Major Crimes Unit Routine

Yang Wenqing naturally followed his superior's arrangements and left the office. Outside the forensic lab, he found Ding Lang waiting for him.

"How did it go?" Ding Lang asked as Yang Wenqing approached.

"Director Gao wants to check some files first," Yang Wenqing replied, only half truthfully.

"Fine. Then this is as far as we forensics can take this case." Ding Lang nodded, then turned and returned to the forensic lab.

Yang Wenqing returned to the Third Squad office. The moment he entered, Liu Rong came up to him. "Captain, this is the red envelope they gave us when we handled the case yesterday."

"How much is in it?"

"I didn't look."

Liu Rong had already adjusted his mindset. At first, he had struggled to accept Yang Wenqing becoming his superior, but now he had accepted it.

Yang Wenqing picked up the red envelope and opened it. There was exactly one thousand yuan inside, a standard amount for a red envelope. Any more than that, and the Internal Affairs Inspection Division might take notice.

"Put it into the petty fund as usual." Yang Wenqing handed the money to Liu Qin, then seemed to remember something and asked, "How much is in our fund now?"

As Liu Qin took the money, she answered, "Eight thousand seven hundred yuan."

Yang Wenqing nodded. Thinking that he would soon be leaving the Third Squad, he said, "At the end of the month, take out five thousand and distribute it to everyone as bonuses." Then he added, "Remember to leave a record with the Internal Affairs Inspection Division."

"Captain, you're so generous!"

Liu Rong immediately buttered him up, while Wu Yan beside him smiled as well.

Yang Wenqing walked over and sat at his desk. Looking at the stack of files piled there gave him a headache. Over the past month, he had spoken with many young security officers, yet he had not encountered a single one who satisfied him. He wanted to find one or two officers worth training to follow him, so that once he was promoted, he could bring them along to his new post. Otherwise, he would never be able to get things moving.

On the other hand, he could also request a placement at the city's Security Academy. He could choose a younger member of his clan and have them transferred to his side after their two-year term ended. Or he could go through direct recruitment, but that required sufficient authority. That was not something he could consider now, since there were only a few slots each year unless a major incident caused the deaths of many security officers.

Seeing that Yang Wenqing had sat down without anything else to do, Liu Rong picked up the case-closing report he had written overnight and submitted it. "Two of them are being prosecuted this time, so it has to go through the Major Crimes Unit's channels."

Yang Wenqing accepted the case file, glanced at Liu Qin, and asked, "Has the case file been created?"

Liu Qin nodded. "It has."

Liu Rong continued, "This was a large-scale armed brawl that left twelve people seriously injured. One person still could not be revived even with a 'Healing Spell' and remains unconscious. It happened at the border between two districts, and after officers responded, there was another attack on security personnel. A senior security officer was stabbed in the chest..."

"At the home of the person who attacked the officer, they found some contraband. That led them to a family-run criminal gang, and the chain of evidence is extremely solid."

Yang Wenqing froze for a moment, then understood what had happened. He carefully read the case-closing report Liu Rong had submitted before asking, "Did you visit the home of the person who attacked the officer?"

Liu Rong nodded. "I did. I also asked the nearby neighbors. That family's surname is Hu, and they're notorious bullies in that area. The eldest son of the Hu Family, Hu Biao, was the one who attacked the officer. He's an idle thug and gang leader who usually takes a few scoundrels like himself to the market to collect protection money and bully merchants."

He opened the notebook he carried with him and continued, "His younger brother, Hu Kui, is the captain of the community militia, but he often runs a private gambling den out of his home, making the whole neighborhood uneasy."

"Their old mother not only fails to restrain them, but throws her age around and indulges and shields them. The neighbors are angry but dare not speak out. The fact that they dared to pull knives on security officers shows just how arrogant and tyrannical they usually are."

After hearing this, Yang Wenqing nodded. Local bullies like these were often more troublesome than organized criminals. Since they had run straight into the muzzle this time, it was the perfect chance to uproot them completely and make an example of them.

"Since the evidence is complete and the facts are clear, handle it according to procedure." Yang Wenqing was about to sign his name when he suddenly paused and glanced at Liu Rong. "It's a minor case. Your signature and that of the local Public Security Office are enough. Take it and proceed."

"Alright!"

Liu Rong did not think much of it. He took the case-closing report and left happily.

After Liu Rong left, Yang Wenqing activated the Badge Communication Array and connected to Qiu Xuan, captain of the West City First Patrol Squad. After chatting for a few moments, he brought up yesterday's officer assault case. Once he confirmed that there were no issues, he arranged a time to have a meal with Qiu Xuan.

His action caused Wu Yan and Liu Qin to pause in what they were doing. Wu Yan quickly understood, while Liu Qin felt her scalp go numb. She lifted her eyes and swiftly glanced at Yang Wenqing, as though she were seeing him for the first time.

Yang Wenqing continued reviewing files, and time passed without him noticing. Near noon, Wu Yan was dispatched because of a case at the North City Public Security Office, while Liu Rong was still busy with the morning's matter.

When a close friend from the Archives Division brought Liu Qin lunch, Deputy Director Gao sent word for Yang Wenqing to meet him in private room 311 on the third floor of Fengtai Building.

Yang Wenqing found it strange. He assumed there had been progress regarding the Soul-Absorbing Crystal, so he immediately rose and left the office. Only after he had gone did Liu Qin and her friend dare to speak loudly, and cheerful laughter drifted out from time to time.

Just over twenty minutes later, Yang Wenqing stood outside private room 311 on the third floor of Fengtai Building. The moment he knocked, Deputy Director Gao's steady voice sounded from within. "Come in."

Pushing open the door, he saw Deputy Director Gao leisurely drinking tea in the seat of honor. Besides Deputy Director Gao, there was one other person in the private room: Deputy Director Zhou, who oversaw internal affairs inspections.

"Wenqing, you're here. Sit." Deputy Director Gao smiled and pointed at an empty seat. "This is Deputy Director Zhou. You should have met before."

Yang Wenqing immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Deputy Director Zhou."

Deputy Director Zhou gave a quiet "Mm" in reply. His gaze rested on Yang Wenqing for a moment, seemingly appraising him.

Deputy Director Gao was about to say something else when the door to the private room was knocked on again.

This time, two people entered. To Yang Wenqing's surprise, he knew them both. One was Qin Feng, deputy chief of the Archives Division, while the other was Deputy Chief Li Yi from the Operations Division.

"Director Gao, brother-in-law, we're not late, are we?" Li Yi's voice was booming, while Qin Feng smiled and greeted the two deputy directors.

The moment the two entered, Yang Wenqing stood to greet them. He wore an appropriate smile, politely shook hands with both men, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then naturally took a seat closer to the edge.