Zhang Lei was lost in a jumble of thoughts, and although Xiao Wu was chatting with her, he was also thinking about Zhou Xuan's mysterious side. So none of the three of them paid any attention to what was unusual about the other.
After pulling Zhou Xuan into his office, Fu Yuanshan slammed the door shut and stared at Zhou Xuan, asking, "Brother, how's it going? Any leads?"
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Brother, I really don't know how to put it. I picked out more than forty cases from the second batch of cases, but unexpectedly, I found clues in the physical evidence of thirty-four of them. I wrote down the details of these thirty-four cases in my notebook, and because of this, I forgot about the time, and now it's come to this."
Fu Yuanshan was taken aback, then overjoyed. At first, upon hearing Zhou Xuan's statement, he thought Zhou Xuan hadn't detected anything, but then Zhou Xuan gave him a huge surprise—thirty-four sects! What an astonishing number!
If we were to compile all the unsolved cases from the past two years, excluding minor cases (otherwise the number would be far greater than this, but rather an astronomical figure), then major cases would still constitute a minority of unsolved cases. This is because major cases have too much impact, while minor cases require less manpower and resources and have less influence, so they are not necessarily easy to solve. However, major cases are different; they are often subject to strict orders from higher authorities to be solved, and what remains are cases that are simply unsolvable by both higher and lower levels.
Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's words, Fu Yuanshan immediately understood that he had not only won the gamble, but had also done Wei Haihe a tremendous service.
Although the Wei family was powerful, Fu Yuanshan understood that Wei Haihe was currently struggling in Beijing, unable to make any significant progress. Beijing was not a small city; it was a hub where various forces converged. With his methods and the support of Old Li and Old Master Wei, he had always maintained a balance of power. However, this time, after Wei Haihe placed his hopes on Zhou Xuan in the gamble, the situation changed dramatically.
Fu Yuanshan opened Zhou Xuan's notebook and slowly and carefully looked through it. Zhou Xuan's records were as detailed and meticulous as last time. Not only was the crime scene restored, but the names and addresses of the perpetrators were also written down in detail. All he had to do was organize a manpower to make the arrest, just like last time.
After reviewing the records of six or seven cases, Fu Yuanshan was incredibly excited. He knew that this sensation would be no less than the previous one, and might even be more so, because there would always be people who would say it was all about luck, that he just got lucky. But before they could recover from their surprise, his second wave of attacks would arrive, which would shut up those who said he got lucky and make them behave themselves.
Fu Yuanshan cannot afford to be low-key now; in fact, he must be extremely high-profile. What he needs is to severely dampen the arrogance of his rivals, making himself an insurmountable mountain over their heads, a nightmare for anyone who wants to surpass or replace him.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Brother, the notebook is yours now. Let's continue the investigation tomorrow. Go back today, comfort your wife, take the kids out for a meal, and celebrate your promotion. Your future looks bright!"
“No, brother, I’ll call a meeting right away for an emergency meeting. This arrest operation is urgent and cannot be delayed,” Fu Yuanshan immediately refused, speaking with unwavering resolve.
Zhou Xuan was taken aback, not expecting Fu Yuanshan to be in such a hurry to carry out the arrest operation. At this time, apart from a small number of criminal police officers who remained on duty, the people in the office and the personnel from various departments and teams had all gone home. It would take a lot of effort to gather manpower.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Xuan saw Fu Yuanshan's resolute expression and knew that his mind was made up. He didn't try to persuade him, because in terms of work, he was far inferior to Fu Yuanshan. Fu Yuanshan had worked his way up step by step through his achievements. He was experienced and had a tenacious personality, which was beyond Zhou Xuan's imagination.
“Brother, it’s not impossible for you to make the arrests immediately, but I think…” Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, “Why don’t you gather all your subordinates? There are so many cases this time, we’ll definitely need a lot of manpower. Fortunately, we only need to make arrests, and we know their backgrounds, which will save a lot of manpower. Mobilize all the personnel from the Municipal Bureau and all the branch bureaus. If we’re going to do it, let’s make a big show of it this time, let it cause a sensation in the capital.”
Fu Yuanshan was taken aback, then suddenly realized that Zhou Xuan's suggestion was indeed a good one. Zhou Xuan's notebook of records could guarantee the absolute success of this arrest operation. Since the possibility of the mission could be absolutely guaranteed, why not make it a grand and spectacular event?
If the mission is successfully completed, the entire public security system in Beijing, and even the general public across the country, will cheer and be thrilled by this major case-solving operation. Tonight, it might be the headline on television and in various news outlets tomorrow morning.
In this way, Fu Yuanshan's position would be extremely secure, and Wei Haihe's plan for the capital city could proceed. At least none of his opponents could achieve what he had done.
Fu Yuanshan was usually calm and capable, but he couldn't stay calm when he was with Zhou Xuan, especially now. His face was flushed red, not from embarrassment, but from excitement.
Fu Yuanshan thought for a moment, picked up the phone on the table, and his hands trembled as he dialed the number. He dialed several times before he got it right.
After dialing the number, Fu Yuanshan held the receiver to his ear and immediately said, "Secretary Wei, are you at home or... oh, at the Municipal Party Committee? I need to report to you that I'm planning to mobilize all the city's police forces for a large-scale arrest operation tonight."
Zhou Xuan could tell from Fu Yuanshan's voice that he was calling Wei Haihe to report on the operation. Of course, even if he hadn't put the phone on speakerphone, Zhou Xuan could still hear him.
Next, Fu Yuanshan reported to Wei Haihe about the case records that Zhou Xuan had just given him. Fu Yuanshan knew that Wei Haihe was aware of Zhou Xuan's capabilities, and that placing him in the Municipal Bureau was to provide him with a strong guarantee for this operation.
Wei Haihe was well aware of Zhou Xuan's abilities, but he hadn't expected Zhou Xuan's achievements to far exceed his expectations. The first seven major cases had already surprised Wei Haihe greatly, but now, hearing Fu Yuanshan say that Zhou Xuan had recorded thirty-four backlogged major cases in his notebook, he was stunned. It took him a long time to react before hesitating and saying, "In that case, Zhou Xuan's suggestion is excellent. How about this, I'll have several leaders from the Municipal Party Committee come and oversee the operation. We must seize this opportunity to press our advantage, such a sure thing and such a sensational event. Hehehe, if tonight's operation is a complete success, tomorrow... tomorrow... tomorrow will be a memorable day."
Wei Haihe ultimately didn't reveal the outcome of his prediction for tomorrow, but the meaning was quite clear: tomorrow would be an absolutely momentous day. Perhaps decades later, looking back on this day, tomorrow might be a watershed moment in their lives.
After hanging up the phone, Fu Yuanshan hurriedly opened his office door and went to the office lobby to say to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, immediately issue an urgent summons in my name to the Municipal Bureau, notifying all personnel of the Municipal Bureau and all subordinate branches in Beijing to assemble for a major operation. Inform everyone to be on standby in fifteen minutes. At that time, Secretary Wei of the Municipal Party Committee and other leaders of the Municipal Party Committee will be present to oversee the operation."
Xiao Wu was chatting with Zhang Lei and another colleague when Fu Yuanshan rushed out and gave urgent instructions, which startled them. Then, hearing that the municipal party secretary and other leaders were coming to personally oversee the operation, they were even more terrified, their hands trembling. They never expected that such an ordinary night would turn into something so unexpected.
Such large-scale operations have occurred before, with instances of municipal party committee leaders overseeing and supervising the work. However, a visit by the municipal party secretary in person is unprecedented. There was one instance where the secretary of the municipal political and legal affairs commission, at the level of a vice minister of public security and the director of the provincial public security bureau, supervised the operation; that was a highly publicized case. Presumably, the case being handled today is also a major one.
Even Zhang Lei and another female colleague next to her didn't dare to say a word, just watching Xiao Wu make the call.
Xiao Wu made several phone calls, relaying the same message to several branch offices before notifying other leaders of the municipal bureau.
Fu Yuanshan, who was listening nearby, added at the end: "Anyone who doesn't arrive within fifteen minutes will receive a major demerit and be demoted; anyone who cannot arrive will be dismissed."
Fu Yuanshan's words carried a chilling undertone, and Xiao Wu nervously recounted them. When the call was finally made, Fu Yuanshan glanced at his watch and said, "It's 7:44 now. Anyone who hasn't arrived by 7:59 will be noted down and dealt with accordingly."
Next, Fu Yuanshan paced back and forth in his office, head down, deep in thought. No one dared to make a sound to disturb him. Time passed by, minute by minute. Fifteen minutes was actually a very short time, and in the blink of an eye, ten minutes had passed. At this moment, Xiao Wu saw the lights come on outside the large window of the office building. He immediately ran to the window and looked down. He saw that the square below the office building was bustling with cars and bright lights, and countless police officers were rushing over.
If they had disobeyed Director Fu Yuanshan's orders a day ago, no one would have dared to have such thoughts now. Moreover, Fu Yuanshan made it clear in the order that those who were late would be demoted and given a demerit, and those who did not come would be dismissed. No one dared to disregard these words. It was impossible to gamble with Fu Yuanshan's toughness.
The police acted much faster than other government employees, after all, they did different jobs. Criminal police and special police were especially fast, arriving within ten minutes, while office staff and some leaders arrived a little later.
The main reason is that it was already late at night, and most people were out having dinner and fun with friends and relatives. As soon as they received the notice, they immediately came directly to the Municipal Bureau from where they were.
At the fourteen-minute mark, all the branch offices in Beijing called to report that all personnel had assembled and were awaiting orders to proceed. The other personnel from the municipal bureau had also arrived, though some were disheveled and looked somewhat disheveled, they had at least arrived within the stipulated time.
Fu Yuanshan then issued another notice: all personnel were to wait in the square, including the deputy director of the municipal bureau, the captains of the criminal investigation teams, the heads of various departments, the directors and deputy directors of the branch bureaus, and so on, all of whom were to attend an emergency meeting in the municipal bureau's conference room.
After Fu Yuanshan finished speaking, he thought for a moment, then turned to Zhang Lei and said, "Zhang Lei, you and Zhou Xuan should also come to the conference room to attend this meeting together."
Zhang Lei was taken aback. Her official rank was low, and Zhou Xuan's was even lower. She had just heard Fu Yuanshan's instructions that all the officials attending the meeting were at the division level or above. What did Fu Yuanshan mean by calling her and Zhou Xuan in as well?
She didn't understand, nor did she need to understand; she just did as the leader said. But she still suspected it might be because of Zhou Xuan.
The people who arrived next were almost all people Zhang Lei knew; they were all cadres from the Municipal Bureau and its branches. The two deputy directors of the Municipal Bureau, as well as the directors and deputy directors of the various branches, all entered the conference room.
Because the chief position was still vacant, and apart from Zhou Xuan who knew the inside story, no one else knew. Everyone looked at each other, full of doubts, wondering what the reason was for Fu Yuanshan's swift and big move. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be that he was going to massacre the cadres who were not with him, right?
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Volume 1, Chapter 555: Waiting for the Final Result (from Volume 1, Chapter 555)
Chapter 555 Waiting for the Final Result
Almost everyone waited anxiously, filled with worry and suspicion. About ten minutes later, Fu Yuanshan accompanied Wei Haihe in. There were eight people in total, including four bigwigs from the municipal party committee, as well as leaders from the Ministry of Public Security and the provincial department: Mayor Chen Xiaoming, Deputy Secretary Zhang Huaiyu, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee Liu Dongqing, Minister of Organization Zhang Hongfeng, Deputy Minister Liu Chuanqi, and Director Chen Hui.
The moment the six men, plus Wei Haihe, entered, the whispering officials from the municipal and branch bureaus fell silent in shock.
When they first heard Xiao Wu's summons, which included the statement that Secretary Wei of the Municipal Party Committee was coming to supervise, their suspicions were high. Their most likely guess was that Fu Yuanshan was using the momentum of solving seven major cases yesterday to give them a warning, to see if they would obey his orders as the acting director and submit to his leadership. That was all.
But now, the arrival of these seven important figures immediately made the deputy directors and branch directors tremble with fear, unsure of what was going on. Judging from the scene, it shouldn't be some false information spread by Fu Yuanshan. He didn't have the power to summon and order the leaders of the city and the Ministry of Public Security around at will. The appearance of these important figures could only mean two things: either there was a major case or a big operation, or something special had happened, such as the promotion of the city bureau chief. But the possibility of that was still quite small, because promoting a bureau chief wouldn't require summoning these middle and lower-level cadres, and all the police officers of the major branches would be assembled and waiting for instructions. Such actions could only mean that a major case was about to be carried out.