Chapter 422: Help Has Arrived

Qinghewan Branch.

Two police cars, one in front of the other, parked at the entrance of the Police Station.

The doors opened, and seven people stepped down from the vehicle.

Leading the group were Han Fei and Xu Mo, followed by several members of Team Seven.

When they saw Han Fei arrive with his team, an officer immediately stepped forward to receive them.

The officer in charge of reception was one of the three officers who had gone to learn at Han Fei's Police Station yesterday.

"Han Team, Xu Team," he said, his face anxious as he stepped forward upon seeing the two.

After greeting Han Fei and Xu Mo, he also smiled at the few officers behind them.

The smile was forced, and the officers' faces showed more bitterness, making his smile look uglier than a cry.

"Any leads?" Han Fei asked.

The officer shook his head, "No."

If there were leads, they wouldn't need to ask Han Fei for help!

Led by that officer, the group entered the Police Station.

Directly ahead of the office area was a whiteboard, which officers usually use to organize clues during investigations.

At this moment, a group of officers, perplexed, were gathered around the whiteboard, and the Bureau Chief was among them, deeply worried about the missing gun incident.

The Police Station was like a stagnant pool, utterly silent.

A voice broke the absolute silence of the Police Station.

"Chief Gao, Xu Team and Han Team have arrived."

Hearing this, the previously worried officers instantly felt hope.

Help has arrived!

They had heard Xu Mo's name countless times; many colleagues in the system called him the Great Detective.

As for Han Fei, his reputation may not match Xu Mo's, but he is no ordinary person.

Moreover, according to the officer who went to learn investigative techniques, the Great Detective Xu Mo seemed to have been mentored by Han Fei.

This alone shows Han Fei's achievements in case solving.

With Xu Mo and Han Fei arriving together to assist, they felt much more reassured.

Not only the officers thought so, but even Chief Gao's eyes lit up with a hint of hope.

"This is Xu Team, this is Han Team... and this is Chief Gao," the officer introduced.

"Chief Gao," Xu Mo and Han Fei said in unison.

Chief Gao waved his hand: "No need for such formalities, the case is urgent, the case is urgent..."

In front of these two case‑solving experts, he made no pretense.

The most important matter now is the missing‑gun case.

"Xiao Li, give Han Team and Xu Mo a detailed briefing on this case!" Chief Gao continued.

The officer summoned stepped to the whiteboard and began recounting everything they currently knew.

"Yesterday afternoon, Hao Qi— the colleague who lost his gun— took his service weapon out on a mission. He was gone only two hours, and when he returned the gun was missing. According to Hao Qi, he never encountered a situation requiring him to draw his gun, so he never removed the weapon; it stayed in its holster the whole time. He also did not sit down anywhere during the mission, so it couldn't have fallen out accidentally. He suspects the gun was stolen, and we think the same... The spots marked on the whiteboard are all the places he passed yesterday."

Because the person involved doesn't know when or where the gun was lost, there are few clues; a few sentences suffice to summarize.

After listening to the officer, Xu Mo fell silent in thought for a moment, then asked a question.

"When Hao Qi went on the mission yesterday, was he in civilian clothes or in uniform?"

"Naturally, in uniform," Xiao Li replied.

The gun was stolen while he was in uniform... That pickpocket is daring, actually reaching for something on an officer?

"Besides the gun, was anything else stolen? Was the mobile phone taken?" Xu Mo asked again.

"No, nothing else... only the gun was stolen, the phone wasn't lost," Xiao Li said with a wry smile, that was the crux of the matter.

Nowadays online payment is very convenient, and most people don't carry cash when they go out, so the only thing a pickpocket can steal is a mobile phone.

But the only thing Hao Qi had stolen was a gun; the pickpocket didn't even take a phone, so it's very possible he targeted the gun specifically.

Upon hearing that, Xu Mo's complexion changed, and Han Fei beside him did the same.

The phone wasn't lost, but the gun was... It seems the thief went after the gun; what does he want with it?

Both of them almost simultaneously thought: they must find the missing service weapon as soon as possible!

Otherwise, the consequences would be severe.

Xu Mo began to ponder in his mind.

That officer had his service weapon stolen while on the mission; the officer who lost the gun only realized it after completing the mission and returning to the Police Station.

This shows the gun‑stealing thief is a veteran, his method of theft has become masterful.

As for why the pickpocket stole the gun... to sell it for money?

A gun can indeed fetch a decent price on the black market, but that amount doesn't justify such a huge risk.

If he truly needed money, the pickpocket could have stolen something more valuable instead of a gun.

A pickpocket capable of stealing a weapon from an officer without his knowledge must have a highly sophisticated technique; Xu Mo believes the thief could also steal more valuable items.

It should be noted that Hao Qi's gun was kept in a holster; officers' holsters have a unique design to prevent accidental drops and robberies, making it difficult for an ordinary person to quickly draw the weapon.

So the theft wasn't for money; perhaps the gun is needed for use? Xu Mo thought.

Wait a moment!

The holster's unique design makes it hard for an ordinary person, even a professional pickpocket, to quickly extract the weapon; the pickpocket couldn't even touch the holster or gun—that's the key!

Xu Mo's eyes lit up involuntarily.

Noticing the change in Xu Mo's expression, Han Fei subconsciously asked, "Did you notice something?"

Xu Mo nodded.

He looked at Xiao Li: "You just said that when Hao Qi was carrying out his mission, the gun was always kept in the holster, right?"

"Right.", Xiao Li first nodded, then added: "Anyway, that's what he himself said."

"Could a pickpocket really steal his sidearm from the holster right under a police officer's nose? This holster has an anti-theft device—let alone a stealth theft; even if someone openly tried to snatch it, it would be hard to do so quickly.", Xu Mo said the thought he had just had.

As soon as he said that, the police officers' faces immediately showed a thoughtful expression.

What Xu Mo said was correct; the holster has a unique design, making it difficult for an ordinary person to quickly draw the gun inside.

They had overlooked this before, because as police officers they were accustomed to using holsters, and drawing the gun was a practiced motion, but they overlooked the fact that, unlike them, ordinary people have no opportunity to handle guns and holsters, and thus cannot become proficient at quickly drawing a gun from a holster.

"Are you suspecting that Hao Qi staged this himself?", Chief Gao couldn't help but look at Xu Mo.

Without waiting for Xu Mo to answer, he immediately shook his head: "Impossible, I personally recruited Hao Qi; I know his character very well, and he would never do something like this."

Xu Mo smiled.

"It's not necessarily that Hao Qi staged it himself; in fact, staging it himself is just one possibility, and there is another possibility..."