Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 105: Seizure of Evidence (Fourth update, seeking monthly pass)

Feng Jun truly hesitated for a moment before calling the police.

If the incident had happened by accident, he believed he was completely in the right, but if someone had intentionally tried to harm him, then after the police got involved and various connections came into play, he could very likely find himself in a highly disadvantageous position.

This isn’t about deliberately smearing anyone; it’s just all too common for outsiders in any city to find themselves in such situations.

Take Feng Jun, for example, who had encountered locals like Liu Shuming who were completely unreasonable.

So he first made a call to Wang Haifeng, although he had intended to call Sister Hong, as she was the best at handling such matters.

However, they weren’t that close, even if she had shown goodwill towards him last time, but that was for the sake of Xia Xiaoyu.

As a grown man, Feng Jun couldn’t possibly keep asking a woman for help over and over again.

But in the end, it was Sister Hong who stepped in—Wang Haifeng had asked her to come forward.

ZhangWeihong didn’t say anything else; she simply asked, “My friend was practicing qigong there, why did they have to shoot arrows?”

The first two arrows were just a minor detail, although also crucial, but more importantly, Sister Hong made her stance clear.

Without her gesture, Feng Jun could have very likely received the “outsider treatment,” but with the support of a local influential figure, he could expect relative fairness.

The reason Feng Jun called Wang Haifeng was to seek fairness—he didn’t aim high and didn’t expect others to take sides with him.

In fact, when the police decided to handle the case fairly, the truth instantly came to light.

The man with the triangular scraper wasn’t anyone else but Xiao Liu from the information consulting company, who had sought Teacher Mao’s help, and Teacher Mao had in turn reached out to a fellow enthusiast.

Xiao Liu, who made a living as a private detective, knew the severity of the matter; after running into a major snag, he had hoped Jubaozhai would step in to protect him, but with Wang Haifeng and Hongjie Company intervening, things quickly became complicated.

The owner of the information consulting company was also alarmed; if the issue wasn’t handled properly, his company might even risk losing its license. Therefore, he rushed to the police station immediately, insisting that Xiao Liu must tell the whole truth.

For Xiao Liu, if he stubbornly held his ground, he would not only make an enemy of his boss but also risk a heavy sentence, and all he would get in return was the “possible” friendship from Jubaozhai—which, of course, might not exist at all.

If the lid was blown off, he wasn’t really to blame; he was simply someone whose judgment was clouded by profit and who was taken advantage of.

So he confessed everything quite straightforwardly and even stated that it was Wang Weimin who had first tempted him with a hefty reward.

Once he opened his mouth, Wang Weimin had no way to deny it, not to mention the Penglai Grand Hotel’s guest rooms still had cameras installed. Xiao Liu had no grudge against Feng Jun—why would he go out of his way to surveil him after being well-fed and bored?

Xiao Lin from the engineering department was also implicated. This chap, known for his bad temper, was summoned by the police, and he actually still made a face, acting as if he didn’t care about anyone else.

Unfortunately for him, Penglai Grand Hotel immediately disassociated themselves from him—he was merely an employee they had hired. Actions like surveilling guests were entirely his own decision and had nothing to do with the hotel.

Penglai Hotel even expressed their willingness to actively cooperate with the police action and exert their utmost effort to mitigate the impact this incident had caused.

Just as Sister Hong had treated Liu Shuming before, the hotel did the same to Xiao Lin.

When Xiao Lin realized no one would protect him, he also panicked, especially since the police kept him from contacting his parents. He felt like he had been abandoned by the whole world and immediately collapsed, confessing everything in detail.

It’s true what they say: the issues with spoiled children are all a result of indulgence. When they realize that their “small mistake” is no longer something their parents can shield them from, they immediately revert to their true selves.

However, no matter what, his crimes were not so severe; the worst offenders were the two archers.

The question Sister Hong initially asked was indeed crucial: Why did you decide to make a move on Feng Jun as soon as you saw him?

The two archers couldn’t give a direct answer.

But the police didn’t need their answer; they had seen too many such petty tricks.

Criminals who don’t hesitate to strike are not only able to weaken the opposition’s fighting ability but, most importantly, can effectively intimidate the victim and thereby increase the success rate of the crime—”We’re desperadoes, don’t believe us? Try resisting again and see what happens.” Specific to this case, it meant that the two had intended to cripple Feng Jun from the start.

Such methods were the most abhorred by the police. If you’re robbing someone, just do it, but to injure or even maim someone before the robbery was adding trouble for them, wasn’t it?

Robbery is undoubtedly a heinous crime, but there are also many robberies each year that remain unsolved. However, injuring the victim before the robbery significantly increases the police pressure.

The behavior of the two archers during the robbery gave the police reason to suspect that they might be repeat offenders.

The investigation of the case had reached a point where the logic was clear, the chain of evidence very distinct, and the witness testimonies quite complete. Essentially, nothing more was needed to make a determination.

However, it was with great regret that the main suspect, Wang Weimin, had fled!

The moment he realized something was amiss, he decisively took off, and the police missed capturing him by a step.

Without catching the mastermind, the case had to be dragged on. It was baffling how the police, instead, started asking Feng Jun, “Where did this money come from, and where did the jade come from?”

As for the money’s origin, Feng Jun wasn’t afraid to explain; it was payment from Henglong Company, and there were bank officials who could testify to that.

Regarding where the jade came from? Sorry, no comment!

The police couldn’t force Feng Jun to reveal this, as it was not within their powers; jade is not like currency, not printed, hence his three million yuan had to have a reasonable explanation, or else it would be suspected as a huge amount of money with an unclear origin.

But the jade did not have this problem—it existed objectively in nature and could, metaphorically speaking, pop out of a crack in rocks just like Sun Wukong. And wasn’t that precisely how jade was taken from rocks?

In theory, Feng Jun could have casually found jade anywhere and was not obligated to explain how he acquired it.

The police had no right to force him to disclose the origin of the jade, but they had other methods, such as confiscating the four pieces of jade as evidence, believing they couldn’t charge the suspect without it.

This action was truly unreasonable. Feng Jun expressed his inability to accept it, “I still need that jade. It wasn’t taken by the robbers, but nowit’s seized by you, the police?”

“Watch your words,” one officer said unhappily, pointing at him, “We are protecting the evidence.”

“Pfft,” Wang Haifeng snorted with disdain, “Just afraid that after all your protection, you won’t be able to return the items to Xiao Feng.”

Such incidents were all too common—these days, the credibility of the police was indeed poor. Very often, when items were seized by the police, they returned to the owners either completely changed or having mysteriously disappeared.

The more Coach Wang spoke, the angrier he became, “Tell me, how much money do you want before you stop confiscating my friend’s property?”

This was the crux of the matter; the police’s seizure of the jade didn’t really serve a significant purpose. In the end, it seemed they were eyeing Feng Jun as a passing God of Wealth, and it felt wasteful not to extort a sum from him for their overtime work this late at night.

However, such cause and effect were better understood privately; speaking of it openly was too reckless.

No wonder Coach Wang’s father and brother were always worried about him. Sometimes, he really acted too impulsively.

The police were also embarrassed and at a loss for words. If they hadn’t known about Wang Haifeng’s background, they might have even taught him a lesson —how dare he blatantly challenge them, was he looking for trouble?

After a while, an officer finally snorted and spoke officiously, “We told you, this is evidence. You think having money is everything? If you are so powerful, why don’t you buy the Tianan Sect?”

“Your mom, you’re just a junior inspector…” Coach Wang was filled with righteous indignation, and swear words started to spill out of his mouth. At that moment, he seemed even more victimized than Feng.

It was Feng who spoke out to stop him, “Alright, Coach Wang, if they want to confiscate it, let’s call Li Qjang over as a witness, and we could even get a show out of it.”

Unmoved, the officers scoffed internally. A show? You’re thinking too much… Whether it’s the television or radio, who dares to meddle in the police’s work? In fact, news exposure no longer had the deterrent power it once did. Not just the police, but even many private capitals no longer regarded the former uncrowned king of media with respect—as long as the relevant leaders didn’t speak up, media oversight meant nothing.

The reverse was also true. No matter how good your relationship with the media, if the leaders wanted to deal with you, there was no escape. Most media that were on good terms with you wouldn’t even dare to voice an injustice on your behalf.

Wang Haifeng knew this too and sighed helplessly, “I think the ‘Today in Zhengyang’ segment might not dare to take this risk.”

The viewership rates of “Today in Zhengyang” in Zhengyang City were still quite good. The segment featured hot news investigations, legal education, strange tales, and various community services like notifications of temporary power outages and road construction information.

“Today in Zhengyang?” someone muttered softly not far away. In an era when television was fading, Today in Zhengyang was still a significant segment for Zhengyang TV Station, though of course, they did not know Li Qjang was just an ordinary employee.

However, some were skeptical. In the eyes of a few officers, undisguised contempt was evident.

Would Today in Zhengyang dare to come? Even if they were bold enough, would the segment be aired?

However, Feng smiled and said, “There’s no risk. It’s just a regular case. Reporting on it isn’t smearing anyone.”

Hearing this, someone came forward and actively negotiated with the police, hoping they would not confiscate Feng’s items.

The officers weren’t convinced, and the person then pulled a policeman aside to negotiate privately.

Watching this scene unfold, Wang Haifeng felt a bit puzzled, “Who is that, speaking up for you?”

(Four updates have arrived; the last three hours for double rewards are calling for your monthly tickets.)