Chapter 789: Walking Straight Into the Net

Looking at the suddenly empty, quiet street, Zhao Jiwei boredly kicked a pebble away with his foot.

"Brother Yan, are we just waiting here?"

"It's not time yet—they've just opened, nothing's heated up. We wait until twelve-thirty, until these guys are drunk enough to check IDs. Remember: the ID I check is fine; the ones I show you are suspected drug users. Memorize these people. Tomorrow, hand them over to Team Leader Meng—I'll credit you with a major merit first. If the tip we give leads to a big case, your long-awaited reward is guaranteed."

Wang Yan smiled as a black Jetta pulled up to the curb. A man resembling a baboon got out, glanced at the patrol officer without reaction, and strolled casually into Ye Wei Yang.

Wang Yan recognized this man—Yue Wei, a perverted serial killer. In the original plot, Cao Army Supervisor died in his gunfire. Wang Yan had investigated him before but found nothing, only traced information from Heilongjiang—he likely never obtained a residence permit. Finding Yue Wei among 130,000 people, with daily foot traffic several times higher in Bali River, was extremely difficult.

Even knowing the kid would return to this bar street, with over a dozen bars—big and small, with or without drug use—Wang Yan couldn't stake out here daily. Even if he did, like now, he could only guard one spot; if the kid didn't get out of the car, he couldn't recognize him. So originally, his plan was only to quickly canvass or wait for the crime to happen—but now, hell itself had opened its door and walked right in…

Before Li Dawei could answer, Xia Jie turned and slapped my shoulder: "Comrade Jiwei, he might just earn an eighth-class merit."

"Huh?" Xu Heke frowned, following Xu He's gaze to Xu He's back. "That guy's not suspicious?"

"The feeling's definitely right—possibly even tied to a homicide." Xia Jie nodded.

Killing someone and having killed someone—those feelings are the same. Xia Jie herself had deeply felt it; during my early days as a rookie, I nearly drove myself insane, and only slowly recovered after strengthening my cultural studies. My problem isn't that I've killed too few people—it's that I've become too disrespectful toward human life. It's made me habituated to solving problems with violence.

"Let's go." Luo Team Leader was decisive. Staying here did nothing, and going back to sleep was pointless—I was already awake. He immediately picked eight men, equipped them fully, and followed Xia Jie, Gao Chao, and Xu Heke to Xingfu Wai.

"Ah, that damn kid of yours really gave me a surprise!" Zhao Zhangyi was still smoking in the front yard, laughing as he slapped Xia Jie's shoulder. "Your criminal instinct is sharp—go out on patrol and you bring back a murderer. Jiwei's performance was excellent too. Hey, look at those dark circles—you didn't sleep well, right? Go catch some rest while the afternoon's quiet."

"You want to investigate? I only sensed he was suspicious—I haven't confirmed it. Think about it: if he really had nothing to do with it, where would you find evidence?"

"Alright, we're leaving then, Team Leader Luo. That girl's at the Eighth Hospital—she won't wake up until tomorrow morning. Old Gao, let's go."

The team rummaged through the room, but everything returned to its original state. Though they found a suspected murder weapon—a dagger—if Brother Yan used this knife to slice chicken and fish, we truly had no way to prove it, so caution was still necessary.

"Look, he's already your team leader." Luo Team Leader grinned and shook his head.

"So do we still check IDs?"

"No need, Xu He. I'm just hyped up wanting merit—I'm not following you." Li Dawei waved his hands frantically. I'm not stupid—my big brother warned me to study Xu Heke. Is this merit really bigger? Besides, I work at the Criminal Investigation Unit—nobody knows me. Without my big brother leading me, they won't even acknowledge me.

Brother Yan, behind the wheel, looked innocent and wounded: "Officer, is this really necessary? We all know the truth. If I hadn't refused, how could I have brought you out?"

Gao Chao walked over, observed the scene, and nodded to Luo Team Leader: "Yes. Logically, they wouldn't use this kind of knife. The wooden handle is completely caked in blood—even soaked through. If there's no issue, then Jiwei, collect it in an evidence bag and take it away."

He's taken over a dozen lives. Of course, all this is still speculative—we must wait for investigation results. But I'm confident in my instincts. Don't you two trust me? Now he's been caught driving under the influence—whether it's his first time or not, he must be detained for at least one day. Let's move fast on the investigation."

"Chief, I never brag. Even if you handed me a gun, it'd be useless—just two fists and two kicks. Besides, I'm no fool—I won't stand here letting them aim at me. Don't worry about me—the problem's not big."

Watching the car stop and Brother Yan get in, Xu He downed his cold water, tightened the thermos cap, then strolled over slowly, pulling out his phone to call the traffic officer who'd been patrolling that area earlier. Tonight was his shift—he'd bring the guy in for a DUI check, get him under control first, making later detailed investigation easier.

Xu Heke said: I really want to complain about the original plot's Chen Xincheng, Wang Shouyi, and Team Leader Luo's investigative skills. That whole group was running cross-province, checking surveillance, hunting for victims, secretly having Zhao Jiwei—who'd become a security guard—drive Brother Yan's car. It was absurd, and utterly failed to show the Criminal Investigation Unit's power.

Watching Xu He weigh the pistol in his hand, Brother Yan's home—clean, scentless of lavender—suddenly fell silent. The eight brothers in the bathroom weren't chatting anymore. The room felt empty…

Seeing Xu He and Li Dawei enter, everyone froze. One quickly pulled out a cigarette: "Hello, Officer! Working so late? You're so hardworking! Here, smoke, smoke! Da Li, hurry and get two bottles of water—give the officers something to drink!"

Ignoring the desperate Brother Yan, Xia Jie walked around the car, opened the front passenger door, and glanced at the girl inside—a familiar face: the same girl who'd sat in the passenger seat of that Porsche earlier.

"Enough searching. Get another team here, do a thorough sweep—turn this place upside down." Luo Team Leader picked up the phone again, calling someone in his nightmare—unbothered by the late-night call, his tone sharp and urgent…

But the result had already proven it: the more you fear something, the more it comes—damn…

Zhao Zhangyi grinned and shook his head. "You're really tired. Fine, the merit's yours. At this point, your eighth-class merit's out of the question—but you've got something. The case isn't closed—don't get cocky. Go sleep."

Xia Jie didn't care about merit, but others did—this thing meant a future, meant honor. When wearing uniforms for certain events, those with medals on their chests were different from those with nothing.

The next day, at four-thirty, after breakfast, Xu He brought Li Dawei to the station. Li Dawei looked exhausted yet strangely energized—contradictory, but true. He hadn't slept well last night; he'd probably tossed and turned all night dreaming of becoming chief, sleeping less than two hours.

Xia Jie didn't wait for a break. At five-thirty, when the crowd was drunk and sluggish, he and Xu Heke crossed the street and pushed open the back door of Ye Wei Yang, entering through a detour.

"He's asking you to refuse now? Enough talk. Turn off the engine and get in."

But Xia Jie and Li Dawei's arrival was sudden—and strangely out of place…

Xia Jie pulled out his police terminal, searched, and frowned: "No residence permit? Where's your address?"

"Can't say that. Fighting crime is a cop's duty. I don't care if Old Zhao's family is into drugs—once we find that angle, the breakthrough, Old Zhao's whole family will be gone next month. Not just during National Day—I've been staking out here every shift, even without evidence, I've made them sick of me."

In the Anti-Drug Squad, Xu He was more popular than police dogs; in the Criminal Investigation Unit, he was no less so. After the Dong Nianfeng and Zhao Zhendong cases, they thanked Xu He's ancestors four generations deep. The Unit has annual targets—no reason to fail without punishment, but no guarantee of reward if you succeed. Don't be fooled by Song Ju's fat, friendly face—he's still a director, and not someone to joke with.

"Oh, you're doing well, relaxed, aren't you? Not just relaxed—you're even picking faults with me?"

Xia Jie handled affairs with precision and exceptional ability—Luo Team Leader had no reason to doubt him. Gao Chao also doubted him—if he hadn't been on duty, if he'd slept soundly at home, why would he show up at midnight without a word?

"Team Leader Luo, hand this over to you. We're leaving. Tomorrow we're on duty again. Look…" Xia Jie glanced at Li Dawei, eyes gleaming with excitement, grinned, then asked, "Jiwei—if you worked with Team Leader Luo for a few days, could you solve this case?"

As he spoke, Xia Jie slapped the man's arm hard. The man, half-carried by Li Dawei, was limp—completely unconscious.

"Confirmed—it's a big case." Luo Team Leader's tone grew excited.

In truth, I cursed inwardly—I'd already seen those two cops earlier, but I didn't care. That area wasn't a police priority—I knew that. But I never expected they hadn't left. I'd already gotten the person out—I couldn't turn back and bring them back—that'd only make people more suspicious. I had no choice but to shove the person into the car, muttering "Don't see me," and drive off.

Possibly solving a major case, possibly saving a girl about to be murdered, possibly capturing the real killer—the atmosphere instantly brightened—merit was within reach.

That's possibly seventeen lives. He may have switched weapons multiple times—this case is as big as it gets. Song Ju set up a special task force first thing this morning. Luo Team Leader is investigating the suspect's former residence and searching for burial sites—moving fast.

Xia Jie really thought that way—find evidence before arresting was hard, but arresting first, then finding evidence, was easier. Especially with opponents like Cao Army Supervisor's grandson—they bullied the strong and only showed off to those stronger. Their psychological defenses were fragile—easy to break. Taking down Old Zhao's family would be simple…

This was an entertainment venue—a sensitive, chaotic one. Police weren't welcome here. The patrons who went wild here deeply resented them. They came here to act without rules, to vent inner pressure. But police represented rules—utterly incompatible with this place.

Arriving nearby, just after hanging up the phone, Xia Jie stepped forward and saluted: "Officer from Siwaihe Police Station. Do you know the girl in the car?"

"Big matter—have your station chief contact Song Ju." Gao Chao spoke with urgency—we were standing firm now.

"Ah, we're all brothers—fighting crime is our duty!" The traffic officer also stood straight and proud.

Gao Chao laughed: "Not just that—I'm practically your station chief. Half the people here listen to me more than the chief."

Watching Li Dawei leave, Zhao Zhangyi shook his head again—he couldn't read Li Dawei's mindset. He turned to Xu He: "I heard you didn't go anywhere last night—you stayed right outside Ye Wei Yang. You're really determined to take down Cao Army Supervisor?"

"Just interrogate Brother Yan directly." Li Dawei spoke up.

He shuffled over and ended up in the center of the bed. As expected, a white Type 77 pistol had been shoved into the gap between the bed frame.

"Finally, you're here! Tell us what happened." Luo Team Leader smoked, glared at Xia Jie. "You dragged us out at this hour to work overtime—if there's no result, you're treating us to a big meal. Gotta hit up that rich guy."

Xu Heke scratched his head, unsure what to think, then suddenly stomped his foot hard, blushing and holding his breath… Xia Jie was trying to die—I didn't stop him. Honestly, I just couldn't care anymore…

Xingfu Wai was originally a factory's staff dormitory—all the buildings were old. Such old dormitory complexes were rare in Siwaihe. Each complex housed one or two thousand people—two or eight thousand total. No property management, no walls, surveillance wasn't comprehensive, but rent wasn't cheap.

"You're too confident. You say drowned people are all good swimmers. But honestly, I'm terrified of them—I've handled so many." Xia Jie shook his head, stepping on a tile at the edge of a flowerbed. "Chief, look at this tile—nice, right?"

"Correct. Progress has been made."

When Zhao Zhangyi finished reading, I chuckled and stomped my foot; it looked light as a feather, making no loud sound when it landed. But when Xu He and Ke looked over, their eyes nearly popped out—there, the brick had cracked into a spiderweb of fine, dense fissures.

"Tired?" Xia Jie played the role of a legendary evil girlfriend, caring for Xu He as he yawned.

The traffic cop was sharp; seeing this, he was already half-asleep but suddenly snapped awake: "Any situation?"

"He has to be detained for a day—can't he wait until tomorrow?" Though complaining, Luo Team Leader snapped awake, pulled out his phone, and immediately called people: "Your squad leader crawled out of bed at midnight—how can we sleep? First, pull out a full team and check the missing persons list from the past two years."

"The girl he took to the hospital yesterday was indeed drugged unconscious, and didn't you search his car and his suspect's home? Evidence was found: eight different male biological profiles. You found eight people's information who had reported missing at the police station—the longest was one and a half years ago, the other eight were recent. Under this knife, including these eight, seventeen different individuals' biological profiles were identified."

"Report your ID number."

On the road, Xia Jie called Luo Team Leader again, urgently pulling back the DNA technicians and forensic staff to work overnight, extracting and testing biological samples. She also called Di Chao, telling him to go to the Criminal Investigation Team. If this got to the leadership of the nightclub, it wouldn't be good later. It was too late—Zhao Zhangyi was old; if not for that, I'd have called him directly.

Li Dawei said nothing, just grinned foolishly out the window, growing happier by the moment. He even croaked out a broken-voiced rendition of the song playing in the car, showing not a trace of sleepiness.

Xia Jie smiled, "Could it earn a Third-Class Merit? It all depends on whether Luo Team and the others can figure it out—whether they can determine how many people Wang Yan killed and find the bodies. If everything goes smoothly, Third-Class Merit. If it doesn't, we've still uncovered a criminal, rescued victims, and found firearms—based on that alone, he's guaranteed at least a commendation. The problem is scale."

After checking the pistol and confirming no round was chambered, Xia Jie removed the magazine, placed the pistol into evidence bagging, and put it alongside the dagger into the case.

The facts proved that Heaven's Grandfather never abandons any comrade who stays up on duty—or rather, wherever Xu He is, something always happens.

As he spoke, he turned on his body camera and calmly drank water from the lid of his thermos. He watched Xu He open the front passenger door, shove the clearly still unconscious girl inside, then circle around and sit in the passenger seat, starting the car to leave.

"How long has he lived here?" Xia Jie asked.

As Wang Shouyi said, in places like ours, after all inspections, we always get notified—even so-called surprise inspections usually come with preparation; everyone coordinates.

Patting Director Wang's shoulder, Xia Jie strolled lazily into the building.

"More than two years—never got around to doing it. I went to your police station twice, but there were too many people, so I never followed through. Isn't it your fault? Why don't you open more windows? All these people crammed in every day—how hard it is for the public to get things done."

Extremely cold, attitude extremely bad.

"37…"

"He's turned killing into a hobby, gotten addicted to it, and has no regrets—do you think he'll confess? The more he sees you scrambling, unable to find the bodies, forced to interrogate him again and again, the happier he gets."

"So you didn't believe him at all." Xia Jie shook her head, then said, "If that's the case, we've already rescued one victim. Keep searching—see if there are any others."

Cao Army Supervisor played old Wang Si—you shoved him to his face and he didn't dare move. My grandson's young—you don't think he can hold back? If you push him too far, this National Day might end in disaster."

"I did drink—I accept the penalty, firmly obey national law. I'm not complaining—I'm giving you suggestions."

He reached out, yanked the pistol from the middle, then crawled out from the other end of the bed, stood up, and grinned as he held the gun up: "Type 77 pistol. Looks well-maintained. Feels like it's got four rounds loaded, and it's got a serial number—looks like a police-issue gun."

Inside the reception area, the overall tone was dark. Soft, thick carpets covered the floor, making one feel weightless stepping on them. Several women in large suits and men in provocative attire stood by the entrance, smoking and chatting. They weren't salespeople—they were staff, loitering at the door, waiting for a customer who might spend money or get a membership card.

If you believe Wang Yan committed the crime, why not just check his water meter? If you believe the car might contain biological traces of victims, just find an excuse to impound it and check quickly—what's wrong with that? Or just summon Wang Yan directly, arrest him, lock him up for seventy-seven hours, send people to his rental to collect biological samples—what's wrong with that?

Luo Team Leader watched inside and chuckled: "You know what? This guy's actually neat. I've been to so many homes, but this one's top-tier. Honestly, after I came, I still doubted him—but after seeing his place, I felt he was clean. A woman living alone, keeping her home this spotless? If she's not a cleanliness freak, something's definitely wrong. Let's search—see what we find. But keep everything exactly as is—if we find something later, we can't explain it."

"Almost, too much to say to him." Xu He waved dismissively, ignoring Wang Shouyi, and chatted affectionately with Yue Wei for a while until Yue Wei couldn't take it anymore—then he called a police auxiliary to accompany him on patrol.

In the morning, rested Li Dawei shuffled over and told the auxiliary to go back—he'd stick to his big brother these days. He firmly believed that, given his big brother's knack for trouble wherever he went, he'd already earned credit.

As yesterday, the police calls were nothing unusual—lost items were common, as were various disputes. Xia Jie handled these mediations with ease; though she mostly just smoothed things over, people weren't overly resistant and were generally satisfied.

Xu Heke, this new officer of eight months, merely speculated vaguely. But Luo Team and the veteran officers insisted on having Zhao Jiw ei pretend to be a nightclub bouncer, drive the car out, then search it—only to be discovered by Wang Yan, then have another death occur to highlight Zhao Jiw ei's incompetence—how much more satisfying would that be?

Today, no one revved their sports car at Xia Jie. Everything went smoothly—we waited until the nightclub opened, watched the crowd pour in, noisy and chaotic, indulging themselves, squandering money—just having fun.

The traffic cop came over, said nothing, blew into the breathalyzer, gave the standard alcohol reading, and ordered one day's detention. Then he called someone to drive over, took Wang Yan directly to the traffic station, and towed the car away for temporary impoundment.

"You're a police officer from a local station—do you think giving me advice is useless? Shut up, or I'll cuff you."

But no matter what, even if I didn't know Xu He's problem, I could tell something was off. Still, spotting trouble from across the street? Impossible. One must get close, take a good look, chat a bit—just a sentence or two.

"One hundred percent—he's got problems." Xu He spoke with absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubt.

"Let's go. You're already here—going back won't help you sleep. Let's follow one more time. Drive faster." Di Chao smiled and instructed Xia Jie. He didn't care about credit—he was just glad to be involved.

Wang Yan reluctantly got in the car. Xia Jie sniffed: "Drunk driving? He's not lucky today."

Wang Yan sighed helplessly. He thought, as Xia Jie said, he was just unlucky. He hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation.

"Officer, take this car to the Criminal Investigation Team. I believe this guy's guilty. Take the girl to the hospital—have them check her. She doesn't seem drunk—she might've been drugged."

Xu He rummaged through the room, searching for the gun. In the original plot, Wang Yan had a Type 77 pistol—firing 7.62mm bullets, far more powerful than the standard 9mm. Even at one or two meters, it could kill. But if it wasn't the 9mm pistol, Xu Heke might still have a chance—unless the screenwriter intended for him to die.

After searching everywhere with no result, Xia Jie finally turned her gaze to the bed. Under everyone's watch, she lifted the messy pile of blankets, flung them off the bed, then lay on the blankets and crawled forward, shining a weak flashlight underneath.

Arriving at the hospital near the river, she asked a nurse for a wheelchair, wheeled the girl—who hovered on the edge of death—around the ward, drew blood for testing, arranged a room for her, took several photos, then drove off with Li Dawei to the Criminal Investigation Team.

"We should check Wang Yan's home—see if there's anything suspicious."

After saying a few words to send off the traffic cop, Xia Jie radioed the on-duty officer: "We've found something unusual—send two more people to relieve us." Then she shoved the unresponsive girl into the front seat of the car and drove toward the hospital via a detour.

Finally, night came again—another quiet hour on Bar Street. Xu He still stood across the road, replying to public messages while occasionally looking up. Li Dawei stared at the crowd across, trying to spot who might be suspicious.

"If you judge by this logic, he probably came here tonight to find a target—and might've already disposed of the person by midnight. Wang Yan…"

The suspect's information was confirmed: he'd once been a police auxiliary in Bai Province. The gun matched—he stole it during his service. Our station chief was dismissed because of the stolen gun incident. This guy lived alone, had no close friends or family, kept to himself, drove a white car to make a living, and had indeed rented that apartment for two years.

As the earliest follower of Xu He, Li Dawei deeply doubted his big brother's judgment—because so far, he'd never been accurate. He'd solved countless cases, provided numerous leads on vice, gambling, and drugs, earned two Third-Class Merits and one commendation, delayed four months before becoming permanent, and led solo patrols—none of this was a joke. He doubted his big brother's sharp criminal instincts.

"Good—he came back at 17:00 yesterday, didn't go home, stayed at the station all that time. But today's fine—I'm on duty." Xu He pushed the thermos cup full of tea and asked, "Where are they? Bar Street cleared by 2:00—what time did they get back last night?"

Xia Jie walked over, glanced, then pulled out her UV light and shone it on the wooden handle: "Old Luo, Luo Team—take a look. You tell me—is there a problem? This guy's so confident, he didn't even bother hiding it."

Of course, Wang Yan wasn't like me—he killed men who couldn't resist. That didn't cultivate weakness—it made him a pervert. Even if he killed only the weak, he couldn't develop a weak mindset, because he killed purely for the sake of killing—he was a monster.

Just arriving at the branch compound, we saw Di Chao and Luo Team sitting on the steps, seven people gathered around the car collecting biological samples.

After a long pause, Li Dawei said: "If this really involves a homicide, then according to our usual investigative approach, this man would find a man here, take him home, sleep with him, then kill him. If the primary crime scene was his home, then when moving the body, he'd likely use his car. So if his home or car weren't cleaned thoroughly, there'd be traces of others' biological material. And if he committed the murder at home, his water usage should be normal."

At Xia Jie's signal, Li Dawei shot out, shouting loudly: "Stop!" Xu He dared not run—if he fled now, he'd be confessing guilt. And knowing how police operated, dozens would come after him today…

Xu He grunted: "Turn on the body camera."

Xu He patted his shoulder: "Go ahead. The director won't let you sleep? You handle police calls during the day—what merit is there? I'll take the auxiliary. You can come find me tomorrow. These days, we'll all be working until 2:00 a. m. —you can't hold out."

Of course, that's true—after all, even punishing him for drunk driving only meant a few days' detention. Who in their right mind would believe he's a perverted killer?

"I think Xu He's killed before. The man he brought out of the bar wasn't drunk—he was drugged. You two just came from the hospital—the results will be out tomorrow morning. Given his pattern, killing one or two people per month isn't impossible."

Di Chao pulled Xia Jie aside as he lit a cigarette: "How confident are you?"

Because this area had developed for seventy or eighty years, life was more convenient, and there was a subway station—but the buildings were too old, so prices were lower. Overall, they were on par with newer high-rises, with little difference. This was the final stage of Xia Jie's neighborhood visits.

Driving down a narrow, nearly empty road with almost no cars, Li Dawei asked, "Wang Yan, really an eighth-class merit?"

Although Xia Jie wasn't particularly eager for merit, she couldn't stop merit from crashing into her—no matter how hard she tried to block it. Like today: she'd originally intended to investigate Cao Army Supervisor, but ended up going out with him instead—it was simply beyond reason.

"You don't need to say so much. Drunk driving is fact, isn't it? That girl was careless, isn't it? You're a police officer of the Siwaihe Police Station, your name is Xia Jie, and you've been recording audio and video with your body camera the entire time. If you walk away today, there'll be no objection, and you can still apply for administrative review later." Xia Jie's expression was stern. "Show me your ID."

Li Dawei quickly shook his head: "No, Chief, you can still hold on."

Wang Yan still tried to struggle: "Officer, I really didn't…"

The apartment wasn't big—a one-bedroom, one-living-room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom, eighty-some square meters—but because it was an old building, the usable area was small, yet the living experience was still acceptable. Only problem was, it was on the first floor, so a bit damp. But Wang Yan might have had some cleanliness obsession, or perhaps it was his cleaning habit after killing someone—the interior was still in good condition, even had lavender-scented air freshener.

"You really have something going on. Actually, that guy has something too—he heard he could get an eighth-class merit, or at least a commendation, and got so excited he couldn't sleep." Xia Jie asked, "Chief, what's the situation here now? Did Old Di tell him?"

After Luo Team Leader finished his call, less than seventy minutes passed, and seven grim-faced men arrived, heading outside to investigate missing persons cases from the past two years, searching for similar characteristics.

"Looks like that guy doesn't have such a sharp criminal instinct. I'm starting to feel this is a minor case." Luo Team Leader patted Xu He on the shoulder.

Xia Jie smiled: "Brother, don't worry. If your work deserves recognition, we'll see just how minor this case really is."

That guy may have toned down a bit, but his desire for merit never changed. For instance, when he heard passing the Law Exam Class A would earn him an eighth-class merit, he studied hard—not a top student, but diligently read books, even asked Yang Shu for a review outline…

Immediately, two technicians crowded into the bathroom, extracting biological samples from every corner, while Xia Jie and others rummaged through the house.

"Didn't bring it."

Someone like Wang Yan could easily kill dozens. If he got a seventh-class merit, how could Li Dawei get an eighth-class merit? The remaining commendations would go to the criminal investigation team one, the traffic officer one—clearly divided.

At 5:20 p. m., Li Dawei, who had been listlessly looking left and right on the road, suddenly perked up, walking quickly over to Xu He, who was drinking cold water: "Wang Yan, that guy's coming out."

"Around 8:20, ran into some situations."

Zhao Zhangyi said seriously: "You're playing with your life. If you know we might be involved with drugs, you should know how ruthless those people are—they only have you as their only son."

"Talking about me? What about you?" Zhao Zhangyi chuckled.

As soon as he entered, he could feel the pulsing music outside, even the ground trembling slightly.

Xia Jie waved her hand: "What's the hurry? She hasn't taken anyone out yet. Besides, let's be honest—this place is low-end, and the patrons have low tastes. Do you think this guy's outfit and that Jetta can fool girls? Still, we must watch out for him drugging them—those things really do happen."

So if he doesn't take anyone out, we wait until tomorrow to check his record, then just seize his car. No car, no transport—if he committed a crime, we'll investigate quickly. But if he did take a girl out, I suspect she's either drunk or drugged—he might also be guilty of drunk driving. Then we arrest him on the spot, take him back overnight, and have the branch send someone to extract biological samples and run comparisons."

"Fine, I believe you." Luo Team Leader didn't waste words—he'd always suspected Xia Jie.

Besides, police presence ruins our business. If they come every day, Ye Wei Yang will go under for good.

That day was unremarkable—Xia Jie responded coldly to every citizen who recognized her; if someone stopped to chat, she chatted; if someone chatted, she visited merchants. If there was a police incident, she responded.

"You're being overpraised—you're just a regular officer, not nearly as amazing as they say."

After a short while, Li Dawei pulled a dagger from a kitchen drawer: "Wang Yan, you think this is the murder weapon? Come take a look?"

"Wait." Luo Team Leader yawned and gave orders into the phone.

When they arrived at Xingfu Li, it was 2:20 p. m. Xu He used his tools to pick the lock instantly—everyone stared in amazement. Xia Jie merely smiled modestly. The team lined up, put on shoe covers and gloves, and entered Xu He's home.

"Xingfu Li, Building 7, Unit 1, Apartment 101—Officer Wang, is it illegal not to have a residence permit?"

"Yeah, there's a bunch." Xia Jie had already turned on her body camera and flipped through the records.

Be patient. Today is his chance. If he didn't take anyone out, then no crime was committed today. After all, if he really did what you think—sleep first, kill, clean the scene, then dump the body—that takes time. He wouldn't dare dump a body in broad daylight.

Xu He watched the team bustling around the car, waved his hand, and said: "Chief, assign four people—we'll go check Wang Yan's place. I believe the primary crime scene is there. Let's search thoroughly—maybe we'll find the murder weapon directly."

At that moment, Luo Team Leader's face lost its smile—he was tired: "When we came here earlier, we checked—the surveillance coverage in this area is still too sparse, blind spots too many. You've got no solution here—we need to think of something."

Regardless of whether Wang Yan killed anyone, now we've found a Type 77 pistol—that alone means at least eight years. And since the gun is already missing, Xia Jie's belief that he killed dozens becomes significantly more plausible.

Wang Shouyi was highly sensitive, curiously asking: "What's going on? Did you get another merit?"

Our current procedures aren't compliant—even if we're held accountable, every single one of us will face disciplinary action. But under these exceptional circumstances, everything's fine—just retroactively complete all paperwork, make the entire process legal, reasonable, and compliant…

At that moment, a police motorcycle with flashing lights drove up from the end of the street, followed by a tow truck.

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