Author: 长洱 / Chang’er
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 61
Anyone would get angry when they were called retarded.
Fortunately, Rong Rong liked to surf the internet, and he was also young, so he probably knew that the line “Are you mentally retarded” was more like a mutual greeting between two brain-dead anime lovers*.
*Clarity: It’s basically saying the line “are you retarded” is more so addressing are you brain-dead (because all you think about is anime/the 2-D world and nothing else).
This only made him even more angry. What a joke! He represented the law enforcement department and didn’t need a reason. He could just flick the arrest warrant in front of the suspect and directly drag them away, not to mention he was holding a gun and pointing it at them. This kid must have a lot of balls to dare crack a joke in this situation… Rong Rong glanced at the boy in the corner again. He was wearing a cap and a black t-shirt with the logo of an indie rock band printed on it. His eyes were bright, and his cheeks were moving as if he were chewing gum. There was a lemon mint sweetness in the air.
Perhaps it was the bright eyes of the young man, but Rong Rong suddenly felt something wrong with this situation. In previous arrest operations he had carried out, he had come to the conclusion that the calmness of the prisoners was often proportional to their ferocity. In other words, only truly vicious criminals would be calm and relaxed in the face of a group of armed pursuers, as if they were planning to invite you to have a cup of tea.
Then Rong Rong heard someone ask him, “Would you like some water?”
He followed the sound and saw a young man in a white shirt. He had dark hair and spoke calmly. Perhaps he raised the question because he was standing by the water cooler. Before Rong Rong could answer, the man had already poured him a glass.
Rong Rong felt his back go stiff. He moved his gaze and looked at the last guest in room 2801.
A black gun was resting on the forehead of the last guest, so he had to take two steps forward to see the man’s face clearly.
It was a policeman. Indeed, the intelligence had long stated that among the guests at 2801 there was a famous police officer. Naturally, where would an ordinary police officer have the money to stay in a top hotel like the Cohen May, so it must be a crooked cop. Rong Rong calmed down and suddenly became emboldened. He looked into the policeman’s eye.
He couldn’t tell what color it was, as it was an aquamarine mixed with a lake green. The eyes were calm, as if the sea were absolutely still without any winds or waves.
He heard the man say, “Put down the gun.”
It wasn’t “wait” or “slow down”, but he said, “put down the gun”.
It was an order, not a request. Although the voice was warm, it was still an order. No matter how vicious criminals were, they wouldn’t dare say such arrogant things to the police.
Rong Rong wasn’t prepared to waste any more time. He raised his palm to his ear and gave the order to his subordinate to make a direct arrest.
But the low, gentle voice rang out again.Iit wasn’t addressing him, but asking the teenager in the corner.
“Wang Chao, have you called yet?”
“Call what?” The teenager was obviously taken back, then he quickly reacted. “No!”
“Then why would the ICPO come?”
“Didn’t you say it was because we were hiding drugs?”
“Oh.”
The conversation ended there, very simply and casually. Rong Rong could feel coldness running down the back of his spine at the end of the word.
Not only him, but every other special forces officer in the room, subconsciously examined each other’s outfits and shoulder straps. However, all their configurations on their bodies were the same as the local special forces in Yongchuan, without any flaws. This was in consideration to hide their true identity, but the person who was leaning back in the chair easily saw through them.
Rong Rong clutched his gun tightly. He was nervous.
As the man said, he was from the ICPO and was affiliated with the Interpol Yongchuan Division. Because of the sudden incident, he was on a mission to arrest the suspect involved in a drug case, but the suspect refused to go with him.
While this sounded like a joke, it turned out to be a fucking fact.
The policeman leaning on the back of the chair seemed to read his mind and thoughtfully explained. “It’s actually a matter of tactical movement. Since you’re trained in different areas, there will be differences.”
Who cares about that anymore!
Rong Rong stabilized his breathing and decided not to dwell on the details. He glanced at the name on the arrest warrant and said, “Captain Xing, is it? Please come with me.”
“Sorry, I think I have the right not to cooperate.”
Rong Rong sneered. “Captain Xing, since you can guess our identity, then you should be very clear about the severity of the crime you committed. I hope you’d better not resist any further.”
“Oh… That’s not the reason,” Xing Conglian said politely. “Article 3 Chapter V of the ICPO Administrative Regulations clearly stipulates that Interpol must obtain the consent and approval of the local police when performing official duties for the Secret Service Administration of various countries. In case of emergencies such as a red warrant, you need to notify the local police in writing afterwards and obtain permission… But I believe my case does not meet these two items, right?”
This time, the man stretched out his words, so it took a while for Rong Rong to fully sort out the meaning.
Simply put, it meant “you don’t have the right to arrest me because you have broken the rules”.
Rong Rong looked at the policeman named Xing Conglian again.
His hair was shaved very short, and there were stubbles of the same length on his chin. He looked unruly and unrestrained. When he was speaking, it seemed as if he regarded the assault rifle pointed at his head like a branch swaying under the spring breeze, and everything that was going on was just an indifferent episode.
Rong Rong frowned. Judging from years of experience, such a temperament often only appeared in real giants. He pursed his lips. In his current situation, he couldn’t advance or retreat.
At this moment, the teenager in the corner suddenly became energetic.
“It’s really the ICPO. Are you guys that idle that all you do is catch drug criminals?” Wang Chao jumped up from the ground, also ignoring the guns pointed at his back, and pointed to Rong Rong’s face and arrogantly said, “Take a good look at this face. Remember, find someone whose rank is higher!” Then he raised his head and proudly added, “Fucking retard!”
Xing Conglian was indifferent about this response. He stretched out his hand and patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder. “Captain Jiang, please send the students’ families back first so they can rest.”
Although he said this, his gaze was fixed on the butler, surnamed Chen, who was sitting at the front of the table.
Jiang Chao was startled, not knowing what was going on from start to finish.
Strangely enough, perhaps it was because of Xing Conglian’s tone and posture, which weren’t normal, that he stood up and subconsciously went to guide the parents of the students to leave.
As people exited the area, the room suddenly decreased by half.
Looking at the door that was still slightly moving, Rong Rong simply couldn’t understand who was currently in charge!
—-
Intercontinental Cohen May Hotel, Room 01, 28th Floor.
The search in the room had come to an end, and Ren Xian stood by the window, overlooking the vast lake outside.
The suite was a mess. All drawers were opened. The clothes and bedding were thoroughly checked, and there were two shirts scattered on the ground. The expensive crystal lamp was obviously untouched but seemed to be gently shaking.
As the leader of the team, he knew very well that this arrest and search operation was too sudden, even reckless, but the tip was too solid. He had been pursuing this case for three years, so of course he couldn’t let go of such obvious clues, and he was positive that he could find what he was looking for.
Sure enough, there was a rapid sound of footsteps behind him. Ren Xian turned his head and saw his subordinate handing over a sealed evidence bag. He glanced at the contents of his pocket and his eyes darkened, and then he announced the withdrawal of the team.
Zheng Dongdong stood outside the door of room 2801. He felt proud because he only took a small risk to achieve a dream, which was truly worth it.
The door of the room was opened again, and the armed special forces rushed out. The faces of those people were cold, and the guns they were holding were even colder, which only made Zheng Dongdong feel even happier.
He took a step forward and introduced himself. “Hello officer. I’m the general manager of the Cohen May Hotel. My name is Zheng…”
“Oh, Manger Zheng. It’s nothing serious. This is a search warrant for a serious case issued by Interpol. Please check it.” Ren Xian interrupted the chubby man in front of him, took out a piece of paper, and handed it over.
When he heard the word Interpol, Zheng Dongdong’s face changed, and he suddenly panicked. He took the search warrant and read it several times, then started stammering. “This… How could this be…”
“Is there any problem?”
“No… no, no, I… We will definitely cooperate with the investigation.” Zheng Dongdong bowed, only to feel a cold sweat sliding down his neck. In his conception, any organization with the word “international” would be big enough to scare people to death, but things shouldn’t obviously get this big, at least not on an international scale. All this seemed to have deviated from the established arrangement.
However, things often went in a worse direction.
As he was about to straighten up, a very old and cold voice came from the end of the corridor behind him.
“Who asked you to cooperate with the investigation?”
Zheng Dongdong’s spine stiffened so severely that he couldn’t even turn around.
How arrogant. Ren Xian snorted coldly as he followed the sound of the voice.
He saw an old man walking from the end of the dark corridor. He was dressed plainly, in black shoes and gray linen clothes, with the buttons on his front lapel tightly buttoned. He resembled a local elderly man from the neighborhood, except that such a man would not have his walking posture and sharp eye. Ren Xian quickly loaded a bullet.
“Isn’t it the obligation of the public to cooperate with a police investigation?” Ren Xian raised his gun as he asked politely.
But the old man seemed indifferent to the muzzle that was pointed at him—even more indifferent to his modest and courteous question. “This is a hotel. The guests of our hotel are like our children, and as the staff, we are their parents. This is our duty.”
“So if the parents violate the law, should children not place righteousness above family*?” Ren Xian didn’t know who this old man was, but he couldn’t help but ask rhetorically.
*(大义灭亲) Idiom referring to in order to maintain justice, relatives of those who have committed crimes will not show favoritism so that they receive the punishment they deserve.
Hearing this question, the old man only glanced at Ren Xian and said, “Young man, are you bored? What does it matter to you if I fire a subordinate?”
Ren Xian was speechless.
Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong’s head pressed even lower so that he could hardly straighten up.
As if to put the last straw that broke the camel’s back, a stewardess in high heels came running from a distance. When she saw Zheng Dongdong, she didn’t even care about the weird atmosphere around her and hastily said, “Manager, the guests of room 2801 just called the hotel desk and said that our hotel violated their legal rights and interests. Please go to Yongchuan University to explain this matter clearly. Otherwise, they’ll sue us into bankruptcy.”
As soon as this statement came out, not only Zheng Dongdong and Ren Xian, but even the old man who was about to fire his subordinate, felt this was odd.
Sue them into bankruptcy? What kind of joke was this?
Ren Xian frowned and looked at his watch. At this point in time, Team B should have the suspect under control, so why was the suspect still able to have free access to their phones? As he thought about this, a sound came through from his wireless headset to explain it to him.
“Boss, ah, we bumped into a tough guy today. Tough guy said that we violated the regulations when performing our official duties, so he won’t follow us. Please also come to Yongchuan University. Otherwise, they’ll sue our headquarters. How can they be so arrogant, ah?”
“Copy that.” The chattering was still ongoing in the wireless headset as Ren Xian terminated the call.
He glanced at the poor Mr. Manager and then at the old man. He was obviously pondering the situation in front of him. After a while, he turned and ordered, “A’Rong, send the evidence for examination. The rest of you follow me to Yongchuan University.”
Hearing these words, a smile seemed to appear on the old man’s face. “Then let’s go together, Mr. Zheng, Officer Ren.”
The author has something to say：
I originally wanted to finish this chapter with more… but it seems I can’t finish writing it… my poor hand speed…
Then let’s talk about. Interpol has no transnational law enforcement power. The only body in the United Nations that has the right to exercise military action to maintain international peace and security is the United Nations Security Council!
It is indeed inconsistent with reality here, but the ICPO was pulled out for the consideration of some possible future content. Our police officers cannot take the blame. The image of the police should be positive, but the blame must be carried by someone…
In fact, if it weren’t for the river crab*, I wouldn’t be writing about the North and South families… In short, blame this weird idea on the river crab!
*It’s a euphemism for censorship in China.
I feel like I’m rambling again……
Kinky Thoughts:
To address what the author is saying, in real life, Interpol is not an actual law enforcement agency and has no power to arrest anyone (which is contrary to what they are doing here in this fictional novel). Rather, they are mainly an international organization that functions as an administrative liaison among law enforcement agencies among the countries that are members and provides communications and database assistance.
The author is saying she doesn’t want to paint the police in a bad light (showing how inept they are because of their action), so eventually she’s going to have someone else take the blame for why Interpol is acting this way (probably related to the four elite families).
The reason why she had to introduce these four elite families in the first place was to get around censorship (or else this novel wouldn’t be published), most likely because of some arbitrary censorship law in China that probably has something to do with not saying bad things about law enforcers *shrug*. Despite that, there are still so many words that are censored out that it makes translating difficult, nonetheless.
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