Newcomers to the Squad (Please Keep Reading)

The interrogation lasted two hours.

But it was not over yet. Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan had merely stopped questioning him for the time being. As they left the interrogation room, Yang Wenqing asked Wu Yan, "Do you think it was murder?"

Wu Yan shook his head. "But it has to be murder. Deputy Director Gao ordered us to handle it that way, and Deputy Director Sun's side also wants it to be murder. Otherwise, there'll be no way to account for it, because accidental killing only carries a maximum of ten years as a penal laborer."

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing suddenly understood why someone as capable as Wu Yan had not been taken away by the previous captain. He was Deputy Director Gao's man and deeply trusted by him; he simply lacked the aptitude for cultivation.

"Then I'll leave the subsequent prosecution procedures for this case to you."

"Fine. I imagine the Liu family's assets should be enough to soothe some of Deputy Director Sun's anger. You and I might get some benefits as well."

Wu Yan's words had been unnecessary. He could have kept them to himself, yet he said them anyway. Clearly, he was not a rigid person, and he had shrewdly seen that Yang Wenqing had a promising future.

Yang Wenqing merely nodded, then headed for the Third Squad's office. When he entered, he found two more people inside.

Zhao Qin and Qian Youwei had already arrived and were waiting in temporary seats near the door.

The moment Zhao Qin saw Yang Wenqing enter, he sprang to his feet almost on reflex. He stood ramrod straight, the air of superiority he had once carried at the Public Security Office—as though he were always a cut above Yang Wenqing—now completely gone. In its place was an almost humble stiffness and unease.

Qian Youwei had clearly sensed Zhao Qin's excessively unusual respect and nervousness. He frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled, but merely stood quietly without saying anything.

Yang Wenqing took in both their reactions. After giving them a slight nod, he walked to his desk, and the two hurriedly followed.

"Have a seat." After sitting down, Yang Wenqing pointed to the two chairs before his desk and put on a professional smile. "Welcome to Third Squad."

He did not deliberately target Zhao Qin, nor did he show any extra enthusiasm.

Zhao Qin sat down cautiously, as though granted a pardon, his back still straight. Qian Youwei responded with a steady nod. "Yes, Captain."

Yang Wenqing looked toward Liu Rong, who seemed to be holding back a laugh, and said, "Go to Logistics and bring back a desk. You two will share an office from now on. A-Rong, you'll be assigned to Old Wu's group from now on. Once you've shown these two around and helped them get familiar with the place, go report to Old Wu."

"Yes, Captain!"

Liu Rong rose and answered.

Yang Wenqing said to the two before his desk, "Give me your badges."

The two stood and complied. After Yang Wenqing established Third Squad's communication formation on their badges, he instructed, "Go with A-Rong. Get familiar with things as quickly as possible. Third Squad has been getting more and more cases lately."

Liu Rong led Zhao Qin and Qian Youwei out of the Third Squad office. As soon as he closed the door and stepped into the corridor, the humble, cautious expression on Zhao Qin's face eased slightly. Still, he did not dare act presumptuously. He merely quickened his pace by two steps and moved closer to Liu Rong, forcing a somewhat strained smile onto his face.

"A-Rong... oh, no, Brother Liu," Zhao Qin said in a lowered voice, his tone more courteous than ever before. "From now on... please look after me."

Without stopping, Liu Rong merely turned his head to the side. "Young Master Zhao, what are you saying? What could I possibly do to look after you? In Third Squad, just follow the captain's orders and get things done."

He emphasized the words "Young Master Zhao" heavily.

Embarrassment flashed across Zhao Qin's face, but he quickly forced out an even broader smile. "Yes, yes, Brother Liu is right. It's mainly that... Captain Yang..." He rubbed his hands together, finding it hard to speak. "Does the captain... have some opinion of me? Back there, I felt..."

He wanted to ask whether Yang Wenqing still held a grudge over his former attitude, but he did not dare say it outright.

Liu Rong stopped and looked at Zhao Qin's cautious appearance. An inexplicable sense of satisfaction rose in him. He patted Zhao Qin on the shoulder, his tone carrying a warning. "Put away those old thoughts of yours. As long as you work honestly and don't try to be clever, the captain naturally won't make things difficult for you."

Zhao Qin's scalp tingled under that look, and he hurriedly promised, "Understood, understood! I'll work hard and definitely won't cause trouble for the captain or you, Brother Liu!"

Qian Youwei, who had silently observed the whole exchange from the side, had already guessed that these two had entered the Public Security Office in the same cohort as the captain.

After the three left, Yang Wenqing, having nothing else to do, took out the Corpse-Sinking Case he had previously intended to investigate in secret and instructed Liu Qin, "Take a look through the Zhenyuan Mining materials you organized earlier. See whether there have been any reports against their company."

"Yes, Captain."

Liu Qin began working through the city defense system. A moment later, she said, "The most recent report against their company was half a month ago. Someone reported that their dock warehouse contained prohibited ore. There were also two reports of smuggling."

Yang Wenqing immediately instructed, "Open a case file for those two smuggling reports, then bring it to me."

Liu Qin replied, "Yes, Captain."

He did not intend to handle the case personally. If he handed it to a subordinate and something really went wrong, there would still be room to maneuver.

Just as their conversation ended, a female guard appeared at the door. She knocked politely, and after Yang Wenqing told her to come in, she immediately offered him her badge.

Yang Wenqing recognized the female guard at once. She was Lin Wan, transferred over from the Government Affairs Council. Her guard uniform was brand-new, clearly worn for the first time that day.

"Sorry, Captain. There was some work at the Government Affairs Council that needed to be handed over. I was supposed to report in this morning." Lin Wan appeared cautious. It was a habit formed by the Government Affairs Council's strict hierarchy.

Yang Wenqing took Lin Wan's badge and skillfully connected it to Third Squad's communication formation.

"No matter. Work handovers come first." Yang Wenqing handed her badge back, his tone calm. "Welcome to Third Squad. We mainly handle internal coordination and complicated regional cases. The pace can be rather fast at times, but most of the time it's quite relaxed."

He pointed to Liu Qin and introduced her. "This is Liu Qin, our squad's communications and intelligence specialist. First, follow her and familiarize yourself with our workflow, especially the operation of the various communication formations and the case file management system."

Lin Wan hurriedly nodded to Liu Qin. "Sister Liu, please guide me from now on."

Liu Qin smiled in response. "We'll learn from each other. Lin Wan, sit in this empty seat beside me for now." The two began speaking quietly. More than ten minutes later, Liu Qin came over carrying a case file. "Captain, this is the case file for opening an investigation into Zhenyuan Mining."

As Yang Wenqing took the case file, a burst of footsteps sounded outside. It was Liu Rong and the other two, who had just left, carrying in a solid wooden desk.

As they finished arranging the desk, Wu Yan hurried over to Yang Wenqing's desk with a document in hand and reported in a low voice, "Captain, that guy has confessed. This is his statement."