081 Reward

“All right, it’s just a cell phone, no need to show off. Get back to the case details.” Li Hui curled his lip, a look of disdain on his face.

He was a man who owned a car—why would he care about a phone?

“I already confessed to killing her. What else is there to explain?” Wu Zekai grunted.

“How did you move the body out of the hotel?”

“I bought a large suitcase, stuffed her in it, and carted it away with an electric tricycle.”

“Where did you get the electric tricycle?”

“Rented it. Fifty a day. I left He Yan’s phone as deposit—might as well make use of it.”

“You sure know how to save money.” Li Hui sneered.

“No choice. When you commit a crime, you have to set aside some money for running away.”

“So you extorted He Yan’s family?”

“Officer, could I have a cigarette?”

Li Hui got up, lit a cigarette, and handed it to him.

Wu Zekai took a deep drag and blew a smoke ring. “At first I was terrified, just wanted to get away fast. To buy myself time, I messaged He Yan’s sister, tried to calm them down, but they caught on anyway.”

“I threatened them not to call the police, told them to pay a ransom for He Yan. That way I could get some money for my escape. I got an account number from Cui Xiaofang, so the police wouldn’t trace me right away.”

“Did Cui Xiaofang know the account was for extorting the victim’s family?”

“No.”

“Did she participate in the case?”

“No, she was just a pawn.”

“You’re a clever guy—why not use it for something good?” Han Bin said.

“Maybe in the next life.” Wu Zekai shrugged, then asked, “Officer, how did you catch me?”

“Can’t guess?”

“I just don’t get how you found my second phone number.”

“How did you get the second number? What’s your connection to it?” Han Bin pressed.

“It belonged to my ex-girlfriend. When we were together, I bought her a phone, and the store gave us a SIM card. When we broke up, she gave the phone back, and I kept paying for the SIM card, kept using it. She probably doesn’t even know.”

Wu Zekai grew more curious. “So how did you track it down?”

“You mailed the phone with your own SIM card to Shimen to mislead us. We traced the phone, checked the payment records on Alipay, and found your second number,” Han Bin explained.

“Damn…” Wu Zekai slapped his forehead, a self-mocking smile on his lips. “So that’s what gave me away.”

Li Hui snorted. “No matter how sly the fox, it can’t outsmart the seasoned hunter.”

“The skilled hunter,” Han Bin corrected.

...

This case was extremely challenging, involving a cross-province manhunt, and had drawn the attention of several district leaders. The victim’s family frequently visited the station for updates, and Zheng Kaixuan was under heavy pressure.

Now that the case was solved, Zheng Kaixuan finally breathed easy. That night, he hosted a celebration dinner for Team Two.

“Captain Zheng, why don’t I treat everyone tonight?” Han Bin suggested.

“You’ll have plenty of chances to host in the future,” Zheng Kaixuan waved him off. “Everyone worked hard to crack this case. Tonight’s dinner is to reward you all—no arguments.”

“Brother Bin’s kidneys have vanished again,” Li Hui sighed.

“How weak are you, always thinking about kidneys?” Han Bin teased.

“Ha ha…” Everyone burst into laughter.

This time, besides Team Two, Zheng Kaixuan also invited Lu Wen from the tech team and Wu Xia from the forensic lab. With so many people, picking a restaurant became a debate, as everyone had their own preferences.

After some discussion, they settled on a farmhouse stew.

At Zheng Kaixuan’s suggestion, everyone took taxis, so they could enjoy a few drinks in the evening.

As Zheng Kaixuan put it, Team One was idle these days, and even if a case popped up, Team One would handle it. After so many busy days, everyone deserved to relax. You can’t keep the string taut forever—even an iron man would break.

To accommodate the female colleagues, Zheng Kaixuan proposed that the men drink spirits, the women drink beer.

But a proposal is one thing; putting it into practice is another.

Lu Wen couldn’t handle spirits, so he joined the ladies in drinking beer, which drew jeers from Li Hui and the others.

Wu Xia, on the other hand, refused beer and insisted on spirits.

Zhao Ming gave her a thumbs-up. “A true heroine among women.”

...

Old Zeng’s Farmhouse Stew was located on the outskirts of Qindao City. It was a bit far, but the food was excellent—authentic wood-fired stew. Gas and propane were convenient, but couldn’t match the distinctive aroma of a wood-fired pot.

The stew was served in a farmhouse courtyard. Han Bin and the others sat at a large table, ordering a mixed fish stew, a goose stew, cornbread, grilled lamb ribs, peanuts, cucumber salad, and stir-fried greens.

The owner, a man from Ice City in his fifties, was honest and straightforward. He’d been here over twenty years. The stews were affordable and generous in portion. Worried they couldn’t finish it, he suggested ordering just one pot.

Zheng Kaixuan laughed and politely declined. He knew his team all too well—they were foodies, each one capable of eating for one and a half. One pot would never be enough.

The liquor was brought by Han Bin—a case of Luzhou Laojiao.

Zhao Ming opened a bottle and poured for everyone. “Brother Bin, this is good stuff—enough for two rounds of kidneys.”

“Drink as you like. The kidneys are still on me.” Han Bin smiled.

“Look at that—our Brother Bin is generous.” Li Hui gave a thumbs-up.

“Generous, my ass. Just trying to shut you up.” Han Bin joked.

Everyone ate meat, drank, toasted, laughed, and chatted. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.

Surprisingly, the best drinkers turned out to be Li Hui and Wu Xia.

Li Hui’s capacity was well known to Han Bin—back in college, he could handle a jin of spirits, half a crate of beer. Han Bin and another classmate combined could barely match him. The guy was a barrel.

Wu Xia’s drinking surprised most of the group. She worked in forensics and, though they often met on duty, rarely had the chance to eat and drink together. It was Han Bin’s first time seeing her drink.

After a jin of spirits, she was as steady as ever.

Han Bin mused that it truly takes all sorts to make a world. He himself could manage a little over half a jin; more and he’d start to feel sluggish, his ears less sensitive. If he drank a full jin, he’d likely be drunk.

The lightest drinker was Lu Wen. He and Tian Li drank beer. Tian Li downed two bottles herself—she was just chattier than usual, but nothing else.

Lu Wen, after a single bottle, was flushed and dazed, his eyes unfocused, speech slow and slurred.

The meal lasted three hours.

It wasn’t until ten at night that everyone parted ways, heading home.

Everyone ate heartily, drank merrily—a true feast for hosts and guests alike.

With a bit of liquor in their veins, a peaceful night’s sleep awaited them. Pure bliss.