Chapter 108: It’s Good to Have You

Chapter 108: It’s Good to Have You

A promotion and raise is great news for ordinary folks.

Xiao Yu didn’t mind, and he was just as generous.

That evening, he arranged for his colleagues to enjoy a seafood dinner.

Taking seniors out for seafood was a customary way to handle business.

While poring over case files in the afternoon, National Security’s Wang Dong called.

“Our spy case is nearly wrapped up. Your jailbreak case should be finished by tomorrow,” he said.

Wang Dong hesitated a bit before adding, “But your direct action against the criminals has ruffled some feathers among the higher-ups.”

Higher-ups?

Who are the higher-ups at National Security exactly?

“Wang, you know I’m a shy guy by nature—but who among us youngsters isn’t a little impulsive?”

Xiao Yu played the innocent, “How could my superiors be angry at a small fry like me?”

“Small fry? You clearly underestimate your own abilities,” Wang Dong retorted.

Wang Dong chuckled, “Up top, you’ve been given two options. Want to hear them?”

“I forgot to mention something,” he added.

Feeling as if he’d been shot in the knee, Xiao Yu grumbled, “I suffer from serious choice anxiety!”

In another life, he’d have simply quipped, ‘Only kids bother with choices!’

“Ha!”

Wang Dong scoffed, “Option one: Join National Security and still get credit for the case.”

“And option two?” Xiao Yu asked without hesitation.

“Option two…”

Wang Dong said in a serious tone, “The credit will be temporarily withheld. Your future performance will decide if it’s awarded.”

What does that mean…? Xiao Yu couldn’t quite follow.

“Combine the jailbreak and spy cases—do you know the level of credit that brings?”

Wang Dong explained to his junior, “At the very least, that’s a first-class merit. You already have two first-class merits. In our police system, there’s an unwritten rule: a third first-class merit earns you a trip to the Capital—to a special place where top bigwigs personally present medals, along with an honorary title!”

Xiao Yu’s heart pounded wildly.

An honorary title?

Top bigwigs?

If he truly earned that title, he’d finally meet those top bigwigs.

After all, in this world, as long as you avoid heinous treason, you’re as steady as an old dog!

“It’s a pity you were too impulsive and missed this chance…”

Wang Dong expressed some regret, “But if you perform well in the future, you’ll still have a shot.”

Disappointment? Regret?

No.

Xiao Yu replied calmly, “Wang, I didn’t become a cop for this sort of thing.”

“I know. When Old Shao returned, he had nothing but praise for you,” Wang Dong added.

His tone grew a bit odd, “That guy hardly ever compliments anyone.”

Old Shao?

He was the leader of National Security’s Fourth Unit, Shao Jiafu.

“I really owe him one,” Xiao Yu said with a twitch of his mouth.

He never saw being praised by National Security as such a great honor.

“That’s all there is to say,”

Wang Dong laughed, “When you get a chance in the Capital, come visit. All my colleagues are dying to meet you, our little junior.”

Xiao Yu: …

They want to meet me? Are you planning to gang up on me?

The call ended.

Xiao Yu rubbed his head; being under National Security’s watch was never pleasant.

No wonder others complained—it was his own knack for standing out.

Surely, a time traveler’s early days meant keeping a low profile, skulking about instead of showing off?

But when a case arises, can you really just stand aside?

Shaking his head, Xiao Yu turned back to the case files on his computer.

Suddenly…

A deputy captain went out on a call, leading four or five criminal police officers.

Curious, Xiao Yu asked Guo Qiang, “What’s the case about?”

“Someone reported a murder,” Guo Qiang replied.

Guo Qiang scoffed, “But when we arrived, there was no body—everything was perfectly fine. It turned out to be a false alarm. And the caller wouldn’t admit it was false, insisting they’d seen a killing… It’s a ridiculously absurd case.”

A false alarm?

Xiao Yu scoffed in response.

These kinds of cases were all too common.

In his previous life as a cop, he’d encountered plenty of bizarre characters and even odder false alarms.

People who lost their keys and couldn’t open their doors would report break-ins to avoid paying for a locksmith. Ever seen that?

Or those who lost a pet dog but claimed it was stolen—seriously?

Young couples, all lovey-dovey one minute and fighting the next—the girl calls in, claiming she was assaulted. Absurd, isn’t it?

You can’t imagine anything humans wouldn’t do.

Cases like these outrageous false alarms…

I’m not kidding—such events happen every day across the country.

Police serve the people, that’s true, but they’re only human too.

Yet some people see cops as what exactly?

Their personal playthings—summoned and dismissed as they choose?

Late in the afternoon, a dejected Deputy Captain Li returned.

Xiao Yu casually asked, “Captain Li, is he upset?”

“Absolutely,”

Captain Li fumed, “Someone reported a murder, yet the alleged victim was alive and kicking with not a scratch. That caller nearly got me sent to the Detention Center. People like that just can’t be tolerated.”

“Haha, I get it,”

Xiao Yu smiled, “Alright, don’t get too riled up. Tonight, dinner’s on me.”

“Congratulations,”

Captain Li patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder and remarked, “Kid, when you make it big, don’t forget us old buddies.”

“I’m not going anywhere for now,” Xiao Yu grinned.

That evening, during dinner with the team, Mu Qingwu arrived.

At the dinner table, everyone was on the same level, and they all affectionately called him ‘little brother.’

After all, Xiao Yu was the youngest on the team.

But halfway through the meal, trouble broke out.

The guy that Captain Li had taken to the Detention Center that afternoon had self-harmed.

He kept shouting that he was being wronged.

The expressions on the Criminal Investigation Team’s faces darkened.

They were all seasoned detectives.

False alarms were common—usually a good dressing-down was enough to teach a lesson.

But a self-inflicted injury over a false alarm (thanks to Zhao Changshan) was just ridiculous.

Captain Li stood up and announced, “I’m heading to the Detention Center to check on him.”

No one was in the mood for dinner, and soon everyone went their separate ways.

Xiao Yu accompanied Mu Qingwu back home.

Then Zhao Changshan called, “Come to the station. We’ve got a situation!”

Xiao Yu’s heart sank.

He had just been appointed Deputy Captain in charge of major cases.

The boss’s call meant this case was no small matter.

After the call ended, before Xiao Yu could speak,

Mu Qingwu leaned in and kissed her younger brother’s cheek, “Go, work comes first.”

With a wife like this, what more could a man ask for!

“Sis, it’s so wonderful to have love,” Xiao Yu said as he hugged Mu Qingwu.

“Really?”

Mu Qingwu smiled softly, “Then love me even more in the future.”

“Actually, I meant to say…”

Looking at the one in her arms, Xiao Yu pressed his lips to Mu Qingwu’s.

“It’s so good to have you!”