Chapter 306 - 172: Lock On! Arrest

Under normal circumstances, while incidents did occur around the New Year, they were rarely serious enough for the Special Fifth Bureau to intervene.

In less common situations, even if a case did warrant their attention, it would be resolved quickly.

And in the rarest of cases, even if it took a little longer, there was still nearly a month before the New Year to wrap things up.

However...

Zhang Liang never imagined he’d have to take a fucking million steps back.

January 4th. 8:00 AM.

The atmosphere in the Capital Special Fifth Bureau office was jovial. Everyone was reflecting on what a difficult year it had been.

Until...

"Boss, phone call."

Zhao Gang, as if sensing something, glanced at the desk before looking up at Zhang Liang.

"A call?"

Zhang Liang paused. He took the phone and glanced at the screen.

"Personal phone..."

At those two words, Zhao Gang and the others, who had been about to make themselves scarce, froze in place, simultaneously getting ready to watch the drama unfold.

Until...

Zhao Gang suddenly caught a glimpse of the caller ID: Xu Huo.

He fell silent at once, all interest in the spectacle vanishing. He quietly began to inch away, the thought of watching the show now completely gone from his mind.

"Hello?"

Zhang Liang answered the call, his smile vanishing.

"It’s me, Xu Huo... Have you eaten?"

Xu Huo’s voice came through the receiver, and Zhang Liang’s heart sank.

"I’ve eaten. Pork and cabbage. If that’s all, I’m hanging up."

"Hey, don’t be like that. We haven’t seen each other in ages. I’m the Special Fifth Bureau’s one and only consultant, you know. Don’t you miss me?"

"That depends."

"Depends? On what?"

"If you’re calling because you need something, then probably not. If you’re just calling to chat, then maybe a little."

"...Haha, Old Zhang, you’re a real comedian."

Zhang Liang’s face was a mask of indifference. He said nothing. A moment later...

’Ever wonder how to cure low blood pressure?’

’All it takes is a single sentence!’

"...Ah, you know, what you just said reminded me. There actually is one thing that requires the Special Fifth Bureau to step in!"

In that instant, a storm cloud formed over Zhang Liang’s face. It flushed red and his muscles tensed.

Honestly, if Zhang Liang suffered from low blood pressure, he’d probably be cured right about now.

He could have said to Xu Huo, ’What a miracle worker you are, Doctor Xu!’

But unfortunately, he didn’t have low blood pressure. All he had was a looming aneurysm.

"What’s today’s date?"

Zhang Liang, fighting the urge to have an aneurysm, squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.

"January fourth."

"When is New Year’s Eve?"

"January twenty-first."

"So what do you want from me now?"

"A little help."

Zhang Liang’s aneurysm finally burst. He had just been freed from the Capital City case, or rather, had just downgraded from a high-stress state to a normal-stress state.

’And now, before I can even catch my breath, he needs help!?’

"It’s almost the New Year and you’re asking me for help!?"

"What do you mean? Including today, there are still just under twenty days until the New Year. That’s practically a month! A month has, like, thirty-one days."

"Who does math like that!?"

Zhang Liang grumbled under his breath, but still managed to rein in his emotions.

’It’s fine.’

’If there’s a case, there’s a case.’

’Anyway, the Capital City case was the biggest one this year.’

’How big could this favor Xu Huo needs possibly be?’

’With more than twenty days to spare, handling one more problem shouldn’t be an issue.’

"Stop wasting time. Spit it out. What’s the case?"

Zhang Liang took a deep breath, composing himself. He decided to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"It’s nothing major, just a human trafficking case."

"We’ve pretty much figured it all out—the identities of those involved, the motives behind all the... stuff, the culprits’ movements and whereabouts, all that."

"A small case?"

Zhang Liang paused, a hint of suspicion on his face.

"If it’s a small case, why are you calling the Special Fifth Bureau? Especially one that’s practically solved. The local police could handle it."

"...Don’t you worry about that. Just get over here," came the voice from the other end.

Zhang Liang: ???

After a moment of silence, Zhang Liang spoke.

"Fine. Wait for me. I’m on my way."

’Human traffickers, a trafficking case...’

’Cases like this were usually disgusting by nature, but not considered high-level.’

’Even if it involved trafficking ten, or even twenty people, it wouldn’t be ranked as high as a serial murder case with five or six victims.’

’A case with fatalities and one without were on two completely different levels!’

’So...’

’Might as well investigate it.’

A while later.

The deafening roar of helicopter rotors sliced through the air.

A helicopter was making its way toward Jiangsan City.

....

....

「January 4th. 12:10 PM.」

The distinct sound of someone’s composure shattering broke the silence of the abandoned factory.

"You son of a bitch!"

"You call this a fucking trafficking case?"

"You tell me in what universe this qualifies as a ’small case’?"

At the crime scene, Zhang Liang’s face was ashen as he glared at Xu Huo, forcing a few more curses through his clenched jaw.

’To be honest... if I had known the case was this vile, this serious, and this high-level...’

’...I probably would have tricked someone from National Security into coming instead.’

"Overseas connections, a ’student aid’ network, businessmen, rape, children, experiments..."

"I mean, come on."

"Any single one of these elements would qualify as a provincial-level major case. So how the hell did the words ’small case’ ever come out of your fucking mouth?"

Xu Huo’s expression remained unchanged.

He was used to it.

Nearby, Li Jianye, who had been silently investigating the scene, glanced over at the outburst before immediately returning to his work.

He vaguely recalled the first "small case" he’d ever worked on with Xu Huo, one he’d called the ’case of the body in the well.’

Since then...

’I’ve never once heard the words ’major case’ come out of the man’s mouth.’

’Small case...’

’Everything’s small. All of it. Small is good.’

’Li Jianye was gradually getting used to the intensity of these "small cases."’

"Hey, we’re already here," Xu Huo said. "A case is a case, right?"