Chapter 34: Explanation (2)

"Open the door," Officer Zheng, standing before Zhang Heng, instructed Liu Yi, who was guarding the entrance.

Liu Yi opened the door.

A group of officers entered, carrying equipment. These officers wore black uniforms, distinct from the blue uniforms worn by Officer Zheng and his team. Furthermore, these officers in black were tall and imposing, making Zheng’s team seem small by comparison.

As the officers in black entered, Officer Zheng addressed their leader: "Officer Yang, the drug trafficker is right here." He pointed toward the pile on the bed. "This is the narcotics found on the suspect. I estimate it to be at least five kilograms, if not more."

He turned back to Yang. "Also, we haven't been able to extract information from the suspect regarding whether there are more drugs hidden elsewhere in the room. Oh, right—the suspect claims to be a police officer himself, and he even produced his police ID." With that, Zheng handed the ID to Officer Yang.

Yang took the ID, looked at it, and turned to Zheng. "Understood, Officer Zheng. Thank you for your hard work." He then gave a sharp, crisp salute. Zheng stood straight and returned the salute.

After the exchange, Zheng turned to his own team. "All right, let's head back."

"Understood," they replied, filing out of the room one by one. Once they were gone, Zheng shook hands with Yang and departed as well.

With the room cleared of the initial team, Yang assigned one officer to guard the door and another to watch over Zhang Heng, who remained handcuffed and shackled. He directed the remaining two to search every corner of the room. Yang himself stood beside Zhang, examining the ID.

After inspecting the document, Yang looked at Zhang Heng. "Your name is Zhang Heng. You claim to be a criminal investigation officer from Beijing?"

Zhang nodded calmly. "That is correct."

"Drop the act. You think a criminal investigator acts like this? Tell me, where did you get this fake ID?"

"I haven't faked anything, Officer. I ask that you look at my badge number; it cannot be altered."

Yang chuckled at the response. At that moment, his subordinates reported back that no further drugs had been found in the room. Yang ordered them to bag the confiscated narcotics and prepare to leave.

As they prepared to depart, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed in the hallway. Yang walked to the door and opened it to find a throng of reporters and camera crews with microphones pushing toward him.

Officer Yang was accustomed to this; in his experience, reporters followed his anti-drug operations at least eight or nine times out of ten. Seeing the police, the media quickened their pace and reached the doorway in seconds.

"Excuse me, are you Officer Yang from the Taiyuan Anti-Drug Brigade?"

"Officer Yang, we received a tip that a drug dealer was hiding narcotics in this hotel and has been captured by you, is that correct?"

"Officer Yang, can you tell us how much the suspect was hiding here?"

The reporters clamored, thrusting microphones and cameras toward him.

"Alright," Yang said, raising his hand. "Stop. Everyone, listen..." The room went quiet. "Please, one at a time."

A young female reporter with long hair stepped forward, her microphone pointed toward him. "Officer Yang, I’m Liang Ying from the Taiyuan Evening News. We received a tip that drugs were being hidden in Room 305 of the Shuxin Hotel. Can you confirm that your unit has apprehended the suspect?"

Yang looked toward the camera. "Hello everyone, I am Yang Weisheng from the Taiyuan Public Security Bureau's Anti-Drug Division. An hour ago, we received an anonymous tip regarding narcotics in Room 305. We coordinated with the local precinct, arrived at the scene, and apprehended the suspect. He is in the room behind me."

As he spoke, his officers brought the handcuffed Zhang Heng into view. Yang gestured toward him. "This is the man. We are taking him to the bureau for further investigation. For subsequent updates, please follow our official account. Thank you."

Zhang was then pulled back into the room. Another reporter, a woman in a suit, stepped up. "Officer Yang, I’m Yang Lan from the Shanxi TV general channel. We also received an anonymous tip suggesting the suspect might be a police officer himself, and that he had previously been seen at our city's Public Security Bureau headquarters. Can you confirm this?"

Taken aback, Yang replied, "I cannot currently confirm that the suspect is a police officer. Please follow our official account for further information. Thank you."

"Officer Yang, how much did you seize today?" another reporter asked.

A subordinate brought over the bag of drugs. Yang held it up for the cameras. "As you can see, we have confiscated about ten kilograms. For the exact weight and further details, please monitor our official account. Thank you."

The interview lasted over an hour before the media finally dispersed. The hotel manager then arrived, and Yang ordered him to accompany the officers as they escorted Zhang Heng to the police vehicle.

Upon arriving at the headquarters, Yang had Zhang Heng and the hotel manager taken to the interrogation rooms. He then drove to the office of Director Shang to report the incident.

Director Shang was not in when Yang arrived, so he waited. Half an hour later, the director returned. His first words were, "Old Yang, I heard your team captured a drug trafficker today who claims to be a police officer?"

"Yes, Director Shang, I was just about to report that." Yang handed over the ID he had received from Officer Zheng.

Director Shang took the ID. He realized it was indeed a genuine police document. Upon opening it, he saw it belonged to Zhang Heng—the very investigator sent by the capital to look into the Liang Lahua missing child case that had gone viral years ago. He had spoken with Zhang just two days prior, and he vividly remembered Zhang stating he would go to Y City alone to investigate. Now, two days later, he was being brought in as a drug trafficker.

Director Shang could hardly believe it. "Where is he now?"

"He is in the interrogation room, Director, along with the hotel manager."

"Good," said Director Shang. "Let’s go."