Han Bin climbed over the yard wall and jumped into the neighbor Old Zhao's courtyard.
Scanning the area, he quickly spotted a pile of coal in the corner. Footprints smudged with coal dust led directly to it.
One section of the coal pile had clearly been freshly disturbed.
Han Bin grabbed a shovel and dug a few times, uncovering a backpack.
Inside were stacks of red banknotes and tools likely used in a crime—hats, gloves, a flashlight, etc.
A quick count showed over 300,000 yuan in cash and a check for 800,000 yuan—matching the amount reported stolen from the Qingdao Brewery.
"Lin Changsheng, the stolen goods have been found. What else do you have to say for yourself?" Zeng Ping asked sternly.
"It was dug up from Old Zhao's coal pile. It's not mine," Lin Changsheng tried to deny it.
"Chen Juan, can you identify this bag? Is it yours?"
Chen Juan looked nervous as she carefully stepped forward, took a glance, and trembled. "No... No, I've never seen it before."
"There are fingerprints on this flashlight. Once tested, we'll know exactly who it belongs to. Denying it won't help," Han Bin said.
"Arrest him!" Zeng Ping ordered with a wave of his hand.
Li Hui and Zhao Ming moved in immediately and restrained Lin Changsheng.
"Let go of my husband…" Chen Juan tried to stop them, but Tian Li blocked her.
"Take good care of the kids," Lin Changsheng sighed.
"What are you waiting for? Take him away!"
…
Back at the police station—
The forensics team compared the fingerprints on the flashlight to Lin Changsheng's—they were an exact match.
The evidence was irrefutable.
Even without a confession, the case could be closed.
Realizing he had no way out, Lin Changsheng confessed during the first round of interrogation.
…
The case's success was largely thanks to Han Bin.
Everyone acknowledged his contribution.
There was no doubt—he'd earn the primary merit credit.
Han Bin didn't attend the interrogation. After all, when you eat the meat, you should let others have some soup too.
If you hog all the credit, who would want to work with you in the future?
As Han Bin was preparing for a lunch break, a voice sounded in his mind:
[Congratulations, Officer 577533, on solving your first criminal case.]
[Skill Proficiency +2, Merit Points +5.]
[Would you like to use your Merit Points to unlock a new skill?] the badge system asked.
Han Bin didn't answer right away. He thought for a while and then said, "Unlock."
[Officer 577533, which skill would you like to unlock?]
"Micro-expression analysis," Han Bin replied.
[Skill: Micro-expression Analysis]
[Effect: Allows the user to determine a person's true emotions by analyzing subtle facial expressions and body language.]
[Levels:]
[Beginner: 100 Merit Points]
[Advanced: 500 Merit Points]
[Expert: 1000 Merit Points]
"What's the use of skill proficiency?" Han Bin asked.
[It reduces the required Merit Points when leveling up a skill,] the badge system explained.
"I only have 7 Merit Points right now. That's not enough to unlock anything," Han Bin said.
[You can pay in installments.]
"You can what now?" Han Bin was surprised.
[It's the trend in future society.]
Han Bin: "..."
"If I want to unlock the beginner level of micro-expression analysis, what's the installment plan?"
[10 points per month—Merit Points or Skill Proficiency—for a total of 120 points per year.]
"Why is it 20 points more?"
[Interest.]
Han Bin: "..."
After thinking it through, Han Bin decided to go ahead. Micro-expression analysis was a highly useful skill—being able to verify the truthfulness of a suspect's testimony through body language could make a big difference.
"I want to learn beginner-level Micro-expression Analysis."
"Buzz…"
Han Bin's brain buzzed. A massive amount of knowledge and data on micro-expressions flooded into his mind, like being force-fed through a firehose.
It was far more complex than the Footprint Identification skill.
It felt like a long time had passed before he recovered.
[Ding. Congratulations, Officer 577533, you've acquired a new skill.] the badge system confirmed.
[Officer 577533]
[Skills:]
[Footprint Identification (Advanced)]
[Micro-expression Analysis (Beginner)]
[Merit Points: +7]
[Footprint ID Proficiency: +3]
…
Wanting to test out the new skill, Han Bin called over Li Hui.
"Li Hui, let me ask you something."
"What's up?"
Han Bin stared at him: "Who do you think is better looking—me or you?"
"Bin-ge, why are you suddenly asking such a deep question?"
"Just asking casually," Han Bin shrugged.
"Do you even need to ask? Of course I'm the better-looking one!" Li Hui replied, instinctively touching his neck.
Everyone has their own unconscious actions when they lie.
Touching the neck is a classic mechanical response.
"Haha…" Han Bin laughed to himself. Yup, this skill works.
…
Qingdao Sub-bureau, not far from the seaside.
After work that evening, Zeng Ping treated everyone to seafood at a beachside food stall.
They ordered a bucket of fresh draft beer, along with peanuts, mantis shrimp, mussels, scallops, octopus, oysters, lamb skewers, and more.
"Pour the drinks!" Zeng Ping called out, beaming.
"Today our team really shone. From the time the report came in to solving the case, not even 10 hours passed. That calls for a proper celebration."
"When the other team saw us clock out on time, their eyes practically turned green," Li Hui joked.
"Haha…" Everyone burst out laughing.
"Come on, let's toast to Han Bin. Without him, we wouldn't have identified the suspect so quickly," Zeng Ping said, raising his glass.
"No, no," Han Bin modestly declined. "It was a team effort. If anyone deserves a toast, it's you, Captain Zeng."
"Alright, enough with the fake humility. Everyone played a part, but you led the charge," Zeng Ping smiled, giving Han Bin a pat on the arm.
Han Bin wasn't just good at solving cases—he was thoughtful and knew how to be a team player. Zeng Ping had a favorable impression of him.
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses and drank together.
Solving a case is a police officer's happiest and most relaxed moment. The team was in high spirits.
"Han Bin, your footprint analysis is seriously impressive," Zhao Ming gave a thumbs-up.
If it weren't for Han Bin identifying the suspect quickly, they wouldn't have had enough evidence if Lin Changsheng had managed to move the stolen money.
"Just practice, that's all," Han Bin deflected casually.
"Back at the academy, you didn't seem this sharp," Li Hui said.
"That just means you weren't paying attention," Han Bin shot back.
"Haha…"
The group laughed and teased. Since Han Bin was still new to the team, this gathering helped him get to know everyone better.
With the sea breeze blowing—
The team drank, ate, chatted, and laughed, growing closer as colleagues and friends.
They only parted ways once they were full and satisfied.
…
Early the next morning—
"Ring ring ring…" Han Bin's phone rang.
Half-asleep, he fumbled for it: "Hello?"
"It's Li Hui."
"What are you calling so early for?" Han Bin grumbled.
"There was a rape case at the city park last night."
(End of Chapter)