Chapter 39.1: Young and Fearless
Liao Zhongsheng stood there in a daze for three or four seconds before finally regaining some semblance of his senses. He looked at everyone in the department and asked, “What are you guys doing? Why are you all gathered around picking locks?”
“Oh, Chief, you’re back?”
Hearing that, Trace Examiner Li raised his head. He looked at Liao Zhongsheng, then glanced down at the iron padlock in his hand. Suddenly realizing something, he said:
“Oh, this. A couple of days ago, I was observing a simulated crime scene with Jiang Xia, and it reminded me of a case. The one from three years ago, where an infant was murdered during a burglary. Since the door lock was completely intact, we could never completely rule out the possibility that a family member was responsible.”
“I heard Jiang Xia say that picking a lock with an iron hook can also leave corresponding marks inside the lock, so I wanted to investigate that angle further. But taking apart the lock cylinder would cause secondary damage, and it’s irreversible, so I thought we’d start by taking apart some ordinary locks. Once we confirm that we can find the marks we’re looking for, then we can examine the evidence.”
Liao Zhongsheng frowned slightly. “Then why don’t you just take the locks apart? Why do you need to pick them?”
“We definitely need to pick them.”
After all, Liao Zhongsheng was his superior. Even if he was clueless about the technical side of things, Trace Examiner Li couldn’t very well look down on him. So he patiently explained, “I’ve never taken apart a lock to examine it before. How would I know which marks are from normal unlocking and which ones were left by someone picking the lock? We have to produce some examples for comparison before we can try to distinguish between them.”
Oh.
So they were studying the marks left inside the locks so they could distinguish different kinds of tool marks and solve cases. That actually made quite a bit of sense.
Now that he’d heard the explanation, the pile of locks on the table looked much more normal to Liao Zhongsheng.
He nodded. “Oh, so that’s what this is about. All right, carry on.”
He said it casually, and everyone in the department didn’t think much of it. They simply went back to picking locks, Jiang Xia included.
Liao Zhongsheng walked a few more steps.
He looked around at his subordinates, all of them wearing police uniforms and wielding various tools as they seriously picked away at the locks. Yet somehow, the scene still struck him as indescribably strange.
They were picking locks…
Uh, there was nothing wrong with that, was there? After all, it would be a hassle to find someone else to do it.
Wait.
Where had they learned how to pick locks?
Uh… It seemed that the reformed criminal they’d brought in a few days ago was an expert at burglary. Apparently, he’d taught them quite a few things. Even Xueling had been so alarmed that she’d complained nonstop about how useless the locks hanging on doors were.
So it wasn’t that strange for them to know how to pick locks.
Isn’t all of this perfectly reasonable?
Liao Zhongsheng picked up his cup and took a sip of water, still feeling as though he’d overlooked something.
Jiang Xia looked up and observed Liao Zhongsheng.
As expected of the City Public Security Bureau—not only were the colleagues open-minded, even the leadership was pretty accepting. He hadn’t objected at all.
Once she was sure the section chief wouldn’t have too strong a reaction, Jiang Xia decided the time was right.
She gently pushed her finger forward, catching the pin she’d had to restrain her instincts from touching countless times, then lifted it upward.
With a familiar click, the shackle sprang up, and the lock popped open.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully picking a lock. Experience +1.]
The sound of the lock popping open instantly caught Liao Zhongsheng’s attention. He turned toward Jiang Xia.
“Oh my gosh!”
Seeing the open lock, Jiang Xia’s face immediately lit up with delight. She held it up and showed it to everyone else in the office.
“I think I know how to open locks with a hook now!”
“Really?”
Trace Examiner Li turned around. Looking at Jiang Xia, he said with some surprise, “Looks like what Li Jinfu said really wasn’t an exaggeration. You’ve got quite a deft hand!”
Zhao Zhaoxiang was still wrestling with the lock in his hands. After failing to pick it open for quite a while, he’d temporarily given up. He looked up and casually said, “Well, obviously. If you didn’t have a deft hand, how could you be such a good artist?”
“Brother Zhao, you’ve got that right. I’ve had nimble hands since I was little, and my control is especially precise.”
Jiang Xia continued cheerfully building up her persona. “If the steel mill had been hiring apprentices back then and I’d gone in to learn metalworking, who knows? I might’ve already passed the exam to become a Level Three fitter!”
“Heh, being a fitter is exhausting. Painting is much more comfortable.”
Zhao Zhaoxiang shook his head. “Sitting in an office is a lot easier than grinding iron blocks in a workshop.”
“That’s true.”
Jiang Xia nodded in agreement. She snapped the lock shut again, then picked up the wire and inserted it into the keyhole.
“I’ll practice a few more times. I should be able to get the hang of this.”
Get the hang of what? Picking locks with an iron hook?
Wait, was this really okay?!
Hearing that, Liao Zhongsheng felt as though someone had somehow smoothed out all the folds in his brain, leaving it eerily smooth. In his ears, only two voices remained, arguing incessantly.
The voice in his left ear said: That’s right, that’s right. Jiang Xia has always been good with her hands. Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to practice until she learns how to open locks with an iron hook? Besides, it’s necessary for solving cases. Learning a lock-picking technique is perfectly normal too.
The voice in his right ear said: Normal my foot! She can pick locks with an iron hook now! I don’t even dare imagine what she’s going to learn next!
The left-ear voice scolded: You’re being narrow-minded. This is simply part of the research!
The right-ear voice scolded back: Idiot! What’s normal about this? Look around you! The entire department knows how to pick locks now!
Huh?!
Liao Zhongsheng suddenly saw the light.
So that’s what had been bothering him!
Everyone in the department was a talented individual!
As for what exactly they were talented at… well, that was harder to say.
He took a deep breath.
This was research, after all. If they wanted to figure out how burglars operated, they naturally had to understand what tricks burglars knew first. Learning how to pick locks along the way was perfectly reasonable.
It was just that this particular skill was a little too… criminal. Better take some precautions in advance.
With that thought, Liao Zhongsheng raised his head and said to everyone, “Uh, something just occurred to me. We should probably get this skill officially registered.”
Hearing that, Jiang Xia’s hands paused for a moment before she continued fiddling with the lock.
After all, he was their superior. It was perfectly normal for him to think of registering it.
She wasn’t worried in the slightest.
As she’d said before, if she were the only one whose file stated that she knew how to pick locks, it would stand out rather conspicuously. But if the entire department had it listed, then it would actually look perfectly normal. Even if outsiders whispered about it, they’d be whispering about the entire department.
“Register it?”
Huang Xueling gave the lock in her hand another little click and popped it open. A hint of confusion appeared on her face.
“Register what?”
“Register the fact that the three of you know how to pick locks.”
Zhao Zhaoxiang chuckled. “The three of you are all lock-picking experts now!”
There was one thing he didn’t say out loud.
With Trace Examiner Li and Jiang Xia going at this thing with such enthusiasm, just by being around them and absorbing what they were learning, he would probably become at least half an expert himself in a few more days.
Only then did Trace Examiner Li remember what Liao Zhongsheng meant. He slapped his forehead and hurriedly added, “Oh, right. We really do need to register this.”
Thinking that Jiang Xia and Huang Xueling were both young and might not understand, or might even instinctively resist the idea, he took the initiative to explain:
“It just means recording everyone’s individual skills. Don’t overthink it.”
“Ah, I know. It’s like how bank employees have to report their family’s financial circumstances. It’s just taking precautions in advance.”
Having successfully dragged the entire department into the same boat, Jiang Xia was now completely at ease. But after pondering for a moment, she spoke seriously:
“But speaking of which, for safety reasons, we absolutely can’t let this lock-picking technique get out. Especially tools like these comb-shaped picks. They’re too simple. Once you make one and practice with it a few times, you can get the hang of it. If the wrong people learned about this, it would make committing crimes even easier.”
Zhao Zhaoxiang fell silent.
Wait, this tool was simple?
If it was so simple, why had he been struggling for ages without being able to open the lock?
“Exactly, exactly. We absolutely can’t tell anyone about this.”
Trace Examiner Li agreed. “In the past, stupid thieves would just smash the door with a brick. The noise would be loud enough for the neighbors to hear. But if they learned to use tools like these, they’d be much harder to detect.”
Liao Zhongsheng gave a slight nod.
Not bad. Everyone in the department was still perfectly normal. Their brains were still working, and they didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what they were doing.
He said, “Xiao Yang, put that aside for now. Go to the Personnel Office and bring over the files of everyone in our department.”
“Huh?”
Yang Lihua lifted his head from his sea of books, looking as though he’d nearly drowned in them.
“You want the files for the entire department? Including mine and Master’s?”
“Those two can’t pick locks either. Do they really need to register it?”
Liao Zhongsheng gave a slight nod and replied matter-of-factly, “Yes. Bring them all over.”
They might not know how to pick locks right now, but everyone around them was doing it. After being exposed to it day in and day out, it wouldn’t take long for the two of them to learn as well. Even if they didn’t, they’d still know how it was done. Better put it all down on paper.
Hmm. He’d have to submit a report later and have the Personnel Office add it to his own file, too.
“Oh.” Yang Lihua put down his book and got up, heading out the door.
Trace Examiner Li thought for a moment before adding, “Xueling, you go to the Logistics Office too. Get some sandpaper from them, along with some screwdrivers. We need both flat-head and Phillips-head.”
“Okay, Master.”
Huang Xueling answered, set down the iron lock in her hand, and went out to look for the tools.
Jiang Xia continued lowering her head and picking the lock.
It certainly required some acting skills, but the experience points were just too tempting.
Even if she only got one point at a time, enough repetitions would add up. And besides, this was a rare opportunity to farm experience points openly, right in front of her colleagues and her superior!
Jiang Xia adjusted her timing, gradually making the process of picking the lock faster and faster.
Liao Zhongsheng was waiting for the personnel files to be brought over. He’d originally intended to sit down at his own desk, but as he watched Jiang Xia pick the lock faster and faster—and grow more and more enthusiastic about it—he became increasingly speechless.
It was just picking a lock. Why were you so happy about it?
And why were you getting more and more proficient?!
Liao Zhongsheng looked like he wanted to say something, then decided against it, only to want to say something again.
Could we maybe play with something a little more respectable?
As he pondered how to persuade her, he gradually made his way over to Jiang Xia’s desk. He lowered his head and suddenly noticed the stack of drawings lying there.
Liao Zhongsheng raised an eyebrow, reached out, and picked them up to flip through them.
The sheets weren’t large, roughly the size of a six-inch photograph. There were holes punched along one side, with metal rings threaded through them. The paper was clearly specialized drawing paper, noticeably thicker than ordinary paper to the touch.
It looked almost like a stack of photographs.
And the drawings on them looked even more like photographs—no, they looked even more lifelike than photographs themselves.
If you really wanted to nitpick, black-and-white photographs often have extremely stark contrasts between light and dark, with relatively little gradation between shades of gray. The image as a whole lacks detail.
But this hand-drawn image was incredibly lifelike. The paint on the cabinet was only a thin layer; even at the broken sections, you could see the fine splinters of wood. There were even tiny black specks around several points where force had been applied, as though they’d been rubbed with rust from the metal.
Jiang Xia’s drawing skills were truly impressive.
Liao Zhongsheng marveled inwardly. He flipped through the pages and found that there weren’t many drawings rendered in this kind of realism—only nine. The rest were line drawings, but they were still clear enough that anyone could tell exactly what they depicted. There were also extensive notes written beside them.
Just from looking at the drawings, Liao Zhongsheng could tell how much effort she’d put into them.
“These drawings are really good.”
After looking through the entire stack, Liao Zhongsheng sighed in admiration. “They’re even clearer than photographs. You could probably print these directly into a book. By the way, Jiang Xia, you’ve drawn so many of these. Have you already finished documenting all the traces associated with burglary?”
“Not yet.”
Jiang Xia stopped picking the lock and looked up at Chief Liao.
“So far, I’ve only documented the three commonly used tools: crowbars, pliers, and wrenches. I haven’t drawn the others yet. Especially blunt and sharp weapons, like hammers, mallets, scissors, kitchen knives, and daggers. They all leave different kinds of marks. Then there are specialized tools, such as woodworking chisels and files used by metalworkers…”
Stop, stop, Master, please stop!
Liao Zhongsheng’s head began to ache as soon as he heard this. He couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
At this rate, who knew what year she’d finish.
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