“Well… of course, the documents from the Director’s side can be provided. It’s just that it’s so late now, and the procedure…”

Chen Shao rubbed his index finger and thumb together, attempting to gloss over the matter.

But Lin Han didn’t give him any opportunity to fudge his way through. Pinning him down, he asked in return, “So that means you can’t produce them for the time being?”

Chen Shao was at a loss for words.

In the script he had envisioned, as soon as he brandished the Director’s authority to make his demands, the other party—no matter how reluctant—should have obediently handed over the people and the goods.

Documents?

Where was he supposed to get documents?

As soon as he had received news that Lin Han and his team had caught some damn “suspects” and “contraband,” he had rushed over with his men without a moment’s pause. He hadn’t had any time to secure any documents.

Then, Lin Han put on an expression of regret, looking as if he truly felt sorry for Chen Shao.

“Then that makes things difficult. Mr. Chen, it really isn’t that we don’t want to cooperate with the work of the X City Branch. It’s just that we have to follow procedure on our end as well.”

“Otherwise, if a problem arises and responsibility is assigned, it would be difficult for a lowly grassroots official like me.”

He spoke with such sincerity that he even sounded a bit helpless.

But as Chen Shao listened, his face gradually stiffened.

—Those were all his lines!

Lin Han continued to spout cursed official jargon, but he was sneering in his heart.

Wasn’t it just playing politics and following procedure?

Then let’s just keep dancing around each other.

As a member of W City’s Intelligence Processing Division, had he not spent enough time kicking the ball back and forth, shifting blame, and using procedures as a shield with Qin Zhizhi?

No matter how eloquent you were, could you really be worse than his boss, who didn’t act like a human being at all?

(Back in W City, Qin Zhizhi sneezed and muttered, “I bet that heartless guy Lin Han is cursing me again…”)

Inside the room, when the others saw Chen Shao finally looking troubled, their expressions became colorful, and some even wanted to laugh.

Gu Xinglan was the first one who couldn’t hold it in.

“Pfft.”

She let out a laugh.

Zhao Chenfeng shot her a glance.

Gu Xinglan immediately wiped the smile off her face and put on a serious expression, as if she wasn’t the one who had just laughed, though the corners of her mouth still twitched upward uncontrollably.

This was so satisfying!

Seeing their superior hit a wall, the expressions of the X City SAVE personnel behind Chen Shao also turned a bit awkward.

But after all, they were the ones who had first insisted on doing things by the book, so for a moment, they really couldn’t find any fault with Lin Han.

This was getting very problematic…

Time passed, second by second.

The atmosphere in the corridor grew increasingly tense.

Although the members of the Special Operations Division didn’t speak, at some point, their positioning and movements had gradually become quite intimidating.

Gu Xinglan, in particular, was a vivid illustration of what it meant to be “itching for action.”

With just a single order from her Captain, she was ready to show the opposition just how bright the flash of a blade drawn from SAVE-issue equipment could be.

On the other side, Chen Shao’s back was already drenched in sweat.

He could, of course, continue to hang around and refuse to leave, but there was no point in dragging it out.

If a real fight broke out, the subordinates he had brought along to back him up wouldn’t even be enough for the Special Operations Division to deal with using one hand.

Chen Shao finally managed to force a smile.

“Team Leader Lin makes a good point. My considerations were indeed lacking.”

“As for the documents, we will prepare them as soon as possible.”

“It’s quite late already. You should all get some rest; don’t let work ruin your health.”

Lin Han smiled back.

“The same to you, Mr. Chen.”

“…”

Chen Shao gave Lin Han a long, hard look.

In the end, he led his men away…

Outside the hotel entrance.

Chen Shao and his group got into their car.

The subordinate beside him finally couldn’t help but ask, “Chief Chen, are we really just leaving like this?”

Chen Shao shot him a look of disdain, as if questioning how he could stay silent for so long earlier but have the nerve to ask now.

“What else? Didn’t you see that little girl from the Special Operations Division looking like she was ready to eat someone alive?”

“Or do you have the ability to take them by force?”

The subordinate immediately shut his mouth.

Chen Shao looked back up at the hotel. The lights were still on in the direction of Lin Han’s room.

His face darkened completely as he snapped, “Let them enjoy their victory for one more night. Tomorrow, we’ll have all the paperwork in order, then we’ll come back for the people and the items.”

“I’d like to see what excuse they’ll have to stop us then.”

The subordinate asked softly, “Then, during this night…”

“They won’t get anything out of him,” Chen Shao said coldly.

“Besides, they’re SAVE staff, not some underground gang. I doubt they’d dare do anything out of line. It’s not like they can actually resort to torture, can they?”

“They’re nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn2, anyway…”

Inside the hotel room.

Everyone watched from the window as Chen Shao and his group departed.

Once she was certain they were truly gone, Monica finally couldn’t help but pump her fist.

“Yeah! We won!”

Gu Xinglan also looked refreshed.

“That felt great!”

The two raised their hands almost simultaneously and struck.

Slap.

The sound of the high-five rang out crisply.

After the high-five, the two of them suddenly froze at the same time.

Monica blinked, and Gu Xinglan blinked as well, only then realizing that they weren’t exactly close enough to be high-fiving like that.

Everyone else in the room looked over.

Gu Xinglan coughed twice and turned her face away, saying, “The mood just felt right.”

Monica also nodded repeatedly.

“Right, right, the mood felt right.”

Lin Han ignored these two, who had suddenly established a strange friendship, and sat back down at the table.

Gu Xinglan looked at him, her tone uncontrollably happy.

“You’re not half bad.”

She crossed her arms and said triumphantly:

“Those verbal skills, you didn’t develop them from arguing with me all the time, did you?”

Lin Han thought to himself.

But if he said that out loud, Gu Xinglan would probably go on and on without end.

So Lin Han chose to skip over it, sighing, “You don’t actually think we won, do you?”

Gu Xinglan rolled her eyes.

“Of course I know it’s not over. It’s just satisfying to see that guy get humiliated, okay?”

She let out a huff.

“I’ve been sick of his pretentious attitude for a long time.”

Lin Han shook his head.

“Venting is one thing, but this is ultimately just a stalling tactic. I expect they’ll be back tomorrow morning with the paperwork to take the suspects and the evidence away.”

Lin Han’s words pulled everyone back to reality.

The brief spark of joy that had just risen quickly dissipated from the room.

Monica thought hard, trying to keep up with the conversation.

“So, it all depends on whether we can pry anything else out of those two tonight?”

She paused.

“Is that right?”

This was the most obvious conclusion Monica could come up with.

But the problem was right there.

The Special Operations Division had already interrogated them once, and the results were only these insignificant bits of information.

The drug dealer was a middleman, and the boy was just an addict.

What they knew was limited, and even if they did know something, they wouldn’t talk easily.

What else could be done?

It wasn’t like they could actually torture them; they weren’t terrorists.

The room fell silent for a moment.

After some time, Lin Han suddenly took a deep breath and said, “There might still be a way.”

Everyone looked at him in unison.

Monica also looked up, her eyes lighting up.

“Really? Really?”

As expected of Miss Phil’s subordinate, Mr. Lin Han is so amazing to be able to come up with a solution even in this situation!

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Han finally looked at Monica.

“To be precise, it’s not that I have a way. It’s Monica who has a way.”

“…Eh?”

Stunned by these unexpected words, Monica froze for a moment.

“Me…?”

I have a way?

Huh?

How come I didn’t even know that myself?!