177: Chapter 177 The Purpose of the Photograph

The last criminal scene of Ma Xiaofu — —

[Ma Xiaofu was alone in his office, holding up his phone: "Rest assured, Mr. Rosev, all the goods you requested will be in place by next Monday."]

Lin Ning frowned, his expression grave.

Foreigners and controlled items—the combination of these two was alarming.

He took out his phone — — it was 2:40 AM.

The light from the phone screen reflected onto Lin Ning's face, casting one half of his sharp, angular features in shadow and the other in light.

Without hesitation, Lin Ning dialed Chen Zhi's number.

It rang twice before being answered. Chen Zhi's voice was hoarse but alert: "What is it?"

"Brother Chen, I've discovered a blonde foreigner named Mr. Rosev who is using a local Yanjing resident, Ma Xiaofu, to purchase controlled contraband. His behavior is suspicious."

Lin Ning spoke quickly: "Ceramic resonator components, anti-overload trigger switches... acetone... there are dozens of items in total, and a significant quantity of controlled chemical products. Ma Xiaofu is also importing brand-new machinery through a trading company and dismantling parts to give to that Mr. Rosev."

"It's all cash transactions. After the thug who was buying the contraband for them in scattered batches was caught, Ma Xiaofu even used a 'protective umbrella'—a bureau chief surnamed Jin from the XX Sub-bureau—to bail him out in violation of regulations. I don't know what they're using those things for, but something is very wrong."

There was a second of silence on the other end of the line.

"Where are you? Did you tail someone again?"

Lin Ning gave a sheepish smile: "This really isn't my fault. I was at the Police Station on business, and the thug Huang Chenggen, who buys the contraband for them, tried to run away, so I pinned him down. Then the Sub-bureau released him, and now they're blocking my path, threatening to take me out. I just wanted to see what kind of background he really has."

Chen Zhi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "Alright, send me the information you have, then go home and stay there honestly. Don't follow them anymore; I'll have someone else take over."

Lin Ning readily agreed: "Got it. But for that 'Bureau Chief Jin', I didn't see the person, I only heard Ma Xiaofu call him that over the phone. I suspect he's from the Sub-bureau..."

"Understood." Chen Zhi interrupted him: "I'll handle the rest."

Lin Ning acknowledged and hung up the phone.

He compiled everything he had just noted into a message — — the names and physical descriptions of Ma Xiaofu's gang members, company names, license plate numbers, warehouse locations, the name of the KTV, and the general appearance of the foreigner, specifically noting the "next Monday" timeframe.

Along with the previous list of controlled items, he sent it all to Chen Zhi.

After sending it, he tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, leaned back against the headrest, and let out a long sigh.

Now that it was in Chen Zhi's hands, he felt mostly at ease.

He started the car and drove toward home.

The night breeze blew in through the car window, bringing a cool sensation. Lin Ning drove, but his mind was still turning.

Bureau Chief Jin...

He had only heard the title; what if it was a different Sub-bureau? What if it wasn't a Sub-bureau, but the Municipal Bureau?

He had nothing to do tomorrow anyway, so he might as well take a stroll around the Sub-bureau.

Take a look, confirm whether it was truly the "Great Bureau Chief Jin" of the XX Sub-bureau. It would be good to tell Chen Zhi later.

Thinking this, the slight unease in his heart dissipated.

At the same time, at the Jinwang Food Stall in the eastern part of the city.

Ma Xiaofu sat with his men at an outdoor table, with beer and white liquor spread across the table, and barbecue skewers scattered messily. His face was flushed, his mouth greasy and smelling of alcohol, and he raised his voice, barely controlling it:

"This deal will be done in a few days. Your big brother here won't forget you when I eat meat; this time, everyone will get a big red envelope!"

Wang Sanbei and the others had also drunk quite a bit and cheered happily: "Long live Brother Ma..."

His phone rang.

Ma Xiaofu took a look and answered: "It's the middle of the night, what is it?"

Huang Chenggen's voice was ingratiating: "Brother Ma, I wanted to report to you. I collected another batch of goods today. Everything was done as you said, bought from three different places, absolutely clean!"

Ma Xiaofu gave an "Mm": "Well done."

"There are still two items missing, but I can get them all together in the next day or two."

"Alright, keep an eye on it." Just as Ma Xiaofu was about to hang up, Huang Chenggen spoke again.

"Um... Brother Ma, where are you right now? I want to come over and have a couple of drinks with you and report to you in person."

Ma Xiaofu thought for a moment. He still needed this grandson to do work, and the guy had a case pending against him, so he had to keep him in check and make sure he didn't cause trouble.

"Alright, come on over." He gave the address.

A subordinate next to him asked: "Brother Ma, is Huang Chenggen coming?"

Ma Xiaofu nodded: "Let him come. This kid has been doing okay work lately, so I have to coax him a bit. Once he's done with the work, he can go wherever he wants."

Fifteen minutes later, Huang Chenggen arrived by car.

He approached the table with a face full of smiles: "Brother Ma!"

Ma Xiaofu lifted his chin: "Sit. Have a drink."

Huang Chenggen sat down and poured himself a large glass of white liquor: "Brother Ma, I toast you! Thanks to your care during this time, thank you, Brother Ma!"

After saying this, he tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

A trace of disdain flashed in Ma Xiaofu's eyes. Was this a toast? This was just him seeing good liquor and craving a drink, right?!

Huang Chenggen smacked his lips, savoring the aroma of the liquor, poured another full glass, and clinked glasses with Wang Sanbei and the others, and the atmosphere warmed up.

After a few rounds of drinking, Huang Chenggen slurred his words as he leaned in toward Ma Xiaofu: "Brother Ma, I have a favor to ask."

Ma Xiaofu raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

"Teach a little brat a lesson," Huang Chenggen spat out, reeking of alcohol, his eyes full of venom. "It's that guy who caught me at the entrance of the Police Station. I ran into him again today. That damn bastard, if I wasn't afraid of causing trouble and delaying work for you, I would have crippled him today. I've got my hands full, so you have to help your brother vent this anger..."

Ma Xiaofu didn't pay much attention: "What's his name?"

Huang Chenggen took out his phone and pulled up a photo: "It's this guy. I have a photo of him, but I don't know his name. F*ck that little brat..."

Ma Xiaofu took a look — — the person in the photo was a young guy with an arrogant face and eyes that held a piercing chill.

Having read countless people in his life, a thought immediately surfaced in Ma Xiaofu's mind: this guy was no pushover.

However, he didn't pay it much mind and just said perfunctorily: "Alright, send the photo to Old San. I'll have someone look into it later. We'll see once we find him."

A look of joy appeared on Huang Chenggen's face, and he hurriedly sent the photo to a subordinate nearby.

Watching him so happy, Ma Xiaofu found it funny. Trying to find someone in Yanjing with just a photo? This grandson was truly delusional. He'd just brush him off for now; later, who the hell would care about this.

He took a sip of liquor and asked casually: "Where did you run into this kid again? You two really have fate."

"Right at the entrance of the Police Station this morning, the f*cking little brat..." Huang Chenggen cursed loudly.

Ma Xiaofu's expression changed, his face dropping: "What were you doing at the Police Station?"

Huang Chenggen was a bit smug upon hearing this: "I figured he was familiar with the people at the Police Station, so I went there to camp out. I didn't expect to actually block him..."

Ma Xiaofu stared at Huang Chenggen in disbelief: "You went to the entrance of the Police Station to camp out for someone?"