pjbooks Chapter 24 Behind the Lies
Chapter 24 Behind the Lies
Gu Huai's words shocked Hou Hao.
He really couldn't understand why his master would send a page.
Although his mentor was strict with him, he still strictly adhered to the fundamental ethics of a police officer.
So, with an unusually serious expression, he said to Gu Huai, "What did you mean by what you just said?"
Gu Huai glanced at Hou Hao and knew immediately that Hou Hao had misunderstood. He waved his hands repeatedly to explain.
"You've misunderstood. It's not what you think. Let me explain."
Seeing that Gu Huai didn't seem to have any ill intentions, Hou Hao's expression softened considerably. "Go on," he said.
"Here's what happened..." Gu Huai explained to Hou Hao bit by bit before the pager came through.
As is widely known, the taxi industry is a seemingly inconspicuous but actually cash cow that provides a stable cash flow.
Given the company's unique nature, it is essential to maintain contact with various departments and stakeholders within the municipal government.
Manager Zhu is clearly not someone with that much power.
He wasn't a scapegoat pushed to the forefront by someone behind the scenes; he was just a professional manager. With such a public business, it would be easy to investigate and find out the identity of the person behind it.
The reason Gu Huai deliberately reminded Zhu Luo before leaving that the case was very big and beyond his control was so that he would ask Zhu Luo to contact the person behind him.
Furthermore, he believed that as long as Zhu Luo was not an accomplice of the "Rainy Night Butcher," he would definitely report Gu Huai's arrival to his superiors.
In Gu Huai's memory, the Rain Night Butcher was a typical lone wolf, without any deeply involved accomplices.
Furthermore, it's in the nature of every high-level worker to try to shift all the blame before things go wrong.
Therefore, Gu Huai had accurately predicted Zhu Luo's next move.
"Even so, what does that have to do with my master?" Hou Hao frowned.
Gu Huai replied, "Because we haven't released the details of Zhang Zhenhua's case to the public, Zhu Luo doesn't know what case we're investigating. Once the people behind him find out, they will definitely contact the bureau and subtly inquire about the case."
"So?" Gu Huai's answer left Hou Hao completely bewildered.
"First, let me ask you, after hearing the conversation just now, do you think Luo Zhenbang is a suspect?" Gu Huai did not answer Hou Hao's question immediately, but instead asked him a question in return.
"Probably." Hou Hao pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Putting everything else aside, it's strange that he's going around telling everyone he was cheated on..."
Gu Huai looked at Hou Hao with satisfaction. [As expected, men understand men best.]
Then, Gu Huai added, "Do you think Zhu Luo will realize what's going on after we ask her?"
"Probably."
"Will he report this situation to his boss?"
"Probably..."
"Will his boss tell Captain Wu or Captain Wang about this?"
"Possibly."
"Will the captain contact us immediately if he finds out?"
"Definitely!" Hou Hao said decisively without hesitation.
"So now you understand why we were waiting for Captain Wu's call, right?" Gu Huai said with a smile.
"I know... but..." Hou Hao was still a little confused, "Why don't we just report to my master directly, instead of going through such a big detour?"
"Brother Hou, you haven't forgotten why we came here privately, have you?" Gu Huai said tactfully.
"Uh..." Hou Hao scratched his head awkwardly, "My master isn't as bad as you say, is he..."
Gu Huai knew he couldn't say any more about this issue; saying anything more would be going too far.
Therefore, he glanced at Ling Yue for help, hoping she could lend a hand.
Ling Yue easily understood Gu Huai's meaning. After giving him a disapproving look, she said, "Haozi, don't overthink it. Captain Wu is just a bit stubborn sometimes. As an experienced police officer, he tends to trust his own judgment and therefore naturally rejects the judgments given by others."
"However, these are all professional habits developed over many years as a police officer. After all, investigating a case often requires trusting your own judgment."
"Moreover, given the urgency of the case, the Second and Third Detachments are only assisting with the investigation. Captain Wu is still struggling to sort out his thoughts, making it even more difficult for him to hear our voices. Ah Huai's idea is to have a strong, compelling voice that he has to take seriously convey our message."
After listening to Ling Yue's words, Gu Huai couldn't help but secretly give her a thumbs up.
[As expected of someone with a background in clerkships, they have a whole repertoire of such eloquent words. They subtly expressed my thoughts without offending Captain Wu at all. Even if these words eventually reached Wu Feilin's ears, he wouldn't have anything to say.]
After Hou Hao finally digested what Ling Yue had said, he belatedly nodded.
Meanwhile, Gu Huai sat in the back seat, his eyes slightly narrowed, analyzing what Zhu Luo had just said.
Although he had already mentally labeled everything Luo Zhenbang said as a lie, it didn't mean that the content of these lies was completely useless.
In most cases, when a person chooses to lie, it's often because they want to conceal information they don't want others to know.
The reason why Luo Zhenbang repeatedly mentions this lie must be because there is a secret behind it that he absolutely does not want anyone to know.
Just as Gu Huai was deep in thought, a series of murmurs came from the front row.
He looked up and saw Hou Hao's strange expression in the rearview mirror.
It was obvious that the pager was from Wu Feilin.
Gu Huai didn't ask any more questions. He knew very well that this was not the time to show off, so he kept his eyes narrowed and pondered deeply.
Seeing that Gu Huai didn't speak, Hou Hao wisely started the car and drove towards the Municipal Bureau.
Not long after, the three of them returned to the municipal bureau.
As Hou Hao approached Wu Feilin's office, his pace noticeably slowed.
Gu Huai noticed his hesitation and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder, saying, "Relax a little. Your master won't eat you. Just don't say anything and watch my performance."
Hou Hao did not respond to his teasing; his expression remained very serious.
Seeing this, Gu Huai shook his head slightly and didn't say anything more.
Pushing open the office door, Gu Huai saw Wu Feilin with a rather serious expression.
From the moment he entered the room, he stared intently at Gu Huai.
Gu Huai avoided eye contact, instead feigning ignorance and asking seriously, "Captain Wu, you're looking for us?"
Seeing that Gu Huai wasn't responding, Wu Feilin snorted coldly, "I heard you went to a taxi company?"
"Yes, I conducted some interviews and investigations as you requested," Gu Huai replied in a low voice. "It seems you must know the specifics, Captain Wu."
"Hmm," Wu Feilin gave a soft "hmm," thus changing the subject and moving on from the taxi company matter, "Then tell me your thoughts."
"My personal suggestion is to investigate Luo Zhenbang," Gu Huai said without changing his expression. "If necessary, we can detain her first."
Upon hearing this answer, Wu Feilin chuckled slightly. [Still a kid, doesn't he? He doesn't follow any proper procedures, arresting people for no reason? Does he think we're the mafia?]
Of course, Wu Feilin didn't voice his thoughts aloud. Instead, he changed his tone and asked, "Tell me, what grounds do you plan to use to detain Luo Zhenbang?"
"I don't have a reason yet," Gu Huai said without changing his tone. "However, a simple investigation will provide one."
"What reason?"
"Captain Wu, do you think Luo Zhenbang's story is true?" Gu Huai didn't answer directly, but instead chose to ask a question.
"Of course I have my doubts," Wu Feilin replied instinctively, "but mere suspicion is not enough to justify detaining him; there must be evidence."
"It's good to have doubts," Gu Huai smiled slightly, stating the judgment he had just made in the car, "Captain Wu, have you ever wondered if Luo Zhenbang's wife really ran off with someone else?"