Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 184 Releasing People Without Authorization
Late at night, in the duty hall on the first floor of Dongming Police Station.
Chen Shu stood at the entrance of the hall, watching the police officers coming and going around him, and suddenly felt a little smug.

Putting everything else aside, at least I don't have to do everything myself anymore!
However, he also had to take care of his subordinates.

In a little while, Chaoyang, Xu Chaofan, and Zhao Feifei will take that scarred bald man as a backdrop for a group photo in the lobby of Dongming Police Station, and that'll be the end of it. After that, not to mention his future promotion prospects, this case alone will be enough for him to brag about for a while!

Chen Shu liked his hardworking junior brother from the bottom of his heart. In the past, whether it was work or overtime, except for the occasional blind date, he would always be there when called, working diligently and without complaint.

After asking several people, when Chen Shu finally found Li Chaoyang, he discovered that Li Chaoyang was enthusiastically taking a statement from a pretty young woman in an office on the second floor of Dongming Police Station.

Sitting next to him was Zhu Chaoran, whose eyes were also shining as he looked left and right.

Zhu Chaoran had just joined the police force this year and had never handled a similar case before, so Chen Shushang could understand the young man's reaction.

However, Li Chaoyang, who already had two years of work experience, actually showed concern for the young lady while taking her statement, which angered him so much that he immediately went inside, coldly pulled her out of the room.

Normally, in situations with outsiders present, Chen Shu would at least consider Li Chaoyang's feelings to some extent, but this incident happened so suddenly that he was quite annoyed.

At the end of the corridor outside the office.

Chen Shu was furious, and his mouth spewed out like a machine gun: "If you're going to take a statement, then take a statement. Why did you ask her if she was cold? And how was she going to get home? What, are you going to take her home? To whose home? Yours?"

Li Chaoyang knew he had made a mistake, so he lowered his head and dared not speak.

Chen Shu sighed, "I had a meeting with you guys back in the office before, and you absolutely mustn't have anything to do with these seasoned women. They deal with men day and night, their business is all about pleasing men. If they mess with you, it'll be a real, devastating blow!"

Li Chaoyang explained, "Senior brother! She's different from others. She doesn't work as a prostitute; she's new to this line of work! And she's just providing paid companionship, so she's not breaking the law. She can leave after the statement is taken."

Chen Shu was unsure whether he should continue to offer guidance to the young man after Li Chaoyang called him "senior brother".

The two were merely colleagues, and such private advice might be seen as showing off seniority by the person involved, and wouldn't necessarily gain their approval. True to Chen Shu's nature, it was better to avoid trouble.

As long as Li Chaoyang does his job well, what business is it of his private life with that girl? If something really happens in the future, it won't be his fault!

Beyond their colleague relationship, they were also fellow students at the same police academy. In wartime, such a bond would be one where they would risk their lives for each other.

Chen Shu sighed again, looked into Li Chaoyang's eyes, and said solemnly, "Chaoyang, I've never acted like an old man in front of you these past few years. It's not that they're necessarily bad people, but there's a huge difference in the level between someone like you who's only been out of school for a couple of years and someone like them who's been in the workforce since their teens. Listen to your senior brother this time, don't get involved with these women of the night in the slightest, or you'll get into trouble."

Before the mission, the group had a short meeting in Chen Shu's office at Zhongshan Institute. At that time, Chen Shu emphasized that while handling cases was important, they should not have any contact with the young lady involved in the case.

Clearly, Li Chaoyang didn't take it seriously and arrogantly thought that the other party was only collecting evidence as a witness in this case, so he had some ulterior motives.

Seeing Chen Shu's serious expression, Li Chaoyang nodded and said, "Senior brother, I understand."

Chen Shu withdrew his serious expression and said with a smile, "Let's put this woman aside for now. I'll take you down to the lobby to take a picture with Director Xu and the others. Then you'll have something to brag about later."

Li Chaoyang frowned: "Director Xu? Is that the deputy director of the Dongming Police Station?"

“Yes, they’ll be handling this case from now on. We’ll just cooperate. Let’s go downstairs and take the photos quickly. I still need to talk to them about publicity and reporting; we need to increase our word count.” Li Chaoyang suddenly reached out and grabbed Chen Shu’s sleeve. Seeing the other’s puzzled expression, he hesitated and said, “Senior, when I was watching the surveillance footage at the EME front desk earlier, I noticed something. I saw one of their police officers, the one you call Xiao Yang. He was guarding the back door and let a woman out. The woman was dressed very provocatively; I think it might be…”

"They released people without authorization at the scene!"

Chen Shu's pupils suddenly contracted, somewhat incredulous.

This matter could be serious or minor. If the woman released was only engaged in paid companionship, then Xiao Yang would at most receive internal disciplinary action. However, if the woman is suspected of prostitution or even organizing obscene performances, then she is a criminal suspect, and Xiao Yang's act of releasing her without authorization would be a violation of the law!
Chen Shu fell silent, the image of the young man who had been busily offering cigarettes to Xu Chaofan flashing through his mind. If he remembered correctly, Xiao Yang was a new police officer who had just graduated from police academy this year and been assigned to a local post.

After ten years of hard study, he finally entered the police academy with a score several tens of points above the first-tier university admission line. After several years of ascetic study and life, he barely managed to get a job.

His life has only just begun!

Chen Shu was not a saint; he couldn't bring himself to do it.

According to the unspoken rules of the police force, Li Chaoyang reported the matter to his direct superior at this point, thus absolving himself of any responsibility for its subsequent development.

The responsibility shifted to Chen Shu.

Chen Shu said calmly, "Okay, I understand. Let's go downstairs now and take pictures with Director Xu and the others."

Dongming Institute, Third Floor, Deputy Director's Office
"Boom boom boom!"

"What is it?" Xu Chaofan had originally planned to sleep for a few hours to recharge, and he had even taken his pants off when Chen Shu knocked on the office door.

"Didn't we agree to take a picture together? Why are you sleeping so early?" As soon as Chen Shu entered the room, he saw Xu Chaofan's attire and knew that the other party was probably planning to take a quick peek.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, a testament to their mutual understanding.

When police officers are working on cases all night, the most direct feeling is exhaustion. They seize every moment of rest to catch up on sleep, and they can sleep anywhere. The office sofa, the desk, the floor, in the car, on the chair—they can sleep standing up or sitting down.

Because a case only has 48 hours to process, such as the Shang K case, which involves a large number of people, it is foreseeable that the workload in the later stages will be enormous.

After the suspects were brought to justice, Xu Chaofan, as the deputy director of the police station, first arranged for the officers to question or interrogate them one by one, while he took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. When he woke up two or three hours later, the officers had basically finished taking their statements.

He could then use the time while the police officers were resting to organize the case details based on these statements and prepare the next steps for the investigation or the appropriate procedures. After two or three hours, when the officers woke up, he could then assign new tasks.

Make the most of every minute and second.

Xu Chaofan put his clothes back on: "Let's go, let's take the photos first. I got so busy with work that I forgot you and Zhao Da were still at the station. I'll have someone bring over some late-night snacks later, don't be shy, just make do with what you have."

"Okay, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Next time you come to my place for a meal, I'll take you to try some local specialties."

As the sounds of chatting and footsteps gradually faded away, the night seemed to deepen.

(End of this chapter)