Chapter 67: Suspicion

Accompanied by the circulation of scalding mysterious energy, Lin Qing walked to the mirror, looked at his reflection, and couldn't help but smile.

At this point, his features had already become seventy to eighty percent similar to Captain Yuan Anping's.

"I can still fine-tune it a bit."

Lin Qing looked at the mirror, recalling the captain's appearance in his mind while slowly controlling subtle changes in his flesh and bones.

Soon, his features had almost completely transformed into Captain Yuan Anping's likeness.

"And the build."

Lin Qing rolled his shoulders, and his shoulder width and arm span subtly shifted, his joints and bones shrinking slightly, dropping his height by about three centimeters in an instant.

Now, apart from the hairstyle, he was over ninety percent similar in every other respect.

"For the hairstyle, I can just wear a hat…"

Lin Qing nodded in satisfaction, then withdrew the mysterious energy flowing through every part of his body.

At the same time, his appearance and build gradually returned to normal.

"Transforming does consume quite a bit."

Lin Qing sensed the expenditure of mysterious energy within him and roughly understood this ability.

The greater the transformation, the greater the consumption.

Maintaining it didn't cost much, and he could sustain it for quite a while.

Of course, there were limits to the transformation.

For example, height could be increased by at most about twelve centimeters, build couldn't change too drastically, and weight could only be adjusted up or down by twenty-something kilograms.

"Still counts as one more skill."

Lin Qing nodded slightly, not thinking too much of it.

After all, fingerprints, iris, and DNA all remained unchanged—only outward appearance changed—and he still had to be familiar enough with the person.

"Captain, Director Kou is looking for you. Seems urgent."

At that moment, Zhao Jiayi's voice came through the comm channel inside the private rest room.

……

"Lin Qing, what's going on?"

Inside the branch director's office, Kou Guoyong sat behind the desk, frowning tightly, seemingly barely holding back his anger: "Yesterday when I told you to lead the team to raid Yinghai Group, didn't I tell you to make sure the inspectors under you kept their hands clean?"

Lin Qing frowned slightly and said, "What? Yinghai Group lost something?"

He knew the inspection system was rather special—personnel quality was uneven, and the atmosphere wasn't great either.

So, before setting out to raid yesterday, he had given solemn instructions in advance.

"The vice president of Yinghai Group lost some valuables."

Kou Guoyong said in a low voice, "A famous watch, and a jade pendant carved from an extraterrestrial mineral—total value over four million… This is no small matter."

Lin Qing frowned and said, "But yesterday when I called the team back, I ordered each squad to search one another to avoid exactly this kind of situation. Why is Yinghai Group suddenly claiming today that valuables went missing?"

"Don't ask me."

Kou Guoyong sighed helplessly. "Public security has plenty of complaints. A lot of people feel you're too young to manage the inspection team properly, which is why this happened."

Lin Qing smiled. "Then I really am young, so are there also voices saying I shouldn't be made permanent?"

Kou Guoyong didn't answer him, only sighed softly.

"I told you yesterday the situation was special, told you to be careful."

He hesitated, then said, "Besides, there are voices in the branch saying that when the team was called back last night, every squad searched one another and no one was found with dirty hands—except for you, the leading captain, who no one searched. So if someone insists the inspection team had dirty hands, then…"

At the end, Kou Guoyong didn't continue, but Lin Qing already understood what he meant.

"Suspecting me." Lin Qing clicked his tongue.

"I know this is hard to swallow."

Kou Guoyong shook his head slightly and said, "But these voices really do exist. And everyone knows your cousin is in exactly the period when she needs money to get a mechanical prosthetic fitted, so of course people will suspect you."

Lin Qing gave a wry laugh, didn't want to say more, and couldn't exactly reveal the contents of the elite inspector training contract either. "But you don't need to worry."

Kou Guoyong said, "This is, after all, an internal matter of our inspection system. The city bureau plans to follow the old rules and have the Upper City District branch's inspection team investigate. They'll probably ask you to cooperate with the investigation—internal problems solved internally, no need to drag public security into it."

"Investigate all you want." Lin Qing said casually.

After speaking, he suddenly said with a smile, "If those two missing items just happen to turn up at my place, that'd be interesting."

"You think someone framed you?" Kou Guoyong asked, frowning.

"Without evidence, I won't bring it up."

Lin Qing shook his head slightly, looked at Kou Guoyong, and said, "Director Kou, if this really happens, will I be dismissed and investigated?"

"It won't come to that." Kou Guoyong shook his head. "Setting aside the possibility that you're wronged—even if you really did it, you're still one of Lin'an's seventeen inspectors. As elite talent, at worst they'd make you write a self-criticism, dock a few months' pay, return the lost items, and that'd be the end of it."

He paused, then said, "However, the city bureau leadership will have a very bad impression of you, and it'll definitely affect your job evaluation at the end of the month."

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Meaning… I won't be made permanent captain?"

"Even if you might have been framed, at the very least it'll be put on hold for observation." Kou Guoyong nodded lightly. "No matter how strong you are, if the city bureau leadership's evaluation of you is poor, you can't become permanent captain."

Lin Qing let out an enlightened "oh."

"Whatever."

He turned and walked toward the door. "I'm going to the hospital to see the former captain who got crippled. If you want to investigate me, come on."

……

Xiaoshan District People's Hospital.

"You think it's a frame-up by Yuanhong Society?"

Cousin Chen Yanan leaned against the hospital bed, listened to everything Lin Qing had said, and couldn't help but shake her head: "Yinghai Group does have problems, but it's the province's leading enterprise after all. Even if there are minor issues, the higher-ups will cover for it. Unless it's confirmed that Yinghai Group is connected to Yuanhong Society, the higher-ups basically won't touch Yinghai Group."

"I know." Lin Qing nodded and continued peeling the apple.

"Looking at it this way, your probation conversion is in danger."

Chen Yanan sighed. "Just the reputation you're suffering now, even if nothing is found, the bureau leaders probably won't let you convert."

Lin Qing smiled indifferently, handing her the peeled half of an apple. "Leaders are like this; as long as the Patrol goes on missions on the front lines, but leaders have to consider much more."

Chen Yanan was stunned. What kind of nonsense is that?

"Nothing. Actually, whether I convert or not, I don't care."

Lin Qing took a bite of the apple. "Anyway, I joined the Patrol just to learn combat techniques and climb faster. Having a rank is enough; whether I become a leader doesn't matter."

"It's also my fault for dragging you down." Chen Yanan patted his leg and said helplessly, "After all, to others in the bureau, you indeed need money to buy me better mechanical limbs. Although others can understand, they will definitely have objections."

"Let them be." Lin Qing didn't care at all.

"Oh, by the way."

Lin Qing suddenly said, "Speaking of limbs, has anyone from the Dawn Group contacted you?"

The contract matter had to be kept secret, so he had never mentioned it; before the matter was settled, he hadn't even told Chen Yanan that she could get the highest-grade mechanical limbs.

"How did you know?"

Chen Yanan looked at him in surprise. "This morning, someone from the Dawn Group did notify me, saying they would prepare the prosthetic implant surgery for me soon and asked me to get ready."

"That's good." Lin Qing smiled.

"Do you know the situation?" Chen Yanan couldn't help but say, "The scheduled time is clearly still a while away, and the money hasn't even been paid yet."

"No need to pay." Lin Qing shook his head. "Sister, I signed a confidentiality contract so I can't say, but I can tell you this is a headquarters benefit. Just prepare for the surgery in peace."

Chen Yanan suddenly realized and said, "That makes sense. For a combat technique genius like you, Xiao Qing, special treatment is normal."

Suddenly—

"Knock, knock, knock."

Knocking sounds came from outside the hospital room.

Lin Qing turned to look and saw Xu Qiu, the tall, cold-style No. 1 Patrol Officer wearing a black Patrol uniform, walking in with two Patrol Officers.

(End of this chapter)