Chapter 6: The Drill Concludes

Drill concluded.

Deputy Director Zheng Hongyi was the first to leave by car, leaving the remaining cleanup work to Political Commissar Ding Lingfeng of the Criminal Investigation Unit.

Today was the final day of the drill, and apart from him, Ding Lingfeng held the highest rank among all the leaders present.

There was a lot to tidy up. Originally, the new recruits preparing to join the force were the best laborers for the job, but Ding Lingfeng, considering how exhausting the past few weeks of drills had been, let them all go—an act of humane consideration.

In the drill, the wins and losses of the new recruits were not so important to the command center. The victors received no rewards, and the losers faced no penalties.

The purpose of the drill was to identify problems, improve shortcomings, and gain experience—that was its core value.

However, Han Ling, as an unpredictable factor, was destined to leave a deep impression on the leadership. Whether that impression was positive or negative was a matter of perspective.

Some thought: Winning is winning; the victor reigns supreme. The process and methods don’t matter, which means Han Ling’s intellect surpassed Zhang Yunhang and his five companions.

Others thought: Han Ling took an unorthodox approach, exploiting loopholes in the rules, showing off his cleverness, and possibly violating regulations—making him an unstable element.

Ding Lingfeng belonged to the latter camp. He focused on ideological discipline and, compared to the free-spirited Han Ling, he preferred the rule-abiding Zhang Yunhang.

A rule-abiding police officer is easier to manage and less likely to cause major problems at work.

The tents had already been dismantled. Several leaders stood nearby smoking, their conversation revolving around the final criminal investigation drill.

Seeing Wu Bin still staring in the direction Han Ling had left, Ding Lingfeng couldn’t help but say, “Old Wu, you’re not seriously taken with Han Ling, are you? He just showed a bit of cleverness. There wasn’t anything outstanding in the whole process, and the way he set up the crime scene was quite poor.”

Wu Bin flicked his cigarette ash and replied, “Not exactly taken with him, just haven’t met such an interesting new recruit in a long time.

You mentioned the crime scene setup—if that was deliberate, it means we haven’t seen the full extent of his abilities.”

Ding Lingfeng turned his head. “You asked him, and he denied it.”

Wu Bin smiled, “Maybe he lied? Anyone with a shred of emotional intelligence wouldn’t admit it. Otherwise, Zhang Yunhang and the others would be even more embarrassed—they were all watching. You have to give them some face.”

Upon hearing this, Ding Lingfeng shook his head helplessly and then looked toward Ji Bowen, who had remained silent throughout.

Ji Bowen was thirty-four, deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Guan District Branch, overseeing several squads—a relatively young leader.

Because this was a criminal investigation drill, many leaders from the Criminal Investigation Unit were present.

Han Ling had applied to the Wanglou Police Station, a subordinate unit of the Guan District Branch.

Back then, Wu Bin had served as deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Guan District Branch. Later, due to his rich investigative experience, outstanding leadership, and professional skill, he was directly promoted to deputy captain of the city bureau’s criminal investigation unit, a position he still held.

At that time, Ji Bowen worked under Wu Bin in one of the squads.

Their relationship was hierarchical.

Strictly speaking, there was also a mentorship bond—they were both teacher and friend.

Therefore, Ji Bowen’s approach to cases and his way of handling matters bore traces of Wu Bin’s influence.

Noticing Ding Lingfeng’s fixed gaze, Ji Bowen quickly raised his hands in innocence. “Commissar Ding, I haven’t said a word. You know me—I never have any thoughts on these matters.”

Ding Lingfeng wasn’t fooled; they were practically cut from the same cloth.

“Alright, I’m off to the restroom. You guys carry on chatting.” He was quite tactful.

Wu Bin glanced back. Seeing Ding Lingfeng walk away, he said, “Han Ling is from your jurisdiction. Take the opportunity to observe his case-handling skills. Something feels off about him; this kid is definitely not simple.”

Ji Bowen nodded. “Alright, Wu Captain. By the way, Zhang Yunhang is pretty good too, right? Top overall score—he’s got talent.”

Getting into the police academy is already an achievement, and ranking first in the recruitment exam is no small feat. That kind of success requires more than just hard work; some innate talent is necessary.

Wu Bin was noncommittal. “Being smart is good, but I worry about overconfidence. After finding the footprints, Zhang Yunhang should have immediately chosen to break in to verify his judgment instead of standing at the door mocking, which gave Han Ling time.

Overall, in terms of ability, personality, and psychological resilience, he’s weaker than Han Ling. Scores don’t tell the whole story.”

Ji Bowen agreed, “Yes, a bit arrogant.”

Wu Bin added, “What I want to say is, if Han Ling factored in Zhang Yunhang’s arrogance when making his plan, that would be impressive. After all, Han Ling couldn’t be sure if Zhang Yunhang would break in directly.”

Ji Bowen thought it unlikely. “I don’t think so. They don’t seem very familiar with each other.”

Wu Bin said, “You don’t need much time to understand someone. Their expressions, body language, and speech—unless they’re deliberately hiding it—one meeting is enough.”

Ji Bowen was silent. He hadn’t expected Wu Bin to have such high hopes for Han Ling.

Ultimately, it all depends on the results.

You have to see what a horse can do by putting it out to work.

...

Meanwhile, some of the new recruits were waiting for the bus.

Those who could afford it had already taken taxis home, like Zhang Yunhang and Peng Yao.

Han Ling’s victory by escaping the film studio hadn’t caused much stir. At most, it made everyone remember his name. For the new recruits, their perspective wasn’t as deep as Wu Bin’s—their stance was different; they were just watching the spectacle.

At most, they admired Han Ling’s courage and wit, reveling in Zhang Yunhang’s failure. This would become a topic of light-hearted conversation in the future.

A bus arrived.

“Hey, Han Ling, nice job! I just... uh, can’t stand Zhang Yunhang’s cocky attitude. First place, big deal, huh?” A young man said to Han Ling before boarding, then waved, “I’m off. Let’s catch up sometime.”

Han Ling nodded and waved goodbye in return.

He remembered this person was Sun Yujie, who applied to the Guan District Branch’s Criminal Investigation Team, majoring in forensic science. If nothing unexpected happened, he would join the technical squad, handling trace evidence.

In this criminal investigation drill, Sun Yujie was on the same team as Han Ling, playing a suspect who disrupted the investigation with contradictory statements. Zhang Yunhang had silenced him with a harsh rebuttal, leaving Sun Yujie with some resentment and dissatisfaction.

Among all the new recruits, Zhang Yunhang was indeed outstanding. Given time, he should become a qualified detective. How far he could rise was uncertain.

Soon, the familiar Route 56 bus arrived. Han Ling and another new recruit boarded, ready to go home.

A child from the welfare center naturally couldn’t have a home or property of his own. What he was returning to was a rented apartment.

After joining the force, he planned to give up the apartment and live in dormitories provided by the police station to save expenses.

After years of working part-time to support himself, Han Ling had just two thousand yuan left to his name—he needed to be frugal.

His previous life had vanished overnight. Whether it was bad luck or good fortune, pondering that was useless. Now, he had to face this new life.

As memories surfaced, Han Ling recalled the moment before his death, couldn’t help but smile wryly, and sighed.

When your strengths are seized upon and exploited by your enemies, they become your fatal weaknesses.