Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 58

Lu Cheng stepped out of the Criminal Investigation Division’s office building and hailed a cab, heading toward the Sanli Bridge Police Station.

Xiao Zheng and Xiao Hu peeked out the window and whispered, “He’s gone.”

Everyone in the office let out a sigh of relief.

Their feelings about Lu Cheng were complicated. They appreciated him for helping crack the case, but at the same time… he was just a trainee cop from a regular precinct.

If word got out that he solved the case, where would the CID team’s reputation stand?

He was supposed to be learning, not solving the case on his own.

Truth be told, even without him, the CID team would have eventually discovered the inconsistencies and tracked down the real culprit.

Did he think the CID team was powerless? That we’d need a trainee to do the job?

No. Absolutely not.

Qin Mian needed no introduction—he had solved serial murder cases.

And Su Qingwu was a top-notch detective herself, apprentice to the legendary Ji Bochuan.

The bureau had given them a whole week to solve the case—more than enough time.

But this kid solved it in 12 hours. Fast enough to make the entire CID team look sluggish. Did he even consider their pride?

The CID team was full of talent. Did they have no sense of dignity?

Today, the gates of the CID division would not open for anyone named Lu Cheng. He could go back to his precinct.

That was the unspoken consensus among all the CID members.

Even Deputy Chief Su Qingwu felt the blow to the team’s pride. If Lu Cheng were her real boyfriend, she’d be happy that he was so impressive.

But since they were just pretending to be a couple, watching him outshine the entire CID team left her with… a strangely satisfying feeling.

Odd, but she shook her head and refocused on her work.

The team still had other cases to follow up on. Once the urgent homicide was cleared, they immediately returned to the backlog, busy day after day.

Meanwhile, at Sanli Bridge Police Station, Chen Weimin recalled Hao Jianping from Chengxi bragging about giving a day off for catching a single thief.

Yuan Jie and Chen Zelong didn’t make a big deal out of it—they had only caught three thieves. That was already a lot for Sanli Bridge.

But…

Hiss!

Chen Weimin scratched his head in frustration. He turned to Song Chengfeng.

“Old Song, what do we do about Lu Cheng? Give him a day off too?”

Song Chengfeng shook his head. “No way. That kid caught over ten thieves. Are we supposed to give him half a month off?”

Chen Weimin nodded. Annual leave was limited, and half a month was impossible. Plus, he still needed Lu Cheng as the face of the week’s anti-fraud campaign.

There was just too much work and too few people. The leave was out of the question.

“But I can’t go back on my word either! It would look bad!”

Chen Weimin decided he’d have to be careful in the future—not to copy Hao Jianping’s reckless antics.

Feeling a bit mischievous, he grabbed the phone and dialed.

“Hao Jianping, can you stop randomly taking the lead? Giving a day off for catching a thief—what’s that about? Your precinct may allow one or two days, but for half a month? Who’s ever heard of that? I’m a precinct chief—I can’t go back on my word, but come on!”

Hao Jianping, listening, initially thought Chen Weimin was complaining. But as he continued, he realized… no, Chen Weimin wasn’t scolding him at all—he was bragging!

“Super capable,” indeed. Look at this face! Bragging shamelessly!

Hao Jianping slammed the phone down in frustration.

In the past, it would have been him boasting, making Chen Weimin hang up in anger. Now, the tables had turned.

Chen Weimin felt a rush of satisfaction. His precinct may not have caught the same number of thieves, but Lu Cheng’s performance had left everyone speechless.

Meanwhile, Lu Cheng took a cab back to Sanli Bridge.

Chen Weimin and Song Chengfeng watched from the window, puzzled. “He just came back like that?”

They had expected the operation to take at least two days, yet he had tracked down the suspect in half a day.

This homicide wasn’t difficult, yet even so, Lu Cheng’s presence in the CID team left Lin Wenbin and Yuan Jie envious.

There was no helping it—he was that skilled.

The two of them went downstairs to confront him. Lu Cheng’s face showed no hint of pride as they asked:

“Case closed?”

“The CID team didn’t even send a car to drop you off? You had to take a cab?”

Lu Cheng smiled and shook his head. “Case closed. The CID team still has follow-up work, so I came back on my own.”

Song Chengfeng frowned. “No matter how busy they are, they could at least spare a few minutes. You found the murder weapon, jumped from the third floor, risked your life… and they didn’t even give you a ride?”

Chen Weimin also muttered, “The CID team is impossible. Next time, we shouldn’t help!”

“Of course, except for your little Su,” Lin Wenbin teased, leaning in with a grin. “If Lu Cheng won’t go, I can. I want to take part in a homicide case too.”

Chen Weimin glanced at Lin Wenbin, then shook his head without discouraging him. “Learn from Brother Lu. There’ll be a chance in the future.”

Lin Wenbin didn’t mind being a two-and-a-half-year trainee compared to a new cop—when it comes to skill, experience means nothing. Calling him “Brother Lu” was voluntary admiration.

“Fine, as long as the case is solved. Just… a bit too fast. Lu Cheng, that must’ve affected your experience, huh?”

Chen Weimin had barely finished before he stopped himself. Experience? The kid had just jumped from a six-to-seven-meter third floor to catch a suspect—that was like filming a movie!

Just then, Zhao Han approached.

He had heard that Lu Cheng not only found the murder weapon but also captured the criminal. Impressive—his student had even outshone the CID team.

“You kid, how many times do I have to tell you? Don’t be reckless. Jumping from the second floor… what if you’d broken a leg?”

Chen Weimin added, pretending to be stern, “It’s fine to show initiative, but everything has limits. Jumping from a building? What were you thinking? And that 2,000-character report—hand it in tomorrow!”

As precinct chief, he knew when to praise and when to scold.

“No more next time. Go clean the car.”

Zhao Han nudged Lu Cheng out of the office. There was a school patrol duty coming up, so Lu Cheng was assigned to clean the car, while Lin Wenbin could go inhale exhaust on the street.