"Yes, I'm confident. I'll come over and tell you the situation right away." Zhong Shan hung up the phone and said to Xu Zhengyang, "Wait here for a while, I'll go report to Director Zhao."
"Hey, Uncle Zhong, wait a minute," Xu Zhengyang said hurriedly, "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"Oh? Then tell me quickly." Zhong Shan looked excited and sat down impatiently.
Xu Zhengyang knew that Zhong Shan was anxious to report to his superiors and arrange the arrest operation, and also needed to contact and coordinate with police in other provinces and cities. So Xu Zhengyang quickly got to the point and told Zhong Shan the inside story of Tian Qing and Xing Yufen's involvement in drug trafficking and the murder of Cheng Jinchang and his wife. He also emphasized that Hao Peng would do his best to protect his cousin Xing Yufen's feelings.
After listening, Zhong Shan thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "The case of Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao's deaths is not urgent. As long as Hao Peng's gang is dealt with in one fell swoop, that case will naturally come to light..."
"Oh, I don't understand these things, Uncle, you can handle it." Xu Zhengyang nodded hesitantly.
"Zhengyang, do you know Cheng Jinchang and his wife?" Zhong Shan asked suspiciously. "You seem to care a lot about their murder."
"Oh, I don't know him." Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "It's just that he kept emphasizing this matter." Xu Zhengyang raised a finger and pointed to the ceiling.
Zhong Shan nodded thoughtfully, then turned and walked out.
"Oh, right, Uncle Zhong!" Xu Zhengyang suddenly reminded him, "Hao Peng and Zhu Fenjin have guns."
"Understood." Zhong Shan stopped at the door and nodded.
"And..." Xu Zhengyang squinted and said, "After we capture those two, can I speak with them alone?"
"We'll talk about it after we catch them." Zhong Shan had no time to think about why Xu Zhengyang wanted to talk to the two suspects alone. He closed the door and left in a hurry.
Xu Zhengyang sat on the sofa, squinted, lit another cigarette, and took two deep drags, the smoke rising in front of him.
Ultimately, Xu Zhengyang is young, immature, and irrational. He's just an ordinary person, not someone who has reached any extraordinary level. He's well aware of this and never sees anything wrong with it. As he once said, "What kind of young person isn't ambitious?" Using his divine power to expedite the case's resolution, apprehend Hao Peng and Zhu Fenjin, and dismantle this criminal gang isn't actually a top priority for Xu Zhengyang.
His moral character isn't so lofty as to hate evil, uphold justice, and wholeheartedly eliminate harm for the people.
What he wanted most was to vent his anger, for Cheng Jinchang, for Cui Yao, for the couple's six-year-old daughter who had lost both her parents, and for the elderly couple who had lost their son and daughter-in-law, who had outlived their child!
For myself, as the local official in Cixian County, I bear the responsibility of being the land god of nine towns and ten villages.
In Xu Zhengyang's view, what was the point of bringing the two to justice and executing them? It was far from enough to quell his anger!
Just like Chen Chaojiang once said: "If you cut me once and you pay me two thousand yuan... I still won't be satisfied. I'd rather cut you twice and pay you five thousand yuan."
Hmm, he's showing signs of violence...
Don't misunderstand, Xu Zhengyang is still young, and besides, he's really not an honest and simple person.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 66: The Imposter Infiltrator
Around six o'clock in the afternoon, the afterglow of the setting sun shone obliquely through the glass window onto the desk and the wall, casting a somewhat dazzling yellow light.
Zhong Shan sat behind his desk, letting the sunlight shine on his dark face. He squinted as if he didn't notice, watching the county public security bureau's compound outside the window: police cars were parked and waiting, and several police officers were hurrying through the compound...
Just as the arrest operation was about to begin, Zhong Shan suddenly felt uneasy again.
Wasn't that a bit hasty? A bit impulsive?
Director Zhao Qing had complete faith in him and entrusted him with the case. Even when he suddenly proposed to arrest Hao Peng and others immediately, Zhao Qing did not express any doubts. Instead, he approved the arrest after listening to Zhao Qing's brief report and reported the situation to the Municipal Bureau, requesting the Municipal Bureau's assistance in contacting the public security departments of the provincial capital, Beijing, and major cities along National Highway 107 to carry out a joint operation.
Of course, this was just a pre-arranged plan. After the Cixian police arrested the ringleader Hao Peng and others and obtained detailed information on criminals in other places, the police in various places launched a swift operation to dismantle the drug trafficking gang in one fell swoop.
Now, Zhong Shan is very uneasy. What if?
He felt he had made a huge mistake from the very beginning: he had trusted Xu Zhengyang too much and believed too much in the existence of the Earth God. Although multiple incidents had been enough to prove the existence of the Earth God and that the information provided by Xu Zhengyang had never been wrong, this time was different—it was a major case! It involved many aspects… Once a problem arose, the consequences would be enormous and irreparable.
This cannot be blamed on Xu Zhengyang, nor does it mean that Zhong Shan doubted what Xu Zhengyang said.
Instead, he felt worried and anxious, which is only natural. He was blaming himself for being so eager to make a great contribution and for being so impatient to solve the case…
Looking at the small table under the window in the corner of the opposite wall, Xu Zhengyang was writing some materials with great speed.
Zhong Shan felt a little more at ease. He stopped thinking about anything else and decided to go all in! Wasn't Xu Zhengyang also doing his best to help him? Zhong Shan suddenly felt a pang of guilt. When he first started diligently handling this case, he hadn't considered that he was upholding justice and eliminating evil for the people, nor was he fulfilling his duty as a police officer. Instead, he was thinking about how to gain greater benefits for himself. But what about Xu Zhengyang? What was he after? Was he merely fulfilling a task entrusted to him by the local earth god because of his words?
This kid is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Zhong Shan shook his head with a wry smile, then frowned and looked out the window again.
The members of the special task force, as well as everyone in the county criminal investigation team, were all ready and waiting for his order.
Swish, swish, swish… After writing the last few words, Xu Zhengyang threw down his pen, rubbed his sore and numb fingers, and breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't written like this since graduating from middle school; it was really tiring.
Xu Zhengyang took out a cigarette, lit it, took two deep drags, and then stood up with the stack of manuscript papers in his hand.
"Zhengyang, thank you for your hard work." Zhong Shan said with a smile, pushing the teacup on his desk and saying, "Here, have some water."
"It's alright." Xu Zhengyang walked over, handed the manuscript paper in his hand to Zhong Shan, and said, "Uncle, take a look at these, they should be correct."
Zhong Shan took the manuscript and quickly flipped through it.
The handwriting is quite good. Although it appears somewhat rushed and chaotic, the strokes flow smoothly and gracefully, making it quite pleasing to the eye. The only drawback is that it is covered with marks and scribbles.
This material is extremely important!
If what Xu Zhengyang wrote is true, then it's as if a record already exists before Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, and Ma Liang have even been arrested and interrogated.
The document contains conversations between Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, and Ma Liang, as well as details of the time and place of their drug trafficking and transportation. It even includes detailed records of which hotels they ate at and what brands of alcohol they drank. Those without experience interrogating criminal suspects might not immediately grasp the significance of this document; after all, no matter how detailed it is, it cannot be used as a written statement during interrogation.
But thinking about it carefully, Hao Peng and Zhu Fenjin will definitely be interrogated in isolation after they are arrested.
Would the two men easily confess to their crimes? Drug trafficking is a capital offense! The answer is obvious: they will absolutely not admit it easily. Moreover, without sufficient evidence and without catching them red-handed, how can one force criminals to succumb to pressure and confess their crimes in the shortest amount of time? As for interrogation methods such as torture, let's not even mention them. Although it is undeniable that when dealing with these kinds of criminals, there is absolutely no respect for so-called human rights or civilized law enforcement.
Because confessing means death, these criminals are generally more unyielding than revolutionary predecessors when interrogated by the police.
However, with this false confession, things are different.
If you take this fabricated confession and read it aloud to one of the suspects, detailing every single thing that actually happened—the time, the location, the manner of the conversation, etc.—the psychological impact will be far more effective than any other method. It can practically shatter their mental defenses. Because… they will realize that their accomplice has already confessed, and there's no point in resisting any longer.
Well, the premise is that everything in Xu Zhengyang's handwritten confession is true.
“Uncle, we had an agreement.” Xu Zhengyang said seriously, “After you finish interrogating them, I need to talk to them alone.”
“Hehe, Zhengyang, tell me why you wanted to talk to them alone?” Zhong Shan laughed.
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Actually, it's nothing. I just wanted to teach them a lesson myself."
“No way! Who will be responsible if something happens?” Zhong Shan shook his head and refused.
"Uncle, what's wrong with beating up these scumbags? They're guilty of a capital offense anyway, I'm not going to kill them outright," Xu Zhengyang said with some dissatisfaction.
Zhong Shan hesitated for a moment, then said, "No. That would be against the rules."
“I’ll just slap them a few times, you can watch from outside, okay? Actually, I’d rather talk to them…” Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, “Besides, you can’t be sure that they’ll confess everything just because I wrote this, right? What if they deny it, refuse to confess, and don’t cooperate with you in arresting other gang members?”
“This…” Zhong Shan hesitated for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, “Zhengyang, this really won’t work. You’re not a police officer, and your identity isn’t suitable for meeting them.”
Xu Zhengyang tilted his head and said, "Uncle, are you going back on your word? You promised me before, and if you go back on your word, I won't care about anything anymore."
"Go away, you little brat!" Zhong Shan stood up and slapped Xu Zhengyang on the back of the head, laughing, "Stay put and wait until we catch him. I'll think of something."
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhong."
Zhong Shan didn't say anything more, raised his wrist to look at his watch, and frowned again.
Xu Zhengyang knew that Zhongshan was waiting for nightfall. With a thought, Xu Zhengyang checked the county records and then looked up and said, "Uncle, Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, Ma Liang... they've all arrived home. Oh, Xing Yufen and Tian Qing haven't finished get off work yet."
"Hmm?" Zhong Shan looked at Xu Zhengyang with a puzzled expression.
"Well... it just flashed through my mind, it seems like, it seems like the Earth God gave a greeting." Xu Zhengyang scratched his head, realizing he was getting a little anxious.
"Oh." Zhong Shan nodded with some doubt, then turned and called out to the outside, "Xiao Su!"
The door was pushed open, and Sulu walked in, snapping to attention and saluting sharply, his face stern.
"Pass the word down and take action!" Zhong Shan commanded sternly.
"Yes." Sulu turned and jogged out.
"Zhengyang, wait here! I'll apply for a bonus for you later!" Zhong Shan straightened his collar and police cap with a stern expression and strode out.
Xu Zhengyang walked to the window and looked outside.
The police lights on several police cars in the county public security bureau compound had already begun to flash, and some fully armed police officers quickly got into the cars and closed the doors.
Police cars sped away one after another.
Xu Zhengyang lit another cigarette, took two deep drags, and exhaled the smoke, muttering to himself, "Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, I wonder what you'll think when you see Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao tonight? You can't escape death, but you can't escape punishment either..."
Outside the window, the setting sun glowed crimson. The rosy clouds were like fire.
Xu Zhengyang turned and walked out of the office. He wanted to fill his stomach first. He had come in a hurry at noon and hadn't even had time to eat.
"Uncle Zhongshan is really something, I'm embarrassed to say it, but he didn't even ask..."
Muttering to himself, Xu Zhengyang walked out of Zhong Shan's office.
...
The arrest operation went very smoothly. Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, and Ma Liang were all apprehended at their homes. Traffic police officer Tian Qing was on duty when a police car suddenly appeared beside him. Without saying a word, two police officers pointed guns at his head, handcuffed his hands, and put him into the police car. Xing Yufen had just finished diagnosing a patient and was waiting for the next patient to come in, but instead, a male and a female criminal investigation team officer entered.
Xu Zhengyang sat at a table outside a ramen shop, drinking draft beer and eating ramen. A clean white county recorder was beside him. While eating and drinking, he watched the police arrest people through the recorder like watching a movie.
"Tsk tsk, Uncle Zhongshan is still as sharp as ever, quick and agile. But... he's a leader, after all. Was it really necessary for him to be the first to rush to the front and arrest people? Wasn't he afraid that Hao Peng, that grandson, would fight to the death with a gun in his hand?"
"Hey, what are you rummaging through? Didn't Uncle Zhongshan tell you where the evidence is? It's in the closet behind the bed, the bottom shelf. Damn, it's a cell phone. Be careful, don't break it. Even though the phone is off, there's a lot of stuff inside..."
"Hey, this policewoman is pretty. Why is she smiling while arresting Xing Yufen? It's a classic case of a smile hiding a knife. Didn't you see that Xing Yufen's face has turned as white as a sheet of paper?"
...
All suspects have been apprehended, and the interrogation work continues without pause.
The county public security bureau was bustling with activity, with Director Zhao Qing personally overseeing the proceedings in his office, awaiting the results of the interrogation.
Zhong Shan didn't rush to produce the false confession written by Xu Zhengyang. Now that the suspect had been apprehended, it was time to wage psychological warfare. There was no need to rush; instead, the strategy was to slowly erode the criminal's psychological defenses. When the criminal relaxed their guard slightly, they would suddenly unleash their trump card, catching the criminal off guard. Only in this way could the best results be achieved.
Furthermore, Zhong Shan did not immediately participate in the interrogation; now was not the time for him to step in. The officers in charge of the interrogation were engaged in a psychological battle with the suspect, and at this point, what the suspect said was mostly lies and useless.
After discussing the case in Zhao Qing's office for a while, Zhong Shan returned to his own office.
I was hoping to talk to Xu Zhengyang again and persuade him to give up meeting the suspect. After all, the case was serious, and given Xu Zhengyang's status, he was absolutely not allowed to meet the suspect, especially since he wanted to meet the suspect alone.
When he returned to his office, he found Xu Zhengyang already asleep on the sofa.
Zhong Shan gave a helpless bitter smile, sat down behind his desk, slowly smoked and drank tea, waiting for the latter half of the night to arrive.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang hadn't slept at all. What time was it? How could he possibly fall asleep? He was only pretending to sleep because he was thinking that Zhongshan might change his mind and continue to persuade him after he returned. If Zhongshan tried to persuade him again, it would be a shame for him to put Zhongshan in a difficult position as his nephew.
Well, it's more important to review my lessons now.
Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao were truly pitiful, their deaths so unjust, and to make matters worse, their souls were scattered. As the local official in Cixian County, Xu Zhengyang couldn't accept this, both morally and logically. Therefore, he studied diligently, striving to find a way to save Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao. He even prayed in his heart and inquired of the county clerk: since he could be promoted from a half-local god to a full-fledged official, and from local god to official, he hoped he could be promoted to judge or city god quickly, so he would have the power to take their ghosts to the underworld and arrange their reincarnation, so that they could be reborn into… Bill Gates' family in their next life!
That's a bit difficult, because reincarnation is decided by the officials of the underworld.
Moreover, whether he could be promoted to judge was still unknown, and when such questions were asked, the county clerk became a dead stone.