Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 72 Powerless
Chen Shu, who had brought his partner to Zhongshan Hospital for physical examinations many times, encountered public skepticism for the first time, which made him somewhat curious.

He turned his head and looked behind the group from which the sound came.

A young man in his early twenties wearing black-rimmed glasses walked straight up to Chen Shu from the back of the line and asked righteously, "This is the emergency room. Everyone is in a hurry to see a doctor. Why are you cutting in line?"

Chen Shu pointed to his police badge number on his uniform and patiently explained, "Excuse me, I am a police officer. We are on official duty, so we need to register as soon as possible."

"Official business? What official business? Is seeing a doctor also official business?" the man asked aggressively.

Chen Shu said, "We are conducting physical examinations on the suspects."

"Everyone here is in a hurry to see a doctor, why should a suspect be seen first? What right do you have to cut in line? Please provide the relevant legal provisions to support this!"

Chen Shu felt the other party was being a bit too serious, but he still explained carefully, "Our Public Security Bureau has signed an agreement with this hospital, and they've opened a green channel for us. If you'd like to see the agreement, you're welcome to come to our office on a weekday."

The hospital opened a green channel for us to significantly reduce the time suspects spend in public places, thus effectively lowering the probability of any accidents. This approach benefits all of us.

The man's eyes darted around: "Also, you say you're a police officer, so please show me your police ID."

China has clear judicial interpretations that allow police officers to operate without showing their identification when they are in uniform, identify themselves, and are informed of the purpose of their enforcement actions.

The legal provisions are so detailed that it's possible some ordinary people are unclear about them. Normally, when faced with such reasonable questions, Chen Shu would patiently explain them to the public.

However, the young man today clearly showed signs of defiance.

Chen Shu touched his nose, somewhat amused and exasperated. Just as he was about to say something more, the person first in line finished their paperwork and left the counter.

Seeing this, he ignored the young man and turned to the window to complete the relevant procedures for Zhou Yongcheng's physical examination.

The onlookers remained silent, and as Chen Shu left, they continued to move in line, waiting to be processed.

The young man stood still, looked around, and deliberately shouted a few words, "We must complain, we must expose this," before obediently returning to his original position.

When officers are out on official business with suspects, they actually want to detain them as soon as possible. Every minute they linger outside carries an element of unpredictable danger.

The police must remain vigilant and alert at all times, without the slightest lapse in concentration. These are lessons learned the hard way in the past.

It's very tiring.

After all, you can't expect everyone to understand the work of the police. Chen Shu smiled slightly as he passed by, indicating his understanding.

After Chen Shu and his group helped the slow-witted Zhou Yongcheng complete his medical examination at the hospital, they drove to the detention center.

Zhongshan People's Hospital is not far from Zhengming District Detention Center, about a 20-minute drive.

On the way, Chen Shu asked as usual, "Zhou Yongcheng, do you want to make a phone call?"

Once the person is apprehended by the police, their phone will be confiscated on the spot. Therefore, before the procedure is successfully completed and the person is sent to the detention center, unless their attitude is particularly bad, the police will usually give them some time to make a few phone calls to explain things about their family or work.

Zhou Yongcheng kept his head down, remaining silent and motionless.

Chen Shuheng raised his left elbow and nudged his right arm: "I'm asking you a question. Do you want to call your family?"

Zhou Yongcheng, with his head down, still didn't look up: "No need, they've stopped caring about me. We haven't been in touch for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shu suddenly recalled the transcript he had seen in his office earlier, which clearly stated 'Residential address: None; Contact relatives: None'.

What parent in the world would bear to let their child wander aimlessly, homeless?

He suddenly felt as if several strings of his heart had been plucked, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Do you have any friends who can send you some clean clothes?"

The detention center provides prison uniforms, but they are all vests that can only be worn on the outside; you still need to wear your own clothes and underwear underneath.

Zhou Yongcheng, with his head down, shook his head.

An unnatural silence fell over the car.

"I'm hungry," he said very softly, his head down.

It didn't seem like a request, but merely a bland statement of facts.

Chen Shu asked, "Didn't anyone bring you food while you were in the cage?"

Zhou Yongcheng shook his head.

In the early years, the Zhongshan Detention Center did not provide special care for the detainees. They were simply kept in cages and watched to prevent any incidents. Since they were either released or transferred within 24 hours, no one paid much attention to their daily lives.

After Zeng Hong, who valued logistics, arrived, he also improved the treatment of the detainees. Generally speaking, the auxiliary police officers guarding the detention room would go to the canteen for their working meals and then bring back some food for the detainees.

Chen Shu's previous nonchalance actually stemmed from his subjective belief that Zhou Chengyong had already eaten in the detention room.

Although the regulations for the detention room have been revised for a long time since Zeng Hong arrived, everyone still maintains the old habits and doesn't pay much attention to the situation of the detainees.

Chen Shu pondered for a moment, then said to Zhu Chaoran, who was driving, "Fatty, let's go to 'Nineteen Noodle Shops' on Park Road and have some late-night snacks before we leave."

"okay."

The Santana accelerated noticeably and turned right toward Park Road.

Nineteen noodle shops on Gongyuan Road.

Since Zhou Chengyong was handcuffed and quite conspicuous, in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Chen Shu asked Zhu Chaoran to go to the store alone to pack a few servings of noodles to take to the car.

Chen Shu looked at Zhou Chengyong, who was wolfing down his food, and was afraid that he would swallow his own chopsticks in the end.

not kidding.

Some suspects, in an attempt to escape detention or re-education through labor, would cry and swear to the police that they would repent and become good people, but as soon as the police relaxed their guard, they would immediately swallow pens, glass, keys, etc., catching the officers off guard.

What happens if it gets swallowed?
We can only release them.

However, Chen Shu trusted his judgment. After spending several hours together, he believed that Zhou Yongcheng was just a confused and numb person.

Zhou Yongcheng guarded against the outside world, burying everything about himself deep within his heart. His life had no plan, no purpose, and no direction.

He stole, not because he wanted to steal. He was just genuinely hungry. He wasn't lazy; he just didn't know how to earn money, how to do food delivery, how to deliver packages, or how to get a factory job.

Unless you suddenly have an epiphany or meet a benefactor.

Otherwise, no one can help him.

All Chen Shu could do was place his own bowl of noodles in front of him.

(End of this chapter)