83: Chapter 83 I want to see Li Chao vs. Tiger Brother

Lin Ning paused when he heard this, then quickly shrugged. "We have too few known clues. Anyway, I think all three are very suspicious. Who knows?"

Tao Shuyu thought about it and agreed. "I'm heading back to rest. See you later!"

Watching Tao Shuyu's car drive away, Lin Ning turned back to glance at the bustling entrance of the Municipal Bureau.

According to Tao Shuyu's supplementary information, Gao Hongying and Li Xiaoliang were the most suspicious of the three, but Lin Ning was actually more concerned about Liu Bo.

During the moment Liu Bo stood still after finishing his conversation with Duan Pingheng, there was no particular expression on his face. However, Lin Ning's perception of human emotions had now transcended the stage of merely listening to words and observing expressions; he simply had a faint feeling that he... he was a bit sad.

It wasn't a common emotion like nervousness, fear, happiness, or anger; instead, it was sadness. It was very strange.

He didn't voice this feeling, as he wasn't sure about it and feared it might interfere with Zhao Tianming and the team's investigation. However, this sparked an idea in his mind: to learn lip-reading.

If he knew how to lip-read, he could know the content of their conversation right now, and he wouldn't have so many doubts.

Moreover, if he understood lip-reading, he could maintain a safer distance during future surveillance investigations.

Scratching his head, he truly felt his shortcomings every single day; there was so much more he needed to learn.

He wanted to learn about firearms—not for the purpose of using them, given the situation in the country, but he at least needed to understand them. He needed to know what he might be facing...

As for computer skills, there were many things he needed to look up, and relying solely on simple open-source platforms was already quite strenuous. He might not need to use them, but if an urgent situation arose, not knowing how would only hinder him.

As for covert surveillance, he had only learned the basic theory from books. The subject matter wasn't just about teaching surveillance; the most important aspect was concealment, as well as being able to understand the target's layout, design, and so on.

Regarding combat ability, he was already on the right track and starting to progress toward a higher level. The rest was a matter of accumulating time or relying on his ever-strengthening physical foundation to break through the limitations of his technique.

He had also only learned the basics of criminal logic and criminal psychology, which were the most powerful tools for reverse-engineering the process and root causes when the outcome was already known.

And now, he had to add lip-reading to the list.

He shook his head. Forget it, one step at a time; there was no point in rushing. Besides, there were countless people standing behind him; he wasn't alone anymore.

Lin Ning hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Fighting Gym. Since his memory of "getting beaten" yesterday was still fresh and he didn't need to waste Psychic Power on retrospection, he hurried over to find that feeling.

He gritted his teeth—he couldn't let Li Chao's "guidance" go to waste, could he?

...

Everyone in the Second Economic Crime Investigation Team of the Municipal Bureau had been mobilized. The situation Tao Shuyu reported that morning—the two hundred million in security deposits that had already been transferred to overseas accounts—had changed the nature and urgency of the case.

Before taking Lin Ning's supplementary statement, he had already reported directly to the Captain and submitted a pile of authorization requests.

After emerging from the small meeting room and seeing Lin Ning and Tao Shuyu off.

Zhao Tianming handed the folder in his hand to Zhang Ke. "Pull the files on these three people; you'll give an introduction when we have our meeting shortly. Also, submit an urgent request for authorization to search their communications and financial records."

He then clapped his hands to grab everyone's attention. "Meeting in B1 in 15 minutes."

Zhao Tianming returned to his office. He stroked his mouse, hesitated for a long moment, but ultimately did not click on Lin Ning's file records.

...

People at the Fighting Gym had recently become desensitized to Lin Ning. Ever since he began constructing his personal technical and tactical system, every time he came in, many coaches and regular members would watch his "performances."

At first, they wanted to gauge his level, but later, it turned into studying how he broke through from "form" to "essence" so quickly, and whether he had any special techniques or tricks.

However, everyone had given up by now. This guy simply had a great physical foundation and heaven-defying natural talent; he was just brute-forcing it. They couldn't learn it, they just couldn't!

By now, only Coach Chen Hu would watch him train, answer his questions, and provide professional guidance.

When he came out in his training gear, Coach Chen Hu's brows immediately furrowed. "Did you go out and get into a fight these past two days?"

His tank top clung to his lean but clearly defined muscular frame, leaving his arms, shoulders, and collarbone exposed, which were covered in obvious black-and-blue bruises. Coach Chen Hu even felt the urge to reach out and lift Lin Ning's tank top to check the extent of the injuries on his torso.

Most of his members here were from various security companies, with another portion from the public security system; for them, it was more of a work necessity than a hobby. Only a tiny fraction were just enthusiasts.

For those enthusiasts, he had always emphasized that they should try their best to avoid conflicts with others outside. After all, what he taught wasn't just flashy stuff like karate or taekwondo, but genuine combat techniques; once one reached a certain level, they were required to register with the public security bureau.

"No, you mean this?" Lin Ning was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and pointed to the injury on his arm. "I got this while sparring with a soldier friend yesterday."

Coach Chen Hu relaxed. He took a careful look at the location and nature of the injuries, nodded, and then laughed gloatingly. "Hahaha, 'sparring'? Don't try to make yourself look better than you are; you were just getting beaten up, weren't you?"

Lin Ning's progress recently had been nothing short of rapid. In a head-to-head fight, he was confident he could take Lin Ning down, but in a pure sparring match, he wasn't sure he could beat Lin Ning to this extent. This was a master.

Lin Ning rolled his eyes, speechless. This was the consequence of trying to bluff an expert.

Ignoring Coach Chen Hu, he began to recall his own reactions and force application when Li Chao had struck him.

He adjusted little by little, stumbling through the process.

Coach Chen Hu watched from the side, his eyes widening in surprise. Damn, this was definitely a master; their teaching level was extremely high.

Those minute adjustments, when integrated, could raise Lin Ning's strength by an entire level. The teaching effect after just one day was this good? Which unit was this instructor from?

Today's training session was shorter than usual, but it had exhausted Lin Ning.

He collapsed on the floor, took the towel Coach Chen Hu tossed over, and gave his head and face a rough wipe before hearing Coach Chen Hu ask.

"Is that soldier friend of yours on leave? Have him come over sometime!"

Lin Ning's hand, which had been wiping his neck, paused before he began wiping his face again. A twisted smile appeared on his face beneath the towel as he replied, "He's stationed right here in Yanjing. I'll ask him when he's off duty and have him come over."

He smirked silently to himself. When that time came, he'd be happy whoever got beaten; neither of them were good people anyway...

After cleaning up and changing his clothes, Lin Ning leaned against the front desk of the lounge, glancing casually at the training hall as if making idle conversation. "Coach Chen Hu, what does Zhu Qi do? Why is he here every time I come?"

This guy was the only "red name" he had spotted since his very first visit. The color deepened every time he saw him, and after just a month, it was almost bright red. He couldn't let this slide any longer.