Chapter 4: Leaving the Film Studio

In front of the stairs.

Seeing the clear footprints left on the ground, the other five also found it amusing. It had been less than half an hour, yet the person had already been found.

After Han Ling’s identity as the “culprit” was revealed, his attempt to escape only prolonged things by about twenty minutes.

Just as Zhang Yunhang had said, it was a pure waste of time and a foolish attempt at cleverness.

What a pity—his dream of winning over Lin Rong was shattered, all his efforts in vain. On reflection, it was rather cruel for Han Ling as well.

Holding a flashlight, Zhang Yunhang walked down unhurriedly to the storage room door, followed closely by the five others.

Knock, knock, knock!

Zhang Yunhang knocked on the door.

“Han Ling, come out. I know you’re in there.”

No response.

“Don’t waste time! The drill is about to end. Do you want everyone to wait for you?” Zhang Yunhang raised his voice.

Others also spoke up one after another, urging Han Ling not to resist pointlessly.

…

Outside the film studio base.

At the drill command center.

Inside the police command tent hastily erected for the exercise, the leaders chatted, waiting for the drill to conclude.

Today was the final day. Most other participating police units had finished and were on leave for a week. Formal employment notices would be issued based on each unit’s circumstances.

The drill was overseen by the director of Qingchang City Public Security Bureau, who coordinated the entire operation. He had personally guided and observed the drill in its first few days but had not been seen since.

The vice director, Zheng Hongyi, accompanied the entire process.

Zheng Hongyi, male, forty-eight years old, held a senior official rank due to his responsibility over key departments such as criminal investigation, economic investigation, anti-drug, and legal affairs. He was highly experienced and held great prestige within the police force.

Perhaps tired, Zheng Hongyi sat there almost dozing.

Besides him, leaders from subordinate departments such as criminal investigation and economic investigation were present. Two representatives from the Criminal Investigation Detachment had arrived: Wu Bin, deputy commander, and Ding Lingfeng, political commissar.

The commander was busy with duties and had only appeared briefly twice.

As a key department responsible for investigating major criminal offenses, the city-level Criminal Investigation Detachment strengthened ideological and political work and team management. It generally had a political commissar working alongside the commander, dividing responsibilities—one focusing on operations, the other on ideological development.

At this moment, Ding Lingfeng was reviewing new recruits’ files. This year, the Criminal Investigation Detachment had recruited three people, graduating respectively in investigative science, forensic science, and forensic medicine. Zhang Yunhang was one of them.

The latter two would definitely join the criminal technical team, but as for Zhang Yunhang… that was uncertain.

“Old Wu, which team are you planning to assign Zhang Yunhang to?” Ding Lingfeng inquired.

…

Hearing this, Wu Bin glanced at the nearly asleep Zheng Hongyi and replied, “It’s not up to me. Why do you ask?”

“Just chatting,” Ding Lingfeng put down the files. “He ranked first overall, performed well in the drill, a good prospect. The situation has been severe in recent years, and Team One seems understaffed.”

Team One was the Major Crimes Unit, responsible for investigating serious criminal cases such as murder, robbery, and kidnapping. It was high-pressure but offered ample opportunities for growth and to showcase personal strengths.

Wu Bin did not give a direct answer: “I follow leadership’s arrangements. It makes no difference to Team One whether there’s one more or less.”

Ding Lingfeng said, “You don’t seem very fond of Zhang Yunhang?”

Wu Bin smiled faintly, “He’s okay, he’s okay.”

Ding Lingfeng let the topic drop. They had been old friends for years, and he knew what Wu Bin was thinking.

As deputy commander overseeing Teams One, Two, the criminal technical team, and the legal team, Wu Bin’s character differed from other detectives.

Having seen many human tragedies, encountered vicious criminals, and experienced baffling cold cases, he developed a distinctive approach to criminal investigation, emphasizing the need to think outside the box.

Zhang Yunhang was excellent academically and top of his class, but from his drill performance, he seemed more like a textbook product made on an assembly line.

Wu Bin had seen plenty of outstanding graduates. Whether they were effective in real combat was hard to say, but statistically, most were probably not.

Hence Wu Bin’s lack of enthusiasm.

He did not deny Zhang Yunhang’s excellence but was unimpressed.

Everything depended on real-world application.

Even if you ranked first nationwide, if you couldn’t solve cases or catch suspects in the future, what good would that be?

Wu Bin was a pragmatist, focusing solely on results. Only after employment could a precise judgment be made.

At this moment, Ding Lingfeng glanced at the time. It had been over half an hour, but there was no rush. Though the film studio base was not large, half an hour was insufficient for a thorough search.

They estimated it would take about an hour.

If Han Ling managed to evade capture for half an hour, he wasn’t too bad.

“Fire!”

“Quick, put out the fire! Get water!”

Suddenly, shouts erupted outside the tent. All the leaders sprang up and hurried outside.

Vice Director Zheng Hongyi opened his eyes and, perking up, left the tent.

The command tent was set near the film studio base’s main gate. Thick smoke rose nearby, with black particles conspicuous under the lights.

The thick smoke indicated the fire was not severe. Wu Bin, experienced, glanced over and knew it was within controllable limits.

Guards at the gate had already rushed over. Wu Bin was about to call the newly trained officers from today’s drill to assist when a voice called out, “The fire’s out! A small accident! It’s fine!”

Seeing this, all the leaders turned and returned to the tent.

…

Inside the film studio base, Han Ling frantically patted at embers with dry branches. His face was smudged black, mixed with sweat and the soot from the burning.

“What happened?” an officer asked while helping and sizing up Han Ling.

Han Ling hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, I was smoking.”

Starting a fire carried risks, so real fires were forbidden.

If a fire broke out, the command center would undoubtedly hold them accountable.

They were training at the film studio base, and lighting a fire outright? What if it caused irreparable damage? Accountability would be the least of their worries—they might be stripped of their uniforms before even officially joining.

Therefore, the fire had to be completely controlled.

They needed to show the command center that Han Ling had not deliberately caused a fire, that the situation was under control and would cause no harm.

Also, the black smoke from incomplete combustion of combustible materials was the perfect disguise—no one could tell who he was, just like Han Ling now.

The officer looked down at the ground, seeing cloth, plastic, and some wood mostly covered by soil—likely thrown there by Han Ling to extinguish the fire. The soil cover caused incomplete burning and thick smoke.

From a distance, it looked alarming.

A false alarm.

“Next time, keep your distance from flammable materials when smoking,” the officer warned.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be careful next time.”

Han Ling nodded quickly, bent down, scooped up handfuls of soil to put out the embers completely, then stomped on it several times to ensure no risk remained before finally relaxing.

His face was coated with black soot.

“Can I leave early? I can’t keep working like this,” Han Ling said helplessly.

The officer nodded; they couldn’t restrict the extras’ freedom.

Han Ling thanked them and followed several officers out of the film studio base.

Outside the gate, many new recruits were still waiting for the drill to end. Ahead stood a huge tent, presumably the command center.

Han Ling asked around but couldn’t find enough water to wash his face, so he went to the command center.

Lifting the tent flap, all the leaders simultaneously turned their heads, seeing a soot-blackened face peering inside.

“Um… could I get some water to wash my face? I’m Han Ling.”