Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 462 Guest in the Ancient City
In previous years, when working in the public security team of Zhongshan Police Station, Chen Shu had also been on many official business trips. Some involved chasing fugitives, arresting people, taking people away, while others involved easier tasks like collecting evidence. He even replaced Yu Yu, a community police officer who had taken annual leave, to conduct background checks. In short, he was on the run quite a few times throughout the year.

When I arrived at a place, I had absolutely no interest in the sights or attractions, because I had work to do and was unwilling and dared not really go around eating, drinking, and having fun.

However, the local delicacies are a must-try. I don't know if this is a tradition of the police academy, but since Chen Shu graduated from the police academy, his mentors and other senior colleagues have all said and done so.

After browsing on his phone, Chen Shu selected a specialty barbecue restaurant closest to the hotel on Dianping (a Chinese review platform) and led Jiang Hai there.

As Chen Shu was leaving the hotel, he suddenly remembered that Wang Hao had recognized him at the airport earlier, so he asked Jiang Hai to go upstairs and change into his police trousers.

Anxious, Jiang Hai grabbed his backpack, took a detour, and ran to the restroom at the corner of the lobby to change his pants.

Stepping out of the hotel and onto the street, Chen Shu realized that using the app to find food was completely unnecessary. There was no need to search deliberately; on the streets on either side of their hotel entrance, or in any alley they randomly turned into, they could see and smell delicious local cuisine.

The stalls were filled with a dazzling array of food, including barbecue, baked buns, hand-pulled rice, and naan. The ethnic minority owners were also very warm and polite, which made Chen Shu, who was visiting NJ for the first time, a little skeptical.

Jiang Hai, fresh out of the closed campus, didn't think as much as Chen Shu did. He'd only walked a hundred meters before his mouth watered and he couldn't go any further. After all, the whole street reeked of mutton and barbecue, like invisible little hands pulling him back, preventing him from taking another step.

The two chose a small shop with the strongest aroma.

Looking around, Chen Shu decisively ordered half a roasted lamb and, on the owner's recommendation, two cups of salty milk tea.

When the iron plate was placed on the table, Chen Shu felt the aroma alone was enough to fill his stomach. The golden-brown roasted lamb had a crispy, golden-brown exterior and tender, juicy interior.

In terms of the chef's grilling skills, marinating, and use of seasonings, Chen Shu felt that it was still inferior to Northeastern barbecue.

But this meat, just by looking at it, you can tell it's of excellent quality, extremely rare even in Dongzhou, or even in the capital of Donghai Province.

Compared to lunch at the airport, the two of them swallowing a bite of grilled meat and drinking a cup of milk tea felt like they were in paradise.

Both of them had oily mouths from eating.

After finishing his meal and paying the bill, Chen Shu patted his belly contentedly as he walked out of the store and turned left onto the street. He noticed a red banner with white characters hanging on the wall next to the store entrance.

"All ethnic groups are one family, working together to build the Chinese dream."

The words were ordinary. Chen Shu straightened up, squinted, and continued to examine the banner, his mind racing as he recalled the layouts of the restaurants he had visited along the way. He especially thought of the restaurant he had just left; its decor seemed to be missing something rather obvious and common.

He was also familiar with some things in Dongzhou.

Seeing that Chen Shu was looking at it carefully, Jiang Hai, who had come out with him, also looked over in the same direction and read it aloud with a cheerful smile.

"Brother Shu, this place looks pretty good. The food is delicious, and the people are warm and hospitable. Ouch!" Jiang Hai cried out, stopping his words in his tracks.

Chen Shu glared at Jiang Hai with a serious expression, signaling him to shut up and not talk nonsense. When he looked back at the banner, he suddenly realized what was missing.

He finally realized something was missing!
Unbelievable!
They hadn't noticed it on the way from the airport, but after wandering around several restaurants for a while, they still hadn't seen it, which was strange. Could it be that this place wasn't as simple as it seemed? Danger was probably still there, just more deeply hidden. Immediately, Chen Shu pulled Jiang Hai back to the hotel.

Jiang Hai hadn't had enough of looking around and wanted to stroll around the streets for a while longer. However, seeing Chen Shu's serious expression, he knew that the other party must have discovered something. After a moment of silence, he obediently followed Chen Shu back to the hotel.

On the way back, Chen Shu carefully observed the surroundings and discovered that in this area, there was a police post every two or three hundred meters between each intersection. The police officers inside were in groups of three to five.

The police officers sitting inside were all fully armed. In addition to the Type 92 pistol that Chen Shu was familiar with, they were also equipped with Type 95 rifles, which is not common in Donghai Province.

The two returned to their reserved room at the hotel and found it to be a double room. Chen Shu shrugged and told Jiang Hai to go downstairs to the front desk to change rooms, while he went upstairs to talk to Lin Dakai about what he had discovered on the way.

When Chen Shu arrived at Lin Dakai's room, he suddenly remembered that Lin Dakai looked exhausted and almost fainted earlier. He figured that Lin Dakai was probably asleep by now. After hesitating for a moment, he knocked on Julie's door next door.

After knocking on the door for a long time, no one answered. Instead, Lin Dakai, who thought the woman was asleep, opened his own room door and peeked out. When he saw that it was Chen Shu knocking on Zhu Li's door, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"What's wrong, are you sulking? Hey, I told you, I booked a room for the two of you, but you insisted on sticking with this old codger."

Chen Shu looked at Lin Dakai, who was talking non-stop, and knew that the other party had misunderstood. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Teacher Lin, we are not in that kind of relationship."

“I know, I know. Julie’s family is well-off, and they’re worried about the impact. Your matter isn’t settled yet, so it’s understandable that you’re being cautious.” Lin Dakai grinned again, giving off an “I understand” look.

Seeing that there was no way to explain it, Chen Shu could only smile helplessly.

Seeing Chen Shu's expression, Lin Dakai assumed that the other party had tacitly agreed, and nodded with satisfaction, pointing out, "Before you came, I heard a loud slamming sound from Julie's room. She must have gone out shopping. That's normal for girls. You should give her a call and spend more time with her tonight."

After Linda opened and closed the door, Chen Shu took out his phone, hesitated for a long time, and then dialed the number. However, the phone rang for a long time but no one answered.

Could his luck be that bad? Looking at the darkening sky outside, Chen Shu felt a growing unease.

Perhaps it was because his years of police work had exposed him to too many dark sides of society, or perhaps it was because he had seen too many bloody cases in the area, but even though he kept reassuring himself that he shouldn't have any safety issues in the city center of this county, Chen Shu couldn't help but go out to look for someone.

Stepping out of the hotel, Chen Shu looked around and decided not to go to the food street he had visited with Jiang Hai earlier, but instead chose a different road.

"Ke Shi Ancient City".

“Ancient City of Kashi.”

"Kashin muinainen kaupunki."

Chen Shu stopped in front of a newly built, yellowish-brown, antique-style city gate. He looked up and saw three lines of large, gold-plated characters in different languages ​​on the ancient plaque on the wall.

Chen Shu took a light breath and slowly walked inside. He found the Chinese text the most comfortable to look at.

(End of this chapter)