23: Chapter 23 Class A Wanted Criminal, Earn Rewards for Reporting Him

In the video, Zhang He's face appeared clearly on the screen—his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes cold as if tempered by frost; the outlines of his front, side, and three-quarter profiles were captured without any deviation.

Lin Ning opened his go-to image processing tool, his fingertips tapping rapidly on the keyboard. He adjusted the brightness and contrast, sharpened the clarity, and used the cropping tool to remove the irrelevant background, leaving only close-ups of Zhang He's face. He saved them into a new folder categorized by the three angles and even set a complex password.

The computer fan whirred, and the cold light from the screen reflected on his focused side profile. Only when he confirmed that every photo was sharp enough did he lean back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

Rubbing his stiff fingers, Lin Ning opened the official website for Public Security Department wanted notices. The page loaded a dense list of entries, with the three characters for "Wanted Notice" in white on a red background standing out prominently. He knew that if he scrolled through page by page, it would take half a day to finish, and since Zhang He likely used a fake name to check into his accommodation, a blind search would be a waste of effort.

But he had his Golden Finger, that "cheat code." The red halo with the line [Zhang He, Logistics Driver] was branded into his mind like a hot iron; he couldn't be wrong.

Lin Ning's fingertips hovered over the keyboard for two seconds before he typed "Zhang He." The moment he pressed the Enter key, he subconsciously held his breath—a soft "click" sounded.

The screen instantly popped up the matching results. The top entry was a striking red "Grade A Wanted Notice," with the words "Reward of 100,000 Yuan" following the title. The photo below was almost identical to the close-ups he had just processed!

[Grade A Wanted Notice, Reward of 100,000 Yuan, Suspect in a major criminal case, at large. Zhang He, male, born on July xx, 1982. Registered address: Room xxx, Entrance x, Building 102, Zhengyang Luxianli Residential Complex, Hebei District, Xingtai City, Hebei Province. ID number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

"Hahaha..." Lin Ning slumped into his chair, his back leaning heavily against the backrest. The soreness in his body and the previous tension receded like a tide, leaving only a sense of relief throughout his body.

It wasn't that he was deliriously happy—after all, he had received 500,000 for reporting two spies before, so 100,000 wasn't exactly a "huge sum." But this joy was genuinely bubbling up from the bottom of his heart—it wasn't just because this money would accelerate his debt repayment plan, but more like filling in the final square of a grid, solving all the puzzles in an escape room, or successfully pulling off a base steal in Honor of Kings while at low health. The sense of achievement was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

As if entering a "post-clarity" state, Lin Ning fished a cigarette pack out of his drawer, pulled one out, and lit it. He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke. The white mist rose under the light, blurring his brows and eyes, allowing his thoughts to slowly settle.

Should he call 110 directly to report it, or hand it over to Officer Li Feng and his Police Station?

This question circled in his mind several times. The existence of his Golden Finger meant that this report wouldn't be the last. If he had to deal with different police officers every time in the future, even if they were public servants, he would feel an indescribable sense of insecurity.

He actually had a good impression of Officer Li Feng and his Police Station. After his last report, they not only protected his privacy in a timely manner but also proactively reminded him to stay safe. He was very satisfied with this "measured" protection.

But on the other hand, the more they collaborated, the deeper their understanding of him would become—they would know he always "happened" to discover wanted criminals, and might even get curious about the source of his information, which was a potential risk in itself.

Lin Ning's fingers holding the cigarette paused, and he smiled self-deprecatingly: "Am I being too 'cautious'? It's clearly a good thing, yet here I am, overthinking everything, afraid of this and that."

But on second thought, caution is the parent of safety. His line of work, "relying on his eyes to eat," was already walking on the edge; a little more caution meant a little more safety.

Long-term cooperation also had its benefits. At the very least, having "someone in the government" would make future reporting processes smoother, and he would have support if he encountered trouble.

Moreover, he could often hang around Officer Li Feng and his Police Station and take the opportunity to check the color above their heads—as long as it was the green that represented safety, it meant there was no immediate risk, which could also serve as an early warning line for himself.

Having figured this out, Lin Ning hesitated no longer. He was the type of person who acted immediately once he made a decision, so he grabbed his phone, found Officer Li Feng's number, and dialed it.

"Beep... beep..." The dialing tone had only rung twice when Officer Li Feng's bright and energetic voice came through: "Lin Ning? How is the Fighting Gym at Brother Hu's place? You haven't been bullied to tears by the veterans yet, have you?"

Lin Ning laughed as he leaned back in his chair, his tone teasing: "Crying isn't necessary, though my whole body is so sore I'm about to fall apart. But it's definitely reliable. They are all retired soldiers who have trained for real. Aside from their teaching style not being gentle, their skills are top-notch—much stronger than I imagined."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming a bit more serious: "Old Li, do you want some credit?"

Officer Li Feng on the other end was stunned for a moment, and there was a rustling sound, as if he was adjusting his sitting posture: "...? ? ? What are you up to again, kid? What? If I say I want it, can you deliver it to my doorstep?"

"You bet," Lin Ning teased with a smile, "I can't give you a wife, but I can certainly hand you some solid, real credit."

Officer Li Feng: "..." After a moment of silence, his voice carried a hint of helplessness and curiosity: "Alright, speak. What kind of stunt are you pulling this time?"

Lin Ning dropped the joking tone and said seriously, word by word: "I discovered a Grade A Wanted Criminal named Zhang He, who is a suspect at large in a major criminal case."

Officer Li Feng on the other end went silent instantly. A few seconds later, his urgent voice came through, filled with disbelief and seriousness: "Wait a second! Are you talking about the Zhang He on the Public Security Department's wanted list? I'm checking it right now!"

Lin Ning could hear the sound of typing on the keyboard over the phone, as well as Officer Li Feng's hushed muttering: "Zhang He... Grade A Wanted..." Before long, Officer Li Feng's voice came through again, even more urgent than before: "Found him! This person really exists! Are you sure the one you saw is him? Where is he? Lin Ning, listen to me, this person is extremely dangerous. Do not move, and do not go near him!"

Lin Ning could sense the tension and worry in Officer Li Feng's words and quickly stated the key information: "I'm sure it's him. I was delivering something to that old building at Juma Bridge this afternoon and happened to see him. I didn't dare to alert him, so I used the excuse of delivering sugar to take a few photos. They've all been processed and are guaranteed to be clear. But I hope you can dispatch officers as soon as possible and catch him immediately—you know the situation at Juma Bridge; it's a mixed bag of people, and the community and Police Station conduct frequent population checks. For someone with a Grade A Wanted Notice on his back to be staying here is too conspicuous. If he senses something is wrong and runs, or gets into a conflict and hurts someone, it will be troublesome."

"You're right!" Officer Li Feng's voice was resolute. "Send me the address immediately. I'm going to find the station chief to apply for the deployment right now!"

Lin Ning quickly added, his tone carrying a note of unquestionable insistence: "I don't care how you coordinate with the local Police Station, but this lead was reported to you, and when it comes time to make the statement, it has to be you who takes it. I don't trust anyone else."

Without waiting for Officer Li Feng to respond, he hung up, opened WeChat, sent the detailed address, and packed and sent the three processed photos. When the successful delivery notification popped up, the weight in his heart finally lifted a little.

On the other end of the line, Officer Li Feng was stunned for a few seconds, looking at his phone screen and shaking his head with a smile—this Lin Ning really knew how to "bind" people. But he didn't have time to think about it; he opened the photos on WeChat, compared them with the information on the wanted notice three times, and after confirming there were no errors, he slammed his hand on the table: "Yes! It really is him!"

What was this? This was credit! Officer Li Feng bolted up and went to find the station chief.

They must be the ones in charge of the arrest! The Juma Bridge Police Station can only assist! That's final!