North District Police Station Headquarters.
A sixty-something man in a police uniform slowly got out of the SUV.
Despite his graying hair, his presence was undiminished, and he seemed even more dignified with age.
He was Chen Zheng, the head of the North District Police Station and the officer who assigned Dong Enyu her mission.
As he walked into the station with a coffee in hand, a young female officer hurriedly approached him.
“Chief, someone claiming to be your family member walked straight into your office.
Brother Wang tried to stop her, but she threw him over her shoulder.
Now no one in the station dares to provoke her,” the young officer said, her face pale, bracing for a scolding.
“She said her last name is Dong.”
“Dong?” Chen Zheng was about to lose his temper, but upon hearing the surname, he calmed down.
He glanced at the duty officers in the station and said, “Alright, you all get back to work.
I’ll handle this.” He waved them off and headed straight to his office.
As he opened the frosted glass door, the woman inside immediately turned her chair around.
She didn’t stand to salute, just raised her hand in a casual greeting.
“Morning, Sir.” Dong Enyu was dressed casually, looking like she had just stopped by the station after a morning jog.
“You could have just come in quietly, without causing such a commotion,” Chen Zheng said, ruffling his hair and placing his coffee on the table.
“And throwing my subordinate to the ground? If he hurt his back, who would patrol for him?” Though it was a joke, his serious tone made it sound like he was scolding her for being reckless.
“Sorry, I didn’t know the police were so… delicate these days,” Dong Enyu squinted her eyes and smiled.
Chen Zheng rolled his eyes at her and sat down, getting straight to the point.
“What brings you here? Walking into the station so boldly, aren’t you afraid of being suspected? I offered to set up a covert line for you, but you refused.
Now that there’s no play to act, are you here to beg for help?”
“The situation was bad back then, so I couldn’t set up a covert line.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here chatting with you now,” Dong Enyu shrugged and then took a paper bag out of her backpack, which contained a delicate jewelry box.
“I brought a gift.
You’ll like it.”
The wooden box with silver inlays and flashy gemstones was eye-catching.
It wasn’t exactly high-class, but it wasn’t cheap either.
Chen Zheng clasped his hands, waiting for Dong Enyu to reveal the gift.
The box wasn’t locked, and when she opened it, what he saw was…
“Buttons?” Chen Zheng frowned.
The jewelry box was full of buttons, all different sizes and styles, none repeated.
Initially, Chen Zheng found it strange, but seeing Dong Enyu’s slight smile, he immediately understood the significance of the buttons.
He dialed an extension.
“Xiao Fen, come in for a moment.”
Within ten seconds, the young female officer from earlier entered.
“Chief, what are your orders?”
“Take these buttons to the Information Department and have them processed immediately.
Once they’re done, bring them back to me,” Chen Zheng instructed, handing the jewelry box to Xiao Fen and emphasizing the urgency of the case.
Xiao Fen, understanding the gravity, quickly headed to the Information Department.
Dong Enyu relaxed in her swivel chair, her mood somewhat ambivalent.
Chen Zheng noticed her troubled expression but didn’t press further.
Thirty minutes later, Xiao Fen returned with the jewelry box and a USB drive in hand.
“Thank you.” Chen Zheng took the items and placed them on the table, locking the door as Xiao Fen left.
Inside, there was a moment of silence.
Chen Zheng looked up at Dong Enyu, noticing she was also staring at the USB drive on the table.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked politely.
After receiving a nod from Dong Enyu, he connected it to the computer.
The folder was full of video files, numbering in the thousands.
These were recordings from the micro-cameras in the buttons, all valuable data from Dong Enyu’s mission.
That’s why she didn’t need a covert line; she charged into enemy territory alone, risking her life to gather crucial evidence.
Realizing this, Chen Zheng’s hand trembled slightly as he clicked the mouse.
Dong Enyu shifted her position, allowing Chen Zheng to play the videos.
He scrolled through the dense list of video files, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and randomly opened a clip.
“Ah… harder… yes… so good…”
The speakers emitted heavy breathing, and the screen showed a dimly lit room.
Through the moonlight, intertwined figures could be vaguely seen, the bed sheets moving vigorously.
The ambiguous sounds made it clear what the video was about, even with eyes closed.
Chen Zheng coughed awkwardly, trying to maintain composure as he closed the video, noticing Dong Enyu seemed lost in thought.
“Just tell me, which video is the key?” Chen Zheng waved his hand, prompting Dong Enyu to speak.
She blinked, returning to her senses, and smiled faintly.
“The last one.”
Chen Zheng scrolled to the bottom of the folder, and upon opening the last video, his expression immediately turned serious.
“Uncle Hua, Uncle Gu, Uncle Fan.”
“Yes, yes! Thanks to Uncle Fan’s guidance, Wutang was able to establish itself so quickly…”
“But in recent years, Old Chen hasn’t really managed the North District’s security…”
“The biggest force in the East District is what? I remember it’s called… Ji Jie Society!”
“Hey! Where are you going… come back…”
“Hey, it’s me, Dong Enyu…”
The video quality wasn’t great, but it was enough.
As long as there was video and audio, it was enough to convict the man.
“So, it really is Hong Fan?” Chen Zheng sighed deeply.
A fellow officer who had gone astray, the reasons unknown, but his reputation in the station was already notorious.
He had been under suspicion for years, but without evidence, the case dragged on.
Now, with the core boss of Wutang also exposed, Wutang was in for a tough time.
Unlike Chen Zheng’s sentimentality, Dong Enyu’s eyes were somewhat vacant.
She stared at the frozen image of herself holding a phone, the string of Di Wei’s numbers reminding her of the feeling of being hung up on last night.
Does it feel good? Is she relieved after confessing?
“Enyu, you’ve worked hard.” Chen Zheng’s expression was also a bit strange.
Dong Enyu could read the deep helplessness in his eyes, a strong sense of powerlessness against fate.
Is her expression the same now?
Why isn’t she overjoyed after the truth is revealed?
“Enyu, you’ve worked hard,” Chen Zheng repeated, but this time not as a superior to a subordinate, but as an uncle to a goddaughter he had cared for since childhood.
“Although the pinhole camera quality is poor, you made a wise choice.
The files you recorded will be carefully reported to the higher-ups.
Congratulations, your mission is complete.
Do you need any assistance now?”
Dong Enyu came to the station not only to submit the files but also to request help in getting out.
“Uncle Chen, please allow me to continue undercover.” Her unexpected request left Chen Zheng momentarily stunned.
“Officer Dong, your mission is over.
Have you forgotten the main reason for going undercover? The mole is in our hands; there’s no need for you to continue,” Chen Zheng said, taking a deep breath, his tone both stern and pained.
“I don’t know what happened to you while undercover, but it has clearly taken a toll on you.
So, Enyu, it’s enough.
You don’t have to push yourself.”
Push herself…
Those two words lingered in Dong Enyu’s mind for a long time.
“The task assigned by the higher-ups is complete, but I have additional work to do! Please allow me to continue undercover.
Just one more month, and I’ll completely withdraw from this mission!” She stood up, saluting and requesting permission.
Her determined gaze made Chen Zheng slam the table in frustration, creating a tense atmosphere in the office.
“You’re defying police orders!” Chen Zheng warned in a low voice.
Dong Enyu’s saluting hand refused to lower.
“Please, Sir!”
She couldn’t leave yet; the matter wasn’t over.
Betting on the chance to go undercover easily, Dong Enyu chose to crawl through the thorns for a purpose, and now she was waiting to taste the fruits of victory.
Just one more month, and she was confident she could achieve her greatest accomplishment.
However, it depended on whether the police were willing to cooperate and grant her this month…
Seeing this, Chen Zheng paced back and forth in front of his desk.
“Sir!”
“Shut up!” Chen Zheng finally waved his hand in frustration.
How could he not know Dong Enyu’s stubbornness? When this woman was determined, not even a hundred oxen could move her.
“Speak! What assistance do you need this month?”
“Thank you, sir!” Dong Enyu beamed, saying, “I need some data verified.” She took out a thick stack of reports filled with speculations and questions.
“I’ll have someone from the Internal Affairs Bureau assist.
What else?” Chen Zheng took the data, feeling uneasy after reading just two lines, somewhat regretting agreeing to let Dong Enyu continue undercover.
“I need a covert line now.” Dong Enyu shrugged, as if a burden had been lifted.
Chen Zheng sighed in relief.
“Alright, do you want to choose the covert line yourself, or should I recommend someone?”
“No need, I have someone in mind,” she said, walking to the wall where many group photos were hung.
One of them was a group photo taken at an award ceremony held by the station two months ago.
“Him.” Her finger pointed to a young man with a buzz cut.
She hadn’t forgotten that it was this promising young man who picked her up from the airport.
Yuan Fangzhong…
It seemed he had just been promoted to a North District officer not long ago.
“Fangzhong, huh…” Chen Zheng stroked his chin, staring at Dong Enyu for a while before saying, “Your so-called covert line isn’t just for secret assistance, is it? Can you tell me the actual plan before I agree?” It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but Dong Enyu’s ideas were too wild, and Chen Zheng wasn’t sure what she might do.
“If you want to hide in the swamp, the best way is to dye yourself black,” Dong Enyu said, staring at the young man in the photo with a bitter smile.
“Honestly, my life is so twisted I can’t even straighten it out myself.” Reality, hypocrisy, love, hatred—all tangled together in an ugly mess…
“You saw the video earlier, right? My opponents are all women.
If I can work with a slightly naive, somewhat handsome young guy like him, maybe he can pull me out of this swamp full of women.” She flipped her hair, smiling charmingly.
Though it was a joke, what was the redemption she sought? Entangled in so much mess, she no longer wanted to bow and scrape.
She needed a bit of light… a bit of justice…
“Have you thought it through? Fangzhong has a certain reputation in the North District.
If he walks with you, the underworld will immediately suspect your connection to the station.
This high-risk approach will put both of you in extreme danger.” Chen Zheng crossed his arms, not because he was reluctant to lend an excellent officer, but because this moth-to-a-flame approach made him hesitate.
“I’ve gambled on so many things; this is no different.
I promise you, even if I lose my life, I won’t drag him down with me.” Dong Enyu spoke nonchalantly, but it was heart-wrenching.
“Nonsense!” Chen Zheng scolded sternly, threatening, “If you slip up, I’ll have Fangzhong arrest you for public indecency! I’ll drag you back if I have to!”
