Chapter 20: Director, You Cannot Arrest Them!

Inside the surveillance monitoring room, the three officers, already on edge, were suddenly startled by a phone call.

"It’s the duty room landline!"

The three of them went on high alert immediately. This was an internal line, and outsiders generally could not call in.

She picked up the phone: "Hello, this is the duty room of the Qingzhou Cyber Information Security Inspection Brigade!"

Upon hearing the voice on the other end, her expression shifted. "Yes, yes, understood, Director Yang!"

She covered the receiver and handed it to Fang Youcai. "It’s Director Yang from the National Administration of Cultural Heritage!"

Little Lv’s eyes widened. "What? How did the National Administration of Cultural Heritage get through to us?"

"Could it be..." He looked at Zhang Xuan’s live stream on the screen in shock.

Fang Youcai hurriedly stood up to take the phone, straightened his collar, and cleared his throat. "Director Yang, hello. I am Fang Youcai, Captain of the Qingzhou Cyber Information Security Inspection Brigade!"

"Ah?"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"I will certainly cooperate!"
"Yes, yes..."
"He hung up?"

He seemed dazed, staring blankly at the other two. Liang Jingyi and Little Lv watched him with nervous anticipation. "What... what did he say?"

Before Fang Youcai could answer, the sound of the door opening came from behind him. He turned his head to see Director Chen, a man with a stout, stern face and the insignia of a senior officer on his shoulders, walking in.

The three hurriedly stood at attention. "Director Chen!"

Director Chen ignored them, focusing instead on the live stream on the large monitor. "That’s Zhang Xuan, isn’t it?"

Seeing them nod, Director Chen’s face darkened as he turned to Fang Youcai. "Have you tracked down his address?"

Fang Youcai nodded. "Yes."

Director Chen’s gaze turned cold. "If you have the address, why haven't you arrested him? Does a matter like this require my personal decision? Go and bring him in now! The negative impact is too severe!"

The three were stunned. When they didn't move, Director Chen frowned. "What’s wrong?"

Fang Youcai hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "Director Chen, please, don't be hasty."

"We considered making an arrest," he continued. "But we found that even with technical intervention, we cannot locate the grave robbers. Bringing Zhang Xuan in now would likely be counterproductive."

Seeing Director Chen’s look of disbelief, Little Lv rushed to add, "The robbers' signal is encrypted using advanced methods; they clearly prepared for this in advance."

Liang Jingyi added, "Director Chen, we must be cautious."

Director Chen realized the situation, but after a moment of thought, he retorted, "Have you considered that Zhang Xuan might possess information about the robbers that we cannot access? If we don't act, we are allowing them to continue their tomb raiding, and on a public broadcast, no less! How could the impact be anything but disastrous? Hesitation only leads to chaos! As the captain of the security brigade, do you not understand this? Listen to me—arrest him! Only through action can we break the deadlock of this case!"

Little Lv and Liang Jingyi sighed inwardly but nodded. Only Fang Youcai shook his head.

A flash of anger crossed Director Chen’s face. "What? Have you grown wings? Are you refusing to follow my orders?"

Fang Youcai shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Before you arrived, I received that call from Director Yang at the National Institute of Archaeology."

Director Chen’s anger subsided slightly; while they were in different departments, the National Institute of Archaeology held a much higher rank than the local police. "Director Yang, you say... what did he tell you?"

Fang Youcai explained, "Based on the footage I sent and their analysis, they suspect the tomb currently being looted likely dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. Director Yang said that Zhou Dynasty tombs are of immense archaeological value. Even for the National Institute, such an excavation requires high-level approval—it is a national-level project."

The anger on Director Chen’s face vanished, replaced by anxiety. "It’s fortunate the robbers aren't in Qingzhou, or it would be even more troublesome." He blinked, looking at Fang Youcai in surprise. "A national-level project, being looted by grave robbers! If you knew the severity, why were you arguing with me?"

He pulled out his phone to call the Criminal Investigation Division. "Forget it, you don't need to handle this anymore! I’ll have Han Lin assemble a special task force to coordinate with Director Yang’s team."

Before the call connected, he heard Fang Youcai’s somber voice. "Director Yang also said that at least two of the artifacts shown in the stream are first-class national treasures. One is even considered a supreme-grade treasure. He instructed that our primary mission must be the protection of these artifacts!"

Director Chen looked at Fang Youcai in shock and slowly lowered the phone. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" He pulled out a chair and sat down, taking out a cigarette. Fang Youcai hurriedly lit it for him.

Director Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at the live stream. "Is there a plan?"

Fang Youcai nodded. "We’ve investigated Zhang Xuan—he’s just a treasure appraisal streamer. He’s only nineteen, and his background is clean. We believe his involvement in this tomb-raiding incident is purely accidental. Given his age, he is essentially cleared of suspicion."

"Furthermore, the only way we can track the robbers is through his stream. If we cut it off, we lose our only window into the crime."

Director Chen finally understood why Fang Youcai had defied him. He glanced at him. "It seems you already have a plan. Tell me. I’ll coordinate any help you need."

Fang Youcai looked slightly ashamed. "Director, don't have too high expectations. I'm struggling with this myself. But the only good news is that although Zhang Xuan appears to be helping the robbers, he is actually guiding them in a way that emphasizes the protection of the artifacts. He is remarkably knowledgeable, and the robbers trust him. If we lose Zhang Xuan, these robbers, who are clearly out of their depth in the tomb, might do something destructive."

Director Chen turned to Little Lv and Liang Jingyi. "You both agree?" Seeing them nod, Director Chen agreed. "Controlling movement through stillness—not bad. But waiting indefinitely isn't a solution."

Fang Youcai felt relieved. "Thank you, Director. I plan to wait for Zhang Xuan to finish his stream and then contact him privately. If he cooperates, it will make things much easier."

"Luring the wolf into the trap," Director Chen said, his eyes lighting up as he grasped the intent. "Excellent."