147: Lao Wang is about to change shifts, a major suspect

At noon, Ye Lin and Wang Longxin chose a restaurant to meet. The perch they bought in the morning was cooked by the owner for an extra fee.

The information Wang Longxin and Qi Shan got was similar: out of 5 wet markets, there were a total of 18 fish stalls, all supplied by external vendors.

There were 7 delivery companies in total, most of them private owners who sourced from fish farms and then distributed.

"This afternoon, let's visit these 7 companies together and see if we can find anything," Ye Lin said.

"Brother, I've asked the owners, and there's no such person. Did you miscalculate? Even immortals make mistakes," Wang Longxin mumbled, stuffing a piece of twice-cooked pork into his mouth.

Ye Lin gave him another rap on the head. "Even eating can't shut your mouth."

In the afternoon, the first company Ye Lin chose was Feiteng Fishery, the supplier for the place where they bought fish in the morning.

The company was located in the suburbs of Yuezhou City. The premises were very large, with several cold storage units and four or five box trucks parked in the square.

After hearing their purpose, Manager Wang of the company received them.

"Have you seen this person?" Ye Lin took out the surveillance photo and showed it to Manager Wang.

Manager Wang looked carefully, then shook his head. "He looks a bit like Old Wang in build, but his demeanor is very different."

"Where is Old Wang then?" Wang Longxin asked.

"He went to deliver fish. A client suddenly needed an extra order," Manager Wang explained.

"Is there someone named Xiao Chen here who delivers to Taoyuan Market?"

"Yes, I'll call him over."

Manager Wang was quite cooperative and called Xiao Chen over with a shout.

Indeed, just as the fish stall owner said, he was tall and thin. There was no need to ask; he was definitely not the person in the photo, and his age was also very different.

Ye Lin frowned and casually asked, "I heard Old Wang used to deliver to Taoyuan?"

Xiao Chen was startled. Wasn't he being asked about himself? Why was Old Wang being asked about again?

"Ah, yes, Master Wang told me he didn't want to deliver to wet markets anymore, so he swapped with me."

"Swap? What does he deliver now?" Ye Lin pressed.

"He delivers to hotels and restaurants. He said he couldn't wake up that early, so he let me take over the wet market deliveries," Xiao Chen answered honestly.

"When did you swap?"

"Just a few days ago. He was late one day, and I deducted his pay. He was unhappy and insisted on changing shifts," Manager Wang answered first.

"Police Officer, he's done it several times. I deducted his pay once, and he still had an attitude," Manager Wang complained.

Ye Lin waved his hand to stop him. "You said he was late a few days ago. Which day was that?"

"Huh?" Manager Wang was stunned for a moment. "It seems like last week, oh, it was Monday morning this week, I remember now, it was this Monday, the 12th, in the morning."

The 12th, that was the second day of the incident, the morning after the room was booked.

It matched. Ye Lin subtly looked at Wang Longxin and Qi Shan. Both nodded simultaneously. This person was a major suspect.

"Oh. Then, Manager Wang, do you have any water? We're tired from walking. Can we sit down and rest for a bit? My phone is also out of battery; I'll charge it," Ye Lin closed his notebook, took out his phone, and said apologetically.

"Oh, yes, please sit inside," Manager Wang, though somewhat reluctant, couldn't refuse and led them to the conference room.

On the wall were employee photos. Ye Lin looked closely and found only one person named Wang, Wang Defu.

He had a very ordinary appearance, even a bit ugly, with a large mouth and a somewhat flat nose, not looking particularly shrewd.

Ye Lin asked, "So this is Old Wang? He looks quite young. He doesn't want to work the night shift anymore?"

Manager Wang shook his head and grumbled, "Him? He looks honest, but he's actually full of schemes. He's lazy and loves to eat. I can't even begin to tell you."

Manager Wang poured water for the three of them as he spoke, then sat down with them.

"Manager, you can go about your business. I'll leave after my phone charges," Ye Lin took out his charging cable and plugged in his phone.

"Oh, then you all sit. Call me if you need anything," Manager Wang was eager to leave when he heard he didn't have to stay. Who would want to sit with a few Police Officers? It made him nervous.

"Brother Ye, why pretend your phone is dead? Why not just say we're making an arrest?" Qi Shan asked curiously.

From her perspective, if there was suspicion, they should just apprehend him when he arrived. Why pretend to charge a phone? It seemed unnecessary.

"It's safer. We're criminal Police Officers. Everyone we face is a dangerous individual. This Wang Defu, although he's a swindler, there's no guarantee he won't resist. Our losses are minimized if we catch him by surprise," Ye Lin said.

Qi Shan seemed to half-understand.

Actually, Ye Lin had only recently realized this. In the past, watching movies, he always felt the police weren't brave enough. The criminal would jump, and the police wouldn't follow.

It's important to remember that there are only a few Police Officers, but criminals are endless. Only by protecting themselves can they catch more criminals.

After about twenty minutes, a box truck drove in and parked. A sturdy middle-aged driver jumped out.

Ye Lin's eyes narrowed slightly. This must be Wang Defu. Indeed, just as Manager Wang said, he looked somewhat like the person in the surveillance photo, but also a bit different.

The demeanor, primarily, was very different.

This driver, Wang Defu, seemed more laid-back, while the figure in the surveillance looked more energetic.

Ye Lin whispered, "Let's go. It's time to cast the net. We'll see if this is a real fish or just a lure."

Ye Lin walked out of the office and called out to Manager Wang, "Manager Wang, we're fully charged. Thank you!"

Wang Defu, who was walking inside, froze when he saw the Police Officer. He instinctively took a step back, his whole body tensing up.

This subtle change was caught by Ye Lin's peripheral vision. He continued to exchange pleasantries with Manager Wang without a change in expression.

The three of them walked out with Manager Wang, passing by Wang Defu.

Wang Defu let out a huge sigh of relief. Thankfully, they weren't looking for him. He had been scared to death.

"Wang Defu."

"Huh."

Suddenly, a voice called his name, and Wang Defu instinctively responded.

Then, a chill shot straight to his head. He instinctively wanted to run, but a figure was already standing in front of him, saying coldly,

"Wang Defu, we are from the Xishan District Police Department. You are suspected of being involved in a fraud case. Please come with us."

He turned his head in panic. Behind him were two young Police Officers, a man and a woman, looking at him with stern expressions.

"I..." He wanted to argue something.

Ye Lin directly pulled out handcuffs and snapped them on with a click. "We can discuss it back at the Branch Bureau."

Wang Defu tried to struggle, but Wang Longxin pressed him from behind, rendering him immobile. He obediently followed along.

Manager Wang, standing nearby, was already stunned. Everything was fine, so why were they arresting someone all of a sudden?

"Police Officer, what, what crime did Old Wang commit?" Manager Wang asked in a low voice.