Chapter Eight: I Achieved Merit—Why Am I Not Happy?

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Yu Dazhang did not respond to the kidnappers, mainly because he dared not. The earlier words—“It was just a misunderstanding…”—he only dared to think in his mind. As the officers upstairs were preparing to secure the scene, they were startled by Yu Dazhang’s sharp command: “Everyone freeze.” They initially feared the kidnappers were resisting, but a closer look revealed all four kidnappers were standing quietly in place. What was going on?

Seeing Yu Dazhang’s anxious expression, Wei Qian, captain of the first squad, raised his gun. “What’s going on?” he quickly approached Yu Dazhang.

“To prevent them from escaping,” Yu Dazhang whispered.

Wei Qian was baffled. Before they arrived, Yu Dazhang had been shouting, “Everything is under control.” Now, he was more nervous than anyone else. Who was he putting on a show for? This was a terrible performance.

“Well done,” Wei Qian praised, thinking Yu Dazhang was seeking credit.

Since this was a new recruit’s first case, Wei Qian had come along. After all, the squad needed fresh blood, and they had priority in selection. When Wei Qian first saw Yu Dazhang, he had immediately passed on him. Could this physique really suit a criminal investigator? Was this a joke? Probably someone who got in through connections.

But today, he had to admit his mistake—one every man makes: judging by appearances. Never mind how Yu Dazhang found the kidnappers; just his courage and resolve alone were beyond other rookies. When the shots rang out in the warehouse, Wei Qian saw two rookies he had personally picked turn pale with fear. They even struggled to keep up and nearly fell, clearly shaken.

Wei Qian didn’t blame them; that was the proper reaction for novices—fear, panic, helplessness. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a gun? Yet, surprisingly, this plump man he had underestimated showed no fear. Instead, he approached and subdued the kidnappers, even wresting the gun away. It seemed this same man had shot one kidnapper on the ground. How did he manage to disarm someone bare-handed? Incredible.

Yu Dazhang had no time to ponder Wei Qian’s thoughts. He watched as the woman on the ground was carried away on a stretcher, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

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As long as this woman woke up, the whole truth would come out. Beating the hostage, rescuing the kidnappers… the officers taking statements would be utterly baffled. Yu Dazhang secretly wished she would never awaken—he even considered silencing her.

And those four kidnappers were useless. They got killed by a woman? With such poor skills, why bother kidnapping anyone? They might as well go home and take care of their kids. They ruined his chance to become a proper police officer.

No doubt, no one would save themselves this time. The case was far too serious.

As Yu Dazhang descended the stairs, his legs felt like they were floating. The rookies who envied him watched his disoriented expression with confusion. Though he had made a breakthrough, why did he look so dejected, as if he had been captured?

On the way back, Lv Zhongxin drove alone and only invited Yu Dazhang into the car.

“Tell me, what really happened?” Lv Zhongxin deliberately drove slowly, letting other cars pass first.

“Master, if you’d just briefed me on the case, I wouldn’t have made this mistake,” Yu Dazhang said, feeling a bit wronged yet helpless. The event had already happened; he knew complaining was pointless but couldn’t help himself.

“Even just telling me the hostage was a woman would have helped.”

“Start from the beginning,” Lv Zhongxin said coldly, ignoring the complaint. “There’s still room to maneuver, but I need to know the whole story.”

As an observer, Yu Dazhang understood the logic. Troubled and confused, he couldn’t think of a better plan. Lv Zhongxin was his most trusted person in the criminal investigation unit.

“After you left, I was bored, so I ran a simulation from the kidnappers’ perspective…” Yu Dazhang briefly recounted the events, making some alterations. He didn’t want anyone to know about his heightened senses—especially not Lv Zhongxin.

For example, he changed seeing a wisp of smoke at the abandoned building’s window to seeing a shadow moving. The prediction of the hostage being knocked out on the upper floor was changed to directly knocking her down. He omitted the part where he probed the kidnapper’s wound—too shameful to mention.

“Where did you learn all this?” Lv Zhongxin glanced at him, eyes sharp with scrutiny. “Don’t tell me it was in police academy. They don’t teach thinking patterns there.”

Yu Dazhang silently replied, “I learned it from you in my previous life.” Analyzing cases, simulations, hypotheses—these fundamental detective skills were all learned bit by bit through working with Lv Zhongxin.

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He just hadn’t been as quick-witted in his past life, taking years to master them. There was no shortcut; these skills were forged through practice. But it ultimately came down to having enough intelligence.

Yu Dazhang knew clearly his former self lacked such strong logical thinking.

“If I said I learned it from watching movies, would you believe me?” Yu Dazhang said calmly.

Don’t ask—he simply watched a lot of movies.

“Don’t give me that crap!” Lv Zhongxin didn’t buy it. If watching movies could solve cases, what would be the use of detectives?

Then Yu Dazhang recalled a movie line and repeated it: “After watching over a thousand films, you realize there’s nothing truly bizarre in this world.”

He was confident Lv Zhongxin hadn’t heard it before. The film, “Sheep Without a Shepherd,” came out in 2019. Even if Lv Zhongxin had seen it then, he would have been surprised: “That’s my apprentice’s line!”

“If you don’t want to talk, fine,” Lv Zhongxin said, not fooled by the excuse. He thought it necessary to warn this apprentice.

“Dazhang, don’t be so reckless. You only have one life.”

Yu Dazhang paused, then smiled wryly, “Master, I thought you’d praise my courage.”

Lv Zhongxin stared ahead. A trace of warmth softened his usually stern expression. “Fighting to the death when you know you’re outmatched is foolish passion. Even if you win, it’s just fortune’s favor.”

That was Lv Zhongxin’s way of saying Yu Dazhang had taken too great a risk disarming the kidnappers bare-handed. Yu Dazhang didn’t want to dwell on it. As a police officer, he had no right to avoid danger.

Knowing Lv Zhongxin cared for him, Yu Dazhang didn’t argue but shifted the topic. “What now? This can’t be covered up—the hostage and kidnappers both know the truth.”

“Kidnappers don’t care; they’re our adversaries,” Lv Zhongxin answered calmly. “The key is the woman. As long as she doesn’t betray you, this can be managed smoothly.”

“You mean… we go to negotiate with her?” Yu Dazhang doubted the idea.

“Exactly. That’s the only way.” Lv Zhongxin suddenly pressed the accelerator hard. “Hold on—we need to get ahead of the first squad and meet her first.”