Insights Chapter 99: Exorcism

Chapter 99: Exorcism

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Half an hour ago, Penang City Bureau. It was already late at night, with the moon shining dimly. Vehicles were coming and going on the streets, making it look like an ordinary night. In a small eatery facing the side of Penang City Bureau, a woman in her forties finished her busy work and began to prepare to close up. Her lease was almost up, and these were her last few days here.

Her name was Chen Amiao, and she had been here for over a decade. Many officers in the City Bureau knew her and called her Sister Amiao.

From where she was, she could see the lights shining from the main building of the City Bureau, with windows emitting light one by one, indicating that some people were working overtime.

Just by looking at this scene, Chen Amiao felt that the city was being guarded by someone. Chen Amiao blinked and suddenly noticed that tonight the City Bureau seemed particularly busy, with many windows lit up. Moreover, the lights on the upper floors of the building formed a strange “L” shape. She casually took a picture and sent it to a regular customer.

The man used to eat at her stall frequently, and later added her on WeChat.

A few years ago, one day the man asked her, “Can I ask you for a favor?”

She was curious, “What?”

The middle-aged man said, “Can you take a photo of that building across the street around ten o’clock every night when you’re closing up and send it to me? I’ll give you three hundred bucks a month.”

Amiao hesitated at that time. She thought the man in front of her was a scammer. Otherwise, how could someone be so idle to ask others to do such a thing?

The man said, “I’m not trying to scam you. Here, I’ll give you three hundred bucks upfront as a deposit for this month. You can take the money first and then send me the photo.”

As he spoke, the man really took out three hundred bucks and placed it on the table.

“Why do you want to pay attention to the lights across the street?” Chen Amiao was somewhat hesitant to accept the money, looking at the man in front of her with suspicion, trying to judge if he was a bad person.

The man explained, “I’m not up to anything bad. My son works at the City Bureau, and his office is on the third floor. My son is rebellious and doesn’t share much. So, I often come here to look at the lights upstairs, wondering if he’s busy or working overtime.”

It turned out he was just a father worrying about his son.

Amiao relaxed. Indeed, it was just a matter of turning on a light. It wasn’t something confidential; anyone on the street could see it.

If it were something confidential in the police station, she wouldn’t even know about it.

Amiao also had a son back in her hometown whom she missed dearly. She knew many officers in the City Bureau, and looking at them was like seeing her own child.

Looking at the middle-aged man in front of her, Amiao empathized with him.

She was just an ordinary middle-aged woman in her forties who hadn’t read much.

If she didn’t agree to this, the man would find Ah Si selling fruit next to her or Xiao Tang who opened a clothing store behind her. Considering her husband was sick and they were short on money, it was better for her to earn this money herself.

So Amiao accepted the three hundred bucks.

From that day on, Amiao sent a photo to the man every day.

Today, Amiao specially added, “There are more lights on today, forming an ‘L’ shape. Your son should be working overtime.”

The man thanked her.

Amiao added, “I’m moving away, so I won’t be sending you photos anymore.”

The man said, “You’ve already helped a lot.”

Amiao happily closed up her stall.

However, neither she nor the ordinary people passing by in the city knew what those lights represented.

The City Bureau didn’t advocate for unnecessary overtime, and the lights were always turned off when people left.

These lights were like a code. A few lit lights meant they were cracking down on drugs, while others indicated they were about to tackle prostitution. Some lights showed that the criminal investigation department was interrogating someone, and others indicated that the leaders were having a meeting.

This was the simplest observation method, but it was very effective. The police couldn’t work in the dark.

Planting spies might get discovered, but observing these lights never went wrong.

People could lie, but lights couldn’t.

The “L” shape today represented the simultaneous overtime of the detective general office, the armed police general office, the director’s office, and the command center.

Such a situation only occurred before major joint operations.

No civilian surveillance cameras were allowed near the City Bureau. For a while, a cleaning company rented a house opposite for observation, but in the end, it was found that it was easier and safer to pay three hundred bucks and have someone inform them of the situation.

Those cunning people deceived an ordinary person into becoming their accomplice with just a little money and a lie.

This kind of thing couldn’t be prevented at all.

Late night in Penang East.

Mu Yu browsed through his phone and sent a message, “It seems like the police are conducting a major operation. You guys better check if there’s any slip-up.”

Huo Lei received the alert and forwarded it to the small group of Hetu Trading Association.

“It shouldn’t be targeting us, right?” someone in the group said.

“Yeah, maybe it’s just the new leadership acting up, preparing for some special operation.”

Huo Lei rolled her eyes at her phone. She despised those arrogant and self-important men, yet she was like a cricket tied to them by a string.

She reminded, “Previously, the Special Criminal Division was investigating Jin Yuewen and the Foundation’s cases.”

They began to take it seriously.

After a moment, someone in the group noticed, “Today, the Foundation has a new training session. Could someone have infiltrated it?”

Only those who knew the core content were aware of the seriousness of the situation.

“Why are they still recruiting now? They’re so blatant.”

“Mr. Han said it’s fine.”

“Who did the screening?”

“The training is almost over!”

“What should we do? Are we done for this time?”

“Why panic?” Suddenly, a person appeared, calming everyone down. It was Han Qingyi, the president of the Foundation.

“I’m going over there right away! Have them turn on the jammer and conduct a thorough check, we must catch whoever infiltrated!”

The officers in the command room were unaware that the information had been leaked in this way.

Director Ding, several members of the Special Criminal Division, as well as key personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department, were all present. Their eyes were fixed on the command screen ahead, which displayed real-time footage from the scene.

Everyone had a serious expression on their faces.

Bai Meng quickly typed on the keyboard, pinpointing the location, “Director Ding, I found it. This estate is located northeast of Penang, registered under Han Qingyi’s name.”

“Han Qingyi?” Director Ding seemed to recognize the name, as if he had seen him at a meeting before.

Bai Meng pulled up information, and a well-groomed young man with glasses appeared on the screen. “He was one of Penang’s top ten outstanding entrepreneurs last year, a finance graduate from University A, with a high profile in the investment field. Additionally, he’s the head of the Penang Love Foundation.”

This linked the so-called new recruit training with the Foundation.

Director Ding furrowed his brow, “Finance expert? I think he’s a money launderer!”

The so-called retirement company was just a front, and the profiteers were hiding behind the facade of charity through the Foundation. Now that the situation was escalating, it had become a major event disrupting social order.

“We need to send people over, but we can’t alert them. Once the training ends, we need to quickly differentiate between the trainees and their staff. We shouldn’t escalate the situation. Also, avoid letting the other side take the trainees as hostages.”

Although they had live footage from the scene, it was still necessary to catch the culprits in the act. Once those people were trapped in the estate, it would be the best evidence. If they missed this opportunity, finding evidence would become much more difficult.

The deputy captain Xing Yun asked, “Should we inform the nearby sub-bureaus?”

Director Ding pondered briefly, then shook his head, “No, the sub-bureaus won’t do. It’s easy for the information to leak, and they won’t be able to handle the situation.”

The people in the sub-bureaus were few and their words were light. They might easily be misled by the other side with a few words.

With that in mind, Director Ding made a few phone calls to the provincial and municipal leaders. After a while, he returned and said to the others, “Call in the Special Forces, deploy all personnel, send out ten arrest vehicles, and have Captain Wang’s team prepare. Xing Yun, you go too, and pick up Captain Gu on the way.”

Xing Yun asked, “What should we tell them?”

“Just say we received intelligence that there will be illegal activities tonight. Don’t say more than necessary. Let’s catch them first.”

Xing Yun cautiously asked, “What about after the arrest?”

“We’ll take them to the City Bureau, detain them for illegal assembly, identify the organizers, and then conduct a comprehensive search and interrogation. The leadership’s intention is to suspend all actions of the Penang Love Foundation, revoke its qualifications, and investigate their illegal activities thoroughly, with no leniency.”

The special forces had already set off, with Lu Ying accompanying them. Bai Meng estimated the distance, “There aren’t many cars at night. They’re taking a shortcut, but it’ll still take some time to get there.”

Director Ding nodded, “I’ll inform Captain Gu.”

Director Ding picked up his earpiece and communicated with Gu Yanchen, “From now on, this case is upgraded to a comprehensive one, and I’ve reported it to the provincial authorities myself. Ensure your own safety. If the training ends, leave quickly with those people. We’ll send the special forces to meet you.”

Before he could finish, there was suddenly a burst of electrical noise, the screen flickered, and the surveillance suddenly turned black, indicating an error.

Their communication with the inside had been cut off!

Director Ding’s heart clenched. He stood up and said, “The situation has changed. Inform the armed police and speed up!”

At the lecture site, the atmosphere had reached its peak.

Teacher Pang was still trying to cheer everyone on, “To familiarize everyone with the business, we will assign mentors to guide you and leaders to help you achieve your goals. From now on, we are comrades in arms, we are family!”

The people sitting below were excited. Many of them believed their words and were afraid of missing this opportunity.

At this moment, even if they were told they needed to pay a deposit to join the company, some would probably take out the money.

However, at this moment, the manager standing on the side of the stage suddenly received a phone call and walked up. He whispered a few words to Teacher Pang, whose face changed. He then waved to call over others and began discussing countermeasures.

The dozens of students left in the classroom could clearly feel that something was wrong. The whispering started among the audience.

Meanwhile, Gu Yanchen’s earpiece suddenly emitted a buzzing sound. He took out the earpiece from his ear and said to Shen Junci, “Communication’s down.”

This only happened when there was signal interference, indicating that the other side was coming for them.

Shen Junci also took off his black-framed glasses and put them in his pocket. “They might have found out that the police are here.”

Gu Yanchen looked around for an exit, “There’s no window here, only one entrance, and it’s been closed by them. We’re sitting at the back, so finding us will take some time, but we probably won’t last long.”

As the staff began searching each person one by one, finding them was only a matter of time. At most, they could delay for a few minutes, but they probably wouldn’t wait for support from the City Bureau and would need to handle it themselves.

Among these staff, apart from a few core members, the others were likely early victims of brainwashing. However, professional thugs and the cleaning company should arrive soon.

If they were trapped, it would be very dangerous. So, they needed to find a way to break out of the encirclement.

Thinking about this, Gu Yanchen sighed, “I should have insisted and not bring you here.”

He had indeed been reckless, underestimating the danger of this operation and bringing Shen Junci along.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Shen Junci whispered, “It’s not your fault. No one knew these people could be so malicious.”

Gu Yanchen pondered their options.

With his head bowed and eyelashes lowered, Shen Junci weighed their options and said, “I have a bold idea. Since we can’t delay much longer, why not take the initiative and reveal our identities?”

Gu Yanchen turned to look at him. This was a very risky move.

The person in front of him truly kept madness beneath a calm exterior.

Shen Junci further explained his rationale for wanting to do this, “If the other side has already discovered that there are police officers among us, then only the ordinary people at the scene don’t know we’re the police. It’s possible that exposing our identities might actually make us safer.”

He paused before continuing.

“Also, the people here tonight have already been brainwashed and influenced. So, the best and most responsible way is to reverse that brainwashing. With their help, we might be able to escape in the chaos.”

Gu Yanchen thought for a moment and said, “There’s no better way to break out now. I agree with your point of view.”

Taking the initiative to reveal themselves was a risky move, but if successful, it could change the situation and make them more proactive.

With only two of them against more than a dozen others, they were outnumbered. While they had a good chance of winning based on their skills, they were definitely in for a tough fight. If they waited for the other side’s reinforcements to arrive, their chances would be even slimmer.

There were over fifty ordinary people at the scene. If they could win the help of these people, they might have a better chance.

Gu Yanchen estimated the time it would take to break out forcefully and considered using persuasion to resolve the situation. The latter might be safer, faster, and less strenuous.

Having made up his mind, Gu Yanchen whispered, “If a fight breaks out later, I’ll hold them off while you reverse their brainwashing.”

Shen Junci said, “Don’t worry, I’m good at pouring cold water on people.”

He said this with an unusually serious expression. These people had been brainwashed for hours, and they might only have a few minutes to turn the tide. Reawakening them in such a short time wasn’t an easy task.

During this time, the pat-downs had begun.

Four or five male staff members walked forward and started searching the bags of the people in the front row.

Teacher Pang said, “We just received information that a competitor has infiltrated to gather information.”

They dared not say that the police were investigating, so to maintain their image, they said they were looking for an “inside spy.”

The manager stood with his hands on his hips and angrily said, “We won’t let this person off the hook today. None of you will leave until we find out who it is.”

These students were momentarily stunned by the situation. The auntie sitting in the front row clearly didn’t want to offend anyone and nervously opened her bag to show them.

Once the first person complied, the others followed suit without resistance.

Many of them were not well-off and had come looking for work. Feeling pressured, they all cooperated with the checks, trying to prove their innocence.

During this time, Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen had formulated a plan.

To stir things up, Gu Yanchen took the lead and shouted, “Why are you holding us back from leaving?”

A woman nearby who had been checking her watch also protested, “It’s so late, I want to go home!”

These few words woke up the others, and they began protesting, saying, “Yeah, why? What right do you have?”

“Even if someone has infiltrated, why does it concern us?”

“You don’t have the authority to search us!”

The opposing emotions were stirred up.

Other students also started to refuse cooperation. The water delivery worker stood up and said, “We’re here for part-time jobs. You’ve confiscated our phones, and now you want to search us. How long do you plan to keep us here?”

Teacher Pang’s expression changed. He tried to calm things down, saying, “What I mean is that we need to clarify what happened today. We’re conducting internal staff training tonight, but someone with ulterior motives has infiltrated, which could cause losses for the company. So tonight, we must identify the problem individuals to avoid implicating innocent people and delaying your opportunities for prosperity.”

Seeing him still trying to deceive the people present, Gu Yanchen stood up and questioned Teacher Pang, “Your actions are illegal, aren’t they? You’re panicking because you’re afraid your dirty deeds will be exposed.”

Teacher Pang didn’t expect someone to directly challenge him and hurriedly denied it, “What nonsense are you talking about? We’ve always been legitimate and legal! Our company has been in existence for many years.”

The manager pointed at Gu Yanchen and said, “Are you the one sent by the competitor to disrupt us? Grab him!”

“Wait a minute. You say I’m from a competing company. Why don’t you tell us which company is competing with yours?” Gu Yanchen calmly asked.

The manager was at a loss for words. He couldn’t say.

Gu Yanchen looked around and interrupted him, saying, “I’m a police officer.”

For a moment, those words caused a stir.

“Are they really the police?”

“The police are here? Does that mean there’s a real problem?”

Shen Junci also stood up and said, “We’re police officers from the Penang City Bureau. We’re here today to investigate money laundering related to the foundation.”

The manager reacted and shouted, “Don’t believe them, they’re fake cops! Arrest them, and the rest of you can leave!”

At his instigation, several burly men rushed forward. Gu Yanchen stepped in front of Shen Junci.

He took a step forward, his gaze sharp as he scanned the area. “Who dares to come forward? If you attack, you’ll be treated as assaulting a police officer.”

Seeing Gu Yanchen intimidate them, the manager said, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. If you don’t act, you’ll be expelled from the company! We’ve already called the police, and real officers will be here soon! You must catch these two!”

This was a tactic of diverting attention by a thief.

Encouraged by him, the leading men bravely charged forward. Gu Yanchen grabbed one of their arms and performed a back throw. With a bang, the man fell to the ground, knocking over nearby chairs and sprawling.

Gu Yanchen followed up with an elbow strike, and the man let out a cry as he rolled on the ground.

The second man swung a punch, but Gu Yanchen dodged to the side and delivered a side kick, causing the man to stumble back a few steps. Before he could steady himself, Gu Yanchen grabbed his collar and delivered a chop to the back of his neck, causing him to collapse.

Seeing two men go down, the others hesitated to approach.

Gu Yanchen picked up a chair and swept it around, causing the others to back off.

However, despite their numerical advantage, they still surrounded them.

Gu Yanchen didn’t make any further moves and casually sat down on the chair.

Shen Junci remained calm as he stepped over the fallen men and stood in front. He was half a head taller than Teacher Pang, and his voice was clear and distinct as he spoke, “Even if you’re good at talking, you can’t change the fact that you’re scammers.”

All eyes were on him as he turned to face the others. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s no shortcut to making money. No matter how good it sounds, money laundering by the foundation is illegal. Their entire operation is built on illegal foundations.”

“And they not only commit crimes themselves but also try to lure you into committing crimes with them. The money they promise, you won’t actually get it.”

These people had previously been crazy about it because of the lure of profit, so Shen Junci clearly told them.

With this premise, indeed, upon hearing his words, the crowd fell silent. 

Teacher Pang still wanted to argue, “You’re talking nonsense! Don’t listen to him.”

Shen Junci ignored him and continued to address the crowd, his voice calm and composed, “Think about it, everyone. If what they say is true, that everything is legal and above board, and the returns are so high, why wouldn’t they hire highly educated professionals to do the job properly, instead of trying to persuade you to do part-time work?”

This simply didn’t make sense from a business perspective.

After hearing this, the people began to think.

Yes, with my limited educational background, I’ve always hit walls when trying to find a job. Why would such a great opportunity suddenly be waiting for me?

Hundreds of thousands in profits would be enough to hire professional salespeople.

Mr. Pang stuttered, “Our company is willing to do charity, to help the poor. Who are we looking for, is that any of your business?”

Shen Junci then asked, “If this is a legitimate matter, why did they bring you here in the middle of the night and confiscate your phones? And now they are keeping you confined here?”

It’s another situation that doesn’t make sense. Just now, people were controlled by rhetoric and overlooked these details.

Shen Junci sneered and continued to ask, “If it’s really profitable, there would surely be many powerful and influential companies eager to imitate it. Why haven’t you heard of similar things happening elsewhere, with other companies?”

His words were like a splash of cold water, awakening everyone in the audience.

The first step to deprogramming is to make the programmed start questioning actively.

Diminish the fervor.

After people contemplated, Shen Junci provided the answer, “They deceived you into brainwashing under the guise of part-time work because what they’re doing is shady!”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Pang stepped back nervously, almost stumbling.

All those lines were taught by the cult leader; once he strayed from the scripted rhetoric, he was no match for Shen Junci.

“Shut up!” The manager couldn’t hold back and lunged forward to hit Shen Junci.

Before he could reach, Gu Yanchen slapped him aside.

Then, Gu Yanchen twisted his arm behind his back and pinned him down. The manager struggled desperately but couldn’t move an inch.

With the main perpetrator under control, Shen Junci turned to the crowd.

“You’ve been deceived by them.”

“These elderly folks aren’t your prey, nor your bank. You have families, parents, grandparents; one day you’ll age too. No elderly person should be treated like this. You shouldn’t base your happiness on someone else’s demise.”

Shen Junci was trying to appeal to their humanity.

Their eyes, clouded by greed, began to clear.

“Getting inheritance from others? Overnight wealth? That’s impossible. Those who claimed to have made money were just hired actors.”

As Shen Junci spoke, those who had been “sharing their experiences” earlier began to feel guilty and looked down.

Now, people finally calmed down and could listen to rational analysis.

With Gu Yanchen holding the manager down, he raised his voice, “Recently, there have been numerous elderly murders in Penang. We traced it back to here through these cases. The police have contacted their former students; they didn’t become rich, instead, they turned into murderers! Among them are mothers of two, grandfathers of sick children; just like you, they were ordinary people. These villains used persuasive tactics to lure them…”

“Once you start helping these people sign contracts with the elderly, those promised sums of money become dangling apples in front of you. They’ll use any means to persuade you to kill those elderly folks. Turning you into blood-stained executioners!”

“This is inducement to commit crimes combined with money laundering. They’re exploiting ordinary people to commit murder and effortlessly take over those inheritances!”

This was a showdown between good and evil.

The fraudsters’ facade was gradually being unveiled.

After a moment of silence, discussions erupted.

“I’ve seen the police notices about the recent elderly killings!”

“Now thinking about it, they didn’t see those elderly folks as humans! And they’re treating us like fools too!”

“It’s terrifying. I was brainwashed just now, thinking it was right for a moment.”

“If you believe them, you’ll end up losing everything!”

“Damn it! They dare to deceive us! These people are too shameless, too malicious!”

The scene erupted again, not with excitement but with anger this time.

Listening to them, those with some social awareness realized that what Mr. Pang said earlier couldn’t possibly be legal profit.

His words sounded good, highly inflammatory, but what he proposed was criminal.

If these words were spoken in a quiet environment, allowing people to think slowly, some would have noticed the flaws. But in such an environment, people tend to follow the crowd.

Mr. Pang’s slogans had an agitating tone. Those astronomical figures pumped people up. It was like losing oneself upon entering a pyramid scheme.

They were momentarily swayed by the atmosphere but got brainwashed.

Once aboard the thieves’ ship, it’s hard to get off. In the trend of greed and temptation, they would head towards irreversible destruction.

However, Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen’s words woke them up.

Mr. Pang’s silence spoke volumes.

It was like an exorcism.

In the end, justice prevailed over evil.

The nascent demonic influence was suppressed by humanity, and the demonic obstacles in people’s hearts were gradually removed.

Shen Junci said, “Please trust us, there will be police officers outside to assist you later.”

“Trust the police!”

“These people are just scammers!”

“Give us back our phones and let us out!”

The dozen or so company employees in the audience couldn’t control the situation anymore. Even the staff were previously brainwashed individuals. They followed the scammers’ orders because they were deceived.

Seeing the situation unfolding, they hesitated whether to intervene.

Some among them were momentarily swayed by the rhetoric and realized they were deceived, wanting to retaliate.

Others feared being implicated and opened the locked doors. People began pushing and shoving with the staff. Some even shouted and tried to rush out.

Han Qingyi hadn’t arrived yet, so the manager was in charge of the scene.

He was already bruised and swollen from Gu Yanchen holding him down.

Seeing this, the manager knew the situation was lost. He spat and angrily tore down the last fig leaf of dignity.

He hysterically yelled at several core members, “What are you waiting for? Go and handle it! If they take out evidence, we’re doomed! Do you want to go to prison?!”

His words shattered people’s greedy dreams.

Several accomplices rushed forward with ferocious expressions.

Gu Yanchen no longer held back. He kicked the manager aside, stood up, and faced the thugs.

He turned to Shen Junci and said, “Once I deal with these few, we’ll make a break for it!”

Shen Junci rolled up his sleeves and nodded, saying, “Let’s do it together.”