Insights Chapter 79: Counterattack

Chapter 79: Counterattack

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Nighttime, at Shen Junci’s home. The rain tonight was really heavy. Despite Gu Yanchen protecting him all along, his clothes still got quite damp. Outside the window, it was pitch black. The rain continued to pour, pattering against the window glass. Occasionally, the sound of passing vehicles could be heard in the distance, the wheels rolling over the road.

Shen Junci fetched a set of fresh pajamas and headed into the bathroom. After taking off his clothes, his skin appeared somewhat pale, his figure slender, with well-defined muscles wrapping around his bones. This body was young and beautiful, except for a grim scar across his chest and abdomen, which marred the otherwise exquisite piece of art.

As he turned on the hot water valve, warm water cascaded down, instantly dispelling the chill of the autumn rain. Shen Junci took a shower, reflecting on the events of the evening, still feeling somewhat surreal. Whenever he closed his eyes, various scenes kept flashing through his mind.

Scenes from the movie, conversations between the two, Gu Yanchen’s embrace, the moment under the umbrella when they drew closer, and finally, the child who remembered his father’s mistake… Suddenly, he recalled that he himself had been lost as a child.

It happened when he was five years old. He couldn’t remember the exact reason, only that Lin Xianglan had instructed him to stay put and wait for him. But amidst the crowd, mistaking a man for his father, he followed him out. It was only after walking for a while that he realized his mistake. Looking at the unfamiliar faces bustling around him, his heart felt as if it were plummeting from a great height.

The confusion and anxiety of being lost, the joy of thinking he had found his father, and the disappointment of realizing his error would create ripples in a child’s heart. However, upon recollection, the child he encountered outside the mall sounded calm, showing no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.

Amidst the steam in the bathroom, Shen Junci continued to ponder. Then, he thought of a second point of suspicion. He and the alleged father looked nothing alike; their body sizes and heights differed, and even their clothing colors were different. How could the child have mistaken him?

Then came the third point of suspicion. Shen Junci opened his eyes amidst the hot water. He looked down at his wrist, where the hot water flowed, running over his palm. Suddenly, Shen Junci understood where his bewilderment had stemmed from. When the child grabbed him, he had instinctively grasped the child’s wrist.

The bones of a child’s hand are different from an adult’s. Under an X-ray, one would find more spaces between the wrist bones of a child, along with numerous cartilages. These cartilages would mature into adult bones with age and hormonal influence. So, people often perceive a child’s wrist as more supple. While others might not discern it, Shen Junci, being a medical examiner who had dissected numerous corpses, felt the distinctness of the bones when he held the child’s wrist.

Those were not the wrist bones of a child! Recalling it again, although the child seemed not very tall and appeared young, he…Continuously kept his face hidden under a hat and his gait wasn’t entirely natural.

Shen Junci thought of a possibility: it was highly likely that he was a dwarf, one without obvious deformities, an idiopathic dwarfism that was difficult to distinguish from a child. With this in mind, everything that happened that night might not have been coincidental but intentionally orchestrated. They might have been watched by someone for a long time, having dinner, watching a movie, playing with dolls, those people might have been around them all along.

What could be the purpose of those people? Was it him or Gu Yanchen? Shen Junci reviewed every detail, instantly becoming alert. With this in mind, Shen Junci didn’t have time to dry his hair. He hastily wiped the water off his body, put on his pajamas, and opened the bathroom door.

First, he checked the clothes he wore at night to ensure there were no abnormalities. Then, he opened the door to the next room.

Shen Junci called out, “Captain Gu…”

No one answered inside.

The light was on, and Gu Yanchen’s wet clothes had been taken off and placed in the laundry basket by the door. The bathroom heater was still on, and the sound of dripping water could be heard, indicating Gu Yanchen hadn’t finished bathing yet. The curtains on the balcony were drawn, but the inner layer was pulled open.

Wuliang was awake, the large dog startled, rising to his feet. Through the glass, he saw Shen Junci and wagged his tail. Shen Junci gestured for Wuliang to be quiet.

Following Gu Yanchen’s habits, he quickly checked around, finding Gu Yanchen’s police bag on the sofa where he usually left it. After considering for a moment whether to open it in Gu Yanchen’s absence, Shen Junci decided against it. Instead, he felt around the bag, and in the outer pocket, Shen Junci found something. He took it out. It was a small candy wrapped in colorful packaging.

This was clearly something Gu Yanchen wouldn’t carry.

Shen Junci stared at the candy, his expression turning serious. This was what the dwarf had slipped into the bag when he approached him. He had already guessed what this might be. If someone else found this in Gu Yanchen’s bag, it would be difficult to explain. Inadvertently mistaking it for candy and ingesting it could make things even worse.

At that moment, Gu Yanchen opened the bathroom door. He emerged from inside after finishing his shower, wiping the water off his hair, and instantly spotted Shen Junci sitting on the couch.

“You finished showering?” Gu Yanchen felt his sudden appearance was a bit unexpected. He was about to ask Shen Junci why his hair was still wet when he noticed what Shen Junci was holding in his hand, the bag nearby, and Shen Junci’s unusually serious expression.

Detective Gu Yanchen’s sharp senses caught on to the clues. When he was running back from the subway station, he had seen the man and child talking to Shen Junci. He immediately recalled this. Frowning, Gu Yanchen asked, “This thing… was it left in my bag by that child?”

Shen Junci nodded, then corrected, “Not the child. It might have been a dwarf.”

Gu Yanchen took the object from Shen Junci’s hand. It was light, and even if an ordinary person saw it, they would just think it was an unidentified piece of candy. Discovering it suddenly in the bag would only make people suspect it might be a prank by a child or that they had mistakenly taken some candy from somewhere.

Gu Yanchen also made a move. He raised the corner of his mouth, placed the object aside, and took a photo with his phone. He remained calm, quickly devising a strategy. “It’s possible someone from a previous case wants to strike back. Fortunately, you were cautious enough to notice it.”

Shen Junci remarked, “This tactic isn’t sophisticated.”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Simple tactics are sometimes effective. Today, it might be planting drugs in your backpack, tomorrow, getting a beauty to claim you have a chaotic personal life at the City Bureau, the day after, stealing something and accusing you of leaking information. Despicable tactics are hard to guard against.”

Some of the things he mentioned had actually happened in the City Bureau in the past.

Several years ago, an elderly man had gone to the home of an old policeman carrying a bunch of things, claiming to be grateful to the old policeman for solving a case and clearing his son’s name. The old man became emotional in his gratitude, even kneeling before the old policeman. The old policeman felt the man’s gratitude was genuine, so he let the man take all the other gifts, but after some pushing and shoving, he symbolically left behind a box of milk.

A few days later, the man who brought the milk officially accused the old policeman of demanding bribes under the pretext of solving the case. When the milk box was opened, it was found that the lower layer of milk had been tampered with, and money had been stuffed inside. The old policeman couldn’t defend himself and was dismissed.

Even the former Li Zhongnan had been intentionally targeted in the past, with similar incidents happening to him. Being a good policeman meant facing darkness was not easy, but what was even harder was constantly being on guard, protecting oneself.

If Shen Junci hadn’t been alert enough, this thing might not have been discovered. This tactic was shallow, not even a complete chain of evidence. He could argue against it and clear his name. But things were often not that simple. The simpler the matter, the more seeds of doubt it could sow.

The other party wouldn’t expect to convict him with this unidentified item. But once this incident was confirmed, in front of everyone, pulling out this item from his backpack would lead to a series of subsequent events…Would the truth he spoke be believed? Would there be a suspension for investigation? Would his colleagues and superiors still trust him as before? Would there be gossip?

The rift between people often occurred after such small incidents. What harm is there in adding more accusations? How much trust is needed to resist the pressure? These doubts could slowly erode a person, even leading to his leaders being stigmatized alongside him.

For a police officer, credibility was paramount. Though these minor incidents were not fatal, they were enough to tarnish a person’s reputation. Leaders and colleagues would also be left with a bad impression of him. The Special Criminal Division was currently in the limelight, and there were many envious eyes within the City Bureau. If given the chance, someone would surely take advantage of it.

Thinking of the possible consequences, Shen Junci said, “This thing must not be found by anyone.”

After a moment of thought, Gu Yanchen said, “Perhaps there’s a better way to handle this…” Then he got up. “I’ll handle this matter. Later, we’ll discuss our strategy. But for now, you have a task.”

Shen Junci raised his head seriously. “What task?”

As he waited for Gu Yanchen to assign the task, he also pondered how to handle this matter.

Gu Yanchen took out a clean towel and draped it over Shen Junci’s head. “Your task now is to dry your hair first and avoid catching a cold.”

Feeling the towel drying his damp hair, Gu Yanchen’s words instantly calmed him down. At that moment, he suddenly remembered something related to the analogy of stars and planets. When a planet approached a star, it seemed destined to be captured by gravity.

.

Early the next morning, at the Penang City Bureau, the police officers had already begun their day’s work. Regarding the case of Qi Wenhui killing his mother, the police announcement caused a stir online. Fortunately, the police announcement came in time.

The police had already begun investigating as soon as the incident broke out. Even before the matter was widely discussed, the police had already issued a positive announcement. The police announcement addressed almost all the questions raised by netizens. The facts were clear, and the evidence was solid.

Soon, the comments and shares under the Peaceful Penang account surpassed tens of thousands, with enthusiastic responses from netizens.

“The light of justice shines upon the earth.”

“This response was swift. The troublemakers and instigators couldn’t keep up with the pace. There’s no opportunity for them.”

“It’s settled. Well done, Penang Police!”

“The key point here is, for committing such a heinous act of killing one’s own mother, the death penalty is the best solution. Thank you.”

“It’s best not to create a public persona. Public personas are destined to collapse. Internet celebrities who profit off their personas usually end up with no good results.”

Subsequently, the media followed up, releasing some educational and interview-based content.

The case quickly received commendation from the leadership. Director Ding specifically praised the Special Criminal Division in the group chat, saying, “The handling of this case by the Special Criminal Division was good. The evidence chain is clear, the testimony complete, and most importantly, the speed was fast. This greatly enhances the credibility of the police. I will report to the city later and apply for commendation.”

Not even morning had passed when suddenly a team of people arrived outside the Special Criminal Division. The leader, Gu Yanchen recognized; he was a deputy director from the drug enforcement team named Zhang Qihai, whose rank was higher than Gu Yanchen’s by one level.

Zhang Qihai’s expression was serious, and he brought several members of the drug enforcement team to the Special Criminal Division’s office. Gu Yanchen had already known that there would be such a scene today, and he even thought they were a bit late. Even if he felt indifferent internally, the show had to go on.

Gu Yanchen pretended to be surprised and said, “Deputy Director Zhang, why do you have time to come here today?”

Zhang Qihai seemed to be having some difficulty speaking. He greeted Gu Yanchen and said, “Captain Gu, we arrested a drug dealer last night. According to his confession, he has an insider at the City Bureau…”

“Informant?” Gu Yanchen asked.

“For now, we only know it might be from the criminal investigation team. So I brought people over to inquire…”

Zhang Qihai’s tone was relatively polite.

One of the team members beside him added, “Director Zhang… this, it’s better to conduct a search.”

Gu Yanchen recognized the person who spoke; he seemed familiar from the drug enforcement side, named Ye Chong, an elderly man. Gu Yanchen could see that Zhang Qihai was having some difficulty swallowing his pride.

Gu Yanchen took the initiative to stand up and said, “Since you received a tip-off, then let’s conduct a search. We have nothing to hide here.”

His words had reached this point, and Zhang Qihai finally relaxed a bit, “We’ve already checked the criminal investigation department earlier. Everyone was treated equally.”

Gu Yanchen nodded. “Understood, we’ll cooperate with your work.”

Having said that, he gestured for Bai Meng and Lu Ying to stand aside.

Zhang Qihai signaled for his team members to follow him, “Let’s speed up and not disrupt the work of the Special Criminal Division or make a mess.”

The team members from the drug enforcement team began searching.

As they searched, Ye Chong checked around a bit and touched Gu Yanchen’s bag. After rummaging for a bit, he took out the candy-like object. Then, he brought it to Zhang Qihai’s attention and whispered something to him. Gu Yanchen observed this scene.

Zhang Qihai’s expression changed, and he walked over to Gu Yanchen, “Captain Gu, where did you get this thing from?”

Gu Yanchen’s expression showed a hint of surprise. “Isn’t this just a piece of candy? What’s wrong?”

Zhang Qihai said, “This thing might be a new type of drug called Blue Shadow. Extremely addictive and dangerous, very rare in the city.”

Ye Chong, on the side, also asked, “Captain Gu, you better explain how this thing ended up in your bag?!”

With that said, the office fell silent, and the other members of the drug enforcement team stopped their actions.

Gu Yanchen looked at the candy. “Isn’t this just a piece of candy? Perhaps you should take it for testing and confirm before jumping to conclusions?”

But Ye Chong seemed impatient, “This is indeed Blue Shadow. We’ve been tracing this line recently.”

Having caught a fish, Gu Yanchen no longer acted. He sneered, “Is that so?” Then, he opened a drawer and threw out a candy box. “If this is Blue Shadow, then I might as well be a big drug lord.”

Zhang Qihai’s expression changed, and he took the candy box and opened it. Inside were similar packaged candies.

Lu Ying, seeing this, also took out a candy from her pen holder. “Could you have made a mistake? Isn’t this just candy? I have some too.”

While they were talking, Shen Junci walked in wearing a medical examiner’s uniform. “Why are there so many people here today?”

Lu Ying saw him and said, “Doctor Shen, please explain. Deputy Director Zhang found a piece of candy in Captain Gu’s bag and insists it’s a new type of drug.”

“Is this a new type of drug?” Shen Junci looked at what Zhang Qihai was holding. “Funny, I have some of these too.”

As he spoke, he took out some candies from the pocket of his medical examiner’s uniform. Among them, he tore open one of the wrappers and put it in his mouth, while giving another to a nearby team member. “Do you want to test these?”

Zhang Qihai’s face changed, “Where did you get these things from?”

Not long ago, Zhang Qihai had just received news about the new drug, and there were only a few pieces confiscated in the entire city. They didn’t have a deep understanding of this substance yet. Could it really be just candy?

At this moment, a voice came from outside the office door, “I bought and distributed them.”

Soon after, Director Ding, the top leader of the City Bureau, walked in from outside. Director Ding’s expression was somewhat displeased as he spoke, “A few days ago, when I went to buy snacks for my daughter, I happened to grab a few packets of imported candy. I brought them here and distributed them casually.” After the former bureau chief entered, he instructed Lu Ying, “Close the door.”

Lu Ying hurriedly closed the door. With the situation set, Director Ding sat on the sofa inside the Special Criminal Division’s office. The members of the Special Criminal Division and the drug enforcement team separated to opposite sides.

In fact, after Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci discovered the candy yesterday, they reported to Director Ding and made preparations. They even searched the internet. Gu Yanchen found out that this new type of drug was imported from abroad. To avoid suspicion, the drugs were packaged as a slightly modified version of an existing candy.

The original candy was like Li Kui, while the new drug was like Li Gui. Without careful examination, it was difficult to distinguish between them.

Gu Yanchen contacted and bought the same type of candy overnight, leading to the current scene. The intentional search and inspection drama was prearranged, and Bai Meng had recorded everything. Among these people, whoever seemed the most suspicious and whoever first found the candy in the bag was likely the person planted by the other side within the City Bureau.

Ye Chong might have known there was something fishy in the bag beforehand. In a prejudiced state, he could be so certain that what he found was drugs.

Director Ding cleared his throat and said, “Zhang, I understand the hard work of your drug enforcement team, but when it comes to searching internal departments, you still need to inform me. When investigating, besides gathering evidence, you should also have a complete chain of evidence. Coming over directly based on vague information and assuming a piece of genuine candy is a drug without asking questions in front of everyone is highly inappropriate. I understand that you were worried about the possibility of a real situation, and someone might prepare in advance, hence the surprise inspection. All personnel of the Special Criminal Division have been thoroughly investigated before entering. There are no issues with the people here. I can guarantee this.”

Zhang Qihai lowered his head, “Understood.”

Director Ding continued, “I believe in rewarding merits and punishing faults. We must not make any wrongful convictions, which would chill the hearts of the meritorious. These candies are widely available on the market. Before conducting searches, you should clarify this point and differentiate between candy and new drugs. Let’s start with an apology to Captain Gu.”

Zhang Qihai had made a mistake himself, misled by the tip-off and his subordinates, leading to this incident. He quickly apologized, “Captain Gu, I’m sorry, it’s our mistake.”

Gu Yanchen was very generous, “Actually, there are over a dozen of these candies in the office, each person has them deep in their drawers. You just happened to find the one in my bag, purely by chance.”

The few drug enforcement officers had only started searching for a short while and hadn’t had time to thoroughly check. With this reminder, several pairs of eyes fell on Ye Chong.

Ye Chong stepped back, his face pale, hiding behind the others, feeling guilty.

Director Ding continued, “Even if there is someone in the criminal investigation team secretly in contact with drug dealers, acting as a protector, they wouldn’t bring new drugs into the Public Security City Bureau, waiting for you to come and search. Like today’s incident, you received a tip-off, and you came over without clarifying the situation, mistook a genuine candy for a drug, and started questioning without understanding. There are significant issues here. With this mentality, not only will you fail to do your job well, but you will also be easily taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives, being used as pawns. Zhang Qihai, if someone were to put such a piece in your pocket or bag and report to me to get rid of you, I would search you and find it. How would you defend yourself?”

Director Ding criticized them with mixed words and gestures. The several drug enforcement officers remained silent. Director Ding finished sternly, then shifted the conversation, “Of course, I fully support your drug enforcement work. Drug prohibition, investigation, and apprehension are top priorities for our City Bureau. To prevent any potential issues, you should still take these candies for testing. Additionally, there will be a unified urine test for everyone in the City Bureau recently. We will also conduct screenings on some key individuals to prevent any collusion with criminals.”

Zhang Qihai said, “Director Ding, since these candies were purchased by you, they must be unrelated to drugs. We won’t take them for testing. We’ll go back and study them carefully to distinguish between candies and new drugs. We’ll also enhance officer training.”

Lu Ying said, “Please, take them for testing. If news spreads that something was found in our Special Criminal Division, it will be hard to clear our names.”

Zhang Qihai took a few of the candies, “Then we’ll take a few for random sampling. It can serve as a sample for research. Today’s incident was a joke. I’ll also instruct my subordinates and colleagues not to speak rashly.”

With both sides losing face due to this incident, Director Ding decided to close the door.

Seeing the matter resolved, the bureau chief stood up, “Zhang, come to my office with me. The rest of your team, please go back to work.”

Director Ding and Zhang Qihai left together, and the several drug enforcement officers also left one after another.

Shen Junci took a few steps forward, his gaze fixed on Ye Chong. Although Director Ding didn’t say much in person, he would definitely investigate and deal with this person later. There would be consequences for his actions. This situation actually removed a thorn from their side, which was a good thing.

Gu Yanchen reminded his subordinates to be vigilant about surrounding matters and not let others take advantage of them. He turned to Shen Junci, who was still talking, and asked, “Is the candy tasty?”

Shen Junci replied, “Quite sweet.”

He handed one to Gu Yanchen. Gu Yanchen took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

.

In the late night of a few days later, inside a luxurious villa located in the eastern district of Penang. Lei Hui was wearing a backless dress that accentuated her voluptuous curves under the spotlight. The villa was quiet as she applied lipstick in front of a large mirror. Beside her, a young man was reporting on the day’s work progress.

When she heard about Ye Chong being dismissed and investigated, Lei Hui’s hand trembled, smearing a bit of lipstick around her mouth, resembling bloodstains. She paused, turned around, and without warning, slapped the young man across the face.

The slap resounded loudly in the quiet room. The male secretary’s mouth started bleeding, and he stood there in shock for a moment before covering his face. Lei Hui raised her hand again, and instinctively, the man’s neck tensed up, fear evident in his eyes as he looked at Lei Hui.

“Useless. You can’t even handle such a small matter,” Lei Hui scolded, massaging her hand, feeling a bit of pain. She turned back and took out makeup remover, wiping off all the lipstick. Then, with a sigh, she angrily threw the newly opened lipstick into the trash can.

In the past, they had gradually eliminated those loyal old policemen using such tricks, undermining trust and stirring up trouble. But obviously, this method wouldn’t work anymore. The opponents were more alert than they had imagined. Their plan didn’t succeed this time; instead, it backfired.

She asked, “Ye Chong won’t blabber about anything, will he?”

The secretary replied, “That man is lecherous and ambitious. He’s always been in contact with specific women. He won’t say anything that could implicate us.”

Lei Hui calmed down and opened a drawer, taking out a new shade of lipstick. This time, it was even more vibrant, a bright red that resembled fresh blood. Lei Hui was pleased with this makeup. She looked in the mirror, adjusted her appearance, then grabbed a handbag, preparing to attend the late-night party. As she walked out, she commented, “It seems that we need to entrust these dirty tasks to Boss Mu for a more secure outcome.”

As she spoke, Lei Hui’s expression gradually turned cold. She had a premonition that those people might cause the entire building to collapse. She had to stop everything before it became uncontrollable.