Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 689 Zhang Zhongzhen's Choice
After kindly seeing off Xu Mingliang's family, the atmosphere in the corridor once again plummeted.

Director Wang stepped forward, preparing to give a concluding speech before dismissing the crowd: "We not only killed those who came from a distant overseas country, but also destroyed their long-hidden hideout in Dongzhou. It can be said that this was a very successful operation. As for the casualties, the bureau will assign personnel to conduct a detailed investigation later."

What are you investigating?
To hold someone accountable, or to shift the blame?
Sure enough, I was still too young.

The police officers present were secretly in an uproar, casting pitying glances at Chen Shu, who stood silently to the side.

Before the situation became clear, Director Wang did not want to elaborate on the issue in public. He simply gave a stern look, and the entire room immediately fell silent.

He beckoned to Chen Shu, and the two went to a corner of the corridor.

Thinking of the police officer who had died in the operating room, Director Wang felt equally uncomfortable. But the dead need to be taken care of, and the living also need to be comforted.

Looking at the young policeman with lifeless eyes, Director Wang felt a pang of sympathy and advised, "You've done a great job. At least you've caught them all in one fell swoop. You've also confirmed what was originally just a guess about the hideout. From now on, Dongzhou will be safe."

Chen Shu hummed in response, his expression blank, his mind seemingly wandering elsewhere.

Director Wang wanted to offer comfort, but didn't know where to begin.

Based on Chen Shu's previous handling of the situation at the scene, the fact that just two people dared to climb to the rooftop and stop four criminals, this style of fighting against overwhelming odds, would certainly be subject to criticism within the public security system afterward.

But Director Wang also knew that at that time, if they had been allowed to climb over the low wall from the rooftop and into the neighboring residential building, anything terrible could have happened in their desperation.

With only two police officers, they managed to kill two and capture two others. Such an impressive achievement is quite remarkable, and it's no wonder that Director Wang's expression softened, his eyes filled with heartache.

Director Wang did not know the police officer who had sacrificed his life. Standing in the hospital at this moment, he only knew that he was a special police officer named "Xu Mingliang" and knew nothing else.

Chen Shu, on the other hand, was a comrade-in-arms who had worked with him for many years, a colleague and friend who, apart from their names, was someone he could actually chat with, work with, and even joke around with.

The emotional impact on him must have far exceeded that on others.

Over the years, Director Wang, who had gone through many events with Chen Shu, knew very well that the young man standing in front of him was an extremely sentimental person.

A person who could brave the high temperatures to run to the top floor of a burning apartment building for the sake of a child they didn't even know, and then jump off the balcony with the child in their arms without regard for their own safety;
He was so determined to survive that he dared to confront the high-ranking officials and experts from the north in public with his subordinates, and unexpectedly saved the girl who was killed in the high-speed train accident.

Even when on vacation, if he witnesses a hostage situation, he will not hesitate to step forward and fight hand-to-hand with a knife-wielding assailant, armed with a car repair hammer.

These are all things that Director Wang witnessed firsthand. He believes that behind Chen Shu's silence, there must be many more moving stories hidden.

This man, whether he came from Nanjing in the far west of China or crossed Yunnan Province in the far south, every time he fell silent, it was a sad story and a hardship.

And all of this he had to bear alone.

To be honest, it's too heavy.

Director Wang gave up on appeasement and only offered a few words of advice: "Chief Lin from the Criminal Investigation Department just told me that when the on-site assault team conducted their first raid, they went to the wrong house, which alerted them and made them aware of our presence, so they started to counterattack."

At the time, the assault team led by Zhang Zhongzhen, the captain of the assault squadron directly under the detachment, launched the first assault. After the failure, Lin Zhi arrived with the third echelon composed of criminal police officers. They stopped Chen Shu and the others, telling them to wait for orders from the command center and not to launch a second assault.

However, Chen Shu was convinced that he already knew the police were coming, and that waiting any longer would delay the operation and give them a chance to escape. So, as the on-site commander, he suppressed Deputy Chief Lin of the Criminal Investigation Division, forced the order to launch a second assault, and decisively led his men to attack immediately.

As Director Wang recounted the entire story, Chen Shu simply nodded, offering no explanation. It seemed that the confirmation of Xu Mingliang's passing had rendered him indifferent. Initially, Chen Shu had resented Zhang Zhongzhen's carelessness and cowardice; had he not mistaken the door during the first raid, the subsequent assault wouldn't have escalated into a deadly attack.

On the other hand, Chen Shu also doubted his initial decision. He wondered if it would have been better to have listened to the advice of Criminal Investigation Branch Chief Lin and withdrawn the team to wait for the command center's next plan.

At least, Xu Mingliang won't have to die.

"You are the on-site commander of Director Zhu's team, and according to the rules, we all have to listen to you."

Director Wang made the final decision, defining the nature of the incident in the hopes of helping the young man: "Personally, I think you did a very good job, decisively and with great resolve. Even if you had relayed the information back to the command center for us old guys to discuss, the outcome probably wouldn't have been better, and it would definitely have been too late."

But Brother Xu's life is gone forever. Chen Shu nodded mechanically.

At this moment, Li Meng from Zhengming Criminal Investigation Brigade, Zhang Zhongzhen from the Special Police Detachment, and others arrived one after another.

The two stood behind their respective leaders, glanced at each other across the crowd, and both chose to remain silent.

The older Li Meng crossed her arms and calmly looked at Executive Director Wang, who was standing in the corner chatting with someone, trying to discern his emotions.

Zhang Zhongzhen clenched his fists, glancing guiltily at the operating room where the indicator lights had gone out, and then secretly glancing at his blank-faced senior brother with a flushed face.

The hospital corridor was crowded with police leaders at all levels, who were discussing the incident. Some were impressed by Chen Shu's youth and achievements, noting that he had killed two people and captured two others alive while achieving zero casualties among the civilians, which could be considered the most outstanding achievement in the history of the Dongzhou police system.

Of course, there are also regrets, after all, a policeman was sacrificed. As the on-site commander of the operation, and the one who single-handedly changed the "Theft of the Sky" plan and decided to let the tiger return to the mountain, Chen Shu bears an unshirkable responsibility. According to the convention of offsetting merits and demerits, the best-case scenario is that he will be completely dismissed.

However, some people privately envied him, after all, he was directly appointed as the on-site commander by the big boss Zhu, and he also gained the appreciation of Executive Director Wang of the Municipal Bureau. As long as he didn't have to take off his clothes this time, he would have plenty of opportunities to rise to the top in the future.

In the arena, as long as you are young, the ups and downs of experience are actually a good thing.

Director Wang led Chen Shu back to the corridor after their heart-to-heart talk, patted him on the shoulder in front of everyone, and whispered a few words of comfort.

This behavior is clearly meant to show everyone: even though things went wrong, Old Wang is still protecting Xiao Chen, so don't even think about kicking him when he's down.

The crowd erupted in another uproar, a mixture of envy, gossip, and skepticism.

In the crowd, Zhang Zhongzhen gritted his teeth, pushed aside his colleagues from the special police detachment who were deliberately blocking his way, and shook off several hands that were secretly tugging at his clothes to prevent him from leaving the crowd.

He, Zhang Zhongzhen, had his own choices, so even if he was unwilling, regretful, or fearful, he had to keep going.

He walked stiffly past the buzzing crowd, step by step, until he reached Chen Shu alone.

For the first time in his life, Zhang Zhongzhen had such close contact with the second-in-command of the municipal bureau, but he didn't see the other party in the slightest.

Zhang Zhongzhen simply looked at Chen Shu, the senior brother whom he had initially looked down upon but now deeply respected.

"My senior brother is too tired." This was the first thought that came to Zhang Zhongzhen's mind.

The scene immediately fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the two individuals.

(End of this chapter)