Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 469 Night Lantern

"The underworld?" Zhou Yi was startled and quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

Those that can be called organized crime groups are all violent criminal gangs that are organized and aim to obtain illegal profits.

They are not a mob that only knows how to shout for violence and extort money.

In the eyes of the police, this group doesn't even qualify; at best, it's just a vicious gang of thugs.

After three major crackdowns, the national security environment has been significantly improved. Later, the fight against organized crime was made an important policy. Compared with the 1980s and 1990s, it is incomparable. Everyone who experienced that era can personally attest to this.

Even organized crime groups have different levels.

Common offenses include provoking trouble, gang fights, illegal detention, and intentional injury.

Going up another level, there are monopolies, casinos, loan sharking, and prostitution.

At a higher level, it would involve bribery, protection rackets, interference with judicial fairness, and money laundering.

Regardless of the level, all of these actions pose a threat to people's lives and property, and will inevitably result in loss of life.

The only interesting thing is that most people in organized crime don't get involved in the drug trade.

Even the most illiterate gangster knows how to write the word "death".

However, Zhou Yi didn't explain that much; he wanted to hear what his uncle had to say.

My uncle said, "I don't know about other things, but those of us in the seafood business are suffering terribly right now. The entire supply chain, from the dock to the seafood market, is monopolized by those guys."

"Both large wharves were contracted out at the beginning of this year. Fishing boats have to pay extra to dock, including management fees, depreciation fees, cleaning fees, and a whole bunch of other fees. Then we have to pay all sorts of fees when we go to buy goods. If we don't pay, they won't let us in. It's disgusting."

"What about other docks?" Zhou Yi asked. Qingyuan County mainly deals in aquatic products, and there are more than just these two docks.

"Hey, guess what others thought? Back then, many of the people shipping and buying goods went to another dock, and a few days later, that dock inexplicably caught fire, burned down a ship, and killed one person."

Zhou Yi didn't take it seriously at first. Although the contracting company's various price increases were unethical in order to make money, they were not illegal or criminal.

But when he heard about the fire, his expression changed instantly.

"People died in the fire? What is the nature of the fire according to the investigation? Was it an accident or arson?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly.

The uncle shook his head: "How would I know? But everyone else says it was those people who burned it."

"What about other docks? Have they encountered similar situations?"

"Of course there are. Some docks have been smeared with excrement, and some people have been beaten up when they came back from buying goods at the docks. As for those who cause trouble, there are even more."

"In the end, we'll just have to obediently go to those two big docks, unless we give up this business."

Zhou Yi continued, "Uncle, you just mentioned there's also a seafood market. What's that all about?"

"They collect protection money. If anyone dares not to pay, they'll come and cause trouble every day, making it impossible for you to do business."

“There’s a boss in our market named Li. He used to be a soldier. He’s big and tough, and he’s got guts. He’d rather die than pay protection money. He said he’d fight these guys to the end.”

Grandpa couldn't help but ask, "And what was the result?"

"And then," the uncle said angrily, slamming his hand on the table, "a few days later, his daughter was suddenly splashed with red paint on her way home from school. What good is being tough if someone can mess with your wife and kids? Li Da Ge took his family and left Wu Guang overnight."

"Well, these things won't fetch much money anyway, so it's better to keep them for ourselves."

Zhou Yi remained silent. Based on the various behaviors his uncle had mentioned, it was clear that they were involved in organized crime.

Moreover, the fact that they were able to secure the operating rights to two large wharves indicates that the mastermind behind it was not an uneducated thug, but someone who knew how to use commercial means to amass wealth.

It seems Wu Guang made the right choice coming here!

At this moment, Zhou Yi's older cousin, Zhang Xuan, asked, "Uncle, why don't you call the police and have them arrest these bad guys?"

The uncle said, "Why didn't you call the police? We called the police before when some people refused to pay protection money and caused trouble. When the police came, they said there was no actual harm done, and they could only give the troublemakers a warning."

"Huh? Why are the police like this? Why don't they arrest this guy who's obviously a bad guy?"

At this point, Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with this approach. The police can't decide who's good and who's bad based on their own subjective judgment. The police are law enforcers, so they can only handle cases based on the law and objective facts. If it's just a dispute or conflict, then they can only educate and warn the suspect."

Zhou Yi knew that most people shared the same view as her older cousin: that the police were not arresting the bad guys, that they were not doing their job, and that they were protecting the bad guys.

But the fact is that, regardless of whether someone is good or bad, they are subject to both legal constraints and legal protection.

This is what true fairness in the law means.

"Moreover, even if some property damage is caused, it usually only results in administrative detention, which is fixed at fifteen days, and then retaliation may be carried out."

The uncle immediately nodded in agreement: "You're right. Even the boss who called the police couldn't get the man arrested. A few days later, on his way home one night, a passing motorcycle hit him on the head with a stick, and he spent more than half a month in the hospital. Sigh, what are we going to do about that?"

Grandpa was furious when he heard this and cursed these people for being too arrogant.

Grandma kept telling her youngest son not to offend these people. She said it was okay to earn less money, and if things got really bad, he could go back to the countryside to farm. At least with these few acres of land, his family wouldn't starve.

“Zhou Yi, tell me, how are we supposed to do this business? We can’t sleep or eat in peace until these people are arrested,” the uncle said.

"Uncle, don't worry. Just listen to Grandma and don't provoke them. Protecting yourself and your family is the most important thing. We'll talk about it after I transfer here next month and understand the situation."

"Alright, that's enough. Come on, let's have a drink, you and I." He said, raising his glass.

Grandpa watched longingly from the side, while Grandma glared at him and said, "What are you looking at? The doctor said you can't drink alcohol."

Zhou Yi smiled and bumped hands with his uncle.

That being said, cracking down on organized crime is actually a very difficult task.

This is not a problem that can be solved by one person alone, nor is it something that can be adopted simply by offering a suggestion.

Because this is not a single criminal case.

In principle, there are basically three possibilities for getting local authorities to launch a special campaign to crack down on organized crime.

First, it is driven by policies deployed in a unified manner by the highest authorities.

For example, last year.

But it's strange, it was just treated last year, and it's popped up again this year. Is it because it wasn't completely eradicated, or are there new ones?

Secondly, it has caused serious public security problems in the local area.

For example, in the case of a murder, the police, during the investigation, might follow the clues to uncover more crimes, eventually taking down the entire criminal organization behind it.

Third, there is immense pressure from public opinion.

However, if it's just the aquatic product industry, it might be a bit difficult, unless there's a surge in public discontent and a large number of complaints.

From Zhou Yi's perspective, the second point is undoubtedly the most likely entry point, as these people are unlikely to have clean hands.

He then remembered someone: Hu Dali, whom Wu Yuemei had mentioned during her interrogation earlier that day.

Wu Yuemei said that Hu Dali was a member of the underworld, but based on her confession, Hu Dali did not seem to have any obvious involvement in the underworld.

Today's interrogation focused primarily on Hu Dali's crime of murdering Boss Huang, without delving into the issue of organized crime. It seems we'll need to investigate further later.

But there's no rush right now. Let's see if Ni Jianrong can find Hu Dali first.

If I can catch him, I'll go and meet this unfamiliar "old acquaintance" again.

"Uncle, don't worry, these people are like grasshoppers in autumn, they won't be able to jump around for long. You have to believe that the security situation in our country will get better and better with the development of the times, it just takes some time."

The uncle nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course I believe you! My nephew is a policeman, how could I not believe him? I just hope that we can catch this group of people as soon as possible so that we can do business in peace."

Zhou Yi didn't want to say too many nice things to gloss over the fact that things were peaceful, because saying more would be useless. The development of the times requires a process and cannot be achieved overnight.

Only by acknowledging the shortcomings of the 1990s can we make the future better. After dinner, before it got dark, Zhou Yi took Lu Xiaoshuang for a walk.

The two walked hand in hand along the ridge of the field, one in front of the other.

As the sun set, their shadows grew longer and longer.

Ten years ago, a young Zhou Yi walked alone on the ridge of a field.

Now, there are two people.

Ten years later, between him and Lu Xiaoshuang, there will be a small figure waving his hands.

That's the meaning of moving forward.

Such is life, and such is the times.

……

It got dark, unlike in the city where there are always lights around.

In the countryside at night, the lights are faintly visible in the distance from where we came from.

However, Lu Xiaoshuang was not afraid because Zhou Yi was there.

"Brother Zhou, what are you going to show me?"

Having walked for so long, Lu Xiaoshuang knew that Zhou Yi wasn't just wandering around, so she didn't ask until she saw him stop.

Zhou Yi turned around, coughed, and said in a serious tone, "Comrade Lu Xiaoshuang, I have to criticize you."

"Huh?" This question puzzled Lu Xiaoshuang.

Then she asked in a low voice, "Why?"

Seeing her pitiful look, Zhou Yi couldn't bear to tease her anymore and quickly said, "Don't be nervous, I just wanted to joke with you, don't take it seriously."

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Then, pointing in the direction of Yunxia Mountain not far away, he said, "I'll show you something, but I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to see it. After all, I've only seen it twice when I was a child."

"What is it? Why are you being so mysterious?" Lu Xiaoshuang asked curiously.

"You'll see when you get there."

As night deepened, Zhou Yi kept looking towards Yunxia Mountain, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi pointed in a direction and shouted excitedly, "Look, there!"

Lu Xiaoshuang squinted in the direction he pointed, carefully discerning the details.

On the dark slopes of Yunxia Mountain, there seemed to be some faint, glimmering light.

It's so faint that you have to squint and look closely to see it.

"Is this... a firefly?" she asked excitedly.

"Ah."

"Wow, I've never seen fireflies before!" Lu Xiaoshuang said excitedly. "It's a pity they're so far away, they're too hard to tell apart."

Zhou Yi smiled mysteriously, put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

Lu Xiaoshuang nestled in Zhou Yi's arms, staring in that direction.

Slowly, slowly, more and more points of light appeared in that direction, becoming much more visible in the night.

Zhou Yi suddenly said, "They're here."

Then Lu Xiaoshuang saw that the points of light gradually gathered together, turning into a thin ribbon of light that danced and weaved among the trees growing on the mountain.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

“When I was little, my grandma told me that these glowing little insects are called night lanterns here. In the folk legends of Yunxia Mountain, the night lanterns are the spirits of the ancestors of the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Because in the past, villagers who went up the mountain to chop firewood or collect herbs would often get lost in the mountains, and then the night lanterns would appear and become a ribbon of light. As long as you follow the night lanterns, you can find the way down the mountain.”

Lu Xiaoshuang looked up in surprise and asked, "Really? That's amazing!"

Zhou Yi lowered his head, about to speak, but found that his face was very close to Lu Xiaoshuang's.

They were so close, they could even feel each other's breath.

Zhou Yi looked into Lu Xiaoshuang's eyes, which seemed to reflect either fireflies or stars in the sky, sparkling brightly.

Under the starry sky, a faint band of light drifted through the mountains and forests.

Two figures, like sculptures in a museum.

……

The next morning, Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang decided to go hiking to watch the sunrise.

Zhou Yi called to check the weather forecast, which said that today and tomorrow would be sunny, but it seemed that it might rain starting tomorrow night, so there was no time to lose.

When Zhou Yi arrived, he had prepared essential items such as a tent, sleeping bag, compass, and high-powered flashlight.

Grandma prepared a big bag of dry food and a watermelon for me.

Zhou Yi looked at the food and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Grandma, we'll be back after watching the sunrise tomorrow morning, we can't eat this much. Besides, there are shops at the entrance of the scenic area and on the mountain, we can just buy some ourselves."

Grandma said, "That won't do. Things sold at tourist attractions are so expensive, and those on the mountain are even more expensive. Wait a minute, Grandma will make you some more sauce, otherwise eating just pancakes will be too bland."

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I can have some of this."

After much pleading and persuasion, Zhou Yi finally managed to bring a few pancakes, some sauce, and pickled vegetables; watermelon was definitely out of the question.

We can just buy some bread and water at the scenic spot later.

Grandpa borrowed a tricycle from the neighbor next door and then slowly drove the two of them to the entrance of the scenic area, which was two kilometers away.

Zhou Yi originally wanted to ride it herself, but her grandfather firmly disagreed, saying that he was in good health and could easily carry them.

Sitting on the back of the tricycle, Zhou Yi looked at her grandfather's aged back and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

This is probably the greatest pain of rebirth: the life-and-death separations experienced in the previous life must be experienced again in this life.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yi couldn't help but feel sad.

Suddenly, he felt Lu Xiaoshuang patting his head and whispering, "Brother Yi, don't be sad. Grandma, Grandpa, and Grandpa will definitely live to be a hundred years old."

Zhou Yi looked up and smiled at her, then suddenly paused, asking, "What did you just call me?"

Lu Xiaoshuang looked at him with her eyes crinkling, then mimicked his tone and said seriously, "Yes, Lu Xiaoshuang is a good comrade who can admit her mistakes and correct them."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, because this was probably what they called a telepathic connection.

The joke I made last night was to ask Lu Xiaoshuang when she could change how she addressed me, since our relationship is different now.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xiaoshuang had already seen through his little scheme.

Zhou Yi feigned disgust and said, "It's a little bit cheesy."

"You're so annoying," Lu Xiaoshuang said, giving him a light punch.

Grandpa didn't understand why, but he knew that the two of them were happy, so he was happy too, and he rode the tricycle with even more energy.

(End of this chapter)