Chapter 386: The Dream Of An Old Driver (1/2)

”Can't you talk now?” asked Xiaotao.

Xiao Dawei pointed to the ten words on the wall behind us–Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist. ”This phrase is used to deceive. How much leniency can I actually receive? I might get the death penalty. I’d like to stay in prison and slowly tell my story. That way the prison guards will take care of me.”

”You’re a smart guy!” chuckled Xiaotao.

”That's true,” boasted Xiao Dawei. “Do you know how many friends of the trade I’ve made? If criminals could receive academic qualifications for skills of the trade, I would have gotten a doctorate.”

Xiaotao tapped the table thrice–the secret code we agreed upon earlier that meant leaving the room. I turned to Xiao Dawei, ”Are you hungry? Can we get you something to eat?”

Xiao Dawei nodded, ”Yes, and bring a pack of cigarettes.”

We left the interrogation room for the time being to discuss measures. ”He must have a lot of information about his own crimes and the crimes of other criminals,” Xiaotao remarked. “We should ask him about the others first. I think he’s bound to share his crimes sooner or later.”

I shook my head, ”But that’s not the same! The acquaintances he has are from all over the country so any credit goes to the police of the other provinces. If he talks about himself, the credit is all yours.”

“What’s there to worry about?” laughed Xiaotao. “With you around, opportunities to render meritorious service are a dime a dozen. In fact, I think I’m rising too quickly by the ranks. I’ll go prepare a little incentive for him to speak.”

”I'll get him something to eat then,” I replied.

After half an hour, we returned to the interrogation room. I purchased some beef rice, a pack of Hongtashan and a bottle of mineral water for Xiao Dawei.

He seemed pleased, ”Nice job, young man! Apologies for my offence the other night!”

Xiaotao and I sat opposite of Xiao Dawei, watching him wolf down his food. ”Aren’t you two going to eat?” he asked.

”We’ll eat after the interrogation,” answered Xiaotao.

”Looks like being an officer isn’t easy!” commented Xiao Dawei. Then, he lowered his head and continued shoveling rice into his mouth.

When he was satiated, Xiaotao took out two documents with photos of two different prisons. Picking up the left one, she said, ”This is the oldest prison in the province, Xiaoshan Prison. Management is backward and conditions aren’t very good. Those held there are serious felons who often make trouble and kill other inmates. I heard a lot of them are homosexuals and inmates are required to work 12 hours a day. Food is also terrible, the worst among all the prisons.”

Xiaotao placed two sheets of paper in front of him and said, ”Think about it! You’ll have to stay in prison for a long time. Whether you live comfortably or not depends on your attitude.”

Xiao Dawei gulped, ”I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you everything!”

”We want to hear stories about your friends first!” Xiaotao smiled triumphantly.

All throughout the afternoon, Xiao Dawei never stopped talking about the criminals he knew. He gladly betrayed his friends, not sparing any details. His confession could help us arrest at least five or six major criminals in the province.

After the interrogation ended in the evening, Xiaotao and I were completely exhausted but ecstatic with our findings. Xiaotao immediately phoned the provinces and cities where the criminals were located and gave them the information we obtained to solve the cases.

A month later, more than a dozen major cases in the province were solved. Xiaotao received several thank-you letters from the other provinces’ public security bureaus.