I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Newcomers for the Squad

The interrogation lasted for two hours.

But it wasn’t over. Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan had merely paused the questioning for now. As they walked out of the interrogation room, Yang Wenqing asked Wu Yan, ”Do you think it was murder?”

Wu Yan shook his head. ”But it has to be murder. This is what Vice Director Gao ordered, and Vice Director Sun’s side is hoping for a murder conviction too. Otherwise, there’s no way to answer to them. Manslaughter only carries a maximum sentence of ten years of penal servitude.”

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing suddenly understood why Wu Yan, despite his competence, hadn’t been taken along by the previous captain. He was Vice Director Gao’s man and deeply trusted, just without the aptitude for cultivation.

”Then I’ll leave the subsequent prosecution procedures for this case to you.”

”Alright. I imagine the Liu family’s assets should be enough to appease some of Vice Director Sun’s anger. You and I might get some benefits out of it as well.”

Wu Yan didn’t need to say that last part, but he did. It was clear he wasn’t some rigid stickler for rules and had astutely recognized Yang Wenqing’s promising future.

Yang Wenqing simply nodded at his words and headed for the Third Squad’s office. When he entered, he found two new people inside.

Zhao Qin and Qian You had arrived and were waiting in the temporary seats near the door.

The moment he saw Yang Wenqing enter, Zhao Qin shot up from his seat as if by reflex. He stood ramrod straight, the old air of superiority he used to carry around Yang Wenqing at the precinct completely gone. In its place was an almost subservient restraint and anxiety.

Qian You clearly noticed Zhao Qin’s overly deferential and nervous behavior. He frowned slightly, seemingly confused, but simply stood quietly without saying a word.

Yang Wenqing took in both of their reactions, gave them a slight nod, and walked toward his desk. The two men hurried to follow.

”Have a seat.” Yang Wenqing sat down and gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk, then offered a formulaic smile. ”Welcome to the Third Squad.”

He didn’t deliberately single out Zhao Qin, nor did he show any extra enthusiasm.

As if granted amnesty, Zhao Qin gingerly sat down, his back still perfectly straight. Qian You, however, responded with a calm nod. ”Yes, Captain.”

Yang Wenqing looked over at Liu Rong, who seemed to be holding back a laugh, and said, ”First, go to the logistics department and bring back a desk. You two will be sharing an office space. Ah Rong, from now on you’re assigned to Old Wu’s unit. Show these two around to get them familiar with the place, then go report to Old Wu.”

”Yes, Captain!”

Liu Rong stood and acknowledged the order.

Yang Wenqing said to the two men before his desk, ”Give me your badges.”

The two stood and complied. After Yang Wenqing configured their badges with the Third Squad’s Communication Array, he added, ”Go with Ah Rong. Get familiar with things quickly. The Third Squad’s caseload has been growing lately.”

Liu Rong led Zhao Qin and Qian You out of the Third Squad office. The moment the door closed and they were in the hallway, the subservient, cautious expression on Zhao Qin’s face relaxed slightly. Still, he didn’t dare act presumptuously. He just quickened his pace for a couple of steps to get closer to Liu Rong, forcing a somewhat strained smile.

”Ah Rong... oh no, Brother Liu,” Zhao Qin lowered his voice, his tone more polite than ever before. ”In the future... please look out for me.”

Hearing this, Liu Rong didn’t break his stride, merely turning his head to the side. ”What’s with the formality, Eldest Young Master Zhao? What’s there for me to look out for? In the Third Squad, you just need to follow the captain’s orders.”

He put heavy emphasis on the words ”Eldest Young Master Zhao.”

A flash of embarrassment crossed Zhao Qin’s face, but he quickly forced an even wider smile. ”Yes, yes, you’re right, Brother Liu. It’s just that... Captain Yang...” He wrung his hands, finding it hard to speak. ”The captain... does he have a problem with me? Just now, inside, I felt like...”

He wanted to ask if Yang Wenqing still held a grudge over his past attitude, but he didn’t dare say it outright.

Liu Rong stopped and looked at Zhao Qin’s cautious demeanor, a strange sense of satisfaction welling up inside him. He clapped Zhao Qin on the shoulder, his tone cautionary. ”Get rid of those old ideas of yours. As long as you do your job honestly and don’t try to be clever, the captain won’t give you a hard time.”

That look sent a chill down Zhao Qin’s spine. He quickly promised, ”Understood, understood! I’ll definitely work hard and won’t cause any trouble for the captain or you, Brother Liu!”

Qian You, who had been observing silently from the side, took it all in. He’d already guessed that these two were from the same batch as the captain.

Back in the office, after the three of them had left, Yang Wenqing found himself with a moment of free time. He took out the file for the submerged corpse case he’d been planning to investigate secretly and instructed Liu Qin, ”Take a look at the information you compiled on Zhenyuan Mining. See if there have been any reports filed against their company.”

”Yes, Captain.”

Liu Qin got to work on the City Defense System. A moment later, she said, ”The most recent report against them was from half a month ago. Someone reported that their warehouse at the docks contained prohibited ores. There are also two reports related to smuggling.”

Yang Wenqing immediately ordered, ”Create a case file for those two smuggling reports and give it to me.”

Liu Qin complied. ”Yes, Captain.”

’He didn’t plan to handle this case personally. If he assigned it to a subordinate and a real problem arose, there would be room to maneuver.’

Just as their conversation ended, a female guard appeared at the door. She knocked politely. After Yang Wenqing let her in, the first thing she did was present her badge.

Yang Wenqing immediately recognized her. It was Lin Wan, the new transfer from the Civil Affairs Bureau. Her guard uniform was brand new, looking like it was her first day wearing it.

”My apologies, Captain. I had some work to hand over at the Civil Affairs Bureau. I was supposed to report in this morning.” Lin Wan appeared very cautious, a habit ingrained by the strict hierarchy at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Yang Wenqing took Lin Wan’s badge and skillfully connected it to the Third Squad’s Communication Array.

”No problem, handing over your work is important.” Yang Wenqing handed the badge back to her, his tone calm. ”Welcome to the Third Squad. We primarily handle internal coordination and complex regional cases. The pace can be fast at times, but it’s pretty relaxed most of the time.”

He gestured to Liu Qin and made the introduction. ”This is Liu Qin, our squad’s communications and intelligence specialist. For now, follow her to get familiar with our workflow, especially the operation of the various Communication Arrays and the case file management system.”

Lin Wan quickly nodded to Liu Qin. ”Sister Liu, I look forward to working with you.”

Liu Qin smiled back. ”We’ll learn from each other. Lin Wan, you can sit in this empty seat next to me for now.” The two began speaking in low voices. About ten minutes later, Liu Qin walked over with a case file and said, ”Captain, here’s the file for the case against Zhenyuan Mining.”

As Yang Wenqing took the file, a series of footsteps sounded from outside. It was Liu Rong and the others, who had left earlier. They walked in, carrying a solid wood desk.

Just as they finished setting up the desk, Wu Yan strode over to Yang Wenqing’s desk with a document in hand and reported in a low voice, ”Captain, the guy confessed. This is his statement.”