Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 38 Back to the Police Station
After explaining things to Zhu Chaoran, Chen Shu looked down and watched him disappear at the end of the stairs. He waited a few more minutes, only to hear the sound of two security doors opening and closing downstairs.

He walked to the front door of room 303 and peered inside. He saw that all the tenants were busy with their own things, and the corridor was empty.

He walked quickly to the electrical distribution box at the stairwell, opened the steel door, flipped down the button marked 303 inside the box, and waited.

The other rooms were either filled with people arguing, playing mobile games, or simply empty.

Only the family of four, who were cooking on an induction cooker, urgently needed electricity. The woman, who didn't know anything about electricity, figured she would soon urge the middle-aged man to go out and check the situation.

He touched his chin, hesitating whether it would be better to have a serious expression later, or to appear more inscrutable with a smile.

Soon after, hurried footsteps could be heard from room 303.

As the middle-aged man stepped out of room 303 and headed toward the electrical distribution box, he saw the young man who had been loitering around his room a few times earlier standing there, watching him with a smile.

His heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks.

His eyes held surprise, confusion, and a deep-seated fear, but lacked the sleepiness that should have been there.

The young man stared into his eyes for a long time, then waved to him.

He paused for about ten seconds, perhaps unable to bear the pressure of the silence, and finally slowly moved over, his face showing an extremely unnatural embarrassment, and cautiously asked:
"Hello, officer, how can I help you?"

The young man standing next to the distribution box was Chen Shu, who had just manually cut off the power to room 303.

This tactic of luring the snake out of its hole has never failed.

Chen Shuwen looked disdainful and sneered, "How do you know I'm a policeman?"

The middle-aged man immediately realized that the man in plainclothes had never revealed his identity as a police officer to him.

Except when he's lying in bed in his room with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

He observed the other person's expression, yet felt helpless. The slight upturn of one corner of the other's mouth, though appearing to be a smile, was more like sarcasm.

He lowered his head, not daring to look at the other person any longer, and answered in a trembling voice, "I was awake when you came to my room earlier."

After a long while, there was still no response. He realized that the policeman had no intention of speaking to him.

He quickly glanced up at the policeman's face and found that the man was staring intently at him.

"Smiling tiger." These three words inexplicably popped into his mind. Facing the policeman before him, who was likely much younger than him, a sudden, inexplicable fear welled up within him.

Those eyes, though slightly curved, held no hint of a smile. At this moment, he fell silent, lowering his head and daring not to utter another sound.

Chen Shu, having decided not to delay any longer, shouted at the middle-aged man, "Someone identified you as the one who stole the phone!"

The atmosphere has been set in motion; if we can then pull off a surprise trick, it's a win-win situation regardless of the outcome.

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted sharply, and he said urgently in a low voice, "Who said that! I didn't steal the phone!"

Chen Shu didn't offer much explanation. He tilted his head slightly towards the bottom of the stairs and said, "You don't want me to bring people into your room and take you away in front of your wife and children, do you? Whether you stole it or not, let's talk about it at the police station."

The middle-aged man continued in a low voice, "I didn't steal the phone, you can't take me to the police station!" Chen Shu straightened his back, pressed down on the man, glared at him, and warned him word by word, "I'm officially informing you now that I suspect you're involved in a theft case. Please cooperate with me and come to the police station to assist with the investigation!"

The middle-aged man turned his head in alarm to look at the door of room 303. Seeing no movement inside, he felt slightly relieved. But his expression still became listless, like a deflated balloon, and he fell silent.

Seeing that the middle-aged man remained silent and did not continue to resist or insist, Chen Shu's initial suspicions deepened into a stronger sense of certainty.

He suddenly asked, "What's your name?"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a while before answering in a low voice, "My name is Zhang Yun."

The obedience test is passed, there's no escaping it now. Chen Shu breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and said kindly, "Zhang Yun, I'm giving you 10 minutes to go in and eat lunch. After you're done, find an excuse to come down. I'll be waiting for you at the north gate of the community."

Children are always innocent, and their childhood deserves an upright father.
After saying that, he turned around, turned on the switch in the distribution box and flipped the switch back on for room 303. Without looking at Zhang Yun again, he walked straight down the stairs to the first-floor security door, leaned against the shadow of the building wall, and waited quietly.

Just in case, they said it was the north gate of the community, but in reality, they were waiting downstairs. Chen Shu always maintained a cautious and discreet approach to everything, combining deception and reality.

Soon after, Zhang Yun came downstairs alone, opened the security door on the first floor, and walked towards the north gate of the community, without noticing Chen Shu leaning against the wall.

Without giving any notice, Chen Shu calculated the time and quietly followed after them from a distance of five or six meters.

The two arrived at the north gate of the residential area one after the other.

It's called the north gate of the residential area, but it's really just a dilapidated entrance and exit that's unattended. People come and go, but they don't really interact with each other.

Zhang Yun, who had been walking briskly, stopped involuntarily when she saw the police car parked on the side of the road.

His eyes were fixed on the police car, but his body remained motionless, and he made no further sound.

Seeing this, Chen Shu, who was standing behind him, was not in a hurry. He slowly walked to Zhang Yun's side and said in a relaxed tone, "Let's go. There are people at the gate. It would be embarrassing if we ran into someone we know."

Zhang Yun, who had been standing still, was startled. He looked in surprise at the policeman who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"it is good."

He pursed his lips, uttered only one word, then walked towards the police car, opened the door himself, and sat in the back seat.

They looked like they were going to their execution. Was the police station really that scary? Or was he just feeling really uneasy? Chen Shu continued to ponder this, then got into the police car and sat next to Zhang Yun.

He patted the headboard of the driver's seat.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Zhu Chaoran understood and, following Chen Shu's earlier advice, silently started the car and drove towards the police station.

Throughout the journey, Zhang Yun kept his mouth tightly shut and did not say a word.

Chen Shu quietly looked at the scenery outside the window.

The atmosphere inside the car was somber.

(End of this chapter)