National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 651 - 595 Undercover Group

Chapter 651: Chapter 595 Undercover Group

"Our goal in this trip isn’t to arrest people, or to look for criminal evidence," Captain Jiang explained. "We’re just joining this budget tour to experience what it’s like with the ’black guide,’ the tourist restaurants, the shopping stores, and so on. Our focus is on experience, and moreover, don’t reveal your identities to avoid arousing their suspicion."

Jiang Yuan organized an undercover group of 30 people, which included him, Tan Jing, and Zhou Ta, bringing the total to 33 people.

The gathering spot was a courtyard near Siningshan owned by the Jiang Family.

Everyone arrived early out of respect and with great interest.

The courtyard was spacious, with plenty of space to sit, but police officers, being disciplined, naturally formed three loose lines.

Tan Jing, seeing this, couldn’t help but frown and said jovially, "We can stand a bit more casually, and loosen up our mood too. Let’s treat it like a normal tourism activity."

"Let’s consider it a team-building exercise then," Jiang Yuan said with a smile. He had also changed into a T-shirt and sports pants and put on a cap.

In deference to Jiang Yuan, everyone slightly shifted their positions and then formed into even looser lines.

"Now then, Tang Jia, you take the lead and adjust the group," Jiang Yuan called out the name of the female officer.

"You got it," Tang Jia replied with an exaggerated Beijing accent, then turned and smiled, "Alright folks, listen up—let’s alternate people in the two lines, every other one."

"Where do we start alternating?" someone began to move, then confusion ensued.

Tang Jia giggled and said, "Just switch randomly. Now, let’s start switching front and back..."

Her somewhat chaotic direction did help to loosen up the group.

Jiang Yuan looked towards Tan Jing and asked, "Director Tan, what do you think?"

"It’s fine, I guess," Tan Jing wiped sweat from his brow, feeling it was all rather pointless but was too polite to say so.

Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, was quite satisfied. Even though Wu Junhao’s Bald Strike Team was now donning body-hugging T-shirts or shirts showing off their physiques, carrying small bags as if they were ready for anything, and young people like Wang Chuanxing and Mu Zhiyang were in sportswear looking lively as if ready to work overtime. Even Meng Chengbiao, despite being the oldest at over 40, did not look like the usual tourist group material...

But at least, the three female officers—Tang Jia, Dong Bing, and Gao Yuyan—had now changed into ordinary clothes and makeup, appearing very much like average people.

Most importantly, who would imagine this bunch was entirely made up of cops?

And even more crucially, what would it matter if they were found out?

With this generous sentiment, everyone’s demeanor became exceptionally relaxed. They swung their arms and walked towards the parking lot at the base of Siningshan.

Jiang Yuan chose the cheapest day trip, just 35 yuan per person for two meals, with the bus only stopping at one shopping spot.

Chang Pingsi, the guide, held up a small red flag, looking excited as he waited.

Behind him was a brown air-conditioned coach, its windows sealed shut, with the driver standing by the open door and smoking.

Both individuals seemed to be in good spirits.

Travel agencies nowadays tend to operate on a light-asset model. Whether online or offline, they typically handle only charges and ticketing. Their profits largely come from selling tourists.

Local agencies and their guides take on all the risks associated with tourist consumption. They have to spend real money to buy tourists per head, and the cost varies with the nature of the tourists. For example, guests from Hu City might be twice as expensive as those from the Zhongyuan region, or tourists from state-owned enterprises in the north might cost more than those from private companies in the south. The pricing also depends on past profit and loss records.

The harder to hoodwink and profit from, the lower the selling price of the tourists, which is easy to understand.

For guides like Chang Pingsi at the end of the line, purchasing tourists is only one aspect. Truly capable guides need to adapt to the situation and rely on specific operations to make money. The sharper ones can even hustle thousands of yuan in a single day.

Chang Pingsi’s smile had been quite bright before meeting the members of the Bald Strike Team.

But then...

Chang Pingsi fell into contemplation.

"Guide, are we setting off?" Tang Jia stepped forward, her nasal voice coming into play.

"Oh... it’s rare to see young people like you joining a tour group together..." Chang Pingsi was full of confusion. They were all youngsters—wouldn’t buying a ticket and hiking the mountain on their own be more enjoyable? Why suffer and get cheated in a travel group? Even if one or two didn’t watch the news or listen to advice, they shouldn’t all be doing this together.

Tang Jia couldn’t explain this phenomenon either, so she just laughed and said, "Just thought we’d never been in a tour group before, wanted to try it out."

"Are you all together?"

"A few departments. Some know each other, some don’t."

"You’re all from state-owned enterprises in Huo City? I saw in the materials that you’re from a forestry company?"

"That’s right."

"What does the forestry company do?"

"Chop down trees, sell lumber, that sort of thing," Tang Jia made up on the spot.

The guide’s counter-surveillance ability ended there. Although some of the group members looked burly, Chang Pingsi was not just a small-time guide with only coercive measures. To him, flattering the big shots in society was also a way to swindle money.

Chang Pingsi just reminded Tang Jia extra, "A tour group is different from traveling alone, and the group won’t necessarily spend less—just that the money gets spent in different places." Chang Pingsi hinted pointedly.

Pretending not to understand, Tang Jia replied with an "Oh," looked at the tour bus, and asked, "This is our bus, right? Let’s board."

As her words fell, the comrades keen on discipline habitually lined up to board.

Chang Pingsi wanted to stop them but it was too late, so he could only shout, "Everyone, please give me your ID cards, I’ll help you all buy the tickets together."

This was prearranged, and Tang Jia took the initiative to hand over her ID.

Her profession as a police officer wouldn’t be revealed on her ID card. Chang Pingsi didn’t have a police terminal to use, and after looking over everyone’s ID cards for a while, he couldn’t figure anything out.

The driver finished smoking, got on the bus, started the engine, and began to head toward the day’s first scenic spot.

Chang Pingsi cleared his throat, picked up the microphone at the front of the bus, and said, "Welcome everyone to our tour group. As the saying goes, ’It takes ten years to cultivate a journey together.’ We are a group of 34 people, and it’s quite rare for us to gather here. I hope we can all have a wonderful day. Okay, let me introduce myself first. My name is Chang Pingsi, and I’ve been a guide for ten years..."

Jiang Yuan was sitting next to Tan Jing, half-listening to Chang Pingsi’s standard spiel while quietly discussing.

"That... you two friends, let’s chat later, huh? If you don’t want to listen to my commentary, I can cut it short, but it’s best if everyone listens when I’m speaking. If you have something to say, we can talk in private afterwards to avoid disturbing others..."

Although Chang Pingsi felt odd about the tour group today, he still needed to manage when it was time. The entire tour group’s PUA mechanism was established bit by bit in moments like this.

Jiang Yuan and Tan Jing indeed fell silent.

Chang Pingsi nodded in satisfaction and continued, "You may all have learned about Siningshan before coming, but here’s something no one would have mentioned: Siningshan’s topography has its mysteries..."

As a native of Siningshan, Jiang Yuan calmly listened to Chang Pingsi fabricating stories, gazing through the window at scenes that were familiar yet strange, gradually sinking into contemplation. His eyelids unconsciously began to close, memories surged, recent cases lined up passing before his eyes, along with several criminals recently executed—their faces blurred, yet oddly more charming in death.

Chang Pingsi’s gaze also swept over Jiang Yuan’s face, causing him to frown. He turned around and said teasingly, "Seems like we have a friend here who doesn’t like commentary. What’s the point of being in a tour group if you don’t listen to explanations? I..."

Pfft.

Mu Zhiyang stepped forward and unplugged Chang Pingsi’s microphone.

"Enough with the prattle, sit down and rest." Mu Zhiyang, who lacked any undercover sense, spoke harshly, "Captain Jiang finally managed to get some sleep; you sit down too."

Chang Pingsi tried to speak but was dissatisfied when a burly member of the Bald Strike Team gently nudged him, pulling him down to a seat.

Another Bald Strike Team member sitting beside him, with calloused large hands, wrapped Chang Pingsi into an embrace and asked, "How are we going to proceed?"