Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Shi Pengfei drove the police car with Tang Qingqing to the K-9 unit. The K-9 unit was in the suburbs, and it took them over half an hour to get there.

When they arrived, there were already more than twenty people standing in the courtyard. Most of them were wearing police uniforms, and they were predominantly male.

Tang Qingqing was surprised. "So many people?"

The Public Security Bureau was severely understaffed. Whether it was the local police station in the town or the city bureau, everyone was very busy. Tang Qingqing had thought that at most two or three people would come to watch.

Shi Pengfei said, "Everyone came here out of admiration. Not only from our division, but also from other divisions who heard about it and came over."

"They know about me?"

"Uncle Xu often mentions you. My father has been thinking about you for a long time. The murder cases you solved have some representative qualities and were discussed internally as typical cases."

This alone wouldn't be enough for someone in a remote corner to become known within the city's public security system. A crucial factor in Tang Qingqing's fame was her youth.

A teenage girl, just about to start high school, and not even studying criminal investigation, yet possessing such skills—anyone would find it amazing.

However, precisely because of her youth, some people doubted her authenticity.

After all, they had just gone through a special period where some places liked to fabricate examples to set up role models.

Now that they learned Tang Qingqing was here, many wanted to see for themselves whether this young girl truly had these abilities.

"With so many people around, will it affect your performance?"

Shi Pengfei was somewhat worried; he hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly, drawing this crowd.

Tang Qingqing was indeed a bit nervous, but her rich experience and solid foundation helped her adjust her mindset quickly.

She knew that once she entered her state, whether there was one person or a hundred, she would treat them as if they didn't exist.

Focus was her greatest strength, but it was also her weakness that could easily put her in danger.

"It's fine; they won't affect me."

As soon as they walked into the courtyard, everyone's gaze fell on them. Seeing Tang Qingqing, they all showed surprise.

They knew Tang Qingqing was young, but they hadn't expected her to be such a beautiful young girl.

Although she dressed simply and had her hair tied back in a ponytail, she looked more like someone from a cultural troupe rather than a criminal investigator.

Currently, the majority of those working in criminal investigation were men, though there were women, albeit in smaller numbers.

Most of the female officers looked tough and decisive, even if some were gentle-looking, they still seemed capable.

Tang Qingqing was too strikingly beautiful, making her stand out in the crowd.

Sometimes, during arrests and pursuits, police needed to blend in with the public to avoid being noticed by criminals.

Tang Qingqing, being so eye-catching, was particularly unsuitable for such work, as she drew too much attention.

"This is Comrade Tang Qingqing?" asked a middle-aged officer.

The youngest present were in their late twenties, and Tang Qingqing greeted them respectfully as elders.

"Hello, everyone. I am Tang Qingqing. Please take care of me."

An older officer said, "Little girl, you're the one who solves cases by identifying footprints?"

"That's probably me."

"Where did you learn these skills?"

"My master is Liu Shengyu, a renowned tracker. I inherited his expertise. His son, Li Kang'an, is also very skilled, but unfortunately, he was killed by criminals seeking revenge."

Tang Qingqing wanted everyone to remember her master's name and recognize his excellence.

"When you go tracking, does your master accompany you?"

The person asking this question spoke without much emotion, but the content wasn't friendly.

It was clear they were questioning whether she relied on her master to solve cases and gain recognition.

She was merely assisting; the real skill lay with her master.

Tang Qingqing wasn't upset. She had started assisting the Public Security Bureau at thirteen, and at that time, she looked even younger than her actual age. She had faced countless doubts.

Especially from criminals or their families, who refused to admit their mistakes and vehemently argued that a little girl couldn't possibly catch them, claiming she was just making things up.

Tang Qingqing was used to this and not only remained undeterred but became even more determined, proving her true abilities and silencing doubters. If no one questioned her, it would feel strange.

"My master accompanied me only once."

Someone else was about to ask more questions, but Shi Pengfei quickly interrupted.

"Let's wait until after the demonstration to ask questions. It's too early now."

The group refrained from further inquiries, all curious to see if this young girl was truly as skilled.

Shi Pengfei led Tang Qingqing towards a row of houses. The twenty or so people waited two meters away, ensuring they could follow without disturbing her.

Shi Pengfei pointed to a room. "This is the house. Someone 'stole' something from the owner, and the 'thief' has already escaped."

Tang Qingqing glanced inside. This demonstration was quite well-prepared, as the room had been deliberately ransacked.

"What was stolen?"

"A radio and two hundred yuan."

"What about the original owner of the house?"

Shi Pengfei pointed to a person nearby. "He is the owner."

"Is this house frequently visited by people?"

The owner shook his head. "Rarely. This is where I sleep. We usually talk in the canteen."

Tang Qingqing nodded and approached the front of the house, observing the surrounding ground.

In front of this row of houses was a cement area about five or six meters wide, with dirt ground beyond it.

After circling the outside of the house, Tang Qingqing entered to continue her detailed inspection.

Those who had come along to watch couldn't see inside clearly and could only wait.

"Isn't this a bit unfair? The difficulty is too high," said an older public security officer.

Tang Qingqing came from a small place, and the commune was relatively poor, with many areas still covered in dirt rather than hard surfaces.

She often solved cases in villages where the ground conditions were more suitable for tracking footprints.

However, here there was a large cement area, making footprint tracking very difficult.

"Indeed, even experienced veteran detectives would find it hard to discover anything."

"Why don't we leave first? Such a pretty girl, if she can't find anything, it might be embarrassing enough to make her cry. We should be considerate."

Although curious about Tang Qingqing's abilities and somewhat skeptical, they didn't want to make things difficult for a young girl.

Even if she exaggerated her skills, it was already impressive that such a pretty girl was willing to brave snow and heat for fieldwork. Expectations shouldn't be too high.

Some agreed with this sentiment and voiced their support.

The only female public security officer present said, "You're underestimating her. You're declaring failure before she's even started."

"Commissioner Wu, do you think she can handle it?"

Commissioner Wu: "Whether she can or not isn't up to me; it depends on her performance. Since she accepted the challenge, she must have prepared for the possibility of failure. There's no need for your misplaced kindness."

"What if she can't handle the failure?"

"Then we'll teach her how to face reality. We've all faced setbacks in our work. If she wants to pursue this career, she needs the mental resilience."

They were detectives, not gods. Sometimes, due to various limitations, they couldn't always solve cases immediately.

Sometimes there were no leads, yet pressure mounted from superiors and the public, making it extremely stressful.

Some cases required years or even decades to solve, waiting for technology to advance.

Adjusting one's emotions was crucial to completing the job effectively.

If one failure led to despair, it meant the profession wasn't suited for them.

With Commissioner Wu's words, everyone decided to stay and observe for a while longer.

Their voices weren't particularly quiet, and they were close enough for those inside the house to hear some of the commotion.

But at that moment, Tang Qingqing heard nothing. She was fully focused on her tracking work, visualizing the paths of various footprints in her mind.

About twenty minutes later, Tang Qingqing emerged from the house and announced her findings:

"This crime was committed by two individuals. One was inside the house, and the other was outside as a lookout. The person inside the house is around 180 cm tall, around 25 years old, and of average build. The person outside is around 173 cm tall, around 22 years old, slightly thin, and walks with a slight outward gait."

The crowd outside, enjoying a rare break, fell silent upon hearing this. All eyes turned to Shi Pengfei.

Shi Pengfei shook his head. "To avoid accidentally revealing information when I went to pick up suspects, the entire setup was handled by the K-9 unit."

Everyone then looked at Captain Gao of the K-9 unit, who was visibly shocked. "She's right."

The scene erupted in applause. Those who initially doubted Tang Qingqing's ability and wanted to leave to avoid her embarrassment now felt deeply impressed and ashamed of their earlier skepticism.

Tang Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. Although confident in her tracking skills, changing locations always brought concerns about adaptability.

It seemed her skills were universally applicable, with only minor adjustments needed.

Mastering the fundamentals allowed her to adapt to different environments.

Tang Qingqing smiled at everyone, quickly refocusing her attention to track the "fleeing criminal."

The crowd's interest was piqued, and they followed closely behind her while maintaining a respectful distance.

Initially, Tang Qingqing moved slowly, squatting to examine the ground. Once she left the cement area, her pace quickened.

She headed towards the orchard and vegetable fields, occasionally stopping to scan the ground, then running towards a specific spot.

This area was vast, with numerous intersections.

At each intersection, Tang Qingqing paused briefly before confidently heading in a particular direction, showing no signs of confusion. Clearly, she believed the "criminal" had gone that way.

Someone familiar with Captain Gao asked quietly from behind:

"Did the suspects take a detour in this area?"

Captain Gao kept his eyes fixed on Tang Qingqing, especially noting her gaze.

"The person I arranged, one of them is as cunning as a monkey, deliberately set up a 'maze', taking many detours and running back and forth. Unexpectedly, it didn't fool her at all. This young lady is truly remarkable. She clearly saw through it and found the correct path amidst the chaotic footprints, not wasting any time."

Tang Qingqing chased for over three miles before finally stopping in front of a row of houses.

There was a fish pond nearby, with a house next to it used for staying overnight when guarding the area.

Tang Qingqing found the 'lost' radio and two hundred yuan here, but the house was already empty.

Tang Qingqing took out the 'stolen goods' and handed them to Shi Pengfei.

Another round of enthusiastic applause broke out; everyone now genuinely admired Tang Qingqing's skills.

"Tang comrade, you truly live up to your reputation!"

The old police officer was very excited. For him, there was nothing more joyful than seeing outstanding young people, which meant their police force would become stronger, leaving no place for criminals to hide.

These old police officers had also studied forensic science and were familiar with footprint analysis, but none of them had Tang Qingqing's abilities.

After Tang Qingqing left, he entered the crime scene and examined it. There were no clear footprints on the ground, yet she somehow managed to discern everything accurately, even describing the suspect's age, height, and physique precisely.

Political Commissar Wu walked up and patted her shoulder, greatly appreciating Tang Qingqing:

"Well done! Let everyone see that our women can match the men!"

Tang Qingqing smiled shyly and said, "I haven't caught the person yet."

Captain Gao laughed, "It's already noon. Let's go back for lunch. In the afternoon, you can find them among the crowd, how about that?"

Political Commissar Wu frowned, "Captain Gao, why do you have so many things to do!"

Tang Qingqing smiled, "It's fine. Since we're here, I won't feel at ease unless I catch them. Captain Gao has been lenient; the footprints were quite clear."

Political Commissar Wu was surprised, "From what you're saying, this wasn't even difficult?"

"If it were a real scene, it would be much more chaotic. Some criminals have anti-detection skills and deliberately erase their tracks, making my job much harder. Captain Gao probably feared I wouldn't find them, so he didn't clean up thoroughly."

After Tang Qingqing became famous, she intimidated potential criminals, preventing them from committing crimes. However, some still tried to outsmart her.

They would specifically target her and cover their tracks to evade pursuit.

Tang Qingqing's battles of wits against these individuals further honed her tracking skills.

This test was relatively simple for her.

In a real scenario, Tang Qingqing would need more time to identify the tracks.

Political Commissar Wu asked, "Where is step tracking applicable?"

"As long as someone walks on the ground, they leave traces. Dirt roads, sandy paths, grassy areas, cement floors—all leave traces, though some are harder to spot."

"Can smooth surfaces also leave traces?"

"If you find the right angle, light can sometimes reveal them."

Political Commissar Wu liked Tang Qingqing very much, especially since she was a female comrade. He kept holding her hand, chatting with her and asking how she learned to track.

"Your master just said one sentence, and you stared at the sheep hoof prints for so long?"

Political Commissar Wu was amazed by Tang Qingqing's experience.

At that time, how old was she? Yet she could remain so focused.

She didn't know if she would be accepted, yet she put in great effort, which was admirable.

"I found it quite interesting. Before, when I watched sheep, they all looked the same to me, and I couldn't tell them apart. Sometimes, I even mixed them up with other teams. But after learning to track, the whole world became clearer. Every object is unique."

Tang Qingqing didn't need Old Liu's reminders; she started observing human footprints herself, finding it more interesting than studying sheep.

Sheep have simple minds, so their hoof prints don't change much.

People are different; even the same person's gait changes based on their mood.

Tang Qingqing felt lucky that after her fate changed, she could pursue something she loved.

The version of herself in the book was passive and lost.

She wanted to study, but without firm resolve, she ended up in the cultural troupe without much resistance.

Ultimately, she didn't know what she truly wanted and simply went with the flow, accepting whatever others gave her.

In the story, she didn't mind such a life, as someone paved the way for her, and she only needed to live within her small world.

The book's version of herself was content with what she had.

However, different circumstances shaped different people. Tang Qingqing didn't criticize this choice but knew she wouldn't choose such a path now.

Now, she knows what she wants and works hard for it.

Though sometimes tough, it's a rare experience in life.

The police dog team's food was good, and after eating, they immediately began the second test.

Captain Gao walked over, smiling at Tang Qingqing: "You said I let you win last time, so this time, I'll be serious."

His smile seemed to hide knives, clearly ill-intentioned.

As they walked into the courtyard, everyone frowned at the sight before them.

In the courtyard, there were at least fifty people, forming a dense crowd.

Most importantly, these people were divided into two groups, matching the descriptions Tang Qingqing had given earlier.

Commissioner Wu: "Captain Gao, your influence is truly remarkable. You managed to find so many fitting individuals in such a short time."

Even Shi Pengfei couldn't help but say, "That's impressive."

Captain Gao didn't look at them but instead turned to Tang Qingqing and asked, "Comrade Tang, what do you think?"

"It's possible, but their similarities are too high, which might take a lot of time. Everyone is quite busy, so we should consider whether to continue waiting."

In the end, half of the people stayed.

Today was originally their day off, which is why they could come to watch the spectacle.

However, days off for public security officers are often unreliable; any emergency requires immediate duty.

Therefore, some people couldn't stay and left.

They had already confirmed that Tang Qingqing's abilities matched those described in the records, so missing the second round wouldn't matter much.

Tang Qingqing instructed them to form groups of five and walk back and forth in front of her.

She took out her notebook and pen, writing and drawing while occasionally asking some people to stand aside before letting others continue walking.

"I've found them."

Tang Qingqing closed her notebook.

Captain Gao: "Which two are they?"

Tang Qingqing pointed to one person and said, "This one is the one who entered the house."

Captain Gao frowned slightly, his expression somewhat odd.

"Are you sure it's him? Should we check again?"

"I'm certain it's him."

"Do you want to check again?"

Tang Qingqing remained unfazed, shaking her head. "No need. It's definitely him."

Captain Gao sighed deeply, shaking his head.

Commissioner Wu and Shi Pengfei felt their hearts sink. Had they failed?!

"What a pity..."

When he said this, many people sighed in disappointment.

However, most thought Captain Gao was being unfair, having gathered people with similar appearances, making it very confusing. No one knew where he had found them.

The old officer who stayed behind comforted her, "Girl, don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

Tang Qingqing pursed her lips. Was she wrong?!

She opened her notebook to check where she might have gone wrong when Captain Gao loudly exclaimed:

"Correct answer!"

Everyone, who had been about to encourage Tang Qingqing, stumbled at this sudden turn of events.

Shi Pengfei stepped forward and punched him lightly. "Captain Gao, Brother Gao, you really went too far!"

Captain Gao laughed heartily, giving Tang Qingqing a thumbs-up. "I saw her hesitating between two people and thought I could trick her, but she didn't fall for it."

This little incident made everyone even more convinced of Tang Qingqing's abilities.

If she had wavered even slightly, she would have been misled and made the wrong choice.

Such situations often occur in investigative work.

One wrong choice can lead the investigation down the wrong path, wasting resources and possibly losing the criminal forever.

Commissioner Wu breathed a sigh of relief and curiously asked, "What about the lookout?"

Tang Qingqing shook her head. "That person isn't among these people."

Commissioner Wu looked at Captain Gao, who this time did not try to deceive anyone and admitted straightforwardly:

"That's right, that person is indeed not here."

Commissioner Wu was impressed by Captain Gao's honesty. "Captain Gao, you really pulled that off."

Captain Gao smiled. "If we're testing, we need to show real skills. Besides, the actual situation is often more complex."

With this, everyone was genuinely convinced of Tang Qingqing's abilities.

"Comrade Tang, could you summarize your experience so that others can learn from it?"

"I have some notes and summaries. If you're interested, you can copy or photocopy them."

Everyone was delighted upon hearing this and learned that she was still in high school. They all expressed:

"Comrade Tang, you shouldn't waste your talent. Our public security system needs someone like you."

Tang Qingqing agreed, promising that she would apply to the Public Security University in her college entrance exam.

Just as she was about to leave, Tang Qingqing suddenly stopped and pointed at someone in the crowd.

"Captain Gao, isn't that person the 'criminal' who was letting out information?"

Captain Gao was thoroughly impressed by her. With just a glance into the crowd, she managed to pick out the person.

This time, it wasn't a deliberate test on his part; rather, the person himself had felt curious and wanted to see what this talented girl looked like, so he had blended into the crowd.

Captain Gao always held talented individuals in high regard, so he made a promise to Tang Qingqing.

"I noticed you were very interested in the police dogs. If you're keen on adopting one, whenever there's a retired or decommissioned police dog that needs a new home, I'll be sure to let you know first!"