Chapter 137: Countless Acts of Valor

Chapter 137: Countless Acts of Valor

N Province, Y City.

Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang, clad in police uniforms, stepped off the high-speed train.

When police cross regions, they must wear their uniforms unless involved in a classified operation.

For cross-province cases, issuing a firearm requires special approval and documentation from both jurisdictions.

This trip to N Province wasn’t work-related.

Both Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang were dressed very formally.

Guo Qiang wasn’t issued a firearm.

Needless to say, Xiao Yu didn’t even qualify for a firearm.

Believe it or not, even after being promoted to Assistant Chief Inspector, he still wasn’t eligible for a firearm.

Carrying a firearm requires special training and evaluation—a process that can take anywhere from a few months to nearly half a year before the license is approved.

The question is, how long had Xiao Yu been on the force?

When you’re busy solving cases every day, who has time to secure firearm clearance?

Not to mention an Assistant Chief Inspector, let alone a Chief Inspector.

Without a firearm license, no one is allowed to handle a gun.

Using a police gun on a mission without proper clearance…

That’s a crime!

This shows just how strict the country’s gun control really is…

Xiao Yu had planned to spend this time honing his shooting skills, but then this incident occurred.

Stepping out of the station…

Outside, three formally dressed police officers were waiting.

Both jurisdictions’ authorities had given their signals.

The officers from the partner unit in S County had come to welcome them.

But…

When the three officers saw Xiao Yu, they were utterly dumbfounded.

They just stared blankly at the badge on Xiao Yu’s shoulder.

They gazed at the ‘two stripes and one star’ shoulder badge.

A Third-Class Assistant Chief Inspector?!

Remember, the highest rank among the welcoming officers was only Assistant Chief Inspector.

Of course, rank doesn’t mean much—the police system grants automatic promotions with enough service time.

Under normal circumstances, it takes about thirteen years to be promoted to Assistant Chief Inspector, assuming no exceptional achievements.

However, outstanding individual or team performance, remarkable results, or commendations can fast-track promotions…

But the problem was, how old was this man?

Even if he were over thirty, we wouldn’t be this shocked.

That handsome, youthful face could easily pass for someone in his early twenties.

Assistant Chief Inspector?

Surely we must have misread his rank…

Hello, everyone!

With a bright smile, Xiao Yu looked at the three baffled officers, extended his hand, and said, “I’m Xiao Yu, Deputy Commander of the Bincheng Criminal Investigation Team. You all must be from the S County partner unit, right?”

The three officers snapped back to reality and exchanged glances. Their leading Assistant Chief Inspector quickly shook Xiao Yu’s hand, “I’m Qian Long, Commander of the S County Criminal Investigation Team!”

Criminal Investigation Teams like these are permanent units within county-level departments.

Qian Long’s position was equivalent to that of Zhao Changshan—a Chief Staff Officer.

That made him one rank above Xiao Yu, who was only a Deputy Staff Officer.

Qian Long warmly led Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang to perform a customary welcome ritual.

It’s standard procedure when hosting officers from a partner unit.

When they arrived in Bincheng, they’d receive the same treatment.

No alcohol was served at the banquet; tradition dictated water in place of liquor.

After the meal, as everyone grew more familiar, Xiao Yu looked at Qian Long and asked, “Commander Qian, care to fill us in?”

He replied, “Sure.”

Where his smile had once been broad, Qian Long’s face now held no trace of joy as he sighed, “One of my team leaders—only 29 this year, with a child barely three years old…”

Both Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang felt their spirits immediately darken.

His limbs had been torn apart, his eyes removed, his tongue cut off… The body was even dumped into a reservoir. If not for a loose rope allowing it to float back, it might have been lost forever…

Qian Long enunciated every word through gritted teeth.

A cold, fierce glint suddenly flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

Guo Qiang’s expression turned grim as a hint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

They’d only heard that officers from the partner unit had fallen in the line of duty.

Never did they imagine it would end this way!

Let’s move.

Xiao Yu stood up, “Let’s take a look first.”

Such a sacrifice on duty isn’t cremated immediately; it’s tied to a homicide investigation and a chain of evidence.

Everyone in criminal investigations knows the drill.

Without wasting words, Qian Long dispatched two police cars from Y City to the morgue in S County.

County-level units seldom have facilities for freezing bodies.

The so-called morgue was actually a cold storage facility.

In the bone-chilling cold, Xiao Yu stepped inside and saw a makeshift steel-framed table.

There lay a corpse, its body grotesquely swollen.

Fortunately, the body had been discovered early, before entering an advanced state of decay; otherwise, it would have ruptured, making recovery nearly impossible…

Nevertheless, at the very sight of the corpse…

A vengeful flame ignited within Xiao Yu, his eyes burning with lethal intent.

It was too tragic!

Even though he had witnessed worse in his career…

the fact remained: the victim was a fellow officer!

His wrists and ankles had been slashed open by a mysterious weapon.

Not only were his tendons severed, but his bones were also shattered.

His sunken eyelids said it all—his eyes were gone.

In his gaping mouth, there was a dark void where his tongue should have been.

The fatal wound was inflicted on his neck.

You could see the cut open arteries, trachea, and esophagus on his neck…

Xiao Yu silently observed as his gaze slowly moved inch by inch over the corpse.

His eyes grew colder with every passing moment—colder than the icy storage room.

Unable to bear the sight, Guo Qiang turned away, his body trembling slightly.

It wasn’t fear, nor panic.

Pure anger made it hard for him to contain himself.

Suddenly, Guo Qiang turned to Xiao Yu, gritted his teeth and muttered, “Chief, we can’t let these bastards get away!”

Xiao Yu knew exactly what he was capable of.

Since his first day in the Criminal Investigation Team, that man had been his protégé.

Even though his protégé’s skills far surpassed his own,

he had now risen to become his superior.

If Guo Qiang ever asked him for a favor, Xiao Yu would undoubtedly lend a hand.

But then…057…

Xiao Yu shook his head, “Rules!”

Within the same city’s police system, meddling in another unit’s case is strictly forbidden.

Let alone an out-of-province unit’s case.

Intervening carelessly would only cause chaos.

Quietly, Qian Long glanced at the shoulder badge on Xiao Yu’s chest, his lips twitching as he said earnestly, “If our brothers are willing to intervene, I’ll report to my superiors immediately and notify your Bincheng unit. The entire process could be wrapped up in a day!”

On the way back…

His team leader discreetly made a call to the unit, instructing his subordinates to look into Xiao Yu.

They had to investigate—a third-class Assistant Chief Inspector in his twenties was simply too intimidating.

Few people believed it was for real.

But when his subordinate called back, his team was left utterly bewildered.

When they finally came to their senses, it was as if they had seen a ghost—three fingers were extended toward him.

At that moment, Qian Long thought, “What does that mean? Third-class merit awards?” as he was utterly astonished.

His team leader shook his head and remarked, “Triple first-class merits—and even a Level Two Honor!”

Hearing this news, Qian Long felt as if the entire world had turned surreal, utterly unreal.

A police academy graduate who had been on the force for less than five months,

only 22 years old—how could he be a Third-Class Assistant Chief Inspector?

Countless acts of valor!