Chapter 143: Going by Instinct?

Late at night, the innermost computer in the Technical Department was still running, playing video footage at four times the normal speed, a dizzying blur of motion. Yet Song Changfeng sat in front of it, eyes locked on the screen with unwavering focus, his back straight and rigid without the slightest slump.

Beside him lay a notebook filled with strange symbols. Whatever he was seeing in the video, he would occasionally jot down another symbol, adding to the cryptic collection.

“Song-ge, want some?” Xiao Zhou, who was on night duty, pulled out a cup of instant noodles from the cabinet and waved it at Song Changfeng.

“Thanks,” Song Changfeng replied, pausing the video. As he stood up, he couldn’t help pressing his fingers to his temples. He hadn’t had a proper rest in days—running around during the day, glued to the screen at night. Even someone made of iron would start to feel the strain.

“Song-ge, you want braised beef or pickled mustard flavor?” Xiao Zhou asked.

“Thanks, braised beef is fine.” The pickled mustard flavor was too pungent. Song Changfeng didn’t want to walk around reeking of fermented vegetables.

Xiao Zhou swiftly tore open several noodle cups, added the seasoning and hot water, then pressed the lids down with a few books. After patiently waiting two or three minutes, the steaming, savory noodles were ready to eat.

Truth be told, instant noodles weren’t exactly gourmet fare. But for people like them, who often worked until they lost track of day and night, it was the perfect fuel. They sometimes jokingly called coffee and instant noodles the “cop’s companions”—coffee to stay awake, noodles to fill the stomach. With those two in hand, they could chase leads deep into the night without fear.

Amid Xiao Zhou’s chatter, Song Changfeng polished off three cups of noodles. Staring at the empty containers, he suddenly chuckled.

That startled Xiao Zhou. Song Changfeng had a good temper, but he was famously reserved. To those who didn’t know him well, he was the textbook “cool and stoic guy.”

“Song-ge, what’re you laughing at?”

Still smiling, Song Changfeng looked unusually relaxed. “I just remembered the last time I had instant noodles. Aofeng was craving some and kept eyeing me, swallowing hard. But when I looked at him, he’d quickly turn away like he didn’t care.” Those shifty little eyes were hilarious. Aofeng had way too much pride, Song Changfeng thought. Still, even if he begged, Song wouldn’t have given him any. Instant noodles weren’t something dogs should eat.

Xiao Zhou chuckled along, though he sighed inwardly. He’d thought there was some juicy gossip coming, but it turned out to be about Aofeng.

After tidying up the desk, Song Changfeng sat back at the computer and resumed watching the video at quadruple speed. Around four in the morning, he nudged the dozing Xiao Zhou awake and asked him to extract a few segments from the surveillance footage.

Xiao Zhou nodded groggily, only fully waking up once he sat at the computer. Following the timestamps and clip names Song had written in his notebook, his fingers flew across the keyboard. In less than ten minutes, he had transferred the requested videos to Song Changfeng’s phone.

“Thanks, sorry to bother you,” Song said.

“Hey, what bother? If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have gotten a minute of rest. Thanks to you, I managed to sneak in a few hours of sleep. I should be thanking you. Song-ge, you should get some rest too. I heard Captain Lei’s holding another meeting at eight.”

Song Changfeng thanked him again, then took his phone and notebook back to his place. After a quick, no-frills shower¹, he collapsed into bed. Within seconds, his breathing had evened out into a steady rhythm.

For a cop without the ability to fall asleep instantly, life would be hell. Once an investigation started, all routines went out the window. Those who couldn’t adapt had no choice but to leave the front lines.

…

“Everyone here? Good. Let’s begin the reports. You first,” Lei Liming said from the front of the room, his expression stern. That morning, he’d received another notice urging them to solve the case quickly. Public opinion online was heating up, and the higher-ups were feeling the pressure, which meant more pressure on them.

The officer who had been in charge of monitoring Chen Kang the previous day stood up to report. “At 7 a.m. yesterday, Chen left his residence… At 8 p.m., he went out to buy some food, then stayed in for the rest of the night. Based on his movements, there was nothing unusual.”

When he finished, another officer stood up. “The three households we were monitoring didn’t report any missing items, which seems to contradict Song Changfeng’s earlier assessment. He said that wherever Chen Kang appeared, thefts would follow. But based on our surveillance yesterday, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Chen Kang was under close watch the entire time, yet a theft still occurred, and it happened in Building Five, which is quite far from where he was. Based on yesterday’s findings, I don’t believe Chen Kang had the opportunity to commit the crime.”

Lei Liming looked at Song Changfeng. Faced with his colleague’s doubts, Song Changfeng’s expression remained completely calm, as if the questioning wasn’t directed at him at all.

“Changfeng, why don’t you explain.”

Song Changfeng stood up, swept his gaze around the room, and said, “I still believe Chen Kang is a suspect.” His very first sentence directly contradicted Zhang Chen’s conclusion.

Zhang Chen frowned. “Comrade Song Changfeng, my judgment is based on a variety of evidence. May I ask what your conclusion is based on?” He mentally reviewed everything that had happened the day before but still couldn’t find any flaws.

“Intuition.” As soon as Song Changfeng said it, the room erupted. Even Lei Liming frowned. Could a police investigation really rely on intuition? Only evidence could force a suspect to surrender.

“I’ve reviewed all the surveillance footage. Without exception, every theft occurred during the time periods when Chen Kang was present, and all within the same building. However, the moment we began to suspect Chen Kang’s involvement, that pattern was suddenly broken. It looked like a reasonable alibi, but to me, it seemed even more suspicious,” Song Changfeng said. He believed Chen Kang was deliberately trying to divert attention and create an alibi for himself.

Some of the others hesitated. Surprisingly, they found Song Changfeng’s reasoning quite convincing.

Zhang Chen’s expression turned a little strange. “So you’re saying Chen Kang realized we were monitoring him, and deliberately created confusion to throw us off? But yesterday’s operation was conducted in secret. Apart from the people in this meeting room, no one else knew about it. Are you suggesting that someone among us leaked the information?” He was getting angry. He felt that Song Changfeng’s words carried an insinuation. He had simply analyzed the case based on the evidence. Why did it suddenly sound like he was colluding with Chen Kang?

Song Changfeng was momentarily stunned, then realized what Zhang Chen meant and why his expression had turned so sour.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything. It’s just that our operation wasn’t exactly covert. Before this mission, we went to Mingyang Community to conduct a survey on the surveillance equipment. Once that signal was out, it’s perfectly reasonable that Chen Kang picked up on it.”

Others might not have thought much of it, but anyone connected to the case would pay extra attention to the police’s every move. If word of their surveillance inquiries reached Chen Kang, and he was already feeling guilty, then deliberately staging a crime to clear his name would be a logical move.

Zhang Chen’s expression eased a little. He had to admit, what Song Changfeng just said held some weight. But Song Changfeng’s reasoning was still based on the assumption that Chen Kang was indeed involved in the case. He was working backward from that premise.

The proper procedure should be to gather evidence through investigation, then gradually narrow down the suspects, confirm their involvement, and finally conduct interrogations and close the case. But Song Changfeng seemed to have already decided on a suspect and was now building the investigation around him.

Zhang Chen, who had always followed protocol step by step, suddenly felt a bit lost. Could this be the reason why Song Changfeng always managed to find evidence before anyone else and solve cases faster? Just… intuition?

Translator’s Notes