95: Chapter 95 The Imagination Monster and His Little Secretary

Xu San interjected with an expression that said he had seen through everything long ago. "Our bosses are Director Zhang and Officer Li Feng, right? I get it! Whenever they suspect something is going on in their jurisdiction, they have us confirm it. It saves trouble, gets them credit, and we get a share of the reporting reward... We've known for a long time. Don't worry, our lips are sealed!"

Lin Ning was dumbfounded. Like hell you knew!

So, is this why you guys never ask about the boss or the source of the information?

Director Zhang and the others are being totally framed!!

Lin Ning got anxious and was just about to speak.

Jin Er waved his hand magnanimously. "It's an unspoken understanding. It's easy to do but doesn't sound good, so let's not mention it again."

Lin Ning jumped up. It doesn't just 'not sound good'; Director Zhang and the others might end up in prison for this!

"No! Our boss has his own information channels. It has nothing to do with Director Zhang and the others. He..."

Xu San's eyes lit up, and he said eagerly, "So it's someone from the Sub-bureau? Can we expand our scope of work then? I was worried that Officer Li Feng's jurisdiction would be picked clean soon."

Jin Er cheered up, and Zhang Shitou's eyes sparkled even more.

They were middle-aged and had realized the fact that they wouldn't achieve great things. But having drifted through life, they couldn't endure hardship or take insults, living in their own world with a stubborn pride. They were purely lucky to have found such a satisfying and profitable job.

Lin Ning was nearly choked by their words. He wanted to explain properly, but then he had a sudden thought.

With an official cover in front of them, they would be more cautious in their actions, whether it was restraining their behavior or...

Lin Ning straightened his face. "Director Zhang and the others don't know anything."

By removing specific individuals from the equation, they could think it was the Sub-bureau or the Municipal Bureau—there were plenty of people there for them to guess.

Then he said cryptically, "But the boss is very unhappy about what happened today! If there are casualties among unrelated personnel, there will be a strict investigation. That's just causing trouble for the boss."

"Stability is more important than anything!"

The three of them looked at each other, and thinking of how the Sub-bureau had come to make the arrests today, they understood.

Zhang Shitou said anxiously, "I was out of my mind. Second Brother and the others were worried I'd be too conspicuous on my own and implicate them..."

Lin Ning didn't press them further. "Alright, I know you guys are loyal. If there's a next time, we'll really lose this job. And don't talk nonsense; those people have nothing to do with us."

"Got it!" The three nodded in understanding.

Lin Ning hurried away; he couldn't keep up the act anymore.

Besides, with those overthinkers, the less he said, the more elaborate the stories they would concoct.

Returning home, he wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead. Damn! No wonder conspiracy theories are so popular! He figured even if he clarified things, no one would believe him.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that playing along was a good idea. Criminals in the field were like leeks; once one crop was harvested, another would grow.

Even if Jin Er and the others actually intercepted some targets, it wouldn't be a loss for Lin Ning.

But being able to set up a barrier between them and the 'forbidden zone' beforehand was better than letting things reach a point where both people and money were lost. It was the same logic as 'clear accounts make long friends.'

It just so happened that he was thinking of going to Officer Yang Jun's jurisdiction to find some materials for leveling up and making money, which would indirectly confirm Jin Er and the others' suspicions. Killing two birds with one stone.

This day had really kept Lin Ning busy.

Lying in bed at night, Lin Ning cleared his mind, but images of Jiang Yu crying and laughing at his house, and the way she looked at him in the restaurant, surfaced in his mind.

And the words he had almost let slip.

Sigh...

Zhang Shitou really let me down!

The next day.

Lin Ning spat, threw his dirty clothes into the washing machine, did a quick wash-up, and headed out.

At the Chengqiao Road Police Station, Lin Ning leaned against Officer Li Feng's desk. "You're saying you two are best buds?"

"Whoa~ No wonder you two get along; neither of you is any good!"

"I'm not introducing him to any girls; I don't even have a girlfriend myself!" Lin Ning changed his sitting position. "I was thinking, you guys need some rest and recuperation, and I'm just idle anyway. If he's reliable, I'll take a look around his jurisdiction. Our career of serving the people can't just stop!"

Officer Li Feng's momentary relaxation immediately vanished, and his face turned cold.

"You're going to betray our trust, seek another master, and become a 'Servant of Three Surnames'?"

Lin Ning was momentarily dazed. "Damn! What kind of crappy metaphor is that? Was your Chinese taught by an English teacher?!"

"I'm getting straight to the heart of the matter!"

"You were the one who begged me not to send you any more cases!"

"But you can't go to someone else's place to take a dump and mark your territory!"

"Screw you! Officer Li Feng, can you be any more disgusting? What are you, Indian?!"

Director Zhang walked in to see the two of them on the verge of a fight, staring each other down as if they wanted to take a bite out of one another.

"What's going on? What's that phrase... 'love-hate relationship'?"

Lin Ning's vision went dark. It's hopeless; this Police Station might as well shut down.

Officer Li Feng hurried over to the Director and started complaining: Lin Ning had defected and was going to give performance credits to another station, so they might not take first place anymore.

Director Zhang narrowed his eyes, looking at Lin Ning with an unchanging smile.

"Little Lin, haven't you always been afraid of attracting too much attention by being overexposed? I think your caution is good; you should maintain it."

Without giving Lin Ning a chance to speak, he continued, "You can still continue to interface with Officer Li Feng. Cases from other jurisdictions can be transferred through us. You won't have to deal with so many irrelevant strangers. Let me tell you, some people are very difficult to deal with and have a ton of annoying issues."

The expression on Lin Ning's face vanished—I was waiting for you to say that!

Then he gave Officer Li Feng a contemptuous sidelong glance. Hello there, my exclusive little secretary!

...

A small building in the north of the city.

There was a knock on the door of Li Xianmin's office.

"Come in," he responded casually, his hand on the mouse and his eyes fixed on the screen.

A lean young man with an ordinary face walked in.

"Chief, while we were investigating Brian An, we discovered that people from the east side of the city were also there."

Li Xianmin's grip on the mouse tightened.

He asked in a calm, casual voice, "Who was it? Their work must have been pretty sloppy to be spotted by you."

The young man said respectfully, "Shen Bing from Investigation Team One. He was a classmate of mine, so I recognized him as soon as I saw him."

Li Xianmin's heart sank. Investigation Team One from the east side was the elite of the elite; they only moved for major or difficult cases.

Steeling his nerves, he smiled. "It seems this Brian An really might have some issues. You guys can pull out then; I'll communicate with that side."

Watching the door close, Li Xianmin's smile faded. Even though summer had already begun, he felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow during the dead of winter. A chill spread from the marrow of his bones to his internal organs.

To show his strength and also to keep an ace up his sleeve, he had used the excuse that Brian An was interviewing an important figure and needed a danger check to initiate a formal investigation into him.

He hadn't expected that this useless piece of trash would be targeted by Chen Zhi.

His brain worked rapidly, carefully recalling if there had been any abnormalities around him these past few days, the work arrangements from his superiors, or even the slightest change in the expressions of the leaders when they saw him.

After a long while, he exhaled a breath of turbid air. No abnormalities.

The light in Li Xianmin's eyes grew increasingly murky. He thought about what Brian An had said about their repeated failures in a short period. This situation was indeed unusual. He had thought it was just a coincidence of cold cases piling up, but now it seemed there was indeed some new situation he didn't know about—a new method of screening and filtering?

As for Brian An, nothing was more important than his own safety...