Volume One, Chapter Fifteen: Uprising.

Wu Wei hurriedly offered compliments, saying, "Oh, listen to what you're saying. I've seen your skills firsthand—please come with us to the station for a detailed discussion."

Jiang Chen whispered, "We can talk, but let her stay and talk with me. The others may leave. As for whether I'll help or not, that'll depend on my mood."

Jiang Chen pointed towards Su Yike, who looked utterly confused, not understanding his meaning. Wu Wei immediately caught on to Jiang Chen's intention.

Since he was willing to talk, there was hope.

Wu Wei cleared his throat and said, "Little Su, you stay and have a word with Comrade Jiang here. We'll head back to the station first. Don't worry about the expenses—the station will reimburse you."

Su Yike was still lost and uncertain, while Wu Wei had already led his people out.

Jiang Chen found a stool and placed it beside Su Yike. "Keep me company at work. Once I'm off, I'll help you."

Su Yike had originally hoped Jiang Chen would help right away, but after thinking it over, she realized that forcing him now would be nothing short of coercion—she wouldn't stoop to moral manipulation. So she decided to wait; the station wouldn't suffer from one more or one less officer.

In the afternoon, Jiang Chen changed his clothes, just as Tong Yan and Ning Rou came downstairs.

Tong Yan sized up Su Yike, feeling secretly astonished by the girl's unique bearing and beauty.

Ning Rou, however, only glanced briefly before dragging Tong Yan away.

Jiang Chen sighed. He rather wanted to talk to Ning Rou, but now she was evasive, her dislike always gaining the upper hand.

"Let's go to your station first," Liang Chen yawned, rubbing his stomach.

Su Yike noticed Jiang Chen hadn't eaten yet and said, "Let's eat first—there's no rush."

They went to a Western restaurant, and though it looked like a date, neither was in that mood.

Su Yike was quite intrigued by Jiang Chen's identity. She pushed her newly served steak towards him and asked, "Young Master, did you come down from Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

Jiang Chen waved his hand. Su Yike was puzzled, "Hmm? What do you mean? Can't you tell me?"

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and swallowed the steak in his mouth. "That's not it—I just meant, let me finish eating."

"Oh..."

Five minutes later, their conversation was nearly done when Su Yike's phone rang.

As soon as she answered, an urgent voice came through, "Little Su, hurry back to the station. There's an important meeting."

Su Yike responded, hung up, and said, "Young Master, we should head to the station."

Jiang Chen nodded and got in the car with her.

Since he couldn't join the internal meeting at the station, Jiang Chen found a place to wait.

Halfway through the meeting, Su Yike came out and said, "Young Master, the station has given you special permission to attend as an observer."

To be honest, Jiang Chen felt no curiosity about their meeting. In his eyes, an action squad simply needs to execute orders. All this discussion only complicates things and wastes time. If decisions are delayed, it usually means the leader is incompetent.

Even inside the meeting room, Jiang Chen was uninterested. Wu Wei, however, announced, "Let's welcome the renowned criminal investigation prodigy transferred from the capital, He Dong."

Applause erupted. Jiang Chen glanced up to see the young man across from him stand, a smile on his face, clearly enjoying the acclaim.

"Come, Officer He, the floor is yours," said Wu Wei, giving up his seat.

He Dong stood before the whiteboard. "I've reviewed the clues so far and have prepared a detailed arrest operation. If everyone follows my plan, we'll definitely catch the suspect."

Many of those present were seasoned detectives. They regarded this young man from the capital with respect—without skill and connections, he wouldn't be here.

But once he'd finished speaking so lightly, everyone grew uneasy.

The veteran detective Guo Kai, who had been silent for a long time, asked, "Officer He, what exactly is your plan?"

Officer He replied without hesitation, "Citywide deployment. We'll apprehend the suspect before their next crime."

Guo Kai continued, "A citywide deployment uses enormous manpower—unless it's a major case, we can't get approval. Our current case doesn't meet that standard, and no one knows when the suspect will strike again. If it's a year from now, are we supposed to do nothing else for a year?"

Everyone nodded. Guo Kai was right; citywide deployment would cost nearly a million a day, not to mention coordinating with other departments—just negotiating would take all their time.

Seeing the situation escalate, Wu Wei quickly tried to smooth things over. "Young Master, do you have any better ideas?"

Jiang Chen, almost dozing off, heard his name and rubbed his eyes. He Dong glanced at Jiang Chen with surprise and a hostile tone, "Since when does the station rely on a Taoist priest? Don't you believe in yourselves anymore? How ridiculous."

"Tsk, who's barking?" Jiang Chen muttered sleepily.

He Dong's gaze froze. "What did you say?"

Jiang Chen replied, "I heard a dog barking. What's the matter? Did you hear it too?"

Su Yike, sitting nearby, couldn't help but laugh, then quickly tugged at Jiang Chen's sleeve, "Shh, stick to the point—no digressions."

Ignoring He Dong's resentful glare, Jiang Chen said, "Believe it or not, the suspect will strike again in the next few days. His aim goes beyond murder—there's more at play."

He Dong snorted, ready to rebuke him, but when he glanced at the others, his expression darkened. He saw several people nodding approvingly, not a hint of denial—almost as if Jiang Chen's words were spot on.

He Dong said coldly, "You're not a policeman. How do you know his motive? Are you the suspect yourself?"

At this, everyone felt helpless. Jiang Chen saw through He Dong's ploy and replied calmly, "Are you really an officer? You don't even understand criminal psychology? Can't do a psychological profile? Or do you think everything from your textbooks is useless? If I were the suspect, you'd have died a hundred, a thousand times already."

He Dong was left speechless, his glare poisonous, but he couldn't find a flaw in Jiang Chen's words.

Wu Wei was about to intervene when suddenly, a police officer burst through the door.

"Captain, there's a major disturbance in the suburbs—and it seems connected to our case!"