Chapter 54: The Pros and Cons of Being on a Superior's Mind

On the day of the commendation ceremony, as soon as Cen Lian stepped through the front gates of the district precinct, he was intercepted by a few criminal police officers from the Third Squad.

"Well, if it isn't our Captain Cen! A promotion definitely calls for treating us to a meal," joked several officers who had no awards to claim today and were simply there to watch the spotlight shine on others.

"Ahem, treat you I will, absolutely," Cen Lian agreed with a smile.

Since it involved a promotion and a pay raise, treating everyone was only right.

Forensic Doctor Lin followed right behind him, only speaking up after the bantering officers had dispersed.

"We'll be working in the same squad from now on, Captain Cen," she said, extending her hand to him. "Lin Xiangqi, Deputy Captain of the Criminal Technology Support Squad."

Cen Lian had already reviewed the roster for the support squad provided by Yuan Chenxi, so he knew that his partner would indeed be Forensic Doctor Lin.

"I look forward to your guidance, Forensic Doctor Lin," Cen Lian replied with utmost courtesy.

With her formidable skills and seniority, not to mention being the sole criminal technology specialist in their unit, there would be plenty of times ahead when he would have to rely on her working overtime. Best to stay polite.

Forensic Doctor Lin easily saw right through Cen Lian's thoughts, but she chose not to call him out.

"Let's go. The commendation ceremony is about to start," she urged, leading the way with Cen Lian into the precinct's grand auditorium.

A group of police officers dressed in formal uniforms, looking thoroughly uncomfortable in their own skin, were currently trying to locate their respective seats.

Spotting Cen Lian, Tang Hua waved him over and firmly pressed him down into a seat in the third row.

"You barely get to wear these dress uniforms twice a year. Such a pain," Tang Hua whispered, leaning his upper body forward from the row behind him. "The first row is reserved for leaders from the municipal bureau and our own district precinct heads. The second row is for captains and deputy captains of major divisions. The third row is for squad leaders and deputy squad leaders. You're officially drawing squad leader pay now, you know."

Cen Lian turned his head and, sure enough, saw that Forensic Doctor Lin's seat was right next to his, while on his other side sat Tan Tonghui, captain of the Third Squad.

"Captain Tan," Cen Lian greeted him.

Tan Tonghui smiled and patted Cen Lian's shoulder. "Captain Cen, starting today, you're the youngest squad leader in our entire division. Feeling the pressure?"

Cen Lian spoke the truth. "A little bit, to be honest. After all, our support squad is likely to encounter quite a few high-difficulty cases moving forward."

"Even if the support squad hadn't been established, you never had a shortage of high-difficulty cases," chimed in Forensic Doctor Lin, who had been following the Chen Nan case from start to finish. "You're the first person who ever made me start researching meteorites within the criminal investigation division."

Tan Tonghui couldn't help but chuckle.

Had Cen Lian not been separated from their Third Squad to form his own unit, that headache of a case would have fallen squarely on his shoulders. Now, thankfully, all the pressure from headquarters would be directed straight at Cen Lian.

Just as Cen Lian was about to offer a few words of self-defense, the auditorium speakers announced the start of the ceremony. To his surprise, the emcee was none other than Yuan Chenxi.

"Chenxi studied broadcasting and hosting for a while back in middle school. She originally planned to take the art exams, but her academic scores were simply too high, so she didn't pursue it further," Lin Xiangqi explained to Cen Lian.

Cen Lian was thoroughly impressed. "As expected of an absolute overachiever!"

After Yuan Chenxi finished reading the opening remarks in a slightly rusty broadcast-style cadence, the program moved on to speeches by the leadership.

Cen Lian had originally planned to use this opportunity to zone out, but to his dismay, the municipal bureau's deputy director in charge of criminal investigations kept staring right at him.

He remembered this deputy director was named Wu Kangzheng. While his exact age was unclear, judging by his physique, he was probably shy of fifty.

Wuqiu Mountain had mentioned this Deputy Director Wu to him a few times before. According to those descriptions, he was a hands-on leader who came from a military background, acted with lightning speed and decisive force, demanded exceptionally high clearance rates, and frequently supervised their investigative work in person.

Being watched intently by this deputy director could be interpreted as either good news or bad news.

The good news was that he would probably secure another promotion and raise down the line.

The bad news was...

Cen Lian touched his hairline, deciding he might want to look into hair restoration products ahead of time.

He really didn't feel like going bald in his youth.

Deputy Director Wu didn't speak for long. After offering words of encouragement to the Taishan Precinct for claiming the top spot on the heroes' roll for the first time this year, he stepped down from the podium.

The subsequent speeches by other leaders were brief, and the proceedings swiftly transitioned to the award presentation.

Cen Lian single-handedly hauled in one Class-Two Merit, two Class-Three Merits, and a Commendation, standing right in the center of the stage to receive the awards from Deputy Director Wu.

"Little Cen, right? I've got my eye on you," Deputy Director Wu smiled at him. "Solve your cases well. I'll be waiting for you at the municipal bureau."

"Yes, sir!" Cen Lian saluted, finally realizing why the deputy director had been staring at him throughout the morning.

It was safe to assume that this was the man who wanted to transfer him up to the municipal bureau.

Following the awards, the precinct political commissar announced the new year's transfer orders and letters of appointment. Cen Lian's position as squad leader was now set in stone, and the support squad's maiden case was officially confirmed—just as anticipated, the fallout from the meteorite case was formally handed over to Cen Lian.

Political Commissar Bai sought out Cen Lian immediately after the ceremony concluded.

"I know the aftermath of this case is rather complicated. If any department fails to cooperate with your investigation, don't hesitate to ask the bureau for help," Political Commissar Bai patted his shoulder. "Your support squad won't handle routine cases from now on, but your burden will be heavier than any other squad's. Keep up the good work!"

Cen Lian nodded solemnly, and only then did Political Commissar Bai depart.

Tang Hua sauntered over, clutching his Class-Three Merit medal. "Why do I feel like following you is like getting on a pirate ship?"

"Don't want another Class-Three Merit?" Cen Lian glanced at his medal. "I'll make a bet with you. Work in the support squad for a year, and by this time next year, you'll have at least a Class-Two Merit pinned to your chest."

Tang Hua grinned widely. After all, he had hitched his wagon to Cen Lian to make his mark in the precinct in the first place, so naturally, he had to keep riding the wave.

Maybe one day he could even work his way up to the provincial department as a chief investigator. How prestigious would that be?

Wang Yuanteng and Qi Yan emerged from the auditorium together, each clutching their own Class-Three Merit medals, and purposefully sought out Cen Lian.

"Captain Cen, from now on, we're your soldiers," Wang Yuanteng said with his usual easygoing smile. "Our squad has six people in total now. We need to request a few auxiliary officers right away, or we won't have enough manpower when investigations kick off."

Cen Lian heartily agreed, resolving to talk things over with Commander Cheng as soon as the squad finished moving into their new office.

Yuan Chenxi walked out last with an excited smile, her stage makeup still unremoved.

Forensic Doctor Lin walked alongside her, shaking her head with a hint of amusement. "It's just not having to handle Third Squad's administrative paperwork anymore. No need to look this ecstatic."

"Oh, Sister Lin, you have no idea how many case files and procedures the Third Squad deals with on a regular basis! Thank goodness—while a nine-to-five is out of the question, I can finally get at least three or four days off a month!" Yuan Chenxi spoke at near-warp speed.

Cen Lian shook his head silently. She was still too young. Three or four days off a month? Not a chance.

First of all, this meteorite case alone guaranteed plenty of overtime.

"Let's rest for today. Tomorrow, Yuan Chenxi will continue investigating Zhu瑶's interpersonal relationships. Brother Wang, you'll team up with Qi Yan, and Tang Hua will team up with me. We'll split up to verify the missing meteorite situations at the various institutions mentioned in Tian Xianzhong's confession. Forensic Doctor Lin will remain on standby at the bureau for now," Cen Lian said, acting as a leader for the first time yet possessing an instinctive knack for organizing work. "The situation with this case is extremely complex. Wuqiu Mountain is already helping us contact an expert in Guangxi Province who has handled several meteorite-related cases before. Once we confirm exactly how many meteorites are missing or swapped out, we'll map out our next steps."