Insights Chapter 161: One Year Anniversary

Chapter 161: One Year Anniversary

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In the blink of an eye, time passes. All departments within the City Bureau have started preparing for this year’s Public Security Special Detective Combat Training. Two months before the exercise, everyone in the City Bureau received a notification email about the exercise. It included an attachment specifying the exercise projects and rules.

This year, not only special police detectives participated, but Director Ding also hoped that ordinary officers would strengthen their training and participate. Even the medical examiner and logistics departments were included in the exercise assessment.

Director Ding held a mobilization meeting for this purpose. The former director spoke, “In the past year, our City Bureau has cracked numerous major cases. We have been effective in combating organized crime, drug trafficking, theft, prostitution, fraud, and various other aspects. However, in our struggle against criminals, ordinary officers may find themselves in dangerous situations at any time. Take the medical examiner team, for example. There was a related kidnapping incident last year.”

At this point, everyone’s gaze turned to Shen Junci. He had been kidnapped by Dream Master before, luckily rescued in time. Shen Junci himself was very capable, narrowly surviving the ordeal. Perhaps someone else might not have had the same strength and luck.

Director Ding continued, “So, it’s not enough for us civilian officers to only undergo basic physical tests every year. In order to better cooperate with frontline departments, everyone needs to improve their physical fitness, actively participate in training. Assessment is not the goal; getting everyone moving is. Even I and the other leaders will lead by example and participate in all projects this year. Let’s go!”

During the exercise, the requirements for civilian personnel weren’t as high as those for frontline officers. They could choose five out of various projects, as long as they met the standards.

Even so, this posed a challenge for the medical examiners and analysts who usually worked in the office. As the saying goes, “Sharpen your ax before chopping wood.” Since the leaders had made statements, they couldn’t slack off. Everyone began utilizing their spare time to exercise.

Even Shen Junci started jogging around the track, visibly shedding his beer belly.

Having undergone surgery, Shen Junci couldn’t engage in prolonged intense exercise, so he ruled out long-distance running and obstacles from his choices among the exercises.

He opted for shooting and grappling techniques, areas where he excelled.

After starting preparations, Shen Junci had a distinct advantage.

As the top performer in the City Bureau’s assessments over the years, Captain Gu imparted his knowledge to him generously.

Gu Yanchen always believed that learning these skills was fundamental for self-defense. Even if not for assessment purposes, they should be mastered proficiently. When danger arises, one can act instinctively.

He said to Shen Junci, “I can’t guarantee I’ll be by your side every minute, so I hope you’ll be more capable of handling situations.”

Shen Junci replied, “I also hope to learn systematically so that I can assist you if danger arises.”

They agreed, and Gu Yanchen began giving Shen Junci special training.

Police firearms couldn’t be brought home due to regulations.

Through official channels, Captain Gu bought two training plastic replica guns for Shen Junci, allowing him to practice at home every day.

The first step of practice was familiarization with the gun.

Gu Yanchen explained to Shen Junci, “People often say that good marksmanship comes from frequent shooting, but in reality, just practicing shooting isn’t enough. You’re not familiar enough with the gun yet. You need to develop a connection with it. So, the first step of your practice is to touch the gun. You should be able to feel its shape even with your eyes closed, quickly grip it, and shoot. Sometimes, fractions of a second can make a difference between life and death.”

Shen Junci was diligent. He carried the model gun with him at home and occasionally touched it. Sometimes, he even placed it under his pillow, feeling it with his hand when he woke up.

The second step was learning shooting postures. Gu Yanchen explained various basic movements to Shen Junci, such as the hip shooting stance, Weaver stance, and various grip techniques.

Gu Yanchen said, “Although you learned this in the police academy, it’s rarely used in daily life. Most people just review it before exams and then forget it. Many veteran officers don’t even have proper shooting postures. My expectations for you are higher. I hope you can make these actions instinctive.”

Shen Junci began practicing. Every night after returning home, he repeated the shooting postures hundreds of times.

Gu Yanchen made Shen Junci do targeted muscle strengthening exercises to help him learn proper force application.

To train him, Gu Yanchen devised a game where they would call out “draw” and the other person had to quickly raise the model gun in a standard posture. They would see whose reaction was faster.

Shen Junci found this training method a bit childish at first.

But after a day, he began to enjoy the game.

After each time Gu Yanchen nearly won, he encouraged, “It’s okay, practice makes perfect. You can do more.”

Gradually, Shen Junci’s reaction speed caught up, and they became evenly matched.

The next step was learning to disassemble the gun, familiarizing oneself with each part, and understanding the firing mechanism. This step trained rapid assembly of the gun.

After a few days of practice, Gu Yanchen blindfolded Shen Junci and made him assemble the gun in the dark.

Shen Junci’s fingers were nimble, and he quickly exceeded the excellent standard for assembly time.

The final step was practical shooting on the firing range. Gu Yanchen demanded that Shen Junci learn rapid fire.

In real combat, if one shot doesn’t neutralize the enemy, adjustments are needed for the second shot. Many people lack the arm strength and end up with the gun jumping after firing, leading to missed shots and loss of initiative.

After Gu Yanchen’s intense training, Shen Junci’s marksmanship improved by leaps and bounds.

Apart from marksmanship, grappling techniques also needed practice.

Though Shen Junci could fight, it was more improvised. There wasn’t much technique to it.

Captain Gu had high expectations for Shen Junci. He required not only standard postures but also agility and quick reflexes.

Unlike shooting, this required more real combat practice. So, they went from the training ground to their homes, practicing until they were exhausted. Even though Gu Yanchen was cautious during practice, Shen Junci still ended up with bruises.

Afterward, Gu Yanchen would carefully apply medicine to his bruises.

After being overwhelmed several times, Shen Junci resorted to using his teeth during their nth round of sparring.

So that night, Captain Gu ended up with a glorious shoulder injury.

Finally, the drill arrived.

Each project proceeded one after another, and Gu Yanchen’s victory was without suspense. As soon as he finished, he ran to watch Shen Junci’s project.

On the first day, Shen Junci participated in shooting. His posture was standard, and his shooting results were consistently perfect, standing out among all the medical examiners.

On the third day, it was combat technique. The format was a ring competition, one-on-one, advancing through the ranks.

Shen Junci won five rounds in a row, and then he encountered Captain Shao Zhen’en from the Criminal Investigation Team.

Shao’s combat skills were considered average among the detective teams. He didn’t even consider Shen Junci a serious opponent, assuming he must have been lucky to make it this far.

Before entering the ring, Shao grinned and warned, “Director Shen, be careful. I won’t go easy on you.”

Shen Junci replied, “We’ll see about that on the field.”

The two stepped onto the ring. Shen Junci’s movements were agile, his attacks fierce, and his reactions sharp.

Five minutes later, Shao Zhen’en was on the ground.

After Shao stepped down, Liu Shurong, who had been eliminated in the second round, asked, “Captain Shao, did you go easy on Director Shen?”

Rubbing his sore buttocks, Shao Zhen’en replied, “Well, you see, combat isn’t my strong suit. Even if I win against a medical examiner, it’s not a fair victory. Besides, Captain Gu has been training Director Shen for so long. I have to give Captain Gu some face too.”

In truth, Shao Zhen’en hadn’t gone easy at all. He hadn’t even managed to win against a medical examiner. It was embarrassing.

As a result, Shen Junci, a medical examiner, made it into the top ten in shooting and the top thirty in combat techniques among the entire City Bureau.

Even Director Ding, who was watching, remarked that he hadn’t expected Director Shen to be so strong, living up to his reputation as the top performer among medical examiners and quietly playing the role of a tiger in sheep’s clothing.

Seeing this result, Captain Gu was happier than winning first place himself.

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After the individual exercises ended, the next day’s exercises were bomb disposal and the main event, live combat.

This time, Gu Yanchen didn’t draw the role of the criminal. He felt relieved, only to be named by Director Ding to lead the criminal side.

Another assignment?

Captain Gu winced, “Director Ding, why is it always me every year? I’m practically becoming a professional criminal.”

Gu Yanchen himself felt like a boss waiting to be defeated in the final level of a game.

Director Ding said, “No, if you don’t take it, there won’t be any suspense. We can’t find anyone else in the entire City Bureau who can give the armed police a run for their money. Besides, Captain Wang’s team is itching for revenge against you.”

With no other choice, Gu Yanchen reluctantly accepted the daunting task.

The criminals had some advantages, such as access to maps and equipment requirements beforehand.

So Gu Yanchen received the assessment topic a day in advance.

This time, the scenario was a supermarket hostage situation.

Director Ding and several leaders had already started preparations, secretly discussing plans with a medium-sized supermarket nearby. The supermarket was very cooperative, and several employees even volunteered to act as hostages.

The specific exercise involved eight armed criminals entering the supermarket, taking hostages, and facing off against the special police. The assessment time limit was two hours.

The special police needed to eliminate the criminals within this time frame and rescue the hostages.

Shen Junci, considerate of Gu Yanchen’s upcoming exercise, took the initiative to cook dinner that night.

Gu Yanchen changed out of his combat uniform and into civilian clothes, then went downstairs for a stroll with Wuliang.

After dinner, Gu Yanchen began planning the exercise.

By around ten o’clock at night, Shen Junci came to remind Gu Yanchen to rest. During this time, Gu Yanchen had drawn several diagrams and written out detailed operational plans.

Shen Junci curiously asked, “Have you figured out a solution?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “I have some ideas for now.”

He took out a terrain map and explained it to Shen Junci.

“First, I can utilize the environment of the supermarket. There are many shelves and plenty of goods. I can quickly rearrange the terrain to make the supermarket easy to defend and hard to attack.”

“Also, we can use mirrors in the supermarket. I plan to enter and set up mirrors in some corners. This way, the criminals can hide behind the shelves, and we can see their movements from our perspective, but they can’t see ours.”

Shen Junci nodded in understanding.

Gu Yanchen continued, “Other available resources include various goods in the supermarket, such as ropes, threads, blunt knives, cleaning supplies, glass bottles, and nails. I will set traps in the main aisles, rigging tripwires, spilling cleaning solution, breaking glass, and scattering thumbtacks. This way, the special police won’t be able to advance.”

Shen Junci pondered for a moment, realizing the special police would be at a disadvantage.

“Also, I can predict the special police’s attack route. Before they attack, I’ll lay an ambush, and our people will hide in the dark, taking shots when the time is right.”

A small supermarket, under Gu Yanchen’s design, turned into a maze of traps and tricks.

After explaining everything, Gu Yanchen said, “There are some other details, but I’ll refine them tomorrow when I have time.”

Shen Junci thought for a moment, realizing, “It will be even harder for the armed police to win this time…”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Compared to a bus, the space in a supermarket is larger and more complex. There’s much more we can do.”

Gu Yanchen was very clever, his plan was both stable and cunning. He remained calm in emergencies and could adapt on the fly.

Shen Junci couldn’t help but marvel, “It’s fortunate you’re a righteous police officer. If a criminal were as capable as you, it would be terrifying.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Perhaps Director Ding intended for me to play the role of the criminal again. The assessment topics can’t be too simple. And the methods I’m using are already quite gentlemanly. If I were more ruthless, I could set traps with electricity and water inside, wear gas masks, release toxic gas, create incendiary devices… But that might result in casualties and greater economic losses. We can’t play the exercise like that.”

Shen Junci remarked, “You can’t just propose the problem without considering the solution.”

Gu Yanchen smiled. He had already prepared a counter-strategy, deliberately going easy. He took out another sheet of paper, “This is the reverse plan. I checked the building plans of the supermarket. There are ventilation ducts on the roof that can be accessed. If the special police can find this point, they can send a few elite forces to enter the room where the hostages are held from above and launch a surprise attack from the rear. This way, they can quickly break through the criminal’s defense while ensuring the safety of the police. It’s just a matter of whether the special police can think of this.”

It was a matter of thinking outside the box. The solution wasn’t difficult if approached from a different angle. After explaining everything, Gu Yanchen got up to turn off the computer and prepare to rest. He finished washing up first, and then Shen Junci entered the bathroom to wash up.

Instead of rushing out, Gu Yanchen approached Shen Junci from behind, wrapping his arms around him, “Tomorrow is an important day.”

Shen Junci thought for a moment, “It’s our one-year anniversary.”

Gu Yanchen nodded silently. He had known Lin Luo for a long time, but he had met Shen Junci exactly one year ago tomorrow. He asked Shen Junci, “Can we tonight?”

Shen Junci thought for a moment, “My assessment is over, and I don’t have any projects tomorrow…”

That was as good as a yes.

Gu Yanchen tightened his embrace around Shen Junci’s arms and whispered in his ear, “You look very handsome in this outfit.”

Shen Junci was wearing casual training clothes, with a crisp shirt on top. When he wore this outfit, cinched at the waist with a belt, his slim waist was particularly accentuated.

Shen Junci paused and turned to him, saying, “So, to thank you for your hard work teaching me before, how about doing something different tonight?”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What do you mean?”

“Do you know about Cosplay?” Shen Junci continued, “A year ago, I saw your performance in the drill on the big screen in the command room. You looked really handsome. Since you’re going to play the role of a criminal again tomorrow, why not play the part of a ruthless robber tonight?”

Shen Junci still remembered the palpitations he couldn’t suppress when they first met.

Gu Yanchen was usually serious, calm, and composed, dedicated to justice and guarding the city. Seeing him play the role of a criminal would create a strong contrast.

Because it was all pretend, there would be no sense of guilt between them as a couple.

Gu Yanchen had just finished washing up, his hair still wet. With his deep-set eyes, high nose bridge, and the top two buttons of his black shirt undone, revealing his muscles, he exuded a slightly sinister vibe, like a villainous antagonist.

Thinking about it, they had quite a collection of props at home—handcuffs, model guns, and even a blindfold.

Captain Gu was tempted by the idea. He looked at Shen Junci and said, “Then, Medical Examiner Shen, tonight you’ll fall into my hands.”

Shen Junci glanced at him jokingly and said, “Threatening me? Someone will come to rescue me soon.”

Gu Yanchen instantly thought of a line and blurted out, “Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will save you.”

Shen Junci burst into laughter, “No, that’s too awkward. Let’s keep it normal…”

Gu Yanchen put on a serious face, “Don’t laugh, it’s a robbery!”

Shen Junci struggled to contain his laughter, his shoulders shaking.

He managed to hold it in and said seriously, “You need to be more convincing. After all, you’ll be playing the role of the gang leader tomorrow. How can you not have some aura?”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Like this?”

As he spoke, he bent down, lifted Shen Junci onto his shoulders, and carried him across the corridor to the bed. Shen Junci lay back on the bed, and Gu Yanchen reached out to grab his throat, applying slight pressure with his fingers. His fingertips were warm as they tightened around Shen Junci’s throat, creating a sense of oppression without causing any harm.

Shen Junci pursed his lips, looking up at Gu Yanchen and starting to cooperate. He struggled and gasped, using his knees to push against Gu Yanchen’s body.

Gu Yanchen released his grip on Shen Junci’s throat and forcefully pinned his hands above his head. The two of them began to wrestle on the bed as if they were practicing. Such a struggle was physically demanding, and without suspense, Gu Yanchen emerged victorious in the end. Sweat beaded on Shen Junci’s forehead, his chest heaving, struggling until his collar loosened, and his hair became disheveled.

Gu Yanchen momentarily got into character. The person in front of him looked beautiful and fragile, yet their eyes were so stubborn. The more he looked, the more he wanted to destroy him, to drive him crazy. The bedroom was particularly quiet at night, with a small lamp glowing on the side.

Gu Yanchen picked up a model gun and held it against Shen Junci’s chin, imagining himself as a ruthless criminal, contemplating how to “torture” the person beneath him. He leaned down and whispered in Shen Junci’s ear with a threatening tone, “If you’re not good, I’ll shoot.”

After saying that, Gu Yanchen used the model gun to poke Shen Junci’s chest. Shen Junci’s body trembled slightly, and the muzzle moved downwards until it stopped at his abdomen, then Gu Yanchen pulled the trigger.

Shen Junci let out a low groan. Gu Yanchen’s mind instantly conjured up many scenes, and just imagining them was enough to make his blood boil. He used the gun to slowly unbutton Shen Junci’s shirt. Shen Junci didn’t say a word, but he turned his head to try to bite Gu Yanchen’s neck. Gu Yanchen caught his jaw, looking into Shen Junci’s eyes, and then kissed him.

As if lightning had ignited a fire, they kissed passionately. Normally, Gu Yanchen would be extremely gentle, but tonight, although he knew it was just acting, he couldn’t control himself. Tonight, he wasn’t going to be the “good guy” anymore. He wanted to see Shen Junci’s lips stained with blood, to see tears in his eyes, to make him despair, yet be consumed by desire.

A fire ignited inside Gu Yanchen’s body. So, that night, the “police and criminals” experienced an intense “life-and-death struggle.”

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The next day, the supermarket exercise went smoothly. Shen Junci went to the command room to watch. Gu Yanchen’s arrangements were indeed very practical. The special police used riot shields to launch a strong attack, but there were still “casualties.” The “robbers” bought enough time, and the special police team encountered another setback.

Then Gu Yanchen demonstrated the solution to them, and the special police team was convinced and impressed. Several City Bureau leaders decided that similar exercises should be conducted more frequently in the future, and Gu Yanchen should regularly hold special training sessions for the special police to strengthen their ability to respond to emergencies.

To commemorate the first anniversary of their reunion and to celebrate the successful completion of the exercise, Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen went to Lingzhi Pavilion for a hearty meal. In the evening, Captain Gu expressed that similar games could be played more often in the future.