I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Zhang Wanqing sat in a cafe, facing an anxious-looking female tourist named Chen Li, one of the victims of the scam.

"I really didn't expect to encounter something like this," Chen Li sighed, her eyes filled with helplessness. "We spent tens of thousands of yuan to book a package, but the hotel turned out to be awful, and the tour guide kept taking us on expensive trips. It wasn't anything like what they advertised."

"Can you tell me in detail what happened at that time?" Zhang Wanqing recorded it carefully.

"At that time, Aqiang said that the seafood in this restaurant was the best in Sanya, and that there were discounted sets. We thought, since we were already there, we might as well try it. As a result, the price on the bill was several times higher than outside," Chen Li said angrily.

"Did you keep the receipt?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"Yes, I took a photo." Chen Li took out a photo from her mobile phone and handed it to Zhang Wanqing.

At this moment, Zhang Wanqing's phone rang. It was a message from Fu Siyuan: "We may have found the core figure of the fraud gang, named Lin Hai."

"Lin Hai?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "That name sounds familiar."

She suddenly remembered that a few days ago at a seafood restaurant by the sea, she had seen a man who mentioned this name to the restaurant owner. She didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now, this name flashed through her mind like a flash of lightning.

"Oh no! I might know who this Lin Hai is." Zhang Wanqing immediately called Fu Siyuan. "Don't act rashly! I might have discovered his whereabouts."

Zhang Wanqing hurried to the seafood restaurant with the receipt provided by Chen Li. From a distance, she saw a man talking to the restaurant owner, who was Lin Hai.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Wanqing walked up quickly and asked loudly.

When Lin Hai heard the sound, he turned around abruptly, a flash of panic in his eyes. But soon, a strange smile appeared on his face.

"You're finally here." Lin Hai said slowly, "But do you think you can solve the case by catching me?"

"What do you mean?" Zhang Wanqing looked at him warily.

"Do you think we're just a small group? In fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg." Lin Hai sneered, "There's a much larger organization behind us. You can't defeat them at all."

"Are you threatening me?" Zhang Wanqing glared at him.

"No, I'm just reminding you." Lin Hai said, turned and left, leaving Zhang Wanqing in shock.

"Wanqing, are you okay?" Fu Siyuan and Li Wei rushed over.

"We may have underestimated the complexity of this case," Zhang Wanqing said solemnly, "There may be a larger organization behind Lin Hai."

"What should we do now?" Li Wei asked.

"We can't give up." Zhang Wanqing raised her head, her eyes determined. "Since they dare to threaten us, we must get to the bottom of this. However, we have to be more careful this time."

As night fell, the streets of Sanya lit up brightly. Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei sat in their hotel room, silent. They knew this case was far more complicated than they had imagined. Lin Hai's appearance made them realize that they might have touched the heart of a powerful interest group.

"We can't let the victim down," Zhang Wanqing said, breaking the silence. "Tomorrow, we'll continue the investigation."

"Well, we must be careful this time." Fu Siyuan nodded.

"I will follow Lin Hai and see if I can find more clues." Li Wei said.

Late at night, a gentle sea breeze blew through the window, bringing a hint of coolness. Zhang Wanqing lay in bed, unable to sleep. She knew this case posed a great danger, but they had no escape route. The dawn of justice lay just ahead, and even if the road ahead was thorny, they had to move forward.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Lin Hai was sitting in a dimly lit room, whispering into his phone, "They've begun to suspect us. What should we do next?"

"Don't worry." A cold voice came from the other end of the phone, "We have a way to make them give up."

Lin Hai hung up the phone, a sneer on his face. A bigger storm seemed to be quietly approaching...

After Lin Hai hung up the phone, the lights in the room flickered, as if foreshadowing an impending storm. He stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the bustling streets. The sneer on his face grew more pronounced. His eyes shone with a sly and ruthless look, as if he were plotting something.

"These reporters are really overestimating their own abilities." Lin Hai muttered to himself, then picked up his phone and started making the next call.

The next morning, Zhang Wanqing had just walked out of her hotel room when she found a folded note at the door. She looked around cautiously, and after confirming that no one was around, she carefully picked up the note. It contained only a few words:

"Ms. Reporter, don't go too deep. There are some things you can never touch."

Zhang Wanqing's heart sank as she realized this was Lin Hai's warning. She immediately took a photo of the note and sent it to Fu Siyuan and Li Wei, writing, "Be careful! They've already started."

Fu Siyuan's face turned serious after receiving the news. He was tracking the flow of funds, trying to find more clues about the organization behind Lin Hai. However, when he logged into the system again, he found that all the data had been cleared, leaving only a line of text on the screen:

"Stop wasting time."

"Damn it!" Fu Siyuan slammed the table. He realized that they had touched each other's bottom line.

Meanwhile, Li Wei was following Lin Hai. He noticed that Lin Hai's movements were becoming more frequent, and he seemed to be meeting different people. However, just as he was about to approach, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, and then his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan quickly realized the situation was dire. They tried to contact Li Wei, but no one answered the phone. Fu Siyuan immediately retrieved Li Wei's last location and discovered he had lost signal near a remote warehouse.

"Oh no, something might have happened to Li Wei!" Zhang Wanqing was extremely anxious.

"We have to hurry over!" Fu Siyuan said as he started the car.

When they arrived at the warehouse, they found the door closed and all was silent. Zhang Wanqing carefully pushed the door open, revealing a dimly lit warehouse with a damp smell in the air. They turned on their flashlights and searched for Li Wei.

"Li Wei!" Zhang Wanqing called out loudly, but the only response she got was an echo.

At this moment, Fu Siyuan suddenly grabbed her hand and whispered, "Don't make a sound, there are people around!"

They heard a slight movement in the corner of the warehouse. Fu Siyuan signaled Zhang Wanqing to be careful, and the two slowly approached. Suddenly, a dark figure rushed out from the corner. Fu Siyuan reacted quickly and subdued the person. When the lights came on, they realized that the person was Li Wei.