Chapter 52: Educated by the Young

It's not yet lunchtime, and the Dining Car is spacious, so it's being used as a temporary office.

By the time Lu Cheng arrived, the other team members were already all present; more than twenty of them crowded into the Carriage, making a noisy, chaotic scene.

The police chief's surname is Ding, named Ding Han Zhen, just over forty, wears glasses, and his professional ability is strong, earning Lei Zhan Ge's high regard.

The follow‑up arrangements for capturing the enemy spy on this train were handed to him with full authority.

As for Lei Zhan Ge, no one saw him; it seemed he didn't board the train.

For such an important mission, Lei Zhan Ge not personally taking charge is indeed improper.

Still, his absence is a relief; otherwise, just seeing his face would have put everyone under huge pressure.

Seeing everyone gathered, Ding Han Zhen, hands clasped behind his back, said, "Everyone, quiet down. We just patrolled each Carriage; did anyone spot a suspicious target?"

A Comrade replied, "Police Chief Ding, to be honest, I feel my eyes are practically on the passengers; everyone looks like an enemy spy, yet no one really does."

Unlike Lei Zhan Ge, who likes to keep a stern face, Ding Han Zhen is quite affable; after all, we're all part of the same Railway system, and everyone knows each other to some extent.

So when responding, there's no need to weigh words; they say whatever comes to mind.

Ding Han Zhen pushed up his glasses frame and laughed, "Indeed, an enemy spy wouldn't write the words 'enemy spy' on his face."

Since he is an enemy spy, his ability to blend in is unquestionable; catching him is truly difficult.

Seeing the silence, Ding Han Zhen smiled again, "Everyone, don't lose heart. Our intelligence won't be wrong; there's a high probability this enemy spy is on the train."

Once on the train, he's a turtle in a jar—no way to escape; it's up to us to find this Turtle among a school of fish.

In his encouraging words, Ding Han Zhen even likened the enemy spy to a Turtle, prompting a burst of laughter.

The atmosphere on the spot relaxed.

As everyone relaxed, they began actively offering ideas on how to reel this Turtle out.

The Xizhimen Traffic Police Unit was not willing to fall behind: "Police Chief Ding, I think we still need to thoroughly search each Carriage section, leaving no person or piece of luggage unchecked."

This isn't a station entrance; the station has heavy foot traffic, making sweeps difficult, and we also fear startling the snake in the grass.

Now we're on the train with so many people; as long as we search each individual, given that the enemy spy is carrying documents and Slag, we can definitely find it.

Although Ding Han Zhen agreed, he still had reservations.

"The method is indeed good, but we're not bandits; without a reasonable justification, arbitrarily searching everyone could provoke the public's discontent."

At that point, some people will inevitably refuse to cooperate; forcing searches could easily spark a riot, producing a counterproductive result.

Ding Han Zhen's concerns could not be ignored, and because of that, the team was momentarily at a loss.

Actively searching but finding nothing, the enemy spy must be disguised as a civilian, blended into the populace.

The enormity of this mission is evident; even Ding Han Zhen, whose professional ability is strong, was at a loss.

"Hey, Comrade over there?"

Lu Cheng turned his head, "Police Chief Ding."

These team members were hand‑picked from the various Train Police units; being chosen for such an important mission, Ding Han Zhen did not overlook him because of his youth.

"Ah, I've seen you staring off; everyone is actively discussing, so you can share any thoughts, good or bad, and we can combine them."

Lu Cheng was indeed zoning out, but his mind was still on how to catch the enemy spy.

At present there's no good solution; the enemy spy won't reveal himself, and time is limited, so we must take the initiative here.

Thinking this through, Lu Cheng said, "Police Chief Ding, earlier our Xizhimen teammates suggested edge‑to‑edge searches of the Carriages; that method sounds good, and I support it…"

Others laughed, "You really are zoning out, huh? You only heard half the story, right? Police Chief Ding just said that without a reasonable justification, we can't arbitrarily search people."

Someone else recalled the last meeting when Lu Cheng fell asleep.

"You might as well keep sleeping; we don't expect you to catch the enemy spy—whether you're here or not makes no difference."

"Sigh, I have no idea why Team Captain Zhou sent this person over."

Hearing the teammates' exclusion of their Comrade, Ding Han Zhen felt a slight displeasure, but showed none on his face; maintaining unity was now most important.

He only raised his hand to stop the discussion, saying, "Comrade, if you're feeling tired, you can rest for a while. This mission is indeed arduous, and I can see everyone is on edge. Thank you all for your hard work."

Listening to Ding Han Zhen's warm words, Lu Cheng inexplicably thought of Police Chief Meng.

They're both police chiefs; why is the gap between people so big?

Lu Cheng felt guilty for not offering suggestions, thinking he was letting down their concern.

"Police Chief Ding, thank you for your concern. I don't need to rest; my mood is the same as everyone else's, and I also want to catch this enemy spy as soon as possible, otherwise I truly can't sleep."

Regarding a reason for searches, I think if someone 'drops something', then we can use that as a pretext to search each person; the impact would be lessened and it would prevent alerting the enemy spy.

Someone didn't understand and asked, "Drop something? What are we dropping, and who dropped it?"

Even with careful selection, there are still those with agile limbs but dull minds.

That person isn't Liu Jian'an, so Lu Cheng was too lazy to bother with him.

But Ding Han Zhen, being a police chief, is clearly not the dull type; he immediately understood Lu Cheng's meaning.

"You mean we pretend someone dropped something, and then use that as a reason to search everyone in the Carriage?"

Lu Cheng nodded, "Now the train is like a calm river; we need to toss a stone in, stir up the water, and then fish for the Turtle in the muddied flow."

Ding Han Zhen nodded along, "That does provide a legitimate pretext for searches, though it's not entirely proper—more accurately, it's a bit unethical."

It must be said that many people today are very rule‑abiding, devoted to serving the people and putting the public first.

Clearly, Ding Han Zhen belongs to that category as well.

Only Lu Cheng dislikes talking about rules; often, ignoring them is how he finds shortcuts.

"Police Chief Ding, your concern for the public is a spirit we should learn from.

But I think the nation may face a serious loss; without the country there is no home, so violating a minor regulation to capture this enemy spy is what we should prioritize.

Moreover, I believe that if the vast majority of the public learned the truth—that we're salvaging the nation's losses—they would wholeheartedly support us."

Lu Cheng's words made Ding Han Zhen's expression freeze, and they indirectly dispelled all his reservations.

Indeed, fearing the wolf ahead and the tiger behind—if the revolutionary predecessors had been the same, there would be no new motherland today.

Ding Han Zhen looked again at Lu Cheng, the young man, and his impression changed instantly.

He didn't expect that today, he would be taught by a young man.

Immediately, feeling a bit ashamed, he said, "Well said, I've been over‑thinking, I'll reflect!"

Then, following this young Comrade's suggestion, we'll act at once, striving not to let any person slip away, not to let any package slip away.