Chapter 34: Smashing a Massive Counterfeit Production Den!

Under the cover of night, Zhao Shizhe, an elderly man, led a group of plainclothes police officers to a secondhand market.

The captain of the criminal investigation team, Qi Wei, instructed his subordinates, "Don't follow too closely. Keep a tight watch on all the exits; don't let this catch slip away!"

"Understood!"

The officers immediately melted into the crowd, securing the key access points. Soon, the old man guided Captain Qi to a shop. On the surface, it was a stationery store, and a middle-aged man was currently manning the counter.

Seeing the old man enter, the shopkeeper greeted him with forced enthusiasm. "Old man, what can I get for you? We have everything here—stationery, workbooks, and study guides for the kids!"

"Don't you recognize me?" the old man asked, pointing to himself.

The shopkeeper studied him carefully, then shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"It’s me! I was referred to you before to buy a driver's license. You even threw in a little something extra back then..." the old man explained.

Before he could finish, the shopkeeper cut him off. "Old man! Keep your voice down!"

The old man gestured toward Captain Qi. "This is my nephew behind me. He got his license revoked for drunk driving, and I was wondering if you could help us out?"

Qi Wei immediately put on a smile. "I’d really appreciate it! My family is counting on me to drive cargo to make a living."

"Follow me," the middle-aged man said, gesturing for them to enter the back room. Qi and Zhao exchanged a glance and followed him inside.

As they walked, the man asked, "Old man, that license you got last time—it still works, right?"

"It works great! Looks just like the real thing. I’ve been using it for a long time and haven't been caught once! It’s perfect!" the old man praised, though in his heart, he was cursing the man severely.

Soon, the man pulled a box from behind a shelf. Inside were various tools for forging documents. Just as he started rummaging through them, Qi Wei lunged forward, executing a swift takedown and pinning him to the ground.

"What is this? What’s going on? Can't we talk this over?" the man cried out in panic.

"Bah! You unlucky bastard! Selling fake documents got me caught by the police!" the old man dropped the act, spat on the ground, and spoke with feigned indignation.

"Start talking! Do you have any accomplices?" Captain Qi demanded after handcuffing him.

"I didn't make these! I just bought them from a supplier!" the man shouted.

"Oh? And where did you get these fakes from?" Qi pressed.

"I got them from Brother Wang. One day, I was scrolling through Douyin..." The man explained everything.

Qi Wei quickly realized that above this shopkeeper was an entire ring specializing in the production and sale of forged documents, using platforms like Douyin and WeChat Moments to scout for clients. The operation was well-organized, with separate roles for manufacturing, soliciting customers, and managing shipping.

To prevent the trail from going cold, Qi immediately led his team on a night of arrests. By the end of the operation, they had successfully dismantled the criminal syndicate led by a man surnamed Meng. The group had been recruiting "middlemen" across the country, selling fake documents and seals to 14 provinces and municipalities, including Guangdong and Xijiang, netting nearly ten million yuan in illegal profits.

"Good heavens! They even forged official seals for listed companies, police stations, and courts!" Captain Qi was shocked by the scale of the investigation.

When Chief Zhang heard the results, he was highly satisfied. "Qi Wei, your First Unit has destroyed a major syndicate involved in the forging, altering, and trading of state documents and seals. You’ve closed down a production hub, seized 28,400 fake documents, 350 counterfeit seals, over 49,000 seal impressions, 40 pieces of manufacturing equipment, and arrested 24 members. This is a massive achievement!"

Colleagues from other units were green with envy. It was the end of the year, and the First Unit had cracked such a monumental case. This was the kind of high-profile case that would make headlines everywhere.

Qi Wei smiled modestly. "Chief, we owe this to Officer Tan. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have had the key lead."

"Oh? This involves Tan Ping?" The Chief was surprised. After Qi explained the sequence of events, the Chief chuckled. "Let’s send a letter of appreciation to Tan Ping on behalf of the bureau. And to think," he added with a laugh, "such a massive case was uncovered just because of a routine drunk driving check!"

Qi Wei smiled. "Chief, have you forgotten? Not long ago, Officer Tan was checking vehicles and ended up finding thousands of buried bombs in Qinghe Village!"

"Tan Ping really is our bureau's lucky star! You’ve earned a great merit here; make sure to invite him to the celebration!" the Chief remarked.

"Count on it," Qi Wei replied.

Meanwhile, after concluding his broadcast of *Tan Ping Traffic*, Tan Ping returned home and started his usual livestream. His audience had grown significantly, bolstered by those following the case of the Tang couple and new viewers from earlier in the day.

"Officer Tan, you're really hitting your stride now! You're streaming on your own and have thousands of people watching!" a long-time fan wrote in the chat.

"Thank you all for your support!" Tan Ping replied with a smile.

"Officer Tan, thanks to you this morning, otherwise the situation with Yaoyao and her mother would have been unthinkable!" a fan commented, still shaken.

"That's right! Last year in Xijiang Province, there was an incident where a fierce dog mauled a child. Because they didn't get help in time, an 8-year-old boy had his forehead, face, and mouth bitten. The wounds totaled 15 centimeters in length, and he needed over 90 stitches!"

"That's terrifying! And he was 8 years old. Yaoyao is only two and a half; I can't imagine what would have happened without Officer Tan's rescue!"

"In '21, back in my hometown of Chengdu, a primary school student was bitten on the neck by a large dog on the way to school. It led to traumatic shock and a severed trachea; he died despite emergency medical efforts!"

As more netizens shared their own experiences, the chat turned against the Tang couple. After reading the messages, Tan Ping addressed his audience: "Friends, please, whenever you walk your dogs, use a leash and keep them within your sight! And when you're out with children, stay away from large or aggressive breeds!"

"Officer Tan is right!" the viewers agreed.

"I'm recording your stream, Officer Tan, and sending it to our residential building group. We have people here who walk their dogs without leashes all the time!"

Soon, Tan Ping heard a steady stream of notifications in his mind: "Follower +1," "Follower +1!" His fanbase was growing rapidly.

By 10:00 PM, Tan Ping ended the stream. He checked the data: he had gained 26,000 new followers.

"Time to open another blind box!" Tan Ping rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.