Qin Rou’s heart was in a fierce internal struggle.
On one side was her sense of justice, ingrained in her since childhood, and the sacred duty bestowed upon her by the police badge.
On the other side was her father’s earnest gaze before his impending retirement, and the bait laid by that greasy station chief: the detective team spot she had always dreamed of.
For the past six months at the police station, she had dealt with trivial matters daily: petty squabbles, chasing cats and dogs, mediating neighbor disputes.
More than once, she had wondered at night if her extensive combat skills and criminal investigation theories would be wasted on these mundane tasks.
Today, the station chief handed her this “major case,” calling it an opportunity for her to earn merit, but Qin Rou knew perfectly well it was a hot potato, a test of her humanity.
If she followed the station chief’s hints and turned “legitimate self-defense” into “aggravated assault,” then Lu Xuan’s life, as a young man, might truly be ruined.
Ten to eight years of imprisonment would be enough to break anyone.
However, if she stuck to her principles and defied the station chief, offending this “uncle” her father had entrusted her to before his retirement, then her dream of joining the detective team would probably remain just a dream.
“What the facts are, is up to us to decide…”
The station chief’s words, like a greasy worm, wriggled in her mind, making her feel nauseous in waves.
What should I do? Should I call my dad?
No! She immediately dismissed the thought. She had to make this decision herself.
Qin Rou irritably ran her fingers through her neat short hair, her beautiful face filled with struggle.
She suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the office, the sound of her high heels tapping the floor like her chaotic heartbeat.
Finally, she stopped, her gaze peeking through the blinds towards the interrogation room where Lu Xuan was.
The boy had remained too calm throughout, as if everything was under his control.
This calmness was either the fearlessness of the ignorant or the confidence of someone with strong backing.
It was as if she had made a decision, her eyes instantly becoming incredibly resolute, her gloomy expression vanishing, replaced by a look of determination.
She quickly walked to the evidence room and found the hard drive containing the surveillance video from the entrance of the teaching building.
Connecting it to the computer, clear footage quickly appeared on the screen.
How Liu Ming and his group arrogantly blocked the way, how they were the first to act, pushing Lu Xuan, then swarming him… every detail was crystal clear.
She took a deep breath, pulled a small U disk from her pocket, and inserted it.
The progress bar moved slowly across the screen, each second feeling as long as a century.
She nervously watched the door, afraid that the station chief or someone else might suddenly burst in.
“Beep.”
File copy complete.
She quickly pulled out the U disk, clutching it tightly in her hand, the cool metal touch seemingly giving her infinite strength.
After doing all this, she leaned back in her chair, exhaling a long breath, her forehead already covered with fine beads of sweat.
She didn’t know if what she did was right, but she knew that this small U disk was her last bottom line as a police officer.
Qin Rou readjusted her expression, grabbed two cups of water, and pushed open the door to the interrogation room.
“Have some water.” She pushed one cup towards Lu Xuan and gave the other to Li Yifan, who looked nervous next to him.
She cleared her throat and said in a businesslike tone, “Based on your testimonies and the surveillance video, it can basically be concluded that you acted in self-defense. The other party initiated the provocation and also made the first move.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yifan immediately relaxed, a smile appearing on his face.
“However,” Qin Rou’s tone shifted, her gaze falling on Lu Xuan, “you did engage in excessive self-defense. A dozen people, all ended up in the hospital, and the injury assessments show none of them were minor. Especially one of them…”
At this point, Qin Rou’s cheeks inexplicably flushed, and she turned her head away unnaturally: “In short, his condition is quite serious and might… affect his future life.”
Lu Xuan, however, acted as if nothing had happened, took a sip from his water cup, and smiled slightly: “They deserved it. If they don’t have the ability, they shouldn’t try to act like gangsters.”
His casual tone made Qin Rou roll her eyes at him in exasperation.
“By the way, Officer.” Lu Xuan suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice, a mysterious smile on his face, “I have some more information to report to you. I wonder if it counts as meritorious service?”
“What?” Qin Rou was startled.
“I want to report the one I just beat up, named Liu Ming,” Lu Xuan said slowly, “That kid is a network genius. He dresses as a woman, uses AI beauty filters, and live streams online to scam money. Does that count as fraud? I heard that his top supporter alone gave him over a hundred thousand yuan.”
“What?!” Qin Rou’s eyes widened instantly. Her professional sensitivity immediately made her realize that the nature of this case had changed!
A Student brawl could be big or small.
But online fraud, involving a huge amount of money, was a real criminal case!
“There’s such a thing? Do you have evidence?” Her tone instantly became serious, and she unconsciously leaned forward.
Lu Xuan smiled, a hint of smugness in his grin: “Of course, all the evidence is on my phone, high-definition and uncensored, no tricks.”
“Let me see!” Qin Rou was a bit impatient.
Lu Xuan unlocked his phone, pulled up the well-prepared, image-rich PPT, and handed it over.
Qin Rou took the phone, and the more she looked, the more serious her expression became. By the end, her eyes were faintly glowing with excitement.
Photos, screenshots, backend data… the chain of evidence was complete enough to be textbook-level!
“This evidence is very detailed, enough to open a case!”
She looked up, her gaze burning as she looked at Lu Xuan, as if she had discovered a treasure, “Student, how about this, let’s add each other on green bubble, and you send me the complete version of this PPT.”
This case was much more valuable than any “aggravated assault”! This was the kind of case she wanted to handle!