Chapter 203: [Extra·Reunion (5)] “Novice”

Chapter 203 [Extra: Reunion (5)] "The Rookie"

The fraud ring's hideout was nestled between the Nanshan and Baoan districts.

Not far at all.

Before leaving, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division paused by the victim, who had arrived early at the station to cooperate with the investigation, and said, "This hideout is very close to your registered address. We suspect an acquaintance might be involved, so be prepared. Also..."

He stopped, then glanced at his watch. "We'll discuss it further when we return."

Jian Ruochen understood his unspoken words.

If it was an acquaintance-led operation, yet so organized and disciplined, the money had likely already been transferred abroad, not lingering in front-end accounts.

From the outcome, this fraud scheme, though not heavily reliant on high technology, was remarkably flexible and cunning.

Using overseas ringleaders to control local operatives meant that even if exposed, the police, after apprehending the local operatives, would likely close the case at that point due to the difficulty of tracing the overseas masterminds. This way, the ringleaders could rest easy and, by monitoring the silence of their local contacts, gauge the investigation's progress. They could then cautiously avoid operating in Nanshan District or even Shenzhen when manipulating their next set of pawns.

However, these details couldn't be shared with the victim yet, to prevent emotional distress.

Only three members from the Technical Reconnaissance Unit had arrived—a small team—and they shared a car with the new recruits from the Criminal Investigation Division.

The deputy captain drove in silence, while another officer, a graduate of Zhejiang Police Academy, sat in the passenger seat, quiet as a mouse.

In the middle row sat two tech reconnaissance personnel, clutching remote controls and drones. Jian Ruochen and Guan Yingjun occupied the very back.

Guan Yingjun, with his long legs, had to sit with them splayed, his knee inevitably brushing against the thigh of the person beside him.

Jian Ruochen nudged him lightly, his voice barely a whisper: "Can you do it?"

Guan Yingjun glanced over: ?

Do what?

Jian Ruochen's eyes flickered toward the drone in the front seat.

Guan Yingjun nodded.

He actually retained all the memories of this body.

Sometimes, he even felt that everything in Hong Kong was a shared dream between him and Jian Ruochen.

The scenery outside the window receded rapidly, blurring into streaks.

Guan Yingjun's fingers rested on his thighs, his knuckles broad and strong.

Jian Ruochen knew how those hands felt to hold—the palms weren't as rough as in their past lives, and there were no scars on his forearms. Their size...

A little larger than before.

But that was fine; bigger hands meant a taller person.

Jian Ruochen was taller too.

Being 183 cm was great!

The air up here was fresh, the view expansive.

It was just that the back seat... was a bit hot.

Jian Ruochen repeatedly tugged at his collar to let air in, loosening his black tactical suit slightly.

From the front, the deputy captain turned up the AC. "Don't tug at your tactical suit. If the bulletproof vest shifts, it might not protect vital areas. Better to be hot than unsafe."

Jian Ruochen understood.

He adjusted the rear air vent to blow toward his upper body. "Understood." Then he straightened his tactical suit.

Ten minutes later.

A convoy of police cars drove directly into the old district, stopping below the building from which the fraud hideout's signal originated.

The captain picked up the radio: "Attention, everyone. First, check and seal off any escape routes. Rookies, stay put and follow me."

Jian Ruochen opened the door and stepped out.

The new officer from Zhejiang Police Academy in the passenger seat looked on enviously.

Such long legs!

He jumped out of the car, glanced down at his own legs, sighed quietly, and clipped a high-lumen particle light to his cap brim.

An elderly man taking a stroll downstairs stopped, hands behind his back, and peered over.

The captain of the Criminal Investigation Division asked, "Sir, who lives in this building? Are there any unfamiliar faces?"

"Yes," the old man said, his speech slurred from missing teeth. "The two families on the second and third floors—they hardly ever go out. The one on the fourth floor comes back every night around midnight. She always wears high heels, too—click, click, click! So noisy, it's hard to sleep!"

The captain nodded, "Mmhmm," while raising a hand to stop the old man. "Wait down here a bit longer. Don't go up until we're done, for your own safety."

The old man agreed, saying "Alright, alright," and walked twenty meters away, watching the commotion from behind a dilapidated gray van.

A small crowd gathered at the end of the street, but everyone kept their distance.

Jian Ruochen glanced back and was suddenly reminded of the curious senior citizens in Hong Kong who always wanted to be helpful citizens before legal awareness was widespread. He instinctively turned to look at Guan Yingjun.

Their eyes met, and when they looked away, there was a hint of shared amusement in both their expressions.

Over the radio, an officer assigned to the task reported: "Report, report, escape routes sealed. The west-facing window on the third floor is open, and there are people inside. We've been spotted. Over!"

The captain turned. "Drone operators from the Technical Reconnaissance Unit, launch the drone for reconnaissance."

As he spoke, he opened the trunk and handed a length of rope to Jian Ruochen. "You, go to the rooftop and await orders."

"Got it." Jian Ruochen took the rope and made his way upstairs. He pressed a button on the right side of his goggles, and soon, the real-time drone footage and its 3D scan of the area synced to his display.

Through the translucent display, he moved quietly up the stairs, quickly reaching the top floor. Skillfully, he used a thumb-sized "master key" to pick the lock on the iron door sealing the rooftop.

Jian Ruochen's expression was complex as he pocketed the tiny "master key."

Wow. Finally, no more using bank cards to pick locks or being a makeshift locksmith.

Back in a high-tech police force, living the smart life!

He pushed the door open, closed it behind him, and shared the footage from the body camera on his left chest to the public channel. "Report, report, rooftop position secured."

The next moment, over the channel.

Guan Yingjun said, "Report, suspects are located on the third floor. The interior scan is complete."

The drone used for mapping imaging was only half the size of a palm. It flew silently along the ceiling, making it difficult to detect.

Guan Yingjun couldn't put it down.

No wonder in his previous life, Jian Ruochen poured money into electronic technology just to develop things like drones.

They really are useful.

Unfortunately, by the time this device came out in his previous life, he and Jian Ruochen had become obsessed with fishing and never got the chance to try it.

"Tech surveillance team, eavesdrop. The rest of you, take positions at the door of the target rental unit on the third floor. Prepare to breach," the captain of the criminal investigation team said, his instructions orderly and efficient. His speech was so rapid it sounded almost slurred.

"Jian Ruochen, I heard your rappelling score is excellent. Please rappel down and secure the window to prevent the suspect from jumping out in panic. The third floor is still quite high."

If someone got injured from a fall, it would complicate the investigation.

Jian Ruochen responded, "Copy that."

He doubly secured the rope, fastened his safety harness, pinpointed the landing spot based on the scan, and rappelled down to the third-floor window.

Guan Yingjun only needed to tilt his head slightly to see Jian Ruochen rappelling down from the rooftop.

Eighteen meters.

1.92 seconds.

Two pushes off the wall.

No wonder Jian Ruochen had dared to climb down a drainpipe from the second floor to steal a lunchbox back in the day.

Jian Ruochen's combat boots tightly wrapped around his ankles and the lower third of his calves. One foot pressed vertically against the wall while the other bent slightly to stabilize his center of gravity. His black tactical pants were somewhat loose, but the knives and sidearm strapped to his thighs and calves revealed the true shape of his legs—slender, powerful, explosively strong, with well-proportioned muscles.

Guan Yingjun looked up at him, his breath catching.

In their previous life, Jian Ruochen hadn't been in such good shape. He was the most skilled among the consultants, but not the most agile among the police officers.

So this was the physique he once had.

Jian Ruochen engaged his core, balancing almost entirely with the strength of his feet, hands, and abdominal muscles as he hung suspended in mid-air.

Guan Yingjun was momentarily entranced, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.

Suddenly, the drone's eavesdropping channel picked up a conversation: "The police are here."

Guan Yingjun immediately adjusted the channel volume, transmitting the audio clearly to all team members.

A gruff male voice, deliberately lowered, said, "I told you that guy reported us, but you didn't believe me! Now what? What do we do?"

A younger male voice whispered, "Escape... what else can we do? The money's already been transferred. We can't pay the fines."

"Tch."

"Stop complaining and hurry up. Delete everything on the computer," the younger voice said, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"I just checked the window!" the gruff-voiced man said. "It's full of cops. How do we escape?"

A high-pitched, androgynous voice chimed in, "Jump out the window. I've checked—there's a garbage dump below. If we can still get up after landing, we can use our knowledge of the area to lose the police. If we're lucky, we'll get away. We... we'll split up and see who has the best luck surviving."

In the public channel, a police officer whispered, "They're trying to destroy evidence!"

The captain ordered, "Prepare to breach! 3, 2, 1—"

Bang!

The officers stationed at the door kicked the iron door open. The loud noise echoed through the hallway, ringing in their ears.

Jian Ruochen shifted his position, moving directly above the window to stand by.

The tail of the rope was tucked into his tactical pocket, leaving no loose ends to give him away.

The tech surveillance drone operator dutifully kept the drone pressed against the ceiling, recording the entire operation.

A team of fully armed officers stormed the room, quickly sweeping through the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.

"Freeze!"

"Drop it! Put down that controlled blade now, or it'll count as resisting arrest!"

"Hands on your head! Get down!"

"Damn, they even have cards. Look at this," an officer said, holding up a pornographic card in front of the camera. "Where'd these come from?"

He pressed the suspect's neck, forcing him face-down onto the floor, while another officer swiftly handcuffed him.

"Start talking. Slowly."

Jian Ruochen pulled the standard-issue black mask up, covering his nose completely.

The captain's voice was muffled by his mask, "Thermal imaging shows seven people. How many have we caught?"

The deputy counted, "Six. One missing."

The captain cursed under his breath, "Tech surveillance, scan again."

Guan Yingjun remained expressionless, handing the remote to a subordinate officer.

He now fully understood why Jian Ruochen's professional standards were so high—everyone here was exceptional.

These officers weren't trained in the six-month police academies under British Hong Kong rule. Here, they trained for four years.

Captains and deputy captains even had two years of postgraduate study.

It made sense for them to be highly skilled.

Jian Ruochen clicked his tongue as he watched the synchronized thermal imaging scan on his goggles.

High-tech. Awesome.

No one in the master bedroom, secondary bedroom, closet, or under the single bed in the living room.

"Where did they go?" the deputy said.

Suddenly, Jian Ruochen's ears perked up.

Then he saw a slender man burst out from the kitchen base cabinet, sprinting toward the window. Behind him was the Deputy Team Leader, who reacted immediately upon seeing the thermal imaging and the actual figure.

The Deputy Team Leader clearly realized he couldn't catch up. "He's going to jump out the window!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the man pushed off the windowsill and leaped toward the pile of garbage bags.

A faint smile of escape had just begun to form on his face when a dark figure descended in front of him.

Jian Ruochen let go, his body dropped suddenly. He bent his knees and delivered a powerful kick to the suspect's abdomen, kicking the suspect from outside back through the window.

The tech team officers downstairs clearly heard the suspect's retching sounds.

He was kicked hard enough to make him vomit.

"This reaction is so fast..." an officer downstairs remarked. "Are all the new recruits this calm under pressure nowadays?"

"This composure... damn." The officer controlling the drone paused. "His legs are incredible. Young and a strong core too."

He added enviously, "If I had that waist and those legs, my girlfriend would get home an hour earlier every night. Nowadays, as soon as she lies down, she starts scrolling through fitness model videos."

Guan Yingjun glanced sideways at him.

The young officer shut up awkwardly.

Guan Yingjun thought to himself, *An hour? Try more than that.*

He always waited for Jian Ruochen to get off work together.

As this thought crossed his mind, his gaze softened with tenderness. Just then, he saw Jian Ruochen step onto the windowsill and jump into the room.

At that moment, the sound of handcuffs clicking and the rustle of clothing seemed magnified in his ears.

Guan Yingjun couldn't help but imagine Jian Ruochen's expression when cuffing someone—his eyes lowered, his face impassive yet with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

That smile, though superficial, made one want to lean in closer, to burn it into memory, to replay it during downtime.

After a pause, the sound of handcuffs locking echoed alongside Jian Ruochen's voice. "Sorry, I'm new. Still getting the hang of how much force to use."

Suspect: "Guh—"

Jian Ruochen paused. "I didn't say that to make you more nauseous. You've been retching for a while without actually vomiting. Aside from your eyes turning red reflexively at first, all you've done since is drool and dart your eyes around wildly."

The suspect's voice tightened. "What are you implying?"

Jian Ruochen curled his lips into a mischievous grin, not cutting him any slack: "I'm saying you could be a bit more subtle when pretending to vomit to stall for time."

The suspect froze.

The team leader's voice carried a hint of amusement. "That's a wrap!"

As everyone escorted the suspect out, Jian Ruochen suddenly caught a faint, familiar smell.

It was a cloying, milky scent.

Very subtle, easy to miss if not paying close attention.

He stopped short, then crouched down and looked up under the dining table. There, stuck to the underside of the tabletop, were several small sealed bags containing red pills.

About ten of them.

The team leader, startled by the sudden movement, sensed something amiss and bent down to look.

Wow. Drugs.

"Evidence bags!" He plucked the bags, stuffed them into evidence bags, then patted Jian Ruochen's shoulder with a laugh. "Good eye, kid!"

Unexpected.

Busting a small fraud ring came with a bonus—leads to drug use and trafficking.

Ten pills were a lot in 2030; usually, only one or two would be found.

It suggested these fraudsters were major clients of drug dealers.

"Nice work," the Deputy Team Leader said, escorting the suspect downstairs with a smile. "How did you spot it?"

Jian Ruochen dismissed it casually. "I caught a whiff of that milky scent and suddenly remembered what the instructors taught us. Guess this is what they call the rookie advantage."

His voice trailed off as they reached the stairwell.

Guan Yingjun happened to hear:

New?

New since when?

Author's Note:

Jian Bao: Thermal imaging! Comms goggles! Master keys! Rappelling ropes! Body cameras! Bluetooth earpiece comms! Covert IR laser sights! All this high-tech gear! So satisfying!

Guan Yingjun: New? As in 'used to be the Commissioner' new?

Jian Ruochen: Stop joking. It's been like this for years.

Guan Yingjun: You mean all your superiors fall for your act?

Jian Ruochen: BB, what are you talking about? I don't get it. *Looks around innocently*

One evening, Detective Guan (quietly holding a grudge): Baby, tonight let's act out a scenario where a young consultant tries to deceive an inspector but gets busted by Inspector Guan and taken home for interrogation. How does that sound?

Jian Bao: ?