Chapter 44: The Closed Loop of Logic

Lin Xiaosu said, “It’s against regulations to voluntarily disclose case details, but analyzing the case isn’t. Let me ask you—this mastermind he confessed to, is it Ghost-eye Seven?”

The three people in the room were all startled at once…

Captain Zhang frowned. “You know about Ghost-eye Seven?”

“Before you arrived, I already questioned him. What he told me was: Ghost-eye Seven.”

That made sense!

Detective instinct, after all—if you’re attacked, of course you’d try to find out who’s behind it.

“Ghost-eye Seven—that name entered our sights a long time ago. We suspect the one pulling the strings behind the massive criminal network in Phoenix City is this Ghost-eye Seven. But he’s extremely cunning, keeps all contact with his underlings highly secret, and has never revealed his true face. According to the two assassins, they only acted on instructions received by text message.”

Now it was becoming a real case analysis.

Captain Zhang didn’t want to let such an opportunity slip by, because Lin Xiaosu’s previous interventions had been almost magical—every time he acted, he hit the mark—sparking a kind of hope in him.

That’s why he was willing to reveal the name that had haunted him for years, Ghost-eye Seven, and lay it out further before Lin Xiaosu.

“And you believe what they said?” Lin Xiaosu slowly lifted his gaze.

Captain Zhang smiled faintly. “A policeman’s instinct is to doubt everything. Of course I wouldn’t take a suspect’s confession at face value. I’ve already arranged for people to investigate these two’s recent movements. In about two hours, we’ll have a report. Will you… wait?”

Will you wait?

Those four words carried deep meaning.

Arranging for people to investigate the suspects’ movements would yield firsthand clues.

By rights, Lin Xiaosu should have left.

But Captain Zhang deliberately asked him: Will you wait?

Lin Xiaosu replied, “Are you saying, Captain Zhang, that I can get deeply involved in this case?”

“There’s a contradiction in all this. By the book, I shouldn’t allow you to participate. But I truly want to see a breakthrough in this case. It’s been over a decade—on this ancient land, so many tragedies unfold every day. The tears and blood of people ruined, the corpses lying in pools of their own blood, the terror that hangs over everyone… that’s not something that the word ‘regulation’ can really encompass. So, if breaking the rules just once can bring down that gang of bastards, I think I’m willing.”

Lin Xiaosu exhaled lightly. “With words like that from you, I only have one thing to say: Let’s do it!”

Captain Zhang laughed heartily. “You play chess?”

“Chinese chess or Go?”

“Go is too much of a brain-burner—I don’t have that many brain cells to spare. Let’s stick with Chinese chess!”

The two of them started a game.

Sun Yang leaned in, giving advice from the side.

As for Zhou Mei, she didn’t really know how to play, so she didn’t want to get in the way. After pouring them all some water, she leaned back in her chair, played with her phone for a while, and then—well, she fell asleep.

Holding a chess piece between his fingers, Lin Xiaosu glanced at Zhou Mei’s face before turning his gaze to Captain Zhang.

Captain Zhang didn’t look at him, responding calmly, “She didn’t sleep at all last night. In our line of work, you have to be able to sleep whenever you get the chance.”

“Before I met you all, I didn’t have a good impression of your profession,” Lin Xiaosu said with a smile.

“Oh? Got arrested for gambling? Or caught visiting a brothel? Maybe driving without a license and fined two grand…?”

“Come on, Captain Zhang, are you trying to dig up my record? When did I ever gamble or visit a brothel?”

“Why are you shouting? Zhou Mei just fell asleep. If you wake her, won’t you feel bad?”

Sun Yang burst out laughing from the side.

He’d never seen Captain Zhang like this before.

He could even joke around…

Time ticked by.

The county town gradually quieted.

The traffic on the streets thinned, until, at last, a car would pass only every so often.

The Criminal Investigation Building, too, fell silent.

Suddenly, the crisp “ding” of the elevator rang out.

Both men looked up.

The conference room door opened. Two officers entered side by side. “Captain Zhang, we found something…”

They glanced at Lin Xiaosu, but didn’t continue—there was an outsider present.

Zhou Mei had woken up too—she’d slept almost exactly two hours.

“Go ahead,” said Captain Zhang.

“Yes, sir.” The officer on the left stepped to the computer, produced a portable hard drive, and plugged it in.

The screen at the front of the room came to life, mirroring the computer.

“These are the recent movements of the two suspects…” The officer moved the mouse, clicking on seven locations.

“One car in particular caught our attention—within three days, both suspects were seen in it twice. That individual is highly suspicious!”

A video appeared—position located, image enlarged.

A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses appeared on screen.

Captain Zhang’s pupils contracted sharply. “Qi Hongzhong!”

The officer asked, “You know him, sir? Should I give a briefing?”

Captain Zhang waved him off. “No need, the file has everything. Anything not in the dossier?”

“Yes!” said the other officer. “We just checked Qi Hongzhong’s recent whereabouts—he left the country!”

Captain Zhang stood up abruptly. “When? Where did he go?”

“Yesterday afternoon, three o’clock flight. Destination: Qingmai, capital of the country of Blue Face. Checked his visa—he has permanent residency there!”

Captain Zhang’s face grew dark as water; he slowly looked up. “Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Go get some rest.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two officers left the room.

Captain Zhang moved to the computer and reviewed all the gathered information.

Lin Xiaosu, Zhou Mei, and Sun Yang had lost all trace of sleepiness—they stared at the projection.

All signs pointed to Qi Hongzhong as the mastermind behind the attack.

And Zhou Mei had a wild idea—about the entire structure of the Phoenix City crime syndicate…

“Everyone seen enough? Any thoughts?” Captain Zhang looked up from the screen.

Zhou Mei spoke first. “Captain Zhang, I think the Ghost-eye Seven we’ve been searching for is very likely him.”

“Explain your reasoning…”

Zhou Mei gathered her thoughts and began—

The existence of Ghost-eye Seven in Phoenix City had long been accepted.

But no one knew who he was—only that he wielded enormous influence, with connections across all lines.

He was closely linked to a local group.

Though this group hadn’t openly formed a gang, it was already operating as one. The police had long been watching them, referring to them as the Flying Tigers.

There were five key members: Tiger Zhao Yihu (builder), Crane Li Henian (restaurant owner), Phoenix Wang Sanfeng (CEO of a tech company), Green Song Qingliang (chamber of commerce president), and Water Zhong Shuiping (seafood magnate with reach into every town and lake).

In their respective fields, each was a leader, commanding large teams.

There were early signs of organized crime, but they were shrewd—not openly violent. While several deadly incidents had hints of their involvement, there was never enough evidence to indict them.

The police suspected their wealth accumulated too rapidly—there were faint indications of links to the underground drug world.

Men like these, with such wide nets and daring ways, were the ideal masterminds for a drug operation.

At the very least, they’d have no trouble handling trade.

But a drug syndicate needs a direct ringleader—that would be Ghost-eye Seven.

So, Ghost-eye Seven would need to meet several conditions…

First, he must have access to all these industry elites.

Second, he would need a source of supply.

Third, he’d have to possess cunning.

Who was Qi Hongzhong?

He worked for a multinational in Blue Face, holding the title of Great Xia’s commercial agent.

To be a national commercial agent—his skills must be formidable.

Moreover, he was a motivational speaker.

Many domestic business leaders had attended his lectures.

When he gave a lecture in Phoenix City, he attracted nearly all the top people in every field—including the five above.

After that lecture, the city’s elite treated him as an honored guest.

Several invited him to speak at their companies.

Therefore, he had direct contact with the Flying Tigers.

More importantly, Blue Face was the global drug hub—eighty percent of Great Xia’s drugs came from there. While others couldn’t secure a supply, this legendary business lecturer, who had the wind and rain at his command, could get it easily!

At this point, Captain Zhang’s eyes flashed. “Anything else?”

“One last thing—his surname is Qi,” Zhou Mei said, her excitement barely contained.

“Qi—Ghost-eye ‘Seven’…” Captain Zhang tapped his finger lightly on the table. “Xiaosu, what do you think?”

While Zhou Mei spoke, Lin Xiaosu had been gazing out the window—a habit of his when thinking deeply.

Now, Captain Zhang called him by name.

Lin Xiaosu slowly turned back. “Captain Zhang, let me ask a basic question. Now that Qi Hongzhong is in Blue Face, can he be extradited?”

“No—Blue Face has no extradition treaty with any country. That’s what makes it a drug haven.”

Lin Xiaosu continued, “Is there something even more special? Blue Face is so chaotic that even secret agents would be risking their lives to go there. If he doesn’t want to return, it’s almost impossible to bring him back.”

“Exactly.”

“Alright, second question,” Lin Xiaosu went on. “If we have identified Ghost-eye Seven as him, does that mean we can’t move against the Phoenix City drug syndicate until he’s caught?”

“Yes. That’s standard procedure with this kind of criminal group. Until the core figure and supply chain are in hand, we can’t risk alarming them.”

Lin Xiaosu nodded slowly. “The logic is airtight.”