Chapter 92: Someone from Above Has Named You Specifically

Right now Yu Dazhang could only think about it — actually taking part was impossible.

That was a special case!

From the moment the case was classified, forget the criminal investigation brigade, even the sub-bureau had to step aside.

The standard for a special case is: the circumstances are especially vicious, the consequences especially severe.

More specifically, it involves mass casualties and has an enormous impact on society.

For example, the case of the number-one bandit Bai Baoshan back in the day.

And this case alone has dug up who knows how many skeletons, with a time span of over twenty years.

The number of people sold abroad is a figure beyond imagination.

To what depths can a human being sink?

No one can say for sure.

Because the lower limit keeps being pushed down.

The cruelest, most vicious creature toward its own kind is always human.

Everyone who has learned of this case so far has been stunned.

They say the officers at the scene were all so outraged they wanted to execute those traffickers on the spot.

Without exaggeration, the words "special case" are no longer enough to describe this one.

A more accurate description would be: the special case among special cases.

If they really needed an ordinary criminal cop like Yu Dazhang, the scene would probably look like this…

"Hey, you — you few, form a cordon."

"Pull the police line up higher."

"Come… tidy this up…"

"Can't you see there's so much work? Keep your eyes open and do something."

Which is also why, once the city bureau took over, the First Brigade was immediately pulled back.

Everyone has a bit of pride.

Even though they wouldn't qualify to take part later, they wouldn't be shortchanged on the credit.

Whoever deserves the credit deserves it — no one else can snatch it away.

Yu Dazhang returned to his normal routine of going to work.

These two days at the detachment, he actually felt more at ease than when he was at the Third Brigade.

Li Jun looked after him well, giving him only minor cases of low difficulty to handle.

Probably considering that Yu Dazhang currently wasn't issued a firearm, the cases basically had no danger either.

Compared with the brigade, the criminal cops at the detachment handled more miscellaneous cases.

Unlike the brigade, which dealt with targeted cases — the eight categories, anti-fraud, anti-pickpocketing.

Though they all fell under the detachment, the division of labor was different.

It wasn't just Li Jun — Yu Dazhang found that everyone else at the detachment was also very friendly toward him.

Friendly to what extent?

Someone brought him meals at work.

And it was obvious the food was specially made for him — the ingredients weren't expensive, but the care was unmistakable.

Someone gave him a ride home after work.

And not just one person — nearly everyone at the detachment who had a car fought to drive him home.

His popularity was so good that even Yu Dazhang felt a bit undeserving of the favor.

Since when did he become such a hot commodity?

Later he learned there were two reasons everyone was so good to him.

One: those two detachment officers had been saved by him.

Without Yu Dazhang, the entire detachment would have been out of luck this time.

Two: outstanding ability.

Who wouldn't want to get along with someone like that?

You never know when you might ride his coattails to glory.

In the last case-swapping case, everyone on the task force earned merit — word is two of them will be promoted soon.

This time, with the lost-gun and trafficking case, it's even more unbelievable — the follow-up progress has already exceeded what the detachment officers could imagine.

They noticed Wei Qian was practically floating when he walked now.

Every member of the First Brigade was in high spirits, faces glowing, the smiles on their lips impossible to suppress.

Once this case wrapped up, what awaited them was credit, bonuses, and honors.

Who wouldn't be happy stumbling into something like that?

On the third day of Yu Dazhang's normal work routine.

People from the Ministry of State Security arrived.

Just as he had anticipated — with cross-border crime involving several countries, the MSS was bound to come investigate.

The follow-up would involve coordinating with Interpol.

The smuggling chain in offshore waters, the sea routes — all of that had to be jointly investigated with Interpol.

And finally, the arrest of the criminals abroad.

From this alone one could see the nature of the case — the scope alone was boundless. Who would have thought that a major cross-border case involving multiple countries had its origin in a tiny mountain village of barely a dozen households.

That afternoon, Yu Dazhang was staking out a location with another officer when detachment leader Li Jun called him.

"I sent someone to replace you. Get ready, someone up top wants to see you."

Up top?

Yu Dazhang noticed Captain Li's words were a bit vague.

It's clearly a leader wanting to see me, so just say which leader it is—why make it all so murky?

Means it's someone even higher than the city bureau's leadership, otherwise Captain Li wouldn't have said the word "up top."

A leader from the provincial department's criminal investigation brigade wants to see me?

Impossible.

Even the head of the criminal investigation brigade doesn't outrank Director Liu.

Who is it?!

Carrying his doubts, Yu Dazhang returned to the detachment.

Please... favor... 6... 9... book.... ba....!

Just as he went upstairs, he saw Li Jun pacing back and forth at the end of the corridor, looking anxious and uneasy.

Seeing him return, Li Jun immediately stepped forward:

"Don't be nervous in a bit. Whatever they ask, just answer. Whatever you do, don't speak out of turn."

"Is it really necessary?" Yu Dazhang replied with an indifferent smile:

"You're making it sound like you're about to interrogate me. Who exactly wants to see me?"

"Be serious!" Li Jun barked in a low voice, then lowered his volume and said:

"A leader from the Ministry of State Security. Heard of the Seventh Bureau?"

Yu Dazhang's face went blank; he instinctively shook his head.

Let alone the MSS Seventh Bureau—he hadn't even met a city bureau leader before.

In his previous life, the highest-ranking leader he'd ever dealt with was the head of a district sub-bureau.

"You've at least heard of the Seventeenth Bureau, right?" Li Jun prompted again.

Yu Dazhang's face was still blank:

"No."

"Then you're on your own." Li Jun, no longer wanting to waste words with him, said bluntly:

"Just remember to talk less."

Then he led Yu Dazhang to a door of an office.

He knocked twice, then stepped aside.

A man's voice came from inside:

"Come in."

Li Jun gave Yu Dazhang a wave, then turned and walked away.

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Yu Dazhang first swept a glance around the room.

One man and one woman, both in plainclothes.

The man was just past thirty, with some premature gray in his hair, and an unremarkable appearance.

Yet his expression carried a calm, composed air, as if nothing under heaven could make him furrow a brow.

The woman looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with ear-length short hair and a clear, pretty face.

She stood behind the man like a javelin, radiating a heroic air.

Brought a secretary along? It was Yu Dazhang's first time seeing such a combination.

He felt the two across from him didn't look like police or soldiers, more like a boss out with his secretary to talk business.

"Sit." The man tilted his head slightly, motioning for Yu Dazhang to sit across from him.

Yu Dazhang didn't stand on ceremony; under their gaze, he pulled out the chair and sat down steadily.

"My name is Li Mingzhao," the man said with a smile, introducing himself:

"You can call me Brother Li. If it rolls off the tongue easier, Old Li works too."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured in the direction where the woman stood:

"Her name is Ye Lin."

Yu Dazhang said nothing, just gave a slight nod.

If Li Jun hadn't told him in advance, he would never have guessed that the man and woman before him were from the Ministry of State Security.

First, they were too young.

The man called Li Mingzhao clearly looked like a leader, yet he was only just past thirty.

And the woman was even younger.

Second, their bearing didn't match.

Yu Dazhang had always assumed that in a place like the MSS, the people inside would all be stalwart and imposing figures.

Yet the man before him really had nothing to do with stalwart.

The woman did have a heroic air about her, very much like someone who'd come out of the military.

The man called Li Mingzhao, seeing Yu Dazhang sizing him up, smiled even more broadly.

He took a document from the desk, opened it, and said to Yu Dazhang:

"Want to hear the investigation report on you?"

(End of chapter)