CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 97: HAWKEYE SHOWS POWER (REQUESTING SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MONTHLY TICKETS)_2

Upon hearing Zhou Zijie speak about his people like that, he felt quite disgruntled.

How Luo Fei handles a case hasn’t even been questioned by his direct superior, so what right does a cross-province director have to interfere?

However, since the two were on equal standing and not very familiar with each other, he couldn’t lose his temper, and patiently explained, "Director Zhou, you misunderstand."

"Comrade Luo Fei’s performance in our area has been exceptionally outstanding. His sudden departure surely means he’s found a new lead, so let’s just wait patiently."

"A new lead? That makes it even more incorrect. No matter what he’s discovered, he should’ve reported to the superiors immediately, and any investigation should be decided and arranged by us. How can he act on his own accord?"

Zhou Zijie became more and more annoyed, finally adding, "Now I’m really questioning whether your detectives over there still possess basic police knowledge and awareness."

The implication was that Jiangzhou City detectives had no organization and no discipline.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely targeted at Luo Fei, it was mostly to vent his own displeasure.

After all, Wang Pingchuan had always been a wanted criminal by their Wucheng police, and just days ago, they had finally traced his recent whereabouts.

If it weren’t for the Jiangzhou police interfering, then once Wang Pingchuan was captured, the credit for solving this major trafficking case would definitely belong to the Wucheng police.

Instead of now, where they not only have to unconditionally cooperate with other regional police on their own turf to solve the case, but the accolades are taken by the others, leaving them with only the scraps.

Because of this, Zhou Zijie felt exceedingly frustrated, but there was nothing he could do, as the other side had made the discovery first, so despite his frustration, he had to hold back.

But now, with Luo Fei’s unruly actions giving him an opportunity, he naturally wanted to use this chance to satirize and ease the gap in his heart.

As soon as he spoke, Zhao Donglai and the group of criminal police from Jiangzhou City showed visible displeasure.

As the comment not only questioned Luo Fei, but insulted the professional capabilities of all Jiangzhou City police!

This cannot be tolerated!

Unfortunately, the other’s rank was much higher, making them too upset to speak, leaving them no choice but to look hopefully at Zheng Changjun, wishing for him to stand up for them.

And Zheng Changjun did not let them down.

With a half-smile, he said, "Director Zhou, your criticism is apt, our Comrade Luo was indeed a bit impulsive in handling the case, like with the Wang Pingchuan case."

"If he had managed it as your Wucheng colleagues did, adhering to protocol and procedures, then we wouldn’t have had to make this extra trip... so rest assured, I’ll definitely reprimand him when we return!"

On the surface, these words seemed to agree with Zhou Zijie’s perspective, but effectively saying that although Wucheng detectives have organization and discipline, what use is it? Have you caught Wang Pingchuan?

If not, what are you so proud of?

Ultimately, you still need help from our disorganized and undisciplined colleagues to catch the fugitive you’ve been unable to apprehend for over a decade!

Zhou Zijie naturally heard the underlying message and his face turned sour.

But he couldn’t think of how to refute it, since he indeed lacked confidence on this matter.

"Alright, gentlemen, since Comrade Luo Fei has made some discovery, let’s wait for him to return and discuss further, it’s not like we’re in a rush, are we?"

Seeing Zheng Changjun had saved some face for them, Wucheng quickly stepped in to mediate.

Just can’t let things escalate too much, or neither side will look good.

The key is they later need cooperation from Wucheng police, and creating hostility gains nothing.

Zheng Changjun and Zhou Zijie both knew their limits, exchanged a few confrontational words, and accepted this compromise.

"Wu has a point." Zhou Zijie was the first to smile.

Just as Zheng Changjun was about to speak, both his and Zhou Zijie’s phone rang.

Without further ado, each went to the side to answer their calls.

On Zheng’s end, it was Yang Su calling.

This wasn’t considered an over-the-top report.

Since this operation was under his full command, the call naturally came directly to his phone.

"Yang Su, how did it go? Did you find anything while tracking the old guy?"

"Sorry, Director Zheng, we’ve lost him."

"Lost him?!" Zheng Changjun was shocked.

Despite Yang Su and Zhang Fan only being county-level detectives, their performance has always been exceptional, coupled with the Wucheng City detective squad leader, their capability was definitely unquestioned.

Yet with three people involved, they still managed to lose him?

Is this reasonable?

"Yes, this guy is too cunning, we and several Wucheng colleagues were all shaken off by this guy."

"What happened exactly, explain in detail."

Yang Su explained, "He came out from the restaurant and took a taxi, maybe realizing our car was always following him, he unexpectedly got off midway..."

They split into two teams to follow Uncle, one was Yang Su’s group, the other was four action team leaders from the detective squad.

As he got off in a non-pedestrian area, if they also got off, they’d definitely be exposed.

So upon noticing this, they had a quick discussion and decided one team would gradually follow from behind, while another team went ahead, thus keeping him between them, ensuring they could respond to situations promptly.

At first, it seemed effective, though occasionally losing sight, they managed to keep track.

However, upon entering a tunnel, Yang Su’s team, who had been trailing far behind, lost sight for about thirty seconds and couldn’t find him upon entering.

Determined, they called the front group, who hadn’t seen him emerge.

They quickly got off and checked the tunnel thoroughly, concluding based on experience that he likely seized the chance to flag a car and run.

Realizing this, despite being frustrated, they resigned to report back.

After hearing it, Zheng Changjun felt increasingly gloomy.

He had hoped to track the suspect’s movements and find useful clues, but seemed unlikely now.

"Alright then, come back for now."

Ending the call, Wucheng immediately asked, "Director Zheng, did Yang Su lose him?"

"Yes, the suspect’s counter-surveillance skills are too sharp, afraid to follow too closely, they lost him."

"What do we do? Maybe check the surveillance along the way to see if we find any clues?"

"...Maybe, I’ll go talk to Director Zhou."

Thinking it over, Zheng Changjun found the suggestion likely useless, but decided to try.

He then went over to consult Zhou Zijie.

At that moment, Zhou Zijie received similar news from Sun An, and realizing the gravity, lost further interest in arguing with Zheng Changjun, and immediately went off to arrange assistance.

Then, Zheng Changjun approached Zhao Donglai, "Captain Zhao, would you see if there’s another way to locate the suspect?"

Zhao Donglai shook his head, "Director Zheng, I’ve tried many times, it’s no use. The suspect’s too smart, he periodically shuts off the phone for several minutes, so it’s hard to track him, but if we had better equipment, it might be worth a try..."

On hearing this, Zheng Changjun gave up completely.

Better equipment would require upper-level approval, and by the time it’s here, it’s too late.

Oh well, not trying to arrest the suspect anyway, losing him is losing him.

Consoling himself, Zheng Changjun stopped obsessing over it, signaled Zhao Donglai to cease efforts, and shifted focus elsewhere.

Soon, Yang Su and the others returned.

Both groups rejoined, each seeking out their leader to provide a brief report.