National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 653 - 597: Return

Chapter 653: Chapter 597: Return

Restaurant.

Chang Pingsi frowned as he watched the members of the travel group spooning up rice again and again, consuming staple foods such as steamed buns, mixed-grain pancakes, potatoes, and corn—all of which a regular tour group would not finish—along with the broth, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

To be honest, even though traveling can be exhausting, this was the first time he had seen such a gluttonous group.

Past senior tours would at most cause a small commotion, which was nothing compared to now—it was like a whirlwind sweeping through leaves.

Even the restaurant owner, seeing that all the chili oil and sesame oil were used up, couldn’t help but come out and remind Chang Pingsi, "If they continue to eat like this, I’m going to start losing money."

Chang Pingsi spread his hands and replied, "They haven’t spent a single cent just now. What can I do?"

"They’re that stingy? I see there are girls among them, aren’t the guys willing to spend money on the girls anymore?" The restaurant owner was clearly experienced too.

Chang Pingsi bitter-smiled, "Every trick has been tried."

"If it were me, I would have ditched them."

"Easy for you to say," retorted Chang Pingsi. He really wanted to ditch the clients, but although the policies of the local receiving agency were terribly twisted, they still held some basic integrity. If they abandoned the entire group and received a complaint, there would certainly be penalties.

In reality, the local receiving agency has never been stingy with fining tour guides; as for the effectiveness of such punishments, they didn’t care.

So formally speaking, when a guide encounters a group that doesn’t bring in profits, they still have to provide the service. Showing a sour face is the guide’s decision, but the basic itinerary must still be completed.

Naturally, such groups equate to tours where the guide ends up in the red.

And now, Chang Pingsi was also ready to take the loss.

He had to pay for every headcount, the rental for the coach, the fuel for the coach, the two meals, the parking fees, the entrance tickets—he was bleeding money...

If it weren’t for travel stores actually paying by headcount, Chang Pingsi would really have lost everything.

This sort of situation... this sort of situation actually always existed; every outrageous event could happen in travel groups that set out daily.

Like now, Chang Pingsi had countless suspicions that these people came just to set him up.

But Chang Pingsi knew even with his wisdom teeth—figuratively speaking—that he wasn’t that important, he wasn’t worth that much, and his ex-girlfriend wasn’t that insane... presumably, so gathering dozens of people to target him would be impossible.

Lunch was somehow dealt with, and Chang Pingsi immediately led the group to the next scenic spot and shopping location without a break.

His only hope now was to visit several more shopping stores in the afternoon.

Even if this bunch of stinky men didn’t buy anything, they could still be counted as visitors—perhaps the only option was to squeeze into a few more shops.

Jiang Yuan and the others didn’t object to this approach.

Honestly, which stores on Siningshan Mountain were in cahoots with travel agencies, the extent of their cooperation, and their styles of operation—the police station wasn’t very clear about these.

The complexity of the city nowadays is too high, especially with shops opening and closing frequently. If one doesn’t pay special attention to this matter, the average police officer wouldn’t have a systematic impression.

Shops in the tourist areas especially liked to conceal their activities; they knew what they were doing wasn’t quite right, but the profits were so substantial that it was hard to stop.

Wang Chuanxing and the others were specifically recording and analyzing these shops. For them, as undercover officers, it was essential to understand the situation here thoroughly.

Zoumadao Police Station said they couldn’t handle cases from this area, but in reality, they just didn’t have the manpower resources like Jiang Yuan did.

Let alone deploying over thirty people undercover, it would be difficult for Zoumadao Police Station just to spare four people for half a month’s time.

And solving a tourism-related case in half a month, by arresting a few black tour guides and fining a few shops, would definitely not be worthwhile.

The police station was not so idle. As one of the busiest units in the police system, the demands on their time often pushed the limits. It was already commendable if they could just about handle the daily and security cases.

Jiang Yuan could easily gather thirty people; this was the surplus power that Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment and the county bureau could muster.

With the current level of strain on police work, if it wasn’t because Jiang Yuan was in a quiet period, these individuals would logically be assigned to backlog cases.

However, now that there were so many of them, any case was relatively straightforward to manage.

Afternoon.

Shen Yaowei stepped in and bought 5,000 yuan worth of health products.

Shen Yaowei asked for a receipt on the spot and started writing his own statement as soon as he stepped out the door.

Tour guide Chang Pingsi was greatly shocked and excited. Isn’t this a turn for the better? Wouldn’t this one sale bring a return on all his efforts?

Chang Pingsi’s mental exhaustion ended in an instant. He lifted his head and puffed out his chest as he got back on the bus, cheerfully saying, "Thanks to the big brother upfront..."

"Shut your mouth," Shen Yaowei scoffed. "Drive us home, and be quick about it."

The customer had spent money, so Chang Pingsi dried his face and said, "What about dinner tonight..."

"What’s so good about your chicken feed? By the way, has anyone ever got a stomachache from eating in your cafeteria?"

"That couldn’t be. Our food might be simple, but it wouldn’t cause illness..." Chang Pingsi laughed ’ha ha,’ his facial expression not very convincing.

Someone nudged Shen Yaowei beside him and whispered in his ear, "Easy to check."

Shen Yaowei thought it made sense and couldn’t bother to ask more, saying, "Let it be. The boss is treating us to dinner, let’s head down the mountain."

Everyone had already wasted enough time; they couldn’t afford to waste dinner time on the tour guide as well. After all, they weren’t really out on a leisure trip. By dinnertime, it would be time to clock out.

Still, tour guide Chang Pingsi was happy to see the money and save on a meal, cheerfully instructing the driver and then making a call to the restaurant.

The tour bus descended from the back mountain, and by the time they reached Ningtai County, it was nearly 6 p.m.

Jiang Yuan and the others got off the bus and gathered in a hot pot restaurant.

Everyone convened on the second floor, asking the server to leave first before they started discussing in low voices.

"Send someone to pick up the tour guide and take him to the police station," Jiang Yuan arranged, then continued, "Scare the last shop that sold olivine by bringing in the salesperson to see if we can get something out of them."

Heads nodded in agreement.

Shen Yaowei added, "I’ll get the health products tested later."

Selling health products isn’t illegal, but if the ingredients are fake, that would certainly be a violation.

5,000 yuan wasn’t a lot, but if it could break the case open, it would be worth it.

In such cases, if they could get their hands on a purchase list or account book, along with a statement from an employee, the evidence would be very solid.

But Zoumadao Police Station had never planned to invest so much effort.

Shen Yaowei continued, "In the restaurant earlier, I saw they also sold wine. That should probably be checked too."

"Right, if the tobacco or alcohol is fake, the penalties could be severe."

"We should check the tobacco and alcohol and get in touch with someone from the Tobacco Control Bureau," said Jiang Yuan. Tang Jia promptly took note of it.

Wang Chuanxing said, "We should also check the staff. They all work at the tourist site and have little contact with the outside world, with low moral standards, making them ideal for fugitives."

"Agreed," Jiang Yuan approved.

"And about the restaurant encountering diners with diarrhea or vomiting, I think that is also worth investigating," Shen Yaowei suggested again.

"Agreed," responded Jiang Yuan obligingly. He then added, "The most important thing is to gather more victim statements. Let’s start that work tomorrow, waiting for those low-price tour groups coming back, and make sure their statements are thoroughly acquired."

According to regulations, the first statement must be taken face-to-face, and it’s only after the responsible officer completes the initial questioning that colleagues from other regions may assist.

Essentially, gathering victim statements is the most direct approach.

However, Jiang Yuan had laid out every possible strategy, eliminating the need to debate on which might be better or worse.

Director Tan stood by, watching with his eyes wide and mouth agape, drooling with envy.

Jiang Yuan’s approach was evidently modeled after handling a homicide case. Such high-profile investigation methods were beyond what Director Tan had access to.