At ten o'clock in the evening, Deputy Director of Public Security Gao Dong was sitting in his home study flipping through documents when his private phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was a call from Director Guo of the Ministry of Public Security, he quickly answered. A hearty laugh came through the phone: "Old Gao, your protégé has just accomplished a major feat."
Gao Dong looked bewildered: "Who are you talking about?"
"Who else but Zhang Yi'ang? You don’t know yet, do you? Don’t worry, the good news will reach your department first thing tomorrow morning. I got the information a step ahead through Li Qian."
"What... what good news?"
"The Three Rivers Estuary Public Security Bureau just captured Li Feng!"
"Li Feng? That name sounds familiar."
"A Class-A wanted criminal. The Ministry has listed him as a key target for arrest for three consecutive years. According to reports from various regions, he’s been involved in over a dozen robberies, nine of which resulted in murders, one attempted murder, spanning five provinces. Tens of thousands of police officers have been mobilized to catch him, and several times they came close, only for him to slip away at the last moment. Based on his initial confession, he’s responsible for fifteen lives. Who would’ve thought that Zhang Yi'ang, who’s only been in the field for a few days, could nab someone like this? And from what I’ve heard, Li Feng was about to flee again, but Zhang Yi'ang decisively overruled objections and mobilized the entire city’s police force. He personally orchestrated a citywide manhunt, insisting they had to intercept Li Feng in Three Rivers Estuary tonight. That’s how they got him."
Gao Dong, reminded by this, finally recalled and couldn’t help but confirm: "You mean the fugitive Li Feng, who escaped with his wife, never contacted his hometown, and whose whereabouts were always unknown—that ruthless criminal?"
"Exactly! Who else could it be? Three Rivers Estuary has already matched his fingerprints—it’s confirmed!"
"Holy—" Gao Dong was so excited he stood up abruptly.
"Your protégé is really something. This is definitely a major achievement. But Old Gao, you’re not being fair. You said your protégé couldn’t handle cases, that Li Qian wouldn’t learn anything from him, and that you’d send her back to arrange other work once she lost interest. If my Li Qian gets hooked on being a detective because of how impressive your student is, I’m holding you accountable!"
Gao Dong laughed it off and hung up, but he remained rooted to the spot, still unable to believe it. No way—Zhang Yi'ang, of all people? What kind of miracle drug did he take to catch Li Feng, someone even the Ministry of Public Security leadership couldn’t stop thinking about?
Late into the night, the entire Three Rivers Estuary Public Security Bureau building was brightly lit. All the unit’s leaders had rushed over from their homes, and even the Municipal Party Secretary and Mayor had come out in the middle of the night to personally commend all the officers involved in the operation.
After seeing off the government officials, Qi Zhenxing still couldn’t shake off his astonishment. He stared incredulously at Director Zhao and said, "Zhang Yi'ang’s skills are unbelievable. He’s only been here a week, and he’s already caught Li Feng?"
Director Zhao thought for a moment and analyzed, "It’s probably not his personal ability."
"Then what?"
Director Zhao pointed upward: "The person behind him."
"You mean Director Gao already had Li Feng’s movements figured out and deliberately sent his protégé here to catch him and earn credit?"Director Zhao nodded. "What else? Everyone in the unit is saying Zhang Yi'ang already knew the identities of Li Feng and his wife and had secretly sent people to investigate them. Li Feng and his wife were hiding in Three Rivers Estuary, running a small grocery store, with his wife delivering takeout to supplement their income. Last night, the food delivery platform assigned an order to her phone, directing her to deliver food to Zhang Yi'ang's home—that's how he could confirm their identities face-to-face. We don’t have the authority to manipulate the delivery platform like that. It must have been orchestrated by the Provincial Department behind the scenes."
"So that's how it was," Qi Zhenxing nodded. "No wonder the Criminal Investigation Division called the bureau after work hours, saying Zhang Yi'ang demanded a citywide manhunt. Everyone was baffled, and Zhang Yi'ang didn’t mention Li Feng at all. Of course—he was afraid that if he named Li Feng and failed to catch him, the responsibility would fall squarely on him."
"It’s more than that," Director Zhao added. "If he had mentioned Li Feng, you would’ve taken charge of the operation. But this way, all the credit for tonight’s success goes to him alone."
Qi Zhenxing said sourly, "This must have been Director Gao’s idea, of course. He’d naturally hand the fruit to his disciple—why would we get a share?"
Director Zhao chuckled. "That’s only natural. Still, capturing Li Feng is an honor for our unit. The bureau will surely receive heavy commendations, and you’ll also gain some prestige."
After some thought, Qi Zhenxing let it go. Director Gao also served as the head of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Bureau, so his information network was vast. It wasn’t surprising he’d tracked down Li Feng. Of course, catching someone like Li Feng was just a feather in Director Gao’s cap, but for his disciple, it was a game-changer. Naturally, the credit would go to his protégé, and there was nothing to regret. In any case, since the arrest was made by the Three Rivers Estuary Public Security Bureau, he, as the bureau chief, would still benefit. The outcome was good either way.
After a pause, Qi Zhenxing frowned again. "But I still can’t get too close to Zhang Yi'ang. Director Gao made an unusual move by sending him to replace Lu Zheng. You know, it’s said Lu Zheng was investigating Zhou Rong when he suddenly disappeared. After thinking it over, Zhang Yi'ang must be here because of Zhou Rong—but Zhou Rong is Director Zhou’s nephew!"
Director Zhao advised, "If Director Lu was really harmed by Zhou Rong and his people, I think we should actively help Zhang Yi'ang!"
Qi Zhenxing hesitated, then shook his head. "Let’s wait and see. Everyone says Zhou Weidong is the next in line for the directorship. We’ll observe first."
It was already past midnight, but the people at the Public Security Bureau hadn’t dispersed. In just a few short hours, Zhang Yi'ang had become the star of the unit.
Capturing Li Feng, a fugitive significant enough to rank in the Ministry of Public Security’s supervision cases, was arguably the biggest case ever cracked in the small town of Three Rivers Estuary.
The entire Criminal Investigation Team reevaluated their new leader. Most had assumed he was just Director Gao’s protégé, sent down for experience—a bureaucrat with little practical skill. Yet in one move, he had cracked a massive case. Especially today, when he ignored everyone’s objections, pried open the shop door, and launched a citywide manhunt for a grocery store-owning couple—it was executed flawlessly. Only afterward did they realize it had all been necessary for secrecy.According to Director Zhang's own later explanation, the secrecy level of this case was very high. The reason he hadn't revealed earlier that they were arresting Li Feng was twofold: first, he wasn't fully familiar with all personnel in the unit and feared leaks might allow Li Feng to escape again; second, he worried that during the operation, everyone might be too eager for personal merit and act independently, potentially jeopardizing the mission. So he waited until Li Feng was captured and fingerprint verification confirmed his identity beyond doubt before disclosing the truth.
So that was it!
In any organization, gaining respect requires both seniority and capability. The long-serving detectives who frequently work the front lines particularly admire leaders with strong case-solving abilities. After this operation, the hearts of the entire investigative team leaned toward Director Zhang. Even the veteran detectives who had been lukewarm toward him just days before now felt deeply ashamed. The director, who had no prior relationship with them, had presented them with this collective achievement right from the start. Subsequent rewards and commendations would naturally follow, and the officers who personally captured Li Feng that night would have bragging rights until retirement.
The interrogation team worked through the night questioning Li Feng. Zhang Yi'ang dismissed the others, urging them to rest early, saying that while Li Feng's capture was important, the Ye Jian case remained their top priority. They needed to be well-rested for continued efforts tomorrow.
This stance further convinced everyone that their leader was truly focused on practical work. Although Wang Ruijun and Song Xing had been the first to align with him, their compliance had initially been merely hierarchical. After tonight, they were genuinely convinced from the bottom of their hearts. Though they still had some doubts about the entire process, when their superior had delivered such a major success to the team, who would be foolish enough to raise unnecessary questions? Whether through luck or skill, this super case had been solved. The next major focus would naturally return to the murder of the former investigative team captain, Ye Jian.
Who killed Ye Jian? And why did he write Zhang Yi'ang's name?
The two robbers had been hiding everywhere, even disguising themselves in women's clothing. Their target was to rob a major corrupt official at Three Rivers Estuary.
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