novelraw Chapter 9 Unexpected Situation, Collective Coup
Chapter 9 Unexpected Situation, Collective Coup
It was already evening when we returned to the O-di headquarters.
The office of Team A1 was filled with smoke. He Guozheng's hair was a mess, and he had a cigarette in his mouth, looking listless.
When Yang Bier saw Shen Shaofeng return, she poured him a glass of water: "Shaofeng, you're back? Did you find anything?"
"There are some directions, but it's not certain yet."
Shen Shaofeng's speculation is too significant to be shared with his colleagues for the time being.
He walked to his desk and turned on his computer: "Sister Bi, Roy, I need to take another look at Lao Wan's detailed information, the list of key figures, and the uncles, who is at odds with the new leader Ruan Ruolan, and who is close to Fang Zhanqiang."
He Guozheng scratched his head and handed over several thick folders: "Old Wan's latest information is all here, some of which haven't been updated in the police database yet."
Shen Shaofeng took the folder and, while flipping through it, asked, "How long were those people arrested by Jiangnan Tower detained?"
"Most of the underlings have been released on bail, but several of the older men and the leader are still in custody."
"Several groups of triad lawyers came, trying to bail out Lai Shaohuang and those old guys from Zhanjiang, but we turned them all down. So many people died, and there was gunfire involved. The higher-ups have ordered a thorough investigation, so these people are not allowed bail."
Shen Shaofeng nodded. Old Wan was indeed not simple. With hundreds of underlings, that meant millions in bail money, which he could give away without the boss's presence.
Uncle Shi was resting behind closed doors, muttering to himself, "These old guys are very stubborn, insisting they were just going to have dinner. This case has connections to the highest levels; the Political Department and the Internal Investigation Department could both find fault with us, so it's not convenient for us to resort to any means."
Seeing his condition, Shen Shaofeng advised, "Uncle Shi, why don't you go back to the hospital and rest? We'll take care of things here. If you get sick again, we won't be able to explain it to you when you come back."
"Uh, okay, call me immediately if you find anything."
Shen Shaofeng had already skimmed through Lao Wan's information, and soon he locked onto the target for his first interrogation.
……
Half an hour later, in the interrogation room.
"I am Shen Shaofeng, a trainee inspector from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. This Madam, you know her, is Yang Bier."
"We are now questioning you. Would you like a lawyer to be present, Mr. Lai?"
Lai Shaohuang recognized him; this was the young policeman who had slapped him in the kitchen that night. He shook his head and said nonchalantly:
"No need, officer. I've said it many times, I'm innocent. I just went to Jiangnan Restaurant for dinner that night. When are you going to let me out?"
Shen Shaofeng sneered: "Mr. Lai, I was also there that night. I saw with my own eyes your Lao Wan's men take out pistols and shoot at each other with gunmen disguised as waiters."
"Don't tell me your guns are all legally owned; this isn't America."
Faced with this question, Lai Shaohuang remained silent, exercising his right to remain silent.
"Very well, how about we change the subject and talk about Mr. Lai's financial situation?"
"There are rumors that Mr. Lai has been frequently going to Macau for entertainment recently, but he has been unlucky and has accumulated a lot of debt."
"Normally, as long as you don't gamble on Hong Kong Island, we can't interfere. But I've heard a rumor that Mr. Lai recently paid off all his debts in one go..."
Upon hearing this, Lai Shaohuang's expression changed drastically, and he retorted loudly, "So what? I'm on a winning streak, can't I win it back?"
Shen Shaofeng had been observing his expression closely, and smiled slightly: "Every gang leader has to pay their dues at a fixed time. If I were Mr. Ruan, newly in power and in need of establishing my authority, to suspect my subordinates' uncles and elders... hehe..."
"Xi Ma Lan" is underworld slang, meaning to secretly embezzle money from the triad.
Lai Shaohuang's forehead was already sweating profusely.
He's a gambling addict and owes a huge amount of money to loan sharks. Recently, he's been trying to embezzle public funds from the triads, but he's been doing it very discreetly. How could this young cop know?
Shen Shaofeng continued to exert pressure: "Your gang's messy affairs have nothing to do with the police, but if you're willing to cooperate with us and provide some useful clues..."
"Officer, what exactly do you want to know?"
Ten minutes later, Lai Shaohuang had been taken away, and Yang Bier, who was in charge of taking notes, gave Shen Shaofeng a thumbs up.
"Shaofeng, how do you know that old guy embezzled money from the gang to pay off his debts?"
"I'm just guessing. What wouldn't these gamblers do when they've lost a lot? Ruan Ruolan just took over, so it's normal for these guys to do these scumbag things because they're so senior."
"Alright, let's move on to the next one."
……
Early the next morning, at the Old Man's secret headquarters.
Wearing gloves, He Guozheng casually inspected the items on the table while muttering, "Damn, is that old guy playing us?"
Shen Shaofeng pointed to the ancestral tablets of the dragon heads of the old pills, which were enshrined on the altar in the center of the hall.
They learned the location from an old man who was extremely loyal to Ruan Ruolan after interrogating several of the older generation of the Wan family overnight.
He originally refused to reveal the whereabouts of the new leader, but he couldn't resist his "good brother" who had been interrogated before revealing a lot of dirt on him, so he had no choice but to confide.
Incidentally, the real culprit who arranged the assassination of Ruan Ruolan that night has been identified as an old veteran nicknamed Zhanjiang.
He will be handed over to the Department of Justice and charged with attempted murder. Whether he will come out alive after being imprisoned is another matter entirely.
This is a significant achievement for Team 1, though not in the grand scheme of things, but none of the team members felt excited at the moment.
When their large group arrived, the place was already deserted; Ruan Ruolan, Bai Tou, Li Wenbin, and others were nowhere to be found.
……
In the morning, everyone returned to headquarters exhausted, only to suddenly receive a shocking message.
"What? Fang Zhanqiang and the others were all silenced, the hostages are missing, and their heads are being taken away by the Political Department?"
The entire O-Team, including its four teams A, B, C, and D, was in an uproar and rushed to the police headquarters lobby.
Lee Man-pin, the head of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) who had not been seen for several days, looked listless and was being escorted away by members of the Political Department.
Commissioner of Police Hui Wai-hon stood with his hands on his hips, glaring angrily at the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) men.
"What do you want to do?"
He Guozheng had the most fiery temper, and he picked up the warrant and threw it on the ground.
"If you dare let Inspector Li be taken away, we're all not going to stand for it!"
More than 100 colleagues from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau followed suit, throwing their warrant cards on the ground.
Given the current atmosphere, Shen Shaofeng inwardly complained that he had acted too impulsively, but he had no choice but to do as he was told.
At this moment, Deputy Director Cai Yuanqi arrived and, through much persuasion, temporarily calmed everyone down and prevented Li Wenbin from being taken away by the Political Department.
Xu Huaihan glared coldly at Cai Yuanqi before leaving with the political department staff.
Cai Yuanqi patted Li Wenbin on the shoulder: "Mr. Li, let's chat for a bit."
Shen Shaofeng picked up the certificate of appointment, walked over to Li Wenbin, and hugged him.
"Boss, don't worry, the entire Organized Crime and Triad Bureau will definitely support you!"
Li Wenbin was very touched and nodded at him.
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Shaofeng had secretly placed a miniature tracking device on himself.
……
After listening to Shen Shaofeng's confession, which was mostly true and partially false, Kuang Zhili's expression became uncertain.
The top two police officers are vying for power, there's a wealthy and powerful family, the largest triad, and the Special Branch...
Is their internal investigation department really going to get involved in this mess?