I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 230 - 161: Taboos of Vigil Keeping

After returning from Sanhe Village, Li Xiang went back to the office of the 6/23 Task Force to continue guiding them in the case.

Once the local smuggling organization was completely taken down, he devoted all his energy to tracking down both the higher-ups and lower-level operatives connected to Aunt Hua.

This cancerous presence, Aunt Hua, needed to be swiftly eradicated. Over the years, countless people had been deceived by her into going abroad.

The need to address their criminal activities had become a pressing matter.

After persuading her, she willingly handed over the list of channels she had established over the years to Li Xiang.

Upon receiving this list, Li Xiang immediately submitted it to the Joint Command of the two provinces, who then sent out orders to police agencies nationwide to issue arrest warrants.

Instantly, police across the country sprang into action, launching arrest operations. Many individuals were apprehended at their workplaces by officers who appeared unexpectedly.

These people initially denied any wrongdoing until the police mentioned Aunt Hua’s name, which made them realize she had been captured, prompting them to confess their crimes.

The operation lasted three days, during which all individuals on the list were captured and brought to justice.

[Ding, task completed, reward: Experience +1000, Diamonds +5000]

Far away in Canglin City, Li Xiang saw on his phone that the task was complete, indicating the police operation had concluded.

Aunt Hua’s domestic influence had been entirely dismantled.

But Li Xiang couldn’t feel happy.

According to Aunt Hua’s confession, Shao Han, who was sold at a high price by Shen Liang to Aunt Hua, was already overseas, and even Aunt Hua didn’t know who Red Sister had sold this person to.

She was only responsible for buying people domestically and sending them abroad; she didn’t care about their ultimate fate after leaving the country.

Although the task was completed, it wasn’t fully resolved.

With such rampant overseas forces, who could guarantee that dismantling one Aunt Hua wouldn’t lead to the emergence of another?

As long as there were profits to be made, there would be people willing to take risks, undeterred by danger.

Just like Aunt Hua, who had been in this business for over a decade without being caught by the police, demonstrating how deeply concealed they were.

Who could guarantee that there were no similar criminals lurking in the unseen darkness?

The crackdown on cross-border telecommunication fraud rings had become an urgent task.

Their threat today was no less than the Golden Triangle of the past.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them network kingpins.

In the past, the Hua Country police, in conjunction with international forces, severely cracked down on the Golden Triangle’s drug lords, making today’s peace possible in the Golden Triangle.

Retracing the steps of history would not be out of the question.

In short, Li Xiang reported his thoughts to the Joint Command.

-----------------

At the remote province headquarters.

Fan Yonglin received reports from across the country, feeling quite gratified.

Li Xiang had a strong drive and prioritized efficiency in everything he did.

Over the past few days, he studied all of Li Xiang’s files and identified one of his strengths: persistence.

From pursuing a bus criminal armed with a weapon, not many auxiliary police officers would dare to act so boldly.

Then, there was the missing person case. If it were any other officer, they might have dismissed it as a typical runaway case, not worth filing. But Li Xiang took it to heart, personally investigating in other locations, which ultimately uncovered a series of heinous murders and skinning.

That was also his first indirect encounter with Li Xiang, where he even recommended him for a commendation.

Now, this case had started as an ordinary missing person case that exposed an astonishing international crime.

This indicated a lack of thorough investigation for missing person cases across various police departments.

Chief Fan also acknowledged that the police resources were stretched thin, and for several reasons, missing person cases were often unmanageable. However, this was not an excuse for inaction.

Judging by these two cases, the mysteries behind missing persons often entailed significant criminal activities, not to be underestimated.

"It seems the resolution rate of missing person cases should also be included as an assessment criterion."

Of course, that was a matter for later discussion.

The success of the inter-provincial joint operation had been commendable,

not only eliminating the illegal smuggling organizations around the Canglin area but also rooting out deeply concealed human trafficking networks nationwide.

They captured hundreds involved in the criminal activities, with illegal earnings totaling over a billion yuan, which marked a significant accomplishment.

Yet, upon seeing Li Xiang’s request, he immediately calmed down.

To handle cases abroad and rescue Hua citizens sold overseas.

He wanted to do that too, but the involved parties were intricate, with those telecommunication fraud zones backed by local governments and warlords.

Even if Hua Country strongly protested, they would only appear cooperative on the surface while secretly defying, leaving no viable options.

International relations were complicated, and without a favorable catalyst, what legitimate grounds could they have to act?

The situation in the Golden Triangle only changed after the Mekong River Massacre provided a firm intervention reason.

But now, as it stood, the timing was not right.

Fan Yonglin had only four words for Li Xiang: "Wait for the opportunity."

He realized there was nothing more the provincial headquarters could do, so he had to apologize to Director Cai.

There was nothing he could do; his abilities were limited.

With that thought, Li Xiang called Director Cai and explained the situation.

"So you’re saying Shao Han might still be alive?"

"Yes."

That was fortunate amidst the misfortune.

"Li Xiang, thank you. Without your help, I might never have known her whereabouts. Can we get her back?"

Li Xiang was silent, and Director Cai seemed to understand: "I get it, many people tricked by telecommunication scams haven’t come back; how could Shao Han return?"

"Director Cai, I’m sorry."

"It’s not your fault. Anyway, thank you for everything you’ve done, goodbye."

With that, he hung up the phone.

At that moment, Su Jiayi came over, knocking on the door, "Li Xiang, Captain Ding is here to see you."

"Oh, alright, I’ll head over right away."

Li Xiang composed himself and then got up and left the office.

"Captain Ding, do we have a lead?"

"Yes, our forensic scientist has returned and conducted an autopsy on Old Man Qiao’s body, identifying the cause of death as sudden cardiac arrest."

"What a coincidence?"

Why did he have to die at that particular moment?

"But the cause of death is indeed that."

"Let’s go, I want to take another look."

Feeling uneasy, Li Xiang decided to visit the forensic lab once more. Since Old Man Qiao had already been autopsied, he observed without hesitation.

Li Xiang knew the way to the forensic lab, so he didn’t need Ding Youqiang to guide him.

Upon reaching the lab, the forensic pathologist responsible for Old Man Qiao’s autopsy was still organizing the autopsy report.

Seeing Li Xiang enter, the pathologist didn’t recognize him and almost asked him to leave, but Ding Youqiang arrived in time to clarify, avoiding any awkwardness.

"Team Leader Li is an expert from the provincial headquarters, coming to verify Old Man Qiao’s cause of death."

"No problem, feel free to look."

"Thank you."

Wearing gloves, Li Xiang meticulously examined the opened cadaver.

Ultimately, his findings matched those of the forensic scientist.

Old Man Qiao indeed died from sudden cardiac arrest due to heart failure.

This indicated that Old Man Qiao’s death might be accidental, unrelated to the murderer of Qin Qinglian.

The police’s earlier speculation about a third suspicious aspect could be dismissed.

As for whether it was a supernatural vengeance, that was uncertain.

"What about the investigation of other people?"

"Following your instructions, we reviewed all eligible villagers of Sanhe Village and all movements of the deceased’s lover, Chen Wei. We’ve found some leads, and I came to report them. Shall we go to the conference room?"

"Alright, let’s head to the conference room."

This wasn’t a suitable environment for discussions in the forensic lab.

Given that Old Man Qiao’s death was unrelated to the murderer, the case was less complicated.