Chapter 16 Learn While Working

All preparations were in place, and the evidence collection commenced.

At 7:30 in the morning, Han Yu and instructor Li Weiguo arrived at the pier in a jeep from Bailong Port Police Station.

The two carried their travel bags and briefcases, and together with police officer Old Liu from Bailong Port Police Station, walked along the pier to the Dunship.

Looking back at the pier's "Welcome Back to Linghai" and the distant "Bailong Port" signage, they boarded the morning passenger ship before the travelers.

This was a large four-deck ship capable of carrying over two thousand passengers.

It would set sail from Qinglong Port soon, and by about 4:30 in the afternoon, it would arrive at Sixteen Piers Pier in East Sea.

A few days ago, Director Zhang from Bailong Port Police Station had already communicated well with the Captain, the Political Commissioner, and the onboard police, who were very supportive of cracking down on ticket scalpers, allowing the three officers to use the cabins for case handling.

Director Zhang didn't board the ship; he was watching the port workers below.

To ensure that no information was leaked, starting today, whether selling tea eggs or rice dumplings, no one was allowed into the pier, much less the Dunship.

The Captain, Political Commissioner, and onboard police also instructed the ship's staff not to discuss the police investigation of "black market tickets" with those refueling, watering, unloading, or garbage collecting at the pier.

These ticket scalpers bought tickets daily in queues and resold them at high prices, but they never boarded ships themselves.

Passengers traveling to East Sea wouldn't return so quickly, much less specifically to inform the scalpers.

In short, as long as they controlled the pier, they would gather a lot of evidence over the next ten days.

This method of crackdown had never been done before.

The onboard police took the three officers to the police room, exclaimed, "Commander Li, Old Liu, only you guys can tackle this way, we in East Sea wouldn't even learn it."

"There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ticket scalpers on your side; grasping their situation is easier said than done. Even if possible, passengers would get confused looking at the photos."

"It's not hundreds or thousands, but definitely thousands."

"So small places have their advantages, although ticket scalping is rampant, their numbers are less than in big cities."

The waiting hall was about to check tickets, and passengers were boarding soon.

The onboard police had to go on duty and smiled, "Commander Li, Old Liu, Xiao Han, I'll get busy first, you guys take a break."

Li Weiguo quickly responded, "Go ahead, attend to your duties."

The onboard police looked at Han Yu again, half-smiling, then left.

Soon, they needed to gather evidence from passengers who bought black market tickets, being new on the job without an ID, Han Yu couldn't afford not to wear a uniform.

But the uniform was for women!

Han Yu really didn't want to wear it, but had no choice.

Embarrassment followed them on the ship, providing a joke for colleagues from East Sea; just thinking about it was awkward.

Old Liu from Bailong Port Police Station had never seen such a small police officer or one wearing a woman's uniform, and couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassed appearance.

"Old Liu, we'll be busy today. Sorry for making you suffer with us."

Li Weiguo, not concerned with Little Salted Fish's jokes, opened his briefcase, took out a bottle of ink, a box of ink pad, two fountain pens, and a thick stack of statement paper.

The ship would sail for about eight hours on the river, and upon reaching Sixteen Piers Pier in East Sea, the passengers would disembark.

It was estimated that at least two hundred passengers, unable to buy tickets at the ticket counter, had to buy expensive tickets from scalpers.

In other words, they had to interview over two hundred passengers and make over two hundred statements within eight hours!

Little Salted Fish, being a newcomer, couldn't help much.

That meant each of them had to produce a hundred statements today, not to mention whether their hands would become numb, they probably wouldn't even have time to eat, drink, or use the restroom.

Old Liu was mentally prepared, quickly said, "You're overstating it, you're helping us, and this is my duty."

Han Yu quickly bent down to open the travel bag and took out two photo albums.

Old Liu picked up one, stood up, and said, "Commander Li, Xiao Han, I'm heading to the opposite cabin."

At that moment, the broadcast reminded passengers to board orderly, watch their luggage, and look after their children.

First time on a large ship, Han Yu couldn't help but walk out and lean over the railing to look down.

Ticket checking started, passengers rushed from the waiting room like floodgates opening.

Some were holding children, some were laden with large and small bags, some were carrying loads, some were bringing fresh fruits and vegetables, and some even carried a large net full of crabs...

Director Zhang and the onboard police on the Dunship supported the elderly and advised passengers not to crowd and watch their steps.

Linghai dialect, Shadi accent, incessantly heard, listening to the familiar local accent didn't feel like a far journey.

Second and third-class cabins were rare, and tickets were hard to come by.

Ticket scalpers mainly resold fifth and fourth-class cabin tickets; fourth-class had bunk beds, fifth-class was supposed to have seats, but actually had neither beds nor seats; one could sit anywhere on the deck or aisle.

As the deep and melodious steam whistle sounded, the passenger ship slowly departed Bailong Port.

Finally, the dream of riding a large ship came true without spending a dime, even feeling quite accomplished; watching the increasingly distant pier, Han Yu was thrilled and felt good about working in the police.

Lost in deep thoughts, the broadcast announced that East Sea Shipping Police Bureau, in conjunction with Binjiang Port Police Station and Linghai Police, were cracking down on ticket scalpers and needed to count the number of people who bought black market tickets.

The news stirred up a storm, and passengers raised their hands one after another.

Life is hard for everyone when away from home, and they despised the ticket scalpers.

Some passengers, afraid the police and staff wouldn't notice, shouted, "I also bought a black market ticket," "Me too, me too"...

"Please don't worry, we'll count the number first, then we'll group everyone, ten people per group, and based on groups, you'll go to the onboard police room to report."

"Onboard police comrade, will we get a refund if you catch those ticket scalpers?"

The police officer was stumped, reacted instinctively, and turned his head.

To crack down on those scalpers, they needed these victims' testimonies.

Li Weiguo quickly took the megaphone, speaking with emphasis, "I understand everyone's feelings, but now the main focus is on investigation and evidence collection. I can assure you, we will do our best to recover your financial losses."

"Did you hear that? Time is tight, please cooperate with us, we'll count and register first!"

The onboard police gave a few more instructions and picked up a wooden clipboard to start counting.

Han Yu also received a wooden board and picked up a pen to join Li Weiguo and Old Liu in dividing the work of gathering information.

"Comrade, what is your name?"

"Wang Youyu."

"Do you mean Youyu as in 'having abundance' and 'surplus every year'?"

"Yes, that's the Youyu."

"Alright, next one."

"Little comrade, my name is Li Yusheng, rain as in 'rainfall', and life as in 'living'."

"Okay."

Han Yu quickly noted down the name, then looked up and asked, "Grandma, what's your name?"

The old lady, clutching a floral cloth bag, nervously spoke in Shadi language, "My name is Liu Su'e, I'm illiterate, don't know which Su and which E."

Han Yu asked, "Do you have any ID with you?"

"I brought it."

"Please take it out and show me."

…

This was an operation against scalpers, and the enthusiasm among the people was high.

Several people who looked like intellectuals and two liberation army warriors volunteered to help with the gathering of information.

In less than twenty minutes, the number of passengers who could only buy black market tickets from scalpers because they couldn't purchase them at the ticket counter, was astonishingly up to three hundred and twelve!

Realizing that it would be difficult for the three of them to complete the evidence collection in eight hours, the onboard police learned that among the identified scalpers were six female suspects, so they took the photos of these six female suspects and went to the restaurant to help with inquiries and evidence collection.

Han Yu, knowing nothing much, couldn't be of much help. He could only maintain order at the door of the onboard police's cabin.

The first one to enter was a thirty-something-year-old tile worker who was going to East Sea for construction work.

Li Weiguo examined his identification, quickly noting down his name, age, home address, and other details as he asked about them.

After clarifying the tile worker's basic information, he got to the main topic.

"When did you buy the black market ticket?"

"This morning."

"What time in the morning?"

"Around six twenty."

"Where and from whom did you buy it?"

"I bought it from a scalper in front of the bus station."

"The front of the bus station is very large, be more specific."

"Exactly where a row of 'Rabbit Heads' (a type of tricycle powered by a diesel engine) was parked."

Li Weiguo further inquired, "Do you remember what the scalper looked like, and roughly how old he was?"

The tile worker replied without hesitation, "I can't possibly forget, it happened this morning. He is not very tall, has a long face, smokes, and has big yellow teeth. It was chilly in the morning, he was wearing a dark blue jacket, and he spoke in Shadi language."

Li Weiguo noted down the key points, then looked up and asked, "Could you recognize him if you saw him again?"

"I could!"

"Good, take a look at this album, see if he is among these people."

The tile worker remembered the event from a few hours ago clearly.

He flipped through the album, quickly identified one of the scalpers, and assured that he would never mistake him, claiming he could recognize him even if turned to ashes.

Li Weiguo clarified the details of his purchase from the suspect, and had him sign and fingerprint the statement.

He let the tile worker go back first, prepared the statement properly, and asked the next passenger to come in…

It proved that the prior investigative work was very important.

Had it not been for the advanced knowledge of the scalpers' details and the covertly taken photos of them, the passengers' recollections of the scalpers' appearances would have been useless.

Indeed, it's very difficult to determine the identity based solely on descriptions, and they are unlikely to voluntarily help with identifying and testifying.

Han Yu watched by the door for over an hour, and seeing Li Weiguo continuously massaging his wrist, walked over and bent down saying, "Commander Li, why don't you do the questioning and I'll help you take notes."

Age spares no one, just doing around a dozen statements was exhausting, and he was also feeling a bit seasick.

Li Weiguo truly needed help, but the statements they were making now would later serve as evidence. After weighing the options, he picked up a stack of the recently completed statements:

"Xiao Han, taking statements isn't as simple as it looks. You can't just write down whatever the person says, you have to catch the key points!"

"Oh."

"You first see how I have been recording, watch carefully, observe meticulously, and afterwards, try taking notes on the side."

"Okay."

"These are all evidence, don't mess them up."

"I know."

Li Weiguo continued questioning, continued having passengers identify photos, continued making records.

Han Yu, after reviewing several statements, had roughly gotten the gist and tried recording two on the side.

As an experienced investigator, Li Weiguo, though experienced in handling cases, hadn't worked with such intensity for a long time, and his wrists ached so much he could barely hold a pen. He asked the waiting passengers outside to wait a bit longer, picked up Han Yu's recorded statements for review.

After reviewing them, he was pleasantly surprised.

The format was correct, the handwriting was neat, and the content was organized and focused on the key points.

He looked up and smiled, "After all, you are a specialized secondary school student, you learn fast. Well done, you're ready for the job. No time for formal training, you'll have to learn by doing, and do while learning."