Insights Chapter 96: Interview

Chapter 96: Interview

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After reaching a consensus, early the next day, Gu Yanchen called several members of the Special Criminal Division for a meeting to brief them on the progress of the case investigation. After comparing the characteristics of several perpetrators, they finally discovered a common point. In the WeChat Moments of several individuals, the same job recruitment advertisement appeared.

The advertisement was very strange, mentioning generous treatment and high-paying part-time work, but it didn’t specify what the job actually entailed. Gu Yanchen used the information from this job advertisement to test Zhang Lijie and others. Although they didn’t confess, they all reacted to this information. Some of them reacted particularly strongly. Gu Yanchen took this as a new investigative direction, hoping to infiltrate the other party’s organization by applying for the part-time job.

After the meeting, the medical examiners returned to the medical examiner building. Today, several corpses arrived. Shen Junci greeted them and needed their help. Within the Special Criminal Division, several detectives continued to investigate the clues.

Bai Meng clicked on the job recruitment advertisement and found that personal information needed to be filled in. Bai Meng asked, “Captain Gu, should I try?”

She intended to be the guinea pig for the first round of experiments.

Gu Yanchen nodded in agreement, “Go ahead. Take it slow at each step so we can discuss countermeasures.”

For such tasks, they definitely couldn’t use real ID numbers. Gu Yanchen had already arranged a set of fake ID cards and related information for these team members long ago. They also had spare SIM cards for undercover operations, which came in handy now.

Bai Meng first filled in her name and contact information. In less than two minutes, someone added her on WeChat. After she greeted them, a video call came through. Bai Meng didn’t expect the other party to be so eager, and suddenly felt like she was holding a hot potato with her phone. She hurriedly answered the video call while tidying her hair and greeting the other party.

Fortunately, there was a white wall behind her. If the slogan “Integrity, Justice, Serving the People” had been visible in the background, the act would have been busted. As soon as the call came through to her, Lu Ying looked over, and Gu Yanchen also sat up straight, listening intently to the interview.

Bai Meng turned on the speaker, and the other party’s voice came through calmly like an AI, “Hello, are you applying for the part-time job? We need to conduct a video interview with applicants, which will take about ten minutes of your time.”

Bai Meng panicked, “I’m about to go out… Can I have some time to prepare properly?”

The other side seemed a bit displeased at this, “There are many people interested in our part-time positions, and we are also very busy. If that’s the case, we’ll pass on your application…”

Bai Meng quickly straightened her hair, “Well, I won’t go out. I’m ready now. Please go ahead and ask.”

The other party asked for some detailed information, including age, education, work experience, income, and home address. Bai Meng made up some details and answered each question one by one, maintaining a smile throughout. She spoke gently, appearing to be a proactive and diligent employee.

Finally, she cautiously asked, “Um, can I ask what this part-time job entails?”

But the other party replied, “I’m sorry, you don’t quite meet our requirements for part-time positions. If there’s a suitable opportunity later, we’ll contact you.”

Bai Meng ended the video call and suppressed her smile.

She couldn’t help but complain, “Can you believe it? They don’t even want hardworking part-time workers like me!”

Lu Ying frowned, “You got rejected just like that?”

He seemed to have trouble accepting the news. It was like being knocked out of the game just after entering the first level. Feeling a bit dejected about her failed interview, Bai Meng said with a gloomy expression, “Interviews are not that easy, you know. I’m not sure, if I can make it through.”

Gu Yanchen attempted to analyze and draw lessons from the experience, “I think, Bai Meng, the information you provided wasn’t quite right.”

He pointed to the information about the perpetrators in those case files, “The other party doesn’t decide based on excellence. Many details need to be understated, such as education and work experience.”

The other party must have their own logic for selecting part-time workers.

He felt that they needed people with low income and low education.

Otherwise, there was no reason why people like Zhang Lijie could pass the interview while they couldn’t. Bai Meng had directly stated that she graduated from college and had experience working as a secretary in a large company, which probably didn’t meet the other party’s requirements.

Bai Meng sighed, “I wasn’t prepared yet, and they suddenly called… I made up a lot of answers on the spot. My brain couldn’t keep up. I wasn’t adaptable enough.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Next up, it’s Lu Ying’s turn. But wait for a couple of hours before you try, and change the background for the video, just in case they get suspicious.”

This time, based on Bai Meng’s experience, they created a new set of information for Lu Ying to memorize in advance.

Soon, Lu Ying transformed into a high school dropout who worked as a food delivery driver, earning a monthly salary of three thousand yuan. To make it more convincing, he even brought Zhang Lijie’s food delivery uniform and helmet.

After filling out the information, someone added him on WeChat, and a video call came through.

This time, it was a male interviewer in his forties.

Lu Ying was more prepared this time. He used a phone stand to prop up his phone on the side and rubbed his hands with a smile, “Hey there, just finished delivering a few orders. Can I join your part-time job?”

Unexpectedly, this interviewer asked even more bizarre and unrelated questions. After chatting for a while, he was also rejected.

Lu Ying ended the video call, completely puzzled, “Why? What did I do wrong?”

Bai Meng pondered on the side, “Maybe they need salespeople? They might think you lack charisma? With those muscles of yours, you could probably take down a few.”

For the third attempt, Gu Yanchen decided to personally take the plunge. He set himself up as a real estate agent.

Bai Meng said, “Let me prepare your ID badge! Print some materials; it’ll make you look more authentic.”

Lu Ying added, “I’ll go borrow a suit from medical examiner Liu!”

Throughout the City Bureau, only medical examiner Liu insisted on wearing a suit every day, and his suit happened to look very similar to that of a real estate agent.

Gu Yanchen went to the restroom, changed his hairstyle, combing his bangs back. Then he placed a calculator, a stack of documents resembling contracts, and a laptop on the table.

Once they had set up the scene, Gu Yanchen changed into a shirt and put on the suit, wearing a real estate agent’s ID badge with the three principles of real estate behind him.

As they were about to begin the attempt, Shen Junci knocked on the door and entered the office.

Gu Yanchen stood up and showed himself to Shen Junci, “medical examiner Shen, do I look like a real estate agent?”

While medical examiner Liu’s suit didn’t quite fit him, Gu Yanchen wore it casually and smartly, appearing even more formal, tall, and handsome.

Shen Junci frowned and shook his head, “You look like you’re about to acquire someone’s company.”

Gu Yanchen, “…”

Lu Ying said, “medical examiner Shen, we’ve tried twice before, both Bai Meng and I failed. Captain Gu is preparing for the third round of interviews. We’ve printed out the questions and summarized our experiences. This time should be better!”

Shen Junci responded with an “oh” and glanced over the questions they had prepared, sitting on the nearby sofa. “I passed.”

Bai Meng, “…”

She doubted her ears, “Passed what?”

Shen Junci replied, “The phone interview.”

Lu Ying, “…”

Gu Yanchen, “…”

Shen Junci took out his phone to show them the call log of the video interview, along with an address.

Finally, he said, “We’ll provide free training for new employees, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The training will be quite long, so please inform your family in advance. Also, our training involves trade secrets, so we’ll need to keep your phones.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What job did you say you were applying for?”

Shen Junci answered, “Veterinary assistant.”

Gu Yanchen, “…”

Well, it’s somewhat related to the field.

Lu Ying couldn’t help but ask, “medical examiner Shen, how did you answer? Any tricks?”

Shen Junci blinked, “I didn’t even think I’d pass.”

The others were even more perplexed.

Medical examiner Shen thought for a moment and summarized, “I just randomly filled in some backup information and tried it out when I saw you guys sharing the address in the group. At that time, I had just finished an autopsy, still in my protective gear and hat, and unexpectedly, the other party suddenly initiated a video call. I was tired, so I answered while undressing and washing my hands. They asked me a few questions, and I just answered some of them casually.”

Reflecting on it, Shen Junci continued, “But in the end, I mentioned that I was in dire straits, had no money for food, needed the job to improve my life. Maybe my sincerity touched them?”

Bai Meng and Lu Ying looked puzzled.

However, Gu Yanchen suddenly understood. He had always been calm and wise, but this time he was confused as well.

He had been considering from the perspective of the interviewees, trying to fit the experiences of those perpetrators, adjusting the way the questions were answered.

But he hadn’t thought from the perspective of the interviewers, what kind of person the other party was looking for.

In short, it seemed like a recruitment, but they weren’t looking for capable individuals.

Gu Yanchen organized his thoughts, “We were focusing on the wrong aspect earlier. If they wanted to ask questions, sending text messages would have been more time-efficient, allowing them to understand the information more quickly. They didn’t even record the answers to those questions, so the answers might not be the determining factor. The reason they insisted on video calls is because they’re looking for passive, impoverished, desperate individuals who are easily brainwashed.”

People’s mental states are evident at a glance, and Shen Junci’s exhaustion might have been exactly what they were looking for.

None of those criminals were lively and cheerful individuals.

These were the criteria the interviewers were quickly screening for.

In this case, Bai Meng’s cheerful greetings, sunny disposition, and serious answers, as well as Lu Ying’s passionate and proactive attitude, were the first to be rejected.

This was a psychological game, not an ordinary interview. Preparation wasn’t just about the questions but also about the individual’s state of mind.

Realizing this, Gu Yanchen changed his strategy, abandoning the idea of pretending to be a real estate agent.

He didn’t use the costumes and props they had prepared earlier. He took off his jacket, unbuttoned his collar, grabbed a cigarette and a lighter, and went to the corridor.

Gu Yanchen filled in the information, casually ran his hand through his hair to mess it up. Then he lit a cigarette, squatted down, rubbed some cigarette ash on his white shirt collar, imagining himself as a desperate young man with nowhere to turn.

In a short while, the interviewer called.

The other party was a middle-aged woman who called herself “Niushao” (Mrs. Bull). The video call was straightforward, verifying his identity and asking a few simple questions.

In the dim corridor, Gu Yanchen wasn’t as enthusiastic. He answered slowly with drooping eyelids, his voice low and hoarse.

“Yeah, I’m unemployed, graduated from high school, haven’t had a job recently.”

“I don’t have any savings, owe money at home, just looking for this part-time job. If I don’t find a job soon, I’ll probably be kicked out by the landlord.”

“I’ve been rejected several times recently. What skills do you need here?”

At the end of the interview, Mrs. Bull said, “We have training for new employees soon. Are you interested in attending?”

Gu Yanchen knew he had succeeded this time and replied, “Interested.”

Mrs. Bull said, “Okay, I’ll send you the time and location on your phone. Also, bring your phone and identification with you; we’ll need to verify your information.”

After finishing the act, Gu Yanchen stood up, dusted off the ash from his clothes, and regained his usual demeanor.

Finally, another person passed the interview, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Captain Gu said, “They should be recruiting quite a few people. The more of us infiltrate, the more secure it’ll be. Bring in a few more people to try.”

He paused and added, “Wait, there are many people in the City Bureau, and Yu Shen’s process is about to be approved. You should bring him over first.”

It’s more secure to bring in our own people since we’ve finally managed to infiltrate.

Bai Meng quickly went to the detective team nearby and called Yu Shen over. Yu Shen opened the page to fill in the information but found that he couldn’t submit it. A page popped up, saying, “Sorry, this round of part-time recruitment is full. Please wait for the next round.”

It seemed that after trying out a few people, only Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci succeeded.

Just as everyone was discussing this, Director Ding came down from upstairs and called Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci into a small meeting room to listen to their progress report.

Director Ding nodded, “You’ve been doing a great job lately. Infiltrating the other side is a good idea. Being able to get two people inside is not bad.”

Gu Yanchen thought for a moment, “Director Ding, there may be danger inside. Maybe I should go alone.”

Director Ding frowned, “If there’s danger, you shouldn’t go alone. You’ll be fighting alone. Having two people provides backup.”

Gu Yanchen didn’t really want to take Shen Junci with him, “This is an undercover mission. It’s not within regulations to bring a medical examiner.”

Director Ding misunderstood, “This is a special circumstance. For the sake of solving the case, I can approve it.” Then he added, “This case may seem simple at the moment, but it involves many complexities. We must focus on it, but we must not mess things up now and lose the lead.”

Shen Junci clearly wanted to go. He interjected, “There shouldn’t be any danger just by attending a training. Usually, the attendees are ordinary people.”

After some thought, Director Ding said, “I think this first round should just be a regular training selection. Later, you can go in with surveillance equipment, and I’ll prepare support for you. We’ll adapt to the situation as needed. We’ll ensure your safety to the greatest extent possible.”

With the Chief saying this, Gu Yanchen didn’t say much.

The three of them discussed and set their strategy.

The mission was to remain confidential, managed directly by Director Ding.

Once Director Ding left, Gu Yanchen asked Shen Junci, “Are you okay to execute the mission?”

Shen Junci replied, “I’ve been taking my medication regularly lately. That reminder pillbox you got is quite useful.” He paused and said, “Don’t worry, we’re just going to attend an employee training. And you’ll be there too. I trust you.”

Gu Yanchen poured a glass of water for Shen Junci and said, “I just feel we can’t be careless.”

He looked at Shen Junci and said, “If things go wrong, I’ll protect you.”

Shen Junci nodded and took the glass, lowering his head to drink. The water was neither cold nor hot, just the right temperature.

He noticed Gu Yanchen’s tousled hair gave him a wild and unruly look, different from usual. Shen Junci’s gaze fell on Gu Yanchen’s chest, where three buttons were undone, revealing his chest muscles.

With his head bowed lower, medical examiner Shen’s eyelashes covered his eyes. “Honestly, you look pretty good in a suit.”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Next time, I’ll wear one just for you.”