Chapter 44: The Special Task Force Members Are All Reliable

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

Since neither the brigade nor the local police station had sent anyone to Zhang Yan's home, it was ruled out that 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 police flower… that alone confirmed he was not impersonating a police officer.

If he were impersonating, the fake uniform would have come with a shoulder insignia indistinguishable from the real one.

Finally, checking the badge number would directly confirm his true identity.

Yu Dazhang was a police academy graduate; he knew the differences between police uniforms too well.

Active police officers' uniforms bore badge numbers consisting solely of digits.

Police academy students' uniforms added Chinese characters or letters before the digits.

For example, "S" stood for Justice.

And "X" stood for Criminal Investigation.

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

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

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 insufficient.

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

In such a situation, your subconscious assumes 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 on a person; Yu Dazhang was no exception.

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

He understood the law and had studied forensic science.

He possessed considerable anti-investigation skills and exceptional psychological resilience.

Plus, he was the same age as Zhang Yan.

When all these conditions converged on one person, Yu Dazhang immediately issued the order to move in.

Both arrest operations went smoothly, with no resistance or attempt to flee.

The next step was interrogation, still handled by Lu Zhongxin.

At this moment, Yu Dazhang stood at the entrance of the brigade 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 men, weary and dressed in police uniforms, stepped out.

They were the special task force members Yu Dazhang had sent days earlier to investigate Kong Lingjie's ex-wife.

"Why are you here?" one of the team members asked.

"Waiting for you," Yu Dazhang replied with a smile, his face relaxed and cheerful.

"You're too kind," the other team member hurriedly gestured for Yu Dazhang to get in the car:

"Let's talk inside, let's talk inside."

Inside the car, Yu Dazhang tapped the shoulder of the team member in the driver's seat, signaling him not to drive yet:

"Wait—I want to check the materials you brought back first."

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" instead of "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 complete the closed loop.

"Here," the team member in the passenger seat turned and handed him a file folder:

"There's also a CD inside—you can read it with the laptop on the back seat."

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

Then he inserted the CD into the laptop.

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

The video began playing; Yu Dazhang's expression turned serious, his gaze locked on the scene on screen.

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

"That's all?"

The two froze, caught off guard.

What more did he want?

Such a big mouth—lazy people are idle to death, busy people are worked to death.

For days we've been running around chasing leads, barely had time to sleep.

Found the person, immediately gathered data, organized the information, and then you had us rushing back without a moment's rest.

What was that saying again~

Even if there's no merit, there's still hard work.

Please... you.... Collect 6... 9... Book....!

You didn't even say a few words of comfort, and from your tone, you seem to think the data we brought back is too little.

What should I do if I want to punch someone...

Seeing the two of them silent, looking at him with expressions of toothache, Yu Dazhang narrowed his eyes:

"When we spoke on the phone earlier, did you forget the task I gave you?!"

"Oh, oh, you mean that? Done, done, right here." The team member in the passenger seat said, while pulling a small bottle, as thick as a thumb, from his pocket.

"I was afraid it might get crushed accidentally in the document bag, so I kept it on my person."

He handed the bottle to Yu Dazhang as if seeking credit, and then didn't forget to add:

"I thought you were dissatisfied that the data we brought back was incomplete."

Everyone in the task force is reliable... Yu Dazhang took the small bottle, looked at it in his hand, and then put it into the document bag.

"Well done." He praised sincerely:

"As expected of an old detective; your work is indeed meticulous."

From the moment he joined the task force, Yu Dazhang had sensed there were those merely filling a seat without real ability.

But after days of interaction and cooperation, he slowly changed his mind.

Or rather, that initial thought shouldn't have existed in the first place.

These frontline detectives, staying up late for stakeouts, traveling on business trips, irregular meals are even the norm.

They even have to be ready at all times to draw their guns and fight for their lives.

But not a single one of them complained even half a word, at least Yu Dazhang never heard any.

In his past life, he was exactly that kind of person; this time, he was mocking others for merely filling a seat.

What's wrong with gilding the lily~

Who doesn't hope their resume has something dazzling.

People with absolutely no selfish thoughts are in the temples.

Hearing Yu Dazhang's praise, the two actually felt a sense of being unexpectedly honored.

Why does it feel so comfortable~

He didn't say much, but it just sounded good.

It seemed all the fatigue accumulated along the way was like being gently brushed by a clear breeze, instantly diluted by this young man's simple sentence of praise.

"Go inside."

Yu Dazhang held the document bag tightly in his hand with great care, his tone revealing a hint of concern:

"Go to the detachment, wash your face properly, eat a hot meal and rest for a while; you've really worked hard these days."

He actually knows how to care for people... A smile unconsciously appeared on the two of their faces.

When driving the car into the compound, the team member in the passenger seat asked seemingly casually:

"Where has the case progressed to now?"

According to their past experience, such complex cases are ground out bit by bit.

This process requires consuming a huge amount of energy and resources.

Kong Lingjie is the only breakthrough; if he stubbornly holds out to the end, then in the near future, the case will be very difficult to make any substantial progress.

"All main suspects have been brought in." Yu Dazhang looked out the window and answered subconsciously.

"Screech—" A piercing braking sound rang out.

The two in front turned their heads simultaneously.

"What did you just say?!!"

(End of this chapter)