Free Web NovelChapter 107: Chapter 106: The Empty Fort Strategy_1
April 1, 2011
Nearing the end of the workday, Mr. Zhao pushed open the door and entered the forensics room.
"Did Zhou Xiaozhou miss me?"
Zhou Ning looked up, saw Mr. Zhao with a swollen left cheek, and hurriedly shook his head.
He couldn’t help feeling annoyed because he had used the X-ray on Mr. Zhao the day before, thinking it was quite fun at the time. But then he saw a line on the transparent screen that read, "Remaining uses of this function: 2."
Zhou Ning’s mood plummeted in an instant. He thought he had an advantage, but who would have guessed it was a temporary tool? He wondered why they hadn’t mentioned the limited uses beforehand.
This wasn’t Aladdin’s lamp—what was the need for such penny-pinching? However, the system wouldn’t care about Zhou Ning’s complaints.
At that moment, Liu Yongxin, swinging his legs, glanced at Mr. Zhao and blew on the hot water in his cup.
"You’re back at this hour—does that mean you finished your exam?"
Mr. Zhao grinned, wiped the floor with a mop, then hummed a tune as he sprawled across the table opposite Zhou Ning, his face practically shouting, ask me, ask me!
Zhou Ning sighed. He really wanted to kick this guy away; just looking at him made him feel suffocated.
But, since the exam was part of his collaboration with Xu Dayuan, and although the task was already completed, he still needed to check the results. So, he decided to throw him a bone.
"How did the test go?"
Mr. Zhao smiled even brighter and tossed a small notebook to Zhou Ning. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"Let me tell you, the moment I saw the questions, I was totally flabbergasted, you know? I realized that about sixty percent of the questions were major points you had me focus on. For the rest, even a pig like me could have guessed half of them correctly. Plus, the questions were so simple. I remembered some, while crucial points about 64, 77, and 52 model pistols—I could answer them with my eyes closed."
Zhou Ning glanced at Mr. Zhao’s messy notebook, but it was all content from short-answer and multiple-choice questions—indeed, it was the review material he had provided.
In reality, these were exercises he had found based on knowledge he had acquired, which felt like past exam questions. It was no surprise they appeared in the exam.
"Not bad. When will they announce the results?"
Mr. Zhao snatched the notebook back and made a face at Zhou Ning before going to show off to Liu Yongxin.
"They’ll announce the results in a week. I won’t tell you more. ’Not bad’ is that a compliment? Doctor Liu, see how awesome I am?"
Liu Yongxin couldn’t stop laughing. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Impressive. When will you treat us?"
Mr. Zhao’s face collapsed immediately.
"Such misfortune to be among such people. Why’s everyone like this?"
At that moment, Xu Dayuan entered the room and looked surprised to see Mr. Zhao.
"Didn’t you go to take a test? Why did you escape?"
Zhou Ning chuckled and stopped struggling against the relentless teasing of Mr. Zhao, who just sat down in a chair, sulking on his own.
"I just did well and wanted to come share the news with you, but why’s everyone like this, so discouraging."
Xu Dayuan instantly caught the key point in his words and raised an eyebrow.
"Did well?"
"Yeah, I think there won’t be any problems. Those questions were all part of the material Zhou Xiaozhou made me practice. Actually, I didn’t really read through the books thoroughly. But when I left the exam room, many people were sighing, saying this year’s questions were too difficult and covered too broad a scope. After all, there was a lot in the exam about vehicles and firearms, but those are my specialties—rifling marks, bullet trajectories, tire tracks..."
Xu Dayuan waved his hand.
"Enough with the self-praise, let’s talk after the results come out. Let’s go eat since everyone’s here and packed up."
"What’s going on?"
"Why are we eating?"
Everyone looked at Xu Dayuan, who rolled his eyes.
"Doctor Liu handled his retirement paperwork yesterday. I’ve finally managed to get funding approval from my wife; otherwise, I might change my mind."
Zhou Ning stood up quickly, grabbed his coat to put it on, and followed everyone downstairs.
Downstairs, He Chunyang and Liu Changhai were waiting, with no one else around. This surprised Zhou Ning, as he had expected everyone to go out for a grand meal to celebrate Liu Yongxin’s retirement.
Liu Yongxin patted Mr. Zhao on the shoulder and waved to those two.
"Two cars, straight to Taidong Seafood Barbecue Buffet."
Mr. Zhao’s eyes lit up.
"Not bad, boss! You’re looking pretty generous all of a sudden. Did you bring money, though? The standard price of 268 per person is a bit steep!"
"Quit your blabbering, or get out of the car now if you’re not eating!"
Mr. Zhao shut up obediently, while Liu Yongxin was also a bit surprised. He felt that Xu Dayuan was a bit different today but didn’t say anything. The two cars quickly arrived at Taidong Seafood Barbecue Buffet.
After parking, the group entered the restaurant and found a long table by the window for the six of them. Mr. Zhao set his coat aside and waved to the others.
"Don’t play nice. This is a buffet—eat all you want as long as you don’t waste. Lucky for me I skipped lunch to save money. Now it’s time to make up for it."
Liu Yongxin said with a smile:
"It would be a crime against nature if you weren’t fat. Hurry up and get some food!"
With that, the pair headed towards the seafood area, looking like experts in their element. To get your money’s worth at a buffet, you start with the limited seafood and then move on to the pricier items—can’t go wrong that way.
Zhou Ning glanced at Xu Dayuan and walked over to him.
"Xu Da, is there something going on?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head with a smile.
"Let’s eat first, and we’ll talk later. Something’s up, but it’s not bad news."
Zhou Ning nodded, and for some reason, the image of Cui Haibin flashed through his mind.
Could it be that someone from the city bureau was causing trouble? That shouldn’t be the case, the case was solved here, and all the materials and evidence were procured by following proper procedures. It was just a slight awkwardness with Cui Haibin.
But the case was solved, and their burden was lifted, which was a good thing for everyone, wasn’t it?
At this moment, Zhou Ning reached the seafood section. Mr. Zhao’s voice was loud as he pointed at lobsters and crab legs, constantly asking questions.
"We have six people here, so we can have six lobsters, right? For the limited items, just serve us six portions. No need to pick those crab legs into a plate, you can give them straight to me—yes, that’s right, in that basin."
Zhou Ning subconsciously stepped back, and Xu Dayuan, seeing Zhou Ning’s move, also stepped back.
Embarrassing!
This guy, for the sake of food, really doesn’t care about face. Mr. Zhao naturally saw their motions and snorted indifferently, but a smile hung at the corner of his mouth as he carried six lobsters towards a window-side seat.
Zhou Ning sighed and rushed towards the mussels, his favorite seafood. Half a plate of mussels, half a plate of king prawns, he then grabbed some sea urchin sashimi, steak, and fruit, and returned to the dining table.
Xu Dayuan and Liu Yongxin had already sat down with nothing special in front of them since their blood pressure was both high; they didn’t dare to eat recklessly. He Chunyang and Liu Changhai had about the same as him, each with two full plates but then noticed the multi-tiered serving cart at the edge.
On it lay portions of cheese-baked lobster, below were rare black abalone sashimi, and each tier displayed limited edition items. Zhou Ning was puzzled.
"Wasn’t it limited? Are we getting special treatment, perhaps extra servings?"
He Chunyang burst into laughter, gesturing towards Liu Yongxin with his chin.
"Just like the apprentice of Doctor Liu, the words of your sigh are exactly the same, not a single letter off, hahaha!"
Liu Yongxin waved his neck with a face full of pride.
"Don’t be sour, you can’t envy what you don’t have. My apprentice has arranged a good path ahead for me."
He Chunyang chuckled.
"Too much, Doctor Liu, I’m really envious. But seriously, to go to Qindao University and work on that software is fantastic. It’s perfect for your specialty and won’t leave you feeling idle."
"I have a good apprentice, and you can’t envy what you don’t have!"
Xu Dayuan glared.
"Sheesh, old man, what’s with this? Just because you’re retiring today, you’re letting yourself go?"
Liu Yongxin grinned without retorting.
"I have a good apprentice."
Xu Dayuan rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with Liu Yongxin, especially since he really could not win.
How many people could have an apprentice like Zhou Ning, who helped with cases, arranged jobs, and whose future discussions would be legendary in the field?
At that moment, Zhao Xinli came over from afar, holding two cups of fresh juice. Liu Changhai covered his mouth with his hand and whispered:
"Say, Mr. Zhao, didn’t you say you shouldn’t drink beverages at a buffet because it fills you up and leaves no space for other food? Why did you grab a drink then?"
"My stomach, can you compare? I can still tuck in two bowls of beef noodles even after I’m full. This is just to ensure I don’t choke from eating too much."
Liu Changhai was somewhat speechless and moved his plate closer, glancing at Xu Dayuan.
"Xu Da, do you need me to pour some wine?"
Xu Dayuan waved his hand.
"They’re cracking down on drink-driving these days, let’s not make trouble for ourselves. Besides, going crazy with drinks at a buffet is a misunderstanding of money. I want you to eat your money’s worth, you get me?"
Liu Changhai nodded. Xu Dayuan took up his teacup, and everyone followed suit, clinking their cups together tacitly.
"We congratulate Doctor Liu on his retirement. You’ve had many meritorious years with the Qidong Criminal Police Team, participated in a multitude of cases, and especially ended the last case so perfectly. Congratulations, you’re finally free!"
As they clinked their glasses, Liu Yongxin was genuinely happy. Though it was a small gathering today, the buffet had its benefits, making everything feel casual without the formality and stiffness.
"I thank the leadership for finding me such an outstanding apprentice. Now that I’ve said my piece, let’s eat!"
Xu Dayuan exhaled.
"Are you done yet? Hurry up and get moving, everyone eats their money’s worth."
"Boss, aren’t you going to congratulate me on finishing my exam?"
"You, stop looking for attention. You’ve only passed when you have the certificate in hand!"
Everyone burst into laughter, but soon they all moved in on the food. Mr. Zhao put on a great show, slicing those six lobsters in half to bake with cheese. Liu Yongxin only managed to snatch half a lobster, the rest was cleaned up by Mr. Zhao.
Once everyone had finished eating, Xu Dayuan wiped his hands and propped himself on the table surface:
"All full?"
The crowd nodded. Zhou Ning also looked up, but upon seeing the look Xu Dayuan gave him, he felt a hunch. Could it be that there was something going on?
Xu Dayuan wiped his mouth, tossed the napkin on the table, and said with a sigh:
"If everyone’s full, then I have another announcement to make. Zhou Ning will be transferred to the forensic department of the city bureau."
This statement stunned everyone, with Liu Yongxin widening his eyes in shock at Xu Dayuan.
"If I’m retiring and Zhou Ning is transferring, is this meant to leave Qidong playing an empty fortress strategy?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"I’m not done yet. I’ll be moving too, transferring to the city bureau’s criminal police squad, He Chunyang to inherit the work of Qidong Sub-bureau Criminal Police Brigade, and Liu Changhai promoted as squad leader."
