Chapter 2164: Chapter 2164: 2165: Lin Yi's Guess

Upon being confronted by Zhang Zixin, both Li Hao and Zhou Min’s expressions turned uglier than if they had eaten shit.

Ma Xinglong and Xu Jun fared slightly better, but still lost face to some extent.

“We just didn’t expect her to be so tough,” they defended.

“Then you should learn more about interrogation techniques from my Lin Bro,” Zhang Zixin suggested. “These are essential skills for our line of work.”

“Alright.”

Gu Yiran stopped Zhang Zixin, “Our goal is to properly handle this case; it doesn’t matter who is in charge.”

Although Gu Yiran was only a few years older than Zhang Zixin, he was obviously much more mature.

He was a little shrewder when it came to social and human affairs.

“That makes sense,” said Ma Xinglong.

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“It’s getting late. Get on with the operation; this kind of thing can’t be delayed.”

In order to prevent the conflict from worsening, Ma Xinglong smoothed things over and sent people on their way.

Six people took two cars and drove towards Victory Village.

Li Hao and Zhang Min took one car, while the remaining four, led by Lin Yi, took another.

“Damn!”

Li Hao cursed while leading the way, clearly still angry about what had happened earlier.

“Brother Hao, calm down,” Zhou Min advised.

“That Lin Yi used unconventional methods to get information out of Wu Jinyu. If we did the same, we could have gotten answers too. There’s no need to be angry.”

“But I’m annoyed that the kid outsmarted us. Just thinking about it pisses me off.”

“I understand how you feel, but being angry is pointless now,” Zhou Min reasoned.

“Besides, Wu Jinyu doesn’t significantly affect the case anymore. The most critical place is still Victory Village. If we handle it well, we can still outshine them. After all, our overall capabilities are above theirs. Even all four of them together don’t match up to the two of us.”

“Damn it, let them gloat for now. When we get to Victory Village, I’ll show them what ability is!”

In the car behind, the atmosphere was more relaxed.

However, Zhang Zixin was still unhappy.

“Ji Qingyan, why didn’t you let me give them a piece of my mind? They’re all so full of themselves, even trying to boss my Lin Bro around without looking at themselves.”

“Their leader was there, what was the point of antagonizing them?” Gu Yiran pointed out.

“Besides, we’re working on their turf. We still need their help with many things. If we sour relationships, we can forget about the case.”

“I think Lin Bro’s ability is enough, even without their help, to handle the case.”

“He does have that ability, but can you rely on him forever? All this is something you need to learn,” Gu Yiran emphasized.

“Unless you’ve got his skills; otherwise, you need to follow the rules.”

Zhang Zixin thought it over and felt there was truth in Gu Yiran’s words.

“But I’m just annoyed thinking about Li Hao acting like he’s the boss when we reach Victory Village. His smug face irks me.”

“Being annoyed is useless,” Gu Yiran said. “Life isn’t always as free and easy as you’d like it to be. The current situation is the norm.”

“Ji Qingyan is right,” said Zhang Peng.

“I think Lin Bro stayed quiet earlier because he just didn’t bother with them. If that Li Hao keeps acting arrogant later on, he’ll be in for a rude awakening.”

“You make it sound like I enjoy bullying people.”

“But I think that people like them need to be put in their place by someone like Lin Bro.”

Lin Yi nonchalantly waved his hand, clearly not taking the matter to heart.

“They’re just rotten fish and shrimp, not worth our attention.”

“Learn from your Lin Bro and be more open-minded,” Gu Yiran suggested as she brushed her hair. “Their behavior is nothing more than a display of insecurity, wanting to prove that they’re stronger than us.”

After listening to the two of them, Zhang Zixin felt their points were very valid and smugly agreed.

“Alright, let’s drop the subject. We’re almost there. Review the information on the children and start asking around in the village.”

“Got it.”

Around five in the afternoon, they all arrived in Victory Village and drove into the village’s narrow lanes.

Although located in one of China’s wealthiest provinces, the village had a slightly dilapidated feel.

Only a few houses were made of brick; the rest were simpler.

There was only one paved road; the rest were murky dirt tracks.

It was bearable when dry, but once it rained, it became impassable.

As Lin Yi and the others drove in, the villagers sitting outside chatting cast curious glances their way, trying to figure out what these strangers were here for.

After parking in the village, the six got out of their cars. Li Hao with a stony face addressed Lin Yi’s group,

“We’ve sent the photos of the victims to your phones. Start by asking around each household, then look for that car and any other clues.”

Gu Yiran nodded perfunctorily, and the two groups split up, heading in different directions through the village.

Lin Yi’s group also divided into two pairs.

Lin Yi took Zhang Zixin, and Gu Yiran took Zhang Peng, to search for clues to the case.

“Lin Bro, are we just going to wander around the village? Shouldn’t we ask someone about the situation?” Zhang Zixin asked curiously.

“We definitely need to ask around, but there’s no rush,” Lin Yi responded.

“Do you have another idea? You’ve been looking around—what are you searching for?”

“I’m thinking about why they would bring the children here in the first place.”

“It must be for trafficking. Without the incentive of profit, no one would do such a thing,” Zhang Zixin said confidently.

“Such crimes are common in villages like this. I believe the clues are sound.”

“But think about it, for such a job, they paid 200,000 yuan upfront. Such a large sum suggests the expectation of even higher profits. But looking at this village, who could afford that much money?”

Suddenly, Zhang Zixin grasped Lin Yi’s point and began to consider it seriously.

“Could the clues be wrong? Are the children not brought here?”

“That can’t be said for sure; the clues didn’t come from nowhere,” Lin Yi observed the surroundings as he spoke.

“I’m wondering if this place could be a transit point. They bring people here before shipping them off elsewhere.”

Zhang Zixin shuddered at the thought, feeling a cold and terrifying sensation.

“If that’s the case, the culprits are playing with high stakes. They’d deserve more than just execution for this.”

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