"I've seen this bullet." Jiang Ting said, "To be exact, I've seen this batch of bullets."
Yan Xie was a little surprised: "What?"
Jiang Ting pointed his chin at the phone, and asked: "Do you know what the metal carvings outside the primer cup at the bottom of the bullet casing represent?"
This was not a difficult question. Although Yan Xie's grades for the police academy theory class was average, a man's natural love for guns and firearms made him remember this knowledge: "The code name of the arsenal and the year of production. What's the matter?"
"The engraving of this bullet is 421, 04 – that is, in 2004, it was produced by the Southwest Fuling Group code-named 421. The Southwest Fuling Group once was one of the earliest military enterprises in China. Before liberation[1], they mainly produced various kinds of bullets and bullet casings, but after the reformation, due to policy changes, it was gradually transformed into an auto parts and motorcycle manufacturing enterprise, like most of the other military enterprises at that time."
"It wasn't until the beginning of this century that the Fuling Group began to undertake some military projects. Most of the guns and bullets produced were supplied to the Southwest Military Region after the supply and demand department's rectification, with only a small amount supplied to the public security system. Around 2003, Fuling Group made internal adjustments in response to the national military-industrial policy, and some types of firearms and bullets have been changed from all-brass cartridge cases to aluminum and copper-plated, and all 9mm pistol bullets produced after the Spring Festival[2] in 2004 have became copper-plated."
Yan Xie suddenly understood something.
The bullet casings he photographed were obviously all copper, that is to say, the production date could only be from January 1, 2004, to the short twenty days before the Spring Festival!
"Yes." Jiang Ting didn't need to look at him to know what he was thinking: "Excluding the New Year's Day holiday, the actual start time should only be about ten days. Then estimate the total production capacity of Fuling Group and the production volume of other types of bullets; the all-brass 9mm pistol bullets which are numbered 421, 04 on the market should be very rare."
Yan Xie immediately asked: "Then, as long as we investigate the whereabouts of this batch of bullets, won't we be able to lock down the suspect?"
——As soon as these words came out, he realized his absurdity.
It was impossible to investigate other people's arsenals casually. Starting from the perspective of bullets was less reliable than applying to the Ministry of Public Security to compare the rifled data of police guns across the country.
But Jiang Ting didn't make fun of him, instead, he nodded: "That's exactly the way of thinking."
Yan Xie: "..." Is this your way of secretly trying to save your husband from embarrassment?
Jiang Ting didn't seem to notice Yan Xie's expression, or he found it but didn't bother to pay attention to it — Judging from Jiang Ting's minimalist style, the latter was more likely.
"As I said, I saw this batch of bullets when I was in the Gongzhou Anti-drug Division a few years ago. If their production was very, very rare, and if they ever existed in the Gongzhou public security system, then according to the general principles of product distribution in military enterprises, it is very likely that the entire batch of brass 9mm Luger bullets was supplied to Gongzhou, and it's unlikely that a batch with a scarce output would be dismantled and shipped to a farther place."
Jiang Ting's narration was steady and calm, and Yan Xie was stunned for a while before asking, "…Are you sure?"
"There's a very high possibility."
Jiang Ting was talking about high probability, which basically meant he was certain.
"But how do you know the inside story of the Fuling Group's production of bullets, and can you remember the bullet number clearly from a few years ago?"
Jiang Ting smiled. His smile under the dim light was not obvious, it was as if he just pulled the corner of his mouth lightly, "I have always paid more attention to this. Besides, about the change of brass bullet to copper plating, anyone who pays a little attention to military news will know."
This was obviously perfunctory.
Jiang Ting must have seen the subtlety in Yan Xie's eyes, so he added a rare sentence. This time the meaning of the wry smile could not be concealed: "The price of full copper bullets and copper plated bullets are different… Should I continue to explain? ?"
Yan Xie half-opened his mouth, silently "ah" for a moment, patted Jiang Ting's shoulder, and said with a smile: "You were also a master of spying intelligence everywhere in Gongzhou back then."
Jiang Ting replied flatly: "Do you think it's easy for ordinary people to fight monsters and be promoted in the Gongzhou system? Judging from the average professional level of Jianning City Bureau, the difficulty of Gongzhou is almost ten times yours and then square it."
Yan Xie didn't care about Jiang Ting's usual ridicule of Jianning Municipal Bureau, he was used to being ridiculed anyway. What he was more concerned about was: "But how can we be sure now? Only the local public security bureau can check the rifling data of police pistols, but Gongzhou…"
It was theoretically feasible to report to the Ministry of Public Security according to the process and then investigate it layer by layer. But after mixing up in the system for such a long time, even a former idealist like Yan Xie knew very well that many things from "theoretically feasible" to "practically feasible" were often separated by a heavenly barrier invisible to the naked eye.
They would be waiting for years to find the rifling data. Maybe by that time, the grass on Yan Xie's grave would've grown to half a person's height.
Jiang Ting opened his mouth, and seemed to be hesitant to speak, before he exhaled softly for a moment: "There is a way."
Yan Xie narrowed his eyes, only to hear him spit out the words: "Qi Sihao."
Qi Sihao, who used to be a policeman of the Second Anti-drug Division, Jiang Ting's former subordinate, and now the Captain of the Gongzhou First Criminal Investigation Division.
A man with a lot of thoughtfulness, and whose way of life was bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When facing Yan Xie, he deliberately put on a straight-cut uniform to keep his waist straight.
Yan Xie had never seen an old front-line criminal policeman with soft and cold palms. Even Deputy Chief Wei, who had been in the leadership post for a long time, couldn't get rid of the scars and calluses on his palms, but Qi Sihao was the first.
"Is there a breakthrough in him?" Yan Xie sat up straight and asked sternly.
"Yes."
Yan Xie glanced at Jiang Ting's expression, and suddenly reacted: "You went to Gongzhou with Yang Mei this time just to determine this?"
Maybe because Jiang Ting had warmed up, his pale and blue complexion had returned to normal. The whiteness of his skin was very even, so his hair and pupils appear to be unusually black, and even a bit dark: "You still remember the package of fentanyl compounds we found from Hu Weisheng's rooftop?"
Of course, Yan Xie remembered it, because when Jiang Ting first saw the packet of that blue powder, he had tried to hide it and take it away.
Jiang Ting said, "I wanted to take it away at the time, not because I wanted to take drugs…"
"I know." Yan Xie interrupted him, and a faint smile flashed across his eyes: "It was for that transparent packet that contained the drugs."
Jiang Ting did not expect that he would know the answer and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I later thought about why you wanted to hide this package of drugs. If it was just because of the drugs themselves, Hu Weisheng was already arrested, and sooner or later, the new fentanyl compounds would be discovered by the police; and there are so many 'blue gold' transactions on the border, it would just take a little more time for the police to get the sample. In other words, what you were trying to hide was not the blue gold itself, but other clues."
Yan Xie approached slightly, staring at Jiang Ting's black and white eyes. With a smile, he said, "It was… the handwritten label on the sealed transparent bag."
—Group C, 9th box, 7704.
In the lower right corner of the sealed bag, the handwriting on the yellowed label that had faded slightly, clearly appeared in front of Jiang Ting's eyes.
Yan Xie got too close, and the sense of oppression in the male instinct faintly covered him.
Jiang Ting leaned back slightly, squinted his eyes and looked up and down at the handsome face of Vice-Captain Yan, and snorted from his nose after a while: "Although your reflex nerve has been dull for five months…"
Vice-Captain Yan accepted it modestly as a compliment.
"…But how did you know?"
"Oh, actually, Chief Lu asked me to go to the prohibited drugs warehouse two days ago to help with the review, and I saw the seized goods sent by the anti-drug division. There are small packets of heroin stored in a box, and each bag is marked with a sticker." Yan Xie blinked slyly: "I just searched for drugs before, and I never knew what would be done with the drugs after they entered the warehouse. It wasn't until I saw this scene that I realized that you hid the bag of blue gold because you found the pending number in the lower right corner of it. Thus confirming that Hu Weisheng's bag of blue gold was seized goods — but how did you determine that it came from Gongzhou and not from the police in other places?"
Jiang Ting's pupils showed a faint gleam, glittering faintly in the darkness.
"Because that pending number," he said coldly, "was in my handwriting."
—No wonder his first reaction was to hide it!
Yan Xie silently said "Oh—" for a while, and then thought about it: "So Hu Weisheng boasting to others that he stole this bag of blue and gold from the King of Spades when he was drunk should be a lie. The truth should be that someone inside the Gongzhou system was secretly selling drugs that had been seized, and by chance, this bag of blue gold flowed to Hu Weisheng?"
Jiang Ting nodded: "It should be."
"Hey," Yan Xie rubbed his chin, and after thinking about it for a long time, he sighed with emotion: "Your dungeon really is filled with a land of treasure where talents come out in large numbers… Hey! You're hitting people again!"
Yan Xie smiled and grabbed Jiang Ting's hand, pulling his upper body into his strong and hot arms, and asked, "How do you know that the one who sells drugs privately is Qi Sihao?"
Jiang Ting maintained this slightly tilted upper body posture, put his hands in Yan Xie's palms, and let him clench them tightly without pulling them back, saying: " I'm not sure, I'm just suspicious. The provincial public security bureaus usually destroy the seized drugs once a year, usually with the participation of waste disposal professionals and people from the provincial notary office. If there was fraud occurring, it's impossible only for one or two people, so there should be a whole chain of interests in it. Qi Sihao, as the leader of the division, is a heavyweight who gives the green light to cover it up, and it is absolutely impossible for him to not participate."
This was indeed very reasonable.
"Furthermore," a gloomy expression gradually appeared in Jiang Ting's eyes: "I went to Gongzhou this time and made sure of one thing."
Yan Xie's expression became focused.
"I made a list of surviving anti-drugs police officers from the plastic factory explosion three years ago and found that the current conditions of these people's homes are not very good. Some of them retired, some were transferred, and some have gone down to the police station, maybe it's because they don't want to do anti-drug work anymore."
Jiang Ting raised his head. Yan Xie couldn't see his expression clearly, but he saw his adam's apple slide up and down as if he was swallowing hard — when he spoke again, he had already suppressed the hoarseness in his voice, which was replaced by a coldness:
"Only Qi Sihao has been promoted and made a fortune, getting in and out of luxury cars, and according to inquiries, he has just sent his children to study abroad."
Yan Xie's expression changed slightly, and he patted Jiang Ting's shoulder in a soothing way.
"I'm fine," Jiang Ting said hoarsely.
For some unknown reason, a trace of unknown happiness suddenly passed through Yan Xie's heart.
The explosion three years ago was an eternal thorn in Jiang Ting's heart, stabbing him day and night such that there was always a place in his heart that was festering and bleeding. But it was always a good thing that someone could hate, so that on the last day when they look around and find that all sins were ultimately their own, and the only object of hatred and revenge was themselves.
For a survivor like Jiang Ting, having someone to love and hate was the hope that supported his survival.
Jiang Ting, this person, never revealed negative emotions in front of others, even if he lost his temper in front of Yan Xie, it was very short-lived, and he quickly took a deep breath and rubbed his face heavily.
"When planning the operation three years ago, Qi Sihao was just an ordinary anti-drug police officer. Even if he colluded with the people under the King of Spades, it was unlikely for any key information to be leaked. However, after he became a squad leader, in terms of selling drugs privately, he has exposed a deadly handle that we can grasp."
Jiang Ting and Yan Xie's eyes were always bright, but when he raised the corners of his lips, the slight smile on his handsome face was a little cold:
"—Tell me, if the King of Spades knew that Qi Sihao had been involved in the private sale of blue gold, what would he do?"
...…
Jianning Municipal Public Security Bureau.
"I don't know anything. What does what happened to Yan Xie have to do with me? What the hell are you guys thinking?!"
Fang Zhenghong's angry roar could be clearly heard through the glass without anyone needing to wear a wireless headset. Yu Zhu frowned, took the headphones away, and sighed, "In the past few years, Old Fang has been really…"
Chief Lu with his chubby figure was standing beside her with his hands behind his back, his unmoving face reflected on the glass.
"Old Fang, calm down, we have been in this line of work for many years, and you also know how the procedure goes, don't you?" Wei Yao sat behind the iron table in the inquiry room and consciously persuaded: "The deputy of the criminal investigation branch of our Public Security Bureau is very likely to have an incident in the city bureau. Do you think we can't question you? Not only did we have to ask you, but we also…"
Fang Zhenghong interrupted impatiently, saying, "The only object of your suspicion now is me, okay!"
At this moment, Wei Yao really missed Yan Xie's good temper. Although that bastard was sloppy and thick-skinned, compared with Fang Zhenghong, the only son of the richest family was much easier to deal with…
"We not only suspect you, but we also suspect Qin Chuan and everyone in the criminal investigation division. Anyone who has the motive and the conditions to commit the crime is within the scope of suspicion." Wei Yao moved his butt on the chair, trying to make himself sound as sincere as possible: "Old Fang, if there is really a hidden hand in the bureau, we will definitely have to find him, otherwise, this time it was Yan Xie, who will be next time? It may be you, it may be me, it may be more innocent colleagues. So we will not let go of any doubts, and we will definitely conduct a thorough investigation and prevent future troubles. We can not just cover it all up and treat it as if nothing happened…"
Deputy Chief Wei's ramble was interrupted by Fang Zhenghong for the nth time: "Why can't it be covered up?"
Wei Yao blinked his old eyes.
Fang Zhenghong said coldly: "Isn't that the easiest and most efficient way to deal with it?"
Maybe it was because of the dark light in the inquiry room, Fang Zhenghong's pale and sallow complexion became sicker under the light; his cheeks were flushed with anger, and his eyes were a little cloudy. He stared straight at the person, giving Wei Yao an indescribable gloomy feeling.
"..." Deputy Chief Wei was stunned for a while, and finally asked, "Old Fang, do you have any opinion about the organization?"
Yu Zhu outside the glass window shook her head a little ironically, "Old Wei, how can he do an inquiry like this?"
"Because of concern, there will be chaos." Chief Lu said solemnly.
Yu Zhu was stunned but saw Chief Lu push open the door to the interrogation room.
"I've already explained everything I can, how many times do you want me to say it? Isn't it because you've already convicted me by holding on to me like this?! Yes, the surname Yan is the son of the richest man in Jianning, and you must investigate everything seriously and quickly, but let me tell you, Old Wei, I, Fang Zhenghong, earned it with our own hands. I've caught more prisoners than he has ever seen! I've had a clear conscience all these years…"
Deputy Chief Wei was having a headache, but when he heard Chief Lu coming in, immediately stood up: "Look at this, Old Lu, alas—"
Chief Lu waved his hand, motioning Deputy Chief Wei to go out, then pulled out his chair and sat down on the opposite side of the interrogation table:
"Old Fang."
There was no smile on Chief Lu's dignified and plump face. The weight of a thousand pounds weighed heavily on Fang Zhenghong, causing him to slow down his scoldings until he angrily averted his eyes.
Chief Lu said, "Look at me."
"..." Fang Zhenghong gritted his teeth and raised his head.
Chief Lu asked, "Did you do it?"
Deputy Chief Wei was walking out of the interrogation room, and before Yu Zhu could greet him, the two of them heard the question at the same time and looked back at the glass window in surprise.
Fang Zhenghong threw out three words: "What did you say?!"
"He, he, look at what kind of attitude he has?" Deputy Chief Wei immediately became angry.
Yu Zhu quickly waved her hand to appease him.
However, Chief Lu seemed to completely ignore Fang Zhenghong's attitude of playing tricks and asked calmly, "If it wasn't you, why did you stop Qin Chuan from drinking the medicinal wine when you knew it came from Yan Xie, throwing away the empty medicinal bottle afterward?"
In the interrogation room, Fang Zhenghong's rough breathing could be heard, his face was bluish and purple, and after a while, he said coldly: "I have my reasons, I don't want to say them."
—I don't want to say them.
Wasn't this clearly denial?!
This time, not only Deputy Chief Wei, but also Yu Zhu's face turned cold, and the two of them took half a step toward the single-sided glass window at the same time.
But to the surprise of the two of them, Chief Lu did not respond, even his stable and powerful voice did not change in the slightest. Finally, he asked the last sentence since he entered the interrogation room:
"Can I still trust you, Old Fang?"
This time, Fang Zhenghong was silent for longer than last time, until Wei Yao and others felt that he was not ready to answer, or had nothing to say, only to see his face trembling, and a sinister expression appeared on his face. It was neither yin nor yang, which made the people looking feel uncomfortable in their hearts.
He spat out a word from the gap between his teeth:
"Yes."
Chief Lu nodded, got up, and walked out of the interrogation room.
The door opened and closed, and Yu Zhu quickly stepped forward to meet Chief Lu. Just as she frowned and wanted to say something, Chief Lu raised his hand to block her unspoken question: "I believe in Fang Zhenghong.
Deputy Chief Wei blurted out: "What?"
Both of them looked surprised, but Chief didn't look at any of them and said coldly:
"It's not him who poisoned Yan Xie."
Translator note:
1. Signifying the end of Kuomintang rule in mainland China in 1949
2. Chinese new year