Chapter 27: Urgent Mission

In the conference room, officers gradually filled the space. Despite the gravity of the situation and the lack of sleep, they greeted each other with smiles and offered cigarettes.

Lin Dongxue sat in a corner, sending the DNA test results to Chen Shi via WeChat. With no reply, she grumbled, “Where the hell is he?”

Suddenly, the noisy room fell silent. Lin Dongxue immediately straightened up as Lin Qiupu entered. He looked around sternly and said, “Is everyone here? Let’s begin.”

Lin Qiupu summarized the current clues. Technical analysis revealed that the fingerprints, DNA, saliva enzymes, and shoe prints found at the scene belonged only to the victim and their family. “The killer is very cunning, leaving no trace. This confirms they are nervous and within the victim’s social circle,” Lin Qiupu said.

Xu Xiaodong raised his hand, “The killer must have used super glue to cover their fingerprints. We should test for that.”

Lin Dongxue thought, still hung up on this theory?

An experienced officer immediately countered, “Checking for super glue is pointless. It can’t be used as court evidence and is a waste of time.”

“Good point,” Xu Xiaodong muttered, sitting back down.

Lin Qiupu had someone turn on the projector. He had efficiently investigated the victim’s and their spouse’s social circles, listing three suspects with motives. The top suspect was a known loan shark, nicknamed Big Tiger, with a criminal record.

“Big Tiger is notorious with a long rap sheet. He’s currently missing, making him a prime suspect,” Lin Qiupu said but paused as a hand was raised.

Lin Dongxue, who rarely spoke at meetings, was raising her hand.

Lin Qiupu couldn’t ignore her, “Lin Dongxue, what is it?”

“I don’t understand. Loan sharks aim to collect money. If they can’t get it back, they usually resort to kidnapping or selling the debtor, not murder.”

“There must be more to it. Only finding Big Tiger can reveal the truth.”

“And another thing, why would a loan shark spare a child?”

“I said, only Big Tiger can explain this.”

“I have one more thing…”

“Enough!” Lin Qiupu interrupted harshly.

Lin Dongxue sat back, feeling Lin Qiupu was likely leading them in the wrong direction again. He assigned tasks, giving her and Xu Xiaodong trivial outside work.

After a morning of exhausting fieldwork, they returned to the office, worn out. Xu Xiaodong offered a box of cookies, “Dongxue, try these. My relative brought them from abroad.”

Lin Dongxue glanced at them, “No, sweets make you gain weight.”

“You’re not fat. Just try one!”

Under Xu Xiaodong’s persistence, Lin Dongxue reluctantly took a cookie. Xu Xiaodong grinned, “How is it?”

“Not good.”

“You’re just being modest,” Xu Xiaodong said, eating one himself.

Lin Dongxue checked her phone for WeChat and texts. Still no reply from Chen Shi. She muttered, where the hell is this guy? Why disappear now? Has he run out of ideas too?

She noticed Xu Xiaodong peeking at her screen and snapped, “What are you looking at? Stay away!”

“Hey, you’re really worried about him, huh?”

“You’re crazy! I’m concerned about the case, not him!”

“He has nothing to do with the case. Isn’t Lin Qiupu making good progress? This guy just got lucky solving one case. You really think some outsider is a genius? No way!”

Lin Dongxue had heard this enough to grow tired. Ignoring him, she started playing a game.

Seeing no one else in the office, Xu Xiaodong took out two concert tickets and coughed. Lin Dongxue kept her eyes on her phone. He coughed again, “Dongxue?”

“What?”

“I have…”

Lin Qiupu’s voice suddenly echoed from the hallway, “Everyone assemble! Those here, gather up! If you don’t have your gun, go to the armory now!”

Lin Dongxue immediately put down her phone and ran out. Frustrated, Xu Xiaodong stashed the tickets and followed.

Dozens of on-duty officers quickly gathered. Lin Qiupu took a deep breath and announced, “We have a major situation. The traffic police just intercepted a car full of cash. The four people inside are likely connected to Big Tiger. The car has been stopped, but the suspects are armed and in a standoff with local officers and traffic police.”

Everyone gasped. A street shootout was something most had only seen on TV, making them both anxious and excited.

As everyone left, Lin Qiupu stopped Lin Dongxue, “You’re not going!”

“Why not? Because I’m a woman or because I’m your sister?” Lin Dongxue angrily shook off his hand and ran out.

Lin Qiupu yelled after her, “Your shooting skills are terrible! What’s the point of you going?”

Hearing this, many officers laughed. Lin Dongxue held back tears of frustration, not wanting to lose face. She jumped into a SWAT vehicle.

This mission involved both criminal and SWAT teams due to its connection to a criminal case. In the vehicle, the SWAT officers joked and seemed relaxed, while the criminal officers were tense and serious. They all wore bulletproof vests; the SWAT officers looked even more imposing, while the criminal officers appeared awkward, like swimmers in life jackets.

Xu Xiaodong asked, “Can these vests really stop bullets?”

“Sure can!” A SWAT officer patted his vest, “But the impact can break a few ribs.”

“What… what does it feel like?”

“Ever been punched? It’s like getting hit with a fist.”

Another SWAT officer added, “But if the bullet hits your legs or head, it’s not stopping it. And if it hits a major artery in your leg, you could still die.”

Xu Xiaodong swallowed hard, “I need to use the bathroom!”

The SWAT officers laughed. Lin Dongxue sighed, feeling embarrassed to be with him.

The car suddenly stopped, snapping Xu Xiaodong to attention, “Are we there?”

The door opened, and the SWAT officers filed out, patting Xu Xiaodong on the shoulder, “Come on, it’s not a war zone. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Xu Xiaodong grimaced, “I really need to use the bathroom first!”