Chapter 250: The Trail Isn’t Cold Yet

Golden Melody KTV, the biggest and flashiest karaoke spot in Z City.

Everyone knew that places like these often saw their fair share of trouble. And if they offered special services, even more so. That’s why they usually had some special security on hand—local tough guys to keep the peace.

Zhao Shuai was one of those guys. He had a bit of a rep around here, known for his fighting skills. He’d even trained in Muay Thai for a few years when he was younger and almost went pro. But something happened, and he ended up on the streets instead.

His rap sheet was long, mostly for fights and brawls, with a couple of extortion cases thrown in.

As Xiao Yu entered Golden Melody, he was struck by its over-the-top luxury. It almost felt like stepping into a palace.

“Good evening, sir.” 

A hostess greeted him with a smile, looking at him like he was a long-lost friend.

“I’m not here for fun. Just looking for someone,” Xiao Yu replied with a grin. “Is Shuai here? A friend told me to come find him for some business.”

“Huh?” The hostess gave him a quick once-over and then smiled even more politely. “Looking for Shuai? May I ask who you are?”

“Tell him Old Wu sent me.” Xiao Yu made up a name on the spot.

“Alright, please wait here.” The hostess nodded and walked off.

About ten minutes later, a group of thuggish guys came stumbling over, clearly tipsy. Gold chains, tattoos, shaved heads or buzz cuts, skinny jeans, and loafers—the classic tough-guy look.

Xiao Yu almost laughed at the sight of them. He thought of that meme: Through wind and rain, I’ll be waiting for you at XX.*

The five of them swaggered up, and a big bald guy gave Xiao Yu a mean glare. 

“Who’s this Old Wu you mentioned?”

Yup, it was definitely Zhao Shuai. Xiao Yu stayed calm. 

“Zhao Shuai?”

“Who are you?” Zhao Shuai squinted at him.

“Police.” Xiao Yu’s tone was steady.

Instantly, Zhao Shuai and the others froze, clearly caught off guard.

“You all,” Xiao Yu pointed at the group, “come with me.”

At first, the five thugs looked like they wanted to put up a fight. But they were surrounded by way too many guns. Ten officers from Team Two had them covered with ten firearms.

***

In a quiet park, Zhao Shuai sat handcuffed on the ground. The fierce look he’d had before was long gone. He now looked more like a scolded schoolkid.

Xiao Yu looked down at him. 

“Can you tell me why a pyramid scheme hideout could manage to hire guys like you to kidnap victims for them?”

Zhao Shuai didn’t say a word.

“Do you know what a terrorist is?” Xiao Yu’s voice was calm. “Just a few days ago, some of the people you helped kidnap took bombs into a bank, ready to blow it up. And as someone who delivered them to that hideout, do you know what kind of trouble you’re in now?”

Thud! 

Zhao Shuai’s legs gave out. He fell back onto the ground, staring at Xiao Yu with pure terror.

“Hm?” Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow. “Judging by your face, you didn’t know what they were up to, did you? Fine, I’ll give you one chance. Tell me where the pyramid scheme hideout is.”

Did Zhao Shuai know what terrorists were? 

Oh, he knew. He also knew what happens to people who get tied up with them.

Was he scared? 

Absolutely. So, Zhao Shuai spilled everything he knew, down to the last detail.

Unfortunately, the pyramid scheme hideout from back then was long gone. Guys like Tong Qing and Zhao Shuai had been “out of work” for a year now.

But that didn’t matter. As long as Xiao Yu knew how Zhao Shuai had connected with the hideout back then…

***

Bang!

A front door was kicked open with brute force.

A family of three jolted awake, startled from sleep. A man rushed out of the bedroom, only to be met with the butt of a gun to his head. He dropped to the floor, where he was handcuffed.

“Interesting,” Xiao Yu muttered, ignoring the wife yelling and the twenty-something girl nearby, trembling in fear. 

He crouched down in front of the suspect, staring him down with a serious expression. “You know, it’s strange. You guys do so much scummy stuff, yet somehow always have a nice family. Does karma not catch up to people like you?”

Bian Yueze, 46, local to Z City, head of a pyramid scheme operation.

He looked up at Xiao Yu, face pale, mouth moving but unable to get any words out.

“Take them all in,” Xiao Yu commanded, standing up.

Why bring in the suspect’s family, too? Because unless it was clear they weren’t involved, they couldn’t just be released.

It was standard procedure.

If it turned out they knew even a little about their husband or father’s illegal activities or used any of the dirty money, well, that was enough to link them to the crime. And if things went south, they might even be considered part of the gang.

Innocent? Where in the world was anyone truly innocent?

A man who ran a pyramid scheme for fifteen years and trafficked people?

Do you believe his family knew nothing about it? Not a chance.

***

Interrogation Room.

“I don’t really care about the details of what you’ve done,” Xiao Yu said, staring coldly at Bian Yueze in the interrogation chair. “The local police will deal with that soon enough.”

He leaned in, his gaze icy. “Tell me. When you lured people into your pyramid scheme, who did you sell them to?”

This had gone way beyond pyramid schemes. Bian’s crimes clearly fell into human trafficking.

People like him were basically seen as animals by everyone else. Just like how he sold others off as if they were livestock.

“I-I don’t know,” Bian Yueze stammered, his face pale, teeth chattering. “Two years ago, two men approached me. They asked if I’d sell the people I had. They offered me twenty thousand per person. I got greedy and sold them. I really don’t know who they were or how they found out about my operation. I swear, I didn’t know them.”

Why was he confessing so quickly? 

With the SWAT team involved and his family caught up in it all, there was no point in hiding anything.

“Don’t know them?” Xiao Yu let out a cold laugh. “So, someone offers to buy people, and you just go along with it? Do you even believe yourself when you say that?”

“I’m telling the truth! I swear it!” Bian Yueze insisted, almost pleading. “I met them at a bar. We had drinks, and that’s how I got to know them. I have no idea how they knew about my pyramid scheme, or that I had people to sell.”

It seemed he wasn’t lying. Xiao Yu, frustrated, stepped out of the interrogation room after confirming the truth with a psychologist and analyzing Bian Yueze’s expressions.

Using his confession, the tech team managed to create sketches of the two men. Xiao Yu and Wang Dong each took a copy.

“This is a problem,” Wang Dong muttered, glancing at the sketches. “How are we supposed to find them with just these?”

“No worries.” Xiao Yu’s mind was racing, piecing things together. “The trail isn’t cold yet.”

What other leads were there?