Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 22

Wang Maosheng had been with the narcotics division for seven or eight years. A veteran of countless operations, he had experience with major cases under his belt.

“Officer Zhao,” he said gravely, “we shouldn’t just be stopping box trucks. Any truck could be suspicious. Traffickers are crafty—they could retrofit a box truck, even a dump truck, to move drugs.”

“Mm, makes sense.” Zhao Han nodded. Wang was the expert here. Their precinct’s job was to assist.

In the span of an hour, they had checked fifteen or sixteen trucks. Nothing suspicious.

After all, this was only one of many checkpoints. The target truck might not even pass through here. The odds of stumbling across it were low.

Still, their inspections were meticulous. Not a single suspicious vehicle would be allowed through.

By three-thirty in the afternoon, the radio confirmed the same story from the other checkpoints: calm, nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as Wang was sipping water, three trucks with out-of-province plates approached.

The first two cleared routine checks without issue.

The third—a blue box truck loaded with cabbages—caught Wang’s eye.

Three men sat inside, one of them a local.

That alone was enough to set off his instincts.

Lin Wenbin whispered to Zhao Han, “Just because one of them’s a local, that’s suspicious?”

Zhao said nothing. He didn’t fully understand Wang’s reasoning either.

But Lu Cheng’s mind flicked to the Jianghai road maps he’d studied before deployment. He spoke up:

“From Jingxing City to Jianghai, there are five main highways. Highways are risky—smaller roads are safer for smugglers. Out-of-town drivers wouldn’t know the shortcuts. Hiring a local guide makes sense.

“If they were just veteran haulers familiar with Jianghai, they wouldn’t need a guide at all. And moving cabbages? There’s no reason to detour downside roads.

“Putting it together, this truck is worth checking.”

Zhao Han and Lin Wenbin froze for a beat, then realized—Lu Cheng had a point.

But… how did he know all that?

Zhao gave him a look. “You memorized the entire Jianghai road network?”

Lu Cheng nodded matter-of-factly.

“Lin, take notes!” Zhao barked, half-proud, half-amused. “My apprentice’s about to surpass me.”

Lin swallowed hard. Great. I’ve been training for two and a half years, and I’ve gotta learn from a rookie now. Embarrassing.

Up ahead, even Wang turned, surprised at Lu Cheng’s clarity of thought.

He, too, concluded the cabbage truck was worth a thorough check. Any trafficker unfamiliar with the roads would definitely rope in a local. What they didn’t know was that Jianghai had locked down all roads with checkpoints.

“Police inspection! Step out and cooperate with the check!”

The three men climbed down, visibly uneasy at the sight of uniforms.

But Lu Cheng noted—this wasn’t guilt, just instinctive fear of the police.

Wang checked their IDs while Zhao observed every twitch of their expressions.

Meanwhile, Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin opened the cargo hold.

Cabbages. Packed full.

Lu Cheng instinctively waited for the system skill he had just unlocked that morning—【Clues in the Shadows】—to flare. Nothing.

Either the truck was clean, or the traces were too subtle for level one.

To be sure, they’d have to unload every last cabbage. A mountain of work.

Without solid grounds, they couldn’t push for it.

The driver produced shipping documents. The cabbages were bound for Matian Agricultural Market in Pengshao City, passing through Jianghai. There was even a boss’s number attached.

Wang dialed on the spot. Everything checked out.

“Clear. Pull back.” Wang ordered. The truck was released.

Sometimes checkpoint duty was all about patience. Thousands of vehicles would pass; one lapse could let the real one slip through.

Ten kilos of narcotics—if that reached the streets, the consequences would be unimaginable.

By late afternoon, Zhao Han and Lin Wenbin looked worn. Crawling in and out of trucks was grueling, especially for older officers with bad backs. The young ones, Lu Cheng and Lin, did most of the climbing.

Lu Cheng, however, stood tall, unfazed. His improved physique from 【Combat Mastery】 and extra attribute boosts kept him sharp. He could pull two or three all-nighters without issue.

Dinner was delivered in lunch boxes. With manpower stretched thin, there’d be no shift change. They had to hold the line through the night.

“Lu Cheng, Lin, call your families. Let them know you’ll be pulling an all-nighter.”

Zhao and Lin were used to overtime. But Zhao couldn’t help glancing at his apprentice—this rookie seemed to have boundless energy.

He and Wang lit cigarettes on the side.

“That one—your apprentice?” Wang asked, eyes narrowed with approval. “Good seedling.”

“You narcotics guys are sharp-eyed,” Zhao chuckled, smug. “Not to brag, but he is special. Day one—bagged a wanted fugitive before lunch, nabbed a pickpocket after. Gave our precinct a big win. Day two—”

Zhao rattled off Lu Cheng’s exploits. Even hardened veteran Wang was floored.

Been years since I trained rookies. Kids these days… monsters.

“No,” Zhao corrected himself. “Most rookies aren’t like this. Plenty are solid, but one like him? One in ten thousand.”

Wang nodded, half envious. If only I had a disciple like that.

Vehicles rumbled past, dust thick in the air.

Lu Cheng wolfed down his boxed meal in five minutes—pure combat rations.

Then it was back to work.

As dusk settled, reports came in over the radio: several suspicious vehicles found at other checkpoints, but no drugs uncovered. The citywide sweep had yielded nothing concrete yet.

That was when a blue, heavy dump truck approached.

“Police inspection! Please stop the vehicle and show your papers!”

Wang flagged them down. Lu Cheng and Lin moved in, smooth and practiced.

Lu Cheng scanned the truck, waiting for the 【Clues in the Shadows】 glow. Nothing.

He recalled how 【Flycatcher】 worked—marked flies glowed green in his vision until caught. If it stayed quiet now, maybe the truck really was clean.

Four men stepped out. A driver with a Yunnan accent, plus three burly laborers.

“Empty truck?” Wang pressed. “Where from? What business in Jianghai?”

“From Yunnan,” the driver said. “Here to haul a load of potatoes back.”

“Potatoes?” Wang frowned. The math didn’t add up. Hauling potatoes across provinces wasn’t worth the cost.

“We’ll need to inspect the truck.”

“Go ahead, it’s empty.” The men shrugged, unconcerned.

Better to overcheck than let one slip.

Zhao led the younger officers in. Every corner of the cab, the chassis, the wheels, the tank—clean.

The bed was empty save for a layer of sandy dirt, typical of potato hauls.

“No issues,” Lu Cheng reported after even crawling under the truck with a flashlight.

Wang returned the papers. “Clear. You can go.”

The four climbed back in and started the engine.

As the truck rumbled forward, Lu Cheng casually tossed a clump of dirt from the bed onto the roadside.

But when he glanced back—his breath caught.

Where the dirt had been, the steel floor of the truck bed now shimmered faintly with a green glow.

Lu Cheng’s pulse spiked.

The system skill 【Clues in the Shadows】 had just triggered!