Chapter 62: The Arabian Dagger
Tong Tianhao, the director of the Public Security Bureau of Panshi County, has lost a lot of face this time. In theory, he should be able to handle the matter of Bao Yulin quickly and reasonably, avoiding a diplomatic incident. From this point alone, Tong Tianhao is deserving of credit. It was precisely because of his timely handling and proper methods that Bao Yu Lin was able to take the initiative to contact the French Consulate in China and provide a reasonable explanation for the issue. In fact, it was just a misunderstanding. For the Bao family, it can be said that their suffering has finally come to an end. However, the incident with the Arabian dagger has made Tong Tianhao lose face.
Regarding this matter, Tong Tianhao had a plan in mind. In fact, such things were not the first time they happened. Sometimes after the police station and public security bureau caught the criminals, they would collect all the items on the criminal's body that might be stolen goods or dangerous objects according to regulations. These items generally include the criminal's personal belongings, luggage, belt, shoelaces, and all jewelry. These measures are basically for safety reasons. Without money, if the criminal escapes, it will be relatively more difficult, and the belt, shoelaces, and jewelry may become weapons for the criminal to harm others or themselves.
Those criminals are generally some idle and lazy young people, many of whom have taken the path of crime because of their extravagance. They all have a common characteristic: the money they obtain through criminal means will be squandered in the shortest possible time. Often, they use large quantities of luxury goods to package themselves, wearing and using only the best. As a result, some police officers with poor self-discipline often take advantage of them, for example, exchanging a rotten leather belt picked up from who-knows-where for a famous brand leather belt handed over by the criminal. Or swapping a gold necklace that is similar in style for the criminal's gold necklace. And those criminals usually won't make a sound, very simply. Firstly, they have no way to prove that this thing wasn't their original thing. Secondly, even if they see a police officer using his stuff, he will still flatter him: "This thing looks really good on you." In fact, he is worried that next time he gets caught, the police officer will mess with him. These people are frequent visitors to the public security bureau and police stations.
Since the Municipal Bureau Director He Qinglong has spoken, Tong Tianhao knew that this matter must be investigated thoroughly. However, he really didn't expect that there would be someone in the County Public Security Bureau who dared to do such a thing. From Bao Yulin's description, the knife was extremely valuable, with a gold-plated handle and scabbard worth an unknown amount, not to mention the many precious stones embedded on it. Tong Tianhao thought about it and felt afraid, as whoever took the knife would likely have to spend several years in prison just based on its value alone. This was a major case for the Pan Shi County Public Security Bureau, especially since it was an internal matter. If such a thing happened, the Pan Shi County Public Security Bureau would be unable to hold their heads high for several years, let alone strive for excellence or compete for first place. The people who had contact with Bao Yulin's tactical backpack were taken into custody and had their fingerprints taken after being brought back to the Municipal Bureau by Director He Qinglong for fingerprint identification. This included Bao Yuanchen.
Bao Yulin didn't know until now that he actually had a son. Looking at Bao Siguo, who was taken to the hospital by Bao Yufeng, Bao Yulin's face turned red, and he really didn't know how to face this son of his.
Fortunately, the old man and Bao Yufeng both knew that Bao Yulin's affairs in Vietnam were complicated, and it was not suitable to mention these things in front of the children, so they stopped. That night, Bao Yulin insisted on staying with his mother, and Bao Yufeng had no choice but to take the child back home. This night, Bao Yulin and his mother chatted until several points, seemingly having endless conversations between them. Bao Yulin told his mother about the situation over the past few years, and his mother also told him about some things that had happened at home during this time.
"Child, you mustn't blame your sister. You have to know that at the time, Bao Yucheng spread a rumor in the village saying you were captured and became a traitor in Vietnam. The whole village didn't know about this matter. At that time, your father had just passed away, and Yu Feng was acting as your older sister, she had to take care of burying your dad. But the villagers said they couldn't let the father of a traitor be buried in the ancestral tomb of the Bao family. Your sister and I both knew this. The children of the Bao family can't become traitors, but what's the use? Others won't believe it! There was no other way. Your sister couldn't stop you from leaving. You don't know how many tears your sister shed afterwards! But she didn't dare tell me because at that time my body was weak and sick again, your sister had to bear the burden of the family alone. Ah, during that time, your sister suffered so much!" The old man said, with tears streaming down his face again.
"Mom, I know. I've never blamed my sister, you know? That day at the crematorium, I heard the village chief say that I shouldn't come back to our village of Xiangshui again. He also said that if Dad could send his son to be a soldier, the people of Xiangshui Village would be able to support you and my sister for the rest of your lives. With these words, I felt at ease. As long as you're both okay, I'm a big boy with hands and feet, I can find a bowl of rice to eat anywhere. It's not like that now, is it? I'm doing well, aren't I? To be honest, I should thank my sister, if she hadn't worked so hard for so many years, our family wouldn't be what it is today." Bao Yulin said, following his mom's words, and actually, he thought the same way in his heart.
"Yes, if it weren't for your sister serving me day and night all these years, I'm afraid your mother would have left with you long ago. What a pity! If only your unit had cleared your name earlier, your father wouldn't have died, and you wouldn't have had to run off to France to be a soldier. I heard from your sister that it was chaotic in those places for a while, with fighting everywhere. That France even fought against our China during the Eight-Nation Alliance back then. Did you follow them to fight another country when you were in France?" The old lady is just a rural woman, who doesn't care about anything except for salt, rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea; if it weren't for Bao Yulin being in France, she wouldn't have paid attention to that country at all.
"Mom, sometimes things in the army are like this, they have to implement everything. It's Dad's business. Can't blame the army. As for China and France fighting, that was all hundreds of years ago, now they don't dare to mess with others, there is the United Nations managing them!" Bao Yulin knew it was hard to explain international situations clearly to old people, and if he said more, the old folks wouldn't want to listen.
"By the way, I heard from your sister that you've acquired French citizenship? I've also heard that once you acquire French citizenship, you're no longer Chinese. Is that true?" The old man asked with a serious tone.
Bao Yulin smiled wryly. At that time, he had no other choice but to take this path. When he went abroad, he didn't even have a passport, and it was impossible for him to get one even if he wanted to. Was he supposed to wait until he had served as a soldier for several years before being sent back to his home country? But he couldn't say this to the old man.
"Mom, I was born by you, how can I not be Chinese? I'm just serving in the French army now. A country's military is of course made up of people from that country, so now I use a French passport, which is a French ID card. In another half year after my vacation is over, I will be able to retire from the army, and then I can stay at home with you every day!" This was a heavy topic for Bao Yulin, but it was also one that he had to face.
"Nonsense, you're a grown man, won't you need to find a job someday? Won't you need to support your family? Don't forget, you still have a child! By the way, what's going on with you and the child's mother? You say this child is so pitiful, losing their mom at such a young age. Luckily, Hong Kong was okay, they could send the child back, or else it would be a sin." As people get older, they talk more and more, often jumping from one topic to another. Bao Yulin couldn't quite keep up, but he had no choice but to follow along.
"Actually, Bao Si Guo's mother was a rather pitiful person..." Bao Yu Lin recalled, narrating his story with Wu Hong Yan. At some point, he discovered that the old man had fallen asleep.
Panxi County Public Security Bureau Criminal Police Team, Bao Yuchen and several police officers who had contact with Bao Yulin's tactical backpack were isolated. Tong Tianhao attached great importance to this matter. After seeing off Director He Qinglong, Director Tong Tianhao defined the nature of this case at the case analysis meeting. This case has been identified as a major and important case, and it has even been elevated to a political level.
According to the instructions of Director Tong Tianhao, several people who had contact with Bao Yulin's tactical backpack were isolated separately. They were asked to write down all their activities during this period, especially about the contents of Bao Yulin's tactical backpack. They must detail what they saw and what objects they came into contact with.
"We've always said that as police officers, we must be strict with ourselves. We shouldn't take what doesn't belong to us, and we must be honest. But some people aren't aware of this, and this incident has had a very bad influence, not just domestically but also internationally. I can tell you that no matter who it is, if they've taken something they shouldn't have, this isn't just a matter of punishment or dismissal - it's a crime! As for who specifically did what, I won't say right now. Don't think you're clever and can get away with it, because it's precisely this kind of thinking that will lead to your downfall. Don't be optimistic, I'm telling you that this incident will definitely be investigated. If you confess now, you might be able to reduce your sentence by a few years. But if we find out about it later, what awaits you is the law's severe punishment!"
Tong Tianhao was furious, and it was clear that there had been some achievement in the case, but because of one rotten apple, the entire Panshi County Public Security Bureau's achievements were affected. Originally, Tong Tianhao still had a chance to move up, but now that this incident has happened, it would be good if he didn't get demoted.
Bao Yuzhen was naturally clear about what was going on. At this point, he didn't know what to do either. He never thought that some of the small actions he often took would capsize the boat this time. Unfortunately, things had come to this point, and he didn't know how to make up for it either.
After all, they are colleagues, and the place assigned to several police officers who have come into contact with Bao Yulin's tactical backpack is not an interrogation room, but a rest room for several dry police officers on duty. The conditions here are much better.
Bao Yuzhen didn't even finish elementary school, and he was always afraid of writing things. How could he know what Tong Tianhao wanted this time? Thinking about the Arabian dagger that Tong Tianhao took back home, Bao Yuzhen started to regret it. He thought that Bao Yulin had just smuggled out of the country, earned some blood money, and was caught by the police in such a short period of time, so he must have been guilty. In that case, it's possible that the dagger he took was stolen goods. Who knows what would happen if several hours passed and he took the dagger back home? Everything had changed.
Bao Yuzhen had a number in mind, the golden scabbard and hilt were worth over 600,000 yuan, not to mention the precious stones on the knife. The price of gold can be calculated, but the price of precious stones is hard to estimate. Bao Yuzhen roughly estimated that it should be no less than the price of gold. In other words, the value of this Arabian dagger was at least over one million yuan.
Years of being a policeman weren't for nothing. Bao Yucheng was still clear about the standards for sentencing, if this matter was defined as theft, then it would be a huge amount, and according to its value, he might not be able to get out in ten years. He didn't want to spend ten years in prison.
We have to think of a way to escape! With that Arabian dagger, we can still live for a few more days after escaping.
The rest room didn't have a toilet, the toilet was at the side of the stairs. Bao Yuzhen knew that because it had been for some years, the iron-barred window frames on the windows in the toilet had already rotted away. In fact, even if there were no problems, the iron bars attached to the wooden window frames couldn't withstand a strong push, and this thing was originally meant to guard against gentlemen but not petty thieves.
"Lao Zhang, I want to go to the toilet, how about it? Accompany me there?" Bao Yulin asked Lao Zhang, who was standing guard outside the door of the rest room.
Old Zhang is an old detective now. A few years ago, two villages under Panshi County had a fight over irrigation water, and Old Zhang was also dispatched to the scene. In the face of such a fierce fight, guns were not usable, and the police could only rely on physical strength to separate the crowd. Old Zhang and his colleagues tried to persuade the crowd while separating them, moving towards the most intense part of the fight. Eventually, the fighting crowd was separated, but Old Zhang fell down. He had been hit in the chest with a shovel, breaking four ribs, one of which pierced his lung. Although those who participated in the fight were later sentenced to 5 or 6 years, Old Zhang could no longer go out on patrol. After treatment, Old Zhang managed to save his life, but he was no longer able to do high-intensity work, such as catching thieves. The bureau took care of him and let him be in charge of filing work at the bureau since he was close to retirement age. Old Zhang knew that the bureau was taking care of him, so he had always been enthusiastic about his work, no matter who it was for. He is recognized by the bureau as a good man.
"Nonsense, Director Zhang has something to say. Let's have a few of us keep an eye on you guys. If you run away, I'll be the one who suffers. Ah, speak up, my wife has already cooked dinner and is just waiting for it to be served. Now look at this, at this time, we still have to stand guard for you."
"Hey, who says it's not? Dammit, I don't even know what that little brat is up to, causing such a big commotion. Was it necessary? It's affected a whole bunch of people and now they're all having a hard time." Bao Yuchen grumbled as he walked towards the bathroom.
Old Zhang complained as he went along, but when it came to executing orders, he was meticulous and followed Bao Yulian to the toilet on the stairs.
After Bao Yulin entered the squat position, he didn't wait for a while and called out to Old Zhang through the door: "Old Zhang, I forgot to bring paper, can you help me get some?" According to Bao Yulin's plan, while Old Zhang went to get the paper, he could kick open the window railing on the second floor and jump down. By the time Old Zhang returned, he would have already run far away. The criminal police team needed a certain amount of time to respond, which was enough for Bao Yulin to ride his motorcycle back home. Then, he would grab some money and that Arabian short knife and head west. It wouldn't take more than two days to reach Afghanistan, where there was currently fighting going on and it was very chaotic. If others could survive by running away, then he shouldn't have a problem either.
Outside the toilet, Old Zhang hesitated for a moment. His stomach had been poor in recent years, so he always carried paper with him. Moreover, if something happened on his way back, it would be hard to explain.
"You said you didn't even know to bring toilet paper when going to the bathroom. I have some here, no need to go back and get it!" As he spoke, he walked into the bathroom, pushed open the stall door with his hand. In order to avoid embarrassing Bao Yucheng, he even deliberately turned his head away. He didn't know that this would be his last time speaking.
Bao Yuzhen listened to Old Zhang's words and clearly had no way to get rid of him, but he was not willing to just sit in prison like this. He decided to take drastic action. Bao Yu Lin removed the wooden plug from the squat toilet next to his cell, and now he had a sturdy short stick.
Bao Yucheng had everything ready. Old Zhang happened to open the door just in time. Seeing this, Old Zhang twisted his head to hand himself a paper, Bao Yucheng raised the short club in his hand and smashed it onto Old Zhang's head with a loud thud, the short club broke into two pieces. Old Zhang also fell down with a thud.
Bao Yuchen hastily dragged Old Zhang into the squatting position. Then he took off his gun and handcuffs. These things are not usually brought along. Tong Tianhao, in order to show the degree of importance, specially let all the personnel in charge bring their weapons. Next, Bao Yuchen kicked open the iron railing and jumped down from the second floor.
Not far from downstairs is the bicycle shed, where a motorcycle that Bao Guoqing bought for Bao Yuchen from the county government's elimination sale is placed. It's said to be an eliminated item, but in fact, its quality is still very good. Moreover, before handling it over, Bao Guoqing had the vehicle team repair the motorcycle thoroughly, replacing whatever could be replaced, so that it was virtually indistinguishable from a new bike, except for looking a bit old from the paint job.
Bao Yuchen started the motorcycle and soon drove out of the Pan Shi County Public Security Bureau gate.
The county public security bureau has a big event, the county party committee leaders have already received the news. As the head of the county organization department, Bao Guoqiang is also part of the county leadership. They all know that this case is not small, it's probably the biggest theft case in Panshi County, and now the clues are mainly focused on a few people in the county criminal police team, Bao Guoqiang is very concerned.
Before having dinner, Bao Yuchen was summoned to the criminal police team. The one who came to deliver the message was a deputy captain of the criminal police team, who knew Bao Guoqiang. It's rare to have an opportunity to chat with the county organization department head for two sentences, so this deputy captain wouldn't let it go. At that time when Director He Qinglong lost his temper, he was also at the scene and knew what was going on. Taking advantage of Bao Yuchen changing clothes, he chatted with Bao Guoqiang for a couple of sentences and told him about the situation.
After Bao Yuzhen left, Bao Guoqiang felt more and more uneasy. Usually when Bao Yuzhen came home, he would always flop down on the sofa, watching TV while waiting for his mother to bring dinner. But today was different, as soon as he entered the house, Bao Yuzhen hastily retreated to his room. He didn't come out until just before the police arrived, and even changed into a new set of clothes.
Bao Guoqing hadn't thought of anything else at first, but when he saw the blue police uniform that Bao Yucheng had taken off in the bathroom with dust all over it, and thinking back to how long Bao Yucheng had been messing around in the room, Bao Guoqing felt that something was wrong. He had seen Bao Yucheng come into the house, and his body had been very clean, without any dust at all. But just a short while later, it had become like this. This could only mean that he had done something in the room. However, Bao Yucheng's room was regularly cleaned by his wife, so there shouldn't have been that much dust.
Bao Guoqing couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off, and wondered if it had anything to do with what happened at the criminal police unit today. Bao Guoqing knew that if things were really as he suspected, then Bao Yucheng would definitely not be able to wear his police uniform anymore. However, if he showed a good attitude, maybe he could get a lighter sentence of two years less. After all, Bao Yucheng was still young, and even if he had done something wrong, as long as he himself was willing to make amends, with some help from inside and outside, he could be out in two years. Of course, it would be necessary for him to show signs of surrender or meritorious service. Bao Guoqing knew that if Bao Yucheng really had a problem, his own attitude and methods would be crucial, and if he himself found the things Bao Yucheng had brought back and personally took them to the criminal police unit, it wouldn't be difficult to make it seem like Bao Yucheng had surrendered. But once the people from the criminal police unit found out, it would be a different story altogether, and he would end up implicating himself as well. With a son like this, Bao Guoqing's hopes of advancing his career would be dashed.
Bao Guoqing thought it through and started rummaging through Bao Yuzhen's room. After some effort, he found a blue brick under the bed with signs of recent disturbance. He flipped over the brick and indeed, there was an object wrapped in red silk underneath. Bao Guoqing took out the red silk package.
After arriving in the living room, Bao Guoqing opened the package, and a handgun and a short knife appeared before his eyes.
In recent years, Bao Guoqiang's official position has been getting bigger and bigger, especially after becoming the head of the Organization Department. Some people who came to do business with him brought some rare items, which gave Bao Guoqiang a certain understanding of jewelry. He took one look at the gemstone on the Arab dagger and understood its value was not trivial. No wonder the criminal police team attached so much importance to it and were determined to crack the case. It seemed that Bao Yucheng had been too reckless. But now the key issue was the handgun in the bag. If he didn't communicate with Bao Yucheng first, and helped him hand over the knife, what if Bao Yucheng foolishly revealed the matter of the gun? Bao Guoqiang was in a dilemma.
