Chapter 33 10

Chapter 33: 10

An emergency had struck the city, ensuring an all-night work session for everyone.

Two critical tasks lay before them: locating Chen Zhuo and finding the four missing children.

They might be hidden together or scattered apart. Either way, the police had precious few leads; beyond Yu Wanying's testimony, corroborating evidence was almost nonexistent.

It had been a long time since the City Bureau faced such a formidable challenge. The multiple disappearances severely strained police resources, demanding their utmost effort.

The investigation had pinpointed Green Mountain Camp as the likely disappearance site, but its vastness posed a new problem: how to swiftly conduct a search with limited personnel.

Director Chen made a decisive move, establishing a temporary command center at the Sixth Branch, the closest station to the area. He relocated officers from the City Bureau and requested assistance from several other branches.

Deputy Director Xie, assessing the ongoing investigation, appointed three new commanders to lead criminal investigation, technical support, and search operations. He streamlined reporting protocols, mobilizing hundreds of officers for a coordinated search.

Director Chen kept He Lin and Li Shang in the command room to assist. He Lin was tasked with overseeing the eventual arrest, while Li Shang was assigned to facilitate communication between the various teams.

As time slipped by, the command center buzzed with activity. Every person moved with the urgency of a battlefield, information flooding in from all directions, yet the situation remained dire.

The Green Mountain Camp area was sparsely populated, and with nightfall approaching, the investigation would only grow more difficult.

That evening, He Lin seized a brief lull, walking through the brightly lit corridor directly to Li Shang, who was engrossed in his work in a quiet corner.

"What do you want for dinner? I’ll order takeout."

This was typical of their job—when busy, meals became irregular. They had returned late that morning, and the small cafeteria offered only leftovers, which they had quickly eaten.

Li Shang was engrossed in his screen, his expression serious after sending an email. Without looking up, he curtly replied, "No need to order for me."

He Lin disapproved of Li Shang's attitude. He stepped forward, blocking Li Shang’s computer screen. "That won't do. Food is fuel. The case is important, but you can't work on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you'll collapse before we even find the criminals."

Li Shang, overshadowed by He Lin’s imposing figure, pursed his lips in annoyance. Only then did he look up, his gaze meeting He Lin’s.

After a long moment of silent exchange, under He Lin’s unwavering stare, Li Shang finally conceded. He slowly offered a genuine explanation: "I have no appetite. I don't feel like eating."

Li Shang, already fair-skinned, had eaten little at noon and worked tirelessly through the afternoon into the evening. His lips were now even paler, giving him a fragile appearance.

He Lin worried that if this continued, Li Shang wouldn't be able to sustain himself.

Yet, Director Chen held Li Shang in high regard, funneling a significant amount of information through him.

He Lin understood the extraordinary circumstances. Even if he privately wished Li Shang could rest, Director Chen wouldn't permit it. And even if Director Chen did… He Lin sighed, glancing at Li Shang, who was diligently working at his computer. Li Shang wouldn't listen to him anyway.

Through their time together, He Lin had come to realize that Li Shang was an absolute workaholic, often forgetting to eat or sleep once immersed in a task.

He wasn't particularly fond of food himself, neither skilled at cooking nor inclined to prepare his own meals. Ordering takeout was a rare occurrence. Sometimes, he even overlooked his own need to eat, and if no one reminded him, he wouldn't even realize he'd missed a meal.

He Lin felt Li Shang seemed to neglect himself, almost unconsciously mistreating his body.

It was as if sheer willpower alone could sustain him, making He Lin wonder how he had managed to grow up so seemingly effortlessly.

At that moment, He Lin gazed at Li Shang’s pale, clean profile, thinking, *This person is so delicate and hard to please.* But then he felt the word was wrong—what delicate person would work tirelessly through such heavy and complex tasks all day? Yet, what undelicate person would need to be asked multiple times just to reluctantly take a bite of food?

This reminded He Lin of a kitten his mother had once brought home.

That cat had been equally difficult to care for. Upon arriving, it refused to eat or drink. Everyone said it wouldn't survive, and even his mother gradually lost patience, simply leaving out goat's milk and water for it to fend for itself.

He Lin was on summer break at the time. Being a person full of compassion and a strong sense of responsibility, he took it upon himself to feed the cat.

He warmed the goat's milk, mixed in some cat food, and patiently spoon-fed it. When the cat still showed no interest, he took it to the vet. The doctor diagnosed a weak digestive system, so He Lin mixed probiotics and anti-inflammatory medication into its food, slowly nursing it back to health. The kitten ate little, so he fed it small, frequent meals, tirelessly offering food seven or eight times a day.

He Lin found it a challenging task and didn't mind the effort.

Under his meticulous care, the kitten eventually thrived, growing to eight months old.

Later, when his family moved and couldn't take the cat with them, they gave it to a relative.

Now, looking at Li Shang, He Lin felt the same sense of responsibility and determination resurface. He wanted to try—if he could nurture a palm-sized kitten to health, surely he could take care of a grown man.

He Lin persisted, unwilling to give up: "Eat a little. Who knows how long we’ll be working? I’ll order you some congee."

Li Shang conceded with a quiet "mm," turning his eyes to He Lin. "Plain congee is fine."

In truth, Li Shang had felt unwell since the afternoon. After a few bites of cold food at noon, his stomach had begun to cramp intermittently.

He knew his body well: he could endure without eating, but sometimes, eating would trigger spasms, and he couldn't predict their severity. So, for dinner, he dared not eat, opting instead for warm sugar water to maintain his energy.

Yet, he understood He Lin’s concern and didn’t want to dismiss his kindness.

Moreover, after working non-stop for so long, he also feared that not eating at all would lead to a complete collapse. In the end, he agreed to let He Lin bring him plain congee.

Shortly after He Lin placed the order, Director Chen called another meeting for each group to report their progress.

Personnel from the headquarters and several branches gathered, filling the largest conference room at the Sixth Branch to near capacity. Extra stools were brought in for observers.

Currently, Chen Zhuo had no record of leaving the city. The highways had long been blocked, so he was likely still in Yuncheng. Officers had exhausted every avenue to track him, but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

There was no news of the four children either.

In the early stages of the investigation, everyone had been fueled by adrenaline. But now, it felt like a long-distance race in its final stretch—the initial excitement had faded, yet the finish line remained elusive.

Officers from the criminal investigation department had been working continuously for over twenty-four hours, their faces etched with exhaustion.

Personnel from the branches, accustomed to a more relaxed routine, found it difficult to adapt to such a major emergency and were unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities.

Time was short, leads were scarce, and the search was extremely challenging. These problems stood like impenetrable barriers before everyone.

The case had hit a bottleneck. Progress was slow across all teams, and the large number of personnel led to complicated procedures. Groups began shifting blame, and complaints were rampant.

During the discussion, several mid-level leaders grew emotional, their words heated, nearly escalating into arguments. Deputy Director Xie struggled to maintain order.

The head of the technical team stated, "We’ve temporarily reassigned personnel for surveillance and screening, but the scope is too vast, and time is running out. The key still lies with criminal investigation—we’re severely short on leads right now!"

The head of criminal investigation also looked worried. "Location, location is everything! We’ve deployed dozens of people, but we’re like headless flies. To carry out arrests and rescues, we need precise locations. If we keep going like this, we might not find them even in three days."

The investigation team also complained, "We’ve checked everywhere we can. We’ve turned over every stone. That little bastard was well-prepared, hiding from everyone—from relatives to friends, no one knows where he is. Tell us, what else is there to investigate?"

He Lin had no patience for their arguments. He took a call from the delivery person and went out to pick up the food himself, seeking a moment of peace. Their bickering was giving him a headache.

Although Li Shang was uncomfortable, he could still endure it. His calm expression made it hard for others to notice anything amiss. He sat almost unnoticed in the observer’s seat, diligently taking meeting notes.

It wasn’t an easy task—he had to sift through the leaders’ ramblings to extract a few useful sentences, all while filtering out the useless complaints and curses.

Under normal circumstances, Li Shang might have patiently dealt with such tedious work, but today, with his discomfort, his patience had worn thin.

At this moment, seeing He Lin leave the room and hearing the others either arguing over trivial matters or engaging in a blame game for the failure to locate the suspect—with no one offering any constructive suggestions—his patience reached its limit.

Just then, Deputy Director Xie slammed the table in fury: "Enough of this blame-shifting nonsense! You're wasting everyone's time. If you're incompetent, just resign—don’t warm a seat without contributing."

Those who had been arguing heatedly fell silent at the reprimand, and the room quieted down for a few rare seconds.

Deputy Director Xie continued: "Your investigative approach is chaotic—how can you direct your subordinates effectively? According to online purchase records, the suspect had already bought large quantities of flammable chemicals. He must have planned this long ago, intending to burn the children to death. You can’t drag this out until the fire starts and still have no whereabouts! If a major incident occurs, who will take responsibility?"

The meeting room fell into silence; those who had been arguing moments ago were now quiet.

Director Chen cleared his throat and began to play the good cop: "Does anyone have any constructive suggestions? Let’s fill in the gaps and move forward as quickly as possible."

Hearing this, those who had just fallen silent grew eager to speak again.

Li Shang seized the moment, clicking his pen shut and slamming it heavily on the table with a thud, cutting off the impending argument.

In the brief silence that followed, Li Shang spoke coolly: "Has anyone conducted a backtracking investigation into Chen Zhuo’s possible hiding spots?"

With He Lin absent, he felt no need to hold back. Sitting in the observer seat, he crossed his long legs casually, his expression icy, holding a tablet as he posed the question directly.

The attendees were all mid-level leaders from the municipal bureau and precincts, with the lowest rank being team leaders. No one expected an observer to interject.

The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to him.

Li Shang remained unflappable, meeting the doubtful looks with calm assurance, his aloof eyes not lingering on anyone.

He appeared young, with handsome features and a slightly pale complexion. Dressed in a white shirt, he exuded a commanding presence.

Everyone wondered: Who is this? Where did he come from? Who does he think he’s bossing around?

And what did he mean by "backtracking investigation"?

Director Chen, however, heard Li Shang’s words and quickly gestured: "Officer Li, please elaborate."

The old man had been holding back for a long time, growing increasingly anxious as the meeting dragged on, his blood pressure spiking. The branch bureau leaders had initially seen this as a chance for a promotion, rushing to take charge, but once things stalled, they started shifting blame. Due to the complex personnel dynamics between the municipal and branch bureaus, Director Chen couldn’t directly overstep his authority and had to play mediator, unable to call the shots.

Now that Li Shang was speaking up, the old man wished he could hand him a microphone and applaud.

Li Shang’s voice was steady and calm, his reasoning clear, devoid of any emotion: "What I mean is, Chen Zhuo has obviously been hiding his recent movements deliberately. But he’s been planning this trap for a long time and must have carefully chosen the location."

At this, Li Shang raised his head, scanning the room with a sharp gaze, as if seeing pure incompetence on their faces: "The site won’t be small—it must be abandoned and hard to detect. The suspect likely visited it multiple times over the past few months for rehearsals and setup. Focusing only on recent activities might be inefficient. I suggest tracing back at least three months. Check transportation cards, ride-hailing records, shared bike logs, all purchase records, meal orders—everything. We might find some clues."

His words made the struggling lead investigator suddenly see the light, and he nodded repeatedly: "Good, this is feasible. I’ll arrange for the records to be retrieved right away."

Li Shang continued: "Now that the scope is narrowed to Qingshan Camp, it’s best to integrate the area’s flat and topographic maps for analysis and deployment."

Previously, the maps discussed were scattered and disorganized, with no integration. The teams had been operating independently, leaving gaps easily.

Li Shang showed no hesitation, naturally and skillfully assigning tasks to everyone present. At this critical moment, he wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.

"Additionally, assigned officers should be deployed to monitor each area closely for any signs of fire. Report immediately if any are detected."

…

"Drones can also be used for infrared scans from the air. Though thick walls and obstructions might make some areas hard to detect, it could at least rule out some wrong locations."

His voice was quiet yet measured, concise and clear, pointing the way forward and addressing multiple problems. Most importantly, his suggestions were precise, practical, and detailed, with no room for doubt or criticism.

"All teams, please coordinate and implement these measures promptly," Director Chen added. "We already have SWAT, fire, and medical teams on standby. Officer Li, is there anything else that needs special preparation?"

Li Shang didn’t overstate. After a moment’s thought, he replied: "Area defense is crucial. Report the list of flammable chemicals Chen Zhuo purchased to the fire department. Coordinate with the hospital—it’s best to notify burn specialists in advance. To be safe, also contact the suspect’s former homeroom teacher to gather information and rule out any possibility of accomplices. If cleared, they could also serve as a person of interest for negotiation purposes."

His thinking was thorough and meticulous, solving the problem in just a few minutes.

Director Chen nodded repeatedly before turning to the others: "Understood? Hurry up—submit new progress reports within an hour."

The attendees agreed and dispersed to their tasks. In no time, the meeting room was mostly cleared out.

He Lin came back with food and ran into Lin Hui in the hallway as he was leaving the meeting.

"The meeting ended so quickly?" He Lin said in surprise. "I thought they’d drag it out."

Lin Hui nodded slightly: "It’s over." Adjusting his glasses, he asked curiously, "By the way, what’s the background of your new team member?"

He Lin initially didn’t think much of it and raised an eyebrow, answering reflexively: "He was transferred here. Why?"

Seeing He Lin’s reaction, Lin Hui realized he might not know much about Li Shang either and looked at him somewhat complicatedly: "Nothing much. He spoke up during the meeting."

At this, He Lin grew interested and pressed: "What did he say?"

"Basically…" Lin Hui carefully chose his words, putting it bluntly, "everyone present is garbage."

He Lin was stunned: "..."

Lin Hui quickly lowered his voice to add: "Don’t misunderstand—I’m not being sarcastic. He wasn’t disrespectful; he was just solving the problem. As you heard earlier, the original plan was unworkable—they bickered pointlessly for half an hour with no progress. If we’d waited for the old-timers to argue it out, it would’ve been too late. I guess Li Shang was annoyed by the noise, so he cut to the chase and laid out a plan in just a few sentences. At least it shut those loudmouths up."

He Lin: "..."

Such high praise?

Why does it sound even more sarcastic?