Although they didn't know why Xu Mo suddenly called off the operation, the officers followed his order.
Everyone knew about Xu Mo's capabilities.
When he said there was a problem, there definitely was one!
After stopping the operation, Xu Mo explained: "This person is just a disposable pawn who can be discarded at any time. Arresting him would be useless and would only alert our real targets. He's wearing an earpiece... and he has injuries too. Look at the bruising on his collar - it's clearly from being beaten. Someone is directing him remotely."
After Xu Mo's explanation, the officers carefully observed and indeed noticed the bruising on the suit-wearing man's collar, as well as his earpiece. Who would listen to music while meeting to discuss money laundering?
They hadn't noticed these details earlier.
If Xu Mo hadn't spotted this in time and warned them, they would have already spooked their targets.
"Let them continue the transaction. We'll have someone follow the man in the suit afterward to see where he goes," Xu Mo continued.
Meanwhile, the suited man had sat down across from Wang Hai.
The two weren't talking. Wang Hai was still drinking his coffee. Since he wasn't wearing a wireless earpiece, he didn't know that the police operation had been called off.
He kept lifting his coffee cup, taking sips and putting it down... This was the agreed-upon signal with the police, meaning it was time to make the arrest.
Since meeting the suited man, Wang Hai had taken no fewer than ten sips of coffee, but the police still hadn't moved in.
Make the arrest! Why aren't they making the arrest? If they wait any longer, I'll finish my coffee!
Could they not see his signal? Were his coffee-drinking motions not obvious enough? Thinking this, Wang Hai lifted his cup for another sip.
The police still didn't move.
He took another sip - still nothing.
He took yet another sip...
And another...
And another...
After finishing the entire cup of coffee, Wang Hai was dumbfounded. What was going on? Were these officers reliable or not? Why weren't they making the arrest?
Wang Hai, eager for his sentence reduction, was becoming impatient. He even considered taking matters into his own hands and restraining the guy across from him!
Maybe if he took initiative in helping the police, he'd have an even better chance at getting his sentence reduced!
The suited man, seeing that Wang Hai hadn't spoken, took the initiative to break the silence.
"How much are you planning to invest this time?"
Invest? I'm planning to arrest you as my investment! Wang Hai gritted his teeth, preparing to make his move.
Just as he was about to act, Xu Mo suddenly stood up inside the coffee shop, shot him a warning glance, then took out his phone, pretending to make a call as he walked toward the café's back door.
"Li Yunfei? He's just a team leader, who cares what he says? Look at how nobody in the team listens to him. Team building during off-hours? We've already decided, none of us are going to tonight's team building event," Xu Mo's 'phone conversation' drifted to Wang Hai's ears.
Wang Hai, who was about to spring into action, immediately halted his plans upon hearing these words.
Xu Mo's words carried a hidden meaning. On the surface, it seemed like he was complaining about a superior and refusing to attend an after-hours team building event, but upon careful consideration, it was clear he was trying to convey something specific.
Li Yunfei was the officer who had arrested him, and Wang Hai had heard other officers use his name.
Being clever enough to devise bank fraud schemes, Wang Hai wasn't slow to catch on.
Xu Mo's sudden standing up was clearly meant to stop him from taking action. Combined with Xu Mo's words, Wang Hai realized that not only was Xu Mo trying to stop him, but he had also signaled to the other officers that they wouldn't be making any arrests.
As he passed by Wang Hai's table, Xu Mo deliberately slowed his pace and mouthed the words: "Arrest cancelled, continue transaction."
The suited man, sitting with his back to Xu Mo, didn't notice this silent communication.
Arrest cancelled? His guess had been right, but what did "continue transaction" mean? Weren't they supposed to make an arrest? Why continue the transaction? Though Wang Hai was very confused, he played along: "Two million. Should I transfer the money to the same account number you gave me last time?"
The suited man shook his head.
"That card can't be used anymore. Transfer it to this one instead," he said, pulling a piece of paper from his suit pocket containing an account number and cardholder information.
After handing over the note, the suited man stood up: "I have some matters to attend to at the company. I'll be going now," and left through the café's back door.
After the suited man left, Wang Hai turned to Li Yunfei and the others with a confused expression.
The officers dispersed from the café, except for Li Yunfei, who approached Wang Hai.
Pretending to be old acquaintances running into each other, he put his arm around Wang Hai's shoulders and led him out of the café, took him to the car, and handcuffed him.
Meanwhile.
Outside the café, two private cars started up one after another.
The suited man got into the first car and left the café, while the second car contained Xu Mo and three other local officers.
These three officers were part of the group that had been stationed outside the store from the beginning. Their original task had been to apprehend the target if he tried to flee the café.
Now their mission was to follow the black private car carrying the suited man, along with Xu Mo.
"Drive slower, don't follow too closely. Be careful not to make them suspicious," Xu Mo reminded the officer who was driving.
"Understood!" The officer reduced their speed slightly.
Following the black private car ahead, Xu Mo's team arrived at an office building in the city center.
After parking his car, the suited man walked straight into the building.
The officers were stunned - they never would have guessed that a money laundering operation would dare to set up their office in a downtown building!
"Damn... they're that bold? Their headquarters is actually in the city center?"
"Hiding in plain sight," Xu Mo smirked as he opened the car door and got out.
The officers quickly followed suit, getting out to follow along with Xu Mo.
To avoid being spotted by the suited man walking ahead, the group deliberately maintained a significant distance.
After entering the building, the suited man walked to the elevator and joined a group of people waiting there.
One officer wanted to follow closer but was held back by Xu Mo.
"Don't follow anymore. We were all in the café earlier, and he might remember us. If we follow now and he recognizes us, it could raise suspicions. We absolutely can't let them become suspicious."
"If we don't follow, how will we know which floor he's going to?" the officer asked, puzzled.
Before Xu Mo could respond, another officer spoke up in an exasperated tone.
"There are security cameras, we can check those... Are you dense?"