Chapter 2 02

Chapter 02

The Deputy Bureau Chief’s office was in the main building, a fair distance from Building 7, home to the Missing Persons Investigation Unit.

He Lin, having secured his new recruit, no longer walked with the hurried pace he’d had on the way there. Instead, he strolled leisurely through the sun-drenched municipal bureau courtyard with Li Shang, as if staking his claim.

The two chatted as they walked back, though it was mostly He Lin doing the talking while Li Shang listened quietly.

“There were four investigative officers in the unit before: myself; Wu Yunsheng, an experienced veteran; a young officer named Fang Jue; and a female officer, Cheng Xiaoyi, who handles technology and surveillance… Everyone has their role, and we work together quite well.”

After a brief overview, He Lin asked him, “Why did you choose the Missing Persons Investigation Unit?”

He didn’t believe Lao Bai was that generous; Li Shang’s choice must have been decisive, and He Lin was curious about it.

Li Shang seemed a man of few words. His handsome features, refined by time, now carried an air of aloofness that made him difficult to approach.

When He Lin posed the question, Li Shang lowered his head and hesitated for a moment. “I think the pressure here isn’t too great.”

Then, he looked up and countered, “What about you, Captain He? Why did you come here?”

He Lin recalled, “It’s a bit strange, actually. When I transferred, I had many options, but the moment I saw the list, the Missing Persons Investigation Unit immediately caught my eye. Perhaps, subconsciously, I really wanted to find those who are missing.”

He Lin had many old friends in the police system who had already helped him identify vacant positions and those with better promotion prospects. But He Lin found it hard to describe his feelings at the time—it was as if a sense of mission had settled on his shoulders. He even wondered if he had made a promise or taken an oath. It was as if he were “bewitched,” determined to join this department no matter what.

“After I arrived, I also felt this place was genuinely good,” He Lin continued leisurely. “This department is quiet. Although it gets busy when cases pile up or before the Mid-Autumn Festival, as you said, the pressure isn’t too intense. Plus, there isn’t as much internal drama here.”

Simply put, it wasn't like the narcotics division, where officers had to outwit drug dealers daily, constantly facing life-or-death situations. Nor was it like criminal investigation, where they were constantly pressured to deliver results, uncover the truth, and issue police announcements. And it wasn't like popular departments where leaders could be parachuted in at any moment.

Though the unit was small, its authority was considerable. They could focus entirely on investigating cases without being distracted by office politics.

As they walked, the two continued their conversation.

He Lin then asked about Li Shang’s background.

When he heard Li Shang was from Tianning Base, He Lin was surprised. “I was at Tianning too. Which team were you on?”

Li Shang calmly replied, “Blue Sparrow.”

Blue Sparrow was the most mysterious and smallest of Tianning’s special operations teams, specializing in less violent but essential investigative tasks such as hacking, surveillance, drones, information interference, code decryption, and terrain reconnaissance.

Blue Sparrow included many administrative staff as well as some SWAT officers who had passed rigorous exams. Unlike other teams that only required physical tests, Blue Sparrow also required additional cultural exams. Those who made it in were top performers in both areas.

He Lin nodded slightly. “Then your transfer is a good fit. You should adapt quickly.”

Li Shang asked, “Where are you from, Captain He?”

He Lin replied with a hint of pride, “I was in Dragon Flame.”

This team was Tianning Base’s ace unit, well-known both in Yuncheng and nationwide.

Part of Yuncheng bordered another country, near the frontier.

Tianning Base was located not far north of Yuncheng, and served as the most professional and largest SWAT training base in the area.

It housed a large training center capable of accommodating thousands of people, training specialized SWAT officers for three nearby provinces.

Tianning Base was home to four special operations teams, composed of elites selected through rigorous screening processes from thousands of ordinary SWAT officers.

The most famous among them was Dragon Flame, responsible for handling special missions both domestically and internationally.

Undercover operations, cross-border arrests, hostage rescues, and even joint operations with foreign police forces—as long as the matter didn’t require military or army-level intervention, it was their responsibility.

Besides Dragon Flame, the other teams were: Python, suited for mountain operations and arrests; Wolf Fang, handling urban counter-terrorism; and Blue Sparrow, as mentioned by Li Shang.

As they approached the office building, He Lin asked, “Why did you leave?”

Li Shang said, “Partly because of age, and partly because injuries affected my physical fitness, which impacted operational readiness.” The decision to leave the base was his own, practical and logical. Although he had other reasons for coming to Yuncheng, these explanations were sufficient for He Lin.

He Lin could tell he wasn’t in the best health, but since he was accepted into the municipal bureau, he must have passed the physical tests and gained approval from leadership.

He turned to reassure him, “I also came here after retiring due to injuries. How’s your health, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He Lin’s intention wasn’t to criticize but to better support his team member in the future.

Li Shang replied, “I have anemia and some old injuries. They don’t act up often and won’t affect work.”

He Lin understood. This condition indeed wasn’t suitable for continuing as SWAT, but it shouldn’t be a problem for general police work. “We don’t have many arrest situations here. I’ll give you more desk work.”

Li Shang hesitated for a moment before adding, “There’s one more thing I should mention. Even though I no longer work at the base, if they need to recall me for a mission, I’ll have to go back for a while.”

He Lin expressed understanding. He had heard of such cases before—the base had a recall policy for certain specialized personnel. “If the base requires it, I’ll make arrangements here accordingly.”

.

The two entered the office, and He Lin introduced Li Shang to the team.

Wu Yunsheng was the oldest among them, appearing to be in his forties with a weathered complexion, crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, and a kindly smile. He gave off a friendly, approachable manner, typical of a seasoned veteran who had spent years in field work.

Lao Wu introduced himself, “I started in narcotics. Later, after getting married, my superiors took pity on me, and I moved from narcotics to criminal investigation. Then, when my wife had a child and the kid was too young, I needed to take care of the family and couldn’t work long overtime hours, so I transferred to the Missing Persons Investigation Unit. I’m familiar with several departments here—I’ll introduce you around later.”

He Lin said, “Lao Wu is the rock of our team. With him here, I don’t have to worry about daily operations.”

Next, he introduced the young officer—Fang Jue, who had short hair and a bright, sunny smile full of energy.

As soon as he saw Li Shang, Fang Jue stood up straight like a class president meeting a transfer student and enthusiastically introduced himself, “I’m Fang Jue. I joined the unit a year before you. Lao Wu is my mentor—he’s been guiding me all along. Besides investigations, I’m also the team's driver. Usually, I handle the driving for field work.”

As the only female officer on the team, Cheng Xiaoyi had rushed out in the morning with her hair loosely tied into a short ponytail. Now, meeting a new colleague, she became conscious of her appearance and somewhat embarrassedly tidied her stray hairs. “I’m Cheng Xiaoyi. I graduated with a degree in police surveillance technology and handle digital data collection and video surveillance analysis for the unit. If you need any data, just ask me.”

After introducing the team, He Lin showed Li Shang around the office space. The entire third floor of Building 7 belonged to their department.

There was an office, a meeting room, a kitchenette, a bathroom with shower facilities, a double-bed duty room, and—occupying the most space—an archives room.

The archives room was carefully maintained, equipped with ventilation and dehumidification systems to prevent documents from molding. The door had an electronic fingerprint lock.

He Lin helped him register his fingerprint.

Once inside, Li Shang looked up and couldn’t see the back of the room. Several rows of tall shelves filled the space, each crammed with densely packed case files neatly arranged by year, layer upon layer.

He glanced at the year labels above.

Each file represented at least one missing person, dating from decades ago to the present.

Though not as direct as seeing a body or bones, the sight was a poignant reminder of life’s uncertainties.

He Lin pointed to the files and said to Li Shang, “This is where Yuncheng’s most comprehensive collection of missing persons cases is stored. Even district sub-bureaus or county offices come here to access missing records. Those marked with red labels indicate the person was later found and the case closed. Most without labels are still missing.”

Li Shang gave a quiet acknowledgment and pulled out a file to look through. The paper had noticeably yellowed. According to the age recorded, if the missing person were still alive, they would be 87 years old. Perhaps they had already died, or even if found, the family who had waited for their return might have passed away. This thin file was evidence that they had once lived.

But as long as this file remained here, no matter how slim the hope, the police would never give up searching for them.

After reading, Li Shang slid the file back into place.

Perhaps in a few years, they would trace his whereabouts, red-tag the file, and only then would it be considered complete.

He Lin said, "One of your tasks from now on will be archiving and organizing case files. After receiving new files, you'll need to extract the information, enter it into the master spreadsheet, and scan an electronic copy. Then, store the photocopies and originals separately. You should also familiarize yourself with the locations of past files so you can retrieve them quickly when needed. If there's any progress in a case, update it promptly and mark it accordingly."

"Other duties mainly involve accompanying me on ride-alongs, assisting in investigations, writing scene investigation reports, documenting witness statements, and completing case closure reports."

Although these tasks are mostly document-based, they are all quite tedious and require immense patience, making them far from easy.

He Lin had initially worried that Li Shang might struggle with them, but to his surprise, Li Shang replied without hesitation, "Okay."

He Lin even wondered if it was his imagination, but in the somewhat dimly lit archives, Li Shang's eyes seemed bright, as if he was very satisfied with the work arrangement.

He Lin added, "The team was originally small, but with you here, we can now split into two teams for call response, which will facilitate investigations."

Li Shang said, "Yeah, I can also drive."

Afterward, He Lin took him to the auxiliary unit and introduced him to the person in charge there. Their department didn’t have a high frequency of police calls and shared over twenty auxiliary officers with several other departments.

After touring the area, He Lin assigned Li Shang a desk next to his own, side by side with Fang Jue.

Fang Jue enthusiastically helped Li Shang set up his workstation, while Cheng Xiaoyi logged him into the police system and gave him a handbook. Nowadays, the police also work electronically, with various verifications and arrests requiring formal application processes. The handbook contained instructions for all these procedures.

Li Shang took the handbook and looked down to review it carefully.

The Missing Persons Investigation Unit had high investigative authority, including access to cell phone tracking, call data, credit/debit card purchases, train and flight tickets, and other information. They could also quickly access surveillance footage from cameras across the city and conduct DNA comparisons.

Li Shang quietly committed these details to memory.

"If there's anything you're unsure about, you can ask me anytime," Fang Jue said, leaning over. "Investigating cases is much more convenient now than before."

Wu Yunsheng, however, offered a dose of reality: "But you should also be mentally prepared. No matter how advanced our methods are, there are still many people in this world who are simply never found."

Hearing this, Li Shang looked thoughtful and raised his head to glance at He Lin's profile.

After getting a basic understanding, it was finally time to start work.

In no time, Li Shang had tidied his desk neatly, wiping it spotless. In the corner of the monitor, he neatly placed several small sticky notes filled with elegant handwriting.

He Lin gave him a few files recently submitted by precincts to organize and input electronically.

What was expected to take at least half a day was completed by Li Shang in just two hours. He even pointed out several omissions and errors in the files.

He Lin asked Li Shang, "Have you done similar investigative work before?"

Li Shang replied, "It's my first time."

He Lin asked a few more questions, and Li Shang's answers were clear and thorough, earning him repeated nods of approval.

Moreover, he noticed that Li Shang had excellent work habits—meticulous, thorough, and proficient with system operations—making him seem nothing like a newcomer.

He felt tempted to mentor Li Shang and take him on as an apprentice.

But He Lin quickly dismissed the thought.

He regretfully realized that Li Shang was slightly older than him, and it would be awkward to have him call him "mentor," so he reluctantly gave up on the idea.

.

Soon it was noon. At the municipal bureau, officers usually had lunch at the small cafeteria.

Fang Jue, while helping Li Shang pick up a tray, shared some tips in a lowered voice: "Whatever you do, don’t order the braised chicken. Who knows how long that frozen chicken has been there—it has a freezer-burnt taste. Even the chef can’t stand it..."

"The Yangzhou fried rice is pretty authentic, though. Get extra."

"If you want to treat yourself, go for the salt and pepper pork chops in the cafeteria. They’re usually freshly bought—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Absolutely amazing."

The five of them sat together at a table.

Fang Jue chattered endlessly with Cheng Xiaoyi about gossip and fun stories, while Wu Yunsheng and He Lin discussed the previous case.

Halfway through the meal, noticing that Li Shang hadn’t said a word, Fang Jue couldn’t resist stopping his chat with Cheng Xiaoyi and turning to ask him, "Li Shang, you’re pretty quiet."

Cheng Xiaoyi nodded in agreement, teasing with a smile, "Yeah, he has this aloof vibe, like he’s above worldly desires. There’s a bit of a 'keep your distance' aura."

He Lin felt the same way. There was a cool, detached quality about the newcomer. Sometimes a slight smile was as expressive as he got, like a piece of ice that wasn’t easy to melt.

Li Shang lowered his head and explained, "I have social anxiety."

Cheng Xiaoyi said, "Oh, an 'I' type. Have you done the full version of the MBTI?"

Li Shang calmly recited a few letters: "INTP."

Cheng Xiaoyi let out an impressed "whoa": "A Logician—curious, loves learning, gentle natured, enjoys solitude. I’m an INFP, a little butterfly." She then turned to He Lin and asked, "Captain He, have you taken the test?"

He Lin replied, "I have, but I don’t really remember the exact result. It was something like..." He thought for a moment. "A Protagonist personality."

Cheng Xiaoyi laughed, stirring her soup with a spoon: "ENFJ—that’s the so-called 'great sword.' Firm confidence, clear goals, warm altruism. It really suits you, Captain He."

Lao Wu, listening nearby, looked completely lost. He clearly wasn’t familiar with these trendy terms young people used and asked curiously what each letter stood for.

Cheng Xiaoyi explained it to him in detail and enthusiastically sent him a link to take the test later.

Fang Jue, who had been listening, quickly chimed in, "I’m an 'I' type too."

Cheng Xiaoyi rolled her eyes at him: "You’re definitely an 'E,' and I suspect you’re an ENFP."

Fang Jue perked up at that: "Is that the best personality?"

Cheng Xiaoyi looked at him with a teasing smile: "With your personality, you can stay optimistic even when your butt is on fire, have almost zero self-control, and go crazy if no one talks to you for three hours. That’s a classic ENFP—the happy puppy."

Fang Jue scratched his chin, somewhat embarrassed: "Alright, I admit I have some of those traits. But I still think I’m introverted. After work, I look at the dishes and clothes at home and don’t feel like moving. I just want to lie down and sleep alone."

Cheng Xiaoyi pressed further: "Would you rather play games or lie alone?"

Fang Jue thought for a moment: "Play games."

"If someone treats you to a meal, would you go to the gathering or stay alone?"

"Of course, I’d go to the gathering."

Cheng Xiaoyi mercilessly exposed Fang Jue’s "disguise": "See? That’s not being an 'I'—you’re just plain lazy."

With that definitive remark, Fang Jue temporarily fell silent, and everyone could eat in peace.

Wu Yunsheng finished first. After studying Li Shang for a moment, he suddenly asked, "By the way, Li Shang, how old are you?"

Li Shang’s expression didn’t change. He lowered his head to pick up some food and stated a number: "Thirty."

Hearing this answer, aside from He Lin, who already knew, and Wu Yunsheng, who had asked, Fang Jue and Cheng Xiaoyi both looked surprised.

Li Shang seemed to notice their reaction and added, "I don’t have much experience in criminal investigation. I’m still a newcomer."

"That's not the point..." Fang Jue looked at Li Shang as if he were some kind of monster, his face full of disappointment and his tone laced with frustration. "You look so young—I thought... I could finally escape being the youngest in the team."

Cheng Xiaoyi, who graduated from the police academy four years ago and is now twenty-six, seeing her junior become her senior, mused, "I thought he was twenty-five at most. Looking like this, I'd believe he's still in college." She then turned to Wu Yunsheng and asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"It’s in the eyes," Wu Yunsheng replied with a knowing smile. "Li Shang has nice-looking eyes, but the expression in them isn’t as simple as he appears."

Although he didn't understand young people's fashionable things, his years of experience as a detective had honed his intuition to a sharp edge.

After the meal, everyone got up to clear their trays.

Cheng Xiaoyi began pressing Li Shang for answers: "How do you maintain your youth? You’ve got to teach me later."

Li Shang: "..."

Before he could respond, Fang Jue cut in from behind: "Some people are just naturally baby-faced. Don’t even bother—it’s not something you can learn."

His words struck Cheng Xiaoyi like a dagger straight to the heart. The fast-talking little dog had successfully gotten his revenge for earlier, and Miss Cheng chased him all the way back to the office, completely unconcerned about whether such vigorous exercise might lead to appendicitis.

Li Shang and He Lin walked out of the cafeteria side by side.

Wu Yunsheng walked last, frowning at his phone with a bewildered "old man on the subway" expression, muttering to himself: "What in the world is this 'ESFJ male mom' thing now?"