Rebirth 2014: I, the King of Criminal Investigation

Chapter 623: Constant Anxiety
Even childhood friends who grew up together may not necessarily be able to do illegal or disorderly things together.

Nowadays, with nine years of compulsory education, there are fewer illiterate people, and naturally, fewer people who are ignorant of the law.

"The future he described to me was exactly what I dreamed of."

When Ren Yupeng said this, a look of longing appeared on his face:
“I can get a brand new identity, a real and valid ID card, and a large sum of money, enough for me to live a carefree life for a long time.”

"I've really had enough of living a nine-to-five, monotonous life."

He sighed deeply, seemingly utterly weary of these monotonous and tedious days:
"So as soon as he brought it up, I was interested."

The other party is a master of empty promises... Captain Xu immediately came to this conclusion.

This is almost a common characteristic of human traffickers.

Most human traffickers are adept at using sweet talk to gain the trust of their victims. The most common method is to lure people away in crowded places such as train stations under the pretense of offering them jobs.

Without the ability to make empty promises, no one would fall for it.

"How much money did that guy called Lao Si promise you?" Captain Xu asked, staring at him.

"Thirty thousand per person," Ren Yupeng answered without hesitation.
"They charge me based on the number of students. They settle the amount with me based on how many female students I bring."

"What really made me decide was that he gave me 100,000 yuan first. It was because of this money that I decided to do this business."

Business? Upon hearing this word, Captain Xu unconsciously clenched his fist.

Fourteen deaf and mute female students were treated like commodities and exchanged for money by Ren Yupeng.

Is this business?
This is absolutely outrageous!

If each person earns 30,000, then fourteen people would earn 420,000.

To commit such a heinous crime for 420,000 is simply...

Team Leader Xu suddenly felt it made sense, because the amount of money was already quite substantial.

Many criminals who commit armed robbery are willing to stab someone to death for a few hundred dollars.

Some people are even willing to sell themselves to buy a mobile phone.

"Did he give you the rest of the money?" Captain Xu asked.

"I gave it to him." Ren Yupeng nodded.
“After I drove the car to the location, he gave me 320,000 yuan in cash and told me to find a place to hide and not to do anything for nearly a year.”

They seem quite experienced... Captain Xu could tell that the other party had a certain level of counter-surveillance capabilities.

If it had lasted a year, this case would have been closed long ago.

A line that often appears in movies and TV dramas: "Come back after the storm has passed."

This "rumor" refers to the time limit for the case investigation.

Except for cases with particularly egregious social impact, most criminal cases have time limits for investigation. If a case is not solved within a certain period, it will be treated as a cold case.

It's not about giving up, but about continuing the investigation once new leads emerge.

"Then why didn't you leave?" Captain Xu looked at Ren Yupeng across from him with a puzzled expression.

From the time the school bus went missing to the school reporting the incident, and then to the police investigation, there was at least a six-hour gap, enough time for Ren Yupeng to leave the city by car.

Even if you're traveling to another province, there's still enough time.

In the past few days, the task force believed that the perpetrator had fled to another province. No one expected that the main suspect, Ren Yupeng, had not gone anywhere and had been staying in the city all along.

"Because he feels guilty."

Ren Yupeng sighed helplessly:

“On the first day, I thought about escaping to another province, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that I couldn’t go back to my hometown, and I was unfamiliar with the place, so it was better to just stay here and hide.”

He paused and then said:

"As long as I'm careful, I should be able to evade the search."

"Since hotels and guesthouses are not allowed, small inns will definitely be your primary targets for search. I have no choice but to rent a place using my new ID card."

Ren Yupeng breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued...
"As it turns out, this method is indeed feasible. With such a large population in the city, it's impossible for you to check every single household."

"As long as I stay in my rented room and try not to go out, I can remain hidden for a long time."

In reality, this is how the vast majority of fugitives hide. By changing their identity and renting a place, they are essentially hidden among the city's population. If the police want to find them through investigation, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Many fugitives even mistakenly believe that their cases have been dropped because so much time has passed.

The most representative example is an actor in the TV series "Lurking".

He fled for 13 years to evade punishment and filmed more than 40 movies. When he was arrested, he was already a well-known supporting actor in Hengdian.

After the TV series "Lurking" became a hit, a viewer from the area where the crime occurred noticed that one of the supporting characters looked very much like a wanted criminal from our area, which led to his arrest.

Imagine if he continued to keep a low profile and live under an assumed name, would he still be discovered?
I can only say: not necessarily.

Some fugitives, after being apprehended, confessed to their crimes, only to find that the cases they mentioned had already been closed.

This is awkward. He admits that he committed the crime, but who was executed?
I dare not say how many such things happen, but I can say that they do.

"Since you've already made up your mind, why not continue hiding?"

This is also something that Captain Xu couldn't figure out.

If Ren Yupeng continues to keep a low profile, they really won't be able to do anything about him.

"I can't stand it anymore."

Ren Yupeng said with a worried look on his face.
"Having lived for more than 30 years, I have finally come to understand what it means to live in constant fear."

"It was so agonizing. Once you leave your familiar living environment, the feeling of boredom, dullness, and emptiness can really drive you crazy."

His voice was filled with fear of loneliness:

"You know what? I can't say a word all day, and I can't even force a smile. My body feels like it's being torn apart by something."

Ren Yupeng shook his head and said with a wry smile:
"These few days felt like a lifetime to me. If I don't go out and have some fun, I'll really go crazy."

That bathhouse wasn't legitimate... Captain Xu hadn't been there, but he'd seen it.

Besides, what kind of fun can you find at a bathhouse?

For men, the greatest pleasure is women.

"Can you still get in touch with that guy called Lao Si?"

Actually, when Captain Xu asked this question, he had already given up hope.

This is clearly a trap, and Ren Yupeng is a pawn to be discarded in this trap.

However, the other party kept their word and at least paid him the full amount he was promised.

"We haven't been able to contact them for a long time."

Ren Yupeng said dejectedly:

"If I could get in touch with them, I wouldn't have been unable to hide it."

“I called him on the second day after I went into hiding, but his phone was switched off. I called him a few more times, but his phone was always switched off.”

He shook his head helplessly:

“I know in my heart that he has run away and will never contact me again.”

He's not completely stupid... Captain Xu looked at him and suddenly felt that this person was both hateful and pathetic.

"Didn't you ever think that this money shouldn't be earned?" Captain Xu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't you consider the consequences of your crime?"

In his view, some people's behavior is truly incomprehensible.

Having enough to eat and wear, and a stable job, why would someone commit a crime?

"Too easy."

Ren Yupeng scratched his hair in frustration before continuing:

"It was because it was so easy that I only had that one thought at the time."

"Officer, think about it. I just picked up the students as usual and drove to another place, and I could earn 42 yuan. I've never encountered such a good deal before."

(End of this chapter)