met free Chapter 38 Huang Zhicheng's Doomsday Countdown
Chapter 38 Huang Zhicheng's Doomsday Countdown
"Inspector Wong, Inspector Luk, thank you for your hard work."
When a chief inspector and a senior inspector who was about to be promoted came to report to him, Shen Shaofeng quickly lowered his stance.
Huang Qifa put away his usual playful demeanor, nodded, opened the folder in his hand, and coughed twice:
"We retrieved the communication records and duty logs from that year, and re-interrogated the officers who might have known about the incident that night."
"On the night of Ni Kun's murder in 1992, from 21:03 to 22:37, Huang Zhicheng's personal communication records show that he dialed the same number three times, with each call lasting no more than one minute. Reviewing the records revealed that during all three calls, the number was near a certain base station in Tsim Sha Tsui..."
In 1992, wireless communication on Hong Kong Island mainly used first-generation analog signals. Every time a call was made, a record would be left at the base station controller and the mobile switching center—including the caller and called numbers, call duration, and which base station was used, etc.
As long as the police present valid documentation, the telecommunications company can provide the police with records of a specific number through paper call logs or by retrieving billing tapes from the main unit.
However, since the communication equipment at that time did not have built-in GPS, positioning relied entirely on triangulation, which could only locate the base station and could not pinpoint the specific building or unit as in the digital communication era.
Lu Qichang frowned and continued, "We checked Han Chen and Mary's property registrations and found that Mary rented a unit near that base station, which she usually uses for business matters..."
Shen Shaofeng asked, "So, the number Huang Zhicheng dialed most likely belongs to Mary?"
"Yes, although it's not registered under a real name, based on our subsequent analysis of the number's call records, it's quite likely."
Huang Qifa turned to another page and continued, "We found the two paparazzi who were in charge of surveillance back then. They reported that around 20:55 that night, Huang Zhicheng called them on his walkie-talkie, saying that he had received a tip that there was a suspected house raid and looting, and asked them to retreat to two blocks away to observe. They only rushed back to the scene after hearing gunshots."
"This instruction was not recorded in any written form, and Ah Huang... Huang Zhicheng did not report it to me either."
As Lu Qichang said this, he slapped his thigh hard.
"The two paparazzi said that they thought it was a tip from Inspector Wong alone, and they carried it out out of trust. In their report afterward, they wrote that they had temporarily left their post to buy cigarettes, as requested by Wong Chi-shing. Wong Chi-shing also kept his promise and took good care of their work arrangements."
Shen Shaofeng immediately interjected, "And what about these two paparazzi now?"
"Don't worry, everything has been arranged. They won't, and wouldn't dare, reveal any information to Huang Zhicheng."
Li Wenbin tapped the coffee table lightly: "In other words, Huang Zhicheng transferred the police officers who were supposed to be closely monitoring Ni Kun before the incident. Also, Huang Zhicheng apparently had a phone call with Han Chen's wife on the night of the incident. Finally, after Ni Kun's death, Han Chen was one of the biggest beneficiaries, enjoying Ni Yongxiao's deep trust..."
This can no longer be explained by mere coincidence.
Lu Qichang sighed, lit a cigarette, leaned his head back on the sofa, and smoked silently.
He genuinely considered Huang Zhicheng a brother, but he never imagined that Huang Zhicheng would knowingly break the law.
Huang Qifa was also embarrassed, since the person belonged to their West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit, and if something happened, he, as the deputy head, would also be held responsible.
He forced himself to stay alert and continued his report: "Based on our covert investigations of several hotels, guesthouses, and clubs in Tsim Sha Tsui, we found that Wong Chi-shing and Mary have met privately on numerous occasions over the past few years."
"Although most of the video recordings of the closed circuits have been erased, we had some front desk staff identify the photos, and they all clearly identified Huang Zhicheng and Mary..."
"However, there is nothing wrong with Huang Zhicheng's bank statements, and his personal spending level does not significantly exceed the normal range for an inspector-level police officer."
Although Shen Shaofeng already knew this, he still pretended to be slightly surprised: "I didn't expect that this Inspector Huang and Han Chen are really good friends. They share the good times together."
"Shaofeng, let's get to the point!"
Li Wenbin looked at his two colleagues from the Major Crimes Unit, whose faces were extremely grim, and made a decision: "The facts are already very clear. I suggest we report it to the Internal Investigation Department."
Li Wenbin's decision was procedurally reasonable, but Shen Shaofeng immediately raised his hand to stop him:
"Li Sir, wait!"
All three eyes immediately focused on him.
Shen Shaofeng stood up, walked quickly to the whiteboard, and drew a simple relationship diagram.
"Li Sir, Huang Sir, Luk Sir, I think it's too risky to take action against Wong Chi-shing now."
He drew a thick line between Huang Zhicheng, Han Chen, and Mary, and put an X over Ni Yongxiao.
"First, if we take action against Huang Zhicheng now, Han Chen and his wife will immediately know that the police are investigating Ni Kun's death. Given Han Chen's cautious nature, he will immediately cut off all contact with Huang Zhicheng and destroy any possible evidence."
"According to intelligence, Ni Yongxiao is a family man who values his family highly. If he finds out that Huang Zhicheng was involved in the assassination of his father, it is hard to say what he might do."
"Although Wong Chi-shing is suspected of being a corrupt cop, we are police officers, and we cannot allow gangsters to retaliate against him, right?"
In fact, Shen Shaofeng didn't care whether Huang Zhicheng lived or died.
He even considered anonymously revealing the inside story of Ni Kun's murder to Ni Yongxiao if necessary, so that he would take action against Han Chen and his wife and Huang Zhicheng earlier than in the original plot, and then find an opportunity to bring Ni Yongxiao down on charges of murder.
But Huang Qifa had unexpectedly come to their door earlier, and they had taken the opportunity to implicate Huang Zhicheng and turn the tables on them. Now that the West Kowloon side had already investigated to this extent, this move was no longer necessary.
To get to Ni Yongxiao, the best approach is to raid his drug den and catch him red-handed to maximize the benefits.
Firstly, Shen Shaofeng genuinely wanted to combat drugs; secondly, Cai Sir had promised him a promotion to senior inspector next year, so he needed to work harder.
Li Wenbin frowned, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
Shen Shaofeng turned around, his gaze calmly meeting that of the two officers from the Major Crimes Unit: "Secondly, Huang Zhicheng has been with the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit for so many years, what useful information could he possibly have for gangsters?"
He paused, then said, word by word, "Police deployment, informant lists, even undercover information!"
The last four words made Lu Qichang's expression change drastically, and he almost dropped the cigarette in his hand.
"You mean, Ah Huang, he..."
"I'm just speculating, but Sir Luk, Sir Wong, think about it. If Wong Chi-shing is really a corrupt cop, he couldn't have climbed to his current position just by colluding with Han Chen and providing each other with a little bit of credit."
"According to police regulations, every official inspector has the authority to recruit undercover agents. If I were Wong Chi-shing, I would certainly have more than one undercover agent working for me. If necessary, it would be reasonable to betray that undercover agent for greater benefits, wouldn't it?"