Chapter 29: Receiving the “Good Cop” Award (Please Vote for the Monthly Tickets)

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After the Serious Crime Squad’s Toyota stopped outside the Lotte Toy Factory, a middle-aged man selling cart noodles by the roadside, wearing a bucket hat, stepped forward and asked, “Officer Lin?”

“Serious Crime Squad. Lin Tiansheng.” Lin produced his identification.

The chief of the Intelligence Bureau’s surveillance team took off his hat and fanned himself. “Intelligence Bureau, Surveillance Squad Sergeant Tan Jiaming.”

“Good to meet you, Sergeant Tan.”

Tan Jiaming was brief and to the point. “There are five men inside, hiding in the offices. None of them has come out.”

“Is the factory operating?” Lin Tiansheng asked.

Tan nodded. “More than a hundred workers. They make stuffed toys. Trashy and the owner are relatives, and he probably has a stake in the business.”

“That makes things difficult.” Ma Delong furrowed his brow, his expression grave.

“My men can pose as fire inspectors. They’ll knock on the door for a routine inspection and get you inside.”

“Thanks.” Gratitude showed on Lin Tiansheng’s face. With another surveillance team helping them, taking down five criminals would be as easy as reaching into his pocket.

He drew his service pistol and gave the order without hesitation. “Move.”

“Understood.”

Ma Delong and the other two answered in unison.

Seeing how decisively the Serious Crime Squad moved, Tan Jiaming did not waste time. He signaled to his men in the car. Three surveillance officers wearing fire-department identification immediately got out and headed toward the factory entrance to knock.

The two guards sitting by the door were not tall, but their arms were covered in tattoos and their faces were fierce. They were clearly street toughs.

But if the stuffed-toy factory wanted to stay in business, it could not afford to offend the fire department. Apart from glaring helplessly, the guards could only call the owner to report the inspection.

Lin Tiansheng and the other three soon entered the factory. Without hesitation, they charged toward the detached three-story office building.

In the manager’s office, Trashy was holding a comic book, drinking tea beneath the air conditioner. When he received the phone call, he sprang to his feet.

“Ghosts are knocking at the door. Pack up and get out.”

The four bodyguards playing cards on the sofa grabbed their bags, slung them over their shoulders, and hurried out with their guns.

The two groups collided on the staircase to the second floor. With the gold inside their bags, the gunmen acted swiftly and decisively, raising their weapons and firing.

Bang! Bang!

Lin Tiansheng yanked Old Ma, who was charging ahead, back by the arm and fired one-handed in reply.

Crack-crack-crack!

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“Sergeant Tan?” The three surveillance officers heard the gunfire and immediately gripped the weapons at their waists, their expressions turning grim.

Tan Jiaming gave the order decisively. “Assist Officer Lin!”

The surveillance squad generally did not interfere in criminal investigations, but Officer Lin was a man specially favored by their superior. As his subordinate, Tan Jiaming had to seize every chance to distinguish himself.

He belonged to the Intelligence Bureau. He knew perfectly well what kind of background Officer Lin had.

With Trashy and the others blocked in the passageway, Trashy turned and retreated to the edge of the corridor. He decisively threw his bag to the ground and shouted, “Jump!”

The drop to the floor below was less than three meters. A jump would not be fatal, and a van was waiting only ten meters away.

The criminals did not hesitate. They threw all the bags in their hands over the edge. The dull thuds when they struck the ground showed how heavy they were.

By then, Tan Jiaming and his men had reached the bottom of the building with their guns drawn. They raised their weapons and fired decisively.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every bullet struck the ground.

Trashy and the others went weak with terror. Raising their hands toward the officers, they pleaded, “Don’t shoot! You can have the goods. Take them all…”

Tan Jiaming holstered his weapon. When Lin Tiansheng returned, he said, “Officer Lin, we have both the men and the goods.”

Ma Delong opened one of the bags and saw heaps of gold jewelry, none of it even melted down yet. Joy spread across his face.

“Boss, we caught them red-handed.”

“Well done, Sergeant Tan.”

Lin Tiansheng had brought only three men to face five criminals. With the surveillance squad present, leaving anyone behind to guard the ground floor would have looked excessively arrogant.

It might even have suggested that he did not trust his colleagues.

So he had handed the entire ground floor over to Tan’s men. Seeing that Tan Jiaming had made no attempt to claim credit—and had even fired at the ground before firing at anyone—Lin admired him all the more.

Tan Jiaming smiled. “This is the Serious Crime Squad’s case. The surveillance squad was only lending a hand.”

“Your superior has a fine subordinate.” Lin offered him a cigarette and said, “Let’s work together more often.”

“Certainly.”

Tan Jiaming looked pleased, knowing he had invested his favor in the right person. Whether Lin Tiansheng had a future or not, Officer Chung certainly did.

As a surveillance officer in the Serious Crime Squad, he could not reach the highest-ranking patron, so he had to maintain a good relationship with his superior’s boss. That was the influence of the old guard. It seemed invisible, yet it was precisely what allowed Lin Tiansheng to move forward so smoothly.

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Ma Delong, Liu Yida, and the third officer handcuffed the criminals and stuffed them into the car.

“Brother Sheng, we caught them red-handed.”

They then called the station for reinforcements. The stolen goods and the criminals were taken away in police cars.

Lin Tiansheng obtained Tan Jiaming’s pager number, waved goodbye, and said, “I have other business to attend to, so I’ll be off. We’ll have tea when you’re free, Sergeant Tan.”

“No problem. Wait for my call.” Tan Jiaming smiled.

When they returned to the station, Chen Sheng was especially surprised.

“Assistant Inspector Lin, you really are something. You recovered the stolen goods in a single day.”

“Just luck. The closer stolen goods are, the easier they are to recover.” Lin Tiansheng smiled modestly.

Chen Sheng sighed. “That’s true. But the batch of watches Li Xudong robbed—I’m afraid I’ll never recover them in my lifetime.”

“They didn’t have tracking devices. Getting them back would be a pleasant surprise. Not getting them back is perfectly normal.” Lin Tiansheng tried to console him.

Chen Sheng looked deeply moved. “You’re good at investigations and fearless in action. If you hadn’t been transferred to guard a pond back then, you’d probably be a chief inspector by now.”

“Shh, Brother Sheng. Officer Pi is so petty—are you trying to get me killed?” Lin Tiansheng joked, raising a finger to his lips.

Chen Sheng understood at once. “You’re getting promoted soon anyway. Just call me Ah Sheng.”

Suddenly, Officer Pi Zhibang pushed open the office door and beckoned.

“Ah Sheng, come in for a moment.”

“Officer Pi, what can I do for you?” Lin Tiansheng entered the office and accepted the cigarette that Shrimp Pi held out to him, bringing it beneath his nose for a sniff.

Pi Zhibang leaned against the desk. “How much of the stolen property did you recover? Has it been counted?”

“The scene was too chaotic. There wasn’t time.” Lin Tiansheng handed over every last item, hoping to receive official credit rather than turn the goods into cash. As for how everything would be handled, that was the responsibility of the people above him.

That way, he did not have to trouble himself, would not make enemies, and could still enjoy a share as the benefits moved down through the ranks—with his safety guaranteed.

Hearing this, Pi Zhibang smiled. “Good. The owner of Wing Shing called to say he wanted to reward the police. Officer Henry turned him down, but the Good Citizens Foundation is holding an award selection soon. You may receive the Good Cop Award. The prize is a Chevrolet.”

“As for Old Ma and the others, they’re being considered for the Very Good Cop Award. The prizes are household appliances and a scooter. Does that sound all right to you?”

Lin Tiansheng curled his lip. Having a vehicle for getting around was certainly useful, but were “Good Cop Award” and “Very Good Cop Award” really serious names?

“All right. Whatever you say, Officer Pi.”

Pi Zhibang patted Lin Tiansheng on the shoulder. “I haven’t treated you badly in the Serious Crime Squad, have I?”

A flash from the brand-new Rolex on Pi’s wrist caught Lin Tiansheng’s eye. He narrowed his eyes.

“And I haven’t treated you badly either, have I?”

“Heh-heh. We’re all good brothers. We have to stick together.”

Money and power were twin brothers. Even the slightest rise in power could bring a handsome financial return.

Solving cases came first. Making money was merely something that happened along the way.

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