Chapter 5 Investigation 1

  The police searched the river for several days but couldn't find Liu Zi's body, so they gave up. Liu Zi appeared in a village on the border, clearly trying to escape the country. After investigating and asking around, it was found that Liu Zi had been staying in the village for several days, waiting for something. Old Wei thought hard - was he waiting for Wang Licheng's instructions? Had Wang Licheng also escaped to M Country?

  From the current situation, it's just a matter of someone clearly telling Lao Wei the answer. If Wang Licheng has escaped to Country M, capturing him will be even more difficult. According to procedure, they would first need to report to the Ministry of Public Security, which would then issue a notice to the police in Country M requesting cooperation in the investigation. Perhaps one day, Wang Licheng would commit some offense on a street corner and be detained by the police in Country M, who would discover that he is a drug trafficker and notify China, after which there would be a lengthy extradition process...

  In theory, the law is all-encompassing and leaves no room for escape, but in reality, if Wang Licheng stays in this lawless land in northern M country, the law has no meaning to him at all - the M government has not set foot in this lawless land for decades.

  As soon as he thought of these complicated procedures, Lao Wei felt suffocated in his heart. He stood by the riverbank and gazed at the scenery on the other side, which was similar to this side but belonged to another country's mountains and forests. His eyes were blocked by the mountains and forests, and in a certain corner of those mountains and forests, the person he wanted to find might have become a corpse, or perhaps was embracing a woman, eating meat, and ridiculing his own incompetence! A feeling of being unable to reach out with a long whip...

  The law is the cornerstone of social order, but the law is not omnipotent. It's not uncommon for criminals to be above the law, and as a police officer, I often feel helpless at such moments. All he can do is try his best to make such cases fewer and farther between.

  The driver, the mysterious whistleblower, Wang Licheng, Nie Yun and others, Dio Nightclub, suburban farm, border town of Leimen Village, these people and places have been repeated in Laowei's mind countless times. Laowei has formed various combinations of their relationships, trying to find a breakthrough, but there is still one thing that makes Laowei think deeply - where did Wang Licheng's goods come from? Such a large batch of goods cannot appear out of thin air, and he only has two possibilities: either Wang Licheng produced and sold them himself, or they were smuggled in from abroad.

  Lao Wei thinks it's unlikely that Wang Licheng produced and sold the drugs himself, but rather smuggled them from abroad. With strengthened border patrols, how did such a large batch of drugs get smuggled across the border?

  If it were ten years ago, border villagers would smuggle drugs through mountain paths, and this was a common occurrence. However, in recent years, anti-drug propaganda has been greatly strengthened, with each village having a dedicated anti-drug cadre keeping watch. While smuggling of mountain goods is often turned a blind eye to, once it involves drugs, it's a serious crime that no one dares to risk. This method of transporting drugs in small quantities has become increasingly rare, and at most, only a few kilograms are smuggled along with other goods. It's unlikely that such a large quantity of drugs entered through this method.

  Xiao Bin spent several days visiting Leimen Village, and he was also anxious to the point of scratching his ears. This case was much more difficult than he had imagined. The villagers' natural distrust of the police made it very hard to conduct inquiries. Now, the only information they had obtained was that Liu Zi had arrived here as an ordinary tourist, renting a room in a villager's home. Although this villager also felt that Liu Zi was different from other tourists - he had brought some money but no luggage, not even any spare clothes - Liu Zi had given them money and they hadn't asked any questions. Money was indeed a good thing; it could buy information and make people keep their mouths shut. What Xiao Bin most wanted to know was who Liu Zi had contacted and who had received him, but no matter how he asked, the villagers shook their heads like a drum - they really didn't know!

  A few days of searching can be considered a fruitless return, Liu Zi is already a corpse and should have drifted to the M country by now, even if they wanted to salvage something, it's too late. In Leimen Village, no more clues can be dug up, and the police can only withdraw.

  The villagers breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the police leave, this small village has its own rules of operation, although these rules may be contrary to current laws, but this is the habit of survival here for generations, and not dealing with officials has almost become a tradition in Leimen Village!

  "We're here to help them, how come they're all so uncooperative." As the car drove out of Leimen Village, Xiao Bin couldn't help but complain when he saw the indifferent and secretly fortunate villagers outside the window.

  "They don't think so." Old Wei has also seen many such things due to his work.

  "Don't they all know that drugs can harm many people?" Xiaobin was somewhat surprised at Lao Wei's casual tone.

  "Who would care? As the old saying goes, 'A full granary is a sign of good manners.' Can you expect a mountain village that has just solved its food and clothing problems to be as magnanimous as to consider the world's affairs?" Old Wei said while flipping through Xiao Bin's records. Although he already knew there was nothing he wanted inside, this was procedure.

  Also, head, do you think it's possible that Wang Licheng is using the local border people's psychology of being greedy for small benefits to smuggle goods in an ant-moving-house way? Xiaobin has always thought that his idea was reliable. The border line with Country M is hundreds of kilometers long, and since ancient times, the border people on both sides have had a tradition of mutual trade. There are countless narrow mountain paths between the forests, and if several border people were organized to use pack horses to smuggle drugs, it's not impossible. And these days' visits to Leimen Village, the villagers' coldness has further solidified Xiaobin's idea.

  "It's possible, but unlikely." Old Wey explained patiently.

  "Why?" Little Bin was puzzled.

  "Now every village has anti-drug cadres keeping watch, if a group of people are organized to transport drugs, they will definitely be reported. If it's just one person... Xiaobin, from here to the nearest town on the other side, taking the mountain road back and forth takes five days, this efficiency is too low, they must be thinking of ways to use vehicles or boats."

  "But these checkpoints are now so tightly controlled... Are they going to airdrop by plane?" Xiaobin's head was about to explode.

  "I think we should pay a visit to the border defense troops, they are more familiar with the border than us. Wang Licheng must have had a way to smuggle the drugs in, if we can't find it, there will be even more drugs..."

  "For example... a secret passage?" Xiaobin suddenly had another idea.

  "This is also possible." After hearing Xiao Bin's words, Old Wei fell into deep thought.

  This is also possible, that is also possible, Xiao Bin can't help but feel annoyed in his heart. Xiao Bin enjoys the process of slowly unraveling the thread, but if the thread breaks, the process of finding the end of the thread is not something ordinary people can endure!

  "Over a decade ago, when I was about your age, I participated in an operation." Old Wei slowly began to speak, his tone somewhat heavy. Upon hearing this, Xiao Bin felt that there might be something to it.

  "He was one of the earliest timber merchants, and normally both sides had smooth clearance. Later, during a random inspection, 500 kilograms of heroin were found on his truck, Earth Double Lion brand, Xiao Bin, you may not have heard of it."

  "I'm familiar with this, Earth Double Lion brand, back in the day it was a hard currency in the Golden Triangle region, purity almost reaching 100%, and in some areas, this brand of heroin could be used as cash." Xiaobin may be young, but he's done his homework on the history of these drugs.

  "That's right, it was the biggest drug smuggling case that year. The timber boss was named Huang Zhengbin. After his car was searched, he hid in Area M and never returned to the country."

  "What's next?" Xiaobin couldn't help but ask.

  "About a few months later, we discovered a large amount of drugs circulating in Guining again. At that time, we seized dozens of kilograms from scattered drug addicts and dealers. The number shocked me - where did so many drugs come from? Initially, our investigation direction turned to the possibility of someone setting up a factory domestically, but later, in a small dealer's home, we found packaging with the Earth Double Lion logo, realizing that these drugs were still smuggled in from outside." Old Wei's voice slowly sank as he recalled the situation.

  "This situation is somewhat similar to now." Xiao Bin chimed in.

  "I feel like there's something similar, a feeling that can't be put into words, it's as if I've seen it before, yet it's different."

  "What happened after that?"

  "At that time, we blocked all the ports of entry along the border, but no matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find a single gram of narcotics. However, many drugs were still circulating, which is unscientific to say the least! If addicts could easily buy drugs in some toilet, it proved that the source was abundant, but where did these drugs come from? It wasn't until later, when I had dinner with a leader of a border defense team, that I complained about the border not being able to stop the flow of drugs. The leader listened very seriously and told me before leaving: 'Xiao Wei, I will immediately strengthen the border patrol, if there is a problem, I will notify you immediately.' At the time, I also thought he was just being polite, but soon after, he called me and said that during the patrol, they discovered a secret passage. There was an earth road that had been built to the vicinity of the boundary marker without anyone noticing, it was very hidden, and the patrolling soldiers couldn't see it if they weren't careful. Could this be a drug trafficking route?"

  "What's next?" Xiaobin got excited when he heard this.

  "We then sent scouts to lie in wait and indeed found that someone would be active there at night. One evening, when collecting the nets, something unexpected happened."

  "What's wrong?"

  "We encountered mercenaries transporting drugs, and a firefight broke out. Although the other side's drugs were not transported in, we suffered three casualties." Old Wei said calmly: "There was an anti-drug police officer named Chen Zhongpei, who was my classmate at the police academy. He was shot six times and died."

  "Ah..." Xiaobin sighed. If this Chen Zhongpei were still alive, he should also be a leader in the public security department now.

  "What's next?" After a moment of silence, Xiao Bin's curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't help but ask again.

  "And then? This passage was blocked, with the blood of three militiamen blocking it, this passage was abandoned, and now it should be overgrown with weeds." Old Wei said: "Later, border defense strengthened border patrols, such secret passages never appeared again."

  "Nowadays, with technology being so advanced, will someone reheat old rice?" asked Xiao Bin.

  "It's hard to say, anti-drug work is like this, anything can happen, but when you finally find a clue after racking your brains, it turns out not to be what you wanted. All possibilities can become impossible in an instant." Old Wei smiled: "Xiao Bin, I sincerely advise you, do this job for a few years and then transfer to another position, otherwise later on you'll end up like me, overusing your brain will lead to dementia."

  Xiao Bin sneered: "I just like doing this, why don't you transfer me? It's not like there aren't any opportunities."

  "Well, I don't know either, maybe I also like doing this, and I'm not used to other departments."

  The two fell silent for a while, and Xiao Bin asked: "What was the final outcome of that big drug lord Huang Zhengbin?"

  "He ran away, without a trace, and until now we have not received any news about him. For the anti-drug police, this is a heartbreaking ending." Old Wei sighed: "It's really disheartening, isn't it? But that's reality."

  "It's really disappointing." Xiaobin sighed.

  "But perhaps Huang Zhengbin had died long ago, killed in a gangland struggle, betrayed by his underlings, or something else," said Old Wei.

  "Boss, this is just self-consolation, but it doesn't make sense."

  "Xiao Bin, many years ago I was like you, but later on I slowly discovered that reality can be very beautiful at times, and yet very cruel. You need to learn how to adjust yourself, enjoy the good side of things. The Ah Q spirit isn't all bad, at least when facing cruelty it will give you some psychological comfort." In front of Xiao Bin, Old Wei was not just a leader, but more like a mentor.

  "I actually like the process of solving mysteries, but I hate all the possibilities and maybe this uncertain thing." Xiaobin complained.

  "But you chose this path, which means you have to deal with possibilities and maybes." Old Wei smiled: "Find a way to enjoy the process."

  "Ah... I have a feeling that this time at the border defense will definitely yield results." Xiao Bin was full of confidence.

  Xiao Bin's premonition was wrong, perhaps it can be said that it wasn't accurate. The border defense troops learned of their background and warmly received them. However, from the recent patrol, there indeed isn't anything unusual at the border.

  Watching this possibly become impossible again, Xiao Bin was like a deflated balloon.

  However, I think you can go around and ask nearby. The leader of the border defense troops comforted Xiao Bin, who was discouraged.

  It's easy to say, but it's not that simple to actually do. A border line of several hundred kilometers is not something you can just go and take a look at.

  Lao Wei thought for a moment, thanked the leaders of the border defense troops, and took Xiao Bin to leave first. After such a bumpy ride, more than half a day had passed, and the two still hadn't eaten. They casually found a small restaurant by the side of the road and roughly stuffed food into their stomachs.

  "Ah... feels so good..." Xiaobin ate his fill, belched contentedly and rubbed his belly: "The happiest thing is to eat one's fill and bask in the sun..."

  Lao Wei was amused by Xiao Bin's words: "You eat so fast, it's not good for your stomach." He continued to chew slowly and savor his food. For Lao Wei, this was a rare opportunity to have a good meal, and at the same time, he carefully thought things through.

  "What's next?" Xiaobin yawned, now he just wanted to find an inn and have a good sleep!

  "Find the local land resources bureau." Old Wei said slowly and calmly.

  "What's the point of finding them?" Xiaobin was stunned. According to Xiaobin's plan, after Lao Wei finished eating and returned to the county town to check into a hotel, took a good bath, and then jumped into bed to hug Zhou Gong, that would be the real deal!

  "The world is so big, I want to go and see..." Old Wei saw Xiao Bin's disappointed expression, held back a smile, and came up with a very popular phrase.

  "Your wallet is so small, you can't go anywhere!" Xiaobin reluctantly pulled out his wallet and opened it: "Here! The spare cash for this trip, there's still...still..." Xiaobin counted the money: "589 yuan 3 jiao...oh no...there's even a coin here, 589 yuan 8 jiao...staying in a hotel, having dinner, and tomorrow I'll need to refuel the car...the world is so big, how are you going to see it?"

  Lao Wei slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, then pulled out a stack of red banknotes from his pocket: "You think I'm as stupid as you are, pinching pennies every day with my spare gold?"

  "Wow, head, I didn't expect you to be a rich guy! Rich guy! Let's be friends!" Xiao Bin pretended to be affectionate and was about to stick together.

  "Stop smiling and let's get down to business! Later, I'll go to the Land Resources Bureau to take a look at the latest maps. The world is so big, we need to find a place first."

  "Boss, I've been tired for so many days, can't we take a break this afternoon and go again tomorrow? My eyelids are now like they're stuck with 502 glue, once I close them, I won't be able to open them." Xiao Bin pleaded pitifully.

  "Who made you a narcotics cop? Suffer! Can't stand the drowsiness in the car, I'll drive! Boss, pay the bill!" Old Wei shouted.

  "Tomorrow, I'll quit my job!" Xiao Bin said with a scowl. However, he still obediently got into the driver's seat: "Bureau of Land and Resources, don't make me take another useless trip!" Xiao Bin muttered to himself.

  The car sped along the highway, and Xiao Bin suddenly had a strong premonition that there must be something they were looking for in the Land Resources Bureau. This time it was not possible, but absolute!