New Recruits for the Squad

The interrogation lasted two hours.

But it was not over yet. Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan had only temporarily stopped questioning him. 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 this way, and Deputy Director Sun also wants it to be murder. Otherwise, there will be no way to answer for it, because accidental killing carries, at most, 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 at that. 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 quell some of Deputy Director Sun's anger. You and I may even gain some benefits from it."

Wu Yan's words had been unnecessary. He could have left them unsaid, yet he had said them anyway. Clearly, he was not a rigid man, and he had shrewdly seen that Yang Wenqing had a promising future ahead of him.

Yang Wenqing merely nodded, then headed toward the Third Squad office. Upon entering, he found two extra 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, and the air of superiority he had always carried at the Public Security Office, as though he were a notch above Yang Wenqing, had vanished without a trace. In its place was a nearly humble restraint and unease.

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

Yang Wenqing took both their reactions in at a glance. After giving them a slight nod, he walked to his desk, and the two hurried after him.

"Sit." After sitting down, Yang Wenqing pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk, then showed a formal smile. "Welcome to the Third Squad."

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

Zhao Qin looked as though he had been granted a pardon. He sat down cautiously, his back still held straight, while 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 the Logistics Office and bring back a desk. The two of you will share an office from now on. A Rong, you'll be assigned to Old Wu's group from now on. Take them around to familiarize them with the place, then 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 the Third Squad's Communication Formation on their badges, he instructed, "Go with A Rong. Familiarize yourselves as quickly as possible. The Third Squad has been getting more and more cases lately."

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

"A Rong... no, Brother Liu," Zhao Qin lowered his voice, his tone more polite than ever before. "From now on... please look after me."

Without slowing, Liu Rong merely turned his head. "Young Master Zhao, that's quite the thing to say. What can I possibly do to look after you? In the Third Squad, just follow the captain's orders and do your work."

He put heavy emphasis on the words "Young Master Zhao."

A trace of awkwardness flashed across Zhao Qin's face, but he quickly squeezed out an even broader smile. "Yes, yes, Brother Liu is right. It's mainly... 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 overly cautious appearance. An inexplicable sense of satisfaction rose within him. He patted Zhao Qin on the shoulder, his tone carrying a note of warning. "Put away those thoughts you used to have. As long as you work honestly and stop playing petty tricks, the captain naturally won't make things difficult for you."

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

Qian Youwei, who had remained silent and observant beside them, took it all in and had already guessed that these two had entered the force at the same time as the captain.

After the three left, Yang Wenqing had nothing to do, so he took out the Corpse-Sinking Case he had previously planned to investigate in secret and instructed Liu Qin, "Take a look. Check whether the information you organized earlier on Zhenyuan Mining includes any reports against the company."

"Yes, Captain."

Liu Qin began working away in the City Defense System. A moment later, she said, "The most recent report against the company was half a month ago. Someone reported that their dock warehouse contained prohibited ores. There were also two reports of smuggling."

Yang Wenqing immediately ordered, "Create a case file for those two smuggling reports, then give it to me."

Liu Qin agreed, "Yes, Captain."

He did not intend to handle this case personally. If he handed it to a subordinate and there truly was a problem, there would still be room to soften the blow.

As their conversation ended, a female guard appeared at the door. She knocked politely, and after Yang Wenqing told her to enter, she immediately handed over her badge.

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

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

Yang Wenqing took Lin Wan's badge and skillfully connected her to the Third Squad's Communication Formation.

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

He pointed at Liu Qin and introduced her. "This is Liu Qin, our squad's communications and intelligence specialist. Follow her first 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 return. "We'll learn from each other. Lin Wan, take the empty seat next to me first." The two began speaking in low voices. More than ten minutes later, Liu Qin came over with a case file and said, "Captain, this is the case file for opening an investigation into Zhenyuan Mining."

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

Just 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."