Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"Take a look for yourself." Xiao Hongyun handed the prepared confession to Zhou Qingfeng and said with a strange look, "You're really lucky. Just as you expected, this guy is indeed related to the kidnapping and disappearance of Mu Zili."

"This is not their first offense; they are very professional repeat offenders, and it's a gang operation."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng took the confession and sat down under the oil lamp to read it page by page.

According to Blackface's confession, the kidnapping of Mu Zili was not done by him alone, but by an organized and premeditated gang. The core leader was Xi Laide, the leader of the Wild Dog Gang, and Blackface was just responsible for scouting the location.

Their kidnapping gang was extremely professional, with very few core members but a clear division of labor.

Before kidnapping someone, they would select a target, specifically ordinary people who were born with disabilities, had special destinies, were full of energy, and behaved differently from others.

These people are excellent materials for alchemy and weapon crafting. Once they find one, they will secretly investigate the target's family background to make sure it won't cause trouble before they begin their operation.

Investigation, reconnaissance, lookout, kidnapping, and rendezvous—each performed their respective duties.

Finally, the gang leader, Sir Rider, secretly took the person away and then returned with the money to divide the spoils.

Zhou Qingfeng asked, "Among the accomplices mentioned by the man with the dark face, were any escaped?"

Xiao Hongyun said, "No, they were all members of the Wild Dog Gang. You wiped out the entire Wild Dog Gang, and now they're all locked up in jail awaiting interrogation."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "Interrogate the others again, and make sure their testimonies are true and accurate."

Xiao Hongyun said, "You suspect that Black Face is hiding something? I have a strongman here who knows soul-searching techniques. He can directly search the memories with soul-searching techniques, but afterwards, the person whose soul was searched either goes crazy or becomes an idiot."

Zhou Qingfeng handed the statement to Xiao Hongyun: "No need, he is a witness and still very useful. Besides, a statement from a mentally challenged person cannot be used as evidence."

"It's easy to verify whether what he said is true or false. Now that I've arrested the whole gang, I'll interrogate them one by one, verify each other's statements, and see if there are any discrepancies. That will tell us whether their statements are true or false."

"The key is to find out where the kidnapped people are. There must be someone behind them, so we must dig deep into their background."

“I know what to do. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the interrogation is thorough.” Xiao Hongyun nodded slightly and beckoned to his henchmen in the torture chamber: “Take Blackface away and interrogate Xi Laide.”

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng quietly retreated, not because he trusted Xiao Hongyun, but because he believed in self-interest.

My father often said that there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Rather than believing in human nature, one should believe in interests and learn how to distribute the interests at hand. This is what determines how far a person can go.

Zhou Qingfeng not only listened to his father's words, but is also putting them into practice.

Prison interrogation was Xiao Hongyun's prerogative. Investigating cases and apprehending criminals were inseparable from prison interrogation. It was impossible to avoid Xiao Hongyun monopolizing the results, so he simply distributed the benefits of his successful interrogation.

Xiao Hongyun, for his own benefit, will definitely conduct a thorough interrogation and may even go to great lengths to expand the results and demonstrate his importance in the case, so there is no need to be wary of Xiao Hongyun sabotaging things behind the scenes.

The next day, early in the morning.

Zhou Qingfeng privately summoned Ah Gou.

Ah Gou bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "Commander, what are your orders?"

Zhou Qingfeng said, "There's a trivial matter that's connected to a big case. I'm afraid that if someone else were to handle it, they would neglect their duties and just do a sloppy job. You're honest and kind, and after thinking it over, you seem like a good candidate."

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander. I will do my best." Ah Gou hurriedly replied. He was just honest, not stupid. Having the opportunity to make contributions and do real work was better than doing some irrelevant odd jobs in the department.

Zhou Qingfeng nodded with a smile: "Go to Yangjiao Lane and find Madam Sun. I've already spoken to her and I'll send someone to find her. Once we get there, make a list of people suspected of being kidnapped."

"Remember, it is essential to keep detailed records for every single household."

"Once this matter is handled well, I will certainly add your name to the closing statement."

Upon hearing this, Ah Gou's face lit up with excitement, and he immediately accepted the order and left.

With everything arranged, big and small, Jin Wei came to visit alone around noon. Zhou Qingfeng was having lunch at the time and smiled, gesturing with his hand: "Jin Wei, have you eaten yet?"

"Reporting to the General Headquarters, I just finished the procedures for depositing the embezzled funds into the treasury and haven't eaten yet." Jin Wei clasped his hands in a respectful bow.

"Then sit down and eat together." Zhou Qingfeng pointed to the chair next to him.

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei hesitated for a moment, then very cautiously stepped forward and sat down. He ate his meal like a puppet, focusing solely on the leafy green vegetable in front of him, not daring to make any unnecessary movements.

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at Jin Wei indifferently and said, "You just said the embezzled funds were deposited into the treasury?"

Jin Wei quickly put down his chopsticks and clasped his hands in response: "I was just about to report this matter to the commander-in-chief. The 1.27 million coins seized during the capture of the Wild Dog Gang have all been deposited and registered in the treasury."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "The deposit of embezzled funds is not my responsibility. Why are you telling me this?"

Jin Wei stood up, closed the door, and then took out a banknote from his pocket: "Before the stolen money was put into the treasury, when my subordinates and brothers were counting the money, we secretly rounded it down to zero, and each brother took his share."

"This is your portion; I brought it to you specially."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at Jin Wei, pondering whether to accept the money. Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money, and his current severe shortage of cultivation resources was precisely due to insufficient funds.

However, rashly abusing one's power for personal gain and accepting bribes will leave evidence against one. Such things are risky, and whether or not to do them requires careful consideration and repeated weighing of options.

"is it safe?"

Jin Wei clasped his hands and said, "It's absolutely safe. Because it's stolen money, no one knows how much there is until the amount is verified. The brothers will each get 300,000, and the remaining 700,000 will be taken by my subordinates."

"I deposited the money in the Python Sparrow Bank. It's a bank run by the royal family. No one dares to investigate it. They only recognize banknotes, not people. Even if someone investigates, they'll only find out about me and my brothers in the end."

"Nobody knows you were involved."

Zhou Qingfeng inwardly exclaimed, "Wow, so rounding down really does mean rounding down to zero!" He remained outwardly calm and said, "It sounds good, but can I trust you?"

Jin Wei was startled and knelt on one knee, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Commander, I am completely devoted to you. The moment you stood up for me, I made up my mind to follow you and never betray you in this life. Heaven and earth bear witness."

Zhou Qingfeng's fingers, hidden in his sleeves, clenched together incessantly as his mind raced. Regardless of whether Jin Wei's intentions were genuine or feigned, he felt utterly powerless to resist the risks and could not afford to embezzle the ill-gotten gains.

In the end, Zhou Qingfeng cunningly said, "I didn't know about the embezzled funds. You can keep the hard-earned money you're owed for this business trip. The brothers down below are having a tough time, and I understand."

"You don't need to give me the money. You can keep it for yourself. I don't care about money."

"Huh?" Jin Wei was stunned. He really didn't expect Zhou Qingfeng to refuse.

Zhou Qingfeng changed the subject: "Jin Wei, I have been busy with official duties lately, and my cultivation has made limited progress. It would be great if there were some pills to help me."

Jin Wei's face lit up with joy, and he immediately understood. The captain wasn't refusing to accept money, but rather temporarily keeping it in his hands, so that he could procure whatever was needed: "Understood, I will take care of it right away."

Zhou Qingfeng watched Jin Wei's departing figure and said quietly, "I didn't take a single penny."