Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 266 The Rich Second Generation (10,000 words, seeking monthly votes)
"What kind of rich second-generation is Liang Chaoqun?"

Upon receiving Zhang Yong's message, Zhang Ke quickly called back: "He's just a nouveau riche father with a bit of dirty money. His father got a co-investment opportunity by doing dirty work for others, and just happened to be caught up in the development and expansion of Zhangzhou City. He was lucky enough to get a large sum of demolition compensation, and that's it. After that, his family focused on real estate, hoping to make another fortune through urban development, haha... Unfortunately, the real estate market hasn't been good these past few years, and all their money is stuck there. They've probably been wishing they were dead these past two years."

"A little dirty money, that's all?"

Zhang Yong's lips twitched. This was the first time he had seen Zhang Ke display such arrogance befitting his status as a rich second-generation. Considering Zhang Ke's words, he wondered, "So, in other words, Liang Chaoqun, or rather his family, isn't actually in a good financial situation, and there's a possibility they committed crimes for money?"

"It's hard to say if it's possible, because to be honest, I haven't met him many times, and we haven't had much contact before, so we're not very familiar. But I've heard from friends that Liang Chaoqun is actually quite timid. Apparently, once someone suggested trying something funny, and this guy made an excuse and ran away without saying a word. He's not a high-ranking figure in the industry, but he's at least someone who knows his place. Captain Zhang, if you need, I can help you inquire around in the industry again?"

Zhang Ke spoke slowly, carefully considering his words as he spoke.

But from his words, Zhang Yong could tell that Liang Chaoqun wasn't a true second-generation rich kid, not to the point of being completely indifferent to money. Of course, given his status, he certainly wouldn't be interested in small sums of money.

As for whether he was cowardly or not, it was clear from Zhang Ke's words that he wasn't entirely certain about that conclusion.

After thanking Zhang Ke, Zhang Yong hung up the phone.

Looking around, there was no one there. Everyone was busy with their own things, and no one paid any attention to Zhang Yong's proactive efforts to help find clues and screen suspects.

Zhang Yong didn't mind; after all, that's how it is when you're new. He was just bored and wanted to lend a hand. Even though the Song people had told him that the city bureau had been preparing for this case for a while and was already investigating from multiple angles.

After thinking for a moment, he called Nie Guoqiang and told him the information he had gathered.

"You've determined that Liang Chaoqun is not a suspect?"

Nie Guoqiang listened attentively to Zhang Yong's explanation, then shook his head and said, "Zhang Yong, as a criminal investigator, it's very reckless to make an innocent judgment about a suspect. A case involves at least dozens of officers and a considerable amount of hard work. If your misjudgment leads to failure, who will be responsible for the consequences? It's a fact that Liang Chaoqun's family is experiencing financial difficulties. Generally speaking, it's difficult for someone accustomed to a life of luxury to return to 'poverty.' I've even heard rumors that Huanle Yaoba was recently rumored to be up for sale. This indicates that his financial problems are more serious than you imagine. If he really needed money so badly, why wouldn't Liang Chaoqun have taken a desperate risk?"

Zhang Yong disagreed, shaking his head and saying, "If it really was Liang Chaoqun who did it, he couldn't possibly announce the transfer while simultaneously engaging in smuggling in the bar. Regardless of whether any business is illegal or not, stability is an important consideration. Isn't it too risky and too conspicuous to use a bar that might be bought the next day for smuggling? If I were Liang Chaoqun, I would rather it remain half-dead than transfer it."

"So, it's possible that Liang Chaoqun gave up the idea of ​​selling the bar because he found a new way to make money."

Nie Guoqiang still felt that Liang Chaoqun was highly suspicious. At least for now, as long as there was smuggling in the bar he owned, he could not be completely innocent.

Zhang Yong could not refute this statement.

Furthermore, he felt that arguing with Nie Guoqiang here was pointless. The police needed evidence; unless they could find evidence proving Liang Chaoqun's innocence, he would remain a suspect.

Out of caution, he still told the Song people about Nie Guoqiang's judgment.

"Old Nie thinks that rich kid is highly suspicious?"

The people of Song were somewhat surprised.

His thinking was actually similar to Zhang Yong's; he didn't think a rich second-generation would need to commit a crime for a small amount of money. But all sorts of things happen in this world, and maybe he was being coerced into joining a gang or something?
"Captain, there's a man named Liang Chaoqun outside who says he wants to turn himself in."

Huang Yizhong, a subordinate of Song Guoren, suddenly interrupted the conversation between Song Guoren and Zhang Yong. The name Liang Chaoqun startled both of them, and the words "surrender" made them unable to believe their ears.

Was it really Liang Chaoqun who did it?
"Yes...no! No! Of course it wasn't me. But...maybe it's still related to me? I...I don't know how to say it, but I'm definitely guilty. I hope I can go to jail and get out soon."

The dejected Liang Chaoqun was a kind-hearted, chubby man whose name didn't quite match his appearance. Not yet thirty, he looked rather simple-minded, and it was a mystery why someone with such a personality would choose to open a bar.

This guy seemed to have only a vague understanding of the law and whether he had done something wrong. But just that one sentence, "Go to jail sooner and get out sooner," made Song Guoren and Zhang Yong exchange a glance, knowing that this guy was probably pretending to be stupid.

What era are we living in? Do you still think you can fool the police with this kind of feigned ignorance?

"What crime have you committed?"

The Song people glanced at Zhang Yong, put aside the previous argument, and became more interested in Liang Chaoqun.

For him, this smuggling case wasn't too difficult to handle. The criminal gang had left countless loopholes, both at the source and the destination. Cutting off the smuggling route was simple; the criminal investigation team was already working on it. The real challenge was arresting everyone involved. Many things were interconnected, and the slightest oversight could allow a criminal to escape justice. If he could get more clues from this man who had walked right into the trap, the Song people were happy to waste time.

“I… I had an accident at my bar, right? And I’m the legal representative and owner of the bar. Um… well… okay, I’ll tell you the truth! I took money! Fifty thousand a month, to rent out the warehouse next door to them.”

Liang Chaoqun continued to feign innocence, even deliberately making minor mistakes to cover his tracks. Fifty thousand yuan a month for just a small room—that's undoubtedly an exorbitant price. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence could guess there was something fishy going on. The fact that the other party allowed the bar to continue storing things in the warehouse only made their intentions even clearer.

Unfortunately, Liang Chaoqun was indeed short of money at that time, and since the other party was willing to pay a year's worth of funds in one lump sum, he was tempted and gave them the warehouse key.

Liang Chaoqun meant that he had only made a small mistake due to temporary temptation.

"Six hundred thousand? That's a considerable amount."

A single sentence from the Song man brought a smile to Liang Chaoqun's face. The amount was certainly substantial; otherwise, how could a wealthy second-generation heir like him be so easily tempted, right?
"Who is the other party?"

Zhang Yong couldn't help but press for an answer, which made the Song man roll his eyes at him.

"A woman... a woman with a pretty plate."

Liang Chaoqun chuckled and said, "When I first saw her, I thought she was someone's mistress. But seeing how much money she pulled out at once, I was so excited that I didn't ask much. To be honest, my bar has been losing a lot of money these past two years, and I didn't really think much of it at the time, hoping to recoup some of the losses. Later, when I calmed down, I realized something was wrong, and after she threatened me a few times, I chickened out—no, I stopped paying attention to her. I even filled the warehouse next door with liquor, hoping they would back down! Later, I didn't pay much attention to this place, and nothing happened for several months. Until that day, when I heard from my employees that the police had gone there..."

"So after you received the news, you hesitated for almost a month before coming to my municipal police station to turn yourself in?"

The people of Song laughed.

Liang Chaoqun lowered his head and remained silent. Since he had turned himself in, he should be treated leniently for confessing.

The Song people asked Zhang Yong to take a statement from Liang Chaoqun, and also told him that he was not allowed to leave Zhang City in the near future, and then generously told the fat man to get lost.

When Zhang Yong returned with the completed statement, the Song man looked at him and smiled, "So? What are your thoughts on those things you were arguing with me about earlier?"

"That kid isn't telling the truth!"

Zhang Yong grunted and lowered his head helplessly, saying, "He was involved in this case more deeply than I thought. I even have a feeling that the Zhangzhou distributor in this smuggling case might be Liang Chaoqun. He knows everything, and even knew that the Municipal Bureau was investigating the case with all its might after he learned that Song had been arrested. That's why he deliberately came to turn himself in and deliberately pretended to be weak to clear himself of any involvement."

"But in fact, the 600,000 does exist."

Seeing that Zhang Yong was in a bad mood, Song Guoren waved his hand at him and said, "When you went to take this kid's statement just now, I had someone check his bank account. There was indeed a transfer of 600,000 yuan in February. He quickly squandered that money, spending tens of thousands today and eight thousand tomorrow. I checked, and it was mostly spent on entertainment clubs and luxury goods. At least in terms of expenditures, there is really no way to connect it with the smuggling team."

Zhang Yong asked with some surprise, "So you think he really is just someone who takes money and does things for others?"

"The known clues lead to this conclusion. We can't say that Liang Chaoqun is loyal and hasn't asked for any benefits in the nine months since he joined the gang, can we?" The Song people were also helpless. Liang Chaoqun had indeed distanced himself from the group.

Even though he and Zhang Yong both suspected that Liang Chaoqun had a deep collaboration with this smuggling group, as long as there was no evidence, no one could do anything about him.

According to his previous excuses, accepting a 600,000 yuan bribe to help criminals would likely only result in a suspended sentence from the prosecutor's office at most, and he probably wouldn't even have to go to jail.

Seeing Zhang Yong's unwillingness, the Song man laughed and said, "This kid is yours now. How about it? Whether you can get anything out of him depends on your skills. Oh, you can't use Mimi. I borrowed her for an important purpose."

Zhang Yong nodded vigorously.

The next day, Lin Ge, who was acting like a tyrant at the police dog base, finally received a call to work.

When he led six police dogs, who arrived at their destination in an orderly line without even needing leashes from their handlers, he was met by a large group of burly men fully equipped and ready to go.

The First Squadron of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Zhangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau was the main force behind this operation and the main criminal investigation team Lin Ge had been searching for. Based on known clues, they needed to blockade and arrest suspects at a logistics park in the Yangdian Development Zone of Zhangzhou, as the vast majority of illicit drugs entered Zhangzhou from there.

"Oh! So we can actually work with these puppies! That's rare. Li Mei is finally willing to let these little guys out to work?"

The captain of the first squadron was named Shao Yongkang, a dark-skinned, bald man. Even in a police uniform, he looked like a bad guy, especially with his bulging muscles and nasty tone; he was the kind of guy who could stop a child from crying.

But his name is surprisingly refined.

(End of this chapter)