"Luck is also a part of strength."

After Su Jiayi spoke, she frowned and said strangely, "But there is a period of your experience that has been encrypted. During the time when you transitioned from auxiliary police to a formal police officer, all auxiliary police, no, all police officers entering the public security system have a two-year probation period, but you did not. There is only one explanation for this, which is that your position was a special quota directly authorized by the provincial department, something that connections alone cannot secure, yet you achieved it."

She still didn't know that Li Xiang had participated in the Drug Enforcement Bureau's secret operation, but from some details, she knew Li Xiang's identity was not simple.

Some quotas truly cannot be secured with connections alone.

The more special the quota, the more people watch it, living as if under a magnifying glass. Who dares to seek personal gain?

"I signed a confidentiality agreement on this matter, and it's inconvenient to discuss it."

This event was quite coincidental. Originally, Yan Xiong intended to make me an undercover agent, but I feared for my life and refused. Unexpectedly, I got involved by chance, assisting Yan Xiong with his plan, and this earned me the quota. In truth, I didn't do much, but I didn't expect Su Jiayi to overinterpret it.

"I understand the rules."

Su Jiayi naturally knew that with a confidentiality agreement in place, she couldn't delve deeper. Nonetheless, those who can secure a special recruitment from the provincial office are extraordinary individuals.

"Not to mention the past, since joining the criminal investigation team, you've helped solve several cases. In these cases, the role you played was pivotal. In short, you need to have confidence in yourself, just as you have confidence in your gun skills. If any problems arise, I'll be there to support you. No one is born a team leader; they are trained step by step."

Since Li Xiang joined the First Squad, Su Jiayi, although she didn't express many opinions and had a low presence, it didn't mean she handled nothing. In crucial moments, Feng Yonglin also respected her opinions.

"Yes, Sister Su, thank you."

"No need to thank me. You have the ability, just keep it up!"

During their conversation, they arrived at Qiu Chengguang's workplace. After showing their police IDs, the guard contacted the internal security department, and through them, they called Qiu Chengguang.

"Hello, I'm Qiu Chengguang, what can I do for you?"

Qiu Chengguang, wearing a full set of standard protective gear, walked out of the workshop. Seeing Li Xiang and the others, he took off his safety glasses and gloves and asked curiously.

"It's like this, we received intelligence that someone hired a hitman to kill you. Have you offended anyone recently?" Li Xiang got straight to the point.

Hearing the police's words, Qiu Chengguang thought he had encountered scammers, professional ones even, pretending to be police officers to scam at his workplace. He stepped back and skeptically asked, "Really? Hired to kill who? Me?"

"That's right. Don't think we're exaggerating. We're from Jinghai City's criminal investigation team. These are our credentials. Think carefully if you've clashed with anyone recently."

To enhance his credibility, Li Xiang showed him his credentials.

"I'm just an office worker. Usually, I work in the factory and don't go anywhere, so there's no chance to hold grudges with anyone… wait, on my production line, there's Li Wei. We have a grudge and fought several times. He even said last time he wanted to kill me. I didn't think he'd dare to hire a hitman."

"Oh? Tell us about your situation."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiang and the team became interested and eagerly followed up. But as Qiu Chengguang explained, they found the disputes were trivial, not enough to justify hiring a killer on the dark web.

Although it was just their speculation, Li Xiang still called over the person named Li Wei to understand the situation.

"Qiu Chengguang, have you lost your mind? You report to the police just because I scolded you that day?"

Hearing Li Wei playing the victim, Qiu Chengguang was immediately dissatisfied: "Report to the police? You even hired a hitman online. Why wouldn't I report?"

"Hire a hitman? I'd rather buy a pound of pig head meat to eat at home. Are you tastier than pork? I'd hire you?"

As soon as the two met, they started quarreling.

Seeing the situation between the two, Li Xiang rushed to stop them from escalating into a fight.

"Stop arguing. Li Wei, come over, we need to understand some things."

After calling Li Wei over, Li Xiang inquired about some basics and also asked about the conflict between him and Qiu Chengguang, verifying that they were indeed just trivial disputes.

He immediately clarified he would never hire a hitman: "I have two sons at home. My salary is handed over to my wife, leaving just a bit for pocket money. I'm already frugal, so how could I hire a hitman?"

Although Li Wei seemed pitiable, Li Xiang still reported his identity information to Mao Ji to check if there were any anomalies in Li Wei's financial situation, then ended the inquiry, letting him return to work.

Li Xiang kept Qiu Chengguang back and continued, "Besides him, do you have any other suspects?"

"No, I don't hold grudges with anyone, just an honest living."

Su Jiayi suddenly interjected, "How are your marital relations?"

In general cases, when one spouse is murdered, the other becomes a prime suspect. So when Qiu Chengguang mentioned not having grudges, Su Jiayi's first thought was, could it be his wife wants to hire a hitman?

"No way, my wife loves me very much, our relationship is great."

"Okay, thanks for your cooperation in the investigation."

Seeing the police preparing to leave, Qiu Chengguang panicked, "What about me if you leave? Someone wants to kill me."

Anyone would be nervous if the police suddenly inform them that someone has paid on the dark web for their life, and Qiu Chengguang was no exception.

"We've applied for a protection order for you. For the next few days, keep a fixed schedule and don't wander around too much. If something happens, you can't blame anyone else."

"Yes, yes."

Feeling relieved knowing the police would protect him, Qiu Chengguang returned to work.

In the car, Su Jiayi said leisurely, "We don't have anyone to protect him."

"Yes, no one in the First Squad."

Li Xiang also felt troubled. Arranging for round-the-clock protection would require at least two people per shift, with an eight-hour duty across three shifts, meaning six people in total.

In the First Squad, with Sun Zhidong still absent, there are just five people, including two women. It's not about discrimination; they have internal duties to handle. If they're on fieldwork, who manages domestic emergencies?

Ultimately, it's a manpower issue.

"Ask Feng Da for more hands," Su Jiayi suggested.

"Huh? Will he agree?"

Initially, he'd asked for more people but only got one: Sun Zhidong. Feng Da was quite tight-fisted. Asking for more, would he agree?

"Request a temporary deployment. The case is complicated, and relying solely on our First Squad isn't enough. If necessary, establish a special task force and draw elite forces from different departments. We can't just watch the victim get killed, right?"

"Of course not!"

If the police receive information yet let a killer succeed, where would the police's reputation stand?

Thinking of this, Li Xiang promptly contacted Feng Yonglin, explaining the current situation and difficulties, and presented his request.

"With the clues still insufficient, there's no need for a special task force yet, but I can temporarily assign you four people for your directive. I'll send their contact later."

Ultimately, considering the actual situation, Feng Yonglin agreed to part of Li Xiang's request.

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