Chapter 327: At least leave us some soup, okay?

Pfft......

A young police officer simply couldn't hold back and laughed out loud right there.

The squad leader gave him a stare, and the man quickly switched to a serious expression.

He pretended to stroke his chin, leaned in to examine the fatal wound on the corpse, and even feigned a discussion with his colleagues.

But......

The coroner spoke again, as if giving the squad leader a glimpse of a turning point.

Coroner: 'However, blowing up the stone house was indeed reckless and caused great inconvenience to our work.'

Those stones were heavy and dense, and the bandit's body was blown into scattered pieces, wasting a lot of our time.

I hope next time you'll think carefully before acting, not be reckless just to vent anger—there's absolutely no need for that.

The surrounding officers sheepishly rubbed their noses; fortunately they'd had professional training, otherwise they'd have all burst out laughing.

Wanna go out for a smoke?

Yeah, nicotine craving hit—let's go to the bathroom to smoke.

Come on, let's go.

Several officers left one after another, and the coroner continued with his work, making detailed notes of the corpse's condition and cause of death.

The squad leader stared at Kui Ge's mangled corpse for a long time, his mind filled with images of that kid Lu Yang bravely fighting the enemy.

If that soldier had been from their armed police, even from another squad or detachment, it would have been fine.

But that kid turned out to be an army soldier, and he alone snatched all the credit.

This left him feeling depressed after all his busy work came to nothing.

Because before coming, a young soldier had eagerly asked him if they'd be issued new shoes.

Seeing that soldier's combat boots wrapped in tape, he had given an affirmative reply then: new uniforms would be issued, and new shoes too.

But now the situation has turned into not just a lack of reward; he might even be reprimanded by superiors for poor command, which he finds hard to accept.

In the end, the squad leader still thick-skinnedly approached the coroner and asked in a negotiating tone.

'Comrade, could you slightly adjust the cause of death for this corpse? Push the time of death back a bit?'

'Sorry, these need to go on record—I can't falsify them.' The coroner firmly refused: 'These guys are linked to several robbery‑murder cases in Goat City; they'll send people over from there later.'

'I must ensure that all the paperwork is accurate, correct, and error‑free—I hope you can understand.'

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the other side, the squad leader could only wear a resentful expression and stalk off.

After all, they're from different systems, and it's only natural for them to stick to the facts.

But he just didn't know how to explain things to his squad, or how to report to his superiors.

Just as he was going downstairs, his pocket phone suddenly rang—it was the detachment commander calling.

'Hello, Chief?'

'Nice work, kid—you really pulled it off this time, well done!'

Hearing that praise, his scalp went numb.

After wavering repeatedly, he finally chose to tell the truth.

'Chief, actually the credit for this operation mainly goes to the army brothers—they contributed the most.'

'Their contribution is big, but yours isn't small either. That last guy was taken down by you and your men, right? I heard he's wanted for several major cases.'

'The corps chief already knows about this and specially praised you over the phone.'

The squad leader's face fell slack, his tongue almost tying itself in knots: 'Commander, you already know about this?'

'Of course—when something blows up this big, how could you not know?'

'All right, I know you're modest, but when it's time to show off, you should show off a bit. This time we rescued abducted women, gunned down armed bandits, and recovered all the guns and ammo—it's definitely a major merit.'

'Chief, hear me out—this thing actually......'

The squad leader's head was buzzing; he wanted to say a few more things, but the other end gave him no chance.

'All right, let's drop it for now. Finish what you're doing, then come to my office for a face‑to‑face report. I've got a meeting to attend, so I'm hanging up.'

After the call ended, the squad leader covered his face with his hand, his whole expression one of wanting to cry but unable to.

The chief's side had already popped the champagne, while his own side had let him down.

What was once a sure‑thing merit has now been reduced to menial odd jobs on the periphery.

He just couldn't fathom how an ordinary grassroots unit officer could become so awesome.

Even taking out the first two would have been enough, but even Kui Lang, a veteran with rich combat experience, was left half‑dead—how could he be so capable?

Most importantly, that brat ate all the meat by himself; I thought there'd be some broth left, but not even a drop remained!

Meanwhile, the police were conducting a surprise interrogation of the detained suspects and had made major progress.

'How's it going? Did they talk?'

'They spilled everything!'

'According to the suspects' confession, they went to the People's Armed Forces Department to steal guns, planning to head south to make a fortune. The man called Kui Ge had once served as a reconnaissance scout in Yue Nan, had been on the battlefield and killed people—he's an absolute hardcase—and this time he came specially to meet up with them.'

'Why would they run all that way just to recruit someone?'

'Six months ago, in a certain bank robbery in Goat City, one of their accomplices was killed; supposedly the gang was short on manpower and weapons, so that former arms keeper fit the bill and they brought him in.'

'So is Kui Ge the boss?'

'At most he's a deputy chief; the real boss is someone else, and we've roughly pinned down the suspect. We've already urgently contacted the Goat City police, who are preparing to make the arrest.'

'By the way, the higher ups want us to go to the hospital to check how that young guy's surgery went and whether he's out of danger.'

'That young man really is capable—if he hadn't passed along that information, we probably wouldn't have caught that gang at all.'

"His skills aren't bad, his mind is sharp too—otherwise how could he take down three men bare‑handed? You said, if this kid were in our criminal police unit, that'd be perfect; we're missing someone like him. Could we transfer him from another unit?"

"Stop dreaming—with his abilities, he'd be an absolute treasure even in the army."

Outside the hospital operating room, He Zhen Tao, Ma Qing'an, and Zhou Kaidong were anxiously waiting.

Chief of Staff Xiong Yao also hurried over with Regiment Commander Wang Zhongxi to inquire about the situation.

"What did the doctor say? Is the surgery going well?"

"It's already been seven hours, and it's still not over."

"That long?"

"Chief, you haven't seen how Lu Yang looked earlier—covered in blood, with glass shards stuck in his back. Even the emergency doctors said they don't know how he's still alive."

Xiong Yao and Wang Zhongxi's faces immediately darkened, and they couldn't help but feel more worried.

Xiong Yao said: "You wait here; I know the deputy hospital director, I'll go find him and ask about the situation."

Wang Zhongxi stayed to calm everyone: "Don't all wear long faces—you said Lu Yang could still stand and talk to you earlier, which shows he's definitely not in mortal danger."

"A long surgery shows the doctor is responsible and thorough; there definitely won't be any problems."

Although the regiment commander tried his best to reassure everyone, each person still harbored their own worries.

Ma Qing'an worried that Lu Yang's injuries were too severe, and even if he healed he'd likely be left with aftereffects.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever get a chance to set a new three‑kilometer record or show his prowess at the Military Games.

Zhou Kaidong, meanwhile, feared he'd end up like Old Fang—so badly injured that he'd be forced to leave the army and never wear the uniform again.

He Zhen Tao was torn over whether to inform Lu Yang's family.

By protocol, such a major surgery should be reported, but he feared the parents couldn't bear it.

After all, Lu Yang had only just returned from family leave, and suddenly suffered such grave injuries—his parents would surely be devastated if they found out.

Just then, the operating‑room light turned green, and the two lead surgeons walked out, drenched in sweat and looking exhausted.

"Doctor, doctor, how is he?"

"The patient is not in mortal danger."

Hearing that the surgery went well, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"But..."

One of the doctors took off his mask and said, "But there are still some tiny fragments in his body that we can't remove for now; later, after he recovers, he might need another surgery."

"What effect will those fragments have on him?"

"Hard to say—it depends on the individual; some people are affected, some aren't. But generally, having foreign material in the body is never a good thing."

"Given his condition, how long until he recovers and can return to duty?"

"Even with broken bones and torn tendons, a hundred days is the norm, but in his case he'll need at least two or three months of recovery; still, there's no need to worry too much—this young man's physique is excellent, the surgery went smoothly, and he shouldn't suffer any serious complications."

"That's good, that's good—thank you, doctor!"

Upon learning that Lu Yang was all right, everyone's worried hearts finally eased completely.

Soon, Lu Yang, with an oxygen tube inserted and an IV bag hanging, was wheeled out of the operating room on a gurney by a few nurses.

Under the gaze of many eager, concerned eyes, Lu Yang's sleeping body quietly underwent a change, poised for another rebirth through breaking and rebuilding.