Chapter 430: Motive for the Crime

"What do you think?" After finishing the analysis, Han Fei looked at Xu Mo.

Following Han Fei's line of thought, Xu Mo also nodded in agreement.

"I think the same as you; it probably isn't him. It's understandable that a newcomer would want to get a feel for a gun. Guns do attract young people a lot; who can refuse a gun that can go bang?"

"Moreover, since he has entered the Police Station, he'll be able to get his hands on a gun sooner or later, so he wouldn't be in a hurry now."

A justice‑driven young man is very unlikely to stoop to such petty theft; at the very least, he wouldn't steal a gun.

"Then there are only two left: auxiliary officer Lao Zhou and gate guard Lao Zhang," Han Fei said.

Both of them share one thing in common: they are senior veterans of the Police Station.

Those who have stayed in the Police Station for a long time generally have no conduct issues; after all, anyone with bad conduct would have been expelled long ago and couldn't remain.

The officers' description of the two also indirectly supports this.

This is why Han Fei and Xu Mo didn't suspect them at first; two upright senior officers are very unlikely to commit illegal acts.

Of course, since they are among the suspects, they are still suspect; Xu Mo and Han Fei won't dismiss their suspicion merely because the two are senior.

"Auxiliary officer Lao Zhou, gate guard Lao Zhang..." Xu Mo murmured, "If they stole the gun, what would each of their motives be?"

The same applies: stealing a gun must have a motive; it can't be done for no reason.

"I think Lao Zhou has a problem; an auxiliary officer can't be assigned a firearm. Could it be that, like Su Chen, he wanted to get a feel for a gun, so he stole Hao Qi's assigned firearm?" Wang Dachuan suddenly interjected.

Hearing that, Han Fei turned his head and gave Wang Dachuan a glance.

"Possible!"

Then Han Fei looked back at Xu Mo.

"It's possible," Xu Mo agreed with Wang Dachuan's idea.

"But if he stole the gun just to get a feel for it, isn't the sacrifice he makes a bit too great? Stealing a gun isn't a minor offense; if discovered, he'll go to prison, and... if he really wants to handle a gun, he could work hard to become a full police officer. Once he's a full officer, wouldn't he be eligible for an assigned firearm? This approach carries far less risk than outright stealing a gun. An adult would weigh pros and cons before acting; this scenario contains a contradiction."

As soon as the words finished, Han Fei smiled.

"Regularizing isn't as simple as you think. You've only been at the Police Station a short time; you don't understand these things. Becoming a full officer isn't something you can just decide to do."

"Is regularization hard?" Xu Mo asked.

"It's not exactly hard, but it's not simple either; there are several paths to regularization." Han Fei gave Xu Mo a brief overview of the ways an auxiliary officer can become a full officer.

"First, achieving Merit can grant a special exemption for regularization, but that's a rare circumstance, not something you can count on. Full officers who earn Merit are already few, let alone auxiliary officers, who have no law‑enforcement authority and must be accompanied by an officer. Earning Merit... is very difficult."

"Or regional reform: if it occurs, there may be a chance to regularize, but it depends on the region. As far as I know, Yangcheng doesn't have such a situation."

"Another case is that some regions periodically allocate regularization slots; those with ability or connections can regularize, but that's also a matter of chance."

"The final, and most common, method is regularization through exams. There are exams every year; passing them allows regularization, though the exams aren't that easy."

As soon as Han Fei finished speaking, a nearby officer added a comment.

"Speaking of that, it reminds me—Lao Zhou is indeed quite diligent, almost to the point of obsession. To regularize, he spends every spare moment reading and studying, taking the exam every year. But the exam isn't that simple; he's also older now, and his memory certainly isn't as good as a young person's, so after all those years he still hasn't passed, always falling just short... It's a pity; our station doesn't have any regularization slots, otherwise, given Lao Zhou's seniority, the higher bureau would have regularized him long ago."

Hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Xu Mo's face.

Every year he takes the exam? It seems Lao Zhou really wants to regularize...

As the officer said, the exam isn't that easy, and with Lao Zhou's advancing age and waning memory, he fails each year.

As for regional reform and quota‑based regularization, neither exists at the Qinghewan Branch.

So the only remaining path to regularization is Merit.

"Merit for regularization..." Xu Mo muttered softly, already forming a bold conjecture.

Unfamiliar with these procedures, Xu Mo looked at Han Fei.

"What kind of Merit must one achieve to qualify for a special‑case regularization?"

"By cracking cases—especially major ones—you can definitely regularize; that's the mark of talent, and a case‑solving talent won't be overlooked."

The next second, Xu Mo stared at Han Fei and, unhurriedly, said, "Is a case of a police officer losing a firearm considered a Major Case?"

"Of course it counts. An officer losing a gun is top‑priority, must be reported immediately; it could even lead to a fatal incident... Wait?! You mean..." Han Fei was stunned, eyes wide as he looked at Xu Mo.

Besides Han Fei, the five members of Team Seven who came to assist, along with three officers from the Qinghewan Branch, all stared at Xu Mo with burning eyes, as if his words had sparked something.

An officer losing a gun is a major case; solving such a case would certainly earn Great Merit, wouldn't it?

If an auxiliary officer can locate the missing firearm and solve the case, they can be regularized by special exemption!

Those who can solve cases are talents; why bother with exams? Direct regularization isn't impossible.

Auxiliary officer Lao Zhou really wants to regularize; he takes the exam every year but always falls just short. As his age increases and his memory fades, his chances of passing the exam and regularizing grow ever slimmer.

Because the hope of regularizing via exam is gone, he resorted to a crooked idea?

After Xu Mo's hint, everyone thought of this, realizing it's the motive for stealing the gun.

Self‑orchestrated, then retrieve the missing firearm, solve the case, regularize... that makes sense!