The people they had brought back earlier were of no help in investigating the case, so the police had to continue their interactions with Boss Hu from Fuxin Construction Company.
The top executives of the company who had participated in the bridge construction back then were unaware of the incident. It was almost certain that the loss of life had occurred at the hands of the construction workers on the ground.
To find these construction workers, they still needed to rely on Boss Hu from Fuxin Construction Company.
After a brief discussion between Han Fei and Xu Mo, the two set off once again for Fuxin Construction Company.
They had been here not long ago, so this time they were familiar with the route. They approached the front desk staff again.
As before, the staff made a phone call for approval before taking them upstairs.
Upon hearing that the officers had returned, Boss Hu immediately grew uneasy.
"What are they here for this time? Could it be about me? Did those bastards sell me out while in custody?!"
"No, no, if they were here for me, they would’ve barged in to arrest me directly. They wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of having the front desk announce their arrival. They must be here for something else."
With this thought, Boss Hu informed the front desk that he was available and asked them to bring the officers up.
However, even so, the heavy stone in his heart didn’t fully settle. He still felt a sense of unease.
The reason was that Boss Hu had recently learned that after the top executives of his company were taken to the police station for questioning, they were all detained on various charges.
Even his brother-in-law, who, aside from his womanizing habits, had never engaged in any illegal activities, had been detained for repeatedly visiting massage parlors.
This wasn’t the police arbitrarily detaining people. The main reason was that those executives had indeed committed some illegal acts in the past, things that Boss Hu himself knew about and had tacitly allowed. After all, in the early days of the construction business, if you weren’t ruthless, you couldn’t keep people in line. Only by using tough methods could you make certain stubborn residents who demanded exorbitant compensation back down.
The key point was, those incidents were all ancient history, and few people knew about them back then. How on earth did these officers manage to dig up things that even the people involved had almost forgotten?
It’s downright eerie! What kind of methods do these officers have?
Because of this, even though Boss Hu believed that the police weren’t here to arrest him but rather to seek his help, he still felt a pang of anxiety about the upcoming meeting.
Back when the construction company was just starting out, he too had done illegal things. Now that the company’s executives had fallen into the hands of the police, he didn’t want to follow suit.
As he was thinking this, there was a knock on the door.
"Boss Hu, Officer Han and Officer Xu are here."
Upon hearing this, Boss Hu immediately put on an ingratiating smile and personally stood up to greet them.
"Gentlemen, please come in. What can I help you with this time?"
"Mm," Han Fei nodded and got straight to the point. "We’d like to ask Boss Hu to help us get in touch with the construction workers who were involved in the project back then."
Hearing this, Boss Hu couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief. The heavy stone in his heart finally settled completely.
Thank goodness it’s as I thought—they’re not here to arrest me… With the crisis averted, Boss Hu quickly added, "Getting in touch with the construction workers from back then might be a bit tricky… But since the police have asked, I’ll give it a try. Please wait a moment, I’ll make a call and see what I can do."
The management of a construction company doesn’t need to do physical labor, so they can keep working even as they age. But the same can’t be said for the construction workers on the ground. Older workers can’t handle the job, and construction companies are unlikely to hire them anyway—it’s not cost-effective.
The Binjiang Bridge was built over twenty years ago. More than two decades have passed since then, and the construction workers from that time have long since retired because they were too old to continue in the industry.
Now, trying to contact those workers from twenty years ago is a real hassle.
Hardly any company keeps the phone numbers and records of employees who left more than ten or even twenty years ago.
Fuxin Construction Company was no exception.
As a result, as soon as Boss Hu made the call, his staff gave him the answer: they couldn’t get in touch with anyone.
"Can’t reach anyone? Not a single one?"
"Right, I see."
After hanging up, Boss Hu looked apologetically at Han Fei and Xu Mo.
"I’m sorry, gentlemen, but we can’t reach them… The construction workers who worked on the project back then have long since left due to their age and inability to handle the physical demands. It’s been too long, and our company doesn’t keep contact information for employees who left over twenty years ago."
Although Han Fei had anticipated this outcome before coming, hearing it directly from Boss Hu still left him feeling somewhat disheartened. He couldn’t help but frown.
Without being able to find the construction workers from back then, this lead had come to a dead end. To continue the investigation, they’d have to find another way.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, Boss Hu. We have other matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave now."
Han Fei was about to pull Xu Mo away, since Boss Hu couldn’t help them and staying any longer would just be a waste of time.
Seeing this, Boss Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief, though his tone was tinged with regret.
"Leaving so soon? I was hoping to have you stay for some tea… Let me walk you out."
That’s what he said, but what Boss Hu was really thinking was, "These two ominous figures who make me nervous are finally leaving! Thank goodness they’re not here to arrest me."
Unexpectedly, while Han Fei was ready to leave, Xu Mo had no intention of going anywhere.
From the moment he first laid eyes on Boss Hu, Xu Mo had known through his criminal radar that this man was no good—he’d committed too many illegal acts.
But at the time, Xu Mo hadn’t chosen to arrest him outright because Boss Hu still had some use; his role wasn’t yet finished.
Now, however, Boss Hu was no longer useful. The executives he had brought to the police earlier had no connection to the murder case from back then, and now they couldn’t even reach the construction workers from that time. As far as the investigation into the old case was concerned, Boss Hu was of no help whatsoever.
If he couldn’t help, what was the point of keeping him around?
Might as well arrest him and earn some rewards while they were at it…
In the next moment, Xu Mo casually pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his waist and, with a swift motion, clamped them onto Boss Hu’s wrists.
"Having tea here is unnecessary. How about I treat you to some tea at the station instead?"
Boss Hu: "???"
Though his mind was reeling and he was silently cursing, Boss Hu still managed to force a smile and asked, "Officer, you don’t need handcuffs for tea… This joke of yours is a bit much, isn’t it? I’m a law-abiding citizen, after all."
Does "law-abiding" even apply to you? Xu Mo gave Boss Hu a sidelong glance and then said,
"Little Hu, stop pretending. Your trusted subordinates have already ratted you out. The bad things you did back then are no fewer than theirs. Need me to jog your memory?"
At this point, Boss Hu finally understood.
His trusted subordinates who had been arrested must have sold him out to gain favor, otherwise Xu Mo wouldn’t be saying this.
As for why Han Fei and Xu Mo hadn’t arrested him earlier, it was because they still needed his help at the time. They were afraid that if they turned on him too quickly, he wouldn’t cooperate.
Now that he was no longer useful, they had cuffed him without hesitation.
Even the way they addressed him had changed from "Boss Hu" to "Little Hu."
What kind of people are these? They flip faster than flipping through a book!