Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 11 Li Meng from the Criminal Investigation Department
Chen Shu dialed Zeng Hong's number.

"Professor Zeng, the kidnappers are from out of town and have most likely already left Dongzhou City. This kidnapping case is completely different from traditional cases! The kidnappers have probably already planned to use long-distance, cross-province transactions as a means of exchange!"
I'm on my way back to the station now. The license plate will be finalized soon!
This case is under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security. We'll directly report the license plate number to the special task force, and with the rapid coordination of several departments, we might be able to intercept them on the highway!

Zeng Hong gently put down his phone, remaining noncommittal.

This case has completely exceeded the control he, as a police station instructor, could have managed.

Chen Shu's words were still echoing in his ears, but at this moment, he could only lean back in his office chair and watch a young man sitting across from him examining a pair of women's shoes wrapped in a transparent bag, remaining silent.

Seeing that Zeng Hong remained silent after hanging up the phone, the young man raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke first in a slightly reproachful tone:

"Why is Chen Shu still so impulsive? He's just a local police officer, yet he insists on getting involved in such a major criminal case."

As he spoke, he gently placed the red LV women's high heel, which he had been playing with and which was wrapped in a transparent evidence bag, onto the desk.

"Snapped."

Zeng Hong's past experience and his administrative rank (equivalent to Zeng Hong's) made him hesitant to be too unrestrained in his attitude.

“Li Da, Chen Shu is indeed a bit impulsive, but he has a good heart. Your Ren Da also gave his approval to the on-site investigation at the station at noon,” Zeng Hong chimed in with a smile.

Li Meng, male, 27 years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, has a dignified appearance. He is not nearsighted, but prefers to wear a pair of frameless non-prescription glasses.

A graduate of the Donghai Provincial Police Academy, he is the youngest section-level cadre in the municipal bureau and currently serves as the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Zhengming District Public Security Bureau in Dongzhou City. He has solved numerous major and important cases, earning numerous awards and commendations. He was the first in the bureau to propose a criminal investigation goal of solving all homicide cases, which was highly valued by the bureau chief. He is Chen Shu's high school and university classmate.

Li Meng was somewhat curious. Zeng Hong, who was rumored to have had a fiery temper and disregarded everyone in his younger days, was actually trying to please her with his first words.

"Good intentions gone wrong! How many times has this happened to Chen Shu! Last year he was on a security mission. He was called a guard, but really he just stood at the intersection and watched the traffic. It was such a simple job!"

He actually went to the storefront by the roadside and, dressed in his police uniform, helped a construction worker carry scaffolding! Then a Toyota Coaster pulled up, and the whole busload of people stared at him! You can imagine how embarrassing it was for our bureau! Ugh!

“Yes, yes. I’ve already talked to him about this, and I don’t know what he was thinking at the time.” Zeng Hong frowned slightly, seemingly equally annoyed by his lack of ambition.

"And today was the same. They didn't take a statement during the first interrogation, just showed their face briefly and ran away! What kind of police conduct investigations like this! I've never even heard of such a thing!" Li Meng said angrily.

"Yes, yes, this young man is too unruly, always so careless and negligent." Zeng Hong nodded in agreement, secretly wondering how Li Meng knew about this.

Seeing Zeng Hong's confusion, Li Meng said directly, "We connected directly to your interrogation room via surveillance. Director Zhang was there at the time, but thankfully he didn't say anything afterwards." Fortunately, Director Zhang also came from a criminal investigation background, so he probably wouldn't care too much about these details. Zeng Hong closed his eyes and calmed down for a few seconds.

“Li Da, it’s like this. Your Ren Da was also at the scene; he was in the observation room next door. He arranged for Chen Shu to go to the crime scene…”

Li Meng interrupted Zeng Hong, her face full of disappointment: "Actually, I'm saying this for his own good. We're classmates from the same police academy's criminal investigation department. After all these years, he hasn't even reached the rank of deputy section chief. It really makes me feel sorry for him!"

“Indeed. This young man’s attitude is not good.” Zeng Hong handed Li Meng a cigarette in agreement.

Li Menghun unconsciously took the cigarette and said leisurely, "Teacher Zeng has worked hard."

"Haha, it's not hard work. I'm getting old, so I can only sit in the office every day waiting to retire. I can't compare to Li Meng, who is young and promising." Zeng Hong pretended not to understand, stood up, and personally lit a cigarette for Li Meng.

"Li Da, do you think we should pass on the clues Chen Shu found to the task force?" Zeng Hong said softly after lighting a cigarette.

“Well, let’s proceed step by step according to procedure. This case is too big. In addition to our Criminal Investigation Division, the bureau’s criminal technology, armed police, and cyber security departments have all come. I heard that other cities have also formed special task forces. Let’s not do this.” Li Meng hesitated slightly, but still refused.

"By the way, Professor Zeng, I came here specifically to remind you to keep a close eye on Chen Shu. Make sure nothing like what happened last year happens again. If something does happen, we can't afford the responsibility."

After saying that, Li Meng got up to take her leave.

Just then, a round, plump figure squeezed through the crack in the door and slipped into the room, closing the office door behind him.

"Isn't this little rascal a classmate of Brother Shu? Why is he putting on airs like an old man! A TUI!" Zhu Chaoran said, showing off his newfound knowledge by making a gesture towards the door.

"By the way, Professor Zeng, why was Brother Shu carrying scaffolding for people when he was on duty last year?" He turned his head and looked at Zeng Hong with a grin.

"You've been peeking outside for ages, and all you came here to chat with is to talk to me?" Zeng Hong was still preoccupied with Chen Shu's matter, and Zhu Chaoran's words made him laugh in exasperation. "Go tell the brothers who are still working overtime tonight that it's time to go home!"

"Why? Aren't we still investigating the case? Brother Shu will be back soon!" Zhu Chaoran, who had been joking and full of anticipation, jumped up as soon as he heard that Zeng Hong was going to stop the investigation.

Zeng Hong shook his head helplessly and said heavily, "We've been singled out. No matter what, Li Meng is a leader of the Criminal Investigation Department. Our police station cannot overstep the jurisdiction of the Criminal Investigation Department."

(End of this chapter)