Zhouying Police Station.

Another pleasant day of clocking in right on time.

Jiang Xia parked her bicycle and walked into the office.

Perhaps because they’d cracked a major case the day before, the station was unusually quiet today. There were hardly any visitors. Everyone was tidying up their desks, chatting leisurely, and enjoying the rare lull in work.

“Hey, Xiao Jiang, we were just talking about you.”

Seeing Jiang Xia walk in, Sister Chen waved her over with a smile.

“The portrait you drew yesterday was absolutely incredible. I honestly don’t know how your hands work. How are you so good at drawing?”

Although Sister Chen was now a household registration officer, she’d been the kind of officer who chased down enemy agents with a gun in her younger days. Unfortunately, she’d injured her leg during those years. After recovering, she could still walk normally but could no longer run, so she transferred to household registration work and had remained there ever since.

Jiang Xia had great respect for someone like her.

With a grin, she replied, “I got them from my parents.”

“My hands just happen to be a little more dexterous, so after enough practice I got pretty good at drawing. It’s just like how your parents made you so beautiful, Sister Chen.”

“Oh, you sweet talker!”

The corners of Sister Chen’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

“A relative brought me a bunch of mulberries yesterday. Come on, take some and have a taste.”

Before Jiang Xia could refuse, Sister Chen deposited a large handful of mulberries onto her desk.

Looking at Jiang Xia, she couldn’t help feeling a little regretful.

At her age, she rather enjoyed playing matchmaker.

The station had finally gotten a young woman, and she’d been thinking about introducing her to someone. But Jiang Xia was simply too capable. She’d probably be transferred to the Municipal Public Security Bureau before long. None of the eligible young men she knew were worthy of her.

Better not embarrass herself by bringing it up.

Smiling warmly, she said, “If you finish those, come back and get some more.”

“Thanks, Sister Chen.”

Jiang Xia thanked her, sat down at her desk, and mentally reviewed the day’s workload. Realizing nothing was particularly urgent, she pushed the stack of documents aside and began eating the mulberries one by one.

They spoiled quickly, so it was best to eat them while they were fresh.

Besides, it wasn’t as if she was slacking off on purpose.

Without greenhouses, there weren’t many out-of-season fruits available at this time of year, making mulberries something of a seasonal delicacy.

Unfortunately, these weren’t cultivated fruit varieties but mulberries from the very trees grown to feed silkworms.

They were more tart than sweet. You had to savor them carefully before you could detect even a hint of sweetness.

Jiang Xia dug into her pocket, pulled out a hard candy, popped it into her mouth, and ate the mulberries together with it.

Mmm. Much better.

She was happily munching away when Chief Wu appeared in the doorway.

He glanced at Jiang Xia, saw her enthusiastically working through her pile of mulberries, and couldn’t help shaking his head. Then his expression grew somewhat complicated.

His little temple was too small.

It could raise a goldfish, but it couldn’t keep a phoenix.

In all likelihood, she’d be transferred away within a few days.

He certainly wasn’t going to stand in her way.

But what about her extraordinary talent…

How should it be handled?

Should he record it in her personnel file or not?

The question gave Chief Wu a headache.

Forget it. Better get to work first.

Transfers within the system couldn’t possibly happen that quickly.

Surely they weren’t going to take her away today.

With that thought, Chief Wu sat down at his desk and began working.

Around ten o’clock, the office telephone rang.

He immediately picked it up.

“Hello, Chief Wu? Tan Bingyi speaking.”

Captain Tan’s voice came through the receiver.

“Our team has a case that’s still unsolved. We’d like to borrow Jiang Xia for today to help out.”

“What? Today?”

Chief Wu’s breathing hitched.

The speed was far beyond anything he’d expected.

Instinctively, he raised his voice in protest.

“Captain Tan, that’s really not fair! Our station only just got two new recruits, and you’re already trying to take one of them away. If I let you borrow her, is she ever coming back?”

At his words, everyone in the station looked up toward Chief Wu.

Jiang Xia did the same.

Somewhat surprised, she popped another mulberry into her mouth.

They solved the trafficking case yesterday, and now they’re trying to transfer her the very next morning?

Since when did personnel transfers move this fast in the public sector?

“Well…”

Tan Bingyi sounded a little sheepish.

“She… probably won’t be coming back. But this wasn’t my idea. It was the Technical Division. They went over our heads and got approval from the higher-ups. They even brought Director Lin into it. If you want to complain, complain to them.”

Chief Wu: “…”

Well, with even Deputy Director Lin having been brought into the matter, what more could he possibly say?

“So this is only a temporary assignment?”

Since Jiang Xia’s departure was already a foregone conclusion, there was nothing Chief Wu could do to change it. All he could do was secure the best possible arrangement for his apprentice.

“She’s still an intern. What happens to her official position? Will her staffing allocation remain with our station, or will it be transferred to the Municipal Bureau?”

Her official establishment position was no small matter. The pay and benefits at the Municipal Public Security Bureau were far better than those at a local police station, not to mention the impact on future promotions. He had to get that settled first.

Otherwise, he wasn’t letting her go.

It was the last thing he could do for her.

“We’ll have her report over first, but the personnel transfer will take a little longer.”

Tan Bingyi hurried to reassure him.

“Don’t worry. Old Liao—Section Chief Liao—will keep an eye on it personally. At the latest, once her internship is over, her official position will be transferred to the Municipal Bureau. She’ll stay in the city.”

“All right, then.”

Chief Wu let out a sigh and finally relented.

“I’ll have her report over this afternoon.”

With that, he hung up the phone.

The corners of Jiang Xia’s lips curled upward.

See? I knew it.

As long as you’re capable enough, the Municipal Bureau isn’t about to let talent like me slip away. They’ll snatch me up at the first opportunity and put me to work as one of their finest workhorses!

And here they are, coming to claim me already.

Hehe.

The phone conversation hadn’t been quiet, and everyone in the station had heard it. Even if they hadn’t caught every word, Chief Wu’s questions had made the situation obvious.

Whatever they were thinking privately, everyone stepped forward to congratulate her.

Hu Wei’s eyes were full of envy.

“Congratulations, Jiang Xia! You’re going to the Municipal Bureau!”

Deputy Chief Xu spoke slowly.

“Xiao Jiang, the day you arrived, I knew someone with your abilities wouldn’t stay here for long. I just didn’t expect you’d be transferred this quickly. It’s hard to see you go.”

“What are you saying? People should always strive for greater opportunities—that’s a good thing.”

Sister Chen smiled warmly.

“But since you’ve worked here, this station will always be your home. Xiao Jiang, remember to come back and visit us often.”

“The Municipal Bureau’s great,” Wang Huoda said with a grin.

“The pay and benefits are much better than ours, and promotions come easier too. With your talent, Xiao Jiang, you might even end up outranking Chief Wu someday!”

Jiang Xia didn’t think that was an empty compliment at all.

With her abilities, surpassing Chief Wu was merely the beginning.

Of course, saying something like that out loud would only breed resentment, so she simply smiled and replied, “Then I’ll gladly take your good wishes, Brother Wang.”

“Hmph.”

The warm atmosphere was shattered as Lu Fusheng looked at her sideways and sneered in a sarcastic tone.

“What are you so happy about? Your position hasn’t even been finalized yet. Don’t get too excited—you might not make the cut and end up getting sent back.”

The office fell silent.

Jiang Xia frowned slightly.

“That’s really none of your concern.”

She felt she’d tolerated him long enough.

Without the slightest politeness, she shot back, “Someone like you ought to worry about yourself. At this rate, you might be the one getting kicked out first.”

“Jiang Xia, you—”

Chief Wu’s face darkened as he barked at Lu Fusheng.

“Enough!”

“I think you’ve got far too much free time, Old Lu.”

He said coldly, “Keep running your mouth, and I’ll make sure you’re too busy to have the chance.”

Lu Fusheng reluctantly shut his mouth, though the resentment on his face was obvious.

“Xiao Jiang, come with me.”

Chief Wu turned to Jiang Xia, his voice softening.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Is this about my ‘special skill’?

Jiang Xia wondered as she got to her feet and followed him to the boiler room.

“When you solved that theft case, I already had a feeling this station wouldn’t be able to keep you.”

Chief Wu pulled out two small stools, handed one to Jiang Xia, and the two sat facing each other.

“I just didn’t expect it to happen this fast. I figured you’d at least stay here for six months, learn everything you needed to learn, and then move on. Instead, you’re leaving right in the middle of things.”

“You’re being transferred because of your talent for composite sketches, so you probably won’t have another mentor once you get to the Municipal Bureau.”

“You’ll have to rely on yourself from here on out.”

“Be smart.”

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

“The Municipal Bureau isn’t like a local station. There are more people, and the relationships are much more complicated. Once you get there, spend some time observing before you act. Don’t go around offending people the moment you arrive.”

“Otherwise, it’ll be very easy for someone to make your job difficult.”

“The captain of the First Investigation Team, Captain Tan, is a decent man. He was trained by one of my comrades from back in the day and worked his way up from an ordinary criminal investigator. Help him out whenever you can, and he’ll remember the favor. He’ll stand up for you and make things easier when he can.”

“Chen Dong… he’s all right too. At worst, he’ll trick you into taking on a bit more work, but he isn’t the type to smile to your face and stab you in the back. You can have a straightforward give-and-take relationship with him.”

“As for Captain Zhao’s Second Investigation Team, it’s newly established. I don’t know them very well, so just play it by the book. You can’t go wrong if you stick to official business.”

“And you don’t need to be on good terms with everyone in the bureau. That’s far too exhausting. Having four or five people who’ll speak up for you and lend you a hand is enough. After all, you’re making your career through your technical skills. That’s where your energy should go. Your expertise is what you’ll build your future on.”

Jiang Xia listened quietly to every piece of advice.

The more she listened, the more touched she felt.

For a young person from an ordinary family, arriving at a new workplace was like stepping into complete darkness. You had no idea how to conduct yourself. It was all too easy to believe whatever others told you. Only after suffering losses or being taken advantage of would you gradually realize what was happening—but by then, everyone’s impression of you had already been established, and it would be too late to change it.

Chief Wu, however, was painstakingly explaining everything to her, breaking it down into the smallest details. He was afraid she wouldn’t understand, afraid she wouldn’t know how to carry herself in her new workplace, afraid someone would mislead her and set her up.

Jiang Xia nodded earnestly.

“I’ll remember all of it, Master.”

“Mmm.”

Their time together had been brief, but she was still his apprentice.

Even though she’d given him plenty of headaches and frustrations along the way, now that she was leaving, Chief Wu found himself genuinely reluctant to let her go.

He gave a quiet acknowledgment before continuing.

“As for the Technical Division, I know a little about it. It was only established a couple of years ago. To be honest, it’s still a pretty makeshift operation.”

“There’s only one medical examiner who’s been at the bureau for more than ten years, and even he’s only half-competent. Once, he looked at wounds made by a dagger and insisted they’d been inflicted with a kitchen cleaver…”

As the memory resurfaced, Chief Wu couldn’t help recalling a particularly unpleasant case.

He paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“Forget it. Let’s not talk about him.”

“As for the trace evidence section, they’re practically invisible. I’ve never heard of them being particularly capable. The photographer’s decent enough, though—he handles everything himself, from taking crime scene photos to developing them. But that’s a different line of work from yours, so there won’t be any competition.”

“With your talent for composite sketches, I’d say you’ll have no trouble establishing yourself in the Technical Division. If nothing else, you’ll earn your place there—even if you don’t end up leading it.”

Mistaking a dagger wound for a cleaver wound?

The Technical Division is really that much of a patchwork outfit?

After hearing all this, Jiang Xia felt she’d truly had her eyes opened today.

Then again, the college entrance examination had only been reinstated a few years ago, and considering what things had been like before that…

On second thought, maybe it wasn’t surprising at all.

Jiang Xia pondered for a moment.

A makeshift team is perfect.

If everyone else’s skills are lacking, doesn’t that just give me more room to shine? Then I can “help” the trace evidence section—well, all right, maybe steal a little of their work—learn some forensic pathology, do some research… It’ll be much easier.

There was no way she was going to spend her entire career pigeonholed as nothing more than a composite sketch artist.

She wanted to become an all-round investigator.

…Wait.

Why does that somehow make me sound even more like an overworked corporate drone?

Nope, nope, nope!

“You don’t have to worry, Master.”

Jiang Xia hurriedly banished that thought and said, “I’m making my career through my technical skills. With my talent for composite sketches, I’ll definitely be able to establish myself.”

“I do have to worry!”

Chief Wu suddenly raised his voice.

His expression became extraordinarily complicated, as though it were made up of thirty percent irritation, thirty percent concern, and one hundred percent exasperation.

Speaking with heartfelt earnestness, he said,

“You’re the most restless troublemaker I’ve ever met. Just listen to me this once. The Municipal Bureau is full of people, and word travels fast. Don’t go stirring up anything beyond your sketching skills.”

“Just focus on drawing your composite sketches. When a major case comes along, pitch in, earn yourself some commendations, and bring those honors home. Wouldn’t that be something to be proud of?”

Ehhh…

Jiang Xia sighed inwardly.

There was nothing to be done.

Her master was from an older generation.

His way of thinking was simply too traditional.

There was no way he’d ever understand her little hobby.

That wasn’t really a problem, though.

Jiang Xia was a dutiful apprentice.

There was no harm in agreeing for now.

After all, once she was at the Municipal Bureau, she’d be far away from her master. Whatever trouble she got herself into there, her master back at the station would never know.

So she nodded obediently.

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll behave myself.”

“Heh.”

Chief Wu might not know everyone else, but he certainly knew what Jiang Xia was like.

He let out a cold laugh.

“I’m taking you at your word. Don’t you dare fool me.”

“I’ll be dropping by the Municipal Bureau to check on you regularly.”

“…Huh?”

Jiang Xia’s expression froze instantly.

She nearly failed to keep the smile on her face.

No way, Master…

That’s a little too haunting, don’t you think?!

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.23.2 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Pushing her flashlight aside to better illuminate the road ahead, Jiang Xia pedaled toward home.

She was in an excellent mood.

The case had been solved. The missing child had been rescued. The traffickers had been arrested. Her transfer to the Municipal Public Security Bureau was all but guaranteed, and she’d even be joining the Technical Division, where forensic trace examination was done. Three pieces of good news all at once.

The only downside was that her master would probably take it hard when she left. She’d have to find a way to cheer him up.

As for Lu Yixing, whom she’d teased earlier?

She’d simply been in a good mood and flirted with him on a whim. After all, he was handsome.

She didn’t give it another thought.

She arrived at the apartment building.

Looking up, Jiang Xia saw that most of the lights had already gone out. Only the light in her own home was still on, casting a warm, welcoming glow.

…

Early the next morning, Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Tan Bingyi hadn’t gone home at all the previous night.

He’d spent the entire night interrogating suspects and had obtained quite a few valuable leads.

But he was getting older, and an all-nighter had taken its toll. In the second half of the night, he’d grabbed an empty bunk in the bureau dormitory and caught a brief nap. As soon as dawn broke, figuring Deputy Chief Duan would be arriving for work soon, he hurried over to intercept him.

The Municipal Public Security Bureau occupied the former city government building, a three-story structure shared by all police departments. The first floor housed reception, the traffic police offices, and the personnel office. The Criminal Investigation Division, being the largest department, occupied the entire second floor.

At that moment, Tan Bingyi was positively beaming with confidence.

Solving a case in just eleven hours—who could top that?!

Granted, the greatest credit didn’t belong to him, and because he’d been delivering the composite sketch to the bus station, he hadn’t participated in the arrest. Still, he’d commanded the operation. Even if he was only sharing in the glory, it was enough to make him proud.

He practically strode with the wind at his back. Officers passing him on the stairs greeted him one after another.

“Morning, Captain Tan.”

“Morning, Captain Tan!”

“Morning, morning.”

“Captain Tan, you solved yesterday’s case incredibly fast.”

“Hahaha, just luck. Pure luck.”

Just as Tan Bingyi was modestly accepting the compliments, the door to the Technical Division office clicked open.

Section Chief Liao Zhongsheng stepped out.

Holding a teacup in one hand, he looked up and spotted Captain Tan, surprise flickering across his face.

“Captain Tan, you were interrogating suspects so late yesterday. Why not get some more rest? What brings you here this early?”

As he spoke, Liao Zhongsheng glanced in the direction Tan Bingyi was headed.

“Going to see Deputy Chief Duan?”

Tan Bingyi immediately went on guard.

If Old Fox Liao was asking questions, he definitely had an ulterior motive.

Could he be trying to pry information out of him about Jiang Xia?

“I got a few more leads from the interrogation, so I’m here to report to Deputy Chief Duan.”

His heart tightened, but he answered casually before countering, “What about you, Section Chief Liao? Where are you headed?”

“To wash my cup.”

Liao Zhongsheng gave the teacup in his hand a little shake.

“If you’ve got business, Captain Tan, I won’t keep you. See you around.”

With that, Liao Zhongsheng headed toward the restroom on his own.

He really had come out just to wash his cup?

Tan Bingyi paused in surprise. Seeing that Liao hadn’t asked any more questions, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried toward Deputy Chief Duan’s office.

He knocked on the door.

“Deputy Chief Duan isn’t here.”

A familiar voice came from inside.

“Just come in and wait.”

Tan Bingyi’s face instantly turned green. He shoved the door open, and sure enough—it was that bastard Zhao Zhenzhong from the Second Investigation Team!

Damn it. What was this mutt doing here waiting too?

Glowering at him, Tan Bingyi demanded, “What are you doing here?”

With his arms folded across his chest, Zhao Zhenzhong wore an expression that practically said, ‘What are you going to do about it?’

“The same thing you are.”

“You—!”

“What, me?” Zhao Zhenzhong cut him off, exposing him without mercy. “You know perfectly well how much of yesterday’s case was thanks to someone else.”

“Our team just happens to be one person short. Jiang Xia would be a perfect fit.”

“Zhao Zhenzhong, have you no shame?!”

Tan Bingyi exploded.

“Your team just got three new police academy graduates this year! One of them’s even a junior college graduate! You’ve already got plenty of fresh blood, so why are you still trying to steal people?”

‘Those three combined still couldn’t compare to a single Jiang Xia,’ Zhao Zhenzhong thought.

Following that line of reasoning, he said, “Exactly. Jiang Xia’s a police academy graduate too, isn’t she? That makes her an even better fit for our team.”

“That’s a ridiculous argument!”

“And you? You’re just trying to keep her all to yourself!”

The two men were already loud by nature. Now, locked in a heated confrontation, their voices only grew louder and louder.

Liao Zhongsheng, who had supposedly gone to wash his cup, came to a stop.

Tilting his head, he listened for a few moments before smiling faintly.

What’s the point of arguing like that?

Watch closely. I’ll only demonstrate the proper way to compete once.

Changing direction, he headed upstairs to the third floor.

This floor housed the offices of the bureau chief and deputy chiefs, the finance office, and the Narcotics Investigation Division.

Liao Zhongsheng walked up to the office of the head of the Narcotics Division and knocked lightly on the door.

A voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Liao Zhongsheng pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The head of the Narcotics Division was Gao Luoshan. At only thirty-five years old, he had already reached the rank of deputy section chief, making him one of the bureau’s rising stars. Few people envied him, however—the narcotics unit was one of the most dangerous assignments in the force, and officers were killed in the line of duty all too often.

He looked up in surprise at Liao Zhongsheng’s unexpected visit.

“Well, this is a rare guest.”

Gao Luoshan wasn’t one for formalities. Setting down his pen, he asked directly, “What wind blew Section Chief Liao into my office today?”

“The wind of composite sketches, of course.”

Liao Zhongsheng pulled out a chair, set down his teacup, casually grabbed Gao’s kettle, filled his own cup with hot water as though he were in his own office, then sat down.

“With all the commotion yesterday, don’t tell me you didn’t hear about it, Chief Gao?”

“The entire bureau’s motorcycles were requisitioned yesterday. How could I not know?”

Gao Luoshan smiled.

“But I doubt you came all the way here just to chat about that.”

“Of course not.”

Liao Zhongsheng took a folded composite sketch from his jacket pocket, spread it open, and laid it on the desk for Gao to examine.

“Take a look. This sketch was drawn solely from a witness’s verbal description, and it’s the spitting image of the trafficker. Just imagine how useful something like this would be for tracking down dr*g dealers.”

Gao Luoshan lowered his gaze to the sketch.

He had worked late the previous evening and had actually crossed paths with the trafficker. Looking at the portrait now, he had to admit Liao wasn’t exaggerating—it was astonishingly accurate. If it weren’t composed entirely of lines, he would have thought it was a photograph.

His interest was instantly piqued.

In the past, things had been much simpler. Most addicts grew their own poppies in secret and processed them into opium. As long as someone reported them, the police could usually catch them without much difficulty.

But things had changed over the past few years.

More and more narcotics were being smuggled in from overseas. Dealers distributed them through multiple layers of middlemen, making the network highly mobile. On top of that, they almost always used aliases during transactions, leaving the police with no knowledge of their real names, hometowns, or other identifying information. Investigating them was practically impossible.

Now, if they could have addicts describe their dealers and produce composite sketches, whether or not they immediately caught anyone, at least officers staking out the black market wouldn’t have to rely solely on vague verbal descriptions to identify suspects.

Even so…

After a moment of thought, Gao Luoshan still shook his head.

“Narcotics work is simply too dangerous. Their families are often targets for retaliation as well. I doubt she’d be willing to take that kind of job.”

Liao Zhongsheng’s expression remained unchanged.

Slowly and deliberately, he unfolded the real map he’d been hiding up his sleeve.

“What about our Technical Division?”

With a genial smile, Liao said, “Think about it. We may fall under the Criminal Investigation Division, but we’re all part of the same bureau. Whenever a department needs technical support, we’re the ones who provide it. If Jiang Xia joins the Technical Division, wouldn’t that make it much easier for her to draw composite sketches whenever they’re needed?”

“Hah! So that’s why an old fox like you came looking for me!”

Finally seeing the dagger behind Liao’s smile, Gao Luoshan slapped the desk.

“If you want to poach her, go talk to your Deputy Chief Duan. Why come to me?”

Liao let out a long sigh.

“Our Technical Division has only a handful of people. We’re the neglected child of the bureau—no one dotes on us. There’s no way we can outcompete them.”

That much was true.

China’s criminal forensic science was still in its formative stages. Local police departments had yet to develop particularly advanced investigative techniques.

Take the forensic pathology unit, for example.

Sun Guochang, the bureau’s medical examiner, had originally been an ordinary criminal investigator who’d taught himself autopsies after transferring into the role. His skills were mediocre at best. On one occasion, he had examined a body that had been dead for only five days and concluded it had been dead for half a month instead. The Criminal Investigation Division had berated him mercilessly over the blunder.

When your technical expertise wasn’t up to par—and even hindered investigations—it was only natural that both your superiors and your colleagues would be less than enthusiastic about your department.

Now that Liao Zhongsheng had finally found someone with exceptional technical talent, there was no way he was letting her slip away. Even if the Technical Division didn’t officially have a position for someone specializing in composite sketches, he’d bring her over first and sort out the details later.

By this point, Gao Luoshan understood exactly what the old fox was up to.

If Liao went directly to Deputy Chief Duan, there was no way he could outcompete Tan Bingyi and Zhao Zhenzhong. So he needed outside support.

Of course, Gao himself couldn’t make the decision—but he could report it to the deputy bureau chief.

Once the deputy bureau chief made the call, it wouldn’t matter how fiercely Tan Bingyi and Zhao Zhenzhong argued in front of Deputy Chief Duan. The matter would be settled.

To be honest, Gao Luoshan was tempted.

After all, the arrangement would benefit his division as well.

If the composite artist belonged to the Technical Division—which routinely provided technical support to other departments—requesting a sketch would simply be standard interdepartmental cooperation.

But if she belonged to another investigative team, every request would mean calling in a favor.

The Narcotics Division didn’t need composite sketches all that often, but not owing favors was still preferable to owing them.

Tempted as he was, however, Gao still didn’t agree.

This old fox was clearly asking him to put in the effort for something the Narcotics Division should have been entitled to anyway. Even when borrowing someone else’s ox to plow a field, you couldn’t work it that hard without giving the owner something in return.

If Liao wanted his help, he’d have to offer some tangible benefits.

Since Liao Zhongsheng couldn’t bypass the chain of command and report directly to higher-ups himself, Gao feigned ignorance. Spreading his hands, he said, “I can’t exactly go fight Deputy Chief Duan for you, can I?”

“Chief Gao, you’re already interested, so let’s stop dancing around the issue.”

Liao wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. He raised a hand and held up a number with his fingers.

“Our Technical Division has a batch of chemical reagents that can be used for dr*g testing. I’ll give you this many. How about it?”

Gao glanced at the gesture.

“Not enough.”

Liao lowered his hand. Instead of sweetening the offer, he simply asked, “Then what is it that you want?”

After a moment’s thought, Gao Luoshan said, “Our Narcotics Division has a standing need. She’ll have to handle our composite sketches first.”

“That’s out of the question.”

Liao shook his head immediately.

“If we do it your way, I won’t be able to survive in the Technical Division.”

Liao Zhongsheng waved his hand repeatedly.

“All right, let me think… I’ll give you ten priority slots for urgent sketch requests. How about that?”

“Too few. I want at least fifty.”

“Twelve at the absolute most. There aren’t that many dr*g dealers, and that’ll be enough to last you three years!”

“I don’t even know if I’ll still be here in three years. Twenty-five. Take it or leave it.”

“No. Fifteen at most. Otherwise, forget it.”

“Deal.”

The two men happily concluded their under-the-table agreement.

Taking the composite sketch with him, Gao Luoshan headed for the deputy bureau chief’s office.

Meanwhile, Liao Zhongsheng picked up his teacup and leisurely strolled back downstairs.

As he passed Deputy Chief Duan’s office, he heard the commotion coming from inside and smiled faintly.

‘Amateurs. You think you can compete with me? You don’t even know how the game is played.’

Without sparing another glance for the two defeated rivals inside, Liao thought of Jiang Xia.

She was destined to become the Technical Division’s star.

She had to be treated accordingly.

Hmm… I’d better ask around and find out what she likes. That way I can make arrangements in advance.

…

Inside the office of the Criminal Investigation Division chief.

Division Chief Duan Guoqiang had already arrived.

He hadn’t even had time to sit down and catch his breath before the two squad leaders started arguing in front of him.

Zhao Zhenzhong argued his case logically.

“Chief Duan, the officers in the First Squad are all getting on in years. Jiang Xia’s young—she won’t fit in over there. Our squad has plenty of young officers, and they’re all police academy graduates. She wouldn’t need any adjustment period and could jump right in. Just transfer her to our squad.”

“Bullshit! With that many young officers, can you even manage them all?”

Tan Bingyi shot back immediately.

“Chief Duan, this year’s police academy graduates all went to their squad. It’s only fair that we get one this time, isn’t it? Besides, Jiang Xia and I just worked together on that trafficking case. You’ve seen the results yourself—we caught the traffickers in just eleven hours. She’s clearly a better fit for our squad.”

Listening to the two men bicker, Duan Guoqiang felt a headache coming on.

The decision to transfer Jiang Xia had already been made.

Her composite sketches were simply too good. There was no reason to keep her at a local police station handling trivial neighborhood disputes. Bringing her to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, where she could contribute to more important cases, was the obvious choice.

But there was no need to rush.

She had just wrapped up a major case. Waiting another couple of days before transferring her wouldn’t have made any difference.

Who would have thought these two wouldn’t even give him time to drink a glass of water before showing up to fight over her?

The problem was, both captains were his trusted subordinates.

There was only one Jiang Xia. How was he supposed to divide her between them?

The two men continued arguing while Duan Guoqiang nursed a growing headache, wondering how he should settle the matter.

Just then, the office phone rang.

He raised a hand, signaling them to quiet down, and picked up the receiver.

“Hello, Director Lin. You’ve heard about Jiang Xia too? Yes, yes, we’re discussing it right now…”

As he listened, his brow furrowed at first before quickly relaxing.

“Oh… the Technical Division? No problem. No problem at all. Understood. I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Come to think of it, the Technical Division really was the ideal solution.

She could still assist both investigative teams whenever needed, and they wouldn’t have to keep fighting over her.

Duan Guoqiang hung up the phone, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“No need to argue anymore. Director Lin just called. Jiang Xia is being assigned to the Technical Division. If either of your teams needs her in the future, just request her assistance.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

The announcement left both Tan Bingyi and Zhao Zhenzhong stunned. They stared at one another in disbelief.

Why would Director Lin suddenly specify that Jiang Xia be assigned to the Technical Division?

In an instant, Tan Bingyi pictured Liao Zhongsheng’s crafty face.

His expression cycled through red and green.

This has to be his doing!

Damn it! I thought that old fox wasn’t making a move, so here I was, arguing with Zhao Zhenzhong until we were both red in the face. Meanwhile, he wasn’t even playing the same game—he went straight for the home base!

That damned old fox… I’m going to skin him alive!

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.23.1 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

The railway police were taking things relatively easy, but the plainclothes officer inside was cursing under his breath.

The passengers who had rushed in afterward couldn’t see what was happening. They were throwing punches at anyone in front of them without discrimination—and he’d gotten hit too!

Pinching his nose, the plainclothes officer shouted, “Police! I’m a police officer!” It took considerable effort before he finally managed to drag the trafficker out of the mob before the man was beaten to death and lock him inside a room.

Meanwhile, the passengers had already pulled all the children out of the sacks.

They shook them gently, but none of the children would wake up. Panic immediately spread through the crowd. Thankfully, the children were still breathing, so someone quickly called for an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived in no time.

The emergency medical staff immediately began examining the children.

Seeing that one of the medics wasn’t occupied, the plainclothes officer hurried over.

“Doctor, could you take a look at the trafficker too? He got beaten pretty badly just now. I’m worried he might have internal injuries. If he dies before we can interrogate him, we’ll never find out where the other kidnapped children were taken.”

The medic looked reluctant, but eventually nodded.

“All right.”

He followed the officer to the holding room.

After the savage beating, Zhou Dazhu was in a pitiful state.

Blood dripped steadily from his nose. Several fresh scratches from fingernails marred his face. His lips and eye sockets were swollen and bruised. His back and legs were covered in bruises and scraped skin, with thin trickles of blood slowly seeping out.

The medic gave him a thorough examination.

“Nothing serious. They’re all superficial injuries. Disinfect the wounds and wrap them up a bit—that’ll do.”

He paused slightly, as if remembering something, then said with a perfectly straight face,

“As it happens, there’s half a bottle of rubbing alcohol left in the ambulance. I’ll give it to you. Come with me and get it.”

The plainclothes officer fell silent for a moment.

Disinfecting the wounds with alcohol…

He sucked in a sharp breath.

This doctor clearly hated human traffickers as much as he did.

And for a trafficker? He wholeheartedly approved.

A smile spread across the officer’s face as he followed the medic to retrieve the alcohol. But the moment he brought it back, one of his fellow officers snatched it right out of his hands.

Grinning with unmistakable ill intent, the man declared,

“I got the highest marks in medical training. Let me disinfect his wounds!”

A railway police officer immediately grabbed for the bottle as well.

“No way! I’m the unit medic—I’m doing it!”

Unable to stop them, the plainclothes officer could only mediate.

“What’s the rush? There’s still half a bottle left. We’ll take turns. Everyone gets a chance to disinfect him.”

“Ha! Now that’s a great idea!”

A few minutes later, agonized screams like a pig being slaughtered echoed from the room, coming in wave after wave.

…

More than half an hour later, Tan Bingyi arrived with his team to transfer custody of the trafficker to the railway police.

The trafficker’s face had swollen into a pig’s head, but Tan acted as though he saw nothing. He simply thanked the railway police repeatedly.

For scum like this, the important thing was that he had been caught alive. There was no need to ask about anything else.

Besides, when it came time for their own interrogation, they would probably have to get a little “hands-on” themselves.

But even though the trafficker had been caught, the matter wasn’t over yet.

There was still a mountain of follow-up work.

Back then, there were no cell phones. You couldn’t just send a group message to notify everyone at once. Phone calls had to be made one by one, and landlines couldn’t solve the “last mile” problem. If the person wasn’t sitting beside the phone, someone had to be sent to find them in person.

The children’s parents, Jiang Xia who was still drawing the portraits, the printing factory that was still producing them, the traffic police and local officers stationed at every intersection…

Every one of them had to be informed.

The work was tedious, but Captain Tan couldn’t have been happier doing it. As he made each phone call, the grin on his face stretched almost from ear to ear.

The printing factory.

Night had already fallen.

Most of the workers had gone home, but more than a dozen people had volunteered—well, practically fought for the chance—to stay behind and continue the emergency printing of the children’s portraits.

Every face was etched with solemn determination.

Their eyes remained fixed on the printing machine while their hands never stopped moving.

No one knew what condition the three kidnapped children were in. They couldn’t help with the search itself, so the only thing they could do was print as many portraits as possible. Even if it increased the chances of finding the children by only one ten-thousandth, it would still be worth it.

“Good news! Great news! All three children have been found!”

In the middle of the frantic work, Section Chief Ye burst into the workshop like a whirlwind and shouted,

“The trafficker’s been caught too! Everyone can stop and get some rest!”

The printing workshop suddenly fell silent.

Only the rhythmic clanking of the presses continued to echo through the room.

Three or four full seconds passed before someone finally came to their senses.

“The children have been found?”

“That’s wonderful! They made it home!”

The workers in the shop erupted into cheers, every face beaming with excitement.

A younger female worker let out a long sigh of relief.

“Oh my God, I was so nervous! I kept worrying they wouldn’t find the children.”

“No need to worry now. They caught the trafficker too. Maybe in a while we’ll even get to watch his execution.”

Section Chief Ye was smiling just as broadly. With a sweeping gesture of his hand, he announced,

“Everyone’s worked hard today. Come on, let’s head to the cafeteria. My treat! We’ll celebrate with a meal before heading home.”

“Way to go, Chief!”

The younger workers cheered once more.

They shut down the presses and walked out together, chatting and laughing.

Master Liu, who had been waiting to continue carving the printing blocks, slowly rose to his feet.

Instead of leaving, he carefully stacked the three original portrait drawings together and slipped them into the notebook he never let anyone else see.

“Master Liu.”

Watching him, Section Chief Ye asked curiously,

“The children have already been found. Why are you taking those portraits with you?”

“What do you know?”

As Master Liu tucked the notebook into his shoulder bag, he replied,

“These sketches are exquisite. One stroke too many would make them difficult to carve; one stroke too few and the likeness would be lost. The proportions are spot-on, and the spirit of each child practically leaps off the page. Even if the artist isn’t already a master, they’d need at least thirty years of experience to produce work like this. I’m taking them home so I can study them properly.”

He clicked his tongue.

“I wonder who drew these three portraits. I’ve never heard of anyone this talented in our city. Think you could get in touch with the artist? I’d love to ask for some pointers.”

“Oh.”

Section Chief Ye finally understood.

With a grin, he said,

“That won’t be hard. Once things settle down in a couple of days, I’ll ask Captain Tan about it. If I find out who it is, I’ll come back and let you know.”

Master Liu immediately brightened.

“It’s a promise, then. Don’t you go forgetting!”

…

Niushi Street.

Night had fully fallen.

A thin crescent moon hung in the sky, looking no brighter than the scattered stars beneath the glow of the streetlights.

Inside the neighborhood committee office, Auntie Wang sat in her chair with a thoroughly disgruntled expression.

Auntie Wang sat there looking utterly miserable.

All she’d wanted was to rent out a room to earn a little extra money for the household.

How on earth had she ended up renting it to a human trafficker?!

Meanwhile, Jiang Xia was using a mimeograph machine to print more copies of the portraits.

That afternoon, after Chief Wu had confirmed the male trafficker’s physical features, he followed the trail all the way to the house the traffickers had rented. Unfortunately, too much time had been lost questioning people along the way. By the time they arrived, the traffickers had already fled.

With no other choice, Chief Wu first reported the situation to Tan Bingyi before continuing the pursuit.

By then, Jiang Xia had already finished carving the printing plate for the female trafficker’s portrait. Coincidentally, Chen Dong and Lu Yixing had both just returned on their bicycles.

Captain Tan immediately arranged for Lu Yixing to accompany Jiang Xia to Niushi Street to draw the male trafficker’s portrait. Chen Dong stayed behind at Dragon King Temple to handle the remaining work, while Captain Tan commandeered a motorcycle and rushed the freshly printed portraits to the train station and the long-distance bus station.

Jiang Xia couldn’t bring herself to expose Captain Tan’s little scheme.

He just wanted to be the one making the arrest!

Well…

She wanted that too.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she could do in the field, so all she could do was come here and keep drawing.

Jiang Xia estimated the time and glanced at the clock.

By all rights, the trafficker should have been caught by now.

So why hadn’t any news come in?

Could something have gone wrong?

As the saying went, speak of the devil… Just as Jiang Xia was growing increasingly anxious, the phone at the neighborhood committee office rang.

The committee director, who was still working late, picked up the receiver. After listening for a moment, he looked up.

“Jiang Xia, it’s for you.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

She was filled with equal parts anticipation and dread.

Please don’t let it be bad news…

She hurried over and picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, Tan Bingyi. Took forever to find the number for the Niushi Street office.”

Captain Tan grumbled briefly before his voice turned bright with excitement.

“Xiao Jiang, thanks to you, we’ve caught the trafficker and rescued the children. You don’t need to keep working now—you can head home and get some rest!”

“That’s wonderful news!”

With everything finally settled, the weight on Jiang Xia’s chest at last lifted.

She let out a long sigh of relief before asking,

“How are the children?”

“They’re still unconscious, but don’t worry—they’ve already been taken to the hospital. The doctors say they’re fine. They were just knocked out with ether and should wake up sometime after midnight.”

Tan Bingyi replied,

“I’ve already sent people to notify their parents. They should be at the hospital before long.”

“Good. That’s wonderful.”

Jiang Xia smiled. After a brief pause, she added, even though she knew Captain Tan was already aware of it,

“Captain Tan, those two traffickers were far too experienced. There’s no way this was their first time. Make sure you interrogate them thoroughly.”

“Don’t worry.”

Tan Bingyi laughed heartily.

“We’re planning to question them overnight. We’ll use whatever methods are necessary to pry some answers out of them. Otherwise, wouldn’t this whole operation have been a wasted trip?”

That finally put Jiang Xia’s mind at ease.

Investigative techniques in those days might not have been especially advanced, but when it came to “interrogation,” they certainly had their own tried-and-true methods.

Those two traffickers were about to receive a very… memorable welcome.

After chatting for another minute or two, Jiang Xia hung up the phone.

A wave of exhaustion immediately washed over her.

She slumped into her chair, and only one thought remained in her mind.

Finally… I’m off work.

After resting for a couple of minutes, Jiang Xia pulled herself together.

More than a dozen freshly printed portraits lay on the table in front of her. The ink hadn’t dried yet, but she didn’t care. She stacked them all together and stuffed them into her bag.

They were no longer needed for the search, but they could still be taken back to the station and used as toilet paper.

The only problem was that she had no idea where to return the mimeograph machine.

“The mimeograph was borrowed from Hongxing Commune.”

Seeing Jiang Xia staring at the machine, Lu Yixing immediately understood what she was thinking.

“I’ll take it with me. It’ll be easier for me to return it tomorrow.”

What a considerate teammate.

That saved her another trip.

“Thanks a lot.”

Jiang Xia wiped the ink from her hands with a handkerchief.

“How about you wheel your bike over here? I’ll help tie it on for you.”

“Sounds good.”

Lu Yixing wheeled his bicycle to the doorway while Jiang Xia helped carry the mimeograph machine outside. Using the light spilling from the office, she secured it tightly to the rear rack with a length of rope.

As she worked, Lu Yixing looked up into the distance.

The city’s power supply wasn’t particularly reliable. Only the main streets had functioning streetlights. Tonight was a new moon, with barely any moonlight to speak of. Looking out, all he could see was a sea of darkness filled with jagged, dancing shadows.

Turning back, he glanced at Jiang Xia.

“Comrade Jiang, you live near Zhouying Police Station, right?”

“That’s right.”

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow.

“Something up?”

“My route home happens to go that way,” Lu Yixing said. “It’s pretty dark tonight, and it’s not exactly safe to walk alone. Want to head back together?”

“Sure. I happened to bring a flashlight.”

Smiling, Jiang Xia climbed onto her bicycle. She pulled a flashlight from her bag and clipped it onto the bracket at the front of the bike before saying casually,

“If you want to escort me home, you can just say so. No need to be so subtle.”

Lu Yixing was momentarily speechless.

She really is refreshingly straightforward.

“I guess I was overthinking it.”

Once Jiang Xia had everything ready, he mounted his bicycle. After saying goodbye to the director of the neighborhood committee office, they rode off together.

As they pedaled, he said,

“We’ve been busy all day, and I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Lu Yixing, a detective with the First Criminal Investigation Squad of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. I joined the force last year. What about you?”

“Jiang Xia.”

Since the ride would be long enough, a little conversation would help pass the time. She introduced herself as well.

“I’m a public security officer with Zhouying Police Station. I was just assigned there less than a month ago, though all I’ve done so far is paperwork around the station.”

Riding a little behind him, Jiang Xia could only see his profile.

Even while cycling, his back remained perfectly straight—a posture that practically screamed military training.

The evening was warm, so he’d long since taken off his jacket and tossed it into the bicycle basket. He wore only a sleeveless undershirt, revealing a lean, well-defined waist with faint lines of muscle.

This guy definitely has an eight-pack.

The thought flashed through Jiang Xia’s mind.

“And solving cases too, right?”

Looking ahead, Lu Yixing spoke with a faint smile on his lips. Beneath the brim of his police cap, his handsome features seemed almost too eye-catching.

“I’ve heard Brother Chen mention you several times. He said you’re exceptionally good at reading footprints and cracking cases. But I never expected you could also draw suspect portraits—and draw them this accurately. In the right situation, that’s an incredibly valuable skill.”

He paused before asking,

“Have you ever thought about using that ability to do something even more important?”

There’s definitely something behind that question.

Jiang Xia’s interest was piqued.

“For example?”

“For example… joining the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division.”

Jiang Xia shot him a half-smiling look.

Are we even that familiar? And you’re already asking me this?

Is this your idea… or did Captain Tan put you up to it?

She couldn’t tell.

Remaining relaxed, she answered with the safest response possible.

“I’ll follow whatever assignment my superiors give me.”

“Then your superiors will probably transfer you very soon.”

Without pressing the issue, Lu Yixing simply stated it as a certainty before changing the subject to introduce his squad.

“You’ve already met Captain Tan from the First Squad. He really values people with technical expertise. Brother Chen is there too—you already know him. If you joined us, everyone would welcome you with open arms.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly changed his tune.

“Though personally, I don’t think you’ll end up in the First Squad.”

The turn was so sudden it nearly gave Jiang Xia whiplash.

A moment ago she’d been convinced Lu Yixing was acting as Captain Tan’s lobbyist, taking advantage of the rapport they’d built during today’s operation to persuade her to join the First Squad.

Now he was rejecting the idea himself?

Curiosity thoroughly aroused, Jiang Xia rounded a corner and asked,

“Why not?”

“Because your portrait-drawing skills are just too good.”

He smiled.

“Every department could make use of someone like you. The First Squad definitely won’t be the only one trying to recruit you.”

Lu Yixing chuckled.

“Besides the First Criminal Investigation Squad, there’s the Second Squad, the Narcotics Division, the Forensics Department… they’ll all want to get in on the action. When the time comes, they might even start fighting over you.”

It was obviously an exaggeration.

Still, it was hard not to enjoy hearing it.

Jiang Xia burst into laughter.

“I’m not that capable.”

Then she teased,

“But if they really do end up fighting over me, make sure you let me know.”

“Haha, deal.”

Lu Yixing laughed and readily agreed before adding,

“Personally, though, I think there’s a good chance you’ll end up in the Forensics Department.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the newly transferred Section Chief Liao is famous for poaching talented people. And what you do fits squarely under technical work.”

He continued,

“The Forensics Department is actually a pretty nice place. There are only six people there: Section Chief Liao, a medical examiner, a trace evidence examiner, and a crime scene photographer. The first two each have an apprentice. The atmosphere’s good, and the workload isn’t too heavy. They do go out to crime scenes, but they don’t have to participate in arrests, so it’s nowhere near as exhausting as criminal investigations.”

Solving cases certainly sounded exciting.

But working criminal investigations was undeniably grueling. Whenever a major case came down with a deadline from higher-ups, detectives could end up working around the clock for ten days or even half a month without setting foot back home.

As much as Jiang Xia enjoyed solving crimes, she’d rather be in a position with a more reasonable workload.

If that was the case…

The Forensics Department really did sound like a good fit.

Especially since it had a trace evidence examiner.

A trace examiner!

Maybe her lock-picking skills would finally have a chance to see the light of day.

Deep down, she really did have a bit of a rebellious streak.

The more times she’d failed before, the more determined she’d become.

One day…

One day I’m going to pick locks openly and legally inside a police station!

Jiang Xia silently renewed that vow.

The entrance to Zhouying Police Station slipped past in a flash.

She glanced at Lu Yixing and teased,

“Officer Lu, aren’t you with the First Criminal Investigation Squad? Then why have you been talking up the Forensics Department this whole time? Aren’t you worried Captain Tan will get mad if he finds out?”

“Not at all.”

Lu Yixing smiled.

“I’m just getting on your good side ahead of time.”

After spending the entire day together, Lu Yixing had gotten a fairly good read on Jiang Xia’s personality.

She was straightforward.

So instead of beating around the bush, he spoke plainly.

“Our captain definitely isn’t going to win this recruiting battle. So I figured I’d better build some goodwill while we’ve just met. That way, if I ever need you to draw a suspect portrait after you join the Forensics Department, it’ll be a lot easier to ask for your help.”

Oh? That’s refreshingly honest.

Portrait sketches were time-sensitive—the sooner they were completed, the better.

And the Forensics Department provided technical support not only to the Criminal Investigation Division, but also to the Narcotics Division, Traffic Police, and other departments. Requests would inevitably pile up in a queue, so having a good relationship with the artist could make all the difference.

Who knew? Maybe she’d move his request to the front of the line.

It was a small calculation, but not an annoying one.

Especially since everything he was telling her was information she didn’t know and had no one else to ask.

Still…

Jiang Xia let her gaze linger on his profile for a few seconds.

Then, with a mischievous smile, she teased,

“Why bother building goodwill in advance? You’re so handsome—you can just come ask me directly.”

Lu Yixing froze.

Almost instinctively, he squeezed the brake levers and brought his bicycle to a stop.

“The place up ahead is my house. You don’t have to escort me any farther.”

Jiang Xia’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Still grinning, she waved cheerfully at the now-stationary Lu Yixing.

“Bye-bye.”

Watching her ride away, Lu Yixing fell silent.

…Did she just flirt with me?

Handsome…

The tips of his ears slowly turned red.

He held it in for as long as he could, then, after making sure no one was around, finally muttered,

“…What a shameless flirt.”

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.22 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Earlier that day…

Hongxing Restaurant, Downtown

It was a small, community-run restaurant. The place itself wasn’t large, but because customers didn’t need ration coupons to buy meals there, business was always brisk.

Sister Fang deliberately chose a table near the entrance, where she had a clear view of the outside. Any unusual movement beyond the door would immediately catch her eye.

She was an exceptionally cautious woman.

It was a lesson the Old Lame Man—the one who had brought her into the trade—had paid for with his life.

She had originally been an ordinary farm woman, scraping a living from poor land that yielded next to nothing. No matter how hard she worked, the harvests were pitiful. She was always hungry, so hungry that her eyes seemed to glow green with starvation.

One day, an old lame beggar wandered into the village looking for food.

She gave him half a steamed bun.

In return, he told her, “Come work with me. You’ll never go hungry again.”

She thought about it for a day.

Then she left with him.

When she left, she also took two children from the village.

After selling them, she ate the first full meal of her life.

This line of work was good.

She could eat her fill, eat well, and even save a considerable amount of money.

The only downside was the danger.

The Old Lame Man’s crippled leg had come from being caught abd*cting a child and beaten by an angry mob. Later, he had been beaten to death right in front of her.

From that day onward, Sister Fang became extraordinarily cautious.

She learned how to recognize police officers, how to shake off anyone following her, and how to obtain sedatives through underworld contacts to keep children asleep…

By being meticulous every step of the way, she had been trafficking children for more than ten years without ever being caught.

She took considerable pride in that record.

Today’s haul had been a good one.

In high spirits, she brought along her lover, Zhou Dazhu, to enjoy a meal at the restaurant.

She ordered two dishes and ate leisurely, all the while calculating how many more children she would have to sell before she’d saved enough money to retire and return to her hometown.

She had already worked out the story she’d tell everyone.

She would claim that she herself had once been trafficked away, and that now, having grown older and no longer being wanted, she had finally managed to escape and come home.

Of course, returning alone wouldn’t do.

It would be best to bring a child back with her—around three years old would be ideal. A child that young wouldn’t remember anything and wouldn’t be too troublesome to care for. By the time the child grew up, they could take care of her in her old age.

Lost in her thoughts of the future, Sister Fang suddenly noticed groups of police officers hurrying past the restaurant one after another.

And they were all heading in the direction she and Zhou Dazhu had come from.

“Sis…”

Since they were engaged in a criminal business, the sight of so many police officers immediately made Zhou Dazhu uneasy. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his voice.

“They’re moving a lot faster than last time. You don’t think we’re in trouble, do you?”

Sister Fang shot him a sideways glance.

“What? Scared?”

Zhou Dazhu lowered his head sheepishly.

Who wouldn’t be?

“Hmph.”

Sister Fang looked down on his cowardice.

Still, he was obedient and strong enough to be useful, so she could make do with him.

“Hurry up and eat,” she said. “After we’re done, we’ll go take a look. If anything seems off, we’ll leave immediately.”

Seeing how calm Sister Fang remained, Zhou Dazhu relaxed considerably and hurriedly shoveled food into his mouth.

Sister Fang also picked up her pace. After finishing the stir-fried pork with chili peppers, she used her steamed bun to wipe every last bit of sauce from the plate, eating it all until the dish looked as though it had just been washed.

Only then did she stop.

She had known hunger too well in her life. She couldn’t bear to leave food uneaten.

After the meal, Sister Fang deliberately bought some pastries from the shop next door so they would look like a couple visiting relatives. Then she had Zhou Dazhu pedal them toward Dragon King Temple.

They were outsiders. After arriving in the city, they had rented a bicycle from their landlord under the pretense of looking for relatives, using it to roam all over the area and familiarize themselves with the roads.

After learning that Dragon King Temple hosted a market fair, they had gone out of their way to travel every route in the vicinity.

Along the way, Sister Fang deliberately had Zhou Dazhu take a different road.

By then, the market had long since dispersed, and there were few people left on the road.

After riding for a while, they soon came upon a checkpoint.

Seeing what appeared to be an ordinary married couple on a bicycle with nothing suspicious loaded onto it, the traffic officer conducting inspections relaxed a little. He simply raised a hand to signal them to stop.

“Comrade, please stop for a routine inspection.”

Zhou Dazhu brought the bicycle to a halt.

Zhou Dazhu spoke with an obvious out-of-town accent, which would immediately arouse suspicion if he opened his mouth. Well-practiced in playing the timid fool, he kept his head lowered and said nothing.

Instead, Sister Fang craned her neck and, in fluent local dialect that was almost indistinguishable from that of a native, asked curiously,

“Comrade, what’s going on? Why are you checking people at the roadside?”

“What else? Those damned child traffickers!” the traffic officer said with obvious irritation. “They kidnapped three children! If I get my hands on those bastards, I’ll shoot them myself. Thanks to them, I haven’t even had a chance to eat lunch!”

Hearing that, the corners of Sister Fang’s mouth curled upward ever so slightly, so subtly that no one could notice.

A surge of satisfaction welled up inside her at having fooled the police.

Talk is cheap.

She, the trafficker they were looking for, was standing right in front of him, and he hadn’t recognized her at all.

Useless fools, she thought. They can put on a big show, but they’ll never catch me.

Her guard lowered, and she was just about to leave when she suddenly spotted a man in an olive-green uniform riding toward the checkpoint.

Breathing heavily, he stopped his bicycle, pulled a sheet of paper from his shoulder bag, and handed it to the traffic officer.

“Comrade, these are portraits of the three missing children. If you come across anyone traveling with children, compare them against these.”

The instant those words were spoken, Zhou Dazhu’s hands trembled on the handlebars.

A storm of shock erupted in Sister Fang’s heart.

She stole a glance at the paper.

The portraits were astonishingly accurate—identical to the three children they had abd*cted.

Her expression immediately darkened.

How could something like this exist?!

This was bad.

Very bad.

She had been carrying the children around in public. It was impossible that no one had seen them. If the police used these portraits to search, it wouldn’t take long before they traced the children back to the place they were staying.

The police here are no pushovers. We can’t stay any longer.

We have to get out. Immediately.

Having made up her mind, Sister Fang patted her pocket, then suddenly cried out,

“Oh no! I forgot my money pouch! Why didn’t you remind me?”

She smacked Zhou Dazhu on the back in annoyance and urged,

“What are you waiting for? Hurry back and get it!”

“Oh… right… right.”

Only then did Zhou Dazhu snap out of his daze.

He quickly turned the bicycle around and pedaled back the way they had come as fast as he could.

As soon as they returned to their lodging, Sister Fang immediately began packing.

“Damn it. Tough luck. Those three little brats had actually been photographed.”

She picked out a pair of gray trousers with conspicuous patches and changed into them. Then she selected an outfit Zhou Dazhu had never worn before. As she folded their other clothes together and tied them into a bundle, she said,

“I don’t know who drew those portraits, but even the traffic cops at the checkpoints have copies. There must be plenty of them. They might come searching around here sooner or later. Our identities won’t stand up to scrutiny. Get changed—we’re leaving immediately.”

Still breathing heavily from the ride back, Zhou Dazhu looked worried. Pointing beneath the bed, he asked,

“What about the three goods?”

The “goods” were the three children they had just abd*cted.

At the question, Sister Fang paused and fell silent.

The portraits she’d just seen flashed through her mind again.

She knew perfectly well that if they wanted to get away as quickly as possible, they shouldn’t take the merchandise with them.

But the thought made her heart ache as though someone were carving flesh from her body.

They had already spent quite a bit of money lingering here. They couldn’t just leave empty-handed.

That would be too great a loss.

After gritting her teeth, Sister Fang made her decision.

“We’re taking them.”

“I saw the police still concentrating their search around Dragon King Temple. They shouldn’t make it here that quickly. Pack up the merchandise, and we’ll head straight to the train station to buy tickets and get out.”

“All right.”

Without wasting any time, Zhou Dazhu moved the luggage aside and dragged the three unconscious children out from beneath the bed.

Their arms had been twisted behind their backs and tied together. Their feet were bound as well, and strips of cloth had been stuffed into their mouths.

They no longer looked like children at all.

They looked like cargo.

“Wait. Don’t pack them up yet.”

Sister Fang stopped him.

She took a small medicine bottle from her handbag along with a handkerchief. Estimating the dosage based on the elapsed time and the dr*g’s effects, she poured a little of the liquid onto the cloth and pressed it over each child’s nose and mouth in turn.

“Now they won’t wake up until tomorrow.”

Stepping back, she gave her instructions.

“I’ll carry the good-looking one on my back. Put the two skinnier ones into the sack. Stuff plenty of straw around them, then cover them with a couple of pieces of clothing. Pack them carefully.”

After a brief pause, she added coldly,

“Just don’t let them suffocate.”

“Got it.”

Zhou Dazhu acknowledged her instructions and quickly packed the three children separately before changing into a different set of clothes.

The outfit was a worker’s uniform. The elbows were patched, the fabric was faded from countless washings, and traces of dirt still clung to it. Once he put it on, he looked no different from an ordinary laborer.

After taking out their forged letters of introduction, Sister Fang slung the bundle over her shoulder, picked up the sack, and urged,

“Let’s go.”

As she stepped out the door, she turned back for one last look, resentment filling her heart.

How could the police have moved so fast?

The pair didn’t dare linger. They hurried to the nearby bus stop.

While they were waiting, another traffic officer sped past on a motorcycle. Riding behind him was a man holding a thick stack of papers.

Sister Fang’s heart skipped a beat.

Damn… Good thing we left when we did!

With motorcycles, distributing a portrait would only take minutes.

In another two or three hours, the police would probably be searching their lodging.

And at this rate…

The train station might already have the portraits by now.

Sister Fang took a deep breath.

It’s fine.

The children are hidden inside the sacks now. They can’t be seen, so no one will pay any attention to us.

Not only can we get away—we’ll take the merchandise with us as well.

The bus arrived.

The two bought tickets and rode it to the train station without exchanging a single word.

The sun was sinking in the west, stretching the shadows of the trees and the people across the ground. Even so, the station remained crowded, with a constant stream of travelers coming and going.

There was one noticeable difference from before.

Two police officers now stood at the station entrance.

Each held a portrait in hand, their sharp eyes fixed on every passenger entering the station while carrying a child.

Sister Fang carefully observed them for a while. After confirming that they weren’t inspecting anyone’s luggage, she finally walked forward.

That makes sense, she thought.

There were far too many travelers here, and most of them were carrying bags or bundles. It would be impossible to unpack every single one. Doing so would waste an enormous amount of time, and some passengers might even miss their trains.

She cautiously walked past the officers.

When she was certain she hadn’t attracted their attention, the knot in her chest finally loosened.

Her confidence began to return.

Several police officers were stationed inside the waiting hall as well, each holding a portrait. Many of the waiting passengers were quietly discussing the case.

But Sister Fang was no longer afraid.

Pointing to an open spot near the crowd, she said to Zhou Dazhu,

“Wait here. I’ll go buy the tickets.”

With that, she calmly walked to the back of the ticket line as though nothing were amiss.

She had already figured it out.

The police were only using the portraits to look for the missing children. There was no way they could connect the search to her.

All she had to do now was buy the tickets, board the train, and they’d be gone.

The line in front of her grew shorter and shorter.

Her heartbeat quickened.

The thrill of escaping from a tightening police dragnet filled her with excitement.

What a bunch of idiots.

Another customer bought their ticket.

Now it was her turn.

Inside Ticket Window No. 1, the ticket clerk was writing something with her head lowered. Without looking up, she asked casually,

“How many tickets? And where to?”

Sister Fang swallowed.

“Two tickets. To Lin County.”

A woman’s voice.

The ticket clerk’s head snapped up immediately.

Half an hour earlier, the station management had gathered all the ticket clerks and assigned them a special task: watch for a female child trafficker. Each of them had even been given a portrait.

She had been working all day and was already exhausted, but the moment she heard about the assignment, all her fatigue vanished.

This was a chance to catch a child trafficker!

Her eyes repeatedly swept over the woman standing before her.

Then they suddenly narrowed.

This woman…

She looked remarkably similar to the trafficker in the portrait.

The clerk hurriedly compared her face against the portrait hidden beneath the counter.

There was no mistake.

It was her.

The trafficker had actually come to the train station!

Remembering the instructions her supervisor had repeatedly emphasized, the ticket clerk suppressed her excitement and said in an even voice,

“May I see your letter of introduction, please?”

For some reason, Sister Fang felt that something wasn’t quite right.

She couldn’t put her finger on it.

After hesitating for a moment, she still handed the forged letter of introduction through the ticket window.

The instant it crossed the counter, the ticket clerk grabbed hold of her wrist.

At the top of her lungs, she screamed,

“Child trafficker! The trafficker from the portrait is here! Police! Hurry over and arrest her!”

Sister Fang felt as though she’d been struck by lightning.

No… How did they recognize me?!

“What trafficker? I’m not one! You’ve got the wrong person! Let go of me!”

She desperately tried to yank her hand free.

She wanted to run.

Run as far away as possible.

But the ticket clerk had an iron grip on her wrist, refusing to let go no matter how hard she struggled.

The instant they heard the shout, the police officers stationed in the waiting hall rushed over and pinned her to the floor.

Even with her face pressed against the cold ground, Sister Fang still couldn’t understand how she’d been identified.

But there was one thing she understood with perfect clarity.

It was over.

She was truly finished.

…

The ticket clerk’s shout echoed through the waiting hall, instantly drawing the attention of countless passengers.

One traveler who had noticed Sister Fang earlier immediately exclaimed,

“A child trafficker? There was a man with her just now. Is he her accomplice?”

Another passenger asked in surprise,

“There’s another trafficker? Where?”

The moment Zhou Dazhu saw Sister Fang being arrested, his mind went completely blank.

Only one thought remained.

Run.

He spun around, abandoned the luggage, and sprinted toward the station entrance, completely forgetting that two police officers were standing guard outside.

Ironically, if he hadn’t run, the passengers might have taken a while to spot him.

The moment he bolted, however, everyone noticed.

“That man’s running for the exit! Catch him!”

A passenger shouted as he gave chase.

Others immediately followed.

Anyone who ran at a time like this had to be guilty.

They couldn’t let him get away.

But before any of the passengers could lay a hand on him, a plainclothes police officer who had been waiting in the crowd sprang into action. With a swift takedown, he wrestled Zhou Dazhu to the ground and pinned him there.

A passenger who had been sitting near Zhou Dazhu looked at the burlap sack he had abandoned and immediately sensed something was wrong.

He hurried over and untied it.

The moment he loosened the opening, he froze.

Who packs a sack full of straw when traveling?

He pulled away the two pieces of clothing covering the top.

In the next instant, his eyes flew wide open.

“My God!”

“They stuffed a child inside the sack!”

“Quick! Hurry and untie the other two!”

“My God—there’s another one in this sack!”

“Isn’t this one of the children from the portrait? Good heavens! They’d already brought them all the way here. If they’d boarded the train, we’d never have gotten them back!”

…

As cries of shock rang out, every passenger who witnessed the scene flew into a rage.

Who didn’t have children of their own?

To see three little kids bound hand and foot, stuffed into burlap sacks—not only had they suffered who knew how much, they might not even have survived.

This despicable pair deserved to die!

“Damn it—they really are child traffickers!”

“Beat him to death!”

The first passenger who had chased after Zhou Dazhu heard the commotion. Even though the police had already subdued the trafficker, he didn’t stop. Clenching his fist, he drove a punch straight into Zhou Dazhu.

The passengers who arrived behind him immediately joined in, kicking him without hesitation.

Voices erupted from every direction.

“Beat the traffickers to death!”

“Kill them!”

“The people in the back, stop pushing!”

“Let me get in there and kick him a couple of times too!”

…

In an instant, the crowd’s fury boiled over.

People surrounded the trafficker in a tight circle, raining down punch after punch on him.

A railway police officer arrived and stood just outside the crowd.

He made no attempt to stop them.

Instead, he casually pulled a cigarette from his pocket, tucked it between his lips, struck a match, and lit it.

After taking a slow drag, he finally raised his voice and called out,

“Easy now, everyone. Don’t hit them too hard.”

He paused, then added matter-of-factly,

“Just don’t beat the traffickers to death. They’ve probably sold other children too, and we still need to interrogate them.”

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.21.2 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Chief Wu wasted no time. The moment he made up his mind, he set off.

The old man was just as decisive. As soon as he heard that someone could draw the traffickers’ faces, he urged Hu Wei to take him there immediately, constantly telling him to pedal faster along the way.

By the time the two arrived at Dragon King Temple, the sun had already begun to dip toward the western horizon. Jiang Xia was carving the second wax printing plate.

In truth, even if she finished carving this plate, printing another portrait from it wouldn’t be much faster than waiting for the printing factory. It wasn’t really necessary.

But waiting for news was agonizing.

Even Captain Tan couldn’t stop pacing circles around the courtyard, checking his watch every minute. Jiang Xia was even more restless. Rather than sit there worrying, she’d rather keep herself occupied with something.

The parents of the missing children had each taken a portrait and gone off to search along the roads. The only people left in the temple were the old Taoist priest and Jiang Xia.

With no outsiders around, Tan Bingyi no longer bothered pretending to stay calm. Frowning deeply, he gripped his walkie-talkie and repeatedly called out.

The radio was filled with static, and every reply took an unbearably long time to come through, making Captain Tan’s anxiety practically radiate from him.

Standing beneath a tree, he smacked himself on the head in frustration, trying to force himself to calm down.

“It’s almost four o’clock already! How have we still not found a single lead?”

Just as he was nursing a headache, Hu Wei came riding into the courtyard on his Flying Pigeon bicycle, carrying an old man in his fifties or sixties on the back.

He slammed on the brakes, planted one foot on the ground, and shouted at the top of his lungs,

“Jiang Xia! Chief Wu found a witness who saw the traffickers!”

“You found a witness?!”

Jiang Xia sprang to her feet, crossed the courtyard in a few quick strides, and asked urgently, “Did he get a good look at what the traffickers looked like? What exactly happened?”

“He got a clear look at the woman.”

Hu Wei quickly explained, “There were two traffickers in total. They stopped by this old man’s house asking for water, and he happened to see the child with them. Coincidentally, we were thirsty too and stopped at his place for a drink. Chief Wu casually showed him the portrait you drew and asked if he’d seen anyone like that—and that’s when he recognized them.”

Just thinking about it sent a chill down Hu Wei’s spine.

If Chief Wu hadn’t asked that question on a whim, who knew how much longer they would have wasted before uncovering this lead?

Hu Wei paused before adding with a sigh, “You have no idea. The female trafficker actually changed into a blue outfit along the way. She’d dr*gged the child unconscious, put a straw hat on him, and carried him in her arms. You couldn’t even see the kid’s face. Who would’ve been able to find them like that?”

Good grief.

Jiang Xia clicked her tongue in disbelief.

Being able to get her hands on sedatives and knowing to change clothes midway through the crime—this wasn’t the work of an ordinary child trafficker. She must have been doing this for years to have become so experienced.

For all they knew, she might have trafficked well over a hundred children.

“They’ve got a strong sense of counter-surveillance,” Tan Bingyi remarked as he hurried over. Frowning slightly, he turned his attention to the old man. As the elderly man climbed off the bicycle, Tan reached out to steady him and asked, “You’re the eyewitness, correct?”

“That’s right.”

The old man stepped down from the rear seat and let out a sigh.

“I’m getting old. I’m not as sharp as I used to be. The way that child was sleeping wasn’t normal, but I didn’t think much of it. I just let them go.”

“When you first asked me, I didn’t remember. Sigh… If only I’d stopped them back then.”

The traffickers were experienced, and their disguises must have been convincing. It was perfectly understandable that the old man hadn’t realized anything at the time. Now that he knew the truth, though, the more he thought back on it, the more suspicious everything seemed.

“There are plenty of women carrying sleeping children around. They were only at my place long enough to ask for a drink of water. Who would’ve recognized them for what they were?”

“It’s not your fault,” Jiang Xia comforted him. “Besides, you would’ve been facing two traffickers by yourself. That could’ve been dangerous. If something had happened to you, things would’ve been even worse.”

“Hah, young lady, don’t underestimate me.” The old man puffed out his chest, clearly unhappy at being underestimated. “Just two of them? I could’ve pinned them down in no time.”

He spread two fingers in the shape of a gun and added proudly, “And even if I couldn’t, I’ve got one of these at home.”

Jiang Xia froze for a second before realizing what he meant.

Holy crap—a gun!

Wait… was the era really this wild? An ordinary old man could just casually have a firearm at home?

Seeing that Tan Bingyi’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, while Hu Wei nodded repeatedly as though this were perfectly normal, Jiang Xia silently swallowed.

With complete sincerity, she praised the old man.

“You’re amazing, sir.”

“Not as amazing as you, young lady.”

The old man shook his head and looked Jiang Xia up and down.

“You’re the one who can draw portraits of traffickers? At your age? You really can’t judge a person by appearances!”

“It’s nothing special.”

Jiang Xia was already thinking about drawing the trafficker’s portrait, but this case was very different from the previous ones—it would be much more difficult.

After all, parents saw their own children every day. They remembered their features clearly and could describe them in detail. Once she finished a portrait, they could immediately confirm whether it was accurate.

A trafficker, however, was another matter entirely. The old man had only caught a few glances of the woman. It would be difficult for him to remember her appearance perfectly, and the less precise his description was, the harder it would be to draw—and to verify—the likeness.

Putting an end to the mutual compliments, Jiang Xia’s expression turned serious.

“Time is short, so let’s get started on the portrait. I’ll draw based on your description. Sir, how much do you remember about the trafficker’s appearance?”

“I didn’t get a good look at the man, but I remember the woman clearly.”

The old man patted his chest confidently.

“Don’t let my age fool you. I was the captain of the local militia when I was young. I even caught enemy spies back then. If that woman stood in front of me again, I’d recognize her at a glance!”

That was the best news they could have hoped for.

Without another word, Jiang Xia led the old man into the temple’s main hall and sat him down to begin the sketch.

True to his claim of having once been a militia captain, he had clearly received some training. Rather than speaking vaguely, he described the woman’s facial features in precise, descriptive terms. As soon as he spoke, Jiang Xia knew exactly how to translate his words into lines on paper.

With the experience of drawing the three missing children’s portraits already under her belt, Jiang Xia worked with much greater confidence this time. She refined the details according to the old man’s descriptions, and before long, the woman’s portrait took shape on the page.

The old man stared at the drawing in amazement, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

“It’s exactly the same! It’s the spitting image of her!”

Jiang Xia finally set down her pencil.

Only then did the patiently waiting Tan Bingyi get a chance to speak.

“Xiao Jiang, forget about carving the woodblock for now. Even if you send the portrait to the printing factory, they’ll still have to carve the plate before they can print it. By the time we get the copies back, it’ll be the middle of the night. Just draw it directly onto a wax stencil instead. It’ll be much faster, and a hundred or so copies should be more than enough.”

“Looks like we think alike, Captain Tan.”

Without pausing, Jiang Xia used a craft knife to trim the paper, then began sketching the outline onto the wax stencil using the completed portrait as a reference. As she worked, she continued,

“But Captain Tan, I don’t think we should keep chasing after the traffickers anymore.”

“Oh?”

Tan Bingyi had been thinking about how to make the best use of the hundred portraits. Hearing Jiang Xia’s comment, he raised an eyebrow.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m worried about something.”

Now that she had a reference portrait, copying it onto the stencil required very little thought. Jiang Xia multitasked with ease, drawing while organizing her thoughts aloud.

“At this point, the children’s portraits should be almost ready. They won’t be long before they’re distributed to every checkpoint. Once the traffickers realize that, they’ll definitely know they’re being hunted and will probably try to leave as quickly as possible.”

“The question is… will they take the children with them?”

“The best-case scenario is that they panic, leave the children somewhere conspicuous, and slip away on their own.

“But they’ve already spent quite a bit on food, lodging, and travel while they were here. I doubt they’ll be willing to walk away empty-handed. Once they confirm that we’re only searching with the children’s portraits, they’re very likely to hide the children inside containers and smuggle them out.”

“Of course, we could also search every sack, basket, and other container carried by travelers at the checkpoints.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

“But if we do that, there’s an even worse possibility. The traffickers could hide the containers with the children somewhere secluded, then cross the checkpoint by themselves. By the time…”

Jiang Xia didn’t finish the sentence, but Tan Bingyi understood exactly what she meant.

The three children were still unconscious from the dr*g. They couldn’t cry for help. If they were trapped inside a container for several hours, they could very well suffocate to death.

“That’s… that’s unbelievably heartless!”

Hu Wei, who had been listening nearby, stared in shock.

“At the very least, they should leave the kids somewhere people can see them! If the children die, wouldn’t that make their crimes even worse?”

“Since when have child traffickers had a conscience?”

Jiang Xia replied grimly.

“If they left the children somewhere obvious, someone might discover them almost immediately after they walked away. They wouldn’t get very far before the authorities were on their trail.”

Tan Bingyi drew in a slow breath.

In the past, they had never had portraits of missing children. Without that advantage, it had never occurred to him that traffickers might hide the children inside containers and stash them somewhere out of sight.

But the moment Jiang Xia mentioned it, he was already seventy or eighty percent convinced.

Those beasts had already been willing to stuff children into bamboo baskets. What was stopping them from going one step further?

The problem was, that made the situation much trickier.

As long as the traffickers still had the children, it was like kidnappers holding hostages—they had to proceed with extreme caution.

If they searched every container, they risked forcing the traffickers to abandon the children in some hidden place.

If they didn’t search the containers, they’d be letting the traffickers slip away.

How could they arrest the pair while ensuring the children’s safety?

After a moment of thought, Tan Bingyi muttered,

“Now that we have the woman’s portrait… if we stop searching bags…”

“That won’t work either.”

Jiang Xia shook her head.

“We only know what one of the traffickers looks like. These two have an extremely strong sense of counter-surveillance. They might spot from a long distance that we’re looking for a woman. Then she could have the man take the children away while she waits for the right moment to circle around and escape through another route. By then, not only would we fail to catch them, we might lose the children as well.”

She nodded slightly.

As expected of a criminal investigation captain who’s constantly out in the field. His thinking was incredibly fast. With just a small hint, he’d already grasped the problem.

Listening from the side, Hu Wei’s head was starting to ache.

“So searching bags won’t work, and checking people won’t work either. Then how are we supposed to catch them?”

If they hadn’t obtained the trafficker’s portrait, Jiang Xia would have preferred to search every bag despite the risks. At least that way, the children would still be somewhere within the local area. The printing factory would soon have the children’s portraits ready, and once they were distributed throughout the streets, the public could search the area inch by inch. There would still be a good chance of finding them.

But the risk was simply too great.

Now that they had the woman’s portrait, they didn’t have to resort to such drastic measures. They could afford to be more cautious.

“We absolutely have to catch them,” Jiang Xia said. “But we need to do it cleverly, not by brute force.”

She looked at Tan Bingyi.

“I have an idea.”

Tan Bingyi met her gaze.

“Let’s hear it.”

“These two traffickers have a very strong sense of counter-surveillance. They’ll almost certainly move before my portrait reaches the checkpoints. So we need to be one step ahead of them—we need to intercept them at their destination.”

Jiang Xia continued drawing as she spoke, though her pencil moved a little more slowly.

“We haven’t seen any cargo trucks on the roads around Dragon King Temple. And now we’ve confirmed they’ve already entered the city. That means they aren’t truck drivers doing this on the side—they don’t have their own transportation.”

“If they want to get out of the city quickly, their only real options are the train station or the long-distance bus station.”

“They’re traveling with three children, so splitting up would only complicate things. As long as we don’t search bags, they’ll most likely stay together. We should concentrate our forces at those two locations.”

“For example, we can station uniformed officers inside to watch for the children, and assign a few plainclothes officers to look specifically for the traffickers.”

“We can also give a few copies of the portrait to the ticket clerks. They can keep the picture behind the ticket window where customers can’t see it. But the traffickers have to buy tickets if they want to leave. As long as the woman comes up to the counter, we can arrest her on the spot.”

At that, Jiang Xia paused before adding,

“But we can’t put all our eggs in one basket. We also can’t stop tracking them.”

She turned to Hu Wei.

“Hu Wei, take this portrait to Chief Wu right away. Go back along the route and keep asking around. If you find anyone who got a good look at the other trafficker, bring them here immediately. I’ll do my best to draw his portrait as well. Once we have both of them, catching them will be much easier.”

“The only problem is that, until then, we’ll only have one portrait. So let’s avoid tipping them off. Have officers with good memories study the portrait until they’ve memorized it, then station them at the checkpoints. Don’t search bags. But if they spot a man and a woman matching the description, traveling together with a large amount of luggage, detain them immediately.”

A full-scale search, attacking the problem from every angle.

She refused to believe the traffickers could escape all of that.

After listening to her plan, Tan Bingyi looked at Jiang Xia in surprise.

Her thinking was remarkably organized. This was exactly the kind of operational plan an experienced detective would come up with.

No wonder Chen Dong kept recommending her.

She really was a natural for criminal investigations.

“That’s a good plan.”

Tan Bingyi quickly analyzed it and, after confirming that the overall strategy was sound with only a few minor details needing adjustment, made the decision on the spot.

“I’ll report this to Captain Duan immediately and have him redeploy our forces.”

The police could handle the bus station themselves, but the railway system was another matter. The railway police operated independently with their own jurisdiction. As the captain of a local criminal investigation unit, Tan had no authority to command them. He would have to ask his superiors to coordinate first.

…

Municipal Public Security Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division Captain’s Office

The entire office was thick with cigarette smoke.

Captain Duan Guoqiang sat with a cigarette between the fingers of his right hand while holding the telephone receiver to his ear with his left. The longer he listened, the harder it became to suppress the smile spreading across his face.

After waiting all this time, they finally had some good news.

Listening to the proposed arrest plan from the other end of the line, he nodded repeatedly.

“Mm. Mm. Good. That’s a solid plan. The only thing is, we have to be careful when casting the net. We need to get it in place quickly, or the fish will slip away.”

“You don’t need to worry about the printing factory anymore. I’ll coordinate that. I’ll have the traffic police ride motorcycles over there right now. There’s no need to wait an hour. As soon as they print the first hundred copies, have them distributed immediately.”

“Your side has only two tasks now. First, get the trafficker’s portrait to the train station and the bus station as fast as possible. Second, take Jiang Xia and get the other trafficker’s portrait drawn as quickly as you can. It has to be fast—we’re racing against the traffickers now.”

“All right, get moving.”

With that, Duan Guoqiang promptly hung up. Without wasting a second, he dialed the railway police.

“Hello, it’s me. Yes, it’s about that case again. We’ve got more than just the children’s portraits now—we’ve also confirmed the appearance of one of the traffickers. We don’t have many copies yet, but I have an idea. It’s best if we don’t alert them and scare them off…”

As the calls went out, the city’s police force sprang into action once more.

Carrying the portraits in their hands, officers fanned out across the city like countless strands of thread, gradually weaving an enormous net that would, they hoped, capture the child traffickers.

However, as the prey caught in that net, Sister Fang sensed danger in the air long before the trap had been fully woven.

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.21.1 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Inside the Dragon King Temple, everyone crowded around the male teacher, eager to print as many portraits as possible and brainstorming ways to make the ink dry faster.

Though everyone was anxious, there actually wasn’t much work to do. Before long, the parents had taken over all the tasks.

Lu Yixing found himself with nothing to help with.

Watching them carefully hang the portraits up to dry with utmost caution, he quietly stepped back, intending to inform Captain Tan first.

Before leaving, Lu Yixing glanced at Jiang Xia once more.

She was leaning against a pillar with her eyes gently closed. A trace of fatigue lingered between her brows, while her right hand, hanging loosely at her side, trembled almost imperceptibly.

Lu Yixing frowned slightly.

He walked over to an elderly Taoist priest and whispered a few words in his ear. After the priest nodded, Lu Yixing thanked him and hurried out of the temple.

The old Taoist washed a teacup, poured it full of hot water, and carried it over to Jiang Xia’s table.

Setting it down in front of her, he asked, “Officer, you’ve been drawing for so long. Your arm must be exhausted, right? I know a little massage therapy. How about I give it a rub?”

“Huh?”

Jiang Xia’s arm was aching badly.

She would recover gradually if she rested for a while, of course—but who would turn down a proper massage when someone offered?

Everyone had been busy just now, so she hadn’t wanted to trouble anyone.

She hadn’t expected the elderly Taoist to volunteer.

Naturally, Jiang Xia wasn’t about to refuse.

She extended her arm toward him. “Then thank you very much, Daozhang.”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

The white-bearded Taoist waved a hand dismissively, pulled over a stool, and sat down. With practiced fingers, he began kneading the acupoints around Jiang Xia’s wrist.

“We’ve only provided the venue. It’s nothing compared to what you police officers have been through. You’ve been working nonstop all this time and haven’t even had a sip of water.”

“Those child traffickers deserve to be thrown into a vat of boiling oil.”

As he spoke, the old Taoist naturally drifted back to the topic of the traffickers. Worry crept into his expression.

“I just wonder whether those three children can be found.”

Jiang Xia didn’t know the answer to that either.

Still, deep down, she was cautiously optimistic.

With transportation still so inconvenient these days, it would be difficult for two traffickers to move three children quickly to another city. As long as they hadn’t left by tonight, the children’s portraits could be posted all over the city.

By then, there would be no way for them to take the children away unnoticed.

But until the children were actually rescued, it was only a prediction—not a result.

Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.

Jiang Xia offered a silent prayer.

…

Meanwhile, at the marketplace, Tan Bingyi was so frustrated he was on the verge of cursing.

Staring at the jet-black police dog, he demanded irritably, “Did this dog skip its meal or what? It’s been circling the same spot forever!”

The dog handler replied helplessly, “There’s nothing we can do, Captain Tan. There are too many people here, and quite a few spice vendors. The scents are overwhelming. Lightning can’t pick up the missing children’s scent at all, so all he can do is keep circling.”

“Enough, enough. It’s always one problem after another. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let’s move.”

Tan Bingyi waved him off impatiently before turning to Chen Dong, who had just returned, drenched in sweat.

“How’s the printing factory?”

Chen Dong wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.

“The master engravers have already started carving the plates. They said the drawings are easy to carve. The first plate should be finished and ready for printing around four o’clock, and the first portrait should come off the press by five. They’re also working on the other two plates. Two of the master engravers said they’ll take turns doing only the parts each of them is fastest at, so all three portraits should be ready at about the same time.”

Tan Bingyi raised his wrist and checked his watch.

It was already a little past two.

That meant they would have the portraits in just three more hours.

That was good news.

His mood improved ever so slightly as he straightened up.

“In a bit, call the district substation and have them send someone to pick them up from the printing factory.”

“No problem.”

Chen Dong nodded. Glancing around the marketplace, which had mostly emptied out, he asked, “Captain Tan, what’s the situation now?”

The question immediately rekindled Tan Bingyi’s anger.

“We’ve searched the entire market and found absolutely nothing! By the time the families realized the kids were missing, those bastards had already taken off.”

Everyone had already considered this possibility, but no one was willing to gamble on whether the traffickers might be brazen enough to hide in plain sight.

That was why Tan Bingyi hadn’t dared overlook anything. He had insisted on searching every nook and cranny of the marketplace, paying particular attention to baskets, burlap sacks, woven bags, and any other containers brought by vendors or customers that could conceal a child.

Although the search had turned up nothing—which made it seem like a wasted effort—it had at least narrowed down the search area and helped establish when the traffickers had left. That information would still prove valuable for the investigation going forward.

Even so, after putting in so much effort and still failing to crack the case, it was impossible not to feel frustrated.

“At this point, it’s already too late to set up roadblocks,” Tan Bingyi said with a sigh. “All we can do now is hope the neighborhood officers we sent out searching bring back some good news. But so far, not a single one has reported in.”

Chen Dong shook his head.

The marketplace had been packed with people. There were countless individuals matching similar descriptions, and the roads led not only into the city but also toward the surrounding communes. Expecting the hundred or so local officers they’d pulled in to track the suspects down by following the roads was wishful thinking.

Just as they resigned themselves to waiting for the printing factory, Lu Yixing, one of the detectives, came running over at full speed.

“Captain Tan, Brother Chen.”

After greeting them, he spoke rapidly.

“Jiang Xia used a mimeograph machine to print over a hundred portraits of the missing children. They’re drying right now. Shouldn’t we gather some people and get ready to distribute them to every major intersection?”

Tan Bingyi immediately seized on the important part.

“Over a hundred portraits already?!”

“This is a lifesaver!”

A little over a hundred wasn’t a huge number, but it was more than enough for the search teams to carry along the roads and ask passersby for information. Tan Bingyi’s spirits instantly lifted.

“Hurry! Xiao Lu, Old Chen! Round up as many people and vehicles as you can and head to the Dragon King Temple. The more, the better!”

With that, he took off running toward the temple himself, eager to see the portraits.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw that the bluestone courtyard was already covered with sheets of paper spread out to dry.

He casually picked up one of the sheets.

The same three children stared back at him, but this time the portraits had been drawn in yet another style. They consisted entirely of lines—even the hair was rendered with nothing but strokes.

This Jiang Xia was really something.

Who would’ve thought a single portrait could be drawn in so many different ways?

Clicking his tongue in amazement, he carefully returned the still-wet print to its place in the sun to continue drying. Then he looked around until his eyes landed on the mimeograph machine the male teacher was still operating inside the main hall.

He froze.

His eyes slowly began to shine.

Who would’ve imagined that something as useless as a mimeograph machine could be put to use like this?

If, in the future, every officer sent out to search for suspects carried a portrait like this…

He hardly dared imagine how much easier investigations would become.

No.

Once this case was over, even if he had to cling to Chief Duan’s leg and bawl his eyes out, he’d make sure Jiang Xia was transferred to his team.

Tan Bingyi made up his mind.

Meanwhile, Lu Yixing and Chen Dong quickly rounded up seven or eight people, all on bicycles. Once the ink had dried enough, each of them took several portraits and hurried off along different roads to deliver them to the neighborhood officers conducting the search.

…

Dawang Village.

Wang Leihu and his partner, Guo Yongnian, rode into the village on their bicycles.

Their team was responsible for the road leading toward Hongxing Commune.

There had been plenty of people along the way, with farmers returning home from the fields on both sides of the road.

There was no shortage of witnesses—but when they asked whether anyone had seen a woman in a gray jacket and black pants carrying a child around five years old, the answers were all over the place.

One person claimed they’d seen one such woman.

Another insisted they’d seen two.

After eliminating the sightings that had already been verified as unrelated and combining the remaining reports, there were still six women matching the description who couldn’t be ruled out.

There was nothing for it.

They would have to follow each lead themselves.

So the officers split into pairs and headed to different villages to verify each sighting.

The woman Wang Leihu and Guo Yongnian were investigating was in her early fifties. According to a witness, she had been seen heading toward Dawang Village.

So the two of them could only pedal their bicycles all the way there.

The rural dirt road was rough and uneven. Not only was it impossible to ride fast, but every bump and rut jolted them relentlessly, leaving them utterly exhausted.

As soon as they entered the village, Guo Yongnian got off his bicycle and began pushing it.

It was already past noon, and most of the villagers were resting at home. The village roads were nearly deserted.

He turned his head from side to side, searching for anyone in sight while chatting with Wang Leihu.

“This is the second one already, isn’t it? We’ve come all the way to another village. I’m telling you, it’s probably just another villager who took a kid to the market.”

As he spoke, Guo Yongnian suddenly stopped. His nose twitched a couple of times before he turned toward a nearby house.

“Oh! They’re making kimchi in this house!” he exclaimed. “Smells incredible. How about we buy some and snack on it while we’re on the road?”

Right on cue, Wang Leihu’s stomach let out a loud growl.

He hadn’t eaten a single bite since the morning.

With a sigh, he said, “Let’s finish asking our questions first.”

They walked a few more steps and arrived at the gate of the house.

The gate stood open. A little boy of four or five was squatting on the ground playing with mud, while an elderly woman, dressed in black trousers, a gray jacket, and a heavily patched apron, was scrubbing bowls with a pig-bristle brush.

“Ma’am.”

What a coincidence.

The very first identifying characteristics matched perfectly.

Wang Leihu got straight to the point.

“Did you take a child with you to the Dragon King Temple fair today?”

“A police officer?”

The elderly woman looked up. Seeing two uniformed officers standing at her gate, she was visibly startled.

She hurriedly explained, “I did go, but all I bought was a sickle. That’s not against the law, is it?”

“No, of course not. We just want to ask you a few questions.”

Wang Leihu continued, “On your way back, did you happen to see any strangers carrying young children?”

The woman thought carefully for a moment before shaking her head.

“No, I didn’t.”

Another false lead.

Disappointment was written all over Guo Yongnian’s face.

He couldn’t help grumbling, “At this rate, when are we ever going to find them?”

“That’s how door-to-door investigations work.” Wang Leihu waved him along. “Come on, let’s grab a couple of bites to eat and head to the next village.”

Guo Yongnian let out a weary sigh.

Wang Leihu didn’t have any better ideas. Trying to keep his partner’s spirits up, he took some money out of his pocket and bought two coarse-grain steamed buns and some pickled napa cabbage from the elderly woman. He handed one bun to Guo Yongnian, and the two of them squatted at the entrance of the village, washing the food down with well water. In no time, they had polished everything off.

After washing their hands, they gathered themselves and prepared to head for the next village.

Just as they were about to leave, a neighborhood officer came racing toward them on a bicycle from the distance, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Officer Wang! Don’t go yet!”

He quickly rode up, stopped his bicycle, jumped off, and hurriedly pulled a thin sheet of paper from his shoulder bag. As he handed it over, he said excitedly,

“We’ve got an expert in our department! They drew portraits of all three missing children. Headquarters says to use these to search from now on—we don’t need to keep looking for a woman in black pants and a gray jacket anymore!”

“Portraits? That’s fantastic!”

Searching with an actual likeness was far easier than checking people one by one based on a vague description.

Guo Yongnian immediately sprang to his feet and eagerly took the paper.

“Wow, these portraits look incredibly lifelike. You can tell they’re children at a glance. Hey, when did our department get someone this talented?”

The officer delivering the message grinned.

“Just recently. She’s a young woman, too!”

“What?”

Guo Yongnian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”

Meanwhile, Wang Leihu stared at the portraits as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Instantly, he remembered the young female officer he’d met just a few hours earlier.

His mind was in complete turmoil.

She had actually been able to draw the portraits?

She wasn’t some well-connected nepotism hire after all?!

The more he thought about the things he’d said to her, the hotter his face burned.

Damn…

I’ve really made a fool of myself this time.

When we get back, Chen Dong is never going to let me live this down.

Hearing Guo Yongnian continue asking which station the young officer belonged to, Wang Leihu became so embarrassed that he could barely stand still.

He hurriedly urged them,

“Uh… now that we’ve got the portraits, let’s not waste any more time. We should get moving and start asking around!”

With that, he pushed his bicycle forward and hurried off.

“Hey, Old Wang! Why are you in such a hurry?”

Watching him rush off, Guo Yongnian looked utterly baffled.

For some reason, Wang Leihu’s retreating figure seemed… strangely flustered.

…

On the city roads, Chief Wu’s team had also received quite a few reports of possible suspects.

The roads in the city were much better, allowing them to travel quickly by bicycle. Before long, the few people assigned to his team had all been located and ruled out.

With nothing else to do for the moment, he returned to the intersection to wait for the other teams to report back.

Several people were already there. Wang Huoda and Hu Wei had returned even earlier.

The four of them had barely exchanged a few words when a traffic police officer rode over.

“Chief Wu!”

The officer got off his bicycle and carefully counted out four portraits from his satchel before handing them over.

“Here. These are the newly issued portraits of the missing children. Headquarters wants everyone to switch to searching by the portraits immediately. Please take them and distribute them to the officers conducting the search.”

With that, he climbed back onto his bicycle and promptly headed for the next intersection.

“So Xiao Jiang actually managed to draw them!” Old Hu, who often worked with Chief Wu, pulled out one of the portraits.

After studying it for a couple of seconds, he suddenly noticed something odd.

Holding it up to the sunlight, he exclaimed in surprise,

“They’re printed? Looks like they used a mimeograph machine… Huh. She even knows how to engrave mimeograph stencils? Chief Wu, tell me—what can’t Xiao Jiang do?”

“How should I know?”

Chief Wu held the portrait in his hands, his emotions thoroughly mixed.

He was delighted because Jiang Xia had produced the portraits, which meant finding the children would be much easier.

But he was also worried.

Once these portraits were distributed, everyone—from the Municipal Public Security Bureau all the way down to every local station—would learn that their station had someone this talented.

How much longer could they possibly keep her?

It probably wouldn’t be long before the transfer order arrived.

Sure, this apprentice of his had some unusual hobbies…

Her talents were a little unconventional…

And she had an uncanny knack for giving him headaches…

But she could solve cases.

He’d only had her under his wing for less than a month.

He hadn’t even had time to properly “break her in,” and now someone was already going to poach her.

He let out a long sigh.

Chief Wu let out a long sigh before forcing himself to focus again.

“Now that the portraits are here, let’s not stand around. Old Hu, take these two to the officers who haven’t come back yet. Have them retrace their routes and ask everyone again.”

“Got it.”

Old Hu agreed, tucked another portrait carefully into his bag, mounted his bicycle, and rode off to find the others.

Chief Wu then called over Wang Huoda and Hu Wei, who had already returned, and the three of them headed back into the city.

Although they had already searched that stretch of road once, there was always the chance they had overlooked something. It would be more reassuring to go over it again with the portraits in hand.

The three rode along, stopping every so often to question passersby.

Unfortunately, everyone they asked said they hadn’t seen the children.

As the day grew hotter, their throats became parched from asking the same questions over and over. Spotting a small farmhouse just ahead, they rode over, hoping to ask for a drink of water.

The gate stood open.

An elderly man was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. Seeing the three officers walk in, he looked at them curiously.

“Huh? You again? Didn’t you come by around noon? Why are you back?”

Chief Wu recognized him at a glance.

The courtyard sat close to the road. If anyone had been outside, they would certainly have seen what was happening on the road, which was why he’d stopped by earlier that morning. Unfortunately, the old man had been inside all day making straw brooms and hadn’t gone out once, so he hadn’t seen anything.

Hu Wei, never one to mince words, said, “Sir, we’ve been running around all afternoon and we’re dying of thirst. We were hoping to ask for a bowl of water.”

“Oh.”

The old man nodded in understanding and pointed toward a corner of the courtyard.

“The water jar’s over there. There’s a dipper inside. Help yourselves.”

None of the three officers stood on ceremony. They scooped cool water from the jar with the dipper and took turns drinking.

Chief Wu finished first.

While waiting for the other two, he habitually pulled out one of the portraits. Even though he knew the old man hadn’t left the house, he still held it out and asked,

“Brother, have you seen any of these three children?”

He had expected the usual answer.

Instead, the old man pinched one corner of the portrait and studied it carefully for quite a while before suddenly saying,

“I think… I’ve seen this chubby-faced one.”

“What?”

Chief Wu froze for a moment before immediately snapping back to attention.

“Brother, when did you see them?”

“It was this morning,” the old man recalled. “Around eleven o’clock, I think.”

“A husband and wife stopped by to ask for some water. The man was carrying a shoulder pole, and the woman was holding this child.” He pointed at the portrait. “She’d put a straw hat on him, covering most of his face. If she hadn’t needed both hands to drink and set the child down for a moment, I wouldn’t have seen him at all.”

“Oh, right. I don’t know if the little boy was just worn out or what, but he was asleep on the woman’s shoulder. She put him down and picked him back up again, making quite a bit of movement, yet he never woke up.”

The moment he heard that, Chief Wu was already seventy to eighty percent convinced.

Children around five or six were bundles of energy. A five-minute nap could leave them bouncing around for the next two hours, and they were light sleepers. It was highly unusual for one to remain completely unresponsive while being put down and picked up again.

There was a good chance the child had been dr*gged.

The couple’s suspicion level immediately skyrocketed.

Especially the man.

He had been carrying a shoulder pole with two baskets hanging from either end—large enough to hide the other two children.

Chief Wu hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you remember what the couple looked like? What they were wearing? Which direction they went?”

The old man thought for another moment before shaking his head.

“The man never came over, so I didn’t get a look at his face.”

“But I remember the woman. She was around forty years old, wearing a blue jacket and blue trousers. About five foot three. She had a square, rounded face, thin eyebrows, and her lower lip was thinner than her upper one.”

“After they finished drinking, they continued along that road toward the city.”

Blue clothes?

No wonder they hadn’t found them.

These traffickers had a much stronger sense of counter-surveillance than they’d expected.

They had simply changed clothes.

With the suspects no longer matching the witness descriptions they’d been chasing all afternoon, it was no surprise the search had come up empty.

As the thought crossed his mind, Chief Wu glanced down at the portrait in his hand again.

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a smile.

The traffickers could never have imagined that their station had someone with such an extraordinary talent—or that even in this little farmhouse courtyard, Chief Wu would refuse to skip asking one last question.

“Old Wang, we’ve got a lead!” Chief Wu exclaimed, instantly energized. “This gentleman saw the traffickers! There were two of them, and they headed back toward the city. Let’s move!”

His spirits completely revived. Raising his voice, he turned to Hu Wei and ordered,

“Xiao Hu, you’ve got the stamina. Take this gentleman to the Dragon King Temple and have Xiao Jiang see if she can draw portraits of the traffickers. If we can’t catch them ourselves…”

“…then we’ll be relying on her.”

He refused to believe the traffickers could change their faces as easily as they’d changed their clothes.

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.20 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Five hours!

The tension on Jiang Xia’s face finally eased a little.

Compared to waiting another two days, five hours could make an enormous difference. Especially if they could print over a thousand copies an hour, then it wouldn’t just be the detectives who received them. Uniformed police officers, security police, neighborhood patrol teams, militia members—even ordinary civilians—could each get a copy and help keep an eye out.

That would be a true dragnet.

Without another word, Jiang Xia sat down and began drawing a grid.

Watching her, Li Xianglan covered her mouth with one hand, afraid that even the slightest sound might distract her.

Tan Bingyi hardly dared to breathe. After thanking Section Chief Ye, he switched off the walkie-talkie. He wanted to step closer for a look, but worried about blocking the light and affecting Jiang Xia’s work. Instead, he backed up a few steps, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the notebook she was sketching in by hand, anxiety written all over his face.

“Do you think she can really do it?”

Pulling his head back, Tan lowered his voice and asked Chen Dong, “Section Chief Ye said even the master engraver would need quite a while to make all the corrections.”

Chen Dong took two steps back as well, equally uneasy.

As a police officer, he’d dealt with all kinds of people. By coincidence, he’d once chatted with a veteran printing plate engraver.

The man had explained a lot about the profession. Chen Dong hadn’t understood most of the technical details, but one point had stuck with him.

Drawing might all be called drawing, but the skills involved could be worlds apart.

Because the techniques were so different, someone who could produce incredibly realistic pencil portraits might paint traditional Chinese ink paintings only a little better than a child. By the same token, it didn’t necessarily mean they could draw artwork suitable for engraving and printing.

With that in mind, Chen Dong couldn’t help doubting whether Jiang Xia was really capable.

Even so, a flicker of hope rose in his heart.

What if…?

She had taken the initiative to ask, so she had to know something about it, right?

Besides, it was already unusual enough for someone her age to possess such remarkable artistic skill. Maybe… just maybe… she happened to be proficient at both.

For a moment, everyone’s attention was fixed on Jiang Xia.

But after finishing the grid, she didn’t immediately put pencil to paper.

Section Chief Ye’s doubts were far from unfounded.

This printing plate was extraordinarily difficult to design. Not only did it have to preserve the missing child’s facial features clearly enough for easy identification, but it also had to minimize the difficulty of engraving as much as possible.

That required the artist to be thoroughly familiar with woodblock engraving—to know exactly how long it would take to carve each part of the design. Otherwise, adding just a few extra lines could mean several more hours of carving.

At the same time, the artist had to capture the subject’s distinctive features and likeness while expressing them with the simplest possible blocks of black and white and the fewest possible lines.

It demanded exceptional technical mastery—virtually the skill of a master.

And beyond balancing recognizability with ease of engraving, there was an even greater obstacle:

Time.

The drawing had to be completed quickly. There was no opportunity to produce several drafts or revise it over and over. Even a few hours was too long. Every second had to be squeezed to the limit.

The immense pressure made Jiang Xia feel as though she had returned to the examination hall years ago. The countdown ticked relentlessly in her ears.

Holding her breath, she focused completely.

The copperplate engraving techniques used in counterfeit banknote production, the time each technique required, and the printed effects of different lines all churned through her mind.

Black-and-white contrast. Sketching. Printmaking. Countless drawing techniques.

They continuously broke apart and reassembled before her mind’s eye as her brain worked at full capacity, endlessly refining the final appearance of the engraving.

The placement of the key contours.

The details of the facial features.

The simplified treatment of the nose and eyes…

Her motionless concentration gradually made everyone around her restless.

Tan Bingyi checked his watch again and again. Five minutes had already passed, yet Jiang Xia still hadn’t started drawing. Unable to hold back any longer, he stepped forward, intending to ask what was wrong.

Before he could say a word, however, Jiang Xia suddenly lifted her pencil.

No one knew how her hand worked.

With a single winding, flowing stroke, the eyebrows and the bridge of the nose emerged almost instantly.

Good heavens?!

Tan Bingyi’s eyes flew wide open.

Jiang Xia didn’t pause. Her pencil raced across the paper, rapidly completing the rest of the facial features.

The scratch of graphite against paper filled the room.

Less than fifteen minutes later, she set down her pencil.

“It’s finished.”

Tan Bingyi, standing beside her, was too stunned to speak.

This drawing looked nothing like the previous one.

It was astonishingly simple.

The eyes were reduced to nothing more than the irises and a few bold strokes, with only a handful of simple lines suggesting the upper and lower eyelashes.

The hair and one-third of the side of the face were rendered as solid black, broken only by a few highlights. The shadow stretching from the right eyebrow to the bridge of the nose merged into a single shape, while the underside of the right nostril was represented by nothing more than three small dots of varying sizes.

Yet despite being composed of little more than blocks and dots, Tan Bingyi could instantly tell which part was the eyebrow and which was the bridge of the nose. The two portraits looked completely different in style, but strikingly similar in likeness. At a glance, anyone could tell they depicted the same person.

Tan Bingyi was dazed.

The master engraver needed days to produce a printable engraving…

And she’d finished it in barely twenty minutes?

It was nothing short of miraculous.

The moment Jiang Xia put down her pencil, Li Xianglan leaned in for a look.

“This one looks like him too. No—this is my son!”

Her husband nodded vigorously beside her.

“That’s right! That’s our son!”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Snapping out of his daze, Tan Bingyi gave Chen Dong, who had also come over to look, a shove.

“Get on your motorcycle and take this to the printing factory immediately!”

“R-Right! I’m on it!”

Chen Dong came to his senses at once. Carefully accepting the portrait from Jiang Xia, he tucked it safely into the inside pocket of his jacket before hurrying off to his motorcycle.

Tan Bingyi moved around to stand opposite Jiang Xia, committing her face to memory.

While they’d been waiting just now, he’d remembered a robbery-murder case on his desk. A witness had caught a glimpse of the perpetrator’s face.

If Jiang Xia could draw that face…

Finding the suspect would become much, much easier.

“Xiao Jiang, right?” Tan Bingyi praised her warmly. “You’re remarkably talented for someone so young.”

Then he quickly asked, “Which police station are you with?”

Jiang Xia was rubbing her slightly sore wrist when the captain from the Municipal Public Security Bureau addressed her. She looked up and answered crisply,

“Reporting, Captain Tan. I’m from Zhouying Police Station.”

Tan Bingyi froze for a moment, his mind racing.

Zhouying Police Station.

Surname Jiang.

A young woman.

Wasn’t this the very person Chen Dong had been recommending to him all along?

A wave of regret washed over Tan Bingyi.

Darn it, Old Chen… Why didn’t you tell me the girl had this kind of talent sooner?

If he’d known, he would’ve found a way to transfer her into his squad long ago!

But now…

Tan Bingyi glanced down at the portrait again, and his regret deepened.

After what she’d done today, the Second Criminal Investigation Team was bound to hear about her talent.

How was he supposed to compete with them now?

No, I still have to try. As soon as this missing-child case is wrapped up, I’ll go see Chief Duan.

With that thought in mind, Tan Bingyi stepped forward and gave Jiang Xia a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“This portrait is going to be a tremendous help in finding the child. There are still two missing children left to draw. Can you keep going?”

This was a race against the child traffickers. No matter how exhausted they were, they had to grit their teeth and press on.

“Of course.”

Jiang Xia continued massaging her aching wrist to loosen it up.

“I can start drawing the second child right now.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Tan Bingyi’s admiration for her only grew.

Without wasting another second, he looked around and called out loudly,

“Xiao Lu! Bring over the parents of the child named Tongtong!”

“Yes, Captain Tan!”

Before long, Lu Yixing returned with a couple who looked somewhat older.

“Come, come. Comrade Jiang is going to draw a portrait of your child so we can send it to the printing factory and distribute copies to the police. The more you cooperate, the faster she’ll finish the portrait, and the sooner we’ll be able to find your child.”

Afraid the couple might be reluctant to cooperate because Jiang Xia looked so young, Tan Bingyi deliberately explained the situation. Then he turned to Lu Yixing.

“Xiao Lu, forget about your other duties for now. Your most important task is to assist here and keep everything in order. If she needs anything, get it for her immediately. We can’t afford to waste even a minute.”

“Understood, Captain Tan.”

Lu Yixing nodded firmly.

“I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!”

As they spoke, two more groups of local police officers arrived.

Tan Bingyi stopped chatting and hurried over to coordinate with the newly arrived officers.

Jiang Xia turned to look at the police officer who had been assigned to assist her.

The officer was from the Municipal Public Security Bureau and looked like a criminal investigator. He was in his early twenties, with sharp, well-defined features. He had probably spent quite a while running around, because he’d already unbuttoned his jacket, revealing a snug-fitting white tank top underneath.

Now that was… a rather broad chest.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help stealing another glance or two.

“Hello, Officer Lu.”

Forcing her attention back to the task, she quickly said, “I’m running low on pencils. Could you find me a few more?”

She had only brought two. After all that drawing, both tips had been worn blunt, making it impossible to continue.

“No problem.”

Lu Yixing looked at Jiang Xia with a hint of curiosity, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d just been sizing him up. He politely asked,

“Is there anything else you need? I can bring it all over at once.”

“Nothing else for the moment.”

Jiang Xia shook her head.

“I need to sharpen my pencils first.”

As she spoke, she pulled a small knife from her shoulder bag.

“Sharpen your pencils?”

The moment she heard that, Li Xianglan—who had stubbornly refused to leave—immediately took both the pencils and the knife from Jiang Xia’s hands.

“Officer, let me do that. I’m a teacher. I sharpen pencils for my students every day!”

She had seen how Jiang Xia had been drawing nonstop for nearly an hour. Her wrist was already sore. There was no reason to make her sharpen pencils too.

“A teacher?”

Momentarily stunned as the knife and pencils were taken away, Jiang Xia suddenly remembered something from the original owner’s school days.

She slapped herself lightly on the forehead.

“Mimeograph worksheets! Of course! How could I forget?”

What had come to mind was the mimeograph machine.

It was a simple printing device commonly used throughout the 1970s and 1980s, primarily in schools and rural communes, for printing exam papers and notices.

Its construction was straightforward. It consisted of an outer casing with a backing board and a silk screen frame inside. A wax stencil with the text or image carved into it was secured to the frame, and an ink-soaked roller was passed over the stencil, forcing ink through the cut lines and onto the sheets of paper below.

This machine had obvious strengths and weaknesses.

The materials were easy to obtain, and wax stencils were easy to carve. But the artwork had to meet much stricter requirements. It could only consist of lines; large blank areas would cause ink to bleed through. A single stencil could produce only around a hundred good copies. Beyond two hundred, the print quality deteriorated noticeably, making the image difficult—if not impossible—to recognize. Since the process was entirely manual, it was slow as well, with even an experienced operator managing only four or five copies per minute.

For all its shortcomings, however, it had one irreplaceable advantage.

Speed.

If they could get a mimeograph machine here, Jiang Xia could finish drawing the remaining two missing children and immediately begin carving the wax stencils. At her pace, she could finish the carving in about an hour and a half. Even if each stencil produced only a hundred copies, the entire process—including printing and drying—would take no more than three hours.

That was more than three hours faster than waiting for the printing factory.

“Officer Lu, I also need a mimeograph machine.”

Even a hundred copies could make a difference. Jiang Xia said directly, “The kind schools use to print exam papers. It can print portraits too.”

“A mimeograph machine?”

Li Xianglan, who was still sharpening the pencils, looked up in surprise.

“But aren’t those only used for printing text? If you carve a drawing into a wax stencil, the ink will bleed through. Besides, none of the teachers at our school knows how to carve pictures.”

“Then I’ll redraw it using nothing but lines.”

Jiang Xia spoke with complete confidence.

“I know how to carve wax stencils. It’s not difficult—in fact, it’s even faster than engraving a copper plate. Officer Lu, could you find a way to borrow a mimeograph machine? Once I finish drawing the other two children, I’ll carve a set of stencils. Then we can print the first hundred copies immediately.”

“We can. Of course we can!”

Before Lu Yixing even had a chance to answer, Li Xianglan blurted out excitedly,

“Our school has a mimeograph machine!”

As she spoke, she hurriedly nudged her husband.

“Zhou Xuewen, hurry and call the principal to borrow it!”

“Hold on.”

Lu Yixing interjected.

“It’ll be difficult for him to borrow it on his own. How about this? I’ll go with him to make the call. It’ll be easier to explain with a police officer present. While we’re at it, I’ll also check whether any of the nearby communes have one. In the meantime, Comrade Li, could I trouble you to help maintain order here?”

“All right. Hurry and go.”

Li Xianglan nodded repeatedly.

The pencils were sharpened.

Jiang Xia immediately began drawing the second portrait.

As the saying went, practice made perfect. Having already completed one, she worked much faster this time. Drawing on the experience she’d just gained, she deliberately skipped a few nonessential steps to save time while still preserving the child’s likeness.

In the end, she finished both the reconstruction sketch and the engraving plate in just over fifty minutes.

Meanwhile, Lu Yixing returned shortly after taking Zhou Xuewen to make the phone calls, bringing back a box of new pencils and an eraser.

He had contacted every nearby school and commune. A mimeograph machine would be delivered before long.

Since Jiang Xia was still drawing and he had nothing else pressing to do, Lu Yixing didn’t stand around idly.

He watched Jiang Xia work for a while, exchanged a few words with Li Xianglan as she sharpened pencils, then took the initiative to approach the grandmother of the third missing child and ask about the child’s facial features.

By the time Jiang Xia finished the second portrait and was about to speak with the grandmother herself, Lu Yixing handed her a slip of paper.

It contained a concise description of the child’s facial features.

Every word was precise—exactly the information she needed.

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow and glanced at him again.

Not bad.

The guy was quick on the uptake.

He’d saved her quite a bit of effort.

After taking a two- or three-minute break, Jiang Xia started on the third portrait.

She was only halfway through when Chen Dong returned on his motorcycle. After checking the time, he decided to wait until all the portraits were finished before taking them to the printing factory together.

Just as Jiang Xia was putting the finishing touches on the last portrait, a male teacher from Hongxing Primary School arrived on a bicycle, panting heavily as he carried the complete mimeograph machine with him.

The open-air market wasn’t a suitable place to carve wax stencils.

After handing the two engraving plate drawings to Chen Dong, Jiang Xia carried the mimeograph machine into the nearby Dragon King Temple. Borrowing a table inside the main hall, she resumed work on the wax stencils.

This time, she combined all three missing children’s portraits onto a single stencil sheet.

The male teacher regularly printed exam papers at school, so the moment Jiang Xia finished carving, he naturally took over the printing.

The distinct smell of printing ink drifted out as the lid of the ink can was opened.

The teacher spread a generous dollop of black ink across the screen, then used a roller to distribute it evenly. He lifted the frame, slid a sheet of paper underneath, rolled the ink across once more, and finally raised the screen again to remove the printed page.

Three line-art portraits, arranged side by side, appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“It printed!”

The teacher beamed as he held up the still-wet sheet for everyone to see.

“Look! It’s the same three children—and there’s no ink bleeding at all!”

“Then hurry and keep printing!”

Li Xianglan urged.

She snatched the page from his hand and ran out into the temple courtyard, laying it under the sun to dry.

The ink took a while to dry. If the pages were stacked and distributed immediately, the lines would smear into an indistinguishable mess, ruining the portraits.

The other family members quickly stepped forward to help.

Even the two elderly Taoist priests who lived at the Dragon King Temple pitched in.

Everyone was busy.

Everyone except Jiang Xia.

She remained seated in her chair, her right hand hanging limply at her side, trembling uncontrollably.

After nearly five straight hours of nonstop drawing and carving at such intensity, her arm had reached its physical limit.

Even her mind had gone completely blank.

Leaning back wearily against the chair, Jiang Xia was left with only a single thought.

I’ve done everything I could.

The rest… is in everyone else’s hands.

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.19 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

“Sketches?”

Wang Leihu let out a scornful laugh.

“She’s this young, and she hasn’t even seen the kids. What’s she supposed to draw? You’d be better off telling the families to go home and bring back photographs.”

The explanation sounded far too far-fetched for him to believe.

Looking Jiang Xia up and down again, he became convinced the young woman was simply making excuses to avoid work.

Anyone who dared pull something like this at a time like now had to have connections.

Curling his lip in contempt, Wang Leihu looked at both Chen Dong and Jiang Xia with barely concealed disdain and muttered in a voice that wasn’t loud—but was certainly loud enough for everyone nearby to hear,

“Looks like some official’s precious little princess is here to experience life among the common people. Next time you want to slack off, at least come up with a better excuse. Don’t treat everyone else like idiots.”

Seriously?

He’d taken her for someone’s well-connected daughter?

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

His first impression was already firmly set. Explaining herself now wouldn’t accomplish much.

Since he wasn’t actually stopping her, she simply treated him as if he didn’t exist and turned to Chen Dong instead.

“Brother Chen, could you bring the families over?”

Chen Dong wasn’t particularly confident either, so instead of arguing with Wang Leihu, he simply nodded.

“All right. Wait here for a moment.”

With that, he headed over to the families.

A few minutes later, he returned carrying two small stools, leading a young woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six behind him.

She was wearing a crisp dacron blouse, clearly marking her as someone from the city. She had obviously left home looking neat and well-groomed, but now her hair was in disarray, and her eyes were swollen red from crying.

There was unmistakable doubt in the way she looked at Jiang Xia.

Yet, like anyone who had exhausted every other hope, she still reached for this last straw.

Grasping Jiang Xia’s arm, her voice trembling, she asked,

“Officer… can you really draw my son’s portrait?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Jiang Xia adopted the calm, serious demeanor of the art teacher she’d once been in her previous life.

“But I’ll need your cooperation. The calmer you can stay and the more clearly you describe your son’s appearance, the more accurate the portrait will be.”

“Yes… yes, I understand.”

Li Xianglan nodded repeatedly, forcing herself to calm down.

Hah.

She’s really putting on quite an act.

Wang Leihu curled his lip again.

There was far too much work waiting for him to stand around watching this.

Throwing Jiang Xia one last disdainful glance, he pushed his bicycle away and hurried off.

Chen Dong didn’t stay either.

He still had to continue organizing the search and questioning witnesses.

Jiang Xia paid no attention to the two men leaving.

All of her focus was on the portrait.

Sitting on the small stool, she mentally reviewed the process before opening her notebook. Pencil in hand, she first sketched the basic proportions of a five-year-old child’s face, waiting for the mother’s description.

Li Xianglan sat down as well.

Taking a deep breath, she began,

“My son is five and a half this year. He’s got a sturdy little build and is absolutely adorable…”

“Please, hold on a moment.”

Jiang Xia stopped her before her pencil touched the paper.

This was the greatest challenge in forensic sketching—or, for that matter, one of the greatest challenges for almost any portrait artist.

Communication.

Most people were accustomed to describing feelings rather than physical features.

Faced with descriptions like melancholy with a hint of cheerfulness, thirty percent aloof, thirty percent indifferent, or delicate brows that seemed forever lightly furrowed beneath a mist…

An artist could only stare blankly.

All right, the person sounds melancholic…

But what do they actually look like?

Jiang Xia took a quiet breath and patiently guided her.

“Please be as specific as possible. Don’t describe the impression he gives. Let’s start with something simple… Is your son’s face round or more square?”

This time, Li Xianglan understood.

Thinking back carefully, she answered,

“Fairly round. His cheeks are a little chubby.”

Jiang Xia sketched the outline of the face.

“And his eyes? Larger and rounder, or narrower?”

“They take after mine—round.”

“What about his eyebrows? What shape are they? Anything distinctive?”

“My… his eyebrows…” She gestured unconsciously. “They slant like this. They’re thicker toward the front and get thinner near the ends.”

“And his nose?”

“A normal nose. Not especially big or small.”

“What about his lips? Is the upper lip fuller, or the lower?”

“The upper lip.”

Jiang Xia made a few quick adjustments.

“The lips need to be a little smaller.”

“And his hair?”

“He has very thick hair. About this long.”

As Li Xianglan spoke, she gestured to indicate the length.

…

Jiang Xia sketched as she revised, making adjustments with each stroke.

Gradually, the portrait of a five-year-old boy emerged on the page.

He was slightly chubby, with round, bright eyes and an innocent, somewhat goofy expression. Altogether, he looked exactly like the sturdy, rosy-cheeked little boy his mother had described.

Jiang Xia finally set down her pencil.

Li Xianglan leaned over to look at the portrait in the notebook. Her eyes slowly widened.

“It’s him! It’s exactly him! That’s my son!”

She shot to her feet and shouted, “Zhou Xuewen! Zhou Xuewen, come over here and look!”

“I’m coming!”

A young man dressed in a dacron shirt hurried over, with Chen Dong close behind after hearing the commotion.

She’d actually finished the sketch?

Li Xianglan was breathing hard. She grabbed Chen Dong by the arm and pointed excitedly at Jiang Xia’s notebook.

“Comrade, look! This is exactly what my son looks like!”

Hearing that, Li Xianglan’s husband squeezed forward through the crowd. The moment he saw the portrait, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Isn’t this our son?”

“You really drew him?!”

Chen Dong stared at the portrait, his face filled with disbelief.

He couldn’t say for certain whether it matched the missing child, but one thing was obvious—it looked like a real person. The likeness was so lifelike it could have been copied from a photograph.

This was incredible.

“It’s thanks to the mother’s detailed description.”

Hearing both parents confirm that the portrait was a perfect match, Jiang Xia finally relaxed. Rolling her sore wrist, she said,

“Now that we have his portrait, finding him should be much easier.”

“Xiao Jiang, you’ve done something truly remarkable! This is more than just making things ‘a little easier’!”

Chen Dong’s chest rose and fell with excitement.

“Right now, all we know is that three five-year-old children have gone missing—one chubby and two skinny. Those descriptions could fit countless kids. We’ve been searching like headless flies with nothing to go on. But now that we have this portrait, we can focus on finding him. Who knows how much time this is going to save us!”

As Chen Dong’s voice grew louder with excitement, it soon caught Tan Bingyi’s attention.

Tan Bingyi walked over.

“I could hear you making a racket from halfway across the station. What did you find that’s got you so excited?”

“A portrait, Captain Tan!”

Gesturing animatedly, Chen Dong explained, “Xiao Jiang drew the missing child’s portrait!”

“What?!”

Startled, Tan Bingyi strode over and looked down at the sketch in the notebook.

Sure enough, there was the portrait of a five-year-old boy. It matched the family’s description remarkably well.

Looking up, Tan Bingyi asked to confirm, “You’re certain this is what the missing child looks like?”

“Yes, Comrade Officer!” Li Xianglan replied hurriedly. “That’s my son! Please, send people to look for him!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll organize the search immediately.”

A hint of relief appeared on Tan Bingyi’s face.

With this portrait, the difficulty of finding the child would drop dramatically.

What he hadn’t expected was that there was someone this talented among the officers.

A vague thought flashed through his mind, but before he could dwell on it, another problem suddenly occurred to him.

“There’s only one drawing…”

“…That’s not enough to go around.”

Jiang Xia, who had just been celebrating inwardly, froze. A frown creased her brow as well.

He was right.

The greatest value of a portrait was letting searchers know exactly what the missing child looked like. With only a single copy, everyone would have to take turns looking at it. Most people wouldn’t remember the face after only a brief glance, and by the time the notebook was passed from here to every checkpoint—and then farther out to the officers questioning people on the front lines—it would probably be dawn.

The best solution would be to print hundreds, even thousands of copies, so everyone involved in the search could carry one and compare it directly. That would make the portrait truly useful.

If this were the twenty-first century, they could simply run it through a photocopier.

But Jiang Xia had never even heard of such a machine in this era.

So what could they do?

She unconsciously clenched her fists.

Having a portrait but being unable to use it was even more frustrating than not having one at all.

“What if I take it to a printing factory?”

Chen Dong thought quickly and immediately offered a suggestion.

“They can print calendars, so they should be able to reproduce this too.”

A printing factory?

Jiang Xia’s eyes lit up.

That actually sounded like a workable idea.

“That’s a great idea!”

Tan Bingyi slapped his thigh in agreement. Picking up the walkie-talkie hanging from his belt—a bulky unit nearly as long as his face—he adjusted the frequency.

“Hello, Old Xu. Can you hear me?”

The radio crackled with static.

A moment later, a voice came through.

“Loud and clear. Captain Tan, what are your instructions?”

“Call Section Chief Ye at the printing factory. His number is…”

Tan Bingyi contacted the printing factory first.

After all, it was a state-owned enterprise. If he simply sent one of his officers over, they probably wouldn’t even get through the front door. It was better to give them a heads-up first.

The sound of buttons being pressed came through the radio. Soon, another voice, even more distorted by static, spoke in broken fragments.

“Hello, Captain Tan. This is Old Ye. What’s the urgent matter?”

Speaking slowly and enunciating clearly, Tan Bingyi explained,

“It’s like this. Three children have gone missing. One of our officers has drawn a portrait of one of them, but we only have a single copy. We need to make more reproductions—ideally four or five hundred. Can your factory print them?”

Li Xianglan clutched her husband’s arm, staring anxiously at the walkie-talkie.

Jiang Xia also waited for the answer.

Various printing techniques used in counterfeit currency production suddenly flashed through her mind, and she had a bad feeling about this.

“Well…”

Section Chief Ye’s hesitant voice came through the static.

“We can print them, but the fastest we could finish would be two days from now. Would that still be in time?”

“Two days?!”

Tan Bingyi’s voice jumped an octave.

“That’s way too long! Can’t you make it any faster?”

“That’s already the fastest we can do!”

Section Chief Ye sounded anxious as well.

“In the past, jobs like this usually took a whole week!”

Tan Bingyi’s face darkened completely.

If they had the copies within half a day, they could still play a crucial role in the search.

But in two days, the child traffickers might already have escaped to another city. By the time the prints were ready, they’d be good for nothing but toilet paper.

Staring at the carefully drawn portrait, he felt both anxious and frustrated.

It was like preparing for battle, only to pick up your rifle and realize there wasn’t a single bullet left.

The moment she heard that, Li Xianglan understood that two days was far too long to make any real difference.

A glimmer of hope had finally appeared, only to be snuffed out in an instant. Tears streamed down her face.

“Section Chief, I’m begging you. Can’t you rush it? We’ll… we’ll pay! Whatever losses the factory incurs, we’ll cover them. Please, print them faster. Even one day sooner would help…”

Section Chief Ye sighed helplessly over the radio.

“It really isn’t a matter of whether we want to rush it. Just preparing the offset printing plates takes two days. The schedule I gave you is already the absolute fastest we can manage.”

Just as she’d expected.

Jiang Xia rubbed her throbbing temples.

She knew Section Chief Ye wasn’t making excuses. Two days really was the fastest the factory could do.

But the fastest wasn’t fast enough.

By then, it would already be too late.

They had managed to produce the portrait, only to have the entire effort stalled by the printing process.

The frustration was almost enough to make her cough up blood.

Wasn’t there any faster way to reproduce the image?

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Xia wouldn’t have known one.

But this time…

Well, she silently thanked the Number One System once again.

She searched through the knowledge the counterfeit-currency skill had given her, looking for everything related to printing.

The key to mass printing was the master plate.

Just like the individually carved metal type used in movable-type printing, once you had the master plate, you could ink it and produce copy after copy in rapid succession.

At present, the mainstream plate-making methods were relief printing and offset printing.

The former was what most people thought of when they imagined printing: much like carving a seal, the craftsman manually gouged away all the unnecessary material, leaving only the parts to be printed raised above the surface before applying ink and making impressions.

Because the plate had to be carved by hand, the process was naturally slow. Taking six or seven days to finish a single plate was perfectly normal, and the resulting image could only be printed in a single color with no tonal gradation.

Offset printing…

There really was no way to shorten that process any further.

But what about engraved printing?

Since the plates were carved by hand, there had to be some room to speed things up.

If the image were simplified enough for a master engraver to carve, could the production time be pushed to its absolute limit?

“Section Chief Ye.”

Jiang Xia immediately stepped forward and raised her voice.

“What if we switch to engraved plate printing?”

Tan Bingyi glanced at her in surprise but said nothing.

“Engraved printing? That would be even slower!”

Section Chief Ye’s distorted voice crackled over the radio. Despite the static, the surprise in his tone was unmistakable. Apparently, he hadn’t expected anyone there to know anything about printing.

Unfortunately, in his opinion, she only knew half the story.

“Engraved plates have to be carved by hand. A portrait is far too complicated to finish quickly.”

Raising his voice so he could be heard over the interference, he continued,

“And engraved printing isn’t like offset printing. It can’t reproduce gradients. The best it can do is something like those black-and-white silhouette portraits of Lei Feng. There’s no way we could carve the kind of pencil sketch you’ve got.”

“I know.”

Jiang Xia pressed on.

“I’ll redraw the portrait in the style of a copperplate engraving. It’ll be several times more detailed than a simple Lei Feng-style silhouette. I’ll add engraved linework to the facial features, but the dark areas will still be rendered as large solid black shapes. I’ll also keep the image down to about the size of a four-inch photograph.”

She paused before asking the crucial question.

“If it’s a copperplate-style image like that, what’s the shortest time it would take to engrave the plate?”

“Huh?”

Section Chief Ye sounded even more skeptical.

“But the proportions have to be extremely precise. Otherwise, the printed copies will still come out distorted, and our master engravers will spend another seven or eight days correcting the plate. Can you really finish a drawing like that in just a few hours?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Jiang Xia had no time to argue with him. Instead, she spoke with the decisiveness of someone giving orders.

“Just tell me how long it would take on your end.”

“Hold on. Let me ask…”

A moment later, Section Chief Ye came back on the line.

“Our senior engraver says that if the artwork is really as simple as you’ve described, he can finish carving the plate in as little as five hours. Then give us another hour, and we can print one thousand copies for you.”

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.18.2 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

The group mounted their bicycles and sped toward Dragon King Temple.

Dragon King Temple was a Taoist temple located on the outskirts of the city, where the urban and rural districts met.

During the Japanese invasion, the temple’s Taoist priests had voluntarily tended to wounded soldiers of the Chinese forces. Some had even taken off their Taoist robes, enlisted in the army, and fought the invaders, ultimately dying as martyrs.

Because of that history, Dragon King Temple had always enjoyed a distinguished reputation locally. Even during the upheavals a decade earlier, it had escaped demolition. The temple itself had been preserved, though it was forbidden to carry out repairs, accept new disciples, or hold religious activities.

Under those restrictions, Dragon King Temple should gradually have faded into obscurity.

But in recent years, as government policy relaxed, local farmers found themselves needing a place to hold a market, and people began thinking of the temple once again.

The temple grounds had traditionally hosted temple fairs and market stalls, so the location already had the space and experience for such gatherings. Its position was ideal as well, sitting midway between the city and the surrounding countryside, making it convenient for everyone.

No one remembered exactly who started it, but before long, farmers from nearby villages began setting up stalls there every fifth and tenth day of the lunar month. City residents also enjoyed stopping by to buy fresh produce, and the market steadily grew larger and busier.

Today happened to be a Sunday as well.

The crowds were even bigger than usual.

Long before they arrived, Jiang Xia could already see a sea of people.

Fertilizer sacks were spread across the ground as makeshift displays, piled high with fresh green vegetables that stretched in neat rows as far as the eye could see. Interspersed among them were stalls selling fish and woven baskets, while nearby someone called out, advertising knife and scissors sharpening.

More than a dozen officers in olive-green uniforms stood at the southern end of the market.

Several people who appeared to be family members of the missing children were clutching at every police officer who arrived, sobbing uncontrollably.

The group immediately pedaled over.

Chen Dong had been scanning the area when he spotted another group arriving and immediately walked over to meet them.

Seeing that it was someone he knew, the corners of his mouth instinctively twitched upward into the beginnings of a smile—but it vanished just as quickly.

Keeping a straight face, he habitually pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and offered it to Chief Wu.

“Chief Wu, you got here fast.”

“A case involving missing children? Of course we’d hurry.”

Chief Wu accepted the cigarette, but instead of lighting it, tucked it behind his ear as usual.

“What’s the situation?”

Chen Dong’s expression darkened even further.

“Three children are missing now. All boys, around five or six years old. They didn’t know each other and disappeared from different parts of the market. Looks like someone carried them off.”

The moment Jiang Xia heard those words, three words flashed through her mind.

Child traffickers.

It really was the worst-case scenario.

Chief Wu frowned deeply.

“Why are there three now? I thought there were only two!”

“We found the third while organizing the search.”

The mention of it brought a trace of anger into Chen Dong’s voice.

“The mother wasn’t thinking at all. She brought her kid along while selling vegetables. Fine, bring him if you have to—but she never kept an eye on him. She was too busy selling produce. We only found out the boy was missing after we questioned her. She’s over there crying her eyes out now. But what’s the point of crying at a time like this?”

“If they don’t find those kids… who knows what kind of suffering they’ll endure for the rest of their lives?”

Jiang Xia gave a faint shake of her head.

‘Suffering’ hardly begins to cover it.

In her previous life, she’d watched countless television programs about families searching for abducted children. Every child who’d been trafficked had lived through a heartbreaking ordeal.

And those were only the ones whose stories made it onto television.

What about all the others?

These days, there were still criminals who kidnapped children for mutilation and forced begging.

There wasn’t a moment to waste.

“Do we have any leads yet?” Jiang Xia asked immediately.

“None.”

The question made Chen Dong look even more agitated.

“We’ve questioned practically everyone here. All we’ve learned is that the person who took the children was a woman wearing a gray jacket and black pants. That’s it. Nobody can even agree on how old she was!”

That was a serious problem.

The market was packed with people.

The stalls weren’t permanent, and almost no one knew anyone else. Women dressed in black pants were everywhere.

How were they supposed to pick out a child trafficker from that crowd?

After taking a breath, Chen Dong continued,

“Deputy Chief Duan is coordinating things back at headquarters, while Captain Tan is directing operations on-site.”

“There are already plenty of officers searching the market. The traffic police are on their way to set up checkpoints at all the major intersections, and the police dogs should be here soon. We have enough manpower here, but this area connects in every direction. There are just too many roads, and the traffic police definitely don’t have enough people to cover them all.”

“Captain Tan said that once you arrived, your team should head to the road leading into the city and set up a checkpoint there. After that, split up and search along the route, asking whether anyone has seen a woman in a gray jacket and black pants carrying a five-year-old boy.”

Jiang Xia nodded inwardly.

It seemed Deputy Chief Duan from the Municipal Bureau and Captain Tan were both men of action.

There had been no hesitation.

The golden window for finding a missing child had never truly been twenty-four hours.

The odds of rescue were highest the moment the child disappeared, then declined with every passing minute.

Time was critical, the situation urgent, and they had no other leads.

Under the circumstances, deploying large numbers of officers was the most effective strategy available.

If the trafficker was still at the market, they might be able to catch them before they escaped.

And if the trafficker had already left…

Unless they had somehow flown away, they would inevitably have left behind traces that could be followed.

The problem was…

There were simply too many traces.

Jiang Xia swept her gaze across the bustling marketplace.

Quite a few parents and vendors had brought their children with them. At a glance alone, she spotted several boys around five or six years old.

Then she took another quick look around.

At least a quarter of the women present were dressed in gray jackets and black pants.

It couldn’t be helped.

Fabric choices were limited these days.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help saying,

“There are way too many people dressed in gray jackets and black pants. If that’s our only identifying feature, the search area is just too broad.”

“Tell me about it.”

Chief Wu shook his head, his brow so deeply furrowed it could have crushed a fly.

“A trafficker might be able to carry off one child alone, but three? If they managed to take three, they almost certainly had accomplices. Besides, kids that age—four or five years old—aren’t that big. They’d fit in a basket or a burlap sack. For all we know, they’ve already been hidden inside one and smuggled out.”

Well…

That expanded the search area severalfold.

The case had just become even harder.

Chen Dong let out a long sigh.

“But we don’t have any better options. All we can do is search as thoroughly as we can. The faster we move, the better the chances of getting those kids back.”

Jiang Xia frowned.

Searching blindly wasn’t going to work.

It would waste far too much time.

The best solution would be to produce a composite sketch of the suspect.

Searching with a picture would be far more efficient.

The problem was…

She’d never actually practiced forensic sketching before.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help sighing.

You never realize what skills you’re missing until you actually need them.

If she’d known something like this would happen, she would have spent some time practicing instead of being forced into it at the last minute.

There’s really no better way…

Chief Wu glanced at Jiang Xia out of habit.

Seeing that she was frowning just as deeply, he paused, then smacked his forehead.

I’ve really lost my head.

The Municipal Bureau’s experienced detectives were all here, and even they hadn’t come up with a better solution.

How could he expect a fresh university graduate like Jiang Xia to have one?

Even if she had a few unusual talents, they wouldn’t help in a situation like this.

Forget it.

At a time like this, the old-fashioned methods were still the most reliable.

Now that they understood the situation and had their assignments, Chief Wu wasted no more time.

“All right. We’ll head to the road and set up the checkpoint now. If you get any new information, let us know immediately.”

As he spoke, he turned to call for the officers from his station to move out.

Before he could say another word, Jiang Xia spoke up.

“Master.”

Chief Wu stopped and turned around.

“What is it, Xiao Jiang?”

Her right hand hung naturally at her side, fingers brushing the notebook inside her shoulder bag.

“I’d like to try drawing a composite sketch of the suspect.”

“Hm?”

No one appreciated Jiang Xia’s portrait-drawing skills more than Chief Wu.

The reason he hadn’t brought it up earlier was because he remembered what she’d told him before: she could only draw people she’d seen with her own eyes. If she had to rely solely on someone else’s description, the likeness would be poor.

Now that Jiang Xia had raised the idea herself, instead of feeling pleased, he became even more worried.

“But you’ve never seen the children. Can you really draw them?”

If she produced inaccurate portraits, they would only create confusion.

And if the children weren’t found, there was every chance someone would shift the blame onto her.

The senior officers from the Municipal Bureau were certainly watching this case closely. If they saw her trying to show off at a time like this, what if they concluded she was overestimating herself and acting recklessly?

“I can at least give it a try.”

Although she’d never practiced forensic sketching before, Jiang Xia had absolute confidence in her drawing skills.

After all, this was her true strongest ability.

And it had just been enhanced a few days ago.

“Besides, we don’t have any better ideas right now. As long as there’s even a chance it’ll help find the children, it’s worth trying. One less person helping at the roadblocks won’t make much difference. But if I can produce usable sketches, even just giving everyone a face to look for will make the search much easier than it is now.”

That made sense.

Seeing that Jiang Xia had already made up her mind, Chief Wu finally nodded.

“All right.”

He turned to Chen Dong.

“Old Chen, Xiao Jiang’s good at portrait drawing. Bring the children’s families over and let her draw the boys’ portraits.”

“Oh?”

Chen Dong looked surprised.

“So she’s got that skill too?”

But looking at Jiang Xia’s youthful face, he couldn’t help feeling skeptical.

The art teachers at school were all in their thirties or forties, and even when they drew from life, their portraits often looked awkward.

Jiang Xia was so young.

And she hadn’t even seen the children herself.

How good could her drawings possibly be?

He was about to refuse, but then thought better of it.

It wouldn’t hurt to let her try.

Just as she’d said, if it didn’t work out, they’d only be short one person on the search.

No great loss.

But if she really could produce a likeness—

Even if it was only sixty or seventy percent accurate—

It would still make the search far easier.

With that thought, Chen Dong nodded.

“All right. I’ll go bring someone over.”

Just then, Detective Wang Leihu walked over when he saw the group still standing around.

“What are you all dawdling for?” he demanded. “Why aren’t you setting up the checkpoint on the main road yet?”

“We’ve just finished getting the briefing. We’re leaving now.”

Chief Wu answered before calling the officers from his station to move out.

Just before he left, he turned back and said,

“Old Chen, I’m leaving her in your hands!”

For some reason, Chief Wu suddenly felt uneasy.

It was as if he were handing over a freshly steamed meat bun—piping hot, fragrant, and somehow destined to attract trouble.

Chen Dong waved him off.

“Don’t worry!”

Jiang Xia took out her notebook, pencil, and eraser.

Seeing that everyone else had left while she remained behind, Wang Leihu frowned.

“Why aren’t you going?”

“Chief Wu said she’s good at drawing portraits,” Chen Dong explained. “He wants her to see if she can sketch the missing children.”

As an experienced officer himself, Chen Dong had no intention of letting Jiang Xia shoulder all the pressure alone. He deliberately framed it as Chief Wu’s idea before adding,

“I don’t think being one officer short will make much difference. Might as well let her give it a try.”

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.18.1 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.

Unable to make sense of it, Jiang Xia decided to deny everything.

For one thing, aside from the incident on the train, she’d never had any further contact with Skinny Monkey. Even if the veteran railway officer had mentioned her while thanking them afterward, there was no reason anyone should be certain she was the “King of Thieves.”

And besides…

This was obviously an interrogation tactic, a trap disguised as a question. If she replied, I’m not the King of Thieves, she’d still be implying that she knew who the real King of Thieves was.

With that thought in mind, Jiang Xia did her best to keep her gaze innocent and asked with a perfectly puzzled expression, “What King of Thieves? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Drop the act.”

Chief Wu curled his lip in disdain. “That acting might fool Hu Wei, but what’s the point of trying it on me? Bald He has already confessed. Cooperate honestly now, and it’ll go easier for you.”

Well… looks like my counter-surveillance skills still need work.

Jiang Xia remained completely relaxed.

A private talk with her superior meant the situation wasn’t all that serious.

Unable to resist, she quipped, “Confess for leniency… and spend the rest of your life in prison?”

Chief Wu’s blood pressure instantly began to rise.

“Jiang Xia!”

“Just kidding, just kidding!”

Leaning back against her chair, Jiang Xia protested innocently, “I really don’t know anything about this King of Thieves. I only heard about it after Officer Qin mentioned it. Back then, I saw a pickpocket stealing someone’s wallet, so I lifted it back from him and returned it to the victim. How was I supposed to know what was going on in those pickpockets’ heads? Next thing I knew, they were all asking around about some ‘King of Thieves.'”

“Huh?”

Chief Wu quickly pieced together what she meant.

The mysterious “King of Thieves” who had terrified an entire gang of seasoned pickpockets—and indirectly wiped out three different pickpocket rings—had been nothing more than… a misunderstanding?

The absurdity of it left him speechless.

After a long moment, he finally asked, “So… you’re admitting you know how to pick pockets?”

Jiang Xia nodded.

“Mm.”

“And when you pick the pocket of an experienced thief, they don’t even notice?”

“That’s right.”

Her straightforward answer made Chief Wu’s liver ache.

Keeping a stern face, he said, “Now you’re willing to admit it? Then why were you so stubborn back at the park?”

Jiang Xia looked embarrassed.

“Well… because that kind of skill is bound to make people suspicious.”

“So you do realize it’s suspicious!”

Chief Wu slammed his palm on the table.

“If I didn’t trust you, you’d already be sitting in an interrogation room!”

His apprentice was giving him one headache after another. His heart was pounding so hard he had to stop and compose himself for a moment before speaking again in a calmer tone.

“All right. Let’s talk honestly, just the two of us. Tell me the truth. Who taught you to pick pockets and pick locks? And why did you learn those skills?”

Finally, we’re here.

“No one taught me. I learned it all on my own.”

Jiang Xia had prepared this explanation long ago. Spreading her hands, she said, “At the time, I just wanted to study anti-pickpocketing techniques. I thought the methods pickpockets used were pretty interesting, so I wanted to see if I could figure them out. I didn’t expect it to come so easily.”

“See if I could?”

Chief Wu felt as though his heart had skipped several dozen beats.

His face darkened.

“Jiang Xia, be serious! You think anyone’s going to believe nobody taught you when you’ve reached that level? ‘Just wanted to see if you could’? How many years do you think it takes to learn how to steal from people’s pockets?”

“Years?”

Jiang Xia looked genuinely surprised.

“I only practiced for a little over a month.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

Chief Wu frowned even more deeply, his expression growing increasingly stern.

“The pickpockets I’ve arrested trained for at least two or three years before they got any good. And you’re telling me you mastered it in a little over a month?”

He tapped the table.

“This is a police station. Don’t bring those underworld rules in here, covering for other people. Tell me honestly—who taught you?”

Among the Eight Trades of the underworld, pickpocketing was the most unusual.

In most trades, apprentices sought out masters. Pickpocketing was the opposite: masters sought out apprentices. Veteran thieves who had grown too old to work the streets would actively scout promising children and lure them onto the wrong path.

Chief Wu was genuinely worried that Jiang Xia had gotten herself mixed up in something illegal in the past—or worse, that someone had leverage over her.

If that were the case, the consequences would be serious.

She could even lose her badge.

“Really, no one taught me.”

Jiang Xia answered with complete sincerity.

“Maybe it’s just talent. My fingers are especially nimble, so it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it. If you don’t believe me… give me a few days, and I’ll learn sleight-of-hand for you too.”

“You might as well just kill me from sheer frustration!”

Jiang Xia answered so decisively that she didn’t seem to be lying at all. Still only half-convinced, Chief Wu pressed for details.

“If no one taught you, then how did you practice?”

“Didn’t our teachers explain it in class? The key to pickpocketing is using your index and middle fingers to clamp onto the wallet and lift it out.”

Jiang Xia demonstrated the motion with her hand.

“So I hung a little bell from a pocket and practiced until I could pinch and pull without making it ring. Once I could do that consistently, I figured I’d mastered it.”

Chief Wu fell silent.

A bell would jingle at the slightest touch.

Not make a sound at all?

Is that even humanly possible?

No wonder her technique was so incredible.

Maybe…

She really had taught herself.

For some reason, Chief Wu suddenly found himself unable to look at the phrase self-taught genius the same way again.

With talent like that, why on earth had she chosen to develop skills that belonged on the wrong side of the law?

The more he looked at Jiang Xia, the more exasperated he became.

Still, if she really had learned everything on her own, then she probably had no significant ties to the criminal underworld. That meant it was unlikely anyone had leverage over her, and the chances that she’d committed crimes herself were much lower.

Even so, Chief Wu wasn’t completely reassured.

“So after you learned these skills… you didn’t use them to do anything illegal, did you?”

“No. Absolutely not!”

Jiang Xia knew better than anyone how suspicious this ability looked. If their positions were reversed, she’d be suspicious too. That was why she’d kept it hidden until now.

“The only times I’ve ever used it were when I happened to see pickpockets stealing from people. I’d take the wallets back and quietly return them to the victims. If you don’t believe me, you can check my spending at school and at home.”

Chief Wu nodded slightly.

Her reaction was open and straightforward.

Anyone who had actually committed crimes would hide this kind of ability as deeply as possible, terrified that someone might discover it.

Jiang Xia, on the other hand, had concealed it—but only barely. It was almost as if she wanted people to know she possessed the skill.

If that hadn’t been the case, Chief Wu wouldn’t have questioned her privately.

He would have hauled her straight into the interrogation room.

After calming himself down, Chief Wu tapped the table and said with a stern expression,

“All right. For the sake of our relationship as master and apprentice, I’ll trust you one more time. But if there’s anything else you know that you shouldn’t, you’d better tell me now. Otherwise, if something happens later, I won’t be able to protect you.”

The moment he said that, Jiang Xia immediately thought of the new skill the system had just awarded her.

Better not mention that.

There was simply no way to explain it.

“That’s everything.”

She shook her head firmly.

“I only started learning these things after I got into university. My coursework keeps me busy enough as it is. Besides physical training, I also have to practice drawing. Just studying lock-picking and pickpocketing already meant squeezing time out of my schedule. I really didn’t have the energy to learn anything else.”

That made sense.

Even if someone could split themselves into three people, there was still a limit to how much they could do.

Chief Wu sighed.

“Fine. I’ll believe you one more time. But, Xiao Jiang, I can’t play favorites. Your abilities are… unusual. They’ll have to go into your file.”

Special skills had to be monitored by the authorities. Just as licensed locksmiths were required to register with the police, now that Jiang Xia’s abilities had come to light, she would inevitably have to be recorded as well.

She nodded.

“I understand.”

“You don’t understand a damn thing!”

Chief Wu looked as though he wanted to smack her on the head.

“Once this goes into your file, you’ll become someone who gets special scrutiny. Good things won’t come looking for you, but if anything bad happens, you’ll be one of the first people investigated. You can forget about outstanding performance awards or model officer evaluations in the future.”

After a pause, he added against his better judgment,

“And from now on, no more pickpocketing or lock-picking. During your internship, keep your head down and behave yourself. If you do, I’ll make your file sound… as favorable as I can.”

This time, Jiang Xia was genuinely surprised.

She hadn’t expected Chief Wu to go this far for her.

She wasn’t some naïve young student. She knew perfectly well how much room there was for interpretation in official wording.

“Proficient in pickpocketing techniques” and “Skilled in anti-pickpocketing techniques with practical experience in pickpocket methods” might look similar, but they were worlds apart.

The former could seriously damage her future.

The latter, on the other hand, might even become an asset.

And all she had to do was stay out of trouble.

That was practically no restriction at all.

Jiang Xia was deeply moved.

Since she’d already discovered a new way to exploit the system’s loopholes, this arrangement suited her perfectly.

She immediately raised a hand in promise.

“Don’t worry, Master. I absolutely won’t use those skills again!”

“That’s more like it.”

Chief Wu nodded in satisfaction.

“I think your drawing is a much better pursuit. If you’ve got energy to spare, spend more time practicing that instead. Stop wasting it on skills used for crime.”

“Mm…”

Jiang Xia answered with a hint of guilt.

They’d covered everything that could be asked. Whatever remained couldn’t be uncovered through questioning alone—it would take time to verify. Chief Wu decided to end the conversation.

“That’s enough for today. We can talk about the rest later. Xiao Jiang, head home and get some rest. And remember—behave yourself from now on.”

He emphasized the last point once more.

Rising to his feet, he prepared to head home himself and unwind. But before turning away, he still couldn’t resist looking Jiang Xia straight in the eyes.

“You’ve really told me everything? There’s nothing else you’re hiding from me?”

Jiang Xia shook her head so vigorously it looked like a bobblehead.

“No! Nothing at all! I swear I’m not hiding anything else from you, Master!”

“All right, then. Pack up and head home.”

With that, Chief Wu walked back toward his own desk, intending to tidy up before calling it a day.

Hearing that, Jiang Xia quietly let out a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t expected to get through today’s interrogation so easily.

Then again, it made sense.

No single conversation could uncover everything. It was better to observe her over time and judge her character from her actions.

That didn’t worry Jiang Xia in the slightest.

After all, she’d never actually committed a real crime.

In high spirits, she picked up her bag and stood to leave.

Chief Wu stood beside his desk with his head lowered, screwing the cap back onto an open bottle of ink. Just as he turned to leave, the corner of his eye caught sight of the black notebook Jiang Xia had left on the table.

Wasn’t that notebook always locked away in her drawer? So she’d finally taken it out to use today?

Curious, he also noticed a sheet of paper sticking out from beneath the notebook, with part of a familiar-looking pattern exposed.

Wait… something’s not right.

Almost instinctively, Chief Wu reached out and flipped it over.

Jiang Xia, who had already taken a step toward the door, froze.

She instantly realized what was underneath the notebook.

Oh crap.

I’m dead.

She lunged forward to pin it down.

Both of them pressed a hand onto the notebook at the same time.

Their eyes met.

Silence filled the room.

Chief Wu’s face gradually darkened.

“Move your hand.”

“I want to see what’s underneath.”

“Ahaha…”

Jiang Xia tried to laugh her way out of it.

“Master… there’s really no need, is there?”

Chief Wu’s voice shot up an octave.

“I said, move your hand!”

Jiang Xia slowly withdrew it.

Old Ji… you’ve really screwed me over this time!

Without another word, Chief Wu lifted the notebook and pulled out the sheet of paper beneath it.

It was a pencil drawing of the front side of a two-yuan banknote.

Only half of it had been completed.

Yet apart from a few faint construction lines, every detail looked as though it had been printed onto the paper. There wasn’t the slightest trace of pencil strokes. Even the banknote’s subtle background guilloche patterns had been reproduced flawlessly.

Other than being rendered in shades of gray instead of color…

It was virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Looking at its exact dimensions and astonishing level of detail, Chief Wu’s mind slowly went blank.

What exactly is this apprentice of mine trying to do by learning to draw?

“JIANG! XIA!”

His heart pounded violently as he ground out each word through clenched teeth.

“From today onward, you’re quitting drawing too!”

“That’s final!”

…

…

“Phew…”

At her desk, Jiang Xia set down her pencil, rubbed her sore arm, and let out a long breath.

Ever since that conversation with Chief Wu, she’d been on her best behavior.

After all, the moment he’d seen her drawing of the banknote that day, he’d practically exploded.

Over and over, he’d lamented that she wasn’t a boy. Otherwise, he said, he’d have taken off his belt and given her a thorough beating just to vent his anger.

This is all the system’s fault.

If it weren’t so ridiculously overpowered, how could I have made Master this furious?

Still…

Leaning back in her chair, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but reflect.

Oddly enough, after that interrogation, her master’s attitude toward her had actually become even better.

The office bustled with everyone busy at work.

Chief Wu was standing beside Wang Huoda with his enamel tea mug in hand, waiting for a document to be finished. When he noticed Jiang Xia had stopped writing, he called over,

“Tired of writing, Xiao Jiang? If you are, get up and walk around for a bit. Sitting too long is bad for your back.”

Wang Huoda still had a little left to write, so Chief Wu walked over to Jiang Xia first. Glancing at her mug and seeing it was empty, he casually picked up the kettle from the floor and refilled both her cup and his own tea mug.

After going home that day, Chief Wu had spent some time reflecting and decided he’d handled things the wrong way.

Young people naturally liked to push back against authority. Wanting to be different was perfectly normal.

Jiang Xia was simply… more exceptional than most.

Other youngsters only talked about unconventional ideas. If they actually tried them, they’d usually fail halfway through.

Jiang Xia, however, had a quick mind and extraordinary talent. The moment she put something into practice, she skipped straight past competence—

No, she skipped straight to mastery.

With a gifted maverick like her, the harder he tried to suppress her, the more likely she was to rebel.

To prevent that from happening, Chief Wu decided he’d stop scolding her so much and instead show her a little more care. If she truly felt the warmth and support of the organization, perhaps she wouldn’t be tempted to head down the wrong path.

He fished a few candies out of his pocket and set them on her desk.

“Here. White Rabbit milk candies. Have a few.”

Jiang Xia stared silently at the candies.

Come to think of it… why does Master seem to be treating me like a little kid these past few days?

Satisfied that he’d once again “petted the cat” and completed today’s mission, Chief Wu mentally planned to take Jiang Xia to visit a labor reform facility and an execution ground someday for a proper reality check. Then he returned to Wang Huoda, picked up the freshly completed document, and left the office.

The moment he was gone, Lu Fusheng, who had been sitting in the corner, curled his lip in displeasure.

“What a topsy-turvy world we’re living in.”

His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Watching your master pour water for you and not even getting up? What, do you think you’re some pampered young lady from a capitalist family?”

Jiang Xia frowned.

What’s gotten into this idiot now?

“What, did nobody tell you the People’s Republic was founded? You still think we’re living in the old society?”

Before Jiang Xia could say a word, Deputy Chief Xu looked up from his desk and shot back immediately.

“Lu Fusheng, why don’t you explain to me what’s wrong with a master casually pouring his apprentice a cup of water?”

Deputy Chief Xu was thoroughly annoyed.

What’s the big deal about pouring someone a cup of water? Jiang Xia had only been here a few days, yet she’d already cracked two cases and helped catch more than a dozen pickpockets. If he had an apprentice like that, he’d gladly pour her water eight times a day!

His words instantly turned Lu Fusheng’s face green.

It was one thing for Chief Wu to side with Jiang Xia.

But why was even Deputy Chief Xu defending her?

“I… I…”

Still unwilling to let it go, he protested, “Deputy Chief Xu, don’t you think Jiang Xia’s been putting on more and more airs lately?”

“Putting on airs? How?”

Deputy Chief Xu looked even more displeased.

“She does more work than you do!”

He pointed toward Lu Fusheng’s desk.

“That piece of paper of yours hasn’t moved in ages. Old Wang, give him your stack of files. Lu Fusheng, if you don’t finish them today, don’t bother going home.”

The moment those words fell, Wang Huoda moved with lightning speed, dropping his stack of documents onto Lu Fusheng’s desk.

Then, just for good measure, he added two more files on top.

He’d been sick of watching the guy loaf around for ages.

Staring at the towering pile of paperwork, Lu Fusheng suddenly wanted to slap himself.

Serves you right for running your mouth.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help smiling.

She unwrapped a White Rabbit candy and popped it into her mouth before strolling out of the office in plain sight.

She did absolutely nothing, simply stretched her body and wandered around for a full half hour before leisurely making her way back.

As she passed Lu Fusheng, she even shot him a provocative look.

I’ve got the ability to back it up. I’m just this cocky. If you don’t like it, come bite me.

Returning to her desk, Jiang Xia tucked the remaining candies into her pocket, picked up her pen, and was just about to resume writing—

When the station phone rang.

Chief Wu, who had only just returned, hurried over and answered it.

“Hello?… What?!… All right, all right—we’ll be there immediately!”

His expression instantly turned grave.

He slammed the receiver back into its cradle and looked up.

“Two children have gone missing at the Dragon King Temple market. Headquarters wants us there right away. Old Xu, you and Lu Fusheng stay here and hold down the station. Everyone else, with me!”

Two children are missing?

Jiang Xia wasn’t sure whether they had simply wandered off or had been abducted by traffickers.

Either way, there wasn’t a second to waste.

She stood up, grabbed the key to her bicycle lock, and was about to head outside when she suddenly remembered something.

Stopping in her tracks, she opened her desk drawer, stuffed the notebook she hadn’t touched in days—along with a pencil and an eraser—into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and hurried out.

This might come in handy.

<< _ >>

The post Criminal Master System Ch.17 first appeared on A Wandering Potato.