129 Sweeping Them All Up (Fourth update, requesting monthly tickets!)

Han Bin’s hope of leaving work on time was dashed. That afternoon, Zheng Kaixuan held a case analysis meeting; the time was ripe to arrest "Brother Biao," and surveillance was to begin at dusk.

The arrest team consisted of five officers: Zheng Kaixuan, Zeng Ping, Han Bin, Li Hui, and Zhao Ming. They did not request assistance from the local police station.

The Beiwa Village residential complex consisted of self-built houses. The environment was decent, and there were quite a few security cameras. Han Bin and his team went straight to the property management office to review the footage. They tracked Brother Biao’s movements: he had left yesterday afternoon, returned briefly this morning, and headed out again at four in the afternoon.

Since Brother Biao had not yet returned home, the team staked out the perimeter, intending to catch him like a turtle in a jar the moment he arrived. Zhao Ming covered the east gate, Li Hui the west, while Zheng Kaixuan, Zeng Ping, and Han Bin waited inside the complex.

However, plans rarely survive reality. They waited for three hours before Brother Biao finally appeared at nine o'clock in the evening, accompanied by a lackey. This henchman was none other than the yellow-haired "Daozai" seen in the surveillance footage.

The pair arrived by taxi and entered through the east gate. Zhao Ming immediately messaged the others. Zheng Kaixuan replied with six words: "Proceed according to the original plan."

Only Zheng Kaixuan and Zeng Ping were armed with pistols; Han Bin and the others carried police batons and pepper spray. Li Hui patted the baton in his pocket and muttered, "This feels more reliable."

Brother Biao and Daozai walked with a slight sway, appearing to have been drinking. They strolled side-by-side along the road toward their apartment building, moving at a leisurely pace. Zhao Ming and Li Hui circled back to rendezvous with the others.

Brother Biao was quite superstitious; he lived in Building 6, believing the number would bring him luck in running his gambling den. The three officers lay in wait along the path to Building 6, and as the suspects approached, Li Hui and Zhao Ming closed in from behind.

Sensing the moment was right and wanting to avoid detection, Zheng Kaixuan waved his hand, signaling the arrest. All five officers swarmed them, tackling Brother Biao and Daozai to the ground. "Police! Don't move!"

Before the suspects could react, they were pinned firmly to the ground. With a sharp click, handcuffs were secured around their wrists.

"What are you doing? Why are you arresting us?" Brother Biao shouted.

"What is your name?" Zheng Kaixuan demanded.

"Brother Biao."

"I am asking for your real name."

"Zhang Hailong."

"And you?"

"Daozai."

*Smack!*

Li Hui slapped the back of Daozai’s head. "Dao-your-sister! Give me your real name."

"Wang Xiaosong."

"Pick them up and take them away," Zheng Kaixuan ordered. He then pulled out his phone and sent a message: "Tian Li, you can close your net on your end."

"Understood, I’ll report to Chief Chu now."

At that moment, Tian Li was at the Nanqiao Town Police Station. Following the successful arrest of Brother Biao, with the assistance of the local officers, she had also brought Zhang Hailong’s cousin into custody.

***

After returning to the station, they interrogated the three suspects throughout the night. Zheng Kaixuan and Han Bin handled Zhang Hailong, Zeng Ping and Li Hui took Wang Xiaosong, and Tian Li and Zhao Ming questioned the cousin.

Entering the interrogation room, Han Bin sat behind the desk with a sense of wonder. Truthfully, he had not expected to be in this position so soon, nor did he expect to remain involved in the case. He opened his notebook and activated the body camera.

Zhang Hailong sat in the interrogation chair, head bowed, his expression unreadable.

"Name, age, gender, ethnicity, place of origin..." Han Bin began.

"Zhang Hailong, 33, male, Han, local resident..."

"Zhang Hailong, look up," Zheng Kaixuan commanded sternly.

"Officer, aren't you arresting the wrong person?" Zhang Hailong asked, raising his head.

"Zhang Hailong, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin, will you? You’re already here, yet you’re still being dishonest. Do you want a longer sentence?" Zheng Kaixuan said coldly.

"Boss, give me a hint. I really don't know what you're talking about," Zhang Hailong said, shrugging.

"Sandezi, Brother Rong, Bozai, Dachao—you should be very familiar with these four," Zheng Kaixuan scoffed. "Do I need to remind you further?"

"No, no need." Any trace of luck vanished from Zhang Hailong's heart. He sighed, "That bunch of spineless cowards. They were all smiles when they were having fun, but the moment trouble hit, they sold me out. They are truly trash."

"Enough, spare me the nonsense," Zheng Kaixuan interrupted. "How many organizers are there in this gambling den, including yourself?"

Zhang Hailong hesitated. "Just me and Daozai."

Zheng Kaixuan glared, his expression fierce. "You want to be a hero and take the fall for everyone, is that it?"

"No, I’m telling the truth."

"Don't play games with me. We both know that a gambling den that size is too much for just the two of you to manage." Zheng Kaixuan’s tone grew increasingly severe. "I’ll ask one more time: how many organizers are there? If you don't talk, I'll go ask Daozai. I wonder if he’s as willing to take the fall for you."

Zhang Hailong bowed his head again, remaining silent.

"Five seconds. If you don't speak, it means you don't want to cooperate. Perhaps Daozai has already confessed, and I can go listen to how they handle interrogations." Zheng Kaixuan stood up and stepped in front of the table.

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"Don't—don't count anymore! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Zhang Hailong looked up, his lips bitten until they bled.

"No more nonsense. Speak."

"There are six organizers, including me."

"What are their names?"

"Daozai, Baojiang, Datou..."

"Real names."

"Wang Xiaosong, Li Jiehui, Wang Yumin..."

"What about the gamblers?"

"There are many of them, over forty in total."

"Names."

"I don't know most of the gamblers; I only know their nicknames," Zhang Hailong shook his head.

"Do you have their contact information or addresses?"

"No addresses. We only used the 'Tianshan Card Players' group chat to communicate," Zhang Hailong said.

"Zhang Hailong, do you want to redeem yourself?"

"I do."

"Then help the police arrest these people," Zheng Kaixuan ordered.

"Forty-some people... even if I want to help, I can't catch them all," Zhang Hailong said with a bitter smile.

"Team Leader Zheng, I have an idea that could sweep up everyone involved in the gambling ring in one go," Han Bin suggested.

"What is it?"

Han Bin pointed at Zhang Hailong. "We can have him host the gambling game one more time."

"Don't joke around. I'm already arrested, how could I possibly—" Halfway through his sentence, Zhang Hailong realized the implication. He glanced at Han Bin and thought to himself, *This young man is quite cunning.*

"That's a good idea. We can catch them all at once and save the police from having to track them down one by one," Zheng Kaixuan said, catching on with a grin. "Zhang Hailong, are you willing to cooperate with the police to earn leniency?"

"I'm willing," Zhang Hailong replied listlessly. All that money he had worked so hard to earn was now gone.

Han Bin teased, "Then go ahead and summon your 'swordsmen' for another 'Tianshan Sword Duel' tomorrow night. Let's see who the true 'Sword God' is!"