bookbashuk Chapter 20 One Trouble
Chapter 20 One Trouble
At 10 a.m., the headquarters of the Chongqing Investigation Bureau was bustling with activity.
"Hurry up and approve my application! I just don't understand, it's just a box of bullets, why does the process take a month?"
"Hello, sir, you've been robbed, right...? Do you live in Wutong District? In Laishan? Neither? Then you can spend 100 rank to file a report with our investigation bureau. We'll notify you of the results later... Hello, are you still there?"
"The guy we brought back last time still wouldn't give an explanation, so give him another set meal later... He's only here once in a while, so we have to make sure he's satisfied."
The Bureau of Investigation's employees, whether they are agents on missions or operators by the phone, are mostly rough men. Even the female employees are mostly middle-aged women weighing over 200 pounds.
Dozens of such people gathered together, each raising their voices, making the place more lively than a vegetable market.
Team Leader Lake, who has been with the Bureau of Investigation for over twenty years, is used to this scene. However, he is also quite impatient now. Ever since he received a phone call, he has been restless and has now gone directly to the area where his team members are located.
In the northwest corner of the office hall, eight desks are pieced together.
But at a glance, there were only three or four people at the table looking at the documents seriously.
"Is it just you few? Where's Felix?"
"Team leader, Agent Felix just received a request for assistance from 131 Nanning Street. There has been a burglary there. He probably won't be available today."
Upon hearing this answer, Lake nodded.
Their detectives at headquarters generally handle major and serious cases in Chongqing. The residents after number 100 Nanning Street are all wealthy and influential, so even though it was just theft, it was still within their jurisdiction.
"What about Gabriel? Is he on vacation today?"
"Uh, you were supposed to take a vacation, but a big case happened in the West District yesterday. It happened to be not far from your apartment, so you're probably assisting Team Three with the investigation right now."
"Okay, what about Luo Qiu? Hasn't he come back yet?"
Seeing that Gabriel was also absent, Lake reluctantly changed the name again. However, as soon as he asked the question, before the team members could respond, he gave the answer himself.
"The big star's train arrived at 9:30. The fact that we haven't received any calls for help from the station at this time means that everything is normal and the crowd has dispersed."
"Luo Qiu is definitely slacking off; he's probably hiding in some coffee shop right now!"
"Call the agents in charge of the security detail, find out where Luo Qiu is, and then bring him back."
……
An hour later, Luo Qiu strolled into the team leader's office. He closed the door and plopped down in the chair opposite Team Leader Lake.
This performance caused Lake to frown.
"Do you know that this is my fourth year in the position of team leader?"
"The performance review is only held every four years. If I don't meet this year's targets, I'll be fired..."
"Do you think this is a good thing? If I'm demoted, you won't get the senior agent rank either. Without the senior agent rank, you'll only get five thousand a month, which will be almost all spent on food and drinks. How can you advance?"
"Don't think you can just coast through life. Where's your former spirit?"
Lake banged on the table, his tone stern.
If those rookie agents heard this, they'd probably be cowering like quails by now.
On the other side, Luo Qiu remained calm and composed.
"Yes, team leader... but you've said these things too many times."
"Is there a problem with saying it again? What, you're not convinced?"
"No, but you went through all that trouble to find me, didn't you? You didn't come here just to say these things."
Luo Qiu poured himself a glass of water.
He had been Lake's partner for six years, until Lake became the team leader, so he knew Lake's temperament very well.
If the other person speaks seriously, it means they are not angry. Conversely, if they speak softly, unless you are their superior, you will suffer a terrible fate.
The fact that the other party was in such a hurry to call him back today is not like his usual style.
He must have encountered some trouble and wants me to take matters into my own hands. His serious tone is simply a way of telling me to face reality and not resist.
Luo Qiu was very curious about what Lake had encountered.
Soon, he saw the other person pick up a report from his desk and throw it at him.
"No matter what, you have to work overtime to get this case done for me within three days."
The report that Lake threw over was not thick, only three thin pages, with several creases on the cover, obviously having been repeatedly read by Lake before being handed to Luo Qiu.
Luo Qiu took the report. Turning to the first page, the first thing that caught his eye was a black and white photograph.
It was probably taken in a subway tunnel, where the lighting was dim, and in the center of the image was a corpse curled up next to a drainage ditch.
The camera angle is very professional; it must have been taken by investigators after they arrived at the scene. The body was face down, covered by a tattered coat, obscuring the face, but the curled-up posture made it immediately recognizable as a homeless person.
The report accompanying the photo also confirms this.
[Location of the incident: Abandoned siding tunnel of Section 15 of the Metro (approximately between Lockston and Blaketon stations)]
[Time of receiving the report: 6:12 AM, March 31]
【勘查时间： 3月31日上午7时15分至8时27分】
[Basic information about the deceased:]
[Unidentified, male, estimated age 45-55. Approximately 170cm tall, weighing approximately 50kg, thin build. The deceased was wearing an old grey overcoat, brown trousers, and worn-out leather boots. No identification documents, letters, or tags were found.]
The deceased had severe bite marks on their face and neck, making it impossible to identify them based on their appearance at this time.
[Items scattered at the scene included: 3 empty bottles (two of which were vodka brands, and one was a cheap whiskey), several moldy newspapers, 1 torn sleeping bag, 2 rusty tin cans (empty and unlabeled), and 1 matchbox (with three matches remaining).]
【…】
After reviewing the documents for five minutes, Luo Qiu understood the situation.
A homeless man was found sleeping in a subway station, having drunk alcohol beforehand. He most likely died in his sleep from a neck attack, and there were also signs resembling bite marks from a rodent.
Of course, since the investigation was conducted only a few hours ago, the report did not include detailed autopsy evidence, so no conclusions can be drawn yet.
However, after reading the report, Luo Qiu looked up and his gaze toward Lake became strange.
"This case, in principle, shouldn't be something I need to handle."
Luo Qiu pointed to the words "homeless" on the report. Although he didn't say anything, according to certain unwritten rules of the Investigation Bureau, the question he wanted to ask was very clear.
Lake lit a cigarette for himself.
"What if I said that around 7 o'clock, a somewhat influential reporter happened to pass by there on his way to work?"
"Oh, that's a bit troublesome."
"That's not all. This subway station is very close to the concert venue. I've received information that they're preparing an article about the safety of Alicia concert attendees."
"In addition, a prospective member of parliament was very interested in this article."
……