Retrogade Mission

Chapter Three: Interesting People

The detention center in City A is located in the southern suburbs, where hundreds or even thousands of criminals and suspects are held year-round. In addition to criminals with shorter sentences and serious offenders awaiting death penalty review, suspects detained for trial are also temporarily kept here.

Zuo Luo used his ID card and fingerprints, accompanied by a prison guard, to pass through countless iron gates and walk to the barbershop outside the detention center.

Outside the barbershop, a tall woman, about 1.73 meters tall, stood facing the barbershop. She was dressed the same as Zuo Luo, in a black suit, white shirt, and a blue ID badge on her chest. She held a large bag of files in her left hand, unconsciously patting her thigh with the files, seemingly lost in deep thought.

Zuo Luo walked over to the woman and stood beside her, looking into the barbershop where a young man was getting a haircut. A criminal could only have one hairstyle, but this man was just getting a haircut, indicating he was merely a suspect whose freedom had been restricted, and the court had not yet found him guilty.

Xu Xuan glanced at Zuo Luo, then turned back to the barbershop: "What? Interested?"

Zuo Luo didn't even look at Xu Xuan, and said, "Group One wants everything. The best special police unit, the best office conditions, the best decorations, even your cars are the best in the entire bureau. One car can buy the official cars of seven bureau chiefs."

Xu Xuan said, "Old classmate, you'll never be a match for me when it comes to stealing things. From elementary school to university, I've always been the class monitor, and you've always been the vice class monitor. Back then, I warned you not to listen to Liu Mo's nonsense about joining Group Seven. You know our boss values you highly and tried countless ways to get you here. Later, he found out that your father and Director Ma had a life-or-death friendship, so he gave up."

Zuo Luo didn't answer, but asked, "Do you want it?"

"I came here today to pick him up. If you want it, you can have it."

"Don't use interrogation tactics. If you had made up your mind, you wouldn't still be standing here."

"Say what you want," Xu Xuan replied indifferently. "Let's talk business. What makes you interested in him?"

Zuo Luo said, "Because there's only one left. And you, why are you paying attention to him?"

"This person is very interesting."

"Oh? This is the second time I've heard people say he's interesting today. What's so interesting about him?"

Xu Xuan said, “He has no criminal record and is a dual citizen. He hasn’t renounced his original citizenship and holds an ID card from his original country. The British police started investigating him two years ago. Since high school, he has been an assistant to the most famous private detective in London. About a year after graduating from university, this private detective passed away, and he opened his own private detective agency. Logically speaking, a detective agency run by a young man wouldn’t have much business, but he is an exception. He takes on at least thirty cases a year, mostly from overseas: Hungary, Bulgaria, the United States, France, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Belarus… The British police investigation found that the clients were likely fabricated or did not exist. But he did receive payments in his account.”

Zuo Luo said, "They use commissions as a cover to carry out illegal activities around the world, and use verbal agreements such as commission fees and professional practices of keeping client information confidential to launder money."

Xu Xuan said, "The British police share your view and initially suspect that he is involved in the global trade of stolen art. The value of stolen art exceeds six billion US dollars every year, and with a large number of private collectors, it is a very profitable industry. However, the fame of the artworks makes it difficult to sell them. He is also a philanthropist, transferring all the money in his account to a charity in Africa every month. It has been found that this charity only has an orphanage with thirty children."

“The person who manages the money in the gang is usually a key member,” Zuo Luo asked. “How was he arrested?”

"Didn't you look at the file?"

Zuo Luo said, "I heard you're kidnapping people, do you think I have time to watch?"

"Hehe, why be so hostile, old classmate? I'm just better than you in everything." Xu Xuan said, "The police station received a report that someone was buying and selling cultural relics at the hotel. When they investigated, they found him there. He confessed that he didn't intend to buy them, but he had heard that there were cultural relics, so he accepted the invitation to admire them. The seller confessed that he liked him, so he let him admire the cultural relics he had stolen."

"Can the judge believe that?"

Xu Xuan said, "This person is a bit special. If the seller sticks to his story, he may not be able to be convicted under the law. He delayed going to court for a month because the prosecutor felt that he couldn't get him or prosecute him. The British really want to convict him and then use the tainted witness method to make him confess to his crimes. The British believe that he should be a member of some gang."

Zuo Luo asked, "If they can't be convicted, why not release them?"

"Because he hired a stupid lawyer who didn't realize some things, which the prosecutor found quite unbelievable. The lawyer tried to explain to him that he should plead guilty so that his sentence could be reduced. But he didn't agree and wanted the lawyer to argue that he was innocent. The lawyer told him that he couldn't see the seller, and as soon as the seller relented, his conviction would be established. There was also unfavorable evidence: he was carrying 200,000 RMB in cash that day."

Zuo Luo pondered for a moment: "According to this, this person may be convicted, or he may not."

"Yes, that's all the evidence. It all depends on how the court tries it. The prosecutor wasn't sure, so he asked him if he was willing to join the Mercury retrograde plan. I guess he was a little nervous, but he agreed after being persuaded by his lawyer. He'll be on probation for three years. If he escapes, an arrest warrant can be issued."

"It's really interesting that someone who's been around the world ended up capsizing here."

"That's right. He's no stranger to his own country. He was an abandoned child who grew up in an orphanage in City A. The orphanage was run by a British man. When he was about to graduate from junior high school, this British man helped him get adopted so he could study in the UK. When he came of age, he chose British citizenship. However, he returned to his own country, got an ID card, but did not cancel his household registration. He became an illegal dual citizen."

"It seems that a gang is not only using orphanages to launder money, but also to recruit people."

"Orphans are a good tool for them."

At this point, the man in the barbershop stood up, looked at himself in the mirror for a long time, and was very satisfied with his hairstyle. Since he had not yet been convicted, he was dressed in casual clothes, but today he was wearing a suit. Although they were both suits, it was clear at a glance that ten suits on Zuo Luo's body wouldn't be enough to buy one of his.

Xu Xuan said, "According to the rules, all his accounts have been frozen. During his time as a police consultant, he receives a monthly living allowance of five to twenty thousand yuan. Also, his phone is a customized one; all conversations are recorded. Additionally, there's a GPS watch in his file; if he leaves City A without permission, he'll become a fugitive. Everything is in the file." Xu Xuan kindly informed Zuo Luo of some things he might have overlooked.