It ultimately came to this, I was handcuffed.
...
"Tell us, how did you carry out the scam?" Two police officers looked at me sternly in the interrogation room.
"Actually, I'm also a victim. You've seen the phone I handed over. Chang Tie said he defrauded me of two hundred million."
The two officers, one looked young, new to the police force, with a fierce expression. The other was older, with a kind face. He looked at me and asked seriously, "Since you are also a victim, why did you admit to being a swindler?"
I thought for a moment and said seriously, "Chang Tie's real name is Tie Zhishan. He was a childhood friend of mine. When he was working in Beijing, he killed a swindler named Bi Dawang. He fled to Xi'an and joined a scam organization. Later, when the Xi'an scam organization was cracked down by the police, Tie Zhishan, with the help of his accomplices, fled to Shanxi and attempted to continue scamming with the remnants of the organization, but was seen through by the mine owner and imprisoned in the mine with the other swindlers."
The young officer listened, displeased, "We asked you to confess to the scam, and you're telling us a story."
"I'm not telling a story, I'm telling the truth."
The older officer gestured for the young officer to calm down and asked me, "Where is the coal mine in Shanxi you mentioned?"
I shook my head, "I don't know. I only heard it from Tie Zhishan."
"Since you don't even know the location, how can you prove what you're saying is true?"
"When I met Tie Zhishan, his leg was broken, his neck was injured, and he was searching through trash cans for food. He..."
I didn't finish because I saw the older officer's half-smile, "Tang Nan, let me tell you, everything Tie Zhishan did was to gain your sympathy. His injuries might have been from being beaten, or it could have been an accident."
I had nothing to say and looked at the two officers in silence.
"Knowing that Tie Zhishan was a wanted criminal, you still gave him money to buy stones. This was giving him an opportunity to exploit the years of emotion between you two."
I pursed my lips, "I thought he could turn over a new leaf."
The young officer became angry when he heard this, "Can turning over a new leaf absolve him of murder?"
"No!" I replied softly.
The older officer remained calm, "How much money did you give Tie Zhishan in total to buy stones?"
"One million at first, then another million. While I was hospitalized during the SARS outbreak, I gave him another two million."
"Did he buy stones with all this money?"
The older officer asked me. I shook my head, "I don't know. I was hospitalized at that time and was isolated. I called Tie Zhishan from the hospital, but his phone was always turned off. We didn't talk."
"At that time, didn't you think about calling the police? Didn't you think Tie Zhishan might be scamming you?"
"I did think about it, but as I said, as a childhood friend of Tie Zhishan, I hoped he could change. When he came out, he didn't disappoint me. Not only did the rough jade cut well, but he also mortgaged it to the bank and used the loan to purchase the current Nanshan Mining."
The young officer snorted at my words, his attitude extremely dismissive. I asked him indignantly, "Am I wrong?"
"You were scammed and you're still in the dark. Let me tell you, Mr. Tang Nan. After we received your report, we contacted the bank and, through expert consultation, conducted a secondary appraisal of the value of the rough jade. That piece of rough jade is fake."
Upon hearing this news, I became upset. My voice, which was not loud before, became somewhat agitated. I said loudly, "Fake? Fake rough jade? How did your appraisal agency issue a certificate? The bank already agreed to a mortgage loan of ten million. Would the bank not be responsible for giving it to someone with a fake identity?"
The young officer was stumped. The older officer sighed, "The ID card wasn't fake. Tie Zhishan bought Chang Tie's identity and then, using the reason of losing his ID card, he re-applied for a new ID card. Tie Zhishan used his own photo at that time."
"He was replaced, and you didn't notice?"
"It was a staff error."
Hearing this, I laughed helplessly. A staff error allowed a wanted criminal to take away ten million in loans. Wouldn't that sound like a joke if it got out?
"Tie Zhishan exploited loopholes in the system. You were Tie Zhishan's partner, didn't you see problems with the factory's accounts?" The young officer was unhappy again, as if all the responsibility was mine.
"What do you mean?"
"The mining company you acquired was actually just a quarry. Tie Zhishan gave them two hundred thousand, and this transaction was completed before he obtained the loan."
"It was a quarry? How did a quarry become a mining company? What about the equipment, crushers, ball mills, and so on? They're not cheap either!" I had more questions than the police.
"They were all leased. After purchasing the quarry, the equipment company delivered the equipment."
Everything was fake, it was Tie's scheme. I leaned back in my chair and said nothing. The young officer yelled at me, "Don't tell me you didn't know about these things."
"What do I know? When he took out the loan, bought the quarry, and set up the company, I was isolated in the hospital. We didn't even make a phone call. If I had known about these plans, why would I have spent money for him to buy stones? I spent four million in total on buying stones. Couldn't I have used this four million to establish a fake mining enterprise that rented equipment?"
The young officer was silenced by my retort.
The older officer stepped forward again and asked, "Tang Nan, when you became Tie Zhishan's partner, did you look at the account books?"
"No, Tie Zhishan told me he was out of money, and I gave him another three million. A total of seven million, all my savings."
"So, Tie Zhishan used your money to buy those elite blasting personnel and reached a contract with Hongying Enterprise."
"If you say so, then it is." I replied resignedly.
"Did you know about Tie Zhishan sending the ore to the testing agency?"
"I knew. The test results always said there were no rare earth minerals on that mountain."
"Yes, but before Hongying Enterprise purchased Nanshan Mining, Tie Zhishan submitted two reports stating that the ore contained rare earth resources that could be developed and utilized. Did you know about this?"
"Yes, after Hongying Enterprise reached the acquisition contract with us, Tie Zhishan told me about it. I didn't pay attention at all. Hongying Enterprise invested two hundred million, do you think I would care if there were rare earth minerals in that mountain?"
The two officers looked at each other. Neither of them doubted my words, their eyes filled with pity.
"Tang Nan, your interrogation is over. Not reporting what you know is not a crime, but whether you will be convicted of harboring a fugitive depends on the prosecutor's office."
"What's the maximum sentence?"
"Less than three years."
"Officers, can I ask a question? Can the money I was scammed out of be recovered?"
Hearing my question, the older officer gave me a sympathetic look, "You discovered it too late. When you reported it, Tie Zhishan had already diverted the money to overseas accounts. The money cannot be recovered. You were scammed out of seven million, which is not much. Jin Bengui, the legal representative of Hongying Enterprise, lost two hundred million."
I looked at the two officers, maintaining a dejected expression, "Is the interrogation over?"
"Almost."
"Officers, I think you've overlooked something. In the text message Tie Zhishan left me, he mentioned Jin Bengui's true identity. If I were you, I would notify the Beijing Criminal Investigation Bureau's 'Black Gold' special task force."
The young officer sneered, "Who do you think you are? Do you need to manage our work? I've never heard of the 'Black Gold' special task force."
I didn't speak, just glanced at the older officer. His face was solemn, and he looked very experienced. Moreover, with the fraud case involving such a large sum of 217 million, such a senior officer must not be an ordinary criminal investigator.
"Thank you for your reminder."
The older officer noticed my gaze and finally added.
...
I was detained. Criminal detention requires shaving one's head. However, this would only happen after the trial. After all, I might be released for knowing but not reporting, or I might go to jail for harboring. Two of the inmates with me had shaved heads. One was a new arrival, and I heard it was due to a fight. When the new inmate came in, I felt something was wrong. He looked at me with a fierce gaze.
This bad premonition reminded me of a conversation between the agent and Lin Zhijun. Lin Zhijun wanted to deal with Fang Sheng. The agent told him that Fang Sheng had encountered an enemy during his criminal detention and would not survive the night. It seemed I was about to face the same situation.
When I slept at night, my vigilance increased. I closed my eyes and listened to the breathing sounds. Two people were already asleep. The new arrival's breathing became rapid, and finally, he got up stealthily. I opened my eyes and saw him holding a knife modified from a screwdriver. Before I could even think about how it was brought into the prison, the new arrival lunged at me, the modified knife in his hand aimed at my vital points.