. Think it over carefully before you talk to me."
Ning Zhiheng's words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly stunning the shop owners. They stared at the banknotes and pistol on the counter, speechless for a long time. They never expected that disaster would strike them while they were sitting at home!
The male shopkeeper, being more resilient, quickly said, "Sir, please let us think about it. We'll definitely remember!"
The female shopkeeper was also terrified, her face pale and her body weak. The two of them racked their brains trying to remember, fearing that they would be taken away by these fierce-looking men.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
