Help is on the Way

Qinghe Bay Police Branch.

Two police cars pulled up one after the other at the entrance of the station.

The doors opened, and seven people stepped out.

Leading the group were Han Fei and Xu Mo, followed by several members of their team.

As soon as Han Fei and his team arrived, an officer approached to greet them.

The officer in charge of reception was one of the three who had visited Han Fei’s station for training the day before.

“Captain Han, Captain Xu,” he said with visible anxiety as he approached them.

After greeting Han Fei and Xu Mo, he forced a smile toward the officers behind them.

The smile was strained, and his face was filled with bitterness, making it look more like a grimace than a genuine expression.

“Any leads?” Han Fei asked.

The officer shook his head. “None.”

If they had any leads, they wouldn’t have needed to call Han Fei for help.

Led by the officer, the group entered the station.

At the front of the office area was a whiteboard, which the officers often used to organize clues during investigations.

At the moment, a group of officers stood around the whiteboard, looking utterly perplexed. Among them was Director Gao, who was deeply troubled by the loss of a subordinate’s firearm.

The station was as quiet as stagnant water, the silence almost suffocating.

A voice broke the stillness.

“Director Gao, Captain Xu and Captain Han are here.”

Hearing this, the officers’ faces lit up with hope.

Help had arrived!

Xu Mo’s reputation preceded him. Many in the system referred to him as a “super detective.”

As for Han Fei, while his fame might not match Xu Mo’s, he was no ordinary figure either.

According to the officers who had gone to learn investigative techniques from him, Xu Mo, the super detective, had been mentored by Han Fei.

This alone spoke volumes about Han Fei’s expertise in solving cases.

With both Xu Mo and Han Fei coming to assist, the officers felt much more at ease.

Not only the officers but even Director Gao’s eyes gleamed with hope.

“This is Captain Xu, and this is Captain Han… This is Director Gao,” the officer introduced.

“Director Gao,” Xu Mo and Han Fei said in unison.

Director Gao waved his hand. “No need for formalities. The case is what matters now…”

In the presence of these two investigative experts, he didn’t put on airs.

The most pressing issue at hand was the missing firearm.

“Xiao Li, give Captain Han and Xu Mo a detailed rundown of the case!” Director Gao continued.

The officer called Xiao Li stepped up to the whiteboard and began explaining everything they knew so far.

“Yesterday afternoon, Hao Qi, the officer who lost his firearm, went out on a mission with his service weapon. He was only out for two hours, but when he returned, the gun was missing. According to Hao Qi, he never encountered a situation where he needed to draw his weapon, so he never took it out of its holster. The gun stayed in the holster the entire time, and he didn’t stop to rest anywhere during the mission, so it’s unlikely that he accidentally dropped it. He suspects the gun was stolen, and we agree… The places marked on the whiteboard are all the locations he passed through yesterday.”

Since the officer himself didn’t know when or where the gun was lost, there weren’t many clues to go on. The entire summary took only a few sentences.

After listening to Xiao Li’s explanation, Xu Mo fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then he asked a question.

“When Hao Qi went out on the mission yesterday, was he in plain clothes or in uniform?”

“He was in uniform,” Xiao Li replied.

To have a gun stolen while in uniform… This pickpocket had some nerve, targeting an officer directly.

“Besides the gun, was anything else stolen? Was his phone taken?” Xu Mo asked again.

“No, nothing else… Only the gun was stolen. His phone is still here,” Xiao Li replied with a bitter smile. That was the crux of the problem.

With mobile payments being so convenient nowadays, most people don’t carry cash when they go out, so the only thing a pickpocket could steal is a phone.

But in Hao Qi’s case, the only thing stolen was a gun. The thief didn’t even take the phone, which strongly suggested that the gun was the target all along.

Hearing this, Xu Mo’s expression changed, and so did Han Fei’s.

The phone wasn’t taken, but the gun was… It seemed the thief was after the gun. What did he want it for?

Both of them had the same thought: they needed to find the missing firearm as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.

Xu Mo began to analyze the situation.

The officer had been on a mission when his gun was stolen, and he only realized it was missing after returning to the station.

This suggested that the thief was a seasoned professional, with skills honed to perfection.

As for why the thief wanted the gun… To sell it for money?

A gun could fetch a decent price on the black market, but the risk involved wasn’t worth the reward.

If the thief was just after money, he could have targeted more valuable items instead of a gun.

A pickpocket capable of stealing a gun from an officer without the officer noticing must have had exceptional skills. Xu Mo was certain the thief could have stolen more valuable items if he wanted to.

After all, Hao Qi’s gun had been in its holster. Police holsters are specially designed to prevent accidental loss and theft, making it difficult for an ordinary person to quickly remove the gun.

So, if the theft wasn’t for money, was it for use? Xu Mo wondered.

Wait a minute!

The holster has a unique design, making it hard for an ordinary person—even a professional pickpocket—to quickly remove the gun. The thief wouldn’t have been able to access the holster or the gun. That was the key point!

Xu Mo’s eyes lit up with realization.

Noticing the change in Xu Mo’s expression, Han Fei instinctively asked, “Did you figure something out?”

Xu Mo nodded.

He turned to Xiao Li. “You said Hao Qi’s gun was in its holster the entire time during the mission, right?”

“Yes,” Xiao Li nodded, then added, “At least, that’s what he said.”

“Could a pickpocket really steal a gun from a holster right under an officer’s nose? The holster has anti-theft mechanisms. Even if someone tried to snatch it openly, it would be hard to do so quickly,” Xu Mo pointed out.

Hearing this, the officers’ faces showed signs of contemplation.

Xu Mo was right. The holster’s design made it difficult for an ordinary person to quickly remove the gun.

This was something they had overlooked earlier. As officers, they were used to handling holsters and drawing guns with ease, but they hadn’t considered that ordinary people wouldn’t have the same familiarity with firearms and holsters.

“Are you suspecting that Hao Qi staged this himself?” Director Gao looked at Xu Mo.

Before Xu Mo could answer, Director Gao shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. I personally recruited Hao Qi. I know his character well. He wouldn’t do something like this.”

Xu Mo smiled.

“It’s not necessarily Hao Qi staging it himself. That’s just one possibility. There’s another possibility…”