This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.
“You really wrote it like that, bragging, huh?” Dou Bao didn’t believe it, staring at Zhang Meng.
Zhang Meng, the guy they called “Mule”, was a typical tough guy from Yanbei, with a neck, shoulders, and waist that looked solid. He often stripped off to show off his muscular body, which was why he earned the nickname “Mule.” However, he was an honest guy, and he said resolutely, “Yeah, I wrote it like that. If it weren’t for my mom forcing me to take the police exam, I wouldn’t have come here. If I didn’t come here, I would have almost become a coal boss.”
“You’re done; being an elite is out of your league. A mom forced you into it,” Mouse joined in, mocking Mule. Zhang Meng was a bit tongue-tied, not yet thinking of a good comeback. But unexpectedly, Yu Zui spoke up from behind with an even trickier remark, smiling as he asked, “Mule, you’re about to make a scene.”
“What scene? I’m telling the truth, what scene am I making?” Zhang Meng refused to accept it.
“When they ask you at the recruitment, ‘Why did you become a cop?’ and then they hear your reason is ‘my mom forced me,'” Yu Zui said with a straight face. After that, the whole room burst into laughter. Mouse laughed the hardest, his cheeks trembling as the fat on his face wobbled. Absorbed in the laughter, he accidentally bumped heads with Dou Bao, and the two of them exchanged punches. The onlookers laughed even louder. Zhang Meng turned red, and in a fit of anger, he got up, grabbed Yu Zui, and yelled menacingly, “Yu Zui, I’m going to strangle you.”
Yu Zui grinned, leaned back, used a cross-arm block to catch Zhang Meng’s outstretched hand, then swiftly moved aside like an eel, slipping out of Zhang Meng’s grasp. He dashed out of the classroom and Zhang Meng chased after him, red with rage. The whole classroom went on doing their own things, paying no attention to the usual horseplay. In fact, some even encouraged it, clapping their hands and stomping their feet, shouting, “Hey, Mule, beat him up.”
After circling the podium, Zhang Meng reached out several times but couldn’t catch the elusive Yu Zui. Whenever he tried to grab him, Yu Zui would either dodge or effortlessly deflect his attempts. These two had been sparring partners in combat training, with Zhang Meng being taller and stronger but winning less often. He had never accepted losing to Yu Zui. Getting increasingly frustrated, Zhang Meng attempted to grab Yu Zui’s wrist once more, but Yu Zui skillfully twisted his wrist and playfully pinched his face. With a mischievous smile, Yu Zui pushed the door open with a bang and dashed out of the classroom. However, in his haste, he collided with someone outside the door.
“Oh my…” A female student exclaimed, looking startled like a startled deer, as she instinctively covered her chest with both arms.
“Oh my…” Yu Zui also intentionally exclaimed, pretending to be in pain. He was about to act like a villain first, but when he saw that he had bumped into An Jialu, the nervous way she protected her chest made Yu Zui’s heart ripple. He, too, covered his arms like a startled deer and cried out, “Does it hurt a lot?”
In fact, Yu Zui didn’t feel any pain at all. When he touched his elbow, he felt a soft and elastic sensation from the collision, which left him feeling a bit tipsy.
Wow, this was shameless! Even Zhang Meng, whom they called Mule, blushed. The students in the front row saw it all and burst into laughter. An Jialu was furious, pointing her delicate finger at Yu Zui and said, “Yu Zui, are you doing this on purpose? Do you believe I’ll find someone to teach you a lesson?”
“I believe you.” Yu Zui nodded resolutely, but when he saw the intimidating look in her almond-shaped eyes and her frosty expression, he hesitated and said, “Why find someone else? It would be much better if you did it yourself. Then I’d be the first guy killed by the police school beauty.”
“Hmph, just you wait.” An Jialu knew that dealing with this shameless guy would only make him more determined. She snorted and turned to walk into the classroom. Two of her friends who had come with her, close buddies that An Mei cultivated, named Yi Min, gave Yu Zui a scolding look and said, “Yu Zui, you really have thick skin, don’t you? You could be a target now; bullets won’t penetrate your face.”
“What thick skin? He doesn’t have any skin at all.” Another girl named Ye Qiuling added with a scowl.
“Hey, hold on a second,” Yu Zui reached out and stopped the two girls. They weren’t from the same class, and female students at the police school had some innate advantages. When Yu Zui stopped them, the two girls glared and asked, “What’s the matter? You want to spar?”
“No, no, I mean, how did you guys know that my face can be used as a target?” Yu Zui suddenly asked. The two girls were taken aback, and Yu Zui continued with a smile, “No wonder your faces look like they’ve been shot at, it’s unbearable to look at.”
Without waiting for the girls to react, Yu Zui took off running, leaving the two girls cursing and fuming with their grace and composure completely gone. When they had nowhere to vent their anger, Zhang Meng, the honest guy, suffered the consequences. The two girls pointed at him and scolded, “There’s not a single decent person in your Criminal Investigation class.”
Debates among classmates always seemed to erupt out of nowhere, but every time they did, they provided plenty of amusement. Zhang Meng’s face wasn’t as thick-skinned as Yu Zui’s, so he felt embarrassed to return to the classroom. He intended to go downstairs to chase after Yu Zui, but just as he reached the landing, Yu Zui came running up. While walking, he pulled Zhang Meng along and said, “Hurry up, the instructor is here. This is so damn annoying. They could’ve let us go on vacation, but they had to recruit ‘elite’ students.”
“What’s wrong with recruiting ‘elite’ students? It’s a good thing,” Zhang Meng disagreed.
“Good thing my ass. Girls from SDU and guys from GDUT are all around, and the police school is full of ruffians running rampant. How can we produce ‘elite’ students here? It’s a joke,” Yu Zui replied.
“Just because you’re shameless, you think everyone in the world is despicable, right? You even bully female students,” Zhang Meng said, seeming like he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Yu Zui.
However, Yu Zui turned serious, lowered his voice, and said, “Mule, if I have something to say, I’ll say it in the open. Unlike some people who dream of calling out An Jialu. What’s the matter, are you feeling protective because I accidentally bumped into her?”
“Who…who’s feeling protective?” Zhang Meng tried to cover up, but it was a bit obvious.
Yu Zui grinned, playfully curled his arms around his chest and whispered, “Oh, not protective at all… But do you want to know what it feels like when I bumped into that spot? Oh, it’s so soft, really elastic.”
After a few exaggerated gestures, Yu Zui knew that Zhang Meng was one of An Jialu’s admirers. He was just messing with him. He provoked Zhang Meng to the point where he furrowed his brows and glared. If the instructor and the two recruitment officers hadn’t come in, Yu Zui would probably end up getting into another fight with Zhang Meng. So, they both rushed into the classroom and took their usual seats in the back corner.
Zhang Meng, this naive guy, kept stealing glances at An Jialu, looking genuinely worried. But when he saw her chatting intimately with Jian Heyi, he sighed in frustration. Yu Zui, along with Mouse and Dou Bao, couldn’t help but notice this and burst into laughter.
“Classmates, I’ve already informed the training director this afternoon. For those who have signed up, we will be watching several videos of major case investigations. It’s not just watching; after watching, each of you should write a reflection tonight. There are no specific requirements; you can write about the pros and cons of investigative techniques, analyze from a criminal psychology perspective, or discuss effective prevention and control methods. Those who didn’t sign up, please stay in the classroom.”
As soon as Chief Xu entered, he got straight to the point. With one swipe of his foot, the noisy shuffle of feet stopped. In the blink of an eye, the classroom emptied, and some students even cast a triumphant glance back before leaving.
Mouse felt a bit awkward now. He suddenly found it uncomfortable to be the center of attention among so many people. He complained to Yu Zui, “See, I said we should go with the flow, but you had to be unconventional and now we’re being criticized for lacking awareness and ambition.”
“Your awareness is all in your mouth. It could suffocate you if you don’t stop talking,” Yu Zui replied unhappily.
These two guys were fine, but they both tended to talk too much. When Dou Bao was about to say something, Yu Zui swiftly tore a piece of paper, crumpled it up, and used it to stuff Dou Bao’s mouth.
“Come on, students, move up to the front.”
After sending the others away, only Chief Xu remained with the eleven who hadn’t signed up.
They seemed a bit unwilling as they were ushered to the front row to sit down.
Chief Xu scanned the group—-two girls and nine boys.
The student who had left him with a strange impression was among them. He had observed that small action of tearing paper to stuff someone’s mouth, and it made him subconsciously feel that this guy was a troublemaker.
As he observed him more closely from up close, even with his experienced eyes, he couldn’t accurately describe the guy’s physical features. Or perhaps, it was better to say that there were no distinctive features at all—-short hair, average height, neither thick nor thin eyebrows, neither big nor small eyes, a nose that was neither high nor low. He had no unique characteristics and didn’t look like the two students sitting beside him, who both had a bit of baby fat and appeared cheerful.
“Excuse me, could you do me a favor?” Instructor Xu decided to play a little trick. He reached into his pocket, took out his room key card, and handed it to Yu Zui, who had stood up.
Chief Xu continued, “Go to room 201 in the guesthouse and get my handbag for me… I would greatly appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Yu Zui took the room key card, eager to leave.
As he left, Chief Xu began his inquiries. He started with the first person on the list, a female student, and asked, “Are you Yi Min? I’m curious, why didn’t you sign up? Can you tell me the real reason?”
“My family has already arranged a job for me in the local area. I’m my parents’ only daughter, and they don’t want me to go too far away,” Yi Min honestly explained.
“Good, you have your own ideas. Your expertise in forensic examination will definitely be put to good use in your local assignment,” Xu Pingqiu praised her, making Yi Min quite happy. She didn’t expect to receive such praise from her superior.
With the precedent set, it became easier to handle the rest.
Four of them were children of police officers and had been admitted through recommendation. Three others had already secured jobs, and for whatever reasons they couldn’t participate.
Xu Pingqiu either praised them for their determination or encouraged them for their promising futures.
Mouse and Dou Bao were bewildered by this. They thought elite selection would be particularly interested in them, but it seemed like even those who weren’t selected were getting praised quite a bit.
Finally, it was their turn. Xu Pingqiu changed seats and sat next to Mouse. He asked in a calm tone, “Debiao, what about you? Have you already decided on your future?”
“No, I haven’t,” Mouse shook his head.
“So why did you give up this opportunity?” Xu Pingqiu asked.
“Well…” Mouse hesitated.
“Oh, if there’s a hidden reason, then I won’t ask,” Xu Pingqiu said in a magnanimous tone, which left Mouse feeling disappointed.
However, Xu Pingqiu continued, “I just reviewed your detailed personal information. Your academic ranking is 91st, and your physical fitness and marksmanship rankings are even lower.”
Seeing the smiling eyes of Xu Pingqiu, Mouse couldn’t hide his embarrassment anymore and said, “Director Xu, you know everything, there’s no need to say it out loud.”
His classmates chuckled. With a below-average academic performance and often failing to meet physical fitness standards, Mouse had long grown accustomed to being at the bottom of the class.
Unexpectedly, Xu Pingqiu didn’t laugh. Instead, he spoke seriously, “You’re mistaken. The more shortcomings you have, the more strengths you can hide within them. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.’ You definitely have exceptional strengths; you just haven’t discovered them yet.”
“Really?” Mouse straightened up as if in pain, feeling greatly encouraged. He said with gratitude, “Director Xu, if you were my teacher, I might have become an elite a long time ago.”
His classmates laughed, and Xu Pingqiu put his arms around Mouse, saying, “Being an elite in the criminal investigation field isn’t just about being good at academics, having accurate marksmanship, or being physically fit. I wasn’t a good student back then; I even received disciplinary action. I almost got kicked out of the police force.”
“Really? No way!” Dou Bao couldn’t believe it.
“Do you think I could make that up? Your school principal, Wang Lan, was my training director back then. He didn’t hesitate to discipline me… At that time, it was much stricter than it is now.
“The place behind the cafeteria here at the police school was the detention area. If you made a mistake, you’d be locked up there to write self-reports. I’ve been locked up there more than once… So, am I still not a good cop now?
“By the way, my physical fitness is even worse than yours. It’s about experience and gradually accumulating it in real life. The other is your brain. You don’t need to have a high IQ, but you need to think along the same lines as the criminals. If you do, you can definitely catch them…
“Do you know about the serial killer case that shook the entire province three years ago? The suspect had the entire city’s police force stumped. When I took over the case, I didn’t set up surveillance. Instead, it took me more than three months, during which I visited every mental hospital in the province…”
“Why did you visit mental hospitals?”
“We are normal people, and they are psychopaths. If you don’t immerse yourself in their twisted thinking, you’ll never know when they might strike again. Based on extensive analysis by mental health experts, can you guess how we criminal investigators handle these cases?”
Xu Pingqiu spoke with dramatic intensity, capturing the attention of the trainees. Their eager and envious eyes were fixed on him, and many couldn’t help but ask, “So how did you handle it?”
“We didn’t set up surveillance. Instead, we directly identified the suspect based on profiling and found his home… This investigative technique, which relies on profiling the suspect’s behavior, started a bit later in our country compared to the West, but that doesn’t mean we’re inferior to them.
“This year, two criminal investigation experts from our provincial bureau were invited to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) headquarters in Lyon, France, for exchange and learning. One day, you might see such elites among you as well,” Xu Pingqiu said, intentionally stirring their enthusiasm.
He talked about the benefits of working in the provincial capital and the potential honors they could achieve, arousing a sense of regret among the young trainees who felt like they had made a big mistake by not participating in the selection process. They were almost overwhelmed by their regret.
Mouse was feeling very disappointed, and Dou Bao was even more dejected. They scratched their heads, and when they made eye contact, they silently communicated their thoughts.
Mouse’s message was: From the way the Director is talking, it seems like there might still be a chance to win something.
Dou Bao’s message was: But we didn’t even register our names; what should we do?
Even though they were considered poor students, they still had dreams, and they felt a bit hesitant to express their desire for redemption. However, they didn’t know if there was still a chance for them…
Last Edit: December 21, 2023 at 5:07 PM
This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.