Police officer Chen Shu.

Northern Myanmar.

A black car was driving along a road that stretched towards China.

Sitting in the bumpy car, Xiao Wang felt like his stomach was going to come out, but he knew in his heart that the main reason was not the road conditions, but that he felt nauseous.

deserter.

This was the only thought that occupied his mind right now.

It's clear that Chen Shu, Chen Chuan, and Zhu Yiba are about to clash with the largest ethnic armed group in northern Myanmar. That leader, the so-called county magistrate, the so-called general, is the source of the telecommunications fraud industry chain in northern Myanmar.

If we don't take him down, telecom fraud in China will never stop.

There were many explanations, but the conclusion was the same: he left.

Ah, no, he ran away, he escaped.

"Squeak!"

Xiao Wang swerved the steering wheel sharply to the left, crashing into a large pothole in the road. With a bang, the wheel ran over the pothole.

The car suddenly lurched downwards, then jolted upwards, causing Xiao Wang's body to bounce up with the seat before being forcefully pulled back onto the seat by the seatbelt.

With a whoosh, the car continued moving forward.

Xiao Wang took a deep breath. He had originally wanted to use the accident as an excuse to stay in northern Myanmar, or even go back to find Chen Shu and the others, but it only proved his childishness.

At that moment, he longed to say, "I'll go with you."

But he swallowed the words back.

It wasn't because he was afraid of dying, but because he was afraid of going along only to be unable to help at all and instead become a burden to the team. On the mountain, he couldn't even hold a shovel properly, and on the way down, he even crashed into Min Lai's troops. What right did he have to say he wanted to go together?

The best way is to take the evidence from the four police officers' case back with us. Their sacrifices cannot be buried, and they cannot be left alone in a foreign land.

Xiao Wang understands all these principles, but he still feels a tightness in his chest.

After driving for an hour, the embassy's SUV, bearing the words "Ceasefire Supervision," moved unimpeded. No checkpoint dared to stop it, and there wasn't even a vehicle inspection. The yellow-skinned soldiers at most glanced inside the car.

After the car passed the last Myanmar checkpoint, Xiao Wang's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed when he saw the huge red national emblem on the top of the border building.

Following the instructions of the border police, Xiao Wang parked his car in a secluded parking space behind the building, and then a group of police officers surrounded him.

Xiao Wang turned off the car, got out, and stood not far away watching them carry the woven bags containing the bodies from the car into the building one by one.

A policeman came over and gestured for Xiao Wang to follow him, presumably to inquire about the situation that had occurred in northern Myanmar and some handover matters.

"Hello, there are some procedures here that require your signature."

"Then, we also need to collect evidence together."

"By the way, you need to write a statement of the situation as soon as possible..."

Xiao Wang stared blankly at the SUV, waved wearily, and did not answer the policeman's question.

The police officer understood and didn't bother them any further. He lit two cigarettes for them, and then the two of them stood together on the side, watching silently.

......

A group of people were already waiting in the conference room of the port building.

The leader was a police chief surnamed Huang, the real top official, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a steaming cup of instant coffee, surrounded by a group of CEOs in white shirts, chatting away.

Seeing Xiao Wang come in, Huang put down his coffee and came over to greet him, shaking hands with a firm grip.

"Comrade Xiao Wang, you must be tired from your journey."

Xiao Wang simply nodded without saying anything, or rather, he was too lazy to say anything.

Director Huang didn't seem to care at all. He pulled Xiao Wang down to sit, first offering his usual words of comfort, then briefly inquiring about the cause and effect of the case. He listened attentively, nodding and showing a satisfied expression.

In just over ten minutes, Director Huang finished his visit, and then a deputy director in charge of criminal investigation took the microphone to preside over the meeting and arrange for the police forces in each group to handle related matters.

Knowing that he was done, Xiao Wang made up an excuse and left.

The deputy director originally wanted to stop him, since as the parties involved, they still had many questions to ask Xiao Wang. However, when the deputy director saw Director Huang shake his head slightly, he lowered his raised hand.

Xiao Wang found a secluded corner, sat on the steps of the fire escape, took out his phone, and saw three WeChat messages. The first one was from Chen Shu, with only five words: "Do what you should do." The other two were from Chen Chuan, who first sent a cool Minion emoji wearing sunglasses, followed by the same five words: "Aren't you coming back yet?"

At that moment, Xiao Wang's eyes welled up with tears.

Xiao Wang followed Chen Shu closely the whole way, but he felt that he had not integrated into Chen Shu's team. In fact, he felt that he got along better with the two policemen from Yunnan Province, Ma Rongcheng and Wang Yan.

But Chen Chuan's words gave him the greatest affirmation.

Xiao Wang quickly edited the text.

"Brother Chuan, there are still many things that need my help at the border, and I can't leave right away. But as soon as I finish what I'm doing, I'll definitely head over there immediately."

I received a reply very quickly after sending the message.

"Just kidding. Take care of yourself. You don't need to worry about things here."

How could I not be worried? You're dealing with armed men who treat human lives like dirt... At that moment, all Xiao Wang could do was give an OK sign.

After switching phone screens, Xiao Wang stared at the five words "Do what you should do" sent by Chen Shu for a long time. Then he turned his phone over and placed it face down on his knees, leaned back against the wall, looked at the dim ceiling, and his mind was full of northern Myanmar.

As a normal young man, after successfully handing over the remains of the four fallen policemen, he would most likely choose to return to his comrades, including Xiao Wang himself. At this moment, his heart was also frantically calling out to him that he must go back, he must return to northern Myanmar immediately.

Didn't you want to investigate a case?

Haven't you always longed to fight on the front lines?

But Xiao Wang knew that he needed to do more and more important things.

He knew where he should stand—not on the steps of the fire escape, not beside Chen Shu and Chen Chuan, not in northern Myanmar, but here, in the border building currently crowded with police, in the evidence room on the first floor, the interrogation room on the second floor, and the conference hall on the third floor—these were the procedures and formalities he needed to complete step by step.

Chen Shu and Chen Chuan charged forward; he had to protect their escape route, make sure it was secure. Then, he would bring those criminals who had harmed the Chinese people and police to justice, using irrefutable reasons.

Xiao Wang knows that some people don't need a reply because they trust that you will handle things well.

Xiao Wang closed the WeChat chat interface with Chen Shu, stood up, and focused his gaze.

When Xiao Wang returned to the third floor and pushed open the double doors of the conference room, the clamor hit him like a wall.

At the meeting, the deputy director divided the task force into four groups: video analysis, technical intelligence, domestic coordination, and overseas law enforcement. Each group occupied a corner of the meeting room, like four roaring engines, ready to work with full force.

"Stop! Right here! Rewind three seconds! See that? Right here... By the way, have the DNA sample comparison results come back yet? What! Not yet? Get Old Wang up here right now!"

"Lin Jun, how many valid cell phone signals are showing in the park? Filter them to see if there are any Chinese people. Zheng Hao, try to pinpoint the location of Chen Shu and the other two."

"Hello! Hello! Is this the Mandalay Consulate? This is Liu Qingyun from the Third Division of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. Please transfer me to your duty officer... Hello, Counselor Li, we have a very urgent case that we need to discuss with you..."

"According to the judicial assistance agreement between the two countries, there were procedural deficiencies in this evidence collection process. After all, Chen Shu and his group were not present in the presence of Myanmar law enforcement personnel... Fine, then we'll break through this from the perspective of protective jurisdiction!"

"..."

Xiao Wang suddenly understood.

The bright and clean offices of the provincial government, the mud on his classmates' clothes from handling cases, the armed men that Chen Shu and Chen Chuan faced, and the port building that worked day and night—these seemingly unrelated scenes were actually connected by the same thread, but he hadn't seen it clearly before.

Now he sees it clearly.

This line isn't about being at the grassroots level or in a government agency; it's about everyone doing their job in their respective positions, and all these things combined make up the sentence Chen Shu sent him.

Do what you're supposed to do.

What a police officer should do.

Hey guys, I, Old Xiong, have to admit I come from a grassroots background and have always been working on the front lines. This chapter isn't specifically taking sides with my brothers in government offices; it's just that I'm getting old and it came to me. ;)

I like Policeman Chen Shu.