Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 347 Night Patrol

When Chen and Shu returned to their workplace, they bumped into Deputy Instructor Xie Chizheng, who was rushing downstairs.

He grabbed Chen Shu and said anxiously, "Chen Shu, Li Da just called me and said he needs to take some sick leave."

Xie Chi, the deputy instructor of the brigade, was at the same rank as Chen Shu, the deputy brigade leader, both being deputy section chiefs. However, Xie Chi was a veteran who had worked in the public security field for two or three decades, and he addressed Chen Shu by his first name.

In contrast, Chen Shu, out of respect for the veteran comrades, always addressed them by their surname and official title.

Chen Shu nodded: "Thank you for your guidance. I know about this; I took him to the hospital this afternoon."

"Oh! So, is it a big problem?"

Chen Chuan, never one to shy away from stirring things up, chuckled twice and joked, "Originally, it wasn't a big problem, but after Chen Shu got involved, it became a big problem. Ouch! Why do you keep kicking me!"

Chen Shu glared at Chen Chuan, then turned around and scratched his head, unsure how to explain. He simply invited Xie Chi to sit down in his office and told him everything.

From learning that Li Da was sick but refused to go to the hospital when having breakfast with Yang Chang, to later contacting her high school classmate who worked in the gastroenterology department of the hospital in advance, and finally leading Li Da to her door to put on an act, she explained everything thoroughly.

Xie Chi asked, "So that means you're actually not sick?"

"You're sick, otherwise why would your stomach keep hurting? The examination revealed it's mild cholecystitis, which can be treated with some medication. This hospitalization is mainly for recuperation."

Xie Chi gave Chen Shu a thumbs up and said, "Impressive! No wonder you came from the police station, you've got a lot of ideas. But come to think of it, I'm over fifty years old, and this is the first time I've ever heard of asking a doctor to act out a scene to scare a patient. Impressive! Haha."

After hearing this, and recalling the worried and helpless expression on Li Da's poker face at the time, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

However, Li Da still needed to be hospitalized, so laughing was inappropriate. Therefore, Xie Chi quickly regained his normal expression and even took a sip of water to suppress his laughter.

Then, he asked curiously, "Chen Shu, how did you come up with this way of doing things? Aren't you afraid that Li Da's relatives will come to the hospital and ask the doctors all sorts of questions, thus revealing your secret?"

Chen Shu shrugged: "According to Yang Chang, Li Da's stomachache has been going on for quite a while, and his family must know about it. They probably couldn't persuade him to stop. Now that he's at the hospital, they'll probably just go along with the doctor and get Li Da in first, without thinking twice."

Yeah, that's how I got my dad into trouble back then, with his stubbornness. These chronic illnesses, if detected and treated early, will hardly have any impact on the body. But if they develop further, things could get much worse.

Xie Chi, who is in his fifties, values ​​health preservation the most, and Chen Shu's words really resonated with him.

With Li Da's matter settled, Xie Chi, the deputy instructor, said worriedly, "Secretary Chen, now that Li Da has taken leave, it's just the two of us left as the brigade leaders. We can take turns on duty. Please, we absolutely cannot let anything serious happen."

In the past, the brigade was always staffed by the young and strong Li Da. Now that Li Da had taken sick leave, according to custom, the brigade should have Xie Chi, who was more senior, in charge of the work. But Xie Chi was getting old and was about to retire to the second line, so Chen Shu could completely understand his desire for a stable life.

Chen Shu sat up straight and tried to keep his tone gentle: "Thank you for your guidance. Don't worry, I'm at work."

7 PM, first floor lobby

Because Li Da took sick leave, Chen Shu volunteered to take over the shift that Li Da missed, so after yesterday's shift, Chen Shu will still be on duty today.

The officer on duty was Zhang Qing, the deputy captain of the first squadron. Although he was called the deputy deputy captain, his administrative rank was still that of a staff member. He was mainly given the title of deputy captain to manage the auxiliary police officers under his command. The captain of a squadron is equivalent to the grid police chief in a police station. Although his administrative rank was the same as Chen Shu's—deputy section chief—he was still one level lower in rank.

Chen Shu led the duty team to inspect guns in the lobby. Since only Chen Shu and Zhang Qing had gun licenses, they were the only two people in the team performing the standard procedures in the lobby, while the rest of the team members stood at attention in a row waiting.

The pistols used by the SWAT team are different from those used by the police stations, both in terms of model and usage standards. For example, the Zhongshan police station still uses the Type 64 pistol, while the SWAT team upgraded to the domestically produced Type 92 pistol several years ago.

The difference between 64 and 92 is roughly equivalent to the difference between a fruit knife and a cleaver.

In terms of usage standards, the Zhongshan Police Station, a large Class II police station with a staff of over thirty officers, only has three pistols in its huge armory. One is given to the duty officer, one to the duty officer, and the remaining one is kept in reserve.

According to the older colleagues at the institute, the spare one hadn't left the warehouse for over ten years.

In contrast, each officer in the SWAT team is equipped with a designated handgun. As long as the officer is on duty at the SWAT team, the gun stays with them. This "gun follows the officer" system has two major advantages.

Firstly, police officers can become familiar with the ballistics of pistols during daily training, which greatly improves the hit rate; secondly, having a designated police officer specifically assigned to maintain and care for the pistol will make them more attentive and meticulous.

After inspecting the gun, Chen Shu said, "When we patrol at night, no matter what happens, there's only one rule: we must prioritize our own safety. That's the most important thing! Understand?"

Suddenly, the scene of Director Wang's instructions during the high-speed train rescue flashed into my mind.

Chen Shu thought for a moment, then walked around the five-person duty team, straightened their collars, brushed off the cigarette ash, and helped tidy up their police appearance.

Going back to the beginning, he solemnly stated, "Police officers must protect themselves first in order to protect more people."

"Yes, sir!" the five men answered in unison, standing at attention.

Chen Shu noticed that a small, thin man standing at the end of the line was shouting the loudest with his thick neck.

He said, "Let's go. I'll go out with you guys tonight."

Led by Deputy Squad Leader Zhang Qing, four auxiliary police officers walked out of the hall and headed to the Ford Transit troop carrier parked in the courtyard to board the vehicle.

Chen Shu followed behind, and when they walked out of the office building's first-floor entrance, they saw Chen Chuan standing by the door, fully equipped, smoking his usual white cigarette with a relaxed and smug expression.

Chen Shu asked curiously, "Chen Chuan, didn't you just finish your shift last night? Why aren't you going home yet?"

Chen Chuan spat the cigarette butt out of his mouth onto the ground and stomped it out, saying smugly, "Have you ever seen a dispatched police officer who has to be on duty? I'm just bored, and following you around might lead to some fun things. Hehe, you have the legendary Conan-like physique."

Chen Shu kicked the other man: "You're almost thirty and still have no manners. Get lost!"

After adjusting their fully equipped belts, the two men got into the car.

(End of this chapter)