Chapter 61: Issued Gun

Chapter 61: Service Weapon

"Pop, pop, pop," several shots rang out in succession. Her scores improved from seven to eight, then to nine rings.

With a crisp "pop," the bullet hit the very center, scoring a perfect ten rings.

"Nice shot!"

Yue Lingchuan praised, looking down at the girl's lovely face, now calm and composed, with only her thick eyelashes trembling slightly, betraying her inner tension.

Yue Lingchuan felt a slight tremor in his heart.

"Whoa! Ten rings?!" Wei Zhengyi exclaimed excitedly beside them, leaning over to look at the target. "Xiao Shen, you're a natural! Picked it up so fast?"

Shen Qingye put away her gun and smiled at the comment. "I'm getting the hang of it, and I'm in the zone."

"Come on, let's have a match!" He then looked at Yue Lingchuan, urging, "Come on, boss! Let's compete together!"

Yue Lingchuan closed his eyes, having lost patience with this clueless guy. Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng exchanged glances, couldn't help but chuckle.

Still clueless, he eagerly dragged people into the competition. Yue Lingchuan glanced back at Shen Qingye, meeting her smiling eyes, and awkwardly looked away.

...

When they left the underground range, it was lunchtime. The group headed to the cafeteria. On their way back, they spotted Detachment Leader Song descending from the third floor. Seeing them, his face brightened:

"Hey, where were you guys? I checked your office but no one was there."

"Brother Zhengyi took us to the range," Shen Qingye replied. "We just came back from lunch. Is it urgent, Detachment Leader?"

Detachment Leader Song chuckled, "Yes, indeed there is."

"Coincidentally, your service weapon just arrived. Come with me to take a look."

"Service weapon?" Wei Zhengyi suddenly became interested. "Let's check it out too."

Song Lianfeng glared at him, "Go on, you're always sticking your nose in everything. Go back to your office!"

Wei Zhengyi was puzzled, "It's just a service weapon, what's the big deal... mmm..."

Before he could finish, his mouth was covered. Yue Lingchuan said to Song Lianfeng, "We'll head back. We were reviewing an old case."

Wei Zhengyi's eyes widened, trying to say something, but Yue Lingchuan simply wrapped his arm around his neck and dragged him away.

Zhou Qiming and the others quickly followed.

Song Lianfeng shook his head helplessly, "These kids..."

Shen Qingye looked at Yue Lingchuan, her eyes thoughtful.

Although they hadn't said anything, it was clear that Yue Lingchuan had already guessed something.

Song Lianfeng patted her shoulder, "Let's go, take a look at your service weapon."

Shen Qingye snapped out of her thoughts and followed him to the office.

As they pushed open the office door, Shen Qingye unexpectedly saw a familiar figure:

"Uncle Gao?"

Shen Qingye felt a mix of surprise and delight, not understanding why Gao Zhengming, usually swamped with work, would personally handle something as routine as issuing a service weapon.

She scanned the room and finally spotted a small, unassuming black box on Song Lianfeng's desk.

Gao Zhengming beckoned her over: "Come here."

Shen Qingye stepped forward, her eyes locked on the box. It was jet black, with no special features or decorative patterns. The only standout feature was a brass lock at the front, giving the otherwise plain box a touch of elegance.

Gao Zhengming smiled: "You've been waiting a while, haven't you?"

Shen Qingye glanced between him and the box, a faint suspicion forming in her mind. Her throat tightened as she replied, 'Not really.'"

If it was what she suspected...

"No matter how long the wait, it would be worth it."

Gao Zhengming hesitated, then chuckled. He knew she was sharp, but her perceptiveness at this moment spoiled his surprise.

He fished a key from his pocket and motioned: "Go ahead, open it."

Shen Qingye swallowed, licked her lips, and took the key with trembling hands. After fumbling a few times, she finally slid it into the lock.

The lock clicked open.

Shen Qingye instinctively took a deep breath, removed the lock, and slowly, ever so slowly, opened the box.

Inside lay a familiar gun—black, sleek, and compact, nearly identical to the one she'd handled at the training range that morning.

But this one showed its age, though it had been meticulously cared for. The gun bore no damage, save for—

A faint scratch marring the grip.

Gao Zhengming smiled: "Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

Shen Qingye lowered her head, trying to smile, but failing. Her eyes burned, and tears spilled uncontrollably.

Familiar? Of course it was familiar. That scratch was her handiwork.

She remembered when she was a child, playing with her father's gun. She had gotten carried away, trying to stuff a sharp stone into the barrel and scratching the grip in the process, leaving that mark. Her father, who had always been indulgent and almost doting toward her, had for the first time scolded her harshly. He told her that a gun was a comrade, a partner—something to be respected, not treated carelessly.

Shen Qingye had cried and promised never to do it again, carefully cleaning the gun afterward. But no matter how much she tried, that scratch remained, a permanent mark on the weapon.

Seeing her cry, Gao Zhengming's smile faltered, and he panicked: "Hey, hey, don't cry. What's there to cry about?"

He pulled out a couple of tissues, clumsily trying to wipe her tears, joking: "Silly girl, why are you crying? What, are you scared?"

When the gun had been returned, it had been covered in blood. Their technicians had spent a long time cleaning it, and it had been sealed away along with Chu Chengjiang's right hand and badge number.

Until today.

Shen Qingye wiped her tears, her voice caught between laughter and sobs: "How could I be scared of it..."

How could she be scared of it...

This was her father's service weapon, the gun he had held tightly in his hand at the moment of his death. The blood on it was her father's.

It would protect her.

It would protect her.

Shen Qingye hadn’t cried much over the years. Ever since her father passed away and she came to terms with having only her mother left, she seldom shed tears. She wanted to hold back her tears, but large drops of them rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the floor and onto the gun. One after another.

Seeing this, Gao Zhengming felt a pang of sadness. He tilted his head back, as if trying to hold back his own tears. He tenderly rubbed her head: “There, there, don’t cry, sweetheart. Don’t cry. If your dad saw this, he’d blame me. You know how he was when it came to you—always overprotective.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingye was reminded of the times in the police station when some uncles loved to tease her, sometimes making her cry. Her father would give them a playful kick, laughing and scolding them to stop teasing his little girl, and take him to buy candies and delicious food.

Looking at Uncle Gao tenderly comforting her, it felt like she was back in her childhood. She wiped her tears and let out a soft chuckle.

“You’re lying,” she said in a tearful voice, “He was always reasonable…”

Gao Zhengming quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, he was reasonable. It’s my fault, all my fault.”

He pushed the box towards Shen Qingye: “Your dad's badge number can't be reactivated, but this gun can still be given to you. Look, I went through a lot of trouble to get this gun from over there. Give it a try—see how it feels in your hand?”

Shen Qingye took a deep breath, barely calming her emotions, then reached out, slowly grasping the gun handle.

Though it felt as hard and cool as any ordinary gun, Shen Qingye could almost feel herself holding a warm, broad hand.

She could almost feel her father's large hand wrapping around her small one, lifting the gun with her, his gentle, laughing voice patiently instructing her:

“Xiao Feng, that’s it—lift your hand and aim straight ahead.”

“Bang—wow, dead center!”

“You’re a natural, Xiao Feng!”

Shen Qingye slowly closed her eyes, a clear tear silently sliding down the corner of her eye.

...

By late April, the team still hadn’t caught any cases. Just as everyone was starting to get restless, the results of Ren Fangyao's case finally came out from the procuratorate.

Based on the evidence, Ren Fangyao acted in self-defense and was cleared of intentional homicide charges.

Hearing this, everyone in the office let out a collective sigh of relief. No matter what, the case finally had a conclusion.

However, Li Jinguo's family couldn’t accept the outcome and went into a frenzy, demanding a retrial, insisting that Ren Fangyao must have intentionally killed, claiming that the so-called attempted rape was definitely the dead girl's deliberate seduction. They made a scene right at the procuratorate’s doorstep. Eventually, the local police station intervened, sternly reprimanding them, telling them that such behavior constituted provocation and disturbance, and if continued, they could be legally detained! They were told to follow the proper procedures if they were dissatisfied with the trial result!

They left grudgingly but still wouldn’t let it go, going to Li Jinguo's home to harass Yang Xilan and her daughter.

Luckily, the school leadership had always taken this matter seriously and immediately took them to the school, even arranging for Yang Xilan to stay in the school's staff residential area. The school leaders also instructed the security to keep a close eye, not allowing any strangers to enter, thus not disturbing the mother and daughter's study and life.

With no one to blame, Li Jinguo’s family couldn’t accept the outcome. Perhaps out of guilt, or simply unwilling to waste time and energy on procedures, they stopped pursuing the case but instead turned their attention to Li Jinguo's savings and house.

There was likely more drama later, but those who knew about it could only shake their heads.

...

With May Day just around the corner and the week-long holiday approaching, everyone was eager to think about where to go for fun. Shen Qingye was also thinking about where to go if her mother had time.

Just as the discussion was heating up, the office door suddenly knocked.

This commotion...

Shen Qingye's heart stirred, and she turned to see that it was indeed the operator Xiao Liu standing at the door, with a bitter smile saying:

"Captain Yue, there’s a case."

"Someone in Wuping Village reported finding a body in their fish pond."

Everyone exchanged glances—after two weeks of peace, another case had come their way.

"Let's go!" Yue Lingchuan stood up and called out.

Zhou Qiming drawled, "Off to work we go!"