The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

After receiving the 200 yuan gas fee, Zhang Hu filled up the tank and complained the whole way.

Chen Shi didn't respond to Zhang Hu's words. Anyone can complain, but the question is, is complaining useful?

Don't underestimate Zhang Youcai from the logistics office. If you offend him, he'll drag it out for two or three months if you ask him for reimbursement. You'll be in for a lot of trouble.

After a bumpy 20-kilometer journey along mountain roads, it took more than an hour to reach Longtougou Village.

Two kilometers of mountain road away from Longtougou Village, Chen Shi ordered the auxiliary police to sound the alarm loudly so that everyone in Longtougou would know that the cattle and horses belonging to Ma Guoliang's relatives had been stolen and that the police station was taking it very seriously.

To a certain extent, this has a deterrent effect, making horse thieves think twice.

Just as we entered the village, a middle-aged man was waiting there, waving at the police car.

Chen Shi stopped the car and got out. The man took out cigarettes and handed them to the five men. Not seeing Ma Guoliang, he asked, "Didn't my older brother come?"

Chen Shi knew he had asked Ma Guoliang, "What is your relationship with Officer Ma?"

The man lit a cigarette: "My name is Ma Shuang. Officer Ma is my cousin. My father came to Longtougou to find a husband for me."

Chen Shi asked this question to see what kind of relative Ma Guoliang was, someone he was close to. He couldn't just pretend; he had to show something real.

"Take us to the scene."

The police car stopped at the village entrance, and Ma Shuang led the way. Auxiliary police officer Xiao Li turned off the siren. Chen Shi stopped and turned back to Xiao Li, saying, "Don't turn off the siren, keep it on."

The goal is to create a sense of pressure, making the horse thieves nervous and guilty. Hearing the alarm will naturally frighten them.

If someone steals from another family, no one will care. But if someone steals from Ma Shuang's family, the family will send out all their officers to investigate thoroughly. This way, they won't dare to steal from Ma Shuang's family again. This is a form of deterrence.

When we arrived at Ma Shuang's house, his door was surrounded by villagers who had come to watch the spectacle.

Chen Shi and Zhang Hu led the auxiliary police officers inside.

Without much inspection, there used to be a back door in the wall behind the cattle and horse enclosure of Ma Shuangjia's house, but it was blocked off with stones.

The thief who stole cattle and horses pried open the stone along the previous door, creating a new door, and stole the family's cattle and horses.

It's obvious that someone knew the place and stole it. They weren't from this village. In broad daylight, you wouldn't even be able to find the road, let alone at night when it's dark and you can't tell north from south.

Chen Shi glanced at him, then called Ma Shuang to a secluded spot, where auxiliary police officer Xiao Li followed and took notes.

Chen Shi asked, "How many cows and horses were lost?"

"Two cows and one horse."

"How much is it worth?"

Ma Shuang thought for a moment: "A large ox is worth more than 5,000, let's say 5,900. A half-grown ox is worth 3,000. A horse, someone offered 3,600 before. Add it all up to 12,500."

Twelve thousand five hundred thousand is a considerable sum. Chen Shi asked, "Do you have any suspects?"

Ma Shuang said definitively, "Yes, but there's no evidence. I used to keep a big wolfhound at home, and strangers didn't dare to come near it. It was poisoned to death a couple of days ago. The person who poisoned the wolfhound must be the thief who stole my cattle and horses."

"Who poisoned your big wolfhound?"

Ma Shuang lowered his voice and said, "Ye Caihan."

"Is there any evidence?"

Ma Shuang shook his head: "No, I have my doubts."

"Who else do you suspect?"

"Niu Youde, everyone in the village suspects that the stolen cattle and horses in the village were all stolen by these two. These two have been dishonest since they were young. Ye Caihan stole a cart in Mingzhou, was arrested, sentenced to three years in prison, and after his release, he returned to the village and never went out again. Basically every month, cattle and horses are stolen from the village."

"Niu Youde is notorious in the village for petty theft. Both he and Niu Youde are bachelors and often drink together. Besides them, who else is there?"

Without evidence, it's impossible to arrest the two directly for investigation, but it's possible to call them in and ask them for statements.

Many people in rural areas are ignorant of the law and can be arrested directly and taken to the police station to give a statement.

It's better to be safe than sorry. If you run into someone who knows the law and files a complaint, you'll at least get a disciplinary action, which isn't worth it.

Chen Shi thought for a moment and said, "Prepare a room with a table and a few chairs. We need to interrogate these two people."

Ma Shuang was delighted: "I'll go prepare right away."

Chen Shi walked up to Zhang Hu and said, "Brother Zhang, Ma Shuang is Ma Guoliang's cousin. We can't just go through the motions. We need to produce something tangible so we can give Ma Guoliang an explanation when we get back."

Ma Shuang has suspects. We interrogate these suspects; if we can find out anything, that's best. If not, we want Ma Guoliang to see that we've done our best and weren't just going through the motions or trying to fool him.

Zhang Hu nodded: "Okay, we'll do it your way."

He was distracted the whole way. He called Xu Mengmeng to cancel the date, but Xu Mengmeng didn't say anything. She said work was important and they would reschedule for another day.

Zhang Hu was upset. His date had been ruined by Ma Guoliang, and he cursed Ma Guoliang's ancestors several times in his mind.

Chen Shi arranged for auxiliary police officers to bring Ye Caihan and Niu Youde separately. The two were clearly a little scared. Thieves are naturally afraid of the police, just like mice are afraid of cats.

Ma Shuang told his wife to tidy up the room. There was a wooden table where Zhang Hu and Chen Shi sat in a row, with an auxiliary police officer sitting next to them, recording statements. They started by interrogating Ye Caihan.

Ye Caihan, with a shifty look on his face, entered the room, glancing around furtively.

Chen Shi called out, "Don't look around, sit down and answer the question."

Ye Caihan glanced at Chen Shi furtively and whispered, "I haven't broken the law, why are they arresting me?"

Chen Shi raised his voice: "Ye Caihan, we didn't arrest you, we called you here for questioning. We received a report that someone said you stole the cattle and horses from Ma Shuang's family."

Ye Caihan raised his head, looking nervous, and said, "Who the hell made this report? I didn't. Tell them to produce evidence. The Communist Party has laws, not you who can decide for themselves."

Chen Shi shouted, "What are you yelling for? I think you're guilty. Answer my questions truthfully. You didn't steal it. Once the investigation is complete, we'll release you."

Ye Caihan blinked, his face filled with fear: "I didn't steal it, no one can frame me."

"If you didn't steal it, who did?"

"have no idea"

Zhang Hu shouted, "Answer honestly. If you don't tell the truth here, we'll take you to the police station and we'll have ways to make you tell the truth."

Chen Shi asked, "Someone witnessed you poisoning Ma Shuang's big wolfhound."

Ye Caihan shouted, "I didn't! Who saw it? Bring them here for a confrontation!"

Chen Shi kept observing Ye Caihan's micro-expressions: "The person is right outside. If you confess honestly, you can just pay some money and be done with it. But if a witness comes in, you'll go to jail."

"Don't accuse me of something I didn't do."

Zhang Hu slammed his fist on the table: "Whose father are you?"

Seeing Zhang Hu's angry glare, Ye Caihan became frightened and quickly said, "Officer, I misspoke. I am my father."

Chen Shi pressed further, "Where were you last night?"

"Last night, Niu Youde and I bought a chicken from his cousin's house. We killed it and ate it, but we still have the feathers in the house."

Chen Shi quickly pressed further: "Did you kill chickens all night? Please give me the specific times."

Ye Caihan thought for a moment: "The chicken was bought at around 4 o'clock yesterday, it was killed at around 5 o'clock, and we ate the chicken at around 7 o'clock. Lao Hei, Xiong Da, and Da Huang were also eating the chicken with us."

Chen Shi asked, "What time is it after we finished eating the chicken?"

"Around 10 o'clock, I didn't check the exact time, I played for a while, then went to Longzhu's house to play cards."

"What time did you go to play cards, and how late did you finish?"

Ye Caihan thought for a moment: "It was around one in the morning. They played until a little after five before going home to sleep. There are many people playing cards at Longzhu's house. You can go and ask."