144: I'm in a dilemma too, mainly because I have no clues, you know?

Looking at this urban village, Ye Lin's heart sank halfway; how could he expect any surveillance cameras in this place?

As expected, the moment the three of them showed their police IDs, the hotel owner started to prevaricate, claiming the surveillance cameras were broken.

Ye Lin and his Comrades understood; it was just an excuse. Such places typically wouldn't install surveillance, and this was likely why the swindler chose this location.

The fruitless inquiry led the investigation into a deadlock.

The three of them found a place to sit down and began to discuss.

"The surveillance hasn't captured his face for such a long time; this person is definitely an old hand," Wang Longxin said.

Ye Lin nodded. Indeed, this person must have scouted the area beforehand and checked the camera locations.

"Moreover, this certainly isn't his first time committing fraud. His spiel is very well-rehearsed, and all his actions are very practiced. He's an old hand," Ye Lin said.

Qi Shan, sitting beside him, propped her chin on her hand, looking lost and unsure of what to do.

"Right, Xiao Qi, did the girl mention anything else specific?" Ye Lin pressed, "Has a composite sketch been made?"

Qi Shan pouted and said, "The girl said she didn't remember his appearance very well, so a sketch couldn't be drawn."

Ye Lin shook his head helplessly. Composite sketches sound simple, but when you have so many eyes and noses in a puzzle in front of you, you might genuinely not recognize someone.

"As for special details, I didn't ask before. I'll ask again," Qi Shan said softly.

Ye Lin glared at Wang Longxin. "Xiao Qi is new and doesn't know, but you don't know either? You didn't ask all the questions?"

Wang Longxin quickly explained, "Brother, I was busy with Gu Teng's matter at the time, so I stepped away for a moment."

After explaining, he suddenly paused, then, with a realization, he said to Ye Lin, "Lin Zi, how come I'm finding you more and more like a leader now? You question things so systematically. You haven't been employed as long as I have, have you?"

Ye Lin immediately stood up and gave him a sharp rap on the head. "I'm winning people over with virtue, not seniority."

The pitiful Wang Longxin held his head, muttering quietly behind his back.

However, it was also strange after Ye Lin arrived. Logically, he was the youngest, so others should be leading him.

But both the leaders and his colleagues were very convinced by him, so when Team Leader Yu assigned him to work with Ye Lin, he didn't feel anything was amiss.

"Xiao Wang, go contact the other Branch Bureaus and check if there are any reported cases. This guy has definitely done this at least three times. I refuse to believe no one has reported it."

"Xiao Qi, contact that girl again and see if she can recall anything, any detail, no matter how small. Don't let anything slip."

"Yes," they both responded in unison.

"Brother, what are you going to do then?" Wang Longxin suddenly realized halfway through walking away. It seemed they were doing all the work.

"I'm going to be a hooligan," Ye Lin smiled mysteriously.

"Pfft, you don't need to 'be' one, you already are," Wang Longxin said, then took off running, leaving Ye Lin with a face full of black lines.

The facts of this case were relatively clear; there wasn't much to say. What was needed now was to find the person.

Once the person was caught, all the evidence would be laid out, leaving no room for escape.

Originally, this swindler, having been to so many places, should have left behind surveillance footage, but he always kept his back to the cameras, which indeed posed a challenge for Ye Lin.

However, he firmly believed one thing: birds of a feather flock together, and many things aren't unknown to others, but rather depend on whether those who know are willing to speak.

He was now going to find the person most likely to know something—Dacheng Hotel.

Dacheng Hotel was the hotel where the swindler took the girl to open a room. The owner was a balding, middle-aged man with a potbelly, looking very greasy. Coupled with a seemingly honest expression and glasses, he gave the impression of being a simple, law-abiding person.

However, Ye Lin saw through him at a glance from behind his thick glasses. This old fox was definitely no good. The way he secretly looked at Qi Shan was full of desire; he was a pervert.

Such a person, seeing a middle-aged man bring a young girl to open a room, would definitely pay special attention. It was impossible for him to have not noticed anything, as he claimed.

To put it bluntly, he just found it troublesome to speak up, and possibly disliked the police, so he kept quiet.

Reasoning with such a person was useless.

Hooligans could only be dealt with in a hooligan's way.

Ye Lin returned to the Branch Bureau, changed into a police uniform, and went straight to Dacheng Hotel.

The chubby owner's smiling face immediately fell when he saw Ye Lin, especially in his police uniform, then quickly plastered itself back on.

"Police Officer, weren't you just here asking questions? Is there something else you need to ask?" The owner bowed and stepped forward.

Ye Lin said calmly, "I think that swindler might come again, so I plan to wait and see."

After speaking, he grabbed a stool and sat down right at the entrance.

The owner's face turned green upon hearing this. "Brother, are you playing 'waiting for the rabbit'?"

The culprit isn't stupid; even if he were to come again, he'd run away at the sight of your police uniform.

"Staying for the night? Cheap and good value, plus a Police Officer guarding the door." Ye Lin called out to a young couple passing by the entrance.

The two youngsters were so scared they scurried away.

People who come here are either on business or coming to open a room. While opening a room isn't illegal, no one wants to do so with a Police Officer sitting outside.

Seeing Ye Lin like this, the owner almost knelt down. He quickly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the counter, his fat jiggling as he offered them, "Police Officer, if you play like this, I can't do business. I rely on this small shop to make a living."

Ye Lin pushed the cigarettes away and said indifferently, "Sorry, I don't smoke."

"But I still need to do business! Who would dare to come in if you're sitting here?" the owner complained.

Ye Lin glanced at the owner, then, with a helpless expression, began to vent his frustrations: "You also need to understand us. You have to live, and so do I. This case, the Branch Bureau is pressing hard, and there are no leads. So, even if the probability of waiting here is low, it's better than doing nothing at all, right?"

"The most important thing is, no leads! Ah, do you understand?" Ye Lin's eyes flickered.

The owner cursed silently in his heart, *If you're having a hard time, don't come and mess with me!*

However, seeing that Ye Lin intended to settle in for a long wait, he could only give in.

He put away the cigarettes and said righteously, "Comrade Police, cooperating with the police in handling cases is every citizen's duty. I remember now, I think I've seen that swindler."

Ye Lin's eyes lit up, and he pressed, "Oh, where?"

The owner lowered his head in thought for a moment, "I've seen him in the vicinity. Although I don't know where he lives, I'm sure he either lives here or comes to this area for work."

The owner was very certain.

Ye Lin secretly nodded. This was consistent with his guess because Yunshan Hospital was already quite remote, and ordinary people wouldn't come here.

Moreover, from a criminal psychology perspective, criminals generally choose to commit crimes in places they are familiar with.