Chapter 923: Another Victim

KK said, “Chen, your thinking is really unconventional. How do we con someone back? Are you suggesting we set up our own altar and have a duel with Liao Chunhuang?”

“Can you do it? You seem clever enough to pull it off,” Chen Shi joked.

“No way!” KK waved his hands, “Different fields are like different worlds. Even if we know the tricks, he’s trained by a master. His presence and skills would crush us. It’s like an amateur trying to perform a Guo Degang comedy routine—it just wouldn’t work.”

Sun Zhen suggested, “Maybe you should do it, Chen. After all, you ‘acted’ as someone else for four years.”

“Are you insulting me? I can’t do it either. Besides, Mr. Lu sees me as Song Lang no matter what I wear. He’s most wary of me.”

“Sister-in-law…” Sun Zhen turned to Lin Dongxue.

“Don’t look at me, I definitely can’t,” Lin Dongxue said. She suddenly thought of something, picked up the envelope, and said, “The person who provided the intel is one of Liao Chunhuang’s peers, right? Can he help?”

“He’s retired now, living a quiet life. These people are usually very cautious and reluctant to get involved, let alone cooperate with the police to take down a fellow practitioner.”

“You know him?”

“Not really. Just guessing.”

Chen Shi said, “Why not ask him? See if he’s interested in making some money. Wang Haitao can cover it.”

“Let’s give it a try!” KK agreed.

Chen Shi checked the time and said it was time to get back to work. As they drove back, Lin Dongxue remarked, “You must really want to help Wang Haitao. Otherwise, you could have just handed this to the anti-fraud team.”

“When he was down and out, I helped him. He felt indebted and treated me well after he became rich. Despite his sudden wealth, his character never changed. That’s rare and precious. I truly consider him a friend, and friends help each other in times of need.”

Lin Dongxue smiled, “Poor guy. His life will only improve if Mr. Lu stops being so erratic.”

“And by ‘stop being erratic,’ you mean…”

“Yes, exactly that.”

“An influential, yet delusional and tyrannical old man is a frightening thing. Many historical disasters were caused by such people. They start as heroes, but as they age and lose touch with the times, they still want to control everything and get manipulated by opportunists, bringing endless suffering to the world. It’s a tragic ending. ‘Duke Zhou feared rumors day and night; Wang Mang remained humble before usurping the throne. If they had died at the right time, who would know their true nature?’ Dying at the right time can be a kind of blessing, like Huo Qubing, Wen Tianxiang, or Zheng Chenggong. History remembers their greatness,” Chen Shi mused.

Back at the station, they found more information about Liao Chunhuang through household registration records. He was indeed born in 1975. Official records did not mention his young love affair. To the police, he was just an ordinary citizen. As KK had said, fake Taoists rarely get exposed because the money victims give is voluntary. Even if caught, they are only charged with promoting feudal superstitions.

“If he’s arrested, can he be sentenced?” Chen Shi asked.

“I’m not sure about fraud laws. We’ll need to consult the anti-fraud team.”

“Do we have an anti-fraud team?”

“Yes, it’s run by the police in Longyang District. With the train and bus stations there, fraud is rampant, so they formed a team to tackle telecom and elderly fraud.”

“I see.”

The records also mentioned Liao Chunhuang’s wife, Xu Rongrong. Among several women with the same name, one matched the age and was currently in prison for murder—killing her own brother. Xu Rongrong had mild mental disorders but not severe enough to avoid prison. She was serving a life sentence in a city hundreds of kilometers away from Long’an.

Noticing that Xu Rongrong and Liao Chunhuang were from the same hometown, Chen Shi said, “Could she be Liao Chunhuang’s first love?”

“Possibly! Killing her own brother… that’s horrifying. I could never do something like that,” Lin Dongxue shuddered.

“Haha.”

“Liao Chunhuang and Xu Rongrong remained married. He seems loyal to old ties.”

“Or maybe not. For a scammer, a wife in prison is practically non-existent. I don’t have high hopes for his loyalty.”

“I heard from a police friend about an old scammer who donated all his stolen money to an orphanage. Is that good or bad?”

“Still wrong. The victims didn’t deserve to be scammed… By the way, is this ‘police friend’ Luo Haifeng?”

“Jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous of him? Just curious. Who says you can’t have friends of the opposite sex after marriage?”

Lin Dongxue laughed, “I have more friends than just Luo Haifeng. After all, I’m almost a veteran cop with some connections.”

Chen Shi laughed too, “Alright, let’s put this fraud case on hold. Let’s tackle our tough cases!”

“Are we interviewing the school instructors? They might return to their units soon.”

“Are they done teaching for the day? Let’s wait a bit.”

But plans changed quickly. A new lead emerged: trace amounts of coal and carbon residue were found on the victim’s smashed phone. Many places in Long’an burn coal, but these fine coal particles suggested a power plant, which uses pulverizers to crush coal for complete combustion.

Chen Shi immediately gathered a team of officers and technical police to head to the only thermal power plant in Long’an’s outskirts. After arriving and seeing the vast area, he regretted not bringing more people. The search would be time-consuming.

While considering reinforcements, someone shouted, “Captain, there’s someone over there!”

They moved through a wooded area to a riverbank near the plant’s chimneys, belching thick smoke into the sky. Several men stood on an open field. One man held another in a chokehold from behind, while a third man wielded a knife, making feints towards the captive. The surrounding men watched while smoking, seemingly enjoying the show.

“Crime reenactment?” Chen Shi wondered. “Are they fellow officers?”

The men noticed them and paused. Chen Shi said, “We’re from the city bureau.”

“Oh, hello. We’re from the Guchang sub-bureau.”

“May I ask what’s going on here? Was there a murder?”

The fellow officer nodded solemnly, “A few days ago, there was a brutal case here. A woman was killed, her abdomen cut open, and her heart removed.”