I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 145 Yiqi Information Consulting Company
The four returned to the branch office.

Putting Chai Shaosong's matter aside for the time being, and with Fang Zhou not around, Han Ling and the others went directly to Ji Bowei to report the situation.

The main takeaways from this visit came from Yiqi Information Consulting Company and Phoenix Nightclub.

Both are suspected of violating the law and committing crimes, so they must be dealt with. However, the Major Crimes Unit is more concerned about how Xiong Chuan died.

It's unlikely that the loan company would target Xiong Chuan, and Phoenix Nightclub is a mixed bag of people; who knows what kind of people Xiong Chuan might meet or what might happen to him there?

It's too easy to make enemies in a place like that; two people could easily start a fight if they bump into each other unintentionally.

"Go and check with Yi Qi first, see what's going on there," Ji Bowei instructed. "Regarding the Phoenix Nightclub, I need to talk to the Public Security Brigade. We'll contact them by phone later."

Prostitution and gambling are generally handled by the Public Security Brigade of the branch office. If a criminal case is constituted, the Criminal Investigation Brigade will intervene for further investigation. When it comes to understanding the entertainment venues in the jurisdiction, the Public Security Brigade of the entire branch office has the most comprehensive knowledge.

To put it simply: the criminal investigation team is at the forefront of crime, while the public security team is at the forefront of illegality.

This Phoenix Nightclub was really unlucky; if Xiong Chuan hadn't died, the police wouldn't have been able to get the information so quickly.

Gamblers and prostitutes are the same; they can't report others before they're arrested, because that would be tantamount to reporting themselves.

There are essentially four ways to dismantle such deeply hidden underground locations:

First, reports from the public.

Second, routine police patrols and undercover investigations.

Third, the targeted investigation of the special operation.

Fourth, take down the case within the case while you're at it.

Phoenix Nightclub falls into the fourth category, as it involves a case within a case and was easily and directly exposed to the police.

This year's crackdown on prostitution has been very thorough, but the fifth floor of the Phoenix Nightclub has not yet been discovered, indicating that it is indeed well hidden and the possibility of insiders tipping them off cannot be ruled out.

I don't know if it's still open for business.

"Yes."

The four returned quickly and left just as quickly, driving to Yiqi Information Consulting Company.

On the way, they discussed it and finally decided not to appear as criminal police officers. Instead, they would pretend to be borrowers and chat first, and then get their identification if needed.

"Two people would be best. Tong Feng and I will go," Han Ling volunteered.

Zhang Yandong: "Your name appeared on the bulletin board three times. Many people who come and go from the Qingchang Police Station must have seen your photo, especially those who walk on the edge of illegality and crime."

Han Ling touched her face: "It can't be that bad, can it? The photo on the bulletin board is of her in a police uniform and it's been beautified. I can just make a slight change."

Who has time to memorize strangers? I'm not a narcotics officer.

Zhang Yandong laughed: "You'll never be a narcotics officer in your life. You're too famous. A simple search will find out."

Drug traffickers often exhibit strong antisocial and violent tendencies. Once the identities of anti-drug police officers are exposed, not only will they become targets of retaliation, but their families may also face threats.

This is not an exaggeration; there are real-world examples.

Therefore, the more low-key, ordinary, and unassuming the anti-drug police are, the better. They can blend into the crowd and be unrecognizable, which is also beneficial for carrying out tasks such as tracking and evidence collection.

"Brother Dong, I don't like what you're saying," Han Ling said, quite unconvinced. "If there's a chance to be transferred to the anti-drug team in the future, do you think I'll agree?"

Zhang Yandong immediately apologized: "I was wrong, don't be impulsive. This time, you and Tong Feng will go. We'll wait downstairs. Contact us for backup if anything happens."

Han Ling's personality is indeed more suited to the anti-drug team. To deal with drug dealers, you need to be even more ruthless than them, but since she's already so famous, it's definitely impossible for her to go into anti-drug work.

Police study drug dealers, and correspondingly, drug dealers study police. Once someone shows their face, they're probably already a familiar face to some high-ranking drug dealers.

The situation between the two parties might be like this: if you don't investigate me, I'll pretend I don't know you and we'll keep to ourselves; but if you do investigate me, then don't blame me for being impolite.

The car was parked in a nearby parking lot, and Han Ling and Tong Feng got out and went upstairs.

Yiqi Information Consulting Company is located on the eighth floor, which may have been intentionally chosen to represent "getting rich".

The entire building is actually an apartment building, mainly for residential use. Many small companies choose to work here because of the low rent and the savings on additional expenses such as decoration and property management fees.

Moreover, the apartments are usually located near business districts, making it convenient for employees to commute, thus balancing location and low cost.

The landlord doesn't really care, as long as the property can be rented out. It doesn't matter if the tenant uses it for living or business, as long as they don't get involved in any messy illegal or criminal activities.

Stepping out of the elevator on the eighth floor, Han Ling and Tong Feng immediately spotted the sign for [Yiqi Information Consulting Company]. The door was open, and the two went inside.

"Little Flower J! Do you want one?!"

"Big Flower K! He's gone! The first customer!"

Five people were playing a game of "Protect the Emperor" around a table. A man in a suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood there, smoking a cigarette, slamming his cards down with exaggerated movements. His suit jacket was even slipping off his shoulders, giving him a roguish, thuggish look.

The man in the suit slammed down his cards and was about to flick his cigarette ash when he looked up and saw Han Ling and Tong Feng walking towards him.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting, we have business." The man in the suit gestured for the men to clear the table, then smiled at the two men, "Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"

Han Ling couldn't glean anything from the other person's expression; they probably didn't recognize him.

It's not as exaggerated as Zhang Yandong described. What does it matter to ordinary people if the police post something on the bulletin board? They're too busy to care.

"Lend me money," Han Ling said bluntly.

"Borrow money?" The man in the suit paused for a moment, then pointed at the company sign and asked curiously, "We're an information consulting company. Have we come to the wrong place?"

Han Ling: "Introduced by Brother Xiong."

Upon hearing this, the man in the suit sized up the two of them and asked, "What are your full names?"

Han Ling: "Xiong Chuan." "Wait a minute." The man in the suit turned around, went to the desk, turned on the dormant computer, and after operating it for a while, he seemed to see Xiong Chuan's name. His smile reappeared. "Sit down, sit down, don't be shy."

Han Ling and Tong Feng sat down on the sofa, and an employee closed the door to ensure the privacy of their conversation.

"Young man, how much would you like to borrow?" the man in the suit asked as he poured tea for the two men.

Han Ling: "How much can you lend?"

The man in the suit realized a big deal had come in, and his smile widened: "I can lend you any amount. A couple of days ago, someone who owns a company borrowed 500,000 yuan, and the loan was disbursed the same day. Look, there's even a contract here."

As he spoke, he casually took out a document from under the coffee table and placed it in front of Han Ling.

Han Ling didn't look at it and said, "How about 100,000? How do you calculate the interest?"

The man in the suit nodded: "100,000 is easy to arrange, but as for the interest... how long will it take to repay?"

Han Ling thought for a moment and replied, "What if it's repaid within a year?"

"One year..." The man in the suit adjusted his glasses. "If you pay it back within a year, 100,000 will suffice."

Han Ling didn't understand: "One hundred thousand? No interest?"

The man in the suit smiled and said, "We don't charge interest, we only charge a small consultation fee."

Han Ling realized that this company's operating model had become very covert; since it didn't charge interest, it couldn't be called usury.

"How much?" he asked.

The man in the suit extended his right hand and said, "Fifty thousand."

Han Ling was shocked: "Consulting fee of 50,000?? That's an annual interest rate of 50%!"

"No, no, no," the man in the suit corrected, "If it's not interest, where does the annual interest rate come from? It's a consulting fee!"

Han Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "May I see the contract?"

The contract is one of the most important pieces of evidence.

Upon hearing this, the man in the suit handed over a new contract. Han Ling quickly glanced through it and discovered the problem.

The consultation fee wasn't listed, but the interest was, and the interest rate is within the normal range.

“There are no consulting fees, and there is interest.” Han Ling looked up.

The man in the suit explained, "The consulting fee won't be written into the contract, and you don't need to worry about the interest. See the loan amount above? Write 150,000 when you sign the contract."

Han Ling understood: "The contract says 150,000, but you're only giving me 100,000?"

The man in the suit nodded: "Yes, the missing 50,000 is the consulting fee. You know that in your heart. But if others ask and you say you borrowed 150,000, we will only admit to 150,000. That's company policy."

If you can't accept that, you can borrow it from somewhere else.

They knew very well that once they reached the point of seeking help from private lending, all other avenues were blocked; they couldn't get through to friends or banks.

Those who come can all say they are desperate and in dire need of money.

Therefore, some terms have to be accepted even if you don't want to.

After figuring out the situation, Han Ling asked, "How much did Brother Xiong borrow?"

Man in suit: "Two hundred thousand."

This is a ticking time bomb. Xiong Chuan is dead, leaving only Liao Xue and Tangtang. Repaying the money will definitely not be timely, and they may face the risk of debt collection.

Besides the man in the suit, there were four other people in the room. Two of them were thin and looked like office workers, while the other two stood there silently, their eyes never leaving him and Tong Feng, their gazes carrying a hidden ferocity.

Loan sharks need enforcers to prevent customers from causing trouble. They can be considered bodyguards, or they may be doing debt collection work.

Gentle debt collection methods are considered harassment, more serious methods are considered threats, and even more serious methods can lead to harm and confinement; it's hard to say.

"What will happen to the money if something goes wrong?" Han Ling asked.

Upon hearing this, the man in the suit laughed, as did the other two thin men. The former replied, "What else can we do but ask our family to pay? It's impossible for debts to be wiped out when someone dies. Not a single penny less of the 150,000 yuan is acceptable."

What do you two need the money for? There's a risk of something going wrong. Is it some kind of illegal transaction?

Han Ling didn't answer, and brought up Xiong Chuan again: "Did Brother Xiong come to borrow it by himself?"

The man in the suit was very patient. After recalling for a moment, he said, "Yes, he was alone. It seems he lost money gambling."

Han Ling asked in surprise, "Knowing it's gambling, you still dared to lend money?"

The man in the suit said, "Didn't I tell you? Someone will always pay it back. We definitely knew about your family situation before we lent it to you, including the two of you."

Let's talk about borrowing money. What do you two do for a living, and what do your families do?

Just as Han Ling was about to say that he worked at the Gu'an branch of the Public Security Bureau, Tong Feng, who was next to him, reached out and slapped him, clearly knowing his best friend very well.

According to normal investigation procedures, they should first find an excuse to leave, and then immediately notify the Economic Crime Investigation Team for support to take down the information consulting company.

As for Xiong Chuan's problem, you can talk to these people at the branch office.

Han Ling turned her head, saw the meaning in Tong Feng's eyes, and chose to keep quiet.

Ugh, this is such a hassle.

The door is closed, these five people definitely can't escape, let's just have a good talk with them.

Before this, the two sides may have a brief "friendly exchange," but after the "friendly exchange," all five people can say whatever they should and shouldn't say, quickly and easily.

(End of this chapter)