Where to begin

Hong Lei, the Deputy Head of the Economic Crime Investigation Detachment at the Jing'an Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, recently received the 2026 National May Day Labor Medal. With a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a lean physique, this 19-year veteran has, through a distinct "calculative" mindset, led his team in solving over 1,900 economic crime cases and recovering more than 13 billion yuan in losses. He is known among his colleagues as the "Master Calculator."

We should examine the story of Shanghai's economic crime investigator, Hong Lei, nicknamed "The Calculator." This title doesn't come from him using a calculator, but from his method of solving cases and recovering stolen assets by "calculating" in his mind — calculating the criminals' schemes, the public's losses, and the potential pitfalls for businesses. Over 19 years, he has recovered over 13 billion yuan. What does 13 billion yuan mean? Spending 1 million yuan a day, it would take over 35 years. Let's break down his three "ledgers" and how he balances them.

The first ledger: The criminals' "hidden ledger" — calculating "how they commit crimes"

Those involved in economic crime are not fools; they are skilled at disguise. Hong Lei's "calculation" is not idle speculation from an office, but deducing the criminal logic behind abnormal phenomena. A case in point: A few years ago, while patrolling online, he discovered several online stores selling figurines of a well-known anime brand. The craftsmanship was too refined for counterfeit goods, but the price was only one-third of the authentic product. An ordinary person might think, "I've found a high-quality imitation," and just report it. Hong Lei thought differently. He began to "calculate": multiple stores selling them suggested organized crime, not a single person. The refined craftsmanship meant it wasn't from a small workshop, but likely from professional 3D scanners used to digitize the authentic product. The ability to be profitable at such a low price indicated strict cost control, likely from large-scale, multi-location production. Following this logic, he and his team sifted through order information, shipping addresses, and fund flows. Their calculations were correct: a group used professional equipment to scan the figurines, sent the data to factories in several provinces to produce parts, which were then assembled, sold online, and shipped by a separate team. The entire chain was clearly divided, involving tens of millions of yuan. They eventually dismantled the upstream production base. After this case, the "Calculator" nickname stuck — he doesn't wait for criminals to become a major threat, but calculates their every step as they are just starting, and destroys the foundation.

Another case involved a game cheating ring. The criminals were exceptionally clever. Every time their cheat was blocked, they would release a new version within a day or two, iterating over 20 versions. The typical approach would be to chase each version, which would be exhausting. Hong Lei changed his "algorithm": no matter how the interface or appearance changed, the core code logic for functions like "wallhacks" or "auto-aim" must exist. He collaborated with the cybersecurity unit to reverse-engineer the cheat's core engine, its fundamental algorithm. When they made the arrest, the suspect was debugging the 22nd version on a row of screens. This is like playing chess; he doesn't look at the opponent's moves, but directly calculates the opponent's defeat. This approach relies on a deep "calculation" of the criminal logic within new business models.

The second ledger: The public's "safety ledger" — calculating "what the public has truly lost"

Many major cases involve millions or billions of yuan, but Hong Lei is exceptionally meticulous with smaller cases. His ledger is clear: numbers are statistics, but for a family, they represent everything. A retired teacher invested over 300,000 yuan, a lifetime's savings, into a fake financial platform. The day the money was recovered, the elderly man came on crutches with a handwritten thank-you letter. That 300,000 yuan was his retirement fund, his medical emergency fund, and emergency money for his child's business. Hong Lei said such accounts must be calculated clearly. In his eyes, recovering 300,000 yuan and recovering 30 million yuan are equally important in providing a resolution for the public. He doesn't just calculate the crime amount, but what that money means to a real person.

In a case involving counterfeit "Crocs" clogs, the initial clue was the brand's own sales data, which showed abnormal, volatile sales in one region. Simultaneously, several police stations received 110 reports about counterfeit shoes. Most people would treat these as separate incidents. When Hong Lei connected the dots, he immediately knew the problem was serious. He analyzed the fake stores and physical shops in other provinces, finding prices less than half of the authentic product, massive sales volumes, and a return/complaint rate several times higher than peers. This indicated a product of very poor quality, being aggressively pushed to market, severely squeezing the legitimate product and damaging the brand's reputation. This pointed to a well-organized production and sales network acting as the "push." So, he and his team, following shipping addresses and logistics chains, meticulously traced the layers, calculating the precise locations of production, storage, and sales points. A coordinated raid shut down 10 locations, with the case amount reaching 60 million yuan. Without his "calculation," the brand might only know counterfeits were widespread, but not the root cause.

The third ledger: The enterprise's "risk control ledger" — calculating "how to prevent bad things from happening"

Solving cases and making arrests is after the fact. Hong Lei wants to push the defense line forward, preventing losses entirely. Jing'an District has 94 "billion-yuan office buildings" housing numerous headquarters and R&D centers. He focused on how to "calculate" a health check for these enterprises. Starting in 2022, he promoted the "Weiqi" (Protecting Enterprises) alliance, led by the police and involving industry and commerce and tax authorities, to conduct regular "risk control inspections" in these buildings. This is not about investigating them, but like a traditional Chinese doctor, telling the company: "Your contract has a risky clause," "Your overseas trade channel is vulnerable to money laundering," "Your employee management has risks of embezzlement." They "calculate" potential criminal risks in advance and seal the loopholes. The alliance's scale grew eightfold over four years. By 2024, Shanghai launched the "Blue Whale" enterprise protection workstations citywide, with Jing'an's stations among the first to enter core business districts. They stationed officers directly, making it easy for companies to consult instead of waiting for a crime to occur. This "preventive measure" is the most brilliant "calculation," as the potential losses prevented cannot be measured in numbers. Consider this: if an R&D company fails to protect its trade secrets and they are stolen, it could be destroyed. What is the value of that loss?

In essence, over 19 years, Hong Lei solved over 1,900 cases and recovered over 13 billion yuan. His three ledgers are, essentially, extreme professionalism and a sense of responsibility: calculating with criminals, being deeper and farther ahead; calculating with the public, understanding the emotional weight of every yuan; and calculating with enterprises, foreseeing where the risks lie. He is not a god, but someone who repeatedly simulates overlooked clues, data, and anomalies, calculating the most probable truth and acting precisely. Therefore, the title "Calculator" is well-deserved. Good morning, everyone. May we all have more such guardians who know how to "calculate."