Chapter 288 - 284: The First Case

Chapter 288: Chapter 284: The First Case

In the living room of an ordinary three-bedroom apartment, the news was playing on the television.

"In recent years, with our nation’s vigorous promotion of environmental protection, the country’s environment has seen clear improvements. Air quality has significantly increased, and the recovery of mountain forests is particularly heartening. Some regions have gradually reached the living standards required for endangered wildlife..."

"To ensure the success of our nation’s century-long plan for ecological restoration, in accordance with Red-Headed Document No. 19 from the Central Forestry Department this year, a principle of prohibiting visitor entry will be implemented in certain large mountainous and forested areas. New wildlife conservation zones will be developed, and some popular scenic spots will also implement protective tourism measures to prevent visitors from damaging the ecological environment..."

"The Central Forestry... Wang X-Lin stated: ’We must face the splendid achievements our country has made and faithfully implement the scientific guidance that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.’ It is reported that, following the pace of our country’s ecological reforms, the international community has also begun to follow suit. Wildlife protection experts predict that in the new year, the number of nature reserves worldwide will gradually increase..."

"Here, we wish to issue a solemn warning to poachers and certain lawless individuals who enter the mountains for illegal harvesting. Law enforcement will severely punish such illegal activities. Do not take reckless risks for the sake of petty profits..."

Eight-year-old Lin Dong walked past the living room and saw his dad watching the news, so he came over to snatch the remote.

His dad, Lin Xingye, hid the remote this way and that in front of his son, but in the end, the boy still managed to grab it and immediately switched to some children’s channel.

"Fei Yangyang, you take the village chief and the others and go first..." "Many of our ancestors were eaten by wolves..."

The cartoon dialogue coming from the TV gave Lin Xingye a headache.

"Have you finished your homework?"

Lin Dong scoffed.

"This homework is so easy. Do you think I’m in first grade?"

Lin Xingye muttered silently in his head, ’Well, you’re in second grade...’

"Dad, have you thought about buying me a phone? All the other kids have phone watches!"

Hearing this, his old man wanted to laugh. He lay back on the sofa and started scrolling through his social media feed.

"All the other kids have phone watches, so why do you need a cell phone? I can just get you a phone watch, right? I remember your mom mentioned it last year."

Lin Dong pulled a case of milk from under the coffee table, took out a small bottle, tore open the straw’s wrapper, poked it in, and started drinking.

"No! I don’t want a phone watch! That’s so childish!"

His dad glanced at the TV screen, then back at his son.

"Childish? Then what are you watching? Why don’t you watch the news with me?"

"I’m researching why other kids like to watch this kind of cartoon!"

his son immediately retorted.

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Lin Dong, remote in hand, ran all the way to the door.

"Mom’s home, Mom!!"

"Hey, my sweet boy. Have you had dinner? What did Dad make today?"

"Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs and steamed fish, as usual. That’s all he knows how to make."

Ten thousand alpacas galloped through Lin Xingye’s mind. Did he have it easy, personally cooking dinner for a few days despite his busy schedule?

"You poor thing. Mom’s not working overtime tomorrow. I’ll make you something delicious!"

The affectionate scene between mother and son at the door made Lin Xingye purse his lips.

Soon, the scene in the living room changed to the mother and son analyzing the cartoon’s plot, while the father scrolled through his phone by himself.

"Oh, right, son. Have your school’s safety classes started yet?"

"Yeah, we had one this afternoon."

Du Peipei asked her son with interest.

"What was it like? How was it?"

Lin Dong tilted his head and thought for a moment.

"The teacher talked about drills for earthquakes, fires, and being taken hostage by criminals. When we hear the alarm, we have to evacuate. The students leave in group order and run to a corner of the school where the PLA uncles are helping out..."

Du Peipei thought about it seriously.

"So, in other words, it’s divided into three scenarios: one where the PLA and police uncles lead you onto vehicles to evacuate, one where you march forward together in formation, and one where you hide and wait at the school?"

Her son laughed as he drank his milk.

"Yep! The most fun one is waiting at the school. All the kids run into one of the school buildings and squeeze together. Then we can’t make a single sound. Whoever makes a noise gets points deducted! It’s so much fun!"

"All you kids think about is fun. You need to remember these things properly. If there really are criminals, or a real fire or earthquake, you have to listen to your teacher’s instructions, you hear?"

His dad, Lin Xingye, piped up to make his presence known.

"Dongdong, how often do you have this class?" his mother asked.

"Once a week... Mom, what about buying me a phone? I don’t need anything extravagant like an Apple phone, just a random thousand-yuan phone is fine!"

Du Peipei considered it for a moment.

"Alright. My son’s grades are so good, he definitely won’t let his studies suffer because of a phone."

"Yay!!! Mom’s the best!!!"

Lin Xingye stared at his wife, his face a mask of shock.

"No way, you agreed just like that?"

"Or what, you have a problem with it?"

Du Peipei brought her face close to Lin Xingye’s, glaring at him in mock anger. At 35, her face was not only becoming more supple but also gaining a mature charm. The rise and fall of her chest, straining against her shirt, brought a wave of heat.

"No, no..."

A ringing phone cut through the family brainwashing session. Du Peipei found her phone and answered. A woman’s voice came from the other end.

"Captain Du, urgent mission."

"Understood. I’m on my way."

After hanging up, Du Peipei saw her son and husband looking at her with perfectly synchronized expressions of disappointment.

"Be good. I’ll be back soon!"

She gave each of them a kiss, placating the father-son duo. Having just returned and not even had time to warm her seat, Du Peipei quickly grabbed her briefcase and headed out again.

Downstairs from the apartment complex, a black business van was already waiting. The moment Du Peipei got in, it started up and drove off.

There were seven people in the van: two women and five men. Including Du Peipei, one other man and one other woman were also Evolvers. The other four were elite agents.

One of the male agents immediately opened a tablet and read the file to the captain.

"Zhang Yi, male, 30 years old, a bartender at Conghua Bar. No prior criminal record, no history of mental illness. His girlfriend was found dead an hour and a half ago in the apartment they shared. Based on the body, her cervical spine was snapped while they were kissing."

Du Peipei had already opened her case. She took out a pair of special white fiber gloves and put them on, then strapped a holster containing her service pistol to the outside of her right thigh.

"Where is Zhang Yi?"

"On the run. Fifteen minutes ago, there was a record of him making a withdrawal from an ICBC ATM on Daping Road in South District S."

Du Peipei’s brow furrowed.

"He didn’t call an ambulance?"

"No. He likely discovered his girlfriend was already dead at the time and chose to flee in a panic. Even the emergency call was made by a neighbor who noticed the door wasn’t shut properly and saw the body."

Looking at the photos on the tablet, the girl’s neck was bent backward at nearly a 180-degree angle. The door had been slammed so hard it had nearly torn the frame loose. No wonder it hadn’t closed properly.

"A superficial couple. No, he’s just a scumbag."

The girl with the ponytail interjected.

But Du Peipei didn’t speak, merely sighing.

’An Evolver crime... it’s finally happened.’

"Captain Du, this is the nation’s first criminal case involving an Evolver. Headquarters is taking this very seriously."

"CRACK... CRACK..."

The bones in her fists crackled continuously beneath the white gloves.

"What are our permissions?"

"Standard."

Du Peipei’s heart tightened. The Special Security Team had to be ready to handle special incidents at any time. Their temporary authority during missions was immense. Due to a series of factors, like parasitism, "standard" meant they had the authority to kill.

"The higher-ups are being this decisive? But he’s an Evolver!"

The girl with the ponytail asked, a little surprised, even though she despised Zhang Yi.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, we’re not really going to kill him. As long as he doesn’t ask for it, his situation wouldn’t even warrant the death penalty under conventional law."

Du Peipei put the earpiece of her personal communication device in her ear and explained to her young team member.

In truth, with someone like Zhang Yi, as long as you knew he was an Evolver beforehand and didn’t underestimate him, a few experienced, armed detectives could handle it. The only issues are that while killing him might be easy, subduing him could lead to accidents, and Evolvers might have special abilities.

The reason they sent Du Peipei and her team was partly because the higher-ups were taking it seriously, but also to ensure the capture process went off without a hitch.

PS: First Chapter for Saturday.