Chapter 50 Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me!
"Don't say it!"
"Seriously, don't say it!"
Long Hao wore an expression of belated realization.
Chen Mo's meaning was quite clear: they needed to find Liu Gang's peers.
People in their line of work inevitably had to keep a close eye on the police's recent trends, then choose between committing crimes or temporarily laying low.
When they had free time, they would get together to chat about the future prospects of their industry.
This was all perfectly normal.
Because of this, the likelihood of them knowing each other increased significantly.
"Why didn't I think of that before!"
Long Hao exclaimed.
Not just him, but Xiao Zhang and the others also felt an indescribable sense of discomfort.
They clearly could have thought of this themselves, yet they still needed Brother Mo to remind them.
Didn't that make them seem useless?
"Split into three groups. One team is responsible for staking out the orphanage, one team will go to check if Liu Gang has a criminal record, and the rest will come with me to find Liu Gang's peers."
"Understood!"
Half an hour later.
"So you're the one called Ma Tuanyuan?"
"Officers, what is this..."
In a small alley in the West District, Ma Tuanyuan was currently cornered against a wall, looking at Chen Mo and the others nervously.
His heart was pounding; he hadn't abducted any children recently. Why had they come looking for him?
Nervous, incredibly nervous.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and the hair on the black mole under his nose stood on end.
"Looks like we found the right person."
Xiao Zhang took out the sketch of Liu Gang and gestured for him to look closely.
"Do you know this person?"
Seeing the sketch and hearing the police officer's question, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they weren't here for him, it was fine.
His gaze fell on the sketch, and after looking for a moment, he shook his head.
"Don't know him. Doesn't look familiar at all."
"Officers, do you just grab people off the street to question them when you're working a case?"
Ma Tuanyuan sneered. His profession was inherently at odds with the police.
Since it had nothing to do with him, there was no harm in mocking them a bit to feel good.
Especially since he had already served his time; to corner him against a wall now and still treat him like a criminal? Ridiculous!
"What kind of attitude is that!"
"Cooperating with the police investigation is an obligation every citizen must fulfill!"
Xiao Zhang grabbed the guy by the collar and scolded him.
Looking at this person's file, he had never stopped working in human trafficking.
As soon as he got out of prison, he went right back to abducting children—a repeat offender who never learned!
"I am cooperating. I said I don't know him."
Ma Tuanyuan, grabbed by his collar, was completely unbothered. He picked his nose with his right hand and then skillfully flicked a small bit of debris away.
"If you don't let go, I'm going to shout that the police are assaulting people."
Arrogant! Too arrogant!
Chen Mo, standing behind him, narrowed his eyes.
Long Hao quickly stepped forward to pull Xiao Zhang away.
"Don't fall into my hands, or you'll have hell to pay!" Xiao Zhang threatened after being pulled back.
"Heh, we'll see about that."
As he said this, he glanced at the three of them and prepared to leave.
"You think you're just going to walk away?"
Chen Mo did not have a habit of indulging people like him.
"What, you want to hit me too?"
Ma Tuanyuan leaned his face toward Chen Mo. He was as arrogant as could be.
"No!"
"Since you don't know the person in the sketch, then perhaps this person doesn't exist at all, or perhaps our investigation was wrong."
Chen Mo's tone suddenly shifted, causing the arrogant Ma Tuanyuan to pause. Then, he nodded repeatedly.
"I know what you guys came to find me for. I've been in this business for so many years, and I really don't know this person. You must have the wrong guy."
He was talking nonsense. Not only did he know the person in the photo, but they were actually quite close, having met just a few days ago.
But! Why should he help the police identify his friend?
When you're out on the streets, you have to stick to the code. If he helped the police rat someone out, how could he continue to survive in the industry?
"That's right."
"It seems the one who abducted the children isn't him, but you."
After Chen Mo finished speaking, a playful smile appeared on his face.
Hearing this, Ma Tuanyuan's arrogant demeanor instantly stalled. His expression became as wretched as if he'd eaten feces.
"What do you mean?"
Even though it was a question, he knew the answer perfectly well!
"Illegal law enforcement? I can report you!"
His tone was a bit nervous; he realized he'd run into a tough opponent.
He'd seen plenty of police in his life, but this was the first time he'd seen one who dared to be so blunt with threats.
And it really hit him where it hurt.
He followed the code of the streets, sure, but if it wasn't his business, he wasn't going to take the fall. Better him than me!
"How is this illegal law enforcement? To be honest, all the human traffickers currently outside of prison are suspects; it just depends on whether we are willing to come looking for you."
"If you continue to say you don't know this person, then come with us."
With this ultimatum, Ma Tuanyuan immediately crumbled.
"Officer, your words are truly enlightening. Now that you put it that way, the person in this sketch looks more and more familiar—very much like a peer of mine!"
He bent slightly at the waist, leaning forward, putting on a fawning expression. His arrogant attitude had vanished; he was like a different person.
"Apologize to my colleague."
Chen Mo stepped aside.
It was clear that Xiao Zhang had been angered by this guy just moments ago.
It wasn't just anger; it was disgusting to be insulted right to your face by someone like this.
Having worked together for so long, he felt it was necessary to uphold Xiao Zhang's dignity.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Tuanyuan looked at Xiao Zhang, and a string of apologies tumbled out of his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have abducted your child..."
"Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue. Officer, I'm sorry. I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please, a big person like you shouldn't hold a grudge against a small person like me."
The look of anger on Xiao Zhang's face vanished, replaced by a look of satisfaction.
Heh, I couldn't deal with you, but someone else can!
In his heart, he also felt a surge of admiration for Chen Mo.
"Tell us about this person."
"I've known him for many years. His surname is indeed Liu, but his name isn't Liu Gang—it's Liu Baoguo. He's also a local from our Muhe. As for where he lives, I don't know. You know the nature of our line of work; where we live is a very private matter."
"Also, there are some parts of your sketch that aren't right. Make the mouth bigger and the eye sockets deeper."
"..."
During this time, Ma Tuanyuan talked a lot about Liu Gang's situation. No, it should be called Liu Baoguo now.
But it was all information irrelevant to catching him immediately.
For example, adding details to the sketch, his approximate age, how many years he'd been in the business, etc...
Xiao Zhang closed his notebook and, along with Captain Long, looked at Brother Mo.
As of now, the case had progressed, but not in the way they had hoped when they came here. It was frustrating.
Ma Tuanyuan had the look of someone who had told everything he knew, leaving them unsure of how to proceed.
Chen Mo gave the two of them a reassuring look.
"Where are you planning on going?"