Chapter 93: Climbing Up, Riding on Coattails

Chapter 93: Climbing Up, Riding on Coattails

As the top brass from all the major investigation units exited the meeting room, they cast peculiar glances his way.

Xiao Yu’s face nearly stiffened into a laugh…

He felt that before these high-ranking figures, he was nothing more than a lowly rookie cop caught in between!

Each of these officials held an impressively high position.

Even the lowest among them were department chiefs, with several holding bureau-level posts.

They were leagues above him, a mere junior clerk.

Indeed, Xiao Yu had finally been promoted to clerk.

The promotion had been approved while he was recovering from his injuries.

At that moment, Yun Xiangguo approached and said to Xiao Yu, “We already discussed the case’s difficulty at the meeting. Higher-ups have allowed no more than a week. Whether you crack it is up to you.”

“You’re teaching me how to do my job…” Xiao Yu replied with a bitter chuckle and a nod.

It was a public appointment issued by Yun Xiangguo in the meeting room.

Once approved, it couldn’t be altered.

Whether he liked it or not, he had to serve as the chief coordinator.

Unless Xiao Yu removed his uniform and quit being a public servant.

“Da Ju, why?”

True to his nature, he voiced his doubts.

But it didn’t spoil his mood—he felt more conflicted than when visiting a grave.

“Last time when National Security came to our city, the entire police force cooperated in the arrest. The specifics of the case were sealed—I only knew it was a major incident.”

Yun Xiangguo smiled and added, “However… I later heard that the case was cracked with your help for National Security, right?”

Xiao Yu’s expression shifted; he thought, finally they weren’t treating me like an outsider!

That bizarre murder case had a Grade A confidentiality rating!

To put it bluntly, no one dared let word of it get out.

Anyone who told or even heard about it would be dealt with severely.

If Xiao Yu ever turned around and tipped Yun Xiangguo off…

His role as chief coordinator would be terminated—completely written off.

Grade A secrecy was taken very seriously!

They even spoke so casually about it in his face.

Handing him the perfect leverage while still treating him as an outsider?

Was that supposed to be a friendly gesture?

Xiao Yu couldn’t understand.

It made sense when National Security’s Wang Dong showed him some favor—perhaps it was due to the case—but…

Yun Xiangguo, the bureau chief he barely knew (he’d only met him three times),

was something Xiao Yu just couldn’t wrap his head around.

Now someone is climbing the ladder to boost him up as well?

“Being able to coordinate National Security’s case and command an entire city’s police force—is that supposed to be a big favor to you?”

Yun Xiangguo gave a peculiar look before explaining, “If you can crack a Class C special case, then from my standpoint, knowing talent—whether you use it or not is a no-brainer.”

I see… Xiao Yu finally understood.

Damn it—the feeling of being used as a tool was infuriating.

Yet in this world, it’s either someone freeloads or I do. That’s karma for you!

“I’m not going to let you do all the heavy lifting. Just focus on catching the culprits; I’ll handle the coordination. Just say the word if you need anything.”

With a serious expression, Yun Xiangguo declared, “Crack this case within seven days and I’ll make sure you get commended—with a promotion to the next level!”

Xiao Yu was stunned.

A deputy department chief?

Why was he so shocked? How hard is it to get promoted anyway?

Let’s put it this way…

Some people could remain a junior clerk until retirement—forget even reaching the department chief level!

……

After leaving the City Bureau,

Xiao Yu looked up at the sunset on the horizon, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

He had never cared about rank.

What mattered was the relentless obsession that haunted his past and present lives…

Now that the case was on his hands, how should he proceed?

First stop: the detention center!

Half an hour later,

Xiao Yu stood inside a cell.

Why return to the detention center?

Everyone had already fled—is there any point in chasing after them? Shouldn’t he be arresting them instead?

No.

With the city in lockdown, even the most capable escapees couldn’t get away quickly.

Not even a whole battalion of police could locate them.

This implied they were onto something—something worthy of deeper investigation.

Meanwhile,

Xiao Yu was determined to uncover the real motive behind these two escapees’ breakout.

They were both on the verge of full parole.

So why were they driven to murder and break out in such a frenzy?

It was precisely because the situation was so unreasonable that a targeted investigation was needed.

What exactly was the relationship between the police and the criminals?

Soldiers and bandits?

Justice versus evil?

No—they were adversaries!

To defeat your adversary, you have to understand them.

Understand their actions, their motives—everything about them.

That’s basic common sense!

This cell was used by the custodial staff of the detention center.

Inside, there was a massive wooden bed for the inmates.

This was the very cell where escapees Lu Jia and Ma Hexuan had once been held.

Surveillance footage revealed:

For the convenience of the custodians doing their daily work, the cell was generally left open during the day.

Only at night, when the custodians finished their tasks, would the prison guards lock the cell doors.

Such privileges were exclusive to the custodians.

Other inmates and suspects were typically locked in their cells around the clock.

Of course, there were exceptional cases.

For example, some detention centers had designated work areas for inmates.

Suspects without convictions weren’t included in that policy!

So, was there anything interesting about this cell?

Yes.

Many inmates managed to score some ‘contraband’ that the detention center banned.

Items such as cigarettes, snacks, cash, and some special goods.

Special goods?

It might sound unbelievable, but these included items like video game consoles and even… mobile phones!

The cell had already been thoroughly searched by the criminal investigators.

Even the police dogs had combed through it several times—there really was nothing abnormal.

But just because it had been searched didn’t mean there were no traces left behind.

It didn’t preclude the possibility that inmates had hidden something in the cell.

Activating ‘Falcon’s Eye’, Xiao Yu scrutinized every detail within the cell.

He paid special attention to the spots where the escapees had slept and stashed their belongings.

Nothing!

With ‘Wangdie’s Nose’ activated, Xiao Yu’s nostrils twitched slightly.

“Achoo!”

A sudden sneeze released a blast of pungent disinfectant that nearly knocked him out.

After engaging ‘Wangdie’s Nose’, his sense of smell was amplified far beyond normal.

What might be tolerable to others became overwhelmingly intense when magnified so many times.

He quickly deactivated ‘Wangdie’s Nose’ with a frown.

No wonder even police dogs had failed him—relying on scent would leave the trail completely cold.

Wait a minute…

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as a thought struck him.

Could it be that before the breakout, they anticipated the police deploying dogs and prepared in advance?

If that were true, it was downright terrifying!

Ordinary escapees,

whether they dreamed of breaking out or actually had the ability,

would probably laugh themselves awake in their sleep if they managed to escape.

There’s no way they’d plan for the police to use dogs.

They masked their own scent with other odors to foil canine tracking?

Does that even make sense?

But what if they did?

Had they really calculated this?

Xiao Yu’s expression darkened.

Images of the profiles of known escapees flickered through his mind.

Ma Hexuan?!

How could one even describe this guy?

In his twenties, developing software; by the age of twenty-eight, he’d earned twenty million—could it really be that simple?

And compared to Mu Qingwu, wasn’t he just a small fry?

That remark wasn’t fair at all.

Mu Qingwu was a legitimate second-generation rich kid with real credentials.

After taking over her father’s company, she made it huge.

Try expecting her to build something from scratch!

How many people can truly start from nothing and earn twenty million before turning twenty-eight?

This Ma Hexuan—calling him a genius wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Everyone knows that geniuses have a much sharper IQ than ordinary people.

Damn… Xiao Yu fought the urge to swear.

Why did he always end up facing criminals like these?