Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 112: A Long, Quiet Night
The meeting did not go well. Shen Lingchen excused himself, leaving everyone irritated. The leaders present were seasoned figures in the bureaucratic world, and they quickly discerned the reason behind this detective's stagnation despite two decades of service.
Being unruly is a taboo for any disciplinary team.
The representatives from the Disciplinary Committee were curious about his suspension. Upon inquiry, they learned it was due to allegations of coercing a theft suspect during interrogation, which led to the suspect's family storming the criminal investigation agency, causing a severe social backlash. Subsequently, the suspect was released, and Shen Lingchen was suspended for investigation. Ironically, while discussions were underway about pursuing criminal responsibility, the interrogated suspect committed another crime and was incarcerated again, confessing to previous offenses.
At that moment, there was no longer any social impact; the family fell silent, the media ignored it, and his agency did not revoke his punishment.
The awkwardness of law enforcement lies in finding a balance between violence and civility; it is not easy. Who knows what weighs heavier on the scales of justice in the hearts of enforcers—principle or personal interest?
The attendees were speechless. Director Zheng from the Criminal Investigation Bureau and Commissioner Zhang from the City Bureau eagerly invited Lin Qizhao to participate in the case. Chen Dingli, a special consultant from the Provincial Department's Criminal Research Division, kept signaling him. In his view, this was an unsolvable case that would not be easy to crack. Unfortunately for him, he encountered yet another unruly individual; Lin Qizhao seemed somewhat stimulated and took on the case.
This was precisely what the representatives from the Disciplinary Committee wanted to see—high-standard case handling always pushed by the City Bureau. The meeting concluded here, lasting less than an hour, becoming one of the few brief meetings with significant results. Lin Qizhao arranged for vehicles and officers overnight without knowing which unit they came from—two groups of six people set up communication and computers at the task force's base overnight. Each person had a high-end computer, making Shen Lingchen's hastily organized group look insignificant by comparison.
With waveform analyzers, facial recognition technology, access to inter-departmental information networks, and satellite communication devices all in place, Guo Wei could only blink in astonishment. The newcomers were all relatively young; they quickly set up their computers and desks and immediately entered work mode. The task force collected information, work logs, and case summaries meticulously categorized like a precision instrument into new case situations.
Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing found themselves at a loss for what to do next. They awkwardly debated whether to leave or stay as they watched their space being taken over. They had no idea what tomorrow would bring.
"What should we do?" Guan Yiqing whispered to Guo Wei.
Guo Wei glanced at the four men and two women busy at work; he felt too awkward to approach them. "I don’t know either; even those handling cases are first-class officers—on par with our former department leaders—this is intimidating."
"What kind of team is this?" Guan Yiqing asked curiously.
"They're likely a special investigation team directly under the Provincial Department, responsible for inter-provincial and international criminal coordination. Just look at their equipment," Guo Wei replied. Guan Yiqing frowned and remarked, "What is this? It's like tycoons are coming to snatch food from poor farmers."
Stealing credit is a major taboo; stealing cases is also frowned upon. Yet these people acted so self-assuredly that it irked both of them. Guo Wei quietly said, "You don't understand; the best way to gain fame is to step on someone else's shoulders. Our mentor has been unmatched in solving theft cases for twenty years."
"But this time, I feel like our mentor has lost his touch. Who predicts major cases before they happen?" Guan Yiqing whispered.
"Yeah, ever since he was suspended, his skills have declined significantly. He’s been here for over two months without any progress," Guo Wei said.
The two of them huddled in the corner, unnoticed by anyone. The busy officers quickly fell into their routines, presenting the necessary data templates and written statements with remarkable efficiency in front of Lin Qizhao. He flipped through the arrangements and instructed, "Make sure to take a break; after dawn, coordinate with the original project team... Once you're familiar, what’s your first impression?"
"Boss, you've picked a troublesome case. If we find something, it won't mean much; if we don't, we could be in deep trouble. It's been two years since the theft, tracking down leads and recovering stolen items will be challenging," one officer replied.
"Then next time, I'll send you to tackle street crime; that should be easy... What about the others?" Lin Qizhao asked. The officer who spoke smiled, indicating that the team had a good rapport.
"No problem, we follow your lead. If you tell us to jump into the sea, we won't hesitate."
"Flatterer... What about the data?"
"The related data will be networked tomorrow. If there are any shady areas, I'll uncover them quickly. This gang seems quite intriguing; they've piqued my curiosity."
"Good. Tactically, we must take this seriously. Even if it's just a rascal's case that Deputy Commissioner Shen hasn't cracked yet, it won't be straightforward."
"Shen Lingchen?"
"Deputy Political Commissar Shen Lingchen from the Suzhou-Hangzhou Criminal Investigation Team?"
"He's an admirable senior; I personally sympathize with his situation. Isn't he on suspension?"
The personnel involved seemed familiar with Shen Lingchen and regarded him with respect. Lin Qizhao smiled and said, "Yes, he is on suspension. His involvement in this case is because no one dares to take the blame for this mess. To be frank, I really dislike this kind of habitual practice. However, a police officer who values their own reputation over their duties won't be a good officer... Deputy Political Commissar Shen is commendable in this regard, but I don't appreciate his methods—sluggish and negligent. I feel he has ulterior motives for seeking credit."
This conclusion left the personnel stunned for a few seconds before Lin Qizhao shared his speculation: "He mentioned in the meeting that he predicts a major case will occur soon in Binhai or Suzhou and Hangzhou, targeting high-value antiques. The methods used will be similar or even more sophisticated than those in the Wang Zihua case. What do you think?"
The Leftover Crowd paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. If that's the case, why bother investigating? They could just predict it.
Lin Qizhao chuckled and lowered his head; the team's reaction boosted his confidence. At that moment, a female officer spoke up: "Boss... there are two things you should pay attention to. First, this project team likely has an informant with a very high level of confidentiality—it's classified information that cannot be accessed until the case is closed."
"Is that so?" Lin Qizhao felt a surge of anger and became alert.
"The confidentiality agreement they have is set at a high level; you might not even have the authority to know," the female officer explained. If there was a senior informant involved, that speculation seemed plausible. Lin Qizhao thought for a moment and asked, "What’s the other thing?"
"They might really have predictive abilities," the female officer said as she turned the computer towards everyone.
They had discovered a work log related to Song Lijuan, identifying a matching image from April 30. The accurate description was found a week prior, detailing a height of 1.6 meters and an age under 40, indicating a civil servant or someone engaged in serious work.
All were professionals in the field, and everyone understood how bold it was to make guesses based solely on a video screenshot. They exchanged glances, realizing that such speculation was beyond their team's capabilities. Everyone looked towards Lin Qizhao, who pondered for a long moment before speaking:
"Even if they are impressive, there's no way they could predict a major case would happen, right? Let's just get to work. It's not embarrassing to fall under Commissioner Shen's jurisdiction; whether in experience or lessons learned, it will only help us in future cases... Oh, what about those two?"
At that moment, he remembered Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing, who had been silent all along. He hadn't even had the chance to ask their names. He intended to leave them out intentionally but didn't expect they had quietly slipped away; their seats in the corner were already empty...
…………………………
…………………………
The most frustrating thing was not only being unrecognized for their hard work but also being sidelined.
Those in service often experience this feeling, and for police officers, it is particularly poignant. Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei felt this way now. By the time they left quietly, it was already midnight. They felt embarrassed to take the project team's vehicle home and finally Guan Yiqing suggested, "Let's just head back ourselves; it seems we’re no longer needed."
"I agree. It’s not every day you get a chance to walk with a beautiful woman. I couldn't ask for more," Guo Wei replied with a smile.
No matter how much they tried to act relaxed, both were burdened with thoughts. After walking a few steps, they exchanged glances, both hesitating to speak. Guan Yiqing urged, "You go first."
"I don't have much to say. I just feel abandoned; now I finally understand what it feels like to be disheartened," Guo Wei admitted. As graduates of the Police Academy, their past professionalism, personalities, and dreams had been drowned in endless trivialities. Occasionally struggling to break free from the mundane, they found reality harsher than they had imagined.
"This is the first time we feel so similar," Guan Yiqing remarked with resignation. "I can't understand it either, but I have to say there’s nothing wrong with this arrangement. Once the case progressed to Song Lijuan's level, we hit a dead end; even the legendary master has lost their luster."
"By the way, what do you think about the master's prediction of a major case happening?" Guo Wei asked.
"I can't comprehend that at all. Just based on Xiao Mu's disappearance to speculate that a crime is about to occur? Isn't that just an obvious blunder? It’s not like we’re trying to cover our tracks here; calling it High-IQ Crime is ridiculous," Guan Yiqing responded.
"Exactly! Isn’t sticking your head out just asking for trouble?" Guo Wei added. If such an incident were to occur, it would provide the project team with the right direction; following leads from new clues would surely be more effective than searching through old cases.
The seemingly foolish behavior came from the master’s mouth, leaving both of them puzzled. Just as they were about to hail a taxi to leave, Guo Wei was pulled back by Guan Yiqing. Turning his head, he noticed someone squatting not far from the curb, barely visible except for the glowing cigarette butt that stood out in the dim light.
It was Shen Lingchen. Without a second thought, they hurried over, but as they approached, they found themselves hesitating. In front of the master lay a pile of cigarette butts, and from the side, his expression seemed to be scorched by the flickering light, trapped in anxiety.
“Master, why don’t you come to my place for the night?” Guo Wei said softly.
At that moment, Shen Lingchen finally lifted his head in confusion. He let out a sound of surprise but didn’t notice the nearly burnt-out cigarette still pinched between his fingers. He stared blankly at Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei, as if puzzled by their presence. Lost in thought, he was suddenly jolted by the heat of the cigarette butt and tossed it aside, looking around in a daze.
“Master… please get up. You can’t stay like this,” Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing urged as they helped him up. It took a while for Shen Lingchen to come back to his senses. He chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, “Alright, alright… I’m not old enough to be unable to walk. Why didn’t you two drive?”
“Well… I figured it wouldn’t matter since we probably wouldn’t be involved anymore, so…” Guan Yiqing replied somewhat defiantly, standing firmly beside the master. However, Shen Lingchen’s tone shifted as he said, “That’s not right. As police officers, we can’t throw tantrums. We have work tomorrow and must fully cooperate with Director Lin Qizhao to solve this case.”
“Master, you…” Guo Wei hesitated.
“Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m worried they might change their investigative direction. If they start sifting through the vast sea of information again, it’ll be tough. With a population of twenty million in Binhai and our information work lagging behind—let’s not even mention that our cybersecurity level is several years behind that of the public internet—won’t we just end up taking a long detour?” Shen Lingchen explained.
Could it be that this was a gamble to force those above to pay attention to such an absurd situation?
“But Master, what if we guess wrong?” Guo Wei asked.
“We might buy ourselves a day or two; who knows? There could be a breakthrough or news about Xiao Mu or maybe Pan Shuanglong will confess. Who can say for sure? Are you worried about me losing face? After so many years as a police officer, I’ve long stopped caring about that,” Shen Lingchen laughed, prompting both disciples to chuckle along with him, though there was an underlying bitterness in their laughter.
Guo Wei insisted on inviting him over; thus, Shen Lingchen went home with him. It was late at night when even Guan Yiqing followed along. Surprisingly relieved of a heavy burden, he felt much lighter overall. The three returned to the bachelor’s home where Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei quickly prepared instant noodles with sausages they had bought on the way back. By the time they served it up on the sofa, Shen Lingchen had already fallen asleep in a thoughtful pose, still clutching a burnt-out cigarette between his fingers.
For some reason, Guan Yiqing felt an inexplicable sting in his nose and suddenly couldn’t hold back his tears. It was the first time he realized just how difficult this profession could be…
As night gradually gave way to dawn and the morning light began to break through, a group of people returning from Sea were making their final preparations in one of the luxurious rooms at Seaside Grand Hotel.
The previous night, they logged in, each with an identity card and a stack of cash, checking into the reserved hotel on the same floor. In the early morning, they were summoned to one of the rooms; the final moment had finally arrived.
Locksmith was inspecting his gear: a set of alloy drills and a pile of metal lock-picking tools. Mainboard had even more impressive equipment, a custom-made device that could be strapped to his forearm like a mini-computer. Xiao Mu couldn't even name it. These two were the core of the operation, while everyone else was peripheral. All their faces had been carefully altered by Lani; even Locksmith, with his sleazy appearance, looked like a successful person. Who would have thought that the suitcase he carried contained burglary tools?
Each person had a mobile phone tucked into their pockets. Nie Qifeng glanced at his watch and said, "How many hours do we have left? The plan will only be explained once, so follow the rules. If anyone drops the ball midway, don't blame me for turning hostile... Pay attention; the target is right here."
Nie Qifeng pointed to the computer screen displaying a flat map: Binhai City, Yangjiang Road, Tangchen Premium Community, Building B32, Apartment 1201.
He gestured to Xiao Mu, who began organizing: "The unit door has a continuous power lock; the front door is a German-made security door. This is a duplex structure; next to the bathroom on the second floor, there’s a hidden door. Inside that hidden door might be an insurance cabinet... The main search areas are the desk, bookshelf, display cabinet, and storage room. There are several landscape paintings hanging on the wall; take them all."
"No problem," Locksmith replied with a smirk.
"There are two sets of electronic alarms in the house—one connected to the circuit and another in the hidden room," Xiao Mu added.
"That’s easy to handle," Mainboard scoffed. What seemed mysterious to outsiders was not a big deal for professionals; after all, it was just home equipment.
"Alright, here's how the whole plan goes: Azure Head will keep an eye on a BMW with license plate B6666 at the front exit. When that car leaves the community, it will signal for action; Lani, your position is on the overpass, ready to support them at any time... My position will be at the back exit for pickup. No matter how much we grab once inside, we must leave within fifteen minutes because we can't disable the movement alarm; we have to rely on timing... As they enter, Lani, Azure Head, and I will follow into the community and meet at this parking spot before splitting in two directions to leave... We’ll regroup at Bus Stop 18 on Binjiang Road, which is six kilometers from the exit and easy to find since it's near a construction site... For transportation, three motorcycles are already in the community; Locksmith and Mainboard will take public transport to get there." Xiao Mu organized everything logically; most of it had already been arranged by Nie Qifeng. At the last moment, he asked, "Is that understood?"
"Understood," everyone replied.
"Wait..." Mainboard spoke up and pointed at the plan. "Brother Five, this plan is dangerous. You’ve marked so many cameras; going in would be suicidal. We need to survive to spend what we take."
"Yeah, Brother Five; you missed the most crucial part," Nie Qifeng bluntly added as he turned to Xiao Mu.
Before Xiao Mu could respond, Lani chimed in: "Exactly! Committing a crime in such a high-end community carries too much risk. Stealing might be easy, but escaping won't be."
Nie Qifeng smiled and said, "I originally planned to have a car, but Brother Five vetoed it. Besides, I think his method has a smaller target."
"Yes, this is the masterpiece designed by me, the master. It is very detailed and thorough. As long as you can unlock the door, our risk factor is almost zero," Xiao Mu boasted.
The group of thieves was taken aback, all puzzled. However, Nie Qifeng smiled and gave Xiao Mu a thumbs up. Xiao Mu then organized his thoughts and continued:
"You all forgot why we need to act in advance. It's because... today is a rainy day. Just grab an umbrella, and it will cover all the surveillance cameras... We enter with umbrellas and ride out in raincoats. I chose a construction site as our meeting point; the surveillance there has already been dismantled by those idiots in city construction. The operation shouldn't be complicated; the simpler and less noticeable the method, the more it hinders counter-surveillance. As long as we can take what we need, with this cover and our altered appearances, I can't think of a safer way than this."
Xiao Mu spoke thoughtfully, realizing that understanding the situation made him feel uneasy. On this ship of thieves, only exceptional thieves held positions of power; one must not lag behind, or the consequences would be dire. There was also a deeper layer he couldn't confirm: whether these rogues gathered from all corners would become pawns to be sacrificed. The so-called request for him to create a plan was merely a test of his abilities.
Nie Qifeng had listed all the details of the entire community. If the plan wasn't good enough, someone would correct and improve it.
This was a clever strategy that killed multiple birds with one stone, Xiao Mu thought pitifully as he looked at his companions.
But the thieves involved probably had no idea about this. They looked at Xiao Mu with increasing admiration. At that moment, Niezi brought out the last and most inconspicuous tools—just a few umbrellas—while the removed cars and raincoats had already been placed inside the community. Each person received an access card; they were indeed prepared to perfection, with electronic entry cards ready as well.
At a quarter past six, the group descended separately. They handed their room cards back to Niezi and stood in the lobby as dark clouds loomed overhead. Suddenly, thunder rumbled, followed by flashes of lightning, and torrential rain poured down. Two taxis carried them straight toward their target...
Comment 0 Comment Count