Chapter 6: Taken the Bait

Chapter 6

Fang Wenxuan felt deeply ashamed of himself; he couldn't even bear to look at those dismembered bodies. He had rushed outside, and the sight of them seemed to bring back the heart-wrenching cries of his mother in his ears.

“With someone like you, how can you be a detective? You can’t even comfort the victim’s family, and your face goes pale from fear?” Lin Hui, who had been following Fang Wenxuan, watched as he leaned against the wall, walked up to him, and looked at him with disdain.

“I’m not afraid,” Fang Wenxuan replied. It wasn’t fear—truly, it wasn’t.

“There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re scared. Plenty of people can’t handle this job and end up doing something else. Besides, you only got in here because of connections,” Lin Hui said with a mocking smile.

“Connections?” Fang Wenxuan looked at him, confused.

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me,” Lin Hui sneered. “I heard your whole conversation with the captain.”

“You eavesdropped on my conversation with the captain?” Fang Wenxuan looked at Lin Hui in surprise. This man really had no scruples.

“What, can’t keep it up anymore? Tell me—what’s your relationship with the captain? Our captain only takes the capable, but he made an exception for you!” Lin Hui interrogated him as if he were a criminal.

“What business is it of yours? Mind your own!” Fang Wenxuan shot him a cold look and brushed past him, heading toward the forensics department. After the argument, the heavy, oppressive feeling from earlier seemed to dissipate. Now, he felt ready to face the victim’s family and even see the remains for himself. Quarreling, it seemed, had its own strange benefit.

Fang Wenxuan spent an hour comforting the grieving family before they finally calmed down. After a round of questioning, he learned they knew nothing about their daughter’s social life.

“They’ve taken the bait! They’ve taken the bait!” Suddenly, He Xiaopeng’s voice rang out loudly from the detectives’ office.

“What? We’ve got a bite?” Lin Hui walked over to He Xiaopeng’s computer.

“The human organ trafficking ring,” He Xiaopeng answered.

“Really? I’ll call the captain.” Lin Hui pulled out his phone and dialed Cheng Fei.

Cheng Fei appeared quickly and looked at the dialogue between He Xiaopeng and the suspect on the computer screen.

At first, the other party was evasive, but when He Xiaopeng mentioned he was desperate for money, they finally gave him a general meeting location.

“Xiaopeng, can you trace their precise location through their IP?” Cheng Fei asked.

“Captain, I’ve tried just now. As soon as I started, I got a warning—they’re using anti-surveillance tools, and everything’s set up for counter-detection. If I try to track their IP, it’ll expose me instantly. But if they check mine, at most they’ll just get a network card address,” He Xiaopeng explained.

“So they’re real pros at hiding—every one of them, from the contacts to the perpetrators. Their counter-surveillance skills are top-notch. Everyone needs to be at their absolute best. Meeting, now!” Cheng Fei called out.

Once everyone had gathered in the conference room, Cheng Fei took a pen and wrote on the announcement board: Xingfu Garden Apartments.

“Xingfu Garden Apartments—that’s the location the suspects gave for the fake kidney sale. They mentioned having professional doctors and equipment. This is clearly an organized group. They’re sly, though; they didn’t say which building or unit, so we’ll have to investigate first and make sure our undercover is safe,” Cheng Fei addressed the team.

“Yes, sir!” the officers responded in unison.

“Now, pull up the list of all residents and tenants in Xingfu Garden. Go through them one by one,” Cheng Fei ordered.

“Captain.”

“What is it, Qiao Shan?” Cheng Fei turned to her.

“Captain, Fang Wenxuan is too young and doesn’t look like someone desperate enough to sell a kidney for money. He’ll be recognized immediately,” Zheng Qiaoshan pointed out.

“That’s true. So, what should we do?” Cheng Fei asked.

Zheng Qiaoshan walked over to Fang Wenxuan, smiled apologetically, and said, “Sorry, junior.” She reached out and thoroughly messed up his hair.

Fang Wenxuan’s hair was a bit long, and now it fell over his eyes. With his pale skin, he really did look like a shut-in.

“All he needs now is a shabby outfit,” Zheng Qiaoshan said.

Fang Wenxuan glanced at his reflection on his phone, frowning. He was really not used to looking so sloppy, and tried to push his hair aside.

Seeing this, Lin Hui seized the opportunity to needle him again. “Look at that—can’t even handle this. Captain, better switch him out before he blows our whole operation.”

Fang Wenxuan glared at Lin Hui. Why was this guy always trying to get under his skin?

“It’s not even time to go undercover yet. When it is, I won’t fix my hair,” Fang Wenxuan retorted.

“You’d better get used to it now, or you’ll slip up when the time comes,” Lin Hui replied.

“All right, enough bickering over this trivial matter. Let’s get back to the plan,” Cheng Fei said sternly to both of them.

“Captain, since he’s assigned to my team, I’ll make the calls about him,” Lin Hui declared. Without waiting for a reply, he went over and ruffled Fang Wenxuan’s hair even more, so that it completely covered his eyes.

Seeing the usually neat and proper Fang Wenxuan look so disheveled, Lin Hui could barely hold back a laugh. He put on a serious face and said, “We move tonight. As the saying goes, habits formed over ten years are hard to break. Since you volunteered for this role, you’d better get used to it and toughen up.”

Fang Wenxuan clenched his fists silently, said nothing, and left his hair as it was. He sat through the meeting, his hair nearly poking into his eyes, enduring the discomfort.

All the detectives were reviewing files on the residents and tenants of Xingfu Garden Apartments.

Fang Wenxuan noticed something odd in the rental section. One person had rented a 180-square-meter, three-bedroom, three-living-room apartment for a whole year. It was a man, living alone.

That was highly unusual—why would a single person rent such an expensive place? Fang Wenxuan decided to check the man’s records: household registration, work history, and so on.

Suddenly, he saw that the man’s name was Xie Yi. He had once interned as a doctor at the city hospital, but never made it to a permanent position and was now working at a clinic.

With this information, Fang Wenxuan went to Cheng Fei’s office.

After reading the file, Cheng Fei immediately headed for the detectives’ office and told Lin Hui, “Look into this man, but keep it quiet.”

“Yes, sir,” Lin Hui replied and went off to investigate.

Three hours later, Lin Hui returned with a report. “Captain, Xie Yi was an intern at the hospital five years ago. His grades in school and during his internship were all good, but for some reason, he wasn’t selected for a permanent position. Later, he and some classmates opened a clinic about 500 square meters in size, mostly with borrowed money—some even from loan sharks. In recent years, the clinic’s been doing well. He’s bought five properties in the city, two cars, and even built a new house in his hometown. I haven’t interacted with him personally, but according to his patients, he’s not seeing patients today—he has something to do tonight, so other doctors are in charge.”

After listening, Cheng Fei pondered for a moment. “There’s definitely something off. He borrowed so much to open the clinic, and it was a group venture, yet now he owns several prime properties in A City. Hui, tonight you’ll tail Xie Yi. Remember, these people are extremely vigilant. Don’t let them notice you.”

“Captain, this is my specialty. He’s just a doctor—I can handle him. Don’t underestimate me,” Lin Hui replied confidently.

“You cocky brat. Don’t get careless,” Cheng Fei scolded him with a smile.

“Captain, who’s going to protect that little traffic cop?” Lin Hui asked. It was his job originally, but now he had other tasks. Thinking of that timid young officer, Lin Hui felt a pang of annoyance.

“I will,” Cheng Fei replied.

“Good. That’s settled. I’ll get to work now,” Lin Hui said, then left the office.

At eight o’clock that evening, the appointed meeting time, Cheng Fei entered the detectives’ office and addressed everyone with grave authority. “Everyone, stay sharp. Tonight, we’re up against criminals with formidable counter-surveillance skills and multiple offenses to their name. As police officers, our duty is to protect the public and bring evildoers to justice—but also to keep ourselves safe. Understood?”

“Understood!” the officers responded in unison.

Cheng Fei walked up to Fang Wenxuan and asked him seriously, “Fang Wenxuan, you’ll be meeting the suspects without any weapon. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready, Captain,” Fang Wenxuan replied with equal seriousness.

Cheng Fei looked him up and down—hair a wild mess, dressed in a faded factory uniform with its label nearly worn away.

“Wenxuan, where’d you get those clothes?” He Xiaopeng asked.

“Lin Hui got them for me,” Fang Wenxuan answered.

“All right, let’s move out,” Cheng Fei commanded, and everyone took their assigned positions.

Fang Wenxuan, carrying a simple mobile phone, turned it on only after leaving the police station.

He Xiaopeng held a tablet with a red dot marking Fang Wenxuan’s location.

Fang Wenxuan dialed the number.

“Hello… Where are you? To meet… you guys. Actually, I… I don’t want to sell anymore…” He hesitated, his voice trembling with a convincing show of fear.

Ha, this kid’s really getting into character…

Because an undercover listening device had been installed in Fang Wenxuan’s old phone, everyone in the station could hear his call. When Lin Hui heard Fang Wenxuan’s performance, he couldn’t help but stifle a laugh—yet he felt a grudging respect. Now this was acting.