Chapter 44: The Case Team Members Are All Reliable

After learning the man was wearing a police uniform, Yu Dazhang had been using elimination to deduce his identity.

Since neither the branch nor the local police station had sent anyone to Zhang Yan’s home, it ruled out the possibility he was an active officer.

His identity then became easy to guess.

Two possibilities:

1, He was impersonating a police officer.

2, He was a police academy student.

Determining which one was simple—just check the shoulder insignia and badge number.

The shoulder insignia had no four-pointed flower emblem… that alone confirmed he wasn’t impersonating.

If he were impersonating, his fake uniform would have had a convincing shoulder insignia.

Then check the badge number—it would directly reveal his true identity.

Yu Dazhang was a police academy graduate; he knew the differences between uniforms better than anyone.

Active officers’ uniforms bore badge numbers consisting solely of digits.

Police academy students’ numbers had Chinese characters or letters prefixed.

For example, “S” stood for Judicial.

“X” meant Criminal Investigation.

The moment Yu Dazhang guessed the man’s identity, he was both shocked and delighted.

Shocked because the man was just like him—a police academy graduate.

He had previously suspected the man studied medicine or law.

He had never once considered he might be a fellow officer.

It wasn’t that his imagination was lacking.

Imagine you’re hunting a murderer, and everyone working beside you is a police colleague.

Subconsciously, you’d assume anyone in a police uniform is an ally—you’d never suspect the murderer could be one of them.

That’s the influence of environment; Yu Dazhang was no exception.

And delighted because the police academy student’s identity matched the killer’s profile perfectly.

He understood the law and had studied forensic science.

He possessed strong counter-investigative skills and exceptional psychological resilience.

Plus, he was roughly the same age as Zhang Yan.

When all these traits converged in one person, Yu Dazhang immediately gave the order to move in.

Both arrest teams acted smoothly, with no resistance or attempt to flee.

The interrogation phase followed, still handled by Lu Zhongxin.

At this moment, Yu Dazhang stood at the entrance of the branch compound, watching vehicles pass on the road, lost in thought.

His face showed no expression, yet seemed to hold countless thoughts…

Five minutes later, an SUV pulled up to the compound gate.

The door opened, and two dusty men in police uniforms stepped out.

They were the case team members Yu Dazhang had sent days earlier to investigate Kong Lingjie’s ex-wife.

“Why are you here?” one of them asked.

“Waiting for you,” Yu Dazhang replied with a relaxed, cheerful smile.

“Too kind,” the other team member hurriedly gestured for him to get in:

“Let’s talk inside, let’s talk inside.”

Inside the car, Yu Dazhang tapped the shoulder of the driver and signaled him not to start yet:

“Wait—I need to check the materials you brought back.”

This would determine his next course of action.

Do you think catching the suspect means the job’s done?

Not even close~

Why do we call them “suspects,” not “criminals”?

Before a court verdict, no one can be presumed guilty.

Only after entering trial do they become “defendants”; only after sentencing do they become “criminals.”

What Yu Dazhang must do now is gather as much evidence as possible to close the loop.

“Here,” the passenger handed him a file folder:

“There’s also a CD inside—use the laptop in the back seat to read it.”

Yu Dazhang took it, first pulling out the paper documents and reading them carefully, every line absorbed, as if trying to memorize every word.

Then he inserted the CD into the laptop.

When the playback window appeared, he slid his finger across the touchpad, positioning it over the play button.

The video played. Yu Dazhang’s expression turned serious, his eyes locked on the screen.

Five minutes later, he closed the laptop and looked at the two team members.

“That’s all?”

The two froze.

What else did he want?

Such a big mouth—lazy people get lazy, busy people get worn out.

For days we’ve been running nonstop, barely sleeping, just chasing leads.

Found the person, immediately gathered materials, organized data, then you ordered us back here without pause.

What’s that saying again~

Even if you didn’t earn credit, you earned sweat.

Please... you... collect 6...9...books....!

You don’t even say a word of thanks, and now you sound like we brought back too little.

What if I just hit you…

Seeing them silent, grimacing at him like they had toothaches, Yu Dazhang glared:

“When we talked earlier, didn’t I tell you to do something? Did you forget?!”

“Oh right—that! We did it, right here,” the passenger said, pulling a small bottle, as thick as a thumb, from his pocket.

“I was afraid it’d get crushed in the folder, so I kept it on me.”

He offered the bottle with a proud grin, then added:

“I thought you were complaining we didn’t bring enough materials.”

Every member of the case team was reliable… Yu Dazhang took the bottle, examined it, then placed it inside the folder.

“Well done,” he sincerely praised:

“No wonder you’re veteran cops—your work is meticulous.”

From the moment he joined the case team, Yu Dazhang had sensed there were imposters among them.

But after days of working together, he slowly changed his mind.

Or rather, that initial thought shouldn’t have existed at all.

These frontline detectives endure sleepless nights, constant travel, irregular meals—it’s routine.

They must always be ready to draw their guns, risk their lives.

Yet none of them ever complained—not that Yu Dazhang had ever heard.

In his past life, he was one of them; now he was mocking others as imposters.

So what if it’s just for the resume?

Who doesn’t want their record to shine?

Anyone with zero selfish motives is already in a temple.

Hearing Yu Dazhang’s praise, the two felt unexpectedly honored.

Why does this feel so good~

He didn’t even say much, but it sounded so nice.

All the fatigue from their journey seemed swept away by a gentle breeze, instantly lightened by this kid’s simple compliment.

“Let’s go in.”

Yu Dazhang held the folder tightly, his tone carrying quiet concern:

“Go to the branch, wash your faces, eat something hot, rest a bit—you’ve all worked too hard these days.”

He actually cared about people… their faces unconsciously softened into smiles.

As the car drove into the compound, the passenger asked casually:

“Where’s the case now?”

From past experience, complex cases were ground out slowly.

They consumed enormous energy and resources.

Kong Lingjie was the only breakthrough—if he held out, the case would stall for a long time.

“All primary suspects are in custody,” Yu Dazhang replied, gazing out the window.

“Screech—” A harsh braking sound rang out.

The two people ahead turned their heads simultaneously.

“What did you just say?!!”

(End of chapter)