Chapter 7: The Exclusion and the Shop Smashing

You Yucai was no longer as arrogant as he had been at the beginning. He hung his head and said dejectedly, "There's nothing left to confess. I even admitted to stealing from beggars. There's nothing else to confess."

What he had confessed was already more than enough. Du Long glanced at Yang Chengfa, who nodded. Du Long closed the confession that spanned several pages and said, "Director Yang, Instructor Wang, is there anything else you want to ask?"

It had been over two hours, far exceeding the interrogation time Wang Suwen had agreed to. Wang Suwen didn't interrupt or stop Du Long's interrogation. This was partly because the case was significant, and partly because he began to worry if Du Long had someone backing him, so he didn't dare to act recklessly.

"There's nothing else to ask. You've done a great job. Even an old fox like him fell into your hands. You young ones are truly formidable!" Yang Chengfa said with a sigh. He looked at his watch and added, "Before we know it, it's time for lunch. Let's go eat first. We can deal with Liu Laohu this afternoon. I'll treat everyone to a meal at Jinlong Restaurant. We'll invite Director Liao and the others who stayed up all night. Hehe, we can discuss how to report these cases properly..."

Wang Suwen knew Yang Chengfa was unhappy with him and wanted to protect Du Long and Feng Weiwo. He quickly changed his tone and said, "Alright, let's eat first. Xiao Du, Xiao Feng, you've done a great job. If you can bring Liu Laohu down this afternoon, I'll treat you to dinner! Your contributions won't be forgotten by the organization!"

Shuiyu was thrown into the detention room, where his three other friends had already arrived. They found Shuiyu's body stinky, and Shuiyu, worried about his fate, had no heart to talk to them.

Du Long and Feng Weiwo, along with six other police officers, changed into civilian clothes and came to Jinlong Restaurant. Yang Chengfa had already called to reserve a private room. Jinlong Restaurant was a client of Lijuan Police Station, and the owner personally arranged everything and even joined them in the room for a chat.

"Lao Lin, please go to the kitchen and hurry them up. We have things to do today and can't afford to waste time," Liao Dongsheng said to the owner of Jinlong Restaurant, Lin Jianjun.

Lin Jianjun understood and said, "You're busy, I'll go and hurry them up." He then turned and left. Liao Dongsheng carefully reviewed Du Long's interrogation records and passed them to the other three senior police officers. He looked at Du Long and Feng Weiwo and said, "Xiao Du, Xiao Feng, you've really impressed us. Especially Xiao Du, you've made a significant contribution this time. Why didn't you tell us you had a source upstairs?"

Du Long smiled and said, "I couldn't. My friend didn't allow me to say. His unit is confidential. It's already an exception that he helped today."

Du Long's words revealed a lot of information. Everyone's gaze toward him changed. Regardless of whether Du Long was being mysterious, it was undeniable that he had someone backing him. Everyone started to speculate about who that person might be.

Liao Dongsheng smiled and said, "Du Long, keep up the good work this afternoon and deal with Liu Laohu. You've made the biggest contribution to this case!"

Du Long smiled and said, "I can't take all the credit. Everyone has worked hard on this case. The credit belongs to everyone. I'm the least experienced, and I usually rely on everyone's help. I'm just glad to have a chance to contribute this time. I'm speaking from the heart, don't think I'm being modest!"

Feng Weiwo smiled and said, "Du Long, no matter what, we caught the suspects, and we broke the case. Everyone can see the credit, and no one can take it away. Director Liao, I don't have any other requests. Just make sure I get a permanent position when it's time to reward everyone."

Feng Weiwo's words made Yang Chengfa shake his head inwardly. Feng Weiwo was too eager. If he had kept quiet, he might have benefited from Du Long's success. Now, seeing the expressions of Liao Dongsheng and Wang Suwen, it seemed he had achieved the opposite effect.

Wang Suwen smiled and said, "Xiao Feng is right. Credit belongs to those who deserve it, and no one can take it away. Here, let's toast with tea instead of alcohol to celebrate our chance to finally stand tall and proud!"

Everyone except Feng Weiwo understood the hidden meaning in Wang Suwen's words and silently cursed Feng Weiwo's foolishness. In the entire case, he had no credit. Du Long caught the suspects, and the breakthrough in the interrogation was also Du Long's achievement. Everyone could benefit, but Feng Weiwo might not be so lucky.

Du Long was the first to respond to Wang Suwen's proposal, raising his teacup. Although it wasn't their shift, it was still inappropriate to drink alcohol. They would wait until the case was completely resolved.

As they ate, the three main figures of the police station discussed the case. The police station and the district criminal investigation team were on the same level. Liao Dongsheng and the others discussed how to report the case to the city police to maximize their credit.

In the end, they decided that Chief Liao Dongsheng would report directly to Lu Hongguang, a member of the Yuming Municipal Public Security Bureau's Party Committee and Deputy Director in charge of legal affairs, criminal investigation, the 110 command center, and patrol work.

Additionally, as the political instructor of the police station, Wang Suwen would personally report to Sun Guozhong, the Party Secretary and Director of the Yuming Municipal Public Security Bureau. This dual approach would ensure everything went smoothly.

Du Long's understanding and cooperation pleased Liao Dongsheng and Wang Suwen. A new recruit should be like this—respectful and wise, which would help him navigate the system smoothly. In comparison, Feng Weiwo fell short.

Du Long didn't want to give up his credit either. In his heart, it was already good enough to let these people share in the glory. However, he had to be pragmatic. For now, let them have their moment. With his abilities, he would have many more opportunities to earn credit. Du Long was prepared for the unexpected.

As they were discussing, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the private room. It seemed something was happening.

Jinlong Restaurant was under the protection of Lijuan Police Station. With the eight officers dining there, who would dare to cause trouble? Liao Dongsheng gave a signal to two of his subordinates, who immediately stood up and headed out. Du Long also stood up and said, "I'll go with Brother Li and Brother Xu to see what's happening and learn how to handle emergencies."

Police officers Li Ming and Xu Dexing stepped outside and saw five or six people chasing and beating the restaurant staff with chairs. The owner, Lin Jianjun, had just come out from the back and was hit by two chairs before he could understand what was happening.

Seeing this, Li Ming strode forward and shouted, "Stop! We are police! What's going on? Who are you, and why are you causing trouble here?"

The troublemakers were taken aback by the sudden appearance of three police officers. Lin Jianjun, seeing the mess in the hall, was enraged. He picked up a wine bottle and charged forward, shouting, "Damn it, you dare to smash my restaurant? I'll fight you to the death!"

Du Long quickly stopped him and said, "Mr. Lin, don't get too excited. We'll handle this."

Li Ming noticed the six troublemakers were evasive and quickly blocked the exit. He coldly said, "Why isn't anyone answering? Are you all out of your minds?"

Lin Jianjun angrily shouted, "They came to deliberately smash the restaurant! Officer Li, arrest them and take them to the station for interrogation. Find out who's behind this!"

One of the troublemakers, a young man with a tattoo on his wrist, stepped forward and bowed to Li Ming, offering a cigarette. "Officer Li, it's like this. We came to the restaurant for a meal and ordered a dish of iron plate beef. But what we got was fake beef. We asked the restaurant to replace it and compensate us, but they refused and tried to kick us out. We had no choice but to fight back. Such a black-hearted restaurant deserves to be smashed!"

Li Ming pushed away the offered cigarette and said coldly, "You openly damaged someone's property and caused a disturbance in a public place. Do you know that's a crime? You can explain yourselves at the station!"

Seeing the situation was not in their favor, the leader shouted, "Run!" He overturned a table and threw it at Li Ming, then led the others toward the restaurant's entrance. Li Ming, an experienced officer, saw through their tactics. He didn't bother to stop the leader, instead dodged the flying table, and threw a chair at one of the followers, who tripped and fell. Li Ming then pounced, grabbed the man's arm, and handcuffed him with a snap.