Chapter 30: Begin the Investigation

Coal Capital Station Railway Branch has a total of twenty‑two team members.

Seeing these people, who have no station bearing and are extremely lax, Lu Cheng understood in his heart that this was pure perfunctory treatment.

"All present, stand at attention!"

When Lu Cheng gave the order, the team members still remained in that lax posture, their bodies not standing straight at all.

Seeing this scene, Wu Sanbao, standing not far away, shook his head.

He was indeed too young; at such a tender age he clearly lacked any authority, yet wanted to command so many people.

Director Qin held him in high regard; he truly thought of himself as a spring onion, unaware that he was a pig's snout stuck into a large scallion.

"All present, stand at attention!" Wu Sanbao also shouted.

The team members on site immediately straightened their bodies, yet a few still did not stand properly.

Those few team members were not disobeying Wu Sanbao's order; rather, they were giving him face, simply not wanting to be counted under Lu Cheng.

Wu Sanbao was of course clear in his mind; these few team members were the ones he usually worked most closely with, calling each other brothers.

"Comrade Xiao Lu, it's no wonder they didn't listen to me just now; you see they even ignore my words. How about you help me supervise?"

This was obviously treating him as a joke.

What can you, coming from the Capital City, possibly do? These little goons aren't pointing upward, there's no need to care about you at all.

Following Wu Sanbao's words, Lu Cheng smiled, "No problem, Wu Team Leader, since they aren't listening, I'll help you manage them."

As Wu Sanbao frowned, he saw Lu Cheng walk straight toward one of the team members.

"Can't stand at attention?" Lu Cheng stared at the person.

The person tilted his head half up, "Can't…"

Before the words finished, Lu Cheng executed a sweeping leg, toppling the person to the ground.

"Ah… what are you doing? Dare you sweep me?"

The team member quickly rose, about to strike Lu Cheng, but Lu Cheng performed a shoulder throw, swiftly throwing the person to the ground.

In this move, he didn't hold back, merely smashing the person onto the ground; it felt as if the internal organs were compressed into a lump, the pain making him grit his teeth and grimace.

Lu Cheng didn't even bother watching him, swinging his wrist, walking along the front of the formation while speaking.

"No bearing at all—this is your Railway Branch? Is this the troops of Director Qin?"

Lu Cheng twisted his elbow forcefully, and another team member was flipped onto the ground.

"Ah!"

"I don't care whether you entered through the back door or are someone's relative, but Director Qin has made it clear: I command you."

Lu Cheng kicked out, and a team member dropped to one knee.

"Ah!"

"As Public Security, you must look the part; letting the common folk see you in this bear‑like state tarnishes… that's Director Qin's face!"

Lu Cheng threw a punch, and a team member clutched his abdomen, collapsing to the ground.

"Ah, you…"

In the office, Qin Feng listened to the courtyard's cries, not daring to show his head.

The four most troublesome team members were knocked to the ground, and Wu Sanbao looked both angry and shocked.

He was angry that Lu Cheng dared to beat his men.

He was shocked that, although the four team members tried to resist, Lu Cheng's speed was even faster, leaving them no chance to react before they fell.

This kid isn't simple.

But being bullied by an outsider, Wu Sanbao couldn't keep his composure; just as he was about to step forward and rebuke, Lu Cheng, with a smiling face, preemptively said.

"Wu Team Leader, this is the one you asked me to help supervise; you wouldn't be feeling sorry, would you?"

Wu Sanbao was instantly choked, indeed it was his words just now.

"Very good, very good." Wu Sanbao was briefly awkward, then said very seriously.

"All of you, listen carefully to Comrade Xiao Lu's commands; what he says represents what I say."

If you still don't obey, someone will have to get beaten.

These team members seemed to realize that the young Lu Cheng wasn't so easy to fool, and immediately each straightened their posture.

Lu Cheng looked very satisfied; for the superiors arranging connections, and for these lowly goons below, only force could conquer them.

He then took out the drawn Simulated Portrait and circulated it among the team members.

"These four are thieves on the train; I want you all to look at them carefully, engrave them in your minds."

"Anyone who looks similar must be interrogated thoroughly; no suspicious person may be let go."

Lu Cheng glanced around: "Now we take the four as a group; the four of you head immediately to the bus terminal to prevent their escape, the other groups disperse onto the streets for a carpet search, and the remaining two stay at the train station."

"Everyone understand?"

"Understood," the group said lazily.

Lu Cheng raised his voice, "Understood?"

The team members immediately straightened, "Understood!"

"Action."

Watching the team members rush out of the Grand Courtyard in unison, Wu Sanbao's mouth opened wide.

Trained them to be this obedient?

The key is Lu Cheng's meticulous arrangement; how could an inexperienced young comrade command so well?

Could even the trainees from the Capital City be this impressive?

"Lu Laodie, since everyone has been dispatched, I'll take you to the reception room for tea; we just need to wait for good news."

"Thanks, Wu Team Leader, time is tight, I won't have tea." Lu Cheng had no time for tea; he still wanted to quickly capture the person and bring them back to the Capital City.

Those four thieves could only rely on a carpet‑like search by the Railway Bureau personnel; although they had a Simulated Portrait, it was unclear how effective it would be, and Lu Cheng planned to find a breakthrough from that beggar.

Nowadays train tickets are not real‑name based, but to buy a ticket one either needs an Introduction Letter or must bring a household register for information registration, which makes it possible to investigate.

According to Xiao Qin, that beggar had bought platform tickets many times at Coal Capital Station; using the registration information from those platform tickets, the scope could be narrowed considerably.

Moreover, being able to buy platform tickets at Coal Capital Station suggests that the person is very likely a local.

As for those four thieves, since their names are unknown and the train station sees countless people buying tickets and boarding each day, this kind of investigative approach is hardly effective.

Furthermore, since the other party frequently steals, in order to conceal their identity they are very likely to have purchased tickets from the black market.

From the train station ticket office, Lu Cheng obtained today's platform ticket registration information; upon checking, there were fifteen people in total.

Lu Cheng inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief; fifteen people are still easy to investigate.

But as he scrolled down the list with his finger, Lu Cheng still felt a bit overwhelmed; the registration work at Coal Capital Station was too sloppy—aside from the name, there was no gender or age.

How can we investigate this? If we knew the gender and age, we could gradually narrow the scope based on the beggar's appearance observed on the train.

"Hello, Comrade, among those people who bought platform tickets above, is there anyone dressed as a beggar?"

Lu Cheng could only hope to consult the ticket clerk.

Fortunately, the beggar's attire was rather conspicuous, and after a moment the ticket clerk did indeed have an impression.

"Oh, you mean that beggar? Well, this is the person."

The ticket clerk pointed to an entry in the platform ticket register; Lu Cheng looked over and asked doubtfully, "Ji Yue, female?"

"Yes, she used to buy platform tickets often, then go on the train to beg for money; she's quite a pitiful woman."

"Pitiful?" Lu Cheng shook his head, fearing that this Ji Yue might be the female thief ringleader.

But whether it really is as guessed still needs further verification.