Retrogade Mission

Chapter Seven: Begging

"Hello, I'm a police officer." Su Cheng held up the fake ID he wore on his chest to show his neighbor. He explained that it was a fake ID because it stated his status as an advisor and that he didn't possess any police authority. But who would bother to look at it? Besides, with the seal torn off and someone still investigating, who would doubt Su Cheng's identity?

Hearing the commotion, Zuo Luo went to the door, filled with suspicion. Did Su Cheng suspect the neighbor of committing the crime? But according to the autopsy report, it was a strong person over 1.75 meters tall who attacked the victim. However, Su Cheng was an apprentice and assistant to London's most famous private detective. Could there be something else going on?

Su Cheng asked pitifully, "Do you have anything to eat?"

Zuo Luo and the young woman were stunned for more than three seconds. It was the young woman who reacted first and quickly said, "Yes, yes, please come in."

Zuo Luo felt his face burning. Yes, he wanted to teach Su Cheng not to be a procrastinator, so he insisted on waiting until the scene investigation was complete before buying food. He wanted Su Cheng to understand what was most important and what his style of doing things was like. But he never expected that Su Cheng, wearing a suit worth over 20,000 RMB, would actually use a police ID to beg for food. Zuo Luo had the urge to strangle Su Cheng and throw him back into the detention center. Look at those beggars, at least they ask for money, and you're begging for food…

"Is instant noodles okay?" the neighbor asked.

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you." Su Chengtian shamelessly sat down as if it were second nature, took the water, and looked around her neighbor's room.

The young woman was interrupted mid-exercise. She was wearing a yellow workout outfit, a sleeveless t-shirt that revealed her midriff, and tight shorts. Su Cheng looked at her profile and found her to be over 80% alluring. The young woman said while eating instant noodles, "You police officers may be very busy with your cases, but you still need to eat."

Su Cheng complained, "It's not that I don't want to eat, it's just that my partner is incredibly stubborn. I just started working with him today, and because I was a little late, he gave me a hard time."

"She's hard to get along with... Would you like some chili powder?" the young woman asked, tearing open the instant noodle package.

"Please add more for me, thank you." Su Cheng didn't stand on ceremony at all and asked, "Can I use the restroom?" Although some of his requests were inappropriate, it was undeniable that Su Cheng was still very polite.

"sure."

Su Cheng emerged from the restroom with a brisk pace; the noodles were ready, and he wolfed them down. Seeing how he ate, the young woman made him another bowl, adding two sausages, which deeply moved Su Cheng. He ate the second bowl of noodles much slower, and Su Cheng and the young woman started chatting. Su Cheng wasn't particularly interested in the case; they just chatted casually.

Because both doors were open, Zuo Luo didn't want to come out, even though the scene investigation was complete. Su Cheng was very good at talking, and his flattering words made the young woman beam with joy; she almost wanted to make Su Cheng another bowl of instant noodles. Finally, Zuo Luo couldn't resist any longer, walked to the door, and said, "We're leaving." He closed the scene door, re-sealed it, and signed the document.

Su Cheng stood up, shook hands with the young woman, and asked in surprise, "What health products do you use? Your skin feels so good?"

The young woman was delighted and replied, "My husband brought it back from abroad."

Su Cheng said, "No matter what it is, this thing won't cost less than three hundred dollars. Can I see what brand it is? It feels so good, is it hand cream?"

"Let me show you."

The young woman happily brought out a jar of hand cream from her bedroom. Su Cheng reached out, squeezed a little onto his hand, and professionally applied it to the back of his hand. He then touched it with the back of his other hand and nodded, "Sister, this isn't just hand cream, it's about taste. Based on my years of experience, this is definitely Italian..." The packaging was in Italian.

"Really?" the young woman exclaimed. "My husband does business in Italy. You police officers know so much."

"I……"

Before Su Cheng could answer, Zuo Luo put his arm around his shoulder and forced a small smile at Su Cheng: "We're leaving."

"Okay, goodbye." Su Cheng shook hands with the young woman and said, "By the way, could you please come to Group Z to give a statement at 9:30 tomorrow morning? We suspect this is the work of a serial thief, and the criminal police have transferred the case to our department."

"Department Z?" The young woman was quite surprised, then nodded: "Of course."

Goodbye, Group Seven.

"goodbye."

Zuo Luo and Su Cheng entered the elevator. After the elevator started moving, Zuo Luo asked, "I didn't say I wanted to give another statement."

Su Cheng raised his left hand in a somewhat effeminate manner; it was the back of his hand that had been coated with hand cream. "Let's chat. Anyway, there's nothing much going on in Group Seven, and you're a pretty and sexy older sister."

Zuo Luo said solemnly, "No one is allowed to use police resources for any private purposes. The criminal police have already provided complete video and audio records."

Su Cheng said, "Then I'll go back and talk to her about it?"

Isn't that embarrassing enough? Zuo Luo really dislikes Su Cheng now; this guy has absolutely no intention of helping.

The elevator doors opened, and Zuo Luo took out his keys and a slip of paper as he walked in: "This is the accommodation arranged for you in advance. Go there yourself. Also, this is your cell phone. Remember the agreement you signed: except in special circumstances, you may not use any communication tools other than this phone, you may not leave City A, and you may not take off your watch. Your luggage has already been delivered to your accommodation." He then handed over the phone.

All of these are complete sets, all in the file folder. The bureau had already prepared everything for the five people willing to join the Mercury retrograde plan.

Su Cheng took the things and was about to check the address when Zuo Luo took out an envelope: "This is your first month's salary, a total of eight thousand yuan. Your domestic bank account has been frozen. I didn't want to say anything else, but I must tell you now: you must not use your documents to cheat or swindle, otherwise you can expect to spend the rest of your life in jail."

Su Cheng didn't pay much attention to Zuo Luo's warning, took the things, and asked, "Aren't we still supposed to visit a few more burglarized neighborhoods?"

"You're tired, go home and rest today."

"I'm not tired," Su Cheng said. "I just ate two bowls of instant noodles, and I'm full of energy now."

Zuo Luo stopped and turned to look at Su Cheng: "I think you're tired, so it's settled."

"..." Su Cheng was speechless. This was allowed? This seemed like a sign that he was about to be fired. What was going on? He had only eaten two bowls of noodles, and they were instant noodles.

Zuo Luo didn't want to talk to Su Cheng anymore. If it weren't for the Ghost Group that Su Cheng mentioned, Zuo Luo would have wanted to kick him out and send him back to the detention center right now.

Zuo Luo got into the car and drove off without looking back. Helpless, Su Cheng hailed a taxi, showed his ID, and asked, "I'm a police officer, can I get a fare waived?"

The driver looked at Su Cheng for a while before answering, "No."

Su Cheng got into the car and said, "Excuse me, could you take me to the police academy?" Although Zuo Luo didn't like him, he still had to work. First, there was the personnel issue. He was a man who disliked getting dirty, while Zuo Luo wasn't; someone had to clean the office. If he couldn't find a professional detective, he could get a trainee. Preferably a beautiful woman, pleasing to the eye. Since he had to choose anyway, picking a pretty one would be more worthwhile, right?