Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 198: Do You Agree?

Li Yifei and Lin Qiong had resolved a previous minor grudge, and Lin Qiong began to tell Li Yifei about the case.

Some time ago, Lin Qiong had inadvertently discovered someone wearing an expensive watch, the normal price of which was over one hundred thousand, but the person had purchased it for just over thirty thousand. Moreover, to show off, the person had a certificate of authenticity, proving the watch was definitely genuine.

The perceptive Lin Qiong immediately felt that something was amiss, but she didn’t inquire right away. Instead, she quietly began an investigation, and quickly followed the trail to the person selling the watches. She promptly arrested the seller with a team.

However, just a few days later, the person was released. When she questioned the police station chief, he said the matter was not within their jurisdiction but under the city’s, and he also told Lin Qiong not to intervene any further, as the role of their police station was just to maintain the security of their area.

Lin Qiong was very angry at the time, but with the station chief not supporting the initiative, she couldn’t mobilize anyone else from the station to work on it. Nevertheless, she didn’t give up and continued to investigate in secret.

What she uncovered from her investigation startled her; this was not just a small smuggling ring but a large smuggling conglomerate, involved in many items and an unimaginable amount of money. The number of people entangled was staggering as well.

Yet Lin Qiong was only one person and didn’t have concrete evidence in hand. Moreover, she sensed that what she knew might just be the tip of the iceberg, and she dared not act rashly.

Feeling her capabilities alone were too weak, she longed to mobilize others to help. However, she couldn’t move anyone from the station and she didn’t even consider approaching anyone from the city level. Although the Municipal Bureau Chief had once encouraged her to go ahead, she felt that even he might not be able to extricate himself from this case. If she were to proceed, she would undoubtedly face various obstructions and potentially alert the suspects, making further investigation impossible.

Therefore, she could only seek help from friends around her, and eventually, she thought of Li Yifei.

After explaining all of this, Lin Qiong sighed and said, "What I’ve found so far is just this much, but they are essentially just clues and don’t form any concrete evidence. I’ve come to you now to help me turn these clues into evidence."

Li Yifei rubbed his nose and said, "I won’t mention the danger, but I feel that the two of us alone definitely aren’t enough."

Lin Qiong took a deep breath and said, "You don’t need to worry too much about the danger. I have a very capable person secretly protecting me. If I encounter serious trouble, he will definitely take action."

Li Yifei’s eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "No way!"

Lin Qiong lifted her head proudly and said, "Absolutely true. I’ve been in life-threatening situations twice in my career as a police officer, and that person helped me out both times. Otherwise, how do you think I could have been promoted to Deputy Director so quickly?"

Li Yifei was well aware of the two dangers Lin Qiong had faced, but what shocked him most wasn’t this, but rather Lin Qiong’s belief that someone would be protecting her all the time. This was extremely risky. No wonder the female officer was so bold—his rescues had given her the psychological suggestion that emboldened her.

Since those two incidents, Li Yifei had been very busy with work and hadn’t had the time to pay further attention to Lin Qiong. Besides, those events were coincidences; how could there be so many coincidences in the world? If Lin Qiong harbored such expectations and constantly sought danger, sooner or later, it would lead to disaster. He tentatively said, "But... perhaps it was just a coincidence that he encountered you?"

Lin Qiong shook her head emphatically and said, "It’s definitely not a coincidence. The first dangerous encounter might have happened because I had operational directions in advance, but the second time, it was an unexpected encounter. How could he have acted so timely if he hadn’t been secretly protecting me?"

Li Yifei smiled wryly and said, "That still isn’t certain. There are many coincidences in the world. If you encounter danger again and he doesn’t show up, wouldn’t you be doomed?"

Lin Qiong’s expression became a bit uneasy, but she quickly said, "That’s impossible, trust me. Do you know, the last time he saved me, he even taught me some skills. Do you think if he just happened to encounter me, he would teach me skills? I’ll tell you, the night I stayed at your house, you didn’t do anything to me. If you had, you would certainly have died miserably."

Li Yifei felt exasperated and couldn’t believe Lin Qiong’s conviction was so strong. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Everyone has their own affairs; surely he can’t be with you twenty-four hours a day. If you are in danger precisely when he’s not there, wouldn’t that be terrible? So when we act, we shouldn’t rely too much on others. We need to plan for ourselves and not rush into things recklessly."

Lin Qiong didn’t argue with Li Yifei this time. She had also considered these possibilities, or perhaps the recent difficulties had made her realize how tough the situation was. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had so many concerns and insisted on seeking Li Yifei’s help.

Nodding her head, Lin Qiong said, "I already have a plan for this situation. Have a look and see if it’s feasible."

Li Yifei lit a cigarette and said, "Let’s hear it."

Lin Qiong took a deep breath, her expression growing more solemn, "I’m prepared for us to disguise ourselves as a couple in need of a large amount of contraband goods. We’ll first make contact with their lower-level people, then show them that we have a big appetite, demanding a large supply of goods. Their ordinary staff definitely won’t have that much stuff and will certainly take us to meet their superiors."

Li Yifei nodded, "This method is feasible, but I want to ask you a question. If you approach their people to buy goods, that’s not a big issue. However, if you want them to believe that you have a big appetite, you first need to demonstrate your strength, especially your financial power. Without sufficient benefits to entice them, why would they possibly take you to their superiors?"

Lin Qiong immediately replied, "I’ve considered this as well. We could say that we are just casually buying some small items, but the one who really needs a large amount of goods is our relative, our elder. That person is a billionaire, naturally, they would buy more."

Li Yifei shook his head, "That won’t do. Rich people generally aren’t worried about a little bit of money, and they care more about status. They wouldn’t ruin their reputation just to save a few bucks, and it’s even less likely that they need a large amount of smuggled goods."

Lin Qiong frowned, "Is this reason really not good enough?"

"Absolutely not," he said. "You should try to understand where smuggled items eventually end up. Things like cars, watches, and a lot of electronics don’t end up in the hands of the billionaires but rather with those who may not have a lot of money, yet are particularly concerned about status. They like high-end products but can’t afford them, which is why they turn to smuggled goods."

"What should we do then?" Lin Qiong felt at a loss as the plan she had thought of was quickly rejected by Li Yifei, throwing her into confusion.

Li Yifei cracked a slight smile, "If we want to attract them, there’s actually a way."

Lin Qiong grabbed Li Yifei’s arm excitedly, exclaiming, "What way? Tell me quickly."

Li Yifei leisurely took a puff of his cigarette, leaving Lin Qiong on tenterhooks before slowly saying, "Don’t you know why they smuggle?"

"Of course, because smuggling avoids tariffs, the price is much cheaper than goods coming through regular channels. There’s a huge margin there, obviously resulting in significant profit."

"Right, and this smuggling syndicate, having smuggled so many goods, wouldn’t sell them off piece by piece like retailers, would they?"

"That should be the case." Lin Qiong nodded again.

"Well, there you have it. They must be transferring these smuggled items in batches to someone else, who then sells them off individually. What we need to do is become their middleman, take off their hands, and that’s how we can get in touch with their higher-ups."

Lin Qiong’s eyes suddenly lit up, "This idea is great, Li Yifei, I’ve come to realize that finding you was absolutely right."

Li Yifei shook his head, "Don’t get too excited just yet. If you want to play that role, you’re going to need a considerable amount of capital. Those people are definitely cautious and won’t let you get away with anything for nothing. The sum needed won’t be small; I’m talking at least a million. Do you have it?"

Lin Qiong was dumbstruck. Though her family wasn’t poor, they were definitely not rich. Her parents were just ordinary civil servants, who could save maybe thirty or fifty thousand a year. They had saved some money for her over the years, but whether it was a million, she didn’t know. Besides, her parents had made it clear that the money was for her wedding, so getting her hands on it was unlikely.

Li Yifei patted Lin Qiong’s thigh and said, "Sigh, so it’s still very difficult. I think we should look for another opportunity. With a smuggling tycoon like this, even if you don’t catch him now, who’s to say the authorities won’t later? He won’t escape eventually."

A girl’s thigh isn’t something to casually slap, but Lin Qiong, preoccupied, hardly noticed as she sat there deep in thought.

Li Yifei didn’t disturb her, his gaze continuing to survey Lin Qiong’s home. However, before he could take in much, Lin Qiong suddenly grasped Li Yifei’s arm again, her teeth almost gritted as she said to him, "I’ve got it. We get married."

"What?" Li Yifei’s eyes went wide, and the cigarette he had in his mouth slipped out...