[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi":3,"chapter-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-9":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn in 2014: I Am the King of Criminal Investigation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315865,4529,"Chapter 9: Peeling Away the Layers","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-9",9,"\u003Cp>At the hospital entrance, Lu Zhongxin slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the roadside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The First Squad will definitely prioritize treating the injured suspect—it’s a gunshot wound, and without police present, the doctors won’t dare take him on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you—you—you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang had never done a single thing to haunt his conscience in two lifetimes—suddenly doing one now left him mentally paralyzed with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here. If you don’t know what to say later, just wait outside the ward—I’ll go in and talk to her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lu Zhongxin open the car door to get out, Yu Dazhang grabbed his arm to stop him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, don’t go yet—think again, let me think some more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s left to think about? This is the only way,” Lu Zhongxin glared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re out of time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why does this feel so unnatural… Yu Dazhang suddenly felt he didn’t recognize his own master anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where were his principles? His bottom line?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yu Dazhang’s memory, Lu Zhongxin had always been strict, rigid, and rule-bound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his funeral photo from his past life showed a face devoid of smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had he become so lacking in principles this time around?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that meeting me in this life lowered his standards… Yu Dazhang couldn’t find any other explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, maybe we should just drop it,” Yu Dazhang gripped Lu Zhongxin’s arm tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s wrong, and even if I can never become a cop again, I accept it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang simply couldn’t cross that psychological threshold—if they did this, he’d be haunted by nightmares every night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Decided?” Lu Zhongxin looked at his disciple, his face expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang nodded firmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, let’s do it this way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, now I’ll explain the consequences of this action,” Lu Zhongxin paused, his tone turning grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your response under those circumstances was correct. Mistaking the suspect was my fault—I didn’t brief you on the case details. If anyone is held accountable, I’ll take full responsibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>????\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then all those things you said earlier…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was testing you,” Lu Zhongxin allowed himself a rare smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ability matters, but a detective must have a moral compass. If that compass tilts, the stronger the ability, the greater the danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was true—Lu Zhongxin had never fully trusted this disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the new recruits joined, he investigated three of them, including Yu Dazhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, none of the three had major issues or had done anything out of line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yu Dazhang’s reputation was particularly poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had even spoken to this new disciple alone about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you keep picking on Xiao Zhao? He never provoked you during your internship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s sneaky. You’ll see—he’s the worst kind of guy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard that during your internship in the Public Order Squad, you actively asked for the contact info of a prostitute. Is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to test my own weakness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could possibly feel at ease hearing that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without testing this disciple, he couldn’t dare assign him real work!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang ultimately didn’t get out of the car; he returned to the squad with Lu Zhongxin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to meet that woman either—her fierce temperament meant meeting her would be like facing death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escape, disarm, seize the gun, return fire…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That entire sequence—even seasoned detectives in the squad might not pull it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She not only did it, she succeeded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How terrifying, how terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they returned to the squad, Yu Dazhang made a request:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I want to see the case file on that kidnapping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Case files weren’t freely accessible—they were confidential, especially for someone like Yu Dazhang, a rookie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaking details of an ongoing case could cause unnecessary losses or casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Lu Zhongxin, accessing a file wasn’t difficult—trust was built gradually over time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll ask the First Squad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin didn’t think much of it—he assumed Yu Dazhang wanted to study the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kid had just suffered for not reviewing the file; no wonder he was frustrated. He guessed right—Yu Dazhang felt suffocated. If he didn’t see this file, he wouldn’t sleep a wink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Lu Zhongxin returned, holding a file folder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry and read—it’s not finished yet. The First Squad still needs it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they’d caught the suspect, Yu Dazhang knew the case wasn’t closed yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after interrogating the four kidnappers and confirming no accomplices remained could they proceed to close the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the file, Yu Dazhang began a careful review…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Tuotuo, 22, only daughter and sole heir of Qu Wannian, chairman of Yisheng Group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Studied abroad for three years, returned to China on May 3, 2014, and was picked up at the airport—never seen again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On May 4, the Qu family received a ransom call and reported it to police…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Tuotuo? Yu Dazhang’s gaze fixed on those three characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please… please… collect 6…9…books…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That name—her father must’ve given it to her at a KTV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Picking up the photo clipped to the file, Yu Dazhang frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she so beautiful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the photo, Qu Tuotuo smiled brightly, her eyes clear—obviously a girl raised doted upon, spoiled, cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially her mouth—elegant, exquisite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Promise me you’ll only use it to eat,” Yu Dazhang murmured involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d just seen her in person—dusty, disheveled. He couldn’t reconcile that woman with the radiant girl in the photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the kidnappers abused her during captivity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, Yu Dazhang immediately dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That woman—if she’d been touched, those four kidnappers would already be dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they’d just tried to take a little advantage, she’d have shot them between the legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the file recorded evidence and investigative steps gathered by the First Squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them was mention of phone tracking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yu Dazhang had suspected, when the kidnappers contacted Qu Wannian for the third time, the First Squad pinpointed their location using technical means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end, Yu Dazhang had a preliminary grasp of the kidnapping case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The case was uncomplicated, the investigation straightforward and effective—no obvious gaps so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang flipped back to the first page of the file.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now came the analysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listed every clue, traced them from beginning to end, searching for inconsistencies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of Yu Dazhang’s habits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He read every case file at least three times, conducting a thorough dissection of the entire case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returned to China on May 3, 2014, picked up at the airport and never seen again…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this entry again, Yu Dazhang suddenly lifted his head, his gaze sharpening, deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the 5th—so Qu Tuotuo had been kidnapped for only two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, she’d just returned to China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To know her exact flight details so precisely, and to successfully abduct her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone she knew!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone intimately close to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To obtain such critical information, this person must have had contact with Qu Tuotuo’s parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the entire Qu family clearly trusted this person completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this person one of the four kidnappers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master!” Yu Dazhang shot to his feet, speaking urgently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quick—contact the First Squad. Ask Qu Tuotuo if she knew those four kidnappers. She’s definitely awake now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1190,"2026-06-20T14:22:46.062Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","33aa944dd09cccaa578d3078848983982bb80e22b88fae545671cd9f32d6390f","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-10","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-8",763,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-cover.jpg"]