Chapter 164: The National Security Bureau Is Way Too Cutthroat

After leaving the detachment commander's office, Yu Dazhang headed toward the technical section.

He was in a daze the whole way, his mind filled with the conversation he'd just had with Li Jun.

To sum it up in one sentence: the other side had underestimated them!

It was precisely because seven of them were professional soldiers that they dared to choose close-quarters combat.

Combined with their numerical advantage, they thought victory was in the bag.

The result was that in close combat, Yu Dazhang turned them into mincemeat in seconds.

If they hadn't considered a safe withdrawal and had simply opened fire with hidden guns from inside the car, the result would very likely have been…

Yu Dazhang didn't dare to think it through any further.

No matter how fast his reaction time, with this body full of fat, dodging bullets would be pure wishful thinking.

That was way too close a call~

Lucky for him they didn't just open fire, or the current him would very likely be in the funeral home by now.

Arriving at the technical section, Yu Dazhang handed his sidearm over to the officer in charge of weapons inspection.

As he was leaving, he happened to see Qian Cheng coming back from outside.

The two exchanged a glance, and Yu Dazhang nodded in greeting.

"Busy, Brother Qian?"

Qian Cheng didn't reply, but pulled him out to the corridor.

"I heard those guys yesterday were killed by you?" Qian Cheng's eyes gleamed with gossipy curiosity.

"Not all of them." Yu Dazhang had nothing to hide from him and spoke honestly:

"The ones with knife wounds, those were my doing."

Hearing this, Qian Cheng seemed to recall something, couldn't help but retch twice, then looked at him with undisguised disgust:

"Can you get any more graphic? Yesterday at the scene, even the forensic examiner was holding his nose."

That only proves they're not professional… Yu Dazhang didn't feel he'd done anything wrong.

The fact that he was still alive was the best proof of that.

"By the way, yesterday Director Liu was absolutely furious. Right in front of everyone at the scene, he issued one order after another."

Qian Cheng wasn't only there to gather gossip—he also shared news with his buddy:

"I've never seen the head of the municipal bureau blow up like that."

"You can tell Director Liu is really pissed about cops being attacked, especially when the target was you."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to reenact the scene, his face full of awe.

Hearing this, Yu Dazhang smiled:

"He never mentioned me. How could you tell?"

Gossip is only fun when it's between people who know each other well.

People with only a so-so relationship wouldn't dare huddle together to badmouth the leadership—one little report and they'd be in trouble.

You can't be too careful.

"You just earned an individual second-class merit. Someone your age earning that kind of credit is one of a kind in the whole municipal bureau."

Talking about this, Qian Cheng's eyes were sparkling, as if he were the one who'd earned the merit:

"According to reliable sources, the credit for the top-tier hospital case is about to come through too. You're the primary credit—at the very least, an individual second-class merit to start."

"Put it this way: if something had happened to you yesterday, Director Liu would've taken the fall."

"The head of the municipal bureau might even have been swapped out."

That did sound about right… Yu Dazhang felt his analysis made a lot of sense.

Even though he was just an ordinary officer right now, his track record spoke for itself.

Early formal appointment, exceptional promotion, individual second-class merit—all earned in a very short time.

Even looking across the entire Songhai police force, it'd be hard to find a second person like that.

The cases he handled later even alarmed the Ministry of Public Security.

If he'd kicked the bucket yesterday, the higher-ups would definitely have come after someone for accountability.

As for Director Liu—yeah, he'd really have been in a tight spot~

After chatting with Qian Cheng a bit more, Yu Dazhang returned to the detachment.

Right now, he genuinely had no specific work to do.

The body-snatching case was being led by the municipal bureau; the detachment was now assisting in the investigation.

Besides, Li Jun clearly wanted him to take it easy, so he hadn't assigned him anything.

In the morning he helped his colleagues with some auxiliary work at the station. By nearly noon, Yu Dazhang checked the time and headed to the cafeteria to eat.

The branch bureau cafeteria nowadays wasn't like it used to be—limited menu and absolutely terrible food.

It had long since switched to a public bidding system for outside contractors.

After winning the bid there was another round of competitive consultation, leaving no room for cutting corners.

Fried fish in sauce, konjac spicy chicken, scallion scrambled eggs, pork rib soup…

Yu Dazhang even thought the cafeteria food tasted better than what restaurants served.

He'd barely eaten halfway when his phone rang.

"Where are you?" Li Mingzhao's voice came through the other end. Yu Dazhang quickly swallowed the food in his mouth:

"Eating at the branch bureau cafeteria."

Hearing this, Li Mingzhao said at once:

"Wait for me there. I'm on my way."

Why does it feel like he's in a good mood today… Yu Dazhang could tell — Li Mingzhao's tone was relaxed today, as if something happy had happened.

In less than two short minutes, Li Mingzhao's figure appeared at the cafeteria entrance.

Ye Lin, as always, stood quietly at his side.

When the two of them spotted Yu Dazhang, they merely gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, then walked straight to the counter ahead and each got themselves a serving of food.

Seeing them sit down in front of him with their trays, Yu Dazhang couldn't help but ask:

"Boss, did you call me from outside the branch gate?"

"Mm." Li Mingzhao nodded:

"Came straight here to find you."

Yu Dazhang turned to look at Ye Lin:

!. Read

"Ordering so much rice — can you actually finish it?"

The rice piled high in their metal plates, heaped up and rounded over, like a little mountain.

A big fellow like Li Mingzhao having a big appetite, Yu Dazhang could still understand.

But Ye Lin, a woman — why order so much rice?

Looking at her figure, she didn't seem like the type who eats a lot.

Ye Lin didn't reply, just looked up and gave him a withering glare.

What happened next left Yu Dazhang completely dumbfounded.

The two of them worked their chopsticks at lightning speed — fast as could be!

Yu Dazhang swallowed:

"Slow down a bit."

Doesn't the Ministry of State Security provide meals?

Do you have to eat like starving ghosts reincarnated?

Watching the food on their plates disappear rapidly, Yu Dazhang picked up his chopsticks too and continued eating.

This was the first time he'd ever met a worthy rival in eating speed.

After he finished the rice left on his tray, Li Mingzhao and Ye Lin across from him also set down their chopsticks.

They didn't say a single word the whole time — really just kept their heads down and ate.

Wiping his mouth, Li Mingzhao remarked:

"Your cafeteria's food is really not bad. The variety isn't much, but the taste is way better than what we get."

"Um…" Yu Dazhang asked hesitantly:

"How many days has it been since you two ate?"

Faced with his teasing, Li Mingzhao didn't get annoyed, and answered unhurriedly:

"Wrap-up work was a bit grueling — yesterday until now, this is the first time we've eaten."

Seeing Yu Dazhang's look of disbelief, Li Mingzhao went on:

"The Special Operations Group has limited personnel. When things get busy, going two or three days without eating is perfectly normal."

"Of course, one meal from us can also hold us for three days."

"Today counts as eating relatively little."

The Ministry of State Security is too intense… Yu Dazhang frowned as he listened.

Why are the numbers limited?

The unspoken implication: the entry conditions for the Ministry of State Security's Special Operations Group are extremely stringent.

It looked like idle chat, but it invisibly elevated the prestige of the operations group.

The feeling is like China's top universities — Tsinghua and Peking.

Precisely because their admission difficulty is extremely high, people feel that being able to step through their gates is something worth being proud of.

Little do they know that today's Tsinghua and Peking graduates still have to rely on real ability to make a living once they're out in society.

When it's time to compete, you still have to compete — there's no special treatment.

"Let's go, let's find somewhere else to talk."

Li Mingzhao said, standing up and placing his tray on the cart at the cafeteria entrance.

The three of them then went to an office.

It was clear they'd coordinated with the branch beforehand — this office had obviously been specially set aside for them by the branch.

Once seated, Li Mingzhao got straight to the point with Yu Dazhang:

"This matter is wrapped up. The Zhou, Lin, and Chen families have all been taken down by us — everyone connected to them has fallen."

"Don't worry, what happened yesterday won't happen again."

(End of chapter)