The father of the King of Spades?
Yan Xie blurted out: "Ace of Clubs?"
Chief Lu was obviously stunned: "Ace what?"
The two looked at each other, and Chief Lu gave him a suspicious look from behind his reading glasses. Yan Xie realized in an instant that Chief Lu didn't know the code name of the King of Spades' father.
In other words, the public security system had very little understanding of the King of Spades, to the point that they didn't even know this detail!
At that moment, what Jiang Ting casually said to Qi Sihao in the guest house in Gaorong County rang in Yan Xie's ears:
"The family of the King of Spades is a serious criminal syndicate, and his parents and even grandfathers were not clean… He was called the King of Spades in the Southwest border area in his early years; it was all because his father used to be called the Ace of Clubs…"
"What's wrong?" Chief Lu asked, "How do you know his father's code name? Did Jiang Ting tell you this?"
Yan Xie's gaffe only appeared for a short moment, and then he returned to normal as if the stagnation just now was just an illusion: "Oh, no. It's just that I thought their group has a King of Spades and a Jack of Diamonds, and then it's normal to have an Ace of Clubs as well, so it was just a random guess."
Chief Lu narrowed his already small eyes, and his gaze became sharper and more focused, staring directly at Yan Xie's face.
But the latter's tough facial contours did not change in the slightest, and he looked back at Chief Lu calmly.
"..." Chief Lu finally nodded thoughtfully and said slowly: "We know very little about the inside story of the King of Spades' drug cartel. On the one hand, their home base is in Myanmar, and they belong to an overseas multinational drug organization; furthermore, because of the plastic factory explosion three years ago, we lost a lot of senior police officers and excellent undercover agents, which was a very unfortunate loss…"
Yan Xie rubbed the tip of his nose in silence.
"So, if Jiang Ting ever mentioned anything related to the King of Spades to you, please report it to our bureau immediately, because all of them are very important information and clues, and it's possible that no one knows about them except for him." Chief Lu paused and asked meaningfully, "Do you understand?"
Yan Xie raised her eyes and looked directly at Chief Lu.
The eyes of the two collided in mid-air, but there was no trace of waves on their faces. After a few seconds, Yan Xie nodded and said, "I understand, Chief Lu."
Chief Lu sighed, leaned back in the chair, took off his reading glasses, and wiped them slowly.
"I only told Old Wei, your Captain Yu, and a small number of other deputy policemen about this news issued by the Ministry of Public Security. You must also pay attention to confidentiality after you go out. In addition, you are the only police officer in the public security system who has survived two head-on fights with Jack of Diamonds, and they might be coming for your life, so be careful."
Chief Lu waved his hand, indicating that he could go out.
Yan Xie stood up but did not leave immediately. His lips moved, and he finally couldn't help but ask, "Chief Lu—"
"What?"
"Do you believe Jiang Ting?"
After thinking for a long time, Chief Lu finally put on his reading glasses and looked at him seriously.
"It's useless for you to ask me this, Yan Xie. I'll still say the same thing: We, who engage in criminal investigation, don't believe in others, or even in ourselves. A criminal investigator is a policeman before anything else, and we only look at the evidence."
Yan Xie was silent, nodded for a while, then turned and left the chief's office.
...…
The weekly meeting had just ended, and Ma Xiang took advantage of the gap to dash downstairs to buy a few buns. He gobbled them up while rushing back to the large office of the Criminal Investigation Division. He had just turned around the corridor when he ran into Yan Xie, who was texting with his head lowered, causing him to stagger two steps: "Hey, Brother Yan!"
Yan Xie raised his head: "Right, I'm going on temporary fieldwork today, and I won't be here in the afternoon. Please tell the Captain for me."
As he spoke, he pulled away and was about to go downstairs, but Ma Xiang flew up and pulled him desperately: "What fieldwork? Why don't you take me with you when you go out for fieldwork these days? The last time you brought Han Xiaomei. How can I not compare to that girl? Am I still your sweet little padded jacket, Brother Yan?!"
It just so happened that Han Xiaomei came out of the elevator while eating the buns and bumped into them head-on. She was so frightened that she stepped back three steps and hid the buns behind her in a hurry.
"Go, go, don't talk like that. Be careful if Consultant Lu comes to beat you." Yan Xie quickly pushed Ma Xiang away and then greeted Han Xiaomei: "Take him back to the division. I won't be here in the afternoon, so call me if anything happens."
Ma Xiang grieved: "Brother Yan—don't abandon me, Brother Yan—"
Ma Xiang staggered to follow in the north wind with two wide, noodle-like tears fluttering behind him. Yan Xie hurriedly ran downstairs. It was not until the hem of his dark gray trench coat disappeared at the entrance of the corridor that Ma Xiang suddenly held back his tears and turned around expressionlessly: "I won't be coming in the afternoon."
Han Xiaomei: "Huh?! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to jointly carry out a mission with the anti-drug division next door." Ma Xiang said calmly, as he ate half of the bun in one bite under Han Xiaomei's gaze, then entered the large office door of the Criminal Investigation Division with a pout.
...…
Beep – beep –
"Hey," Jiang Ting's steady voice came from the other side of the phone, carrying an indistinct hoarseness, asking, "What's wrong?"
That little hoarseness made Yan Xie's heart feel a little hot, but he didn't show it. He passed through the parking lot of the Jianning Municipal Bureau, opened the door of the Phaeton, and sat down, asking, "What are you doing at home?"
Judging from the movement over there, Jiang Ting should have stretched his waist lazily: "Sleeping."
"Sleep well. Didn't the doctor say in the last review that you should rest more? It's good for the blood congestion in your brain. Did you exercise today?"
Jiang Ting had been in a coma for too long, and it was already rare that his muscles had not atrophied, but his strength and agility were much lower than before. The doctor's advice was to slowly rehabilitate, don't be impatient, and avoid fatigue and strenuous exercise. It was almost impossible to recover to the level he was at before the coma, but Jiang Ting always wanted to go to the gym with Yan Xie to maintain his health, and Yan Xie could only find excuses to not take him every time.
After arguing several times, Yan Xie simply bought a few fitness machines and put them at home, claiming to be Jiang Ting's personal trainer at a cost of tens of thousands of yuan per minute.
"No." Jiang Ting said concisely, "No energy."
"Why are you lacking energy? Is it because the private trainer is not at home?" Yan Xie started the car, and a smile appeared in his eyes unconsciously: "Why don't you get out of bed and go to the pantry? I've put something special for you there."
"..." Jiang Ting raised his eyebrows silently over the phone and walked into the pantry wearing home slippers: "What?"
"Open the closet and take a look."
Jiang Ting opened the cabinet according to the words, and was stunned: "How do you—"
The Phaeton slowly drove out of the city bureau, and the corners of Yan Xie's upturned mouth were reflected in the rearview mirror.
The second Lao Tongxing tea cake in the tea box had already been dismantled. Although it was still wrapped in the foil paper, as if fearing it wouldn't be favored, Yan Xie had already dismantled it into a few small pieces with his table knife. Every piece of tea cake in the foil paper clearly showed this: even if it is repackaged, it has no collection value at all.
"I wanted to boil tea eggs that day, and I accidentally dismantled the package." Yan Xie explained with a smile, "If it's already dismantled, why not use it. Tea is for people to drink, so what's the value if you don't drink it? Stuffing it into the cabinet all day long, are you expecting it to turn into small tea cakes on their own?"
There was a moment of silence on the other side of the phone, and then Jiang Ting sighed in disbelief: "You're really…"
Yan Xie also laughed.
None of them spoke; only each other's breathing could be heard at both ends of the call. After a long time, Yan Xie finally said: "Jiang Ting."
"Hm?"
"Don't go back to Gongzhou in the future, come to Jianning?"
"..."
"Get a job at the police academy. If you want, you can also help the city bureau by taking a look at the scene, running errands, and so on. It is difficult to maintain a long-distance marriage. Jianning has high wages and low prices, and the warm and humid air is good, don't you think?"
Jiang Ting said in a low voice, "Yes."
"Let's take the time to go abroad to hold a wedding banquet and invite all our family members. What do you think?"
Jiang Ting laughed: "Why are you talking so much today?"
Yan Xie insisted: "Are you okay with it, eh? I'm asking you?"
"All right, all right… hold a Manchu Han imperial feast or whatever you want."
"Then you promise me; I'll remember it."
"Yeah, I promise." Then Jiang Ting suddenly remembered something and added: "—but you can't dismantle the third tea cake again! Just keep them; I really don't drink this stuff!"
Yan Xie smiled and said, "You're so troublesome."
The turn indicator made a slight ticking sound. Yan Xie held the steering wheel with both hands, and the cars lining up to the bridge in front of him were reflected in his eyes. Farther away, the sky was gray, the clouds and mist were vast, and the wind whistled through the gaps in the car window.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Ting asked.
"I'm going to a crime scene; it's a bit far from the city. I may not be back tonight."
"..."
"Maybe I'll be busy until tomorrow morning, sigh, it's really annoying." Yan Xie paused, swallowed, and said, "—have a good meal, and I'll call you at night, okay?"
Jiang Ting nodded silently and said softly, "Okay."
The turn indicator was still ticking. Yan Xie hung up the phone; the unconscious smile in his eyes had still not completely faded when a trace of aching coldness surged through his heart. It was as if he was suspended in mid-air on a cliff, unable to touch either the sky or the ground; only the whistling wind seeped into all his limbs and bones through the soles of his feet.
The sound of horns, clamors, engines, and brakes outside the car window suddenly became very distant, and Yan Xie's dark and unclear profile was reflected in the side mirror. After a long while, he finally opened the car's Bluetooth address book and gently dialed another number——
"Hello, Captain Yan? Hello?"
"Old Qi." Yan Xie's eyes were gloomy, and he said, "I'm on my way to Gongzhou. I'll let you know when I arrive. Let's meet the gate of the Yazhi Garden Community."
...…
Jianning City Detention Center.
The sound of iron shackles came from far away at the end of the gloomy and cold corridor. Ma Xiang, who was looking forward to it, took a few steps forward at the same time as the other criminal policemen of the anti-drug division, but was stopped by the guards abruptly: "That…"
"I understand," Ma Xiang squeezed the cigarette, and the other party gave him a helpless look.
The city bureau usually sent people to arraignment almost every day, and any criminal police officer with a little seniority would have to run back and forth several times a week when there were many cases. Emergency arraignments in the middle of the night or in the early morning were also very common occurrences, so they were very familiar with the prison guards in the detention center.
But now this situation was different from the past, according to the rules, they shouldn't even be here——
The detention center reported that Qin Chuan had important clues that he wanted to explain. After interrogating him, superiors decided to transfer him to the provincial department today.
The clanging sound of the metal crashing was getting closer and closer, and a shaking figure suddenly appeared in front of the window at the far end of the corridor. Qin Chuan was held by two prison guards and slowly walked toward the door.
"It's Captain Qin…"
"Brother Qin!"
Qin Chuan didn't seem to expect anyone to come, so he was stunned for a while, but he didn't stop.
Ma Xiang met his scrutinizing gaze frankly. The base of his tongue was full of bitterness, but he forced himself to swallow it back. The brothers of the anti-drug division all held back their heavy breathing. Only a little policeman who had just become a regular team member under Qin Chuan not long ago couldn't help but take a half step forward impulsively, regardless of the guard's obstruction: "Captain Qin, have you been wronged?! Talk to me!"
As soon as he said this, another person couldn't hold back: "Yes, Captain Qin, I don't believe you would do such a thing!"
"You must have been wronged, right?!"
"Tell us now, right?"
...…
Qin Chuan retracted his gaze and passed through the encirclement of these people. Not far from the gate of the detention center, a van with the blue character "Jianning City Detention Center" painted on a white background was parked under the steps, and the two other policemen were waiting in front of the open rear door.
Ma Xiang finally couldn't help but say hoarsely, "Brother Qin…"
Qin Chuan paused in his footsteps, turned his head, smiled, and said, "No."
Everyone was startled.
Qin Chuan walked down the steps, and several people watched him pass by, coming near and then walking far away. The little brother's face, who just graduated, turned red, and his whole body was shaking. Ma Xiang extended his hand, then couldn't help but strode down the stairs: "Don't be like this, Captain Qin! I don't believe it! Please tell me that you have been wronged, we will help you to overturn the case, we will definitely—"
A few people shouted and ran down the steps; the prison guard didn't expect the situation to turn like this: "Hurry up and come back!" "What are you guys doing, hey!"
"Brother Qin!"
"Go back!" Qin Chuan suddenly turned his head and shouted.
The cold wind swept across sand on the ground. Several anti-drug police officers were stubborn and desperate. Qin Chuan stared at them for a moment, finally shook his head and exhaled, saying, "There are no grievances, everything is done by me, only this time I was caught. A person who regularly walks by the river cannot avoid getting their shoes wet. The last thing I want to see is your silly faces, understand? It's all about money! Nothing else! Go back!"
"But..."
"Do you want me to repeat the confession to you now?!"
The guards continued to make gestures, pulling and dragging them back, but two or three of them were still hesitant to walk away with tears in their eyes.
"I said I don't want to see you!" Qin Chuan was ruthless and impatient: "Go away! Get away!"
All these people were finally dragged back to the steps in twos and threes. The little policeman burst into tears. Ma Xiang pressed his shoulder, and every word in his hoarse voice was sour and unspeakable: "Listen to me, if you really want Brother Qin to be fine, persuade him to cooperate and explain more, try to make meritorious contributions, and also… also…"
Trying best to avoid a death sentence would also be good.
The howl of the little policeman filled his eardrums, drowning out the last half of his speechless words.
Qin Chuan turned his head indifferently without glancing back. He bent down and got into the back of the police car. On the other hand, the two prison guards looked at a few grief-stricken anti-drug officers not far away with unbearable expressions on their faces, and then turned to look at Qin Chuan with vague anger.
Bang! The car door was closed, and it slowly started.
"Hey," Qin Chuan said, looking around at the prison guards to the left and right, seeming to find it quite interesting.
The prison guards gritted their teeth and ignored him.
"Your management is too loose. How many of them could have come in if they wanted to?"
Still, no one answered.
"What about you guys, have you done all the escort procedures? Well, you," Qin Chuan raised his chin to the prison guard sitting on his right: "Have you put your body armor on?"
The prison guard he was talking to was relatively young, and he finally couldn't help it: "Are you f*cking blind? Why are you asking so many questions?"
Qin Chuan didn't care: "Just reminding you."
He moved his lower cervical spine and shoulders and seemed very leisurely. However, he was only quiet for less than half a minute and suddenly asked again: "Hey, I'm so sorry. Can you do me a favor?"
The young prison guard was about to flare up but was restrained by the older one and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Take off my glasses for me." Qin Chuan said sincerely, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, "It's not very comfortable to wear them all the time."
The police car started in front of the detention center building, and the tires rolled on the sand, making a crackling sound. The anti-drug cops who came to see them off raised their heads in unison; their eyes were red, and the back of the car drove to the road as they watched in agony.
Not far away on both sides of the road, locust trees cast dense shade, and several ordinary cars were parked.
At this moment, Ma Xiang's eyelids suddenly jumped——
The world seemed to stand still for half a second.
Boom–! !
Without warning, several cars exploded at the same time, and the air wave instantly overturned the entire police car!
A few people on the stairway flew out and smashed against the wall. The sound of alarms, shouts, and broken glass was like boiling hot soup, instantly filling the whole world. For several seconds, Ma Xiang couldn't hear anything; there was blackness in front of his eyes, and even the movement of getting up from the ground made his hands and feet weak. He suddenly touched his lower back with a conditioned reflex.
—No gun.
"…F*ck!!" Ma Xiang hoarsely squeezed out a sentence, suddenly heard the sound of the engine speeding from a distance, and subconsciously raised his head——
His pupils contracted instantly, and he roared: "Brother Qin!! Don't!!"