Handover

The captain gently closed the door to the deputy director's office, shutting out the noise from outside. Deputy Director Li sat alone behind his large desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the smooth surface, his gaze fixed on the case briefing that had just been compiled and whose ink was still wet.

"Minor injury level two", "multiple people armed", "controversy over legitimate self-defense"... these words were like fine thorns, making him uneasy. This case was a hot potato; if handled well, it was his duty; if handled poorly, it could become a volcano of public opinion.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind, reached for the secure cell phone on the table, searched through the contacts for a while, and dialed a number.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and a deep, steady male voice came from the other end. "Hello?"

"Hey, Old Zhao! It's me, Old Li from the branch office!" Deputy Director Li's voice instantly became enthusiastic, and a smile spread across his face, as if the other party could see him through the telephone line.

"Old Li? Hehe, what a rare guest! What made you think of calling me?" Deputy Director Zhao of the Municipal Public Security Bureau said with a hint of teasing.

"Hey, Old Zhao, what are you saying? Can't you at least give your old leader a greeting?" Deputy Director Li said with a smile. "It's mainly because of that ' Operation Spring Thunder ' you spearheaded a while ago—the results were truly remarkable! It was incredibly effective! Suddenly, the security situation in our jurisdictions has improved significantly, and the crime rate has dropped noticeably! I'm calling to sincerely thank you! You, Old Zhao, deserve the most credit!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Deputy Director Zhao's ambiguous voice. "Alright, alright, Old Li, stop flattering me. I know you too well. You don't come here unless you need something. Just tell me, what tricky case have you run into? Do you need the city bureau's coordination?"

"Hey! What are you talking about? What kind of person do you think I Old Li!" Deputy Director Li feigned displeasure, then softened his tone. "But... to get to the point, there is indeed a small matter, not a big one, but it's a bit... special."

He carefully chose his words, avoiding specific details about the injuries:

"There was a case in my jurisdiction just now. At first glance, it seems to be self-defense. However... the defending party may have been in a rather urgent situation, and their actions... were a little too forceful."

As for the injury assessment, well... well, you know, the standards for justifiable self-defense are sometimes hard to grasp.

The key issue is that this case is somewhat sensitive, and I feel it's beyond the normal handling authority of our branch's public security department. So, I was thinking of following procedure and transferring the person and case file to your municipal bureau for processing. That would be more standardized and safer. What do you think..."

He did not mention the specific number of people or details of those who sustained minor injuries (level two), only vaguely emphasizing that the "strikes were heavy-handed" and the "nature of the offense was sensitive."

Deputy Director Zhao on the other end of the phone clearly understood the unspoken meaning. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Old Li, you slippery fellow... Alright, since it's a case that we're supposed to handle according to regulations, send it over. Make sure the preliminary materials are solid."

"Alright, alright! No problem! Thank you for your understanding, senior leader!" Deputy Director Li felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and quickly assured him, "How could we trouble you to send someone down to pick us up? This afternoon! This very afternoon, I'll have our captain personally lead a team to deliver the case files, physical evidence, and relevant personnel to the Municipal Bureau! All the paperwork will be complete!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Deputy Director Li hung up the phone with satisfaction, letting out a long sigh of relief, feeling a bit of sweat on his back. He dialed the internal line and called the captain, who had been waiting outside, back in.

"Make arrangements. This afternoon, you personally lead a team to send all the physical evidence, backups of surveillance footage, and... well, the parties involved in the 'Good Old Chen's ' case, to the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division. Complete the formalities and make sure everything is clear with them." He emphasized the words "Good Samaritan."

"Understood, Chief!" The captain understood immediately and turned to make the arrangements.

In the afternoon, at the entrance of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment building.

Two young criminal police officers, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang, who had been temporarily assigned by their superiors to receive personnel transferring cases from the branch office, were chatting casually. They thought it was just a simple case handover, with at most one or two cars and three to five people coming.

However, when they saw the convoy appear at the end of the street, their eyes widened instantly, and their faces turned green at a visible speed.

One, two, three... a full seven police cars, flashing red and blue lights, lined up in a grand procession and drove toward the city police station gate! This wasn't just a case transfer or a few parties involved; it was practically the scale of escorting an entire criminal gang!

"I... Holy crap! Brother Zhang, what's going on?" Xiao Wang stammered.

Xiao Zhang was dumbfounded, his lips twitching. "I... how would I know? The higher-ups said the branch office transferred a case of a fight... is this some kind of small-scale war?"

The convoy stopped at the city bureau compound. Captain Liu of the branch bureau got out of the car first, followed by three or four people from each car. Lin Feng, Lawyer Zhou, Lü Yi, as well as the "heroes" who had participated in the "heroic act" and some diners, plus the police officers in charge of escorting them, made up nearly thirty people in total! They instantly filled the open space in front of the city bureau.

Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang felt a chill run down their spines and quickly stepped forward to make contact. Looking at the thick stack of preliminary case files and the list of people involved handed over by Captain Liu, they felt as if the few sheets of paper in their hands weighed a ton.

This was completely beyond their authority, so the two dared not delay. They arranged for the branch office to take the suspects to a designated area for temporary accommodation, while simultaneously reporting the matter to their superiors at every level.

The news quickly reached Deputy Director Zhao. Listening to his subordinate's report and looking at the initial case information (only then did he see the detailed injury report), Deputy Director Zhao's expression was not very good.

He finally understood why Old Li, that slippery fellow, had been so vague on the phone. Four people sustained minor injuries, level two; this case was indeed tricky.

However, according to jurisdictional regulations, cases involving multiple minor injuries that may constitute a crime should indeed be under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment. The branch office had already completed most of the preliminary work, so the transfer was procedurally sound.

"Hmph, that Old Li..." Deputy Director Zhao shook his head helplessly and instructed the branch leader who came to report, "Now that it's been transferred, proceed according to the rules. Assign personnel, form a special task force, and re-examine everyone's statements carefully and thoroughly! Verify all physical evidence and surveillance footage repeatedly; there can be no oversights!"

Upon receiving the order, the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment immediately sprang into action, assigning several experienced criminal investigators to conduct a new round of more detailed questioning of this special group of "suspects."