Chapter 20

After sending Dai Li and the others to handle some matters, Ferren went alone to Senior Inspector Chen Ze-Kun's office.

"Inspector Ferren, what brings you here?" Chen Ze-Kun asked.

"Senior Inspector, I would like to apply for a change in my personal service weapon."

Chen Ze-Kun frowned and said, "Personal service weapon, what does that mean?"

"Simply put, I want to use my own money to import some pistols from abroad, register them with the police force, and use them as my personal service weapon!"

"You're asking for special treatment!" Chen Ze-Kun said disapprovingly. "Moreover, service weapons cannot be taken home, and managing your personal weapon will incur additional expenses for the taxpayers."

Ferren, feeling quite annoyed, replied in a stiff tone, "But I firmly believe that the current .38 revolver is not suitable for my work in the Serious Crime Unit."

"What do you firmly believe? Give me a reason," Chen Ze-Kun said.

Ferren's expression turned serious. "There are three reasons. First, the .38 revolver has a short effective range and lacks intimidation. Second, it has a small magazine capacity, only six rounds, which is not ideal in situations like the Guangjing Street robbery. Lastly, and most critically, the .38 revolver has a slow rate of fire and even slower reload time, which is a joke when it comes to the safety of frontline officers."

"I understand your concerns, but the decision to change weapons is not up to us. It's a matter for higher-ups to decide," Chen Ze-Kun said, shrugging. "As for your request for a personal weapon, it is absolutely out of the question at this stage."

Ferren, who had anticipated this, said, "Senior Inspector, then can I apply to modify my weapon? That should be acceptable, right?"

In fact, during the millennium, the Hong Kong police force had already intended to change weapons for special departments, and Ferren wanted to bring this up to draw attention from above. For him, whether it was a .38 revolver or a Glock, it didn't matter much.

Chen Ze-Kun, unperturbed, asked, "Modify your weapon? How do you plan to do that?"

Ferren smiled faintly. "That's a technical secret, and I can't disclose it. I won't turn a revolver into an automatic pistol. If you agree, I'll submit a report later!"

Chen Ze-Kun pondered for a moment and said, "Alright! I'll allow you to make minor modifications to the weapons of your entire team."

Ferren's face stiffened, and he saluted. "Yes, Sir!"

Leaving the office, Ferren cursed under his breath. If the entire team's weapons were modified, he would have to teach everyone how to use them.

By the time he finished his report and handed it to Chen Ze-Kun, Xie Yixin and the others had also returned.

Seeing Ferren sitting calmly in the office drinking tea, Xie Yixin was furious. "What's wrong with you? It's working hours, and everyone is busy, but you're just sitting here, taking it easy!"

Ferren glanced at his Vacheron Constantin watch and said, "It's past five, Madam!"

Xie Yixin was speechless, while Shi Yiran, who was more interested in fashion, widened her eyes. "Wow, Inspector Ferren, is that a Vacheron Constantin? I'm not seeing things, right?"

Dai Yan and Li Lidong, though skilled in investigations, were not familiar with luxury brands, and they asked in unison, "Vacheron Constantin? What's that?"

"It's the watch on Inspector Ferren's wrist. A genuine Vacheron Constantin costs at least 100,000 Hong Kong dollars!" Shi Yiran said, her eyes sparkling.

Dai Yan and Li Lidong were impressed and looked at Ferren with envy.

Ferren, unfazed, said, "A friend gave it to me. Ah Ran, do you like it? I can lend it to you for a few days!" He started to take it off.

Shi Yiran waved her hands. "Inspector Ferren, no need. It's too expensive. I don't want to lose it."

Xie Yixin, unable to stand it, scolded, "Showing off!" She then started to pack up to leave.

Ferren called out to her, "Madam, even though the forensic report isn't out yet, we should at least summarize today's findings!"

Xie Yixin glared at him. "Fine, let's summarize."

Indeed, in the Serious Crime Unit, there were no fixed working hours. They worked whenever there was a case. Ferren had deliberately checked the time to irritate Xie Yixin.

Dai Yan spoke up first. "Inspector Ferren, we've investigated Wei Danhong's connection to a pimp. She has been working in the Tin Hau area and is associated with Ying Huang Biao."

Li Lidong added, "Inspector Ferren, Ying Huang Biao is the biggest pimp in the Eastern District of Causeway Bay. He's been active since the early 1990s and has deep roots. However, when we traced his whereabouts, we found that he went to the mainland last week."

"Additionally, Ah Dong and I looked into the horse racing. We found that there are over a thousand registered horses in Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, and Tin Hau," Dai Yan continued. "Inspector Ferren, it seems very difficult to trace the source of purebred horse meat!"

Ferren made no comment, only taking out a small, hardcover notebook and recording the information in code.

Xie Yixin, hearing about the horse meat for the first time, widened her eyes. "Dai Yan, what's this about horse meat?"

Dai Yan explained, and Xie Yixin dismissed it. "Pfft, making wild guesses before the forensic report is out. What a waste of taxpayers' money!"

Ferren ignored her and continued taking notes.

"Madam, what did you find?" Li Lidong asked.

Xie Yixin hesitated. "Not much progress yet."

Li Lidong was surprised and nudged Shi Yiran. "What happened?"

Shi Yiran took a deep breath and whispered, "What do you think? She made me her punching bag all afternoon!" Though he spoke softly, Xie Yixin, with her sharp ears, heard and glared at him.

Li Lidong, feeling smug, said, "You brought it on yourself for talking too much at lunch. You deserve it!"

At this point, Ferren stopped writing and said, "Madam, it's your first day. Aren't you going to treat the team to a few drinks?"

Xie Yixin glared at Ferren, annoyed that he had stolen her line, and clapped her hands. "If everyone's free, let's go for drinks. I'll treat you!"

"Yay!"

At the parking lot, the team saw Ferren's Ferrari and were envious. Shi Yiran jumped into the passenger seat early. Xie Yixin muttered, "Corruption!"

Ferren, though he heard, didn't care and asked, "Madam, where should we go?"

"Lan Kwai Fong!"

Since Lan Kwai Fong is a pedestrian street, they had to park their cars in a nearby garage. They found a familiar bar, ordered a dozen and a half beers and several small dishes, and started chatting.

After seven, the bar and the street became crowded. Ferren and the others were slightly tipsy. Dai Yan, who had a family to take care of, left first.

Ferren, Xie Yixin, and the others moved to another bar for two more rounds before parting ways. Li Lidong and Shi Yiran took taxis home, while Ferren and Xie Yixin went to retrieve their cars.

However, when they reached the parking spot, Ferren's Ferrari was gone, leaving only the Volkswagen assigned to the Serious Crime Unit.

Xie Yixin, her face flushed, laughed. "Ha, karma! Now you know what happens when you offend me!"

Ferren smiled bitterly. "Xie Yixin, you're a police officer. Shouldn't you be concerned about a citizen's car being stolen? If this gets on the news, even your father can't protect you!"

This hit a nerve with Xie Yixin, who quickly quieted down and looked around to ensure no one was around before breathing a sigh of relief. Ferren pointed up and said, "The surveillance cameras are still working!"

Xie Yixin's face fell. "Since your car is stolen, let's get the surveillance footage and investigate!"

Ferren, walking towards the elevator, said, "No need for that. If my car can be stolen from a garage, there's definitely a problem with the manager. We'll go straight to him!"

When Ferren and Xie Yixin reached the surveillance room, the manager was about to run. Xie Yixin was about to chase him, but Ferren was faster, driving two large nails into the manager's knees.

The manager, feeling his legs give out, fell to his knees, unable to escape.

Xie Yixin, seeing this, turned to Ferren. "Is this your flying needle technique?"

"Not a flying needle, but a flying nail!" Ferren corrected.

"I like calling it a flying needle, so what?" Xie Yixin said.

Ferren rolled his eyes and ignored her, approaching the sharp-faced manager, retrieving the two nails, and said, "I'm sure you've deleted the footage from just now. No problem. If you don't want to talk, you'll be in a wheelchair for life!"

The sharp-faced manager, clearly a seasoned criminal, lay down and said, "You must be an officer. If you don't want me to report you for assault, you'd better restore the feeling in my legs."

At this, Xie Yixin stepped forward, angry. "A car worth millions was stolen during your shift, and you say it's not your fault!"

"It's not my fault, at most, it's negligence," the manager said smugly. "But if you don't restore my legs, you'll be charged with assault."

Xie Yixin, hearing this, was worried and looked at Ferren, hoping he would restore the manager's mobility to avoid trouble.

To her surprise, Ferren was unfazed. He pointed around the room and said mockingly, "What a pity, there are no cameras outside this room. Who can prove that I hit you, kicked you, or touched you? Your legs might have a congenital condition, and it's not my fault!"

Xie Yixin was stunned, and the manager was speechless. After a while, he said, "I'll sue you!"

"Sue me for what? For using a nail to make your legs immobile?" Ferren sneered. "There's no doctor who can prove that my nail caused your legs to stop working. How can a judge convict me?"

(People, vote, vote, vote, collect, collect, collect!)

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