Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 678 The Standard Equipment of a New Era Policeman
Qingyue Bridge, a corner of a residential area.

"Li Da, good news!" Wen Zhao squeezed through the crowd and approached Li Meng.

Li Meng stared at an old building with its lights still on in the distance, and without turning her head, she criticized, "Wen Zhao, we're about to move out, where have you been? By the way, has the gun been checked?"

The term "criminal police officer" sounds prestigious, and one might imagine that they face more situations requiring the use of firearms than regular police officers. However, in reality, whether criminal police officers are out making arrests or solving cases, they primarily rely on sheer numbers and rarely use firearms.

They're either on their way to arrest people or stuck in the procedures of handling cases, so they simply don't have the time or energy to go to the police academy's shooting range for shooting training.

For criminal investigators, guns are merely decorative; they hold them without even needing to take off the safety, using them only to intimidate suspects. Some veteran investigators even follow the lead of seasoned officers at their local police stations, buying toy guns from Taobao to carry around as if they were real.

If an ordinary person pulls out a gun, passersby might think it's fake, or at most, a knock-off; but if a real policeman openly carries a gun on his waist, no one will consider whether the gun is real or not, not even the slightest assumption will arise.

Police officers feel safe using toy guns, since they can simply lose them if they're lost.

Unable to inspect the gun, Wen Zhao scratched his head awkwardly, not daring to tell the truth. He mumbled a few "uh-huhs" and quickly changed the subject, excitedly saying, "Li Da, we stopped a food delivery guy. Judging from the address, it should be the people in that house who ordered it. It's all lamb skewers!"

Suddenly, everyone's eyes lit up.

The risks of forcibly breaking in are incomparable to the risks of tricking someone into opening the door under the guise of delivering food.

Frustrated by the reach of TV dramas, plainclothes police officers are no longer effective at checking water meters, so they have to find other ways to do it.

Then, express delivery and food delivery services made their dazzling debut.

I have to say, these two are sometimes more useful than checking the water meter.

This is the meaning of the saying that when God closes one door, he opens another.

When someone comes to check the water meter, they're the one who comes knocking on your door. People inside are bound to be wary. Besides, who checks the water meter so late at night? Do they really think the suspect has zero intelligence?
Delivery services like takeout and errands are different; the later they arrive, the more normal it is, since everyone gets hungry sometimes. Besides, these two ordered the service themselves on their phones, paying for it to be delivered to their door. Who would have thought the police would intercept them at the entrance of the residential complex so early?

Once the clothes are changed, who would know if the person standing outside the door is a food delivery guy or a police officer?

Therefore, it has become standard equipment for this generation of police officers to always carry food delivery uniforms and courier uniforms in their vehicles. Of course, the iconic yellow hats and food delivery boxes are also indispensable. In terms of attention to detail, they are even more meticulous than real food delivery drivers.

Li Meng was in a good mood, gave a firm fist bump, and said in a deep voice, "Okay! Wen Zhao, go to my car and get the delivery uniform right away. Qian Tan, Xiao Ji, and Wang Wu stay here, and the rest of you go to your respective checkpoints as planned."

"Remember this, all of you: no shooting."

I knew they wouldn't let me shoot. They even made me check the gun earlier. Toy guns are better; you don't even need to check them. Wen Zhao had a lot on his mind, but he acted decisively on the surface. He stood at attention for a moment, said "Yes," and then turned around and ran to get his work clothes.

After a series of heavy footsteps, only Li Meng, Qian Tan, Xiao Ji, and Wang Wu remained at the scene.

Qian Tan lit a cigarette: "There are four people inside, and with Wen Zhao, that makes five of us. Wouldn't it be too much to just rush in like this?"

Li Meng gritted her teeth and said, "If there are too many people, the higher-ups will know that we deliberately rushed in to arrest people. They can only pretend that we happened to run into them during the investigation. Sigh, I even think five people are too many. There's no way to explain this kind of thing. The more you explain, the darker it gets."

Little Chicken said in a deep voice, "Li Da, I still think it's too dangerous. The five of us can charge in, but we should at least have the second team send about ten people to help us control the scene afterwards."

Li Meng let out a long sigh and shook his head, saying, "In the eyes of those above, as long as we can catch people, they won't care whether we're from the Criminal Investigation Department, the Special Branch, or the Major Criminal Investigation Department. They don't care about these kinds of achievements. As long as it's not too obvious, those above won't hold it against us."

The chick asked疑惑地问道：“Then why not have the second team prepare everyone and rush in with us?” “Because Li Da still cares about his reputation.” Qian Tan smiled coldly, showing no regard for his leader’s face. He threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, then asked Li Meng, “Have you thought of an explanation for what happens afterward?”

As a veteran criminal investigator who had been with the Zhengming Criminal Investigation Brigade for nearly twenty years, he had no respect for the deputy captain, who was nearly thirty years old and, in his eyes, still hadn't grown any hair yet.

If it weren't for the possibility of finding a small retirement home near home during future exchanges, Qian Tan, who was about to be transferred, would never have gotten involved in this matter.

Li Meng curled the corners of her lips and smiled slightly, "The takeout just arrived. I mentioned that I suspected these lamb skewers, since people in NJ love to eat them, so I sent a team to investigate. I didn't expect it to actually be their hideout."

Qian Tan nodded, acknowledging the validity of the reason.

Wang Wu remained silent throughout. As a new police officer, he was full of enthusiasm, but also harbored a selfish desire to achieve something.

Although at his age, he hasn't yet grasped the unspoken rules of how society works. It's important to understand that these so-called achievements have absolutely nothing to do with future promotions.

As they were talking, Wen Zhao returned with a yellow delivery uniform.

As the first person to break through the goal, Li Meng, who wanted to take the credit, was naturally the one pretending to be a food delivery guy.

After changing her clothes, Li Meng's phone rang. She hesitated for a few moments before answering the call.

The caller was Ren Guoqing, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Zhengming District. He first explained that he would arrive at Qingyueqiao Community in ten minutes and told them not to take any rash actions.

They then relayed the information they had received earlier from the command center: they were 100% certain they possessed explosives, and that they had manufactured them themselves. This information was confirmed by the Yiwu City police and the technical investigation unit.

The night was very quiet, and everyone present could hear Ren Guoqing's voice clearly.

After a moment's thought, everyone present had a new idea.

Although the drunkard's intelligence suggested he might be carrying explosives, the five men at the gate tacitly refrained from mentioning it again, much like ostriches burying their heads in the sand before a sandstorm arrives.

Unexpectedly, a phone call from the captain broke the silence, and the information was confirmed by the technical investigation team. At this moment, the group's attempts to take shortcuts were decisively shattered, and they showed a clear intention to back down compared to before.

Qian Tan took a deep drag on his newly lit cigarette. After Li Meng hung up the phone, he was the first to speak: "Since they can make explosives, they might also have guns. They're all people who've come to Donghai to risk their lives. This job isn't easy."

Relying on his years of experience, the young man spoke up, advising, "Brother Li, this matter is beyond our control. We've never handled explosives before; what if something unexpected happens?"

Wen Zhao, who had been with Li Meng the longest, said in a low voice, "Li Da, the Municipal Bureau hasn't sent anyone to the scene yet, so we still have time. As long as we immediately reply to them that we've found the hideout, the good and bad will cancel each other out, I think."

All three of them implied that they were having second thoughts.

Wang Wu was the youngest and had no right to participate in the discussion, so he could only look at their deputy captain. However, his face was hidden in the darkness, and it was impossible to see through him at all.

After a long while, a sentence finally came from the darkness.

"I'll go take a look first, you guys follow behind me."

(End of this chapter)