Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 82

Chen Weimin was on the night shift today. At 2:30 a.m., Song Chengfeng came to relieve him.

“Old Chen, go get some sleep. I’ll take the second half of the night!”

Chen Weimin rubbed his brow and took a drag of his cigarette. Song Chengfeng noticed. “What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”

“I don’t know… my right eyelid keeps twitching. Feels like something bad is about to happen.”

“Ah, stop being superstitious. Go get some sleep!”

Chen Weimin stubbed out the cigarette, took a sip of strong tea, and got ready to rest for a while.

“Hey! That kid Lu Cheng went to assist the Economic Investigation Division and there’s been no word from him. Nothing happened to him, right?”

“Old Chen, you’re a jinx! Cursing your own officers now?”

“Bah! I don’t mean it like that… just… uneasy, that’s all…”

“That kid is reckless, sure, but smart too. Nothing’s going to happen so easily.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone rang.

It was Fan Wanqing. Chen Weimin answered immediately.

“Hello… huh? What? At City First Hospital? How did this happen? I’m on my way!”

His face changed drastically. He shouted to Song Chengfeng, “See? I told you! I told you!”

Song Chengfeng asked anxiously, “Lu Cheng’s in the hospital? Is he hurt?”

“Fan Wanqing didn’t explain clearly and hung up. Obviously hurt! Why else go to a hospital?”

Chen Weimin grabbed his car keys and dashed downstairs. “Chengfeng, stay at the station. I’m heading to the hospital!”

“Old Chen, call me once you get there!”

“Got it!”

City First Hospital.

Lu Cheng lay in a single-bed room.

Blood tests? Done. X-rays? Done. Nothing serious.

Besides Fan Wanqing, two other officers from the Economic Investigation Division were keeping watch over Ma Kuixiang in another room.

Lu Cheng had showered, changed into hospital clothes, and was munching on a banana.

The fruit basket on his bedside was from Fan Wanqing, along with milk and some snacks.

He was “injured on duty,” so all medical and nutritional expenses were covered by the Economic Investigation Division.

Fan Wanqing had only informed Chen Weimin. Since the injuries weren’t serious, there was no reason to alarm Lu Cheng’s family.

Chen Weimin floored it to the hospital. The moment he saw Lu Cheng, he grabbed his arm and checked him over. “Where’re you hurt, kid?”

“Chief Chen, what are you doing here?” Lu Cheng looked surprised—it was the middle of the night.

Fan Wanqing explained, “He’s fine. Everything’s been checked. Just got soaked in the rain, probably a slight chill.”

Chen Weimin hurriedly said, “Then get some ginger tea into him, fast!”

“It’s already on its way,” Fan Wanqing replied.

Only then did Chen Weimin relax. He looked at Lu Cheng eating his banana. Truly nothing wrong. A false alarm.

“Fan, how did this end up in the hospital? What happened?”

Even if Lu Cheng wasn’t injured, some unusual circumstance must have occurred while on duty. Normally, if the case went smoothly, they’d wrap up and head back to the division for a late-night celebration.

Chen Weimin frowned at Fan Wanqing. Perfectly returned property? And yet here we are at the hospital. Never again. Too nerve-wracking.

Fan Wanqing briefly explained how Lu Cheng had chased the car and eventually apprehended Ma Kuixiang.

Chen Weimin frowned deeper. He fired shots?

“You little brat! Showing off? You even applied to shoot? Do you know how dangerous stray bullets are? They could ricochet right back at you!”

Hands on his hips, Chen Weimin scolded.

That kid had guts.

Chen Weimin’s own Type 64 hadn’t been fired once since he became chief. Lu Cheng emptied his entire magazine.

Driving while shooting tires, then when the car bottomed out, he jumped out and chased the SUV on foot—forcing it to lose a tire!

The fake-bill kingpin had a gun, and Lu Cheng hid and used a rock to smash him into submission!

“Well, well, well! Only you, kid, could pull this off, huh? Chasing a car with just your legs!”

Chen Weimin’s throat felt tight, words failing him.

Reckless? Yes. But he caught the suspect!

Disobedient? Not really. Once the signal was lost, nobody could reach him. Not his fault.

The Economic Investigation team had no plans to pursue once the car was disabled.

Lu Cheng, here to assist, was more proactive than the host team itself.

In the end, he still managed to make a contribution.

Almost every time, like this. And he didn’t even get hurt.

What could Chen Weimin say?

A female officer from the Economic Investigation Division brought ginger tea. After getting soaked on the mission, Lu Cheng drank one bowl, then Fan Wanqing handed him another, making him drink both.

After handing Lu Cheng over to Chen Weimin, Fan Wanqing went back to handle the remaining tasks, promising to check on him tomorrow.

Lu Cheng asked if he could leave the hospital tomorrow.

“Stay put. At least three days.”

Once admitted, he wasn’t leaving early. Leadership had to inspect.

The case wasn’t minor. The criminal had fired several shots at police. Three days in hospital was mandatory.

Lu Cheng frowned. No injuries, no illnesses… forced hospital stay?

Chen Weimin saw him struggling to keep his eyelids open and got up to leave, insisting he rest.

At that moment, Song Chengfeng arrived.

“What are you doing here?” Chen Weimin asked, surprised.

Lu Cheng stood. “Instructor…”

Song Chengfeng immediately gestured for him to lie back down. “Little Lu, don’t get up if you’re hurt. Stay down…”

“Enough. The kid’s fine. Let’s head back to the station—I’ll tell you everything on the way!”

Chen Weimin pulled Song Chengfeng out of the room.

The single room fell silent.

Lu Cheng yawned, a little sleepy, and lay back on the bed. Fortunately, he had told He Xueting he’d be on duty and sleeping at the station. Otherwise, waiting this late with no news would’ve driven her crazy.

…

The Economic Investigation Division had interrogated Wang Xiaolong all night. Everything—what he should confess, what he shouldn’t—came out.

By around 5 a.m., they brought Ma Kuixiang from the hospital to the station for an overnight emergency interrogation.

One second he was hooked up to an IV, the next, hauled upright—another mental collapse.

No techniques needed—Ma Kuixiang spilled everything.

After shooting at police, prison life was about to get very “interesting.”

By six o’clock, the division raided a small house in an old residential area. They found over 2.3 million in counterfeit bills, all denominations, plus two modified intaglio presses, special paper, inks, gilding machines…

Ma Kuixiang even provided a list—over two years, he had sold nearly 20 million in counterfeit notes at ten to one price.

According to the Economic Investigation Division, about 600–700,000 of these “Fujian version” bills were already circulating in Jianghai.

A fraction of the total.

The rest had gone to other provinces, immediately elevating this to a high-profile case.

Reports went up the chain, and the provincial bureau’s bigwigs began paying close attention.

Yet all this had nothing to do with Lu Cheng.

He slept until eight, woke to use the bathroom, tried to go back to sleep… and then remembered the system’s alert tone.

Reward received.