At 5:30 in the afternoon, Jiang Hechun, the Branch Captain of the Changhang Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, received a call from Director Qi confirming that the leader of the Ministry of Transport had crossed the river to Guzhou. He immediately led nine police and auxiliary police officers from the bureau and the Binjiang Police Station to the Maritime Bureau Traffic Control Center to review surveillance.

The "river thief" hasn't committed a crime for more than a month.

The fact that there have been no further thefts from ships anchored in the Binjiang Waters isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for the Changhang Bureau planning to take over security for the Yangtze River waterfront section, and the Water Police Division actually responsible for it, it doesn't bode well.

If the suspect continues to commit crimes, even if not caught in the act by police staking out, there would be traces left behind, which would certainly be beneficial for solving the case. But if the suspect just stops altogether, the series of thefts that occurred earlier, with the passage of time, might very well turn into cold cases!

If they can't even catch a rampaging water thief, what will the shipmen think, and how will the superiors view it?

Directors Qi and Wang are under considerable pressure. Ten days ago, they divided tasks—Changhang Bureau would review the Maritime Bureau's surveillance, and the Water Police Division would visit and inquire businesses along the line, mobilizing staff at docks and locks along the line to keep an eye out.

Han Yu's involvement came later; the "Temporary Special Task Force" composed of Han Yu, Xu Haoran, Zhao Hongxing, Liu Guixiang, and Chief of Staff Li Jun from the border inspection station was essentially starting from scratch.

The attitude of Directors Qi and Wang is clear: everything should focus on solving the case. Double efforts are great; it doesn't matter whether it's a white cat or black cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!

Jiang Hechun never thought about competing with Han Yu's group. He was a former subordinate of Jiang Xiaojun, the Binjiang Port Police Station Criminal Investigation Department Director, not an outsider to Han Yu, so there's no need for competition.

Moreover, it's the end of the year, and all work needs to be summarized.

Now, everyone just wants to solve the case quickly, or else no one's life will be pleasant.

The reason for coming to the Maritime Bureau to look at surveillance is because previous research and analysis showed that, no matter how skilled the suspect is in the water, they can't stay in the water forever.

From past experience, the suspect definitely enters the water from the shore, and after committing the crime, they will definitely need to exit onto land. But they may not necessarily swim directly from the shore to the anchorage, nor directly swim back ashore after the crime.

In other words, there could very well be a ship on the river providing support!

The Maritime Bureau has installed many surveillance cameras over the past few years, all monitoring the surface of the river.

For this reason, Jiang Hechun organized forces to review the Maritime Bureau's surveillance footage, according to the time each theft case occurred, to find suspicious vessels passing through the time period, especially those small "three-no" boats.

Repeated reviewing of surveillance strains the eyes. Surveillance footage is wide-angle, the vessels in the recordings aren't very clear. Once figuring out what kind of vessel it might be, you have to organize forces to verify, the workload of this can be imagined.

Everyone brought instant noodles, planning to work overtime and through the night.

Absorbed in watching, the "old coach" from the Binjiang City Bureau Criminal Investigation Team unexpectedly called.

Being a Branch Captain is not comparable to being the Binjiang City Police Department Criminal Investigation Team Captain. Moreover, the person has just entered the bureau's party committee, now serving as Deputy Department Level City Bureau Leader.

Jiang Hechun hurriedly answered the call: "Captain Wei, I'm Jiang Hechun, is there an instruction?"

"I can't instruct anyone; I'm asking for your help."

"What is it?"

Captain Wei looked at the materials his subordinates brought, holding the phone he said: "Our team's Major Case Team just solved a case of intentional injury. The suspect, to achieve lenient treatment, reported a clue about internal theft."

Jiang Hechun instinctively asked: "Involving our jurisdiction?"

"The suspect says there's an employee at Binjiang Port engaged in internal theft, half a year ago he collaborated with others to steal steel from Pier No. 3 storage yard."

"Half a year ago?"

"Yes."

"How much steel was stolen?"

"He's not sure about the specifics, he only knows the suspect who collaborated with that employee. The Major Case Team has already gone to arrest him, and once we've confirmed this, we'll ask you to help catch the internal thief in your jurisdiction."

"Did steel theft occur at Pier No. 3 half a year ago? Binjiang Port didn't report it!"

"Whether it happened or not, we'll soon know."

"Alright, I'll wait for your news. If it indeed happened, I'll take you to arrest him."

Captain Wei once served as a Criminal Investigation Deputy Director at the Port District Bureau, quite familiar with the situation at Binjiang Port.

With such a large throughput at the port and so many cargo yards, especially for commodities like steel and coal, it's possible that dozens of tons being stolen, the pier manager could genuinely be in the dark, not even the cargo owner might know. Even if they knew, they might be reluctant to report it due to the hassle, simply considering it as transportation logistics losses.

Thinking further about something the Technical Team mentioned during work report discussions a few days ago, Captain Wei curiously asked: "Hechun, has there been a series of thefts on the river, was there also a foreign ship victimized?"

"Yes, we're investigating." Jiang Hechun felt embarrassed beyond words.

"Any leads?"

"Not yet."

Captain Wei set down the material and asked: "Do you need our help?"

Jiang Hechun couldn't risk losing face, he replied without hesitation: "Captain Wei, the situation on the river isn't the same as on land, I appreciate your good intentions, we'll think of something ourselves."

"Alright, expertise has its focus, we can't really help with river matters."

Any incident happening in Binjiang Municipality, regardless of jurisdiction, the Criminal Investigation Team can't stand idly by; failure to solve the case will ultimately impact Binjiang's image.

Captain Wei pondered for a moment, still uneasy, he further asked: "Has Salted Fish been informed about this series of river thefts?"

"Yes, he's thinking of ways too."

"As long as Salted Fish knows, let us know if there's anything that requires speaking up. While we can't offer significant assistance, we have technical police."

"Thank you, Captain Wei, if needed I won't stand on ceremony."

"Good, hanging up then."

...

Meanwhile, Zhao Hongxing, Liu Guixiang, and Xiao Gong hurriedly drove, accompanied by Director Huang, to Cha Port by the river.

The police officers had been waiting for a long time, bringing a fisherman in his sixties ashore, who urgently said, "Director Huang, he is Tang Hai, the one I reported about on the phone providing the information!"

The space in the police car was too small to fit so many people.

The fishing boats in Cha Port weren't big either; boarding so many people might capsize the small fishing boat.

Director Huang simply took out a cigarette and offered one while inquiring on the shore, "Comrade Old Tang, when did you see someone climbing ashore from the riverside and getting into a van?"

"August 27th."

"It has already been several months, how do you remember so clearly?"

The fisherman leaned closer to Zhao Hongxing's lighter, lit his cigarette, took two delightful puffs, and said confidently,

"School started on September 1st, and my eldest came to pick up the kids on the 27th. I brought my grandson ashore and stayed here overnight; it was seen that night."

Director Huang held back his excitement and continued to ask, "What time did you see it at night?"

"I don't have a watch, so I don't know the time."

"Was it in the first half of the night or the second half of the night?"

"The second half of the night."

The elderly fisherman took a few more puffs and explained, "I'm getting old, once I wake up, I can't fall back asleep. I remember when the car drove away, it was almost dawn."

The last theft case that happened in the waters of this area was on the night of August 27th. Moreover, the location of the incident was just upstream from this Cha Port, less than two kilometers away.

The timing matched!

The location matched as well!

Director Huang was extremely excited and asked again, "Did you see what the person looked like?"

"No," the old fisherman pointed to the other side of Cha Port, frowning, "He came ashore over there, it was far, and it was night, couldn't see clearly, only a shadow."

The Yangzhou accent was close to the Jiangcheng accent, both belonging to the Jianghuai language system, unlike the difficult Binjiang dialect.

Zhao Hongxing understood the gist of it, overly excited, couldn't help but ask, "Comrade Old Tang, how did you notice that person?"

"Before going to sleep at night, I set a net over there. While sleeping, I heard splashing sounds outside, thought it was a big fish. Got up and checked, turned out to be a person! Gave me a fright, scared me silent."

"Where was the car parked?"

"There, I'll take you to see."

"Alright, thank you."

Everyone followed the old fisherman around Cha Port to the parking position from the late night of the end of August.

Director Huang glanced around and asked, "Old Tang, you stayed here overnight, you should know when the car came, right?"

"Don't know." The elderly fisherman scratched his neck, pointing to the dirt road down the slope he said, "This place is so remote, usually, no cars are seen, when I brought my grandson ashore in the afternoon, there wasn't anyone around, let alone cars."

"So the car came at night then?"

"Certainly."

"What kind of car was it?"

"A van, white. There was a moon that night; I saw it clearly!"

"Was there anyone in the car?"

"Obviously, there was. Without someone, the car wouldn't drive off."

"I mean, other than the person who climbed ashore, was there anyone else?"

"Don't know, too far to see clearly."

Director Huang thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Old Tang, did the car drive off right after the person climbed ashore or did it wait for a while before driving off?"

The old fisherman recalled the odd things he saw that night and said, "It waited for a while before leaving; I figure it waited the duration of two smokes."

"Which way did it go?" Liu Guixiang quickly took out a cigarette and handed another one to the old fisherman.

The old fisherman took the cigarette with a smile and said, "It went north, the car could only head north, further east is a large river, and there is no road west."

...

Sometimes, solving a case really requires timing.

In terms of visitation and inquiry, Director Huang had organized police officers and cooperative defense team members to visit before, but it was in late July, and the old fisherman who wandered around wasn't in this Cha Port at that time.

Unexpectedly, revisiting and inquiring after several months, they actually encountered the old fisherman and gathered an important clue!

From the current known information, the suspect likely acted alone, had scouted in advance, used a white van as a means of transportation, moved from the shore into the water to the anchorage to commit the crime, then swam back to the shore to drive off and escape.

This place, unlike Binjiang, doesn't have a road along the river.

This stretch of the Yangtze River coastline here hasn't been developed, nothing in an eight-kilometer stretch east or west.

This Cha Port is rarely visited, not even locals from neighboring villages might find this place.

This shows that the suspect is very familiar with this area, most likely a local! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Director Huang hurriedly invited the old fisherman into the police car, so Zhao Hongxing and Liu Guixiang could take the old fisherman's statement, then walked aside to use his phone to call Instructor Liu, instructing him to immediately recall the police officers and cooperative defense team members out for interviews, and conduct a thorough investigation based on the newly obtained suspect details.