Fog City Detective

Chapter 18: Translation

After turning right for about ten meters, there was a large iron gate of a printing factory. The gate opened, allowing the car to enter the printing factory directly.

Liu Zhen instructed Liang Xi to park on the side. Liang Xi and Liu Zhen got out of the car, and Liang Xi noticed that it was a command center. In the middle was an open meeting room with equipment tables, and a short-haired girl was operating a computer. Various electronic devices were scattered around her. On both sides, a few police officers gathered, speaking quietly. They were dressed in bulletproof vests and tactical pants, with handguns at their waists. Tactical helmets, assault rifles, shotguns, and other weapons were placed on the tables.

Liu Zhen instructed, "Find a place to sit. There's water in the fridge, help yourself." Seeing Liang Xi's calm expression in this situation, Liu Zhen thought Liang Xi was an experienced translator and didn't waste time on formalities, busying herself with her own tasks.

"Okay."

Liang Xi activated his detective skills to assess who was in the room. From the equipment, it didn't meet MI5 standards, but it was better equipped than an ordinary detective team. Apart from the technical staff, the short-haired girl, everyone else wore bulletproof vests, and weapons were within arm's reach. Therefore, Liang Xi deduced they were SFO (Specialist Firearms Officer). They could be either an anti-terrorism team, a drug enforcement team, or a customs special unit.

Having undergone firearms training, ordinary police officers on field duty were called AFO (Armed Firearms Officer). SFO referred to specialized attack-type police officers, generally used to handle high-risk cases, hostage situations, and counter-terrorism needs. Unlike special forces, SFO also performed functions such as investigation, reconnaissance, planning, etc., making them an independent and heavily armed group. Within SFO, there was a subgroup known as CTSFO (Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer), equivalent to the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, the highest-level police combat unit. In the UK, only MI5 and MI6 were equipped with CTSFO teams.

A man walked over with a bulletproof vest, saying, "Take off your jacket, hands up."

Before Liang Xi could react, the bulletproof vest was already on him, and the man left.

Hey! Brother, is there a mistake? His hourly rate is 80 pounds, not 800 pounds. This shouldn't be a job that requires wearing a bulletproof vest. Wearing a bulletproof vest indicates the likelihood of getting shot, and regardless of the probability, Liang Xi was not willing.

The lighting here was uneven, with patches of brightness and darkness. Liang Xi hadn't adapted to the environment yet. He tried to communicate with the nearest police officer, "Excuse me, where is Inspector Liu Zhen?"

"Sit down for now." The person didn't even look at Liang Xi, continuing to smoke a cigar while cleaning his gun.

Fortunately, Liu Zhen returned quickly, leading Liang Xi to a well-lit area. Two men stood by the table with assault rifles on their backs. Liu Zhen introduced, "Beck, Owen."

They shook hands, and Liang Xi's hand felt a bit sore. Liu Zhen explained Liang Xi's job. They had previously secretly arrested a suspect involved in drug trafficking. The suspect revealed that there would be a transaction tomorrow at dawn at a warehouse near the coal docks of the Thames River in Bow Bay. The suspect claimed that he could go to the transaction with Liu Zhen, but Liu Zhen didn't trust him.

Liu Zhen explained, "His name is Wang Shuang. Due to a traffic accident, the patrol discovered his car, and under the back seat cushion, they found a large quantity of flour. We are not clear about Wang Shuang's background, only know that he is of Chinese descent from Hungary. We cannot be sure if the other party in the early morning transaction also has Chinese people, and we are concerned that Wang Shuang might communicate with them in dialect. Various possibilities exist, and we need to consider everything thoroughly when planning the operation, so we need a translator to supervise this transaction."

Liang Xi felt like crying; he had said that something was off. Since Liu Zhen, who was so fluent in Chinese, was involved, why did they still need a translator? Liang Xi didn't understand dialects or anything; he was just here to make some money. Logically speaking, there are no people nowadays who only speak dialects.

Liang Xi forced himself to remain calm, asking, "Which dialect?"

If it was Minnan or Cantonese, he could manage. Liang Xi's father liked listening to and singing Minnan and Cantonese songs, so he knew a few words. Moreover, some words were close to standard Chinese and could be guessed. However, if it was Teochew or Hakka, his Japanese vocabulary would be more useful.

Liu Zhen shook her head, "Unclear, just a precaution. Follow Beck, and he will ensure your safety. Your job is to listen to their conversation and inform Beck if you notice anything unusual. To prevent alerting the suspects, our backup will arrive at the scene one minute later and take two minutes to reach the location."

Liang Xi said, "It's best to have visuals, like Teochew or Hakka. Not only do they have dialects, but they also use specific gestures." There was no choice; he had to use his detective ability to compensate for his lie.

Liu Zhen replied, "You can directly see the entire transaction process."

Liang Xi was surprised, "You're not going to make me participate in the transaction, right?"

Liu Zhen said, "Of course not. Nowadays, drug traffickers are becoming more cunning; they carry and use signal jammers during transactions. You and Beck need to infiltrate the warehouse first; we have already chosen a position. You can observe the entire transaction process and hear their conversation on the second floor of the warehouse. Beck will carry a satellite phone to contact us; the satellite phone won't be affected by jammers."

The signal jammer carried by the drug traffickers aims to prevent undercover operations and internal conflicts among criminals. Your phone won't work, radios can't be used, and neither video nor audio can be transmitted. Therefore, external parties cannot know the progress of the transaction, providing a certain level of security for illegal activities. The satellite phone operates in a broad frequency range, from 300 megahertz to 3 gigahertz, making it nearly impossible to interfere with or block.

In addition to the team of Beck and Liang Xi, Liu Zhen will lead another group to ambush nearby. Owen and another officer will accompany Wang Shuang as a rider, acting as if they were part of the deal. Originally, the plan did not include the team of Beck and Liang Xi, but Liu Zhen added this team at the last minute to prevent any unexpected moves by Wang Shuang.

After explaining the plan, Liu Zhen apologized, "Time is tight, and we can't determine the dialect the other party may know, nor can we find a suitable translator. Therefore, we can only ask for your assistance."

To be honest with Liu Zhen, objectively speaking, there were no other translators available. At least Liang Xi understood some Cantonese and Minnan. Since he had deceived them, he had to take responsibility. Although it might lead the team into a difficult situation because of him, after learning that he could visually and audibly monitor the situation, Liang Xi had confidence in himself.

The reason Liang Xi did not reveal the whole truth to Liu Zhen had several factors. Firstly, Liu Zhen's team didn't have better options. Secondly, Liang Xi had confidence in himself. The third and most crucial reason was that Liu Zhen's team was a valuable judicial resource that could potentially indirectly help him investigate John's death. The final reason was that Liang Xi didn't want to lose this job.

Beck, a blond and muscular man, patted Liang Xi on the shoulder and shook hands, saying, "No problem, I'll protect your safety." Seeing Liang Xi's uneasy expression, Beck thought Liang Xi was concerned about his safety. He was completely mistaken because when a person is impoverished to a certain extent, safety is definitely not the top priority.

Fortunately, Liang Xi had seen the world and had a bold personality. Encouraged by Beck, Liang Xi extended his hand and shook hands with him.