Chapter 454: Two Choices
"Aside from the first option, we have a second choice, which is to report the case to the provincial department and let their major crimes unit take over. The eight corpses are enough to warrant a report to the provincial department and let them handle it."
"If something happens in the future with this approach, then on our side..."
Song Jiangguo remained silent; this choice was not a simple A or B problem.
Song Jiangguo understood the significance behind Qin Yong’s two options.
The case is in Haizhou City, and jurisdiction is with the Haizhou City Criminal Investigation Team. If the Haizhou Criminal Investigation Team handles the case without reporting it, no one can say anything.
However, Songjiang Mining involves certain people and complicated interests, which Song Jiangguo understands better than anyone.
Therefore, if the Haizhou City Criminal Investigation Team handles the case independently, the resistance encountered will be unprecedented and definitely huge.
Not to mention, Ren Qiang’s car accident is proof of that.
Qin Yong had already given Song Jiangguo a detailed report about the Ren Qiang car accident case and what was discovered over in Liangzhou City.
It was clear who tampered with Ren Qiang’s police car in Liangzhou City—it was a certain "Camel."
The other party could find a scapegoat through the game and knew the scapegoat’s background very well. What does this imply?
Is it merely a coincidence that the other party knew that scapegoat? Impossible.
Liangzhou City must have moles planted by the other party, and there’s likely more than one, just ready to activate whichever piece is needed.
This isn’t something money alone can achieve; it requires time, effort, manpower, and a tight-knit network to pull off.
Furthermore, after Ren Qiang’s car accident in North Mountain, he reported it.
Ignoring the police and emergency services, the car that rolled into the ravine was towed away and processed by that tow truck driver.
The tow truck driver is still under investigation and is a key focus for the Criminal Investigation Team’s current inquiries.
How did the other party know the exact time and location of Ren Qiang’s accident?
After all, from the surveillance footage, no one followed Ren Qiang from Liangzhou City to Haizhou City.
If no one followed him, and the report call was made by Ren Qiang himself, who leaked the information during this process?
No need to think; there must be an internal traitor.
Whether this case can proceed, and to what extent, is something Song Jiangguo cannot predict right now.
So, looking at the case now, the best approach is actually to submit it for the provincial department to handle.
However, considering both sides, handing it over to the provincial department means it’s led by their major crimes unit.
What’s the situation with the major crimes unit?
Song Jiangguo knows more than anyone. Lu Chuan is a member of the provincial department’s major crimes unit, and there are only a few of them. For actual case work, the local public security bureau must cooperate.
This means that if the case is handed over, the provincial department will lead its progress, and Haizhou City Public Security Bureau might not have much say and will only provide cooperation.
This cooperation essentially means specific investigation and inquiry work.
In other words, the truly offending tasks would still be handled by the Haizhou City Public Security Bureau people.
Looking at it this way, whether or not to submit it is a matter of two options.
The case is big, and it looks likely to involve Songbei Mining; it might not just be a simple criminal case, so Song Jiangguo needs to report further to his superiors.
If handled locally, some things can be simplified, but if handled by outsiders, even the smallest details might not escape scrutiny.
Songbei Mining has been developing in Haizhou City for years. Although not as large as Qiangsheng Group, it’s still a star enterprise in Haizhou City with many good connections at various levels.
Whether these people are involved in the cases and why the victims were killed is worth examining.
After a brief thought, Song Jiangguo realized this isn’t a decision he can make alone.
"Qin Yong, focus on the case for now and ignore the rest. I’ll report to our superiors and based on that report’s outcome, we’ll decide what to do with the case."
"Understood, Director Song."
After hanging up the phone, Qin Yong exhaled deeply.
Being a leader requires consideration of many aspects, unlike the relatively straightforward focus on the criminal investigation team, where the main concern is solving the case, and interpersonal relations are less complex.
Of course, the cases that Qin Yong’s criminal investigation team cracked are all criminal cases, and often major ones.
When it comes to murder cases, rarely do people try to influence via relationships—few have such authority, and even fewer have such courage.
After all, once you go as far as killing someone, what kind of influential people could you possibly know?
Compared to the criminal investigation team, the economic investigation team’s situation is much more complex.
No matter how big the economic crime, nor how much money is involved, very few get sentenced to death.
When major economic crimes occur, more than one person is usually involved.
In any given case, the roles and sums involved differ, and there is much room for maneuvering, leading many to seek influence via relationships.
Therefore, the economic investigation team’s budget is much more ample than the criminal investigation team’s.
When you owe someone a favor, you cannot deny them funds when they ask for them.
Many departments, with hardly any relation to the economic investigation team, seek to offer funds under various pretexts or through favors.
When superior leaders come to the criminal investigation team for a visit, it’s often just two bottles of mineral water and three boxes of instant noodles.
But when visiting the economic investigation team, the variety of offerings is more extensive. If anyone dared to bring just three boxes of noodles... ha!
Come on, the economic investigation team will show you just how capable they are at economic investigations.
Such is the way of the world, much like handling a construction project.
A road may seem like a massive project, putting down sand today, rolling mud tomorrow, with millions or billions invested.
But for the actual main project, paving the road doesn’t cost that much and might even be a loss.
The real money is made in marking lanes, building signs on both sides of the road.
These seemingly trivial things, overlooked by others, are actually the most profitable.
Some things you don’t realize until you’re genuinely doing them, only then will you understand how deep or shallow they truly are.
Is it mostly water, or is there a lot of substance?
Qin Yong’s matters did not affect Lu Chuan and others, making today another sleepless night. All seven corpses needed to be brought back.
The rest was manageable, but Lu Chuan was now crouched in the pit, carefully handling the bones dating back twenty years, brittle and fracturing at a touch, requiring delicate handling.