I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 146 Preparing to Investigate the Casino
Two hours later.

The eighth floor was almost completely surrounded by police. Occasionally, residents would pass by, glance at the scene out of curiosity, and then leave quickly without lingering. Other small companies on the same floor also kept their doors closed to avoid getting involved.

At the entrance of Yiqi Information Consulting Company, five people squatted down against the wall, their faces full of frustration as they looked up at Han Ling and Tong Feng.

I was mentally prepared for this line of work. The crime of lending money at exorbitant interest rates is illegal business operation. As long as it doesn't involve other crimes such as usury, intentional injury, or illegal detention, the punishment won't be too severe.

The fines are a bit high, though; I reckon all the money we've earned in the last two years will go to fines.

A little over an hour ago, Han Ling and Tong Feng left under the pretext of reporting the situation. The team immediately contacted the Economic Crime Investigation Team, who arrived quickly with more than a dozen people.

At this moment, the economic crime investigation team is collecting evidence inside, while the rest are responsible for guarding the suspect.

The arrest of the lender does not mean the money does not have to be repaid; the borrower still needs to repay the principal and interest within the legal scope.

This is yet another burden for Xiong Chuan's wife.

The police can't help with this. The portion of debt used for daily living expenses that wasn't gambling is considered joint debt of the couple. It can only be said that Liao Xue was unlucky in love and has to bear the consequences herself.

There shouldn't be any more debt collection attempts. The Economic Crime Investigation Team is very experienced in this area and will handle the situation well during the investigation.

"You're investigating a murder case, right? I heard from Lao Feng that someone died." The deputy captain of the Economic Crime Investigation Team walked over.

Han Ling was smoking in front of the trash can in the corridor. There was a place to put out cigarettes there. He nodded and said, "Yes, Captain Zhou, the deceased borrowed money here."

Team Leader Zhou said "Oh," and then asked, "So how should we handle this case? Will you handle it or will we? What did Ji Bowen say?"

Han Ling: "At present, we believe that the murder case has nothing to do with the loan sharking. Let's see if we can get any useful clues from the side. We just need to talk to them for a bit."

After thinking for a moment, Captain Zhou said, "Then... murder cases take priority. We'll hand the person over to you when we get back to the branch office."

Han Ling: "Okay, thank you, Captain Zhou."

Team Leader Zhou laughed and said, "Don't be so polite, we're all family here. I have a very deep impression of your first-class merit award. Keep up the good work."

He patted Han Ling on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Han Ling flicked his cigarette ash and continued to puff out smoke.

"Sigh." Tong Feng sighed, "We should consider changing partners. Ever since you received the First-Class Merit, all the leaders' attention has been on you, and my excellence has been buried. This can't go on."

Han Ling didn't say anything, too lazy to pay attention to Tong Feng's ramblings.

Soon after, the investigation was completed, and the two left with the Economic Crime Investigation Team, the clatter of their leather shoes echoing across the floor.

Female economic crime investigators at the branch office generally wear standard leather shoes when on duty, perhaps to reflect the seriousness of law enforcement or for the sake of uniformity, but this is definitely not suitable for chasing suspects, as it would affect operational efficiency.

The male police officers in the Economic Crime Investigation Division handled the rough work of chasing people.

Five female economic crime investigators, making up more than 30% of the team, looked very capable and spirited.

"Stop looking, you little pervert," Han Ling warned.

It's a normal physiological instinct for males to look at females, primarily for appreciation. This has nothing to do with character. There's only one possibility for a male who doesn't like looking at women: homosexuality.

Tong Feng looked away: "My heart is only for sheepdogs."

He had admitted his feelings for Lin Muyang some time ago, but it was only between the two of them. As for whether Lin Muyang and the police dog squad knew about it, that was unclear.

Anyone who isn't blind or an idiot should know this.

Back at the branch office, the four officers began interrogating the loan shark, focusing on Xiong Chuan and his interpersonal relationships. They ignored everything else, as the Economic Crime Investigation Division was more professional.

Faced with interrogation by the criminal investigation team, these loan sharks had no reason to hide anything and told everything they knew.

It was learned that Xiong Chuan came to Yiqi Information Consulting Company to borrow money through a person named Shao Fei. Shao Fei was also a borrower, having borrowed more than 300,000 yuan in total, with interest amounting to more than 100,000 yuan, but he had already paid it all off, and in a short period of time.

Han Ling recalled Xiong Chuan's contact list, and there was no name Shao Fei in it.

There might be gambling accounts in QQ groups, but they are all usernames, making it difficult to match them up.

"What does Shao Fei need the money for?" Han Ling asked.

The man in the suit said, "It must be gambling. He and Xiong Chuan both like to gamble. The fact that he paid back the money so quickly means he probably won."

Can you win money gambling? Of course you can, but the probability is relatively small.

Legitimate casinos abroad take a cut and won't cheat you, while many illegal casinos in China control the odds of winning.

Casinos can't prevent customers from winning money. If everyone loses, who will come back? Only by letting a very small number of customers win and the majority lose more than they win can they attract more repeat customers and keep their expectations alive.

This person still has a "conscience." Someone without a conscience would hire a lot of shills, and those who win money are basically all shills.

The trial ends.

That's all the information available, except for the name Shao Fei. Han Ling deduced that Xiong Chuan didn't have Shao Fei in his contacts, but since Shao Fei had introduced Xiong Chuan to Yiqi Information Consulting Company to borrow money, they obviously knew each other. So, they were probably just casual acquaintances who had met somewhere, or perhaps they frequently met in the same place.

We only knew each other and did not exchange contact information.

In this situation, it's more likely the casino. Regular customers frequent the place, and over time they become familiar with each other, greeting each other when they meet, but not developing a deep relationship.

Yiqi Information Consulting Company has very comprehensive client information, including Shao Fei's mobile phone number, home address, and even information about his family members. It's even more detailed than what the police themselves would find.

So, should we go find this person?

Han Ling and Tong Feng went to see Ji Bowei. Han Ling offered his opinion: "Shao Fei is a bit complicated. I think it's better not to go to him rashly."

The issues of gambling and borrowing money weren't that big of a problem, but the fact that he was able to pay back the money in such a short time suggests that it was truly earned through gambling.

Is it possible that drugs are involved?

Everyone knows how profitable drugs are; otherwise, so many people wouldn't take the risk. As long as they aren't caught by the police, they can make a fortune every day.

Even deliverymen can earn tens of thousands in a short period of time, so what about buyers and sellers? What about the original manufacturers? It's hard to imagine.

Shao Fei is a gambler and owes high-interest loans. If he had connections, it wouldn't be impossible for him to risk everything to make quick money.

Furthermore, Xiong Chuan has a history of drug use; is there any connection between this and other factors? These are all unknowns.

“I need to talk to the anti-drug team again.” Ji Bowei said with some helplessness. “This case involves economic crime investigation, public security, and anti-drug efforts. It’s really troublesome. Captain Feng hasn’t come back yet, and he’s not answering his phone. I don’t know how the municipal bureau is doing with the investigation.”

Han Ling asked, "Captain Ji, what's the situation at Phoenix Nightclub?"

Ji Bowei said, "The Public Security Brigade has no information on it. It's a new criminal gang. A few years ago, Phoenix Nightclub had prostitution-related activities. After rectification, it reopened and became much more restrained. Now we can only say it's skirting the line."

The casino on the fifth floor will definitely be shut down. How to do it is still under discussion; it will likely be a joint operation with the public security brigade.

Han Ling: "Now that there's a crackdown on prostitution throughout Qingchang, casinos may have to temporarily close down to avoid the heat."

Ji Bowei nodded: "Very likely. Since the casino is located in the Phoenix Nightclub, the nightclub owner is probably involved, or at least aware of it."

They're all in the same building, so there's definitely an undeniable connection.

Tong Feng said, "Captain Ji, how about Han Ling and I go and check it out discreetly? Let's make sure it's still open for business."

“No, it’s easy to alert them.” Ji Bowei shook his head. “Casinos are not places that just anyone can go to. They are far more private than places involved in prostitution. They only allow people who are supposed to come. Outsiders cannot go directly to the fifth floor. Even if they do get to the fifth floor, they cannot find the specific entrance without connections.”

Han Ling agreed: "Yes, referrals from acquaintances are quite common, or they obtain special membership cards as identification through other channels. In short, their screening of new customers must be very strict, otherwise they would have been shut down long ago."

Tong Feng: "If we can confirm that the fifth floor of Phoenix Nightclub is indeed a casino, we don't care about memberships or anything like that. We'll mobilize the entire Public Security Brigade and Criminal Investigation Brigade to surround it. Not even a fly can get out."

Ji Bowei: "The problem lies in how to determine it. It's not that difficult. Lao Hu and I will discuss it further. Perhaps we can take advantage of Chai Shaosong's status as a regular customer."

The claim that a casino exists at Phoenix Nightclub comes from Chai Shaosong's testimony, but the veracity of that testimony is uncertain and requires concrete evidence.

Surrounding Phoenix Nightclub without evidence would be against procedure and the leadership wouldn't approve it; this would be a major operation.

That area has more than just one nightclub; there are many legitimate businesses around it, and if it's surrounded, all of those shops will be affected.

Therefore, preliminary undercover investigations are essential.

Ji Bowei said it wasn't difficult because of the covert and overt identities of the police and the casino. Now that they know there's a casino inside the Phoenix Nightclub, taking it down is just a matter of time.

It is unclear whether Chai Shaosong is qualified to introduce new customers. Even if he cannot get in, he can still obtain external evidence to achieve the effect of "knowing the whole picture before entering the door".

For example, staking out a location.

The casino has more than just Xiong Chuan and Chai Shaosong as customers. By staking out the casino and secretly arresting other gamblers, more confessions can be obtained to form a chain of evidence, which can then be used to apply for a search warrant.

"Is the nightclub still open?" Han Ling asked.

Ji Bowei said, "It's still open. Phoenix Nightclub mainly sells alcohol now. We haven't found any prostitution activities. It's possible that it's been relatively discreet and has evaded investigation. They're playing the victim."

Nightclubs that dare to continue operating during the crackdown on prostitution either genuinely have no problems or are confident that the police will never find them.

Han Ling: "I think we can go and take a look tonight, as a consumer."

Ji Bowei immediately understood: "You mean, nightclubs might gradually turn some customers into new casino patrons?"

Han Ling nodded: "Yes, if this model exists, those nouveau riche, those who spend lavishly in nightclubs, and those who use expensive drinks to wash their hair will all become targets."

……

P.S.: Chapter Two will be released at night.

(End of this chapter)