26: Chapter 26 On-site Arrest

But another dark shadow was faster, sweeping a fierce leg whip from behind into the back of Zhang He's knee. Zhang He let out a miserable shriek and collapsed to the ground. A dark object fell from his arms—not a gun, but something that looked like a wrench.

Several officers swarmed forward, pinning him down instantly. A crisp "click" of handcuffs locking shut completely ended Zhang He's struggle.

Flashlight beams swung wildly, shouts, the crackle of walkie-talkies, and Zhang He's frustrated grunts erupted across the clearing.

Lin Ning lay on the pile of cardboard, watching the clearing below being rapidly secured by the police. Officer Li Feng's figure appeared at the edge of the light beam, speaking into a walkie-talkie. Then, he looked up, his gaze seemingly sweeping toward Lin Ning's direction.

Lin Ning quickly pulled his head back, his heart still pounding wildly, his palms covered in cold sweat. It worked!

He slowly slid down from the trash pile, his legs a bit wobbly. He took a wide detour before emerging from the other end of the bungalow area and returning to the main street.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered here, pointing and whispering, while police lights flashed in the distance.

He brushed the dust off his clothes, adjusted his expression, and strolled back.

As he neared Old Yang's barbecue stall, he saw Officer Li Feng standing by the roadside talking to several colleagues. When Officer Li Feng saw him, he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

Lin Ning nodded back, didn't go over, and headed straight back to his seat.

The kidneys were a bit cold, but the beer was still icy.

Jin Er looked up at him: "Yo, took you so long to take a leak? Your kidneys aren't holding up, Lin Zi."

Xu San chuckled lecherously, drawing out his voice: "Hui ~ Yuan Shenbao, she's good, I'm good too ~"

Lin Ning picked up the ice-cold beer and gulped down more than half the bottle. The cold made him shudder, and only then did he let out a long breath and grin: "Get lost! I can pee five meters!"

Zhang Shitou silently pushed the freshly grilled, oil-dripping hot skewers in front of him.

Lin Ning picked up a skewer and took a fierce bite.

This time, the meat was truly delicious.

The string that had been taut in his heart all night finally snapped—in a good way—and relaxed.

Just as he was catching his breath, his phone screen lit up. A WeChat message from Officer Li Feng, just three words: "Awesome! Thanks!"

A second message followed immediately: "I'll keep an eye on the bonus process. Also, come to the Police Station early tomorrow to give a statement."

Lin Ning's eyes sparkled. Money, I knew you were destined to be mine!

...

When Lin Ning entered the Police Station in the morning, he was greeted by the gazes of many uniformed officers.

Although it was all well-intentioned, that unique police gaze that makes everything look like a "suspicion" made Lin Ning feel a bit socially anxious.

Officer Li Feng and Director Zhang saved him.

The statement was very simple and didn't involve any specific case details; it was just about the process of how he discovered the wanted criminal.

Director Zhang tossed a cigarette to Lin Ning and lit one himself. He took a deep drag and said with a benevolent face: "Xiao Lin, you really are the lucky star of our Police Station!"

Lin Ning also puffed away contentedly, feeling a bit embarrassed by Director Zhang's gaze. "Luck, haha, just luck!"

Officer Li Feng checked the statement in his hand and said quite enthusiastically: "Hey ~ luck is also a part of strength! Don't be humble! Alright, sign here!"

He handed the statement to Lin Ning. "Next time there's a good thing like this, remember me! Hey ~ hearing about those three you introduced, you have a good eye. You can consider yourself to have some connections in the underworld now, hahahaha..."

Lin Ning could see that Officer Li Feng and the others were genuinely happy; why not award a collective third-class merit?

Lin Ning was actually a bit curious: "Why did that Zhang He run to Capital? He's on the wanted list, how dare he run to the place with the strictest security in the country?"

Officer Li Feng paused and rolled his eyes. "After catching him, he was transferred to the Municipal Bureau. You don't think I have the authority to interrogate him, do you?"

As if anyone wouldn't want to know; when it comes to curiosity, no one beats the police, right!

Director Zhang said cheerfully: "When the case has results, I'll help you ask around. Don't be impatient, Xiao Lin. You'd better be impatient about your bonus instead!"

Director Zhang really liked Lin Ning. Once the case was closed and no longer confidential, he would satisfy Xiao Lin's curiosity. What a good kid—this sense of justice, this sharpness, this cleverness, this good luck!

Tsk, if only he were one of my men!

Lin Ning's eyes lit up. "Bonus? When can I collect it?"

Only what's in hand is really yours. Look at him—between the spies and his acts of bravery, he had over a million in money "on the books," but he hadn't touched a cent! He had absolutely no sense of reality; it was like game currency.

Officer Li Feng produced a new form as if by magic. "Come on, fill this out. I'll upload it in a bit, and it should arrive by this afternoon at the latest! The amount I applied for you is fixed at seventy thousand!"

Oh my, Lin Ning was overjoyed. This is what you call Chinese speed and generosity!

Lin Ning's eyes instantly lit up like lightbulbs. This was real, hard cash—much more reliable than that "pie-in-the-sky" bonus for the spies!

His hands were shaking a bit as he filled out the form rapidly, wishing he could poke through the paper with the pen tip. After finishing, he slapped the form directly in front of Officer Li Feng, his eyes clearly saying, "Hurry up! Don't delay me getting my money!"

Director Zhang found Lin Ning and Officer Li Feng's antics quite amusing. He didn't think Lin Ning lacked "ideological awareness" because he valued the bonus; if someone performs a meritorious service, they should be rewarded!

No problem! Well-deserved!

The phone rang abruptly, giving Lin Ning a start.

Seeing it was his phone, Lin Ning apologetically signaled to Director Zhang and the others.

Director Zhang waved his hand dismissively, telling him to answer the call.

Lin Ning looked at the big "Boss Chen Zhi" on the screen and pressed the answer button. "Hello, Brother Chen?"

Chen Zhi was in his office, frowning at his computer.

"What did you do? The Public Security Bureau is pulling your file." Lin Ning's file had a warning system.

Lin Ning: "Huh?"

Then he realized instantly, "I reported a wanted criminal."

Lin Ning was actually a bit puzzled. Previously, when he reported gatherings or acts of bravery, he hadn't seen the file warning trigger. Why did it trigger this time?

Chen Zhi's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "You really don't stay idle for a second! Well, I know now; it must be the process for a large bonus."

Hearing Chen Zhi's words, Lin Ning thought of the remaining bonuses for reporting spies that were still far off in the future, and couldn't help but sarcastically mutter: "Well, the Public Security Bureau is just faster!"

How could Chen Zhi not hear that? "Hey! If you report where the spies on the Red Notice list are, I'll apply for your bonus even faster!"

Lin Ning knew that the criminals he reported in the act required investigation and evidence collection, which was different from the bonuses given for finding people on a wanted list.

He laughed sheepishly: "Hehe, I didn't mean that."

Chen Zhi couldn't be bothered with him and said, "Nothing else, hanging up," before ending the call.

In the small room, because Lin Ning was on the phone, Director Zhang and Officer Li Feng had deliberately quieted down. Plus, Lin Ning's phone volume was quite loud, so they both heard it clearly.

Director Zhang looked at Lin Ning with surprise, while Officer Li Feng was completely dumbfounded.

Wait, what's going on?

Officer Li Feng spoke up directly: "You've also reported spies?"

Lin Ning actually regretted answering the phone in front of them just now, but since they would be eating from the same pot often in the future, it wasn't bad to let them know he had other backing.

Lin Ning nodded in a shy manner. "Yeah!"

Officer Li Feng found it incredible and wanted to ask something, but swallowed it back; as a police officer, he understood the various confidentiality regulations better.

He couldn't help but tease: "Are you the Conan of Capital? You really run into a lot of things."

Director Zhang spoke up at this moment: "Do you have some special intelligence or some special skill that allows you to identify criminals?"