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墨書 Inktalez
As the saying goes, "The Prodigal Son's return is worth more than gold." However, there is a deeper meaning to this phrase: even if the Prodigal Son returns, he cannot exchange it for true wealth.
Do not doubt it; this proverb has been undeniably proven in the case of Young Master Mu.
Soon, the fourth psychologist was dealt with by Mulin Shen, who refused to accept Boss Mu's consultation fee. Old Mu inquired multiple times before discovering the reason—Dr. Feng had already been extorted by his son twice. After a trip westward, Mulin Shen had grown more capable and learned to use legal means to intimidate psychologists, even managing to scare Feng Changxiang.
It is understandable; after all, who wouldn’t be afraid of facing a troublesome lawsuit after working so hard to establish a clinic?
Now, the only one who wasn’t afraid was Old Mu. He gritted his teeth and was determined to push his son to succeed. He thought to himself that this was clearly a situation where he hadn’t lost anything by fighting against criminals; in fact, he had become a guest of honor among the police. The psychologists were left in tears and laughter at his antics; no matter what else he did, he seemed to handle it effortlessly.
After weeks of cold war, when another debt collector came knocking at the door, Old Mu didn’t say a word and directly called the police. As a result, when the two debt collectors were taken into custody at the police station, they were frightened into confessing that it was Young Master Mu who had given them the debt note and instructed them to ask his father for money, promising them a commission once they collected it. The police summoned Mulin Shen, who was dumbfounded and received a lecture from the officers before being sent away.
Old Mu began to feel stomach pains again, realizing that all those previous debt collection incidents were likely orchestrated by his rebellious son.
Xiao Mu also started feeling stomach pains. In their father-son struggle, his dad was becoming increasingly clever and no longer easy to deceive for money. With finances tight, what could he do?
Life became quite difficult. He had extorted some money from Dr. Feng but quickly squandered it all away, leaving him with only five thousand yuan each month. He still had to go to Lawyer Wang’s office to withdraw it. Last month, he hadn’t gone out of pride, but when he finally couldn’t hold back any longer and went this time, Lawyer Wang wore a businesslike expression and handed him just five thousand yuan—without even compensating for last month’s amount. Moreover, he conveyed his father’s message: if there were any more incidents of deceit or extortion, they would see each other in court.
This was another thunderbolt for Xiao Mu. However, his father still considered their familial bond and pointed him toward a clear path: if he couldn’t find legitimate work, he should attend Culinary School. That way, by thirty years old, he could take over at Qingchen Hotel.
In the end, his father’s original intention of wanting him to become a chef hadn’t changed. As someone who had returned from studying abroad, how could Mulin Shen adapt to such a smoky and fiery lifestyle? Naturally, he flatly refused.
Thus began his long journey of job hunting…
Autumn September, the fragrance of orchids and osmanthus filled the air. Xiao Mu perked up, searching the newspaper daily for recruitment notices, preparing to try his luck at becoming a civil servant.
In fact, the life of a civil servant was quite appealing—brewing a cup of tea, smoking a cigarette, chatting with people of all ages throughout the day... Hey, that’s how you earn your salary; nothing could be simpler, right?
But for him, it was an insurmountable challenge. The application required a health examination form, and that tattoo of a phoenix on his arm would never pass. It took considerable effort to get through—he had to bribe the hospital officials just to get approved. Little did he know this was just the first step in a long journey. When he officially registered, he discovered that institutions like Abraham Lincoln University were utterly useless; they only recognized degrees from Nanda, Peking University, Northwest University, and Southeast University. Even third-tier diplomas were accepted; his foreign degree was dismissed outright, and he was placed in a separate category without even qualifying for the exam.
Later, he realized that the saying "returnees are worse than dogs" held some truth. Countless wealthy parents sent their foolish children abroad to gain superficial qualifications, effectively ruining the term "returnee."
No way, time to switch gears. Can a living person really be suffocated by their own circumstances?
That month, Mulin Shen unexpectedly found out about police recruitment—the city police department was openly hiring contract officers. He thought about how he had contributed to society and imagined how impressive it would be to wear that authoritative police uniform. So he excitedly went to inquire about it. It turned out they were looking for Patrol Officers, and the pay was at minimum wage—three thousand yuan per month, which didn’t even cover living expenses unless you were a local resident.
He gritted his teeth in frustration but realized he had nowhere else to turn and decided to apply. Little did he know that applying would lead to ridicule. When he registered, one of the young applicants checked his background and got angry: "Mulin Shen! You have records from middle school for visiting the police station! You think going abroad erased those? You want to apply for Patrol Officer? What are you thinking? Planning to commit crimes under the cover of night? Who do you think you're scaring with that foreign diploma? Get out of here; next!"
Even though Xiao Mu was sharp-tongued and well-versed in human psychology, he couldn’t muster a single retort. Faced with countless mocking faces, he covered his face and fled in embarrassment.
He understood—without his father and his father's money, in this country, he was nothing.
Once he grasped that reality, things became clearer. In October, Old Mu heard that Xiao Mu had obediently gone to Coastal Technical School to enroll in the Chef Class. He was overjoyed and made a special trip to the technical school to speak with the principal and head instructor. The main point was: no special treatment for Mulin Shen.
Thus, there was no special treatment. Young Master Mu began his apprenticeship alongside a group of sweaty and weary individuals from the suburbs who had no other options. The intensity of this crash course was immense; they had to prepare dishes within strict time limits using dozens of prepped ingredients.
If he added too much meat, Master Thud would slap him and yell: "Damn it! You put so much meat in there; do you want the boss to lose money?"
If he measured too much of anything else, Master Thud would again slap him and shout: "Damn it! You think this portion is acceptable? Who would hire you?"
"Just about right, isn't it?" Master Thud shouted, slapping his palm. "Damn it, you're so clumsy and slow that if someone hired you, they'd fire you on the spot."
These vocational schools are absolutely tailored to meet the demands of the market and unscrupulous merchants, training Helpers until they can work with the precision of a machine. They need to be able to pick up peanuts off the floor and put them in the pot to be considered qualified. But that's still far from enough; their quality must be improved without limits. Water usage must be conserved; after washing vegetables, they must wash the dishes without complaining about dirt. Oil must also be saved; our oil is definitely not gutter oil but reused oil. Ingredients must be conserved as well; cold dishes can be re-cooked, leftover bones can be used for soup—these are industry basics that you must understand.
Not only must you understand them, but you also must keep them to yourself.
After more than ten days of intensive training, Xiao Mu had already incurred costs for seven or eight plates of ingredients and cut his fingers seven or eight times without compensation. Finally, he was ready to start his first cooking class.
It was simple: Garlic Sauce Catfish. The scene was quite impressive, with over a hundred stoves lit. Pots were sizzling with oil as the bald-headed Master shouted instructions. This was mass production training for chefs; even if one specialized in just one or two dishes, they could still handle a kitchen on their own.
Xiao Mu sat in the last row, feeling dejected. He was pushing his limits of endurance and was on the verge of breaking down. His left hand was wrapped in numerous band-aids; the injuries on his hands were minor compared to the wounds in his heart. This treatment was inhumane, far worse than what he experienced in a Pyramid Scheme.
"Begin..." Master shouted.
The chefs in the square all jumped into action, the sizzling sound of frying fish filled the air as oil was poured, sauces were added, and seasoned ingredients were prepared. The apprentices, having undergone rigorous training, were already working with some degree of order. Master inspected each one with satisfaction while occasionally shouting reminders: "If it's not up to standard, start over! Don't think the school is stingy; if you don't care about spending your own money... You! Get out! You too! Are you blind? The top is undercooked while the bottom is burnt... You! Get out! What is this thick sauce? Are we making porridge?"
The inspections were extremely strict; don’t expect hand-holding in this mass production environment. Ingredients and equipment had to be paid for out of pocket, and one mistake could cost you dearly and send you back to square one. After glancing around, Master eliminated a third of the apprentices. When he reached Xiao Mu's station, he saw that Xiao Mu's dish was finished. Master examined the clean cutting board and tasted remnants of flavor as if pondering something.
It seemed decent enough; Xiao Mu felt satisfied with his dish—the sauce was golden and thick without being too viscous. As he carefully placed a carved radish on top, he thought to himself that he had completed his very first dish.
"The color, aroma, and taste are all perfect; there's nothing to criticize," Xiao Mu said proudly.
Master glanced at him but ignored his comment, shouting instead: "For the second task, eat what you've made and find out where the problems lie... The authentic flavor of Garlic Sauce Catfish combines garlic aroma, sweetness, and fishiness together; it should not stick to your teeth and should not be heavy even when eaten in large quantities."
As he yelled this out, all the chefs began using their chopsticks to sample their fish dishes carefully. This was an essential skill for chefs—to discern subtle differences in thickening sauces, cooking times, and ingredient proportions through countless trials and errors. Just as they began tasting their dishes, a sharp scream pierced through the air as Master turned around to see Xiao Mu spitting out what he had just tasted.
"Delicious in every way, but you put sugar instead of salt. You'll kill someone with that," Master revealed the truth, having already noticed that the salt had not been touched in Xiao Mu's case. It was clear that he had been distracted while cooking, which was a major taboo. Master impatiently said, "Get lost! You can chop your fingers off faster than you can chop vegetables, and you confuse sugar with salt while cooking? How can you call yourself a Master?"
"Bah... I don't want to do this anymore," Xiao Mu exclaimed as he slammed down his chopsticks, threw off his chef's hat, tossed it into the pot, and stormed out.
This kind of situation happened often; those who came were free to leave at will. For Master, he would only remind you at the end:
"As per the contract: tuition is non-refundable."
When the news reached Old Mu's ears, he could only sigh and remain speechless.
It's hard for a person to find their place; he wasn't afraid of the difficulty but rather of the fact that there might not be a place for someone like his son at all.
All events do not unfold as you design them. While Old Mu pondered what kind of job to find for his son, Xiao Mu's fate took a turn for the better. A month later, Lawyer Wang informed him that Xiao Mu had actually gone to Suzhou and Hangzhou and had become a salesperson at a Foreign Trade Import and Export Company. With his solid English skills, he was doing quite well there, starting with a salary of five thousand.
Old Mu secretly sent an assistant to investigate, and indeed it was true. His son was wearing neat work attire and counting inventory at a logistics site. This outcome brought him some comfort as he quietly calculated how long his son could hold onto this job.
A month passed... two months went by...
Three months later, just after the Spring Festival, on the first day back to work at Yuanhang Import and Export Customs Brokerage Company, an enraged Boss Zhang stormed from the manager's office into the staff area. His furious expression and heavy footsteps startled the employees; typically, such behavior indicated someone was about to be fired, and today it was particularly intense.
Unexpectedly, it was Mulin Shen, who had just joined the company. Boss Zhang threw a stack of Customs Declarations right into Mulin Shen's face while shouting, "Get lost... Damn it, you're supposed to be an overseas returnee? Even a turtle is better than you."
Xiao Mu instantly exploded with anger. After three months of being an overworked dog, all his pent-up frustration erupted. He dumped a pile of documents over Boss Zhang's head and retorted, "Bah! I didn't want to do this anymore anyway. You promised everyone a year-end bonus but aren't giving us a dime while expecting us to work ourselves to death... You should sell yourself instead."
Boss Zhang was furious beyond measure; he had never encountered such an outrageous employee before. He grabbed Xiao Mu intending to teach him a lesson. However, Xiao Mu was no pushover; having learned some fighting skills from those police officers, he retaliated with two slaps to Boss Zhang's face and kicked him in the groin before making a run for it. The overweight Boss chased after him while clutching himself and took several more kicks along the way. By the time the police arrived to inquire about what happened, it was clear that the employees had beaten up Boss Zhang without question. But what exactly led to this incident?
On that pile of Customs Declarations, the organizing staff couldn't help but laugh. The Boss slammed the papers down with a loud thud, frustrated that this fool had ruined the business. How much could they earn now? With no money coming in, it was all turning into a joke.
What was the story behind this? When the police officer took a look, he burst into laughter. Among a large stack of Chemical Product Catalogs—Antistatic Agent, Brightener, Diluent, Stabilizer, Antioxidant, Lubricant, Toughening Agent—were two jarring phrases: "Go Call a Chicken" and Fire Chicken Foam Agent.
Xiao Mu had been summoned again for hitting the Boss. He explained that it was a mistake caused by the pinyin input method; working overtime every day had left him dizzy.
The police station mediated the situation, and Zhang Boss decided not to pursue any further action since he could avoid firing him without paying this month's salary.
Fined one thousand yuan, Xiao Mu emerged from the police station once more unemployed. He wandered the streets and lakeside as if he were in a foreign land, feeling utterly lost. Deep down, he really wanted to try being self-sufficient, but ultimately he had failed. After many years, he realized that a person needs self-respect, independence, and the freedom to do what they love. Yet now he had to learn to discard all these things just to survive.
Was it even possible?
Nothing is impossible; most people live like this. Those civil servants who endure the constraints of their system seek nothing more than social security benefits and a stable home. The apprentices who bear their Master's scolding and slaps only wish to acquire a skill to support their families. Even in commercial companies, employees tolerate their Boss's insults and harsh demands, along with endless overtime, simply hoping to carve out a place for themselves in the city.
"Is this what my father wanted me to experience?"
Sitting by West Lake, he pondered this thought. He had witnessed his father's hardships—the smoothness in dealing with others, the careful flattery everywhere, and the ingrained sycophancy that he found utterly detestable.
Is life really just about enduring these experiences? To stand out only to impose them on those who come after him and on his own descendants? Just adding more burdens while calling it "gaining experience in society"?
Why should I put up with this nonsense?
Xiao Mu picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the lake with force. The stone created ripples on the deep green water's surface. The polluted water was anything but refreshing; a paper box with a plastic tube floated by, leaving Xiao Mu staring at it for quite some time.
The environment was as terrible as people were; even places meant for peace felt so suffocating.
He patted his clothes and stood up just as the phone rang. He picked it up to see an even worse situation unfolding.
A text from Lezi and an electronic invitation arrived, stating that Ruhua were getting married.
This did not surprise him; Ruhua had more money than they knew what to do with. It would be a shame not to waste a couple of women on such wealth. However, the invitation left him stunned:
Groom: Sun Qinghua. Bride: Dai Qiongshi.
Indeed, it was the Class Flower, Dai Qiongshi, whom he had been longing for. Her appearance was as stunning as ever, standing out even amidst a pile of manure.
Xiao Mu was left speechless. Faced with such bizarre reality, he realized that no matter how much he prided himself on studying psychology, in the eyes of those worldly individuals, he remained unchanged—naive.
Wasn't it naive to still believe in purity? What else could it be?
………………………………………
………………………………………
Over a hundred kilometers from Suzhou and Hangzhou, at the Binhai City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Throughout the afternoon, a man dressed in casual clothes entered the police station's courtyard. After verifying his identification, he headed straight to the office building and knocked on the door of a room marked Criminal Psychology Research Office. Someone was waiting inside and gestured for him to enter, indicating a thick stack of files for him to review.
The man silently took a seat and began flipping through the documents, quickly immersing himself in the Case Situation.
The person waiting idly scrolled through their phone, displaying a photo of the other party along with a brief profile: Name: Shen Lingchen, Age: 43.
Position: Deputy Political Commissar of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Team, also serving as the leader of the Criminal Technical Investigation Training Team. His career path has seen him rise from an ordinary police officer to the position of Deputy Political Commissar over more than twenty years of dedicated service. In the field of criminal investigation, such titles often serve more as a formality; most of the time, it is those in the field who must take the lead. This is not an era where one can simply wield a gun to command others into action.
Thus, he should possess some real skills.
As he waited, he glanced at the cases this individual had handled: the major Theft Case involving a tobacco company on September 12, the robbery at a jewelry store on August 8, and the theft case involving a chemical plant's security department from 2007, among others. These cases were enough to outline where a police officer's strengths lay, aligning with the demeanor of the person before him.
Calm, composed, and unflappable, unaffected by external distractions.
This was precisely the type of person sought within the police force.
After half an hour, Shen Lingchen reached the last page. The person waiting spoke up, "So? What’s your first impression?"
"Director Zheng." Shen Lingchen stood to salute, but Director Zheng gestured for him to remain seated. "No need for such formality. The reason for this meeting is partly confidentiality… You’re a professional; you should have noticed that these are unnumbered files. I can tell you that whether we can file a case is still uncertain."
Shen Lingchen frowned. The two cases listed were peculiar Theft Cases—not reported thefts but rather items that two fallen corrupt officials had confessed to receiving as bribes when they reported to the Disciplinary Committee. They both insisted that these items had been stolen from their homes. The cases were referred to us for identification by the Disciplinary Committee. During inspections of one of their apartments, there were indeed signs of forced entry into a safe. However, as a police officer, his first thought was twofold: it could be theft or it could be a ruse.
"If this Theft Case is genuine, then the list of stolen items would be one of Binhai's significant cases," Shen Lingchen remarked.
Eleven famous paintings, jade artifacts, and several antiques were estimated to be worth over eighty million. Director Zheng continued, "That’s why we called upon you as our Theft Expert. For now, let’s not worry about what was lost; based on your experience, do you think this case is real or not? I can reveal that the owner is Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang, who were both investigated two weeks ago. One is the director of the Land Resources Bureau; the other is implicated as the head of the Government Approval Center."
"But this incident occurred two years ago?" Shen Lingchen countered.
"Yes. After their investigation, some evidence was obtained based on their confessions. However, when it came to these bribery cases, they hit a dead end—bribers admitted to their actions and even provided invoices; recipients acknowledged receiving bribes too, but then things went missing… Now the Disciplinary Committee finds itself in a dilemma and has passed the case to us," Director Zheng explained.
"I can't ascertain the authenticity of the lost items, but this Theft Case is real," Shen Lingchen stated firmly.
"Really, how do you know?" Director Zheng asked.
"Well, you see... this is a home insurance safe produced by the TXDG Safe Factory, embedded in the wall. The only technical way to unlock it is to drill at the coordinates of thirty-six degrees and fourteen point five centimeters on the lock core. This spot is where two filling materials meet, and you can open it with a regular drill bit. Then, using a bent hook, you can lift the lock latch... Such a professional technique is not something that two leaders like Comrade can easily access," Shen Lingchen explained, adding with a smile, "Oh, former leaders."
Director Zheng chuckled and took the page with the photo from Shen Lingchen. Upon closer inspection, it indeed looked as he described. He smiled and said, "Looks like I found the right person."
"Director Zheng, I thought we were supposed to organize a unified action," Shen Lingchen inquired. This bizarre case seemed difficult to crack in his view.
"It could be considered one and the same. Soon, several coastal cities will organize a unified action against property crimes. This happens every year, but this year it will be larger. You are on the front lines; you know better than I do that theft crimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated—networked, cross-regional, organized, and even involving overseas participants is no longer rare. Therefore, our focus this time will be on cracking down on fencing channels. We need to eliminate demand and dismantle the fencing chain to effectively curb the rampant situation of major theft cases," Director Zheng stated.
It seemed like two unrelated matters suddenly connected. Shen Lingchen frowned and asked, "So is there a necessary link between these two incidents?"
"There is. According to the statements from the detained individual Wang Zihua, among the bribes he received was a pair of jade toads. These jade toads were given to Wang Zihua by a real estate developer and were found in the home of a department official who was taken down in Shanxi last September. The Disciplinary Committee's comrades specifically brought appraisers from the auction house to verify this, confirming that they were indeed sold and given to Wang Zihua," Director Zheng explained.
"A pair of toads given to two corrupt officials?" Shen Lingchen remarked in confusion before quickly realizing, "So they were fenced and resold?"
"Exactly. The person who gave them to the department official was a coal boss. According to his statement, he specifically went to Suzhou and Hangzhou for procurement. The Disciplinary Committee entrusted us with verifying this through public security. Based on information provided by the auction house, we eventually traced it back to the holder of these items... What do you think we will find?" Director Zheng asked.
"We should find no such person," Shen Lingchen replied.
"Even more thoroughly than that—it's a deceased individual... their household registration has been canceled, but someone is still using their ID card for consignment sales," Director Zheng said.
"The tricks of the ghost realm are always beyond imagination; urban expansion is too rapid, and our household registration management system is perpetually lagging behind," Shen Lingchen remarked. For police officers, there are always suspects slipping through right under their noses.
"There's something even more surprising. Following this pattern further led us to discover that among those whose household registrations have been canceled and who have death certificates, there are still over a dozen active leads—stock market accounts, bank accounts being established, even companies registered under their names exist. The financial transactions are quite frequent; most are for consignment sales. Generally speaking, shortly after receiving payment for these consignment sales, these names are abandoned... We are always a few steps behind in investigations compared to criminals," Director Zheng noted. Regarding leads that have not yielded results, industry rules dictate that they remain highly confidential.
It must be kept confidential; otherwise, this modus operandi will be abandoned, and they will come up with even more bizarre methods. Shen Lingchen pondered for a moment and said, "Are you suggesting that there are theft gangs and channels for selling stolen goods in Binhai and the surrounding cities?"
"It's not a suggestion; it's a certainty," Director Zheng replied, handing his phone to Shen Lingchen. As Shen flipped through several pages of encrypted documents, he felt a chill run down his spine. The list of stolen items from two corrupt officials included eleven items that appeared at different times and locations. Following the clues led to the same result each time—death. As he continued reading, his brow furrowed.
When faced with such ingenious criminal methods, the police would inevitably feel troubled. If it weren't for the strict anti-corruption campaign, these cases would never have come to light; even the victims wouldn't dare to report them. If there truly was one or more gangs specifically targeting these stolen goods for resale, one could only imagine how long they had been operating and how extensive their network was.
"You were reassigned under the guise of vacation; the purpose is this case. The provincial bureau's directive is to ascertain the whereabouts of this gang of thieves and sellers before launching a large-scale operation across the province, making sure to fire the first shot in the 'Severing Hands' operation," Director Zheng explained.
Shen Lingchen stood up in attention, momentarily stunned. "Decapitation?"
"No, Severing Hands refers to this hand," Director Zheng clarified, holding up his palm. "The thieves are three hands; the sellers are the fourth hand. This operation aims to cut off those extra two hands."
"I will comply with the organization's arrangements," Shen Lingchen replied without hesitation, fully taking over.
"Follow me," Director Zheng said as he led Shen Lingchen out of the criminal psychology research room and hurriedly up a floor to his office. Upon entering, two individuals who had been waiting for a long time stood up and saluted. Director Zheng introduced them: "This is Shen Lingchen, an anti-theft expert from Suzhou and Hangzhou; you should know him... These two are Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing; meet your mentor... Commissioner Shen, please don’t mind us learning from you; we have admired your skills for a long time."
Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing appeared excited upon meeting this legendary figure in law enforcement. They saluted again and directly referred to him as their mentor. However, Shen Lingchen seemed uninterested and displayed a calm demeanor. Director Zheng played mediator, introducing Xiao Guan, who had spent time at the Information Center and would assist with any necessary leads. As for Guo Wei, he had just been transferred from the logistics equipment department to the Criminal Investigation Bureau; he was quite sharp and was being prioritized for development within the organization.
In no time, an investigation team took shape. They hurriedly had lunch at the bureau's cafeteria before diving into business afterward. Xiao Guo drove a car assigned by the bureau while Guan Yiqing opened the door for Shen Lingchen, both respectfully assisting him into the vehicle.
"Where are we headed, mentor?" Guo Wei casually asked.
"Yes, mentor, where do we start?" Guan Yiqing inquired.
Sitting in the back seat, Shen Lingchen couldn't help but smile as he asked, "You haven't handled cases independently yet, have you? What do you want to learn?"
"Of course I want to learn your keen insight! I've read about the 8.08 jewelry store heist; you found a breakthrough from the injured security guard. I was curious how you figured out he was an insider," Guo Wei said with admiration.
"We're getting off-topic, off-topic... Master, you need to teach us how to handle the Theft Case. We're about to join the task force..." Guan Yiqing began, but before he could finish, Shen Lingchen interjected, "Oh, you just don't want to be serving tea and delivering documents in the task force, right?"
Caught off guard, Guan Yiqing froze for a moment and smiled sheepishly.
"I just returned to work, and you two are new recruits. This case is significant; as police officers, you should have at least some basic sharpness," Shen Lingchen remarked.
Indeed, this was true. Shen Lingchen had been suspended for a year due to abuse of power and coercive interrogation during investigations. No one wanted to bring it up, but what did suspension and being new have to do with each other? Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei exchanged puzzled glances.
"Basic sharpness means that sometimes you have to choose between being loyal to your duty and being loyal to yourself. Two officials under investigation from two years ago regarding the Theft Case—any stolen item that has already been sold could entangle you in a whirlpool if you investigate it. If you uncover something, the credit goes to the team; if you can't find anything or mess it up, it's your incompetence. If it has serious repercussions, you'll bear the blame alone and can't tarnish the organization's reputation... You decide; I'm not afraid of you learning from me, but I'm afraid you'll regret it," Shen Lingchen said.
The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing, who were used to sitting in offices. Guo Wei spoke up, "Master, don't worry. I want to become someone like you; I won't regret it." Guan Yiqing added, "Master, if being loyal to myself means I wouldn't be a police officer anymore."
"Haha, I hope that when you reach my age, you'll still be able to say that... Alright, let's drive," Shen Lingchen commanded.
"Where are we going, Master? You just arrived; shouldn't you rest first?" Guo Wei asked with concern.
"First, we need to leave the precinct. There’s no case where clues can be found by sitting in an office... Now let's start with your first lesson: what's the first thing you should do when taking over a case?" Shen Lingchen asked.
"Review the case files! After reading them, analyze the scene carefully—yes, go to the scene and check it out personally," Guan Yiqing replied.
"Shouldn't we first look for similar cases?" Guo Wei suggested.
"Wrong. What’s there to see at a scene from two years ago? The Theft Case is different; first, you need to find people within this circle and see what feelings arise after reviewing the case files," Shen Lingchen questioned.
"Well done, you took out two corrupt officials," Guan Yiqing said.
"Yes, not bad. Appreciating crime is the first step to understanding it," Shen Lingchen unexpectedly praised.
"Even if it's well done, it's still a crime. I think it's quite difficult—cross-province trafficking of stolen goods, especially valuable items, and the channels are in shady places. Once we found a lead, it led to deceased individuals. I can't imagine how dark a person must be to pull off something so bizarre," Guo Wei remarked.
"Yes, feeling daunted is normal. That's why no one has taken the case and why I've assigned you two rookies. There are too many people loyal to themselves, but very few who are loyal to their duties. It seems I need to find some people from within the circle to teach you two rookies properly," Shen Lingchen said.
"People from within the circle? You mean thieves?" Guan Yiqing asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Shen Lingchen was indeed the type of cop who had unorthodox methods; it was no wonder he had been working on the front lines for over a decade.
"Where else would we find them?" Guo Wei responded, momentarily taken aback.
"The detention center... We need to identify all known theft suspects with sentences of ten years or more from the past five years. A thief with such skill cannot be nameless. To understand this type of case, you need to learn from those who commit the crimes, not just consult those who solve them. We'll set aside three days for this; you both study seriously while I get to know the underworld here in Binhai."
Shen Lingchen's voice was grim, making one uncomfortable, much like his expression, which always seemed so despondent. From this extraordinary officer, one could no longer see any passion or vitality.
The car drove straight to the detention center, opening a bizarre door into a strange world filled with high walls and iron bars...
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