Police officer Chen Shu.

At 5:30 a.m., Zhongshan Police Station, dormitory

The dizziness he experienced earlier at the entrance of the Wanwang Hotel made Chen Shu feel a little unwell, knowing that his body was sending a warning signal that it couldn't take it anymore.

These past few years of grassroots work have taken a toll on Chen Shu's once robust health, causing him to develop some minor health issues. Every year, his workplace arranges physical examinations, but the doctors' earnest advice seems to vanish without a trace.

Chen Shu understood the meaning of "little by little," but sometimes when work piled up, there was no other way. He could only steal a few moments in between.

When you're in the police force, you're not in control of your own destiny!

Chen Shu, only twenty-eight years old, was physically weaker than some middle-aged men who exercised regularly. Perhaps because this was the case in the surrounding police circle, no one paid much attention to it.

However, he was already quite content. When he first came to Zhongshan Police Station, there were few police officers, and the shifts were arranged in three-day rotations. Because there were few people, there was still just as much work to do, and the compensatory rest day after the shift was often not enough to catch up on sleep.

Back then, going to work every day felt like a dream. Sometimes I would be working with all my might, and other times I would seize every spare moment to take a nap. It was like a dream.

The dizziness at the hotel entrance came rather suddenly. After considering it for a while, Chen Shu decided to postpone his original plan to go to the Connor Group to stake out Xu Long.

Since it happened the night before last, Xu Long, as a criminal suspect, should either have already fled to avoid punishment or be working silently at the Connor Group.

I always get about three hours of sleep.

Chen Shu successfully convinced himself and took Zhu Chaoran back to his dormitory at work. Because he had arranged with Liu Wanying to meet at Zhongshan People's Hospital at nine o'clock this morning when he inquired last night, he set his alarm for eight-thirty.

I wanted to sleep a little longer and save time on breakfast.

He drew the curtains, took off his clothes, and lay down on the bed. As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard a series of thunderous snores coming from above him.

This fat guy falls asleep so fast! He seems very suitable for police work; he's a good prospect... Chen Shu thought to himself.

With the clues and evidence in the case of Gong Sui nearly complete, he closed his eyes in relief, preparing to recharge himself.

In a daze, Huang Siqian's delicate oval face and Liu Wanying's snow-white cleavage suddenly overlapped in my mind.

"sleep!"

Chen Shu punched himself.

......

"Ring ring! Ring ring!"

Chen Shu suddenly opened his eyes, his heart feeling like it was about to jump out of his chest.

He picked up his phone, turned off the alarm, closed his eyes for a few moments before getting up and taking out a new change of clothes from the closet.

He quickly dressed in his police uniform and polished his shoes until they gleamed. Before leaving, he glanced at Zhu Chaoran, who was still fast asleep on the upper bunk, and gently closed the door.

Chen Shu first went to the office on the second floor to get the case file of the archery case, then went to the duty hall on the first floor, got the Santana car keys from the front desk, and hurriedly rushed out.

Unexpectedly, when she turned her head, she accidentally bumped into a tall man behind her.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Shu realized it was his long-lost classmate, Li Meng, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Zhengming District.

He stepped forward, pulled Li Meng up, and joked, "Is the Criminal Investigation Department so busy these days? What urgent matter requires you, the captain, to personally run around like this?"

Li Meng stood up, expressionless: "Deputy."

Chen Shu: "I'm sorry about earlier. I have something to take care of right now and need to go to the hospital. I'll treat you to tea next time you come over."

Li Meng grabbed Chen Shu, who was walking out, and said, "Is this the case of the rape reported last night? Are you here to help the victim collect samples of gold leaves from the hospital? I'll go with you!"

Chen Shu was somewhat puzzled by Li Meng's actions, because as the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Li Meng had no reason or responsibility to require him to accompany a police officer from a local police station to investigate an undetermined case of rape.

However, Zhu Chaoran had stayed up all night and was still sleeping, and since he was short of someone to share with, he tacitly approved of Li Meng's participation.

Police investigations and evidence collection activities are required by regulations to be conducted by at least two people. At the grassroots level, while this isn't a strict requirement, as long as body cameras are used to record the scene, it's acceptable.

This trip to the hospital to collect gold leaf is crucial, as it involves direct evidence in a criminal case. Having an extra police officer is just what we need!

The two left Zhongshan Institute, got into a Santana and drove towards Zhongshan People's Hospital. On the way, they stopped in front of a milk bar to buy breakfast.

On the way, Li Meng flipped through the case file of the Gongshuang case.

"Why not arrest the suspect, Xu Long, first?"

Chen Shu held the steering wheel with his left hand and stuffed the bread he had just bought into his mouth with his right: "Mmm...mmm...I took on a case in the middle of the night. Going out to arrest people then would take too much time. It's better to gather evidence first and then arrest them. That's smoother and allows more time for the investigation."

In criminal cases, the interrogation period for suspects is 24 hours, although it can be extended to 48 hours. Unless it's a large or complex case, police officers generally won't request an extension from their superiors.

This makes it seem like the police officers lack the ability to solve cases.

Li Meng frowned: "Why don't you just arrest the person first, and then arrange for others to retrieve the video footage? What if the person escapes? Is this how your police station handles cases?"

Chen Shu swallowed his bread, then grabbed the milk from the cup on the center console and sipped it: "Glug...glug...I'm just a police officer handling this case, how can I have the time and energy to handle both at the same time? If this person wanted to escape, he would have already escaped the night before last."

Chen Shu turned the steering wheel, and the car bypassed the long line of private vehicles, driving straight into the hospital gate under the guidance of the hospital security guards.

Despite saying that, he was still somewhat puzzled by Liu Wanying's unusual calmness when she reported the case last night.

Logically speaking, the victim interrogation record taken from her last night involved detailed questioning and repeated verification of the case that night. The descriptions of the actions were even as detailed as the number of times the other party penetrated, the depth, and whether ejaculation occurred. Strictly speaking, this constitutes secondary psychological trauma.

But there was no other way; this was the only way to take the statement. It wasn't that the police were deliberately making things difficult; it was just the legal procedure. This was the process for taking statements in previous rape cases that had already been adjudicated.

Women who have experienced assault will generally experience some emotional fluctuations at this point. Those with fiery tempers might even confront the police directly, but she...

After parking the Santana, Chen Shu bent down to unbuckle his seatbelt and prepare to get out of the car.

At this moment, Li Meng took out a screenshot from a video showing "Xu Long picking up Liu Wanying and dragging her out of the elevator" and held it up to Chen Shu, pointing her finger at Xu Long in the photo: "It's so obvious, why aren't you arresting him?"

In an instant, Chen Shu recalled Liu Wanying's calm expression when she left last night.

"This case is not that simple."