With this in mind, Ning Zhiheng finally felt more at ease.
He looked at Chun San and asked, "Based on the location where you saw the suspect in the photo, the entrance of that alley called Zhangma Lane, how many pastry shops are there nearby?"
“There are probably two, and a few more further away,” Chun San replied.
The saying goes, "Southerners love sweets, northerners love saltys," and there are still quite a few pastry shops on the streets.
Liu Datong, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and stepped forward, saying, "I'll go to the pastry shop to check it out tomorrow!"
Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "You can't go. I'll lead the team to investigate myself."
Wang Yunfeng's true identity is unlikely to be that of an ordinary person. An ordinary person would not have access to classified information.
These shops are nothing like the two rickshaw pullers. A few dozen yuan is a huge sum for a rickshaw puller. He has no qualms about betraying a stranger for that money.
However, for shops, if someone actually knows him, they might not risk offending a high-status customer for a few dollars.
Moreover, Liu Datong was not a patrolman on Yanshan Street. His subordinates, like Liu Yong, were even less trustworthy.
If Liu Datong and his group investigate, it will clearly lack deterrent effect, be counterproductive, and unlikely to be effective.
Shopkeepers don't know whether the inquirer is a good person or a bad person, so how could they possibly provide them with accurate information and sell their customers' information?
The action team should be the one to deal with these people, with the Military Intelligence Department's sign hanging above them.
Obstructing an investigation will result in arrest; the action team has this privilege. When a gun is pointed at someone's head, let's see who dares not to tell the truth.
Ning Zhiheng then looked at Lao Wei and Chun San, took out several large bills, and said with a smile, "The information you provided is very important. I keep my word. Take this money back. Chun San, don't forget to buy some pastries for your Er Ya when you get back, so the child can have a treat."
Old Wei and Chun San were somewhat incredulous when they saw the large denomination banknotes in Ning Zhiheng's hand. They had only provided some information, yet this young big shot had casually given them so much money—far more than they had wanted.
This amount of money is enough to change the lives of a poor family struggling to make ends meet.
Seeing the two of them looking helpless, Ning Zhiheng didn't say much and simply stuffed the money into their hands.
Liu Datong and Liu Yong felt a pang of regret as they watched Lao Wei and Chun San receive such generous rewards.
A few coins can easily be used to deal with such a guy; Commander Ning really doesn't treat money like it's nothing when he's throwing it away.
However, I'm also glad that my boss is someone who doesn't lack money, so I can live a good life from now on!
Ning Zhiheng then turned to Liu Datong and Liu Yong and said, "I won't stand on ceremony with you, my brothers. I know how hard you've worked. Once this case is solved, I won't treat you unfairly!"
He then patted Liu Datong on the shoulder and said, "Datou, do a good job. Money and future prospects are not a problem!"
Liu Datong felt a warm current surge into his heart. He didn't say a word, but just nodded repeatedly!
Nothing happened overnight. Early the next morning, Ning Zhiheng and Wang Shucheng led their team to the police station in charge of the Yanshan district.
The police chief, who had been notified, personally greeted them at the gate and dared not neglect them.
After a few polite exchanges, Ning Zhiheng split his team into two groups, assigning Wang Shucheng to lead a portion of the team to investigate the resident files of Yanshan Street.
He then summoned two police chiefs familiar with the local situation to accompany him, and led twelve team members to the entrance of Zhangma Lane that Chun San had mentioned.
They began checking all the pastry shops in the neighborhood, in order of proximity.
The nearest shop was not far away. Led by two police chiefs, they entered the shop and immediately took control of everyone inside, gathering them together in the shop's interior.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden action. The shopkeeper knew one of the police chiefs and asked, "Chief Cui, what are you doing? Let's talk this out. We are all honest and law-abiding people."
Sergeant Cui ignored him and turned to Ning Zhiheng. Seeing Ning Zhiheng nod in acknowledgment, he stepped forward and addressed the group: “Now, let me tell you something. These are officers in the military, specializing in arresting serious and wanted criminals. There’s an important suspect who visited your shop. We’ll be identifying him from the photo later. I’m warning you now: if anyone dares to withhold information, and after the suspect is apprehended and interrogated, it turns out he did buy pastries from your shop, everyone here will be arrested and imprisoned for harboring a criminal. Remember, everyone! So I advise everyone not to take any chances.”
These words caused an uproar among the crowd. How could such a sudden calamity have befallen them, linking them to a key suspect? Everyone was filled with fear and unease.
The chaotic murmurs made Ning Zhiheng frown. Seeing his captain's displeasure, one of his team members immediately drew his pistol and shouted, "Shut up! From now on, no whispering! Line up and identify people. If anyone is found to be colluding with each other, arrest them immediately!"
Ning Zhiheng gave this perceptive teammate an appreciative look: "Zhao Jiang, you arrange for them to recognize people, starting with the shopkeeper."
He carefully observed the expressions of everyone looking at the sketches, including their eyes and body language.
In his previous life, he was a secretary to a leader in the officialdom. The first thing he learned was to read between the lines. He had carefully studied books on language and body language.
This knowledge was still very advanced for people of this era. Ordinary people simply couldn't access it. Therefore, in terms of observational skills, he believed he was second to none among people of his time.
Anyone who shows doubt or avoids questions when looking at photos or being questioned by team members will be screened out and subjected to intensive investigation.
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