Gift

The woman had come more than once. She had tried to rush in several times but was stopped by the guards. Later, she disguised herself thoroughly and found an opportunity to storm into the Patrol Inspection Office.

But she couldn't get close to Zhou Tong at all, with more than ten meters between them.

At this moment, Zhou Tong frowned. Seeing the woman's tearful plea, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "We are investigating your daughter's case, but we have no leads yet."

"Captain Zhou, please help me find Lulu. She's my only daughter. She's been missing for a month with no news. I have no one else to turn to but you."

"Don't worry, I understand how you feel. It's just that there are no leads in your daughter's disappearance, so there's nothing anyone can do. We've already sent people to investigate, and we'll notify you as soon as we have any news," Zhou Tong said.

"Captain Zhou, do you think my daughter was kidnapped? Every night I dream of my daughter in a dark room, covered in blood, crying for her mother, saying she's in so much pain. My daughter is only sixteen! Please, I beg you, you must help me find her. I'll kneel for you."

The woman knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing, and couldn't be stopped.

Sigh... Zhou Tong turned away, unwilling to be treated like this. But there were some things he couldn't help. Yijiang City seemed peaceful, but many things happened secretly every day. How could they manage everything? Moreover, after a month of disappearance, the person was likely gone.

Zhou Tong turned and left. The woman was still kowtowing on the ground. Seeing Zhou Tong leave, she wiped away her tears, adjusted her Fisherman's Hat, stood up, and walked out. She rode away on a white electric scooter.

Chen Xia followed Zhou Tong's footsteps and asked, "Who was that just now?"

"Heh," Zhou Tong chuckled. "That was a student's parent. Her daughter is in her first year of high school. She went out on a Saturday night and never came back. She's been missing for a month. I've already filed a case, but we haven't found any leads yet."

Chen Xia pondered for a moment and said, "There seem to have been several disappearances in Yijiang City recently. I wonder if it's the same group of people, or... a cult?"

"It could be one person, a group, or multiple parties. It's unclear. However, these people are very cautious. They deliberately avoid the Patrol Inspection Office when they commit crimes. What, are you interested in this case?"

"I was just asking casually..."

"That's good. Actually, there are many cases like this. Unless there's clear evidence or pressure from higher-ups, cases without leads are difficult to resolve."

Zhou Tong explained a lot to Chen Xia. He roughly understood that many cases were solved if there were leads, but if there was no evidence and no clues, they would usually just become files in the archive.

If there were powerful groups behind a case, it would be almost impossible to handle it properly without an order from above to deploy a large number of patrol officers. Many people who investigated group crimes often lost their lives.

Chen Xia felt a sense of emotion and didn't say anything more.

After eating in the cafeteria, he spent the afternoon in the training room at the Patrol Inspection Office practicing the Seven Injuries Fist to digest the effects of the pills.

During the training, Chen Xia's body felt hot as the effects of the Qianyang Pill kicked in. Although it wasn't a high-level pill, it was suitable for long-term consumption, promoting blood circulation and strengthening the physique.

Moreover, after anything was reversed by the Panel, there were no side effects. As for the problem of over-nutrition, that depended on one's Physique.

Chen Xia was currently at Grade 1, Stage 4 cultivation, so taking these pills was fine. Even if he developed a resistance from taking too many, it would be at least half a year later.

In the following days, Chen Xia worked normally. He patrolled during the day, trained at noon, and helped his Mom with housework and packing express deliveries at home in the evening, continuing to train until he went to sleep at eleven o'clock.

However, as the news of Chen Xia's promotion to captain spread, merchants and restaurant owners in the small area he was responsible for, people doing business, came to him one after another, bringing gifts and inviting him for drinks.

They treated Chen Xia with great respect, speaking courteously and with awe.

Chen Xia accepted all these gifts without exception.

These businessmen did this hoping that if any mercenary groups caused trouble in the future, they could find Chen Xia. Chen Xia's intervention would be a normal procedure and would not violate any Laws.

These gifts could serve as small tokens of appreciation. By accepting them, the other party felt at ease, and Chen Xia could increase his income.

Secondly, as a captain, Chen Xia also needed some informants. These businessmen could provide him with clues, and if anything happened in his jurisdiction in the future, he would be the first to know.

Therefore, such exchanges were unavoidable.

Of course, regarding matters of principle, if someone asked him to harbor criminals, harm others, or cause trouble, it was out of the question. He didn't have the ability to do so, and businessmen generally didn't need to do such things.

He had heard before that for people in certain positions, their salary was just basic. Now, Chen Xia truly experienced the tangible benefits of improving his strength.

He calculated that he was only responsible for a small area, and the various gifts he received were worth over two hundred thousand.

As dusk fell, Chen Xia had just returned from a Dinner Party, feeling quite pleased.

However, as he walked through the rows of small houses and reached the entrance of his family's Small Shop, he noticed a few familiar faces inside their Small Supermarket.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his Second Aunt, his Second Aunt's Husband, and his Cousin Zhu He.

This reminded Chen Xia that the Chief Captain had called him yesterday to tell him that the previous matter had been resolved. Additionally, the Chief Captain had mentioned a Captain Sun from West City.

After a slight hesitation, Chen Xia walked in. As soon as he entered the shop, he saw them chatting with his Mom. When Chen Xia entered, his Second Aunt's family immediately came over enthusiastically.

"Second Aunt, Aunt's Husband!" Chen Xia greeted them.

"Ah, Chen Xia is back," his Second Aunt said, her eyes slightly teary. She seemed to have been overcome with emotion while chatting with his Mom just now.

Seeing Chen Xia standing there in his Dark Black uniform, looking more imposing than before with his bright, piercing gaze, his Second Aunt's Husband, standing beside him, was momentarily stunned. He then immediately nudged his Cousin Zhu He.

"What are you spacing out for? This is your cousin..." After being nudged a few times, the somewhat flustered and stout Cousin Zhu He finally reacted and smiled at Chen Xia, calling out, "Brother."