Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 563: Character And Integrity?
In stark contrast to the hype and frenzy on social media that was quickly spiraling out of control, the atmosphere in Yuyang Municipal Bureau was at an all-time low. The Violent Crime officers’ faces were extremely tense as they watched over the rapid development of events that turned the whole world upside down in the last two hours.
One couldn’t blame them, though.
First, their main target had been whisked away from right under their noses to hide in another country far beyond their jurisdictions. And when their Captain sent an official request for cooperation with Myanmar’s authorities, they were met with nothing but an unsettling silence. It was like throwing a small pebble into the vast and boundless sea. They even resorted to contacting the ambassador in the said country, but the only reply they received was, "My apologies, Sir. But there’s nothing we can do about this."
How could such a thing be possible? Exactly how much power did XIU wield that he could make the authority bow down to him? As the officers pondered on this matter, a shiver of terror coursed down their spines.
Just as they were prepared for a drawn-out battle, they were caught off guard when XIU was suddenly thrust into the headline news, and accompanying him was none other than the Prime Minister herself! What did it mean? It meant that she was openly showing her support for XIU and her firm stance to protect the man even with the risk of her political career going into jeopardy! 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
And to make matters worse, XIU’s face had been exposed to the public and created not so small chaos, as the members of his fanclub were growing with each passing second!
"Goddamnit..." an officer couldn’t hold back a curse as he scrolled through the comment section, feeling somewhat depressed. "Does face matter the most in this world? What about character and integrity?"
"Well, his character is quite good," Kang Guanyu chimed in without looking up. Upon closer inspection, he was typing furiously in the same comment section while adding a bunch of red hearts in the end. "Remember how he treated us to delicious food that one time? Also, he has always been polite with us, you see."
Another officer slammed his fist on the table angrily. "So what if he treated us to food? Can we be bought so easily?! Moreover, why are you defending him?! Hey, Kang Guanyu, why do you keep typing on your phone?!"
Kang Guanyu hurriedly locked his phone and placed it face down on the table, sticking out his tongue sheepishly. Looking around, he pretended to ask in a casual tone, "Where’s Captain?"
"Geez, of course, he’s with Mu Yuze again. Do you still need to ask?"
If one were to ask the Violent Crime officers how they were feeling right now, then they could only give one word: complicated.
XIU had been the most notorious criminal seven years ago whom the entire nation had united against. Yet he still managed to evade the police’s radar and went into hiding. Seven years later, they encountered a superior Alpha named He Juan. Starting from the missing case of Zhao Xinya to the murder case involving Wu Yuan and his father, they had had a lot of chances to come into contact with He Juan. They suspected him, found no evidence against him and ended up letting him go, but in the end... he turned out to be the infamous and mysterious XIU all along!
What a pity! They had wasted a lot of opportunity to apprehend the most sensational criminal in their country. It was a feeling worse than missing a million-dollar lottery!
Not to mention, there was also the emotional entanglement of one of their colleagues with XIU...
"Do you think Mu Yuze knew it all along?" An officer couldn’t help but ask. Alas, nobody could give him an answer for they were none the wiser.
In the midst of their despondency, Kang Guanyu abruptly stood up and declared, "Okay, my work here is done! I’m gonna go to the hospital where Captain and Mu Yuze are!"
"Hey, hey, why are you going there?!"
"What do you mean your work is done? We still have a lot of paperwork to do!"
Kang Guanyu’s declaration was met with a chorus of objections, but he merely blinked his eyes innocently, "I’m also a patient, remember? I should go there to get my check-up results!"
Ah, that’s right. It was then that the others recalled how Kang Guanyu had still been hospitalized until the beginning of the week, and he had only clocked in to work these past few days. It had taken a lot of effort to flush the drug AX–03 out of his system, and even then he had to be monitored for a while to ensure there were no complications or side effects.
It was perfectly reasonable for Kang Guanyu to prioritize his health and leave some paperwork behind, but... why did it feel like the man was doing it on purpose?!
The officers could only grit their teeth silently as they glared at Kang Guanyu’s back, their gazes filled with envy and jealousy.
***
Meanwhile, in Yuyang Hospital Center.
The isolation ward was cordoned off by the police. Officers were stationed at every corner to ensure that no unauthorized personnel could access the area. The reason for this heightened security was none other than the presence of three key figures in the recent case: Tak Jung-Hwa, Wu Yuan, and Luo Xuan.
Tak Jung-Hwa had sustained severe damage to his deltoid muscle[1] when Luo Xuan stabbed him in the shoulder. The injury was more complex than it appeared, as it had affected critical nerves and blood vessels, thus requiring him to go through rehabilitation. It was only under the threat of being suspended indefinitely that Tak Jung-Hwa managed to restrain the urge to confront Luo Xuan, who was also receiving treatment on the same floor.
The aforementioned Omega, on the other hand, had collapsed as soon as he was brought into the bureau. The police did not even have the chance to interrogate him yet when he was rushed into the emergency room. It was then that they discovered how terrible the omega’s health was, and what kind of monstrous willpower was needed to stand up against Tak Jung-Hwa and gain the upper hand in such a state.
As for Wu Yuan, he had spent the first week in the isolation room while suffering through his first rut. It was so violent that he almost inflicted serious injuries on himself. In the end, the doctor was forced to sedate him all the time, and he was now under close monitoring until his condition stabilized again.
Li Zhi nodded in acknowledgement at the officers who saluted him. He walked down the desolate corridor, his firm footsteps echoing through the empty space.
Eventually, he found Mu Yuze sitting on a bench that faced the window, providing a glimpse of the bustling city from above. The Omega had his back leaned against the wall as he stared at a vacant point in the distance, earbuds in his ears. Li Zhi could no longer count the number of times he had found Mu Yuze in such a state whenever he dropped by the hospital, as the omega had insisted on being part of the guard rotation.
At first, Mu Yuze had strongly expressed his desire to join the team which would head to Myanmar to chase after XIU. Alas, due to the disheartening response they received – or rather the lack thereof – he could only linger in the hospital and... brood. That’s right, it was what he had been doing.
Looking at him like this, Li Zhi couldn’t even bring himself to interrogate him about XIU, fearing that the omega would be stuck in a perpetual depressed mood.
Why hadn’t he realized how lovestruck Mu Yuze was until now?
However, today was bound to be different because they had finally received news about XIU, though it was still uncertain whether this development was beneficial or detrimental to the current case.
Sighing, he settled beside Mu Yuze, and only then did the omega’s eyes come into focus. He straightened up, pulled out his earbuds and bowed his head in greeting, "Captain, you’re here."
"Have you eaten?" Li Zhi began the conversation with a basic question as he retrieved his phone from the pocket and pulled out the trending news. As expected, Mu Yuze shook his head quietly, prompting him to sigh again. "How do you plan to chase after XIU if you can’t even take care of yourself?"
Mu Yuze’s eyelids jumped as he immediately grasped the implications behind Li Zhi’s sentence. "Is there any news about him?" He asked in a quiet tone, though his balled fists and tense shoulders betrayed the turmoil of emotions within him.
Without a word, Li Zhi handed his phone over to Mu Yuze and played the video recording. "This was taken less than two hours ago. XIU has returned to China."
.
[1] Deltoid muscles are in your shoulder, which is the ball-and-socket joint that connects your arm to the trunk of your body. Deltoid muscles help you move your arms in different directions. They also protect and stabilize your shoulder joint.
