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墨書 Inktalez
"Report, report... I've lost my wallet!" Xiao Mu rushed into the Police Station, shouting anxiously.
"What are you yelling about? Losing wallets happens all the time," a Male Officer replied impatiently while watching a video.
"I want to speak to your supervisor," Xiao Mu retorted, clearly frustrated.
The officer raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Are you looking for your wallet or our supervisor?"
"I'm asking your supervisor for my wallet!" Xiao Mu glared and shouted.
The Male Officer chuckled, amused. "And who are you?"
"A citizen, a taxpayer," Xiao Mu pounded his chest proudly.
"Show me your ID or any valid document to prove you're a taxpayer, and I'll handle your case according to the rules," the officer said, his smile fading as he became more serious. Other officers in nearby rooms were drawn out by the commotion, curiously staring at Xiao Mu.
Xiao Mu was momentarily taken aback; this was more trouble than he expected. He had lost his wallet, yet they wanted him to present identification. He patted his pockets and found his phone instead. With a grin, he stepped closer to the officer and said, "Looks like being a citizen doesn't help much here."
"No matter what your identity is, we have to follow the rules," the officer replied curtly, gesturing to a seat. "Sit down and we'll take your statement."
Oh no, if he really had lost his wallet, by the time they finished taking notes, the thief would be long gone. Xiao Mu clearly wasn't focused on that; he smiled and said, "How about I change my identity... You see, my uncle is Zhang Hulin."
"Who?" the officer asked curiously.
"The City Bureau Political Commissar... Wait a moment, let me give him a call." Xiao Mu pulled out his phone.
The officer quickly stood up and blocked Xiao Mu's phone. "Wait a minute, who did you say?"
“Zhang Hulin, you all… Political Commissar…”
“City Bureau, Political Commissar? What’s the phone number…”
“… just this number…”
The officer recited the number as if for someone else's benefit, but the call never went through. Moments later, an older man hurried out of a room and rushed to Xiao Mu's side. He pressed down on Xiao Mu's phone and said, “What’s the big deal? You’re bothering the Political Commissar… Liu Er, quickly check around the station. That fool committed a crime in our jurisdiction; bring him back.”
“Leader, I know who it is… it’s them… look, just those three. They got off the car and tried to get close to me. I felt something was off, so I ignored them. But as soon as I reached the exit, I realized my wallet was gone,” Xiao Mu explained, pointing at one of the screens. At a slanted angle, he could see Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei lingering near a pillar on the platform.
“Are you sure?” the officer asked, sounding skeptical.
“Absolutely sure. They claimed to be police officers… which is impossible, right? The real officers are right here! Just look at you, such a dignified appearance, while these guys have deceit written all over their faces,” Xiao Mu said insincerely, flattering the plump middle-aged man.
The officer hesitated for a moment. Xiao Mu handed over his phone and said, “If you don’t believe me, call my uncle.”
It was an exquisite leather phone, quite valuable. Looking at Xiao Mu's affluent demeanor, it was clear he had been through significant situations without flinching. The officer instantly made a decision and raised his hand: “Gather up; bring these guys back.”
Yes! Xiao Mu felt elated. It seemed that having met Commissioner Zhang from the City Bureau was not a bad thing after all; it would come in handy at a crucial moment.
This order was executed swiftly. With a call over the radio, officers scattered throughout the high-speed rail station converged on their target. The leader led several officers armed with batons directly toward the platform with great determination. Xiao Mu's treatment improved instantly; a Young Officer poured him a glass of water and courteously invited him into the Captain's Office for a seat.
Meanwhile, Guan Yiqing quickly sensed something was off as several Patrol Officers appeared out of nowhere, watching her warily. She subtly signaled to Guo Wei, who also noticed something strange; they were being watched like thieves. While waiting for Shen Lingchen to return from the restroom, they felt uncomfortable under such scrutiny. Just as they were about to leave, trouble struck—a group surrounded them completely. Guo Wei panicked and pointed angrily: “What are you doing? What’s going on?”
“Cooperate and come with us to the Police Station for questioning,” several Patrol Officers said brusquely as they pressed down on his hands. The moment he moved, he was swiftly subdued and had his arms twisted behind his back. When Guan Yiqing slightly moved to retrieve her identification, she too found her arm twisted by someone else; another officer took it upon themselves to pull out her wallet. The approaching leader opened it up and held it in front of Guan Yiqing: “Whose belongings are these?”
“What… does this have to do with you?” Guan Yiqing was taken aback.
"Look at you, looking decent but not learning your lesson, stealing things and taking them away." The leader shook his head and dragged Guan Yiqing away. Guo Wei was furious and shouted, "It's a misunderstanding! We're police officers from the Criminal Investigation Bureau!"
"Impersonating police? Do you really think you look like one?"
Someone slammed a knee into his backside, causing him to involuntarily quicken his pace.
The two were brought back to the Police Station in front of a crowd and were immediately locked in a small dark room. Then, a stern voice rang out, not allowing for any "clever excuses":
"Crouch down! How many times have you stolen?"
Xiao Mu listened through the crack in the door, chuckling to himself. When he heard footsteps approaching, he quickly returned to his seat. As soon as the leader of the Police Station Office entered, he hurriedly stood up, expressing his gratitude. The chubby leader sighed in frustration, saying, "Damn it, we let one get away. The one who escaped is definitely an old thief. No worries, we'll catch him sooner or later... Ah, young man, you reported the crime in time, allowing us to successfully apprehend two thieves."
"You're still incredibly brave... Well, sir, I have something urgent to attend to. I need to rush to the airport to pick someone up... How about I leave my wallet with you for now and come back later to give my statement?" Xiao Mu said politely.
"Oh... well..." The leader made an exception and complained more courteously, "What are you saying? Everything is for the people. If it's confirmed that it's your property, why leave it with us? Hurry along now! Liu Er, give the owner's belongings back to him..."
Xiao Mu felt so embarrassed by their politeness that he accepted his wallet back and even counted it. They offered him a ride as well. As for the statement, it was fine; they could contact him later by phone. The two officers escorted Xiao Mu out of the station and watched as he happily walked away, letting out a sigh of relief.
A relative of the Political Commissar—thank goodness it was handled properly.
Just as he relaxed, a police officer who had been interrogating the "thieves" rushed out in a panic. "Captain! Captain! Bad news! Commissioner Zhang from the City Bureau just called."
"It’s fine; we’re not handling matters related to the Political Commissar's relative anymore since they’ve left," the captain replied.
"No, no! It's about those two who were caught," the young officer said.
"What’s there to discuss? Handle it seriously and swiftly," the captain said curtly.
"Not at all, Captain, we need to let those two go immediately," the Young Officer said.
"Huh? What's going on?" The Captain was confused.
"Those two are police officers, from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. They were on a case," the Young Officer reported, wide-eyed in surprise.
"Oh no, this is bad... You didn't hit them, did you?" The Captain's heart raced as he saw the Young Officer's stunned expression. He slapped him on the face and hurried back, muttering to himself that it was a disaster and they were about to embarrass themselves.
It was only at the door that he remembered the one they had let go. He pulled the Young Officer who had followed him and said, "Who was that person who left? Damn it, they tricked me. Remember their name; we need to summon them back."
"The Political Commissar said not to touch them, just act like we didn't see anything," the Young Officer reported solemnly. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it seemed serious.
Oh boy, the Captain felt stifled. He slapped his forehead and said in frustration, "We can't even move; this is going to get me in trouble... What are you standing around for? Hurry up and release them."
Inside a Police Station, chaos ensued. Before long, the Captain was wearing a smile as he escorted Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei out. A group of fierce-looking officers who had just been apprehending them stood awkwardly in line to apologize. Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei left with their faces darkened, unable to vent their anger.
In a blink of an eye, everything had turned around. The two had been taken into the Police Station for a spin. Guo Wei rubbed his shoulder and jaw after arguing a bit, receiving a kick for his troubles, then arguing again and getting slapped. Seeing him like this made Guan Yiqing unexpectedly chuckle.
"You can still laugh? Look at the quality of these grassroots officers; they don't differentiate between right and wrong and just resort to violence," Guo Wei said with a mix of laughter and tears.
Guan Yiqing paused in surprise and asked, "Wait? How could he mobilize the Police Force here?"
"It wasn't mobilization; it was a misunderstanding... Oh right, the Captain said that person is related to Commissioner Zhang," Guo Wei replied. Suddenly understanding dawned on him—using someone else's power for personal gain—and then he realized that they had stirred up trouble for themselves. Guan Yiqing also stared wide-eyed and muttered, "That guy is really something; knowing it was us, he deliberately sent the Patrol Officer to arrest us."
Once they both understood what had happened, they felt like defeated roosters as they exited the station. Outside, Shen Lingchen was already waiting by the car. Guo Wei looked at him suspiciously; the only thing he couldn't figure out was how Shen Lingchen had disappeared during the incident. Once seated in the car, Shen Lingchen smiled and said, "You two have suffered; I'm sorry it took some time to contact Commissioner Zhang."
"Hey, Master, how did you slip away?" Guan Yiqing asked.
"They're all focused on you; I have plenty of chances to slip away." Shen Lingchen didn't elaborate much, only lightly praised, "I didn't expect him to turn against us like that. This kid is not simple; he managed to fool the Patrol Officer at the station under Commissioner Zhang's banner."
He was brought back by Commissioner Zhang, so he naturally recognized him. However, commanding the Patrol Officer under that banner seemed quite challenging. Regardless of how he accomplished it, Shen Lingchen was impressed.
As the car drove away from the high-speed rail station, both of their spirits plummeted. It was likely that neither had felt this defeated since they became officers. Shen Lingchen took the initiative to break the silence and asked Guan Yiqing, "Don't look so glum; this was my misjudgment. I sincerely apologize to both of you. I really didn't expect him to act like this... I thought he wouldn't find his way back and would be too angry to return."
"What’s there to be angry about? Being angry doesn't change anything; he's still one of our own," Guan Yiqing replied, exasperated. "He usually doesn't seem very invested when we catch thieves, but today he was all fired up."
"When Commissioner Zhang's relative loses something, that's a big deal," Shen Lingchen chuckled. "In a bureaucratic society like ours, that's just how it is; it's not about individual faults... By the way, what do you think of him?"
"He's quite cunning," Guo Wei said, still feeling uneasy.
"Yeah, very shrewd," Guan Yiqing added.
"Haha, being cunning and shrewd are excellent qualities for an informant. It seems our trip here won't be in vain. Help me think of ways to utilize this person; he can accomplish things we can't," Shen Lingchen said.
The tasks ahead would likely involve dealing with scum like Widow Ma and Mourning Hair. Guo Wei felt no worry now but hesitated slightly as he said, "It's hard to approach him; that guy is tough to deal with and will definitely be on guard against us."
"I'll tell you something that might change your perception of him: he was awarded the Heroic Act medal in Shaanxi Province and received thirty thousand yuan in cash... He left all that money behind when he left and donated it to Weinan Mental Hospital for those ordinary people victimized by Pyramid Schemes," Shen Lingchen revealed.
"Really? I can't believe it; he doesn't seem like that kind of person," Guan Yiqing exclaimed in surprise.
But facts were facts. Shen Lingchen stated that it was Commissioner Zhang who informed him about this. From department heads down to several leaders in the special project team in Shaanxi Province, they all praised this individual highly. That’s why there was significant influence in inviting Commissioner Zhang to personally give him extra treatment and send him back home to Binhai.
"Wow, this person is truly hard to define," Guo Wei remarked, looking somewhat incredulous.
"This is the complexity of human nature; perhaps he's half angel and half devil. Just like those suspects—beyond their criminal facade, they might wear a mask of kindness or be a good father or husband. And just like us police officers—while enforcing the law for justice, we might also have an unsavory side; perhaps we flatter our superiors or turn a cold shoulder to ordinary citizens or are overly concerned with our own interests... These are all quite normal. This person's background might be more complicated than all of ours combined. Goodness and cunning, naivety and maturity blend seamlessly in him—it’s strangely harmonious," Shen Lingchen mused, seeming unable to see through this person any better than before. Yet the more elusive he became, the more intrigued Shen Lingchen felt.
"But Master, we don't even have the chance to sit down and talk with him now. Isn't it pointless to discuss anything else? I can sense that he has a strong defensive attitude towards the police," Guan Yiqing said.
"That's for sure. He just got handled by the police station, and he's still fuming," Guo Wei casually replied.
"This should have calmed him down, considering how much trouble we've gone through," Guan Yiqing remarked with frustration.
"Not necessarily. If the Master stole his wallet, I bet he'll avoid us like the plague next time he sees us," Guo Wei said.
"By the way, Master, your skills are quite impressive. Where did you learn that?" Guan Yiqing asked Shen Lingchen.
"Heh, if I didn't have some tricks up my sleeve, I wouldn't dare say I've been catching thieves for over ten years... Let's arrange this: this afternoon, we'll head to Dongjiang District to visit the neighborhoods where thefts occurred. Yi Qing, you don't need to come; focus on gathering information about registered locksmiths in Binhai and nearby cities. Cast a wide net and look for those seasoned experts... Tomorrow, tomorrow... um, give me Mulin Shen's address. I'll think of a gentle way to approach him; otherwise, if I get caught again, I won't be able to face you as your Master," Shen Lingchen instructed with a chuckle.
A small storm had settled down just like that. As the car drove into the city, they resumed their aimless busyness. The two still couldn't understand their Master's actions and took the opportunity to visit You Bisheng in prison. Perhaps they would find another enigma in Mulin Shen, the infamous Red Line Informant whose reputation was more renowned than his presence.
Could these two seemingly unrelated individuals hold the key to this unsolved mystery?
They had a thousand reasons not to believe it, yet there was an inexplicable sense of anticipation. Perhaps it was due to the people involved; whether it was You Bisheng or Mulin Shen—or even their Master Shen Lingchen—they all seemed as puzzling as this case itself…
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