Gao Wu: I inherited the evil organization in the game

Chapter 691 Investigation Questions
Zheng Geng's face darkened: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Li Xiang mimicked the other person's manner and analyzed the situation with righteous indignation:
"Look, the time difference between when you left Emerald Garden and when you returned after the explosion is exactly what allowed you to miss the entire explosion."

Tsk tsk, the timing is so precise, it seems like it was meticulously planned, to make it easier for you to create an alibi, isn't it? And also..."

Li Xiang's accusation is essentially using their own methods against them, a logic stolen from Zheng Geng's subordinates.

However, just as Zheng Geng pricked up his ears, ready to hear what other "evidence" Li Xiang could fabricate, Li Xiang suddenly stopped talking.

He just looked at Zheng Geng meaningfully with a look that said, "You know what I mean" and "I've got the key clues."

This feeling of leaving things unsaid is like making Zheng Geng swallow half a fly, which is extremely uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but press further:
"No, and what? Li Xiang, just say what you have to say, stop playing games!"

This was exactly the effect Li Xiang wanted: to disgust the other party and make them suspicious.

Despite his title of "detective," his hesitant demeanor made Zheng Geng inexplicably uneasy, unsure whether Li Xiang was simply bluffing to scare him.

What if... what if Li Xiang really finds some clues that are detrimental to him?

Even though he knew perfectly well that the explosion had nothing to do with him.

Just then, a constable ran over to report:

"Team Leader Li, the fire has been completely extinguished!"

Li Xiang ignored Zheng Geng and turned to walk quickly toward the villa ruins, which were emitting wisps of smoke and smelling of burning.

The entire villa had been bombed beyond recognition, leaving only a pile of broken bricks and twisted steel bars. It had been violently washed by fire hoses, making it black, wet, and muddy, with almost no original structural features recognizable.

Li Xiang, his face grim, squatted on the ruins, wearing gloves, and began carefully sifting through the wreckage to find any clues that might be hidden there. To be honest, with the scene destroyed to this extent, even if he were a detective with extraordinary abilities, it would be difficult to piece together much valuable evidence from this mess.

The explosion, the fire, and the high-pressure water jets created a triple destruction that nearly wiped everything out.

Zheng Geng watched as Li Xiang ignored him, focusing intently on surveying the ruins. The surrounding constables followed suit, bustling around Li Xiang and completely disregarding his presence.

His eyes were so sinister they seemed to drip with water, and he harbored a deep resentment.
"This police station is indeed difficult to command!"
Fortunately, I had the foresight to apply to higher authorities and have transferred personnel from the Anti-Smuggling Bureau and the Investigation Corps to assist in the case.

Once they arrive, hmph—"

Zheng Geng felt that Li Xiang was wasting his time in these ruins and was unlikely to make any substantial discoveries.

He didn't want to waste time here, so he decided to hurry up and urge the Customs and Investigation Corps to come and provide support as soon as possible.

With that thought, Zheng Geng stopped lingering, turned around and left the scene with a gloomy face.

Not long after Zheng Geng left, Li Xiang continued to patiently search through the ruins.

Suddenly, his movements paused slightly as his fingers touched a piece of gravel that felt somewhat unusual.

The stone was only the size of a palm, charred black in appearance, and irregularly shaped, looking no different from the surrounding fragments.

But when he applied a little force, he felt that the inside of the stone... seemed to be hollow?
Was it a cavity created by an explosion? Or... something else entirely?
A thought struck Li Xiang. He gently brushed away the ash and mud from the surface, then held the stone up to his eyes, carefully observing its cross-section and structure, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"This piece of rubble is hollow...it doesn't seem like it was simply blasted hollow. This structure seems to be...??"

A surprising conjecture suddenly flashed through Li Xiang's mind.

....
Chang Erbing received Li Xiang's order and dared not delay in the slightest. He immediately selected several tight-lipped and meticulous constables to investigate the situation at the villa.

The first step in the investigation was naturally to find out who owned the villa.

The property management company of the residential community has the most basic registration information on this.

Chang Erbing led his men directly to the property management center of Emerald Garden. Faced with the police's inquiry, the property management was very cooperative and quickly retrieved the files of the bombed villa.

The registration information shows that the homeowner's name is Zhang Siyang.

The information on the file was not very detailed. It showed that the person was 35 years old, male, and registered as "owner of a certain company". The citizenship level was C. A contact number was attached below the file.

The man in the photo has an ordinary face with no outstanding features; he's the kind of person you wouldn't notice if you threw him into a crowd.

"Contact Zhang Siyang immediately!" Chang Erbing ordered.

One of the constables immediately dialed the number, but all he heard was a long, monotonous "beep...beep..." sound, and no one answered.

The constables tried several more times, but the result was the same.

"No one answered the phone."

The constable reported, his fingers rapidly tapping on his portable terminal.

"I'll ask the technical department to help locate the signal source of this number."

A few minutes later, the technical department sent back a message that made Chang Erbing's heart sink.

Signal location data shows that the signal source for this phone number is no longer in District 9.

Although the city is nominally a single entity, there are significant differences in the political environment, technological level, and even infrastructure between its various districts.

This difference is also reflected in the communication network, with each district having its own relatively independent communication system and a powerful regional network "firewall".

It's not just a technical "firewall," but also a physical firewall.

The ruins that lie between each zone naturally possess disordered electromagnetic fields that can shield or interfere with signals.

In other words, once the communication signal crosses a region, accurate positioning becomes extremely difficult.

Chang Erbing frowned:
"Not in District Nine? Then where is it? Do you have a general direction?"

The constable in charge of making the contact shook his head in embarrassment:

"The technical department said they couldn't make a precise judgment, but judging from the frequency band strength and attenuation pattern of the signal feedback, the signal source has likely entered the sixth zone, or even further."

Chang Erbing's face darkened, and he thought to himself:

"That means there are at least three zones between us, which is troublesome."

Despite the economic and trade exchanges between the districts of the Lower City, they also maintain a cooperative relationship under the unified leadership of the Upper City. In theory, there should also be a mutual assistance mechanism among law enforcement agencies.

In reality, cross-regional law enforcement is only theoretically feasible; in practice, it faces numerous difficulties.

Of course, there are definitely ways to overcome these difficulties, they just might not be entirely legal or compliant.

Chang Erbing pondered for a moment and said:
"Keep trying to make calls, don't stop!"

If the connection is made, do not mention the explosion; instead, say that there was a problem with the construction and renovation of the villa and that the homeowner needs to return immediately to handle and confirm the issue.

"Your tone should be urgent but natural. Let's find a way to lure him back to District Nine first!" Chang Erbing wasn't already suspicious of this person, but out of caution, he planned to lure him back first.

As long as the person returns to District Nine first, the final decision on whether they are guilty or not will be made by the police station.

The constable who reported nodded and replied, "Understood!"

Chang Erbing had followed Li Xiang for a long time and had indeed learned some real skills. After thinking for a moment, he asked again:

"Check when Zhang Siyang left District Nine."

Not long after, the constable returned to report:

"The immigration records show that Zhang Siyang left at..."

Chang Erbing's pupils suddenly contracted, and he murmured:
"It happened to be the day before the special envoy's incident, so this person is even more suspicious."

Unfortunately, he's not in District 9 anymore, so there's no use in doubting him now.

Chang Erbing frowned deeply; this lead seemed to have reached a dead end for the time being.

He could only suppress his doubts, change his approach, and continue the investigation along the second line of investigation instructed by Li Xiang.

35 minute later.

An inconspicuous private car was parked in the corner of an old commercial street, next to the storefront of a decoration company called "Anjule".

The company is not large, and you can see through the glass door that the interior decoration is quite old.

Chang Erbing and his two subordinates had changed into civilian clothes and looked like ordinary customers.

They pushed open the door and entered the company. A young woman at the reception desk was hunched over her phone, engrossed in scrolling through her phone. She only stood up hastily when she heard footsteps, forcing a professional smile.
"Welcome to Anjule Decoration. Gentlemen, is there anything you need?"

Chang Erbing first casually glanced around the company environment before approaching the receptionist and asking:

"Does your company have a project manager named Jia Zhuang? I was introduced by a friend who said that the renovation work he is in charge of is particularly meticulous and the quality is guaranteed."

I happen to have a villa that I want to renovate, so I'd like to hire him to take charge.

The receptionist's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly:

"Yes, sir, Manager Jia is indeed a senior project manager in our company..."

But then, a slightly troubled look appeared on her face.
"However, Manager Jia has recently taken on a lot of projects, and his schedule is full."

"Look... if you're in a bit of a hurry, I can introduce you to our company's top-notch project manager. His skills are absolutely top-notch, and he guarantees you'll be satisfied with the renovation results!"

As she spoke, she subtly winked at the workstations next to her.

Immediately, a man with a neat buzz cut and wearing an inexpensive suit walked over quickly with a big smile, and enthusiastically took out cigarettes and offered them to Chang Erbing and the others:
"Boss, you want to renovate your villa, right? Please feel free to tell me your ideas and requirements."

Not to brag, but I've been in this business for over a decade, handling at least eighty to a hundred large houses and villas. I'm experienced, offer fair prices, and will absolutely satisfy you!

He began to speak fluently and eloquently, eager to sign the contract immediately.

Chang Erbing listened patiently to the other party's boasting for a while before shaking his head:

"I'm sorry, but I was specifically introduced by a friend, so I'm here specifically for Manager Jia."

Everyone says he's good at pretending, so I'm relatively at ease. Isn't he at the company today? Why don't you give him a call and ask, or tell me where he's working now, and I can go over and talk to him.

The receptionist picked up the landline on the table with a sigh and dialed Jia Zhuang's number.

Soon, the system notification tone "The number you dialed is currently switched off" came through the receiver.

This result was within Chang Erbing's expectations—they had already tried to contact Jia Zhuang before they arrived, but found that his phone was switched off, so they pretended to be customers to investigate.

Chang Erbing frowned and said:

"The phone is off? What should we do... Here's the thing, young lady, can you tell me if Manager Jia is coming to the company today? If he is, I'll wait for him here."

If he can't come, just tell me his home address, or the address of the construction site where he's currently working, and I'll go directly to him. This villa renovation is quite urgent.

The receptionist seemed a little hesitant.

Seeing this, Chang Erbing took out a few banknotes from his inner pocket and casually placed them on the front desk.

The girl's eyes lit up. She quickly glanced around, then swiftly lowered her head, pretending to tidy up her things, but actually reached out and smeared the banknotes into the drawer.

She lowered her voice: "Please wait a moment, I'll check the work records..."

The addresses of the projects that each project manager in the company is currently working on are all registered.

Seeing that his sure-fire success was about to slip away, the crew-cut man next to him panicked. He suddenly leaned close to Chang Erbing, grabbed his arm, and pulled him aside, urgently whispering:
"Boss, take my advice! If you really want your house to be renovated properly, you absolutely must not hire this Jia!"

Chang Erbing, who was already getting impatient and about to push the other man away, paused upon hearing this. Instead, he loosened his grip and draped his arm over the crew-cut man's shoulder, pulling him further into the corner. He lowered his voice and asked with a hint of doubt:

"Oh? What do you mean by that? My friend has been praising him to the skies."

Seeing that the customer seemed interested, the man with the buzz cut lowered his voice and said mysteriously:
"Think about it, what's Manager Jia's name?"

Chang Erbing looked puzzled.

"Jia Zhuang? What's wrong?"

The man with the buzz cut winked and made faces.

"Jia Zhuang, pretend... Listen to this name, isn't it obvious? It's not a good omen!"

Chang Erbing frowned even more deeply:
"You mean... there's something wrong with him?"

The man with the buzz cut sighed, adopting a sincere and open-minded demeanor:

"Sigh, boss, although we are colleagues and I shouldn't talk badly about people behind their backs, I really can't stand it and can't bear to see you being deceived."

I'll just tell you a secret: Manager Jia and the construction workers under him are all a bit unconventional and not exactly law-abiding.

Nine out of ten houses renovated by them have serious problems with shoddy workmanship; they look good on the outside but are actually substandard inside, leading to constant problems after moving in!

Chang Erbing asked in return with some skepticism:

"You're so sure, do you have any evidence?"

The man with the buzz cut scoffed:
"Evidence? In the first half of the year, the apartment in the west of the city that he was in charge of renovating, the owner moved in less than two months ago, and the wall covering the load-bearing wall in the living room cracked, with the crack being as thick as a little finger."

Do you know how long the homeowner came to the company and caused a scene? Lots of people in the neighborhood know about it; you can go and ask around if you don't believe me!

(End of this chapter)