Chapter 107: Reporting the crime at an inappropriate time, to be alive
Police station.
Inside the smoke-filled conference room.
A group of constables who had been up for several nights sat in front of the table, their faces full of fatigue, their eyes bloodshot, and they were smoking one cigarette after another in their mouths.
On the small whiteboard in front of the conference table, there is a hand-drawn portrait: a dark face, a mouthful of white teeth, and the nickname [Black Face] written next to it.
There was an arrow next to the hand-drawn portrait, and another even more bizarre portrait was posted: his face was as pale as snow, with no facial features, only a pair of black pupils exposed, and the nickname [Mask] was noted next to it.
In fact, the captains wanted to call the second picture [Blood-sucking Bone Face], but this nickname was too scary, so Li Shang went against the majority and changed it to [Mask].
At this moment, Li Shang had a face full of stubble, having not shaved for several days. He was holding the portrait drawing of [Mask] in his hand, his eyes sunken into the drawing.
"It's been so long, could it be that the person just disappeared out of thin air?"
Li Shang roared anxiously and slapped the white board hard with his hands.
He glared at the captains below and shouted angrily: "The [Mask] may have hidden his face and gone into hiding, but we know the true face of the [Black Face]. There must be clues to find the [Mask] on him, but why can't we find it?"
"[Black Face] is seriously injured, where can he hide, huh?"
A captain said solemnly, "Many people in the patrol station have been killed. It's really difficult for us to investigate the entire city alone."
Another captain also said: "We have visited hospitals, pharmacies, and black clinics, and no one has seen [Black Face]. It is not ruled out that [Black Face] has accomplices who bought and delivered medicine for him, but time is too tight and there is a shortage of manpower. It is really..."
Li Shang knew that what the detectives said was the truth, but the special commissioner had given him little time to act as agent. If he could not find any clues, he would be dismissed.
Li Shang was very anxious and didn't care anymore: "Usually when we investigate a case, we just arrest people and take the blame, and then we just rush to close the case."
"We really have to catch the murderer this time, but now we can't find any clues at all. Is the police station full of good-for-nothings? How will the special commissioner view us?"
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense. The faces of the detectives below varied. Some looked embarrassed, while others were filled with dissatisfaction.
Even a few of the captains exchanged obscure glances, as if silently expressing their dissatisfaction and protest: Aren’t we doing this just like you, the captain?
The captain on duty pushed the door open and reported to Li Shang: "Captain Li, a lady came outside to report a crime. She said that her son did not return home or go to school last night, and the phone could not be reached. She was worried..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Shang's impatient gesture.
Li Shang interrupted with a wave of his hand and scolded: "Register her first, then appease her and send her away. The police station is short of manpower right now, so how can it have spare energy to handle other cases?"
The captain on duty nodded. He understood the current situation and priorities, and he was just reporting the situation according to procedure.
After hearing Li Shang's instructions, he nodded slightly, turned around and prepared to leave the meeting room.
In the reception room, Du Li held the mobile phone tightly in her hand. Her fingertips turned slightly white due to nervousness. The phone kept vibrating in her hand as she called her son again and again.
However, the prompt tone on the other end of the phone cruelly changed from the initial "No one answered the call" to "The phone is turned off".
A strong sense of uneasiness surged in Du Li's heart, a mother's intuition that her son might encounter misfortune.
Her eyes were fixed on the young captain of the police, who was walking slowly towards her with a registration form in his hand.
"Captain, something must have happened to my son. Please help me, Patrol Office..." Du Li's voice was full of anxiety and pleading, and her eyes were flashing with worry and fear.
The young captain's face showed no emotion. His voice was calm and mechanical: "Case investigation needs to follow certain procedures. First, please register the relevant information."
He sat down slowly, adjusted his posture, picked up the pen and gently turned it around between his fingertips, and then asked calmly: "What is your son's name, and what is his citizenship level?"
Du Li seemed a little flustered, her voice trembling: "My son's name is Yang Tuo, he is a student in the key class of the martial arts grade one of No. 8 Middle School, he has not taken the college entrance examination yet, so he has not been assigned a citizen grade. However, his grades are very good, and he will definitely be able to enter the file in the future."
The young police chief remained calm and did not comment on Du Li's words. He just continued to ask, "Okay, I need to register the reporter's information, which is your information."
Du Li quickly replied: "My name is Du Li, and my citizenship level is D."
After a short pause, Du Li seemed to suddenly realize something and added hastily: "My husband Yang Yan is a researcher at Hongguang Laboratory. He is usually in the laboratory and it is difficult to contact him. If not, he would have come with me to report the case today. His citizenship level is B, and he is expected to be promoted to A by the end of the year."
A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the young captain: "Grade B, Hongguang Laboratory?"
Class B is indeed a fairly high citizen grade in the downtown area, representing a huge leap in social status and voice.
If you go one step further, you will be eligible to immigrate to the city, which is the dream of many people. Director Wang Yilin was at this level when he was alive.
Although the young captain was not clear about the specific work content of Hongguang Laboratory, he was well aware of the name of [Guangming] Group.
This is the leading consortium in District Nine, and the companies or departments under the [Guangming] Group all like to add the word [Guangming] in their names as a symbol and distinction.
Du Li nodded hastily, her eyes full of hope and urgency. "The laboratory values him very much and believes that he has made significant contributions to the work. We have submitted a report on his citizenship promotion to the Executive Government. If everything goes well, it should be approved by the end of the year."
As soon as she finished speaking, Du Li quickly took out a stack of banknotes from her handbag and almost impatiently stuffed them into the hands of the head constable: "Please ask the police station to take action as soon as possible and help me find my son. Later, I will definitely ask my husband to come to the police station in person to express our gratitude."
The young captain took a deep breath and calmly put the money into his pocket. His expression had obviously eased a lot.
He nodded to Du Li, then turned and walked back to the meeting room.
"[Mask] disappeared out of thin air, [Black Face] found nothing, and I have no idea what was in the stolen suitcase. Is this how you plan to let me report to the special envoy, huh?"
"Speak, have you become mute?"
A police chief complained helplessly: "The people who had the most direct contact with [Black Face] were undoubtedly the residents of that community. But now, those people have been killed according to the orders of the special commissioner... ahem, sent to the garbage factory. Where can we look for clues?"
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Li Shang's face suddenly turned livid. He slammed the table with a clanging sound and glared at the head constable with a murderous look: "Are you going to ask me to question the decision of the special commissioner? Do you think you have had enough of living, or am I tired of living?"
The atmosphere in the conference room was so heavy that it was almost suffocating, and a sense of oppression filled the air.
Even across the corridor, one could vaguely hear the roar coming from inside. The young captain stood at the door of the conference room, hesitating for a long time, and never dared to interrupt.
Finally, he took a few deep breaths and said, "Captain Li."
Li Shang turned around and glared at him: "What's the matter again?"
The young police chief lowered his voice and answered cautiously, "The husband of the reporter is a researcher at Hongguang Laboratory. He enjoys Class B citizenship and is said to be promoted to Class A by the end of the year."
Li Shang swallowed back the rebuke that was about to come out of his mouth. His expression became even uglier, like a sky covered with dark clouds.
At this time, Chang Erbing stood up and broke the silence: "Captain Li, why don't you let me take someone to check out the situation."
Li Shang did not respond immediately, so Chang Erbing casually waved his hand, signaling the other captain to follow him out of the meeting room.
Li Shang's eyes wandered around the room, and he saw that two of his subordinates were missing. He frowned and seemed extremely irritated.
He said: "Why do people always come to report crimes at random times, adding to our workload? In the final analysis, it is because the population of District 9 is too large."
Among the captains, half of them nodded silently, expressing their agreement with complicated expressions.
Li Shang reached out and lit a cigarette. The smoke slowly lingered in the air. His face looked even gloomier, with a bit of helplessness and anger. "Originally, I wanted to rely on our patrol room to solve this case and gain face in front of the special commissioner. Since you guys are not doing your job well, there is nothing I can do. I can only give part of the credit to the police department. Xiao Zeng, send the wanted order to the police department immediately, and apply for assistance from the police brigade."
Captain Xiao Zeng immediately stood up and quickly sent the wanted order for [Black Face] via the fax machine.
Then, he asked with a little hesitation: "Then, regarding the [Mask]...should it also be included..."
Upon hearing this, Li Shang was so furious that he almost exploded.
He widened his eyes, laughed in anger, and there seemed to be a knife hidden in his tone: "Can you use your brain? Don't you understand what confidential investigation means?
I warn you all once again, if anyone dares to leak even a single word of the news about [Mask], you will have to explain yourself to the special envoy.
Remember, before you explain, write me a suicide note and I will keep it for you."
Upon hearing this, the heads of the police turned pale. They knew that Captain Li's words were not alarmist at all. The bloody scene that night was still vivid in their minds.
Captain Zeng was extremely terrified, and his face instantly lost color.
He hastily moved the masked figure away from the fax machine as if it were a hot potato.
Li Shang saw this and snorted coldly: "Tell the police that this operation is of great importance. [Black Face] must not be killed and must be captured alive. If [Black Face] is found, we must notify the patrol station to act together..."
(End of this chapter)
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