Blazing Armor

Gong Yingxian was not entirely unfamiliar with this name; he knew who Ren Yi was referring to, but his impression was quite vague, as it was about a very, very inconspicuous person.RvtWQcJRSavpBeicplwPyMdnhWknLo

During their first collaboration on the investigation of the arson case at the Fourth Perspective Bar, Zhang Wen appeared as Ren Yi’s assistant, and he had participated in the vast majority of cases that followed.NMOKZYJdxPRKGTKakLyhEbEyyfNupc

Ren Yi kept recalling the young man named Zhang Wen—what he had said, what he had done, his appearance, his personality—but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Because he was someone who had no distinctive features or memorable traits, a person you could find in droves on the street, and even his name was so ordinary. His performance at work was also quite average: diligent and unpretentious, not very talkative, and not particularly sharp.TKbVrwOTKlBvNgKWGwergELIDNMwTW

Such a seemingly honest, even somewhat dull young man would hardly raise anyone’s suspicion. If it weren’t for the series of events connecting him, with his figure repeatedly appearing in them, he still wouldn’t have doubted him.LwMaOUjxdnmKRTIMdMqXVDzpVzDykq

Gong Yingxian took out his phone: “I’ll have Cai Qiang investigate this person right away. How much do you know about him?”uMHtfXbbyOCswcQuuXHUErGisXpVUG

Ren Yi shook his head: “Not much, just an inconspicuous person, not a civil servant, just a contract worker. I don’t know where he’s from, what his major is, or how old he is.”qMoWjhTvqrwADOvejzrdKhZIhXwDwU

“What do others think of him?”fJMyyFinuALbYnzRPXvxmEBdcsjmyb

Ren Yi thought for a moment: “I haven’t heard much evaluation. You’ve seen him too; you should have an impression. He really doesn’t look like he has anything to do with X religion.”XrSLYXtExGBLNBzuKSwjMCuPisuWzj

“He does have that low presence, someone who can make people let their guard down, but he can’t keep participating in investigations without raising suspicion eventually.”URpGvBShRnvlDvlsRYtKfglQpPNFoR

Ren Yi frowned deeply, “I actually still don’t quite believe he could be an insider, but if he really is, I thought of it too late.”XDdigNMNDyYWEmCRMnczQtoQkkeepi

“Not at all too late. If it really is him, then the timing of Wang Minde’s silencing makes sense.”LBVvbHGMMstuSqYXEvWHkogFahrkAq

Ren Yi said in frustration: “Yeah, during the Anjia Community case, I was dissatisfied with the fire investigation team’s results. I thought they had overlooked something and failed to find traces of arson. He had the opportunity to tamper with the scene and the fire investigation results, so all the cases he participated in need to be re-investigated. Even, even when I went to the brigade to look for previous materials, he was the one who helped me organize them. You say, could he also be on the investigation report for your family…”UnQGbgTKWrvWjPdyMzWMapIJJdYUQo

Gong Yingxian said darkly: “Let’s wait for him to come and tell us.”eAANtIAFpDYoThaDcXRxMoaJpdkndm

Ren Yi clenched his fists tightly, punching the wall hard, but it was far from enough to vent the anger inside him.lqjJFFMRScaszhjjVeIBcMEAJBTgjI

“Ren Yi.” Gong Yingxian lifted Ren Yi’s face, “This is not the time for self-blame. Regardless of whether Zhang Wen is truly suspicious or not, even if he is, it’s not your fault for not discovering it. He is in the dark while you are in the light, and besides, you are a firefighter, not a police officer.”jsiAQjVgTBuSNyahpgfUGlZKrdRIeT

“I just feel… if we had communicated about this earlier, maybe I would have thought of him sooner.”znNMrohgiUQxPhVfriJJaENLiPUdCi

“Then it’s even less your fault.” Gong Yingxian lowered his head and kissed Ren Yi’s nose, “It’s me who made this matter sensitive.”fgKSQUArXabRwgLiyXYljMEKRquVdT

Ren Yi looked into Gong Yingxian’s gentle eyes: “It’s not your fault either. Without you, I don’t know how many times I would have died.” He smiled, “How are you so amazing?”HvNhZxSgzgruWVrNbOwuULVrTUHZQy

No matter how many compliments he received from Ren Yi, Gong Yingxian found them immensely gratifying, and he unconsciously straightened his back.QtdSsfdWLErXzXeAnsKjCvOatfAbSe

“So what do we do next?”iQwznfrbZfYkseoNdOwyCbRuLoTlTb

Gong Yingxian scanned him from head to toe: “I’m waiting for the equipment, and you should go rest. There are so many police officers here; you don’t need to do anything.”tSgmUXkbVpdmVWrZzzjrrBIJwqRomx

“Did you hear what Bai Yan said? He said we would definitely go back to find him, and the hostage is likely in a dangerously unpredictable situation. I can’t just stand by. Moreover, if something unexpected happens, I might have better judgment than you guys.” Ren Yi said, “You don’t need to worry about me; I’m not feeling well, but this injury really isn’t much.”KfvusWaFXIkqOOcwbmTbtlEFtRBClp

Gong Yingxian said discontentedly: “You’re always so stubborn. Do you know how I felt watching you walk into the hotel?”TKMZonlHhHXYTmiARqfrJmHyVmEthR

Ren Yi immediately kissed him and comforted: “Don’t be angry. If you want to be mad at me, wait until we rescue the hostage and catch Bai Yan.” He looked at the time, “It’s been almost half an hour since I came to the hotel. I’m really worried about why he’s dragging this out.”UUskDcejjcrrBwXDOrcqkVQAPgxthD

“I’m worried this is a trap. Since he came with a determination to die, then he is stalling for someone else, his accomplice.” Gong Yingxian glanced at his phone, “Sister Yan has arrived at the hotel. Let’s go downstairs.”BWntcFodvCIaxpDuiuOjsZCzFyhkKP

The two ran downstairs, and the entire hotel was sealed off by the police, with several fire trucks parked outside on standby.aXcYMAuVujnSIJVHonahbLelfVnvYi

“Captain Qiu.” Ren Yi called from a distance.OgguzxRBQdvksySJyMaOMMipLtcAss

Qiu Yan frowned at him: “You’re still hospitalized; how did you get out?”mnjwElleprPjrqYEWOySvCUrGjcbOk

Ren Yi quickly made a “shh” gesture while glancing at Gong Yingxian, who snorted heavily.rylxsXrjzcynDJxWZXneTwLrXJJVmJ

Qiu Yan cleared his throat: “What’s the situation inside?”WhNcXXfVJTxXphztvKfxwofoCumPBH

The two communicated everything that had happened in the past half hour to Qiu Yan.claPJZrcEsOJklQhqHYjlaOexpGNjT

“Cai Qiang has already gotten Zhang Wen’s address from the Hongwu Brigade and is on his way. Zhang Wen’s residence is not far from the precinct, so we should have news soon. Xiao Tan has specifically retrieved the hotel’s surveillance footage from today, and like the previous days, no suspicious individuals were found.”HJHquPSneRItsBZTAhDgcrBkaSRBPL

“If he brought any suspicious chemicals or kidnapped the hostage, the surveillance wouldn’t miss anything. Could it have been hacked again?”tvXyGxgrHiuEvEhzoYsSNeQjxZZzpd

Qiu Yan shook his head: “Impossible. Ever since we locked onto Bai Chicheng, Xiao Tan has been monitoring the hotel’s surveillance footage. If there had been a hacker intrusion or tampering, he would definitely know.”hFgdCtWyoUtpaJCUlLDeLAMGKhPiDc

“But just now, Bai Chicheng was able to see the surveillance footage from his own phone.” Ren Yi said.WcdGzGrkgSEjoqSKVVNlvfifftDHkA

“That’s not the same thing.” Gong Yingxian explained, “To see the surveillance footage on a phone, you just need to share another terminal. Anyone who knows the hotel’s network password can operate it on the surveillance room’s main computer, and that phone might not even belong to Bai Chicheng, but to security or management personnel, who can already view the surveillance.”IncKqCgHImajbDenxTTVRxcZbXQspL

Qiu Yan added: “Being able to see the surveillance and tampering with it are different. Because of the previous incident at Honglin Gymnasium, Xiao Tan has been keeping a close eye on the surveillance. The footage hasn’t been tampered with.”BUrosTRGHuAyjCRwFdVBPsQiwgfVMn

“Then his accomplice wouldn’t just disappear into thin air.”qVQiTGMpEBurdWpIXqgjhfjXlbZrKv

Gong Yingxian said: “His accomplice left the hotel this morning and hasn’t returned since. The person we were tracking lost them as well; that person has professional counter-surveillance skills. So, when he said he had an accomplice in the hotel, I am very suspicious, unless he has more than one accomplice.”CKizLSmeJQqueRLItrYhSTbFbtHzjQ

Ren Yi asked anxiously: “Then what about the chemicals? Didn’t you say he might have purchased a lot of chemical materials? If those things enter the hotel, they should be discovered, right?”eZxmcpQSubLvAEupatsJZbxmxmFYCD

“Definitely not in large quantities; we checked. But if it’s a small batch brought in by an individual, it’s very hard to detect. We can’t search every traveler’s bag.”ocpxpDTjVfzcruoSrtVXGlRaIFkGYD

“What about the kidnapped hostage?” Ren Yi asked, “If someone was forcibly taken somewhere, there are cameras all over the hotel; they should be able to spot something unusual.”HhcIVvObQnrBshUrpeeBBraqupuALn

“We’re currently verifying personnel one by one. It was too chaotic during the evacuation just now. If someone was taken away at that time, it won’t be easy to find out.” Qiu Yan glanced at his phone, “The equipment is about to arrive. We’ve only called in two nearby units. If we check for explosives floor by floor, just checking the elevator entrances alone, with two elevators per floor, it conservatively estimates to take one and a half to two hours.”NYtHgVVyIlIoDccoBtMhltBzGUDZXC

“That’s too slow. We don’t know what Bai Chicheng really wants to do, so we need to race against time.” Gong Yingxian thought for a moment, “There’s a way. Nearby X University has a chemistry department; let’s borrow some things from them. I’ll make a list; we don’t need to test all the chemicals, just the kind Bai Chicheng has on him will suffice. Move quickly, and try to be back within half an hour.”LugzRroRhRpXukyEowuMZbCHljJizP

“Okay, I’ll arrange for someone.”FyRqRSiBYzWkcIbiYBKzDKiPNGsMYM

At that moment, Qiu Yan’s phone rang: “It’s Cai Qiang.” He pressed the speaker button, “A Qiang, have you arrived?”ZTqaDusETzvCiQDZFCzDyDZTxuiOXl

“Yes, he’s not home. I checked the surveillance and found he didn’t come back last night; the last time he appeared was the morning before yesterday.” Cai Qiang said, “I’m planning to go in and take a look. The security said after seeing the footage that this person dresses like a white-collar worker every day, but he doesn’t really look like one, and his coming and going times are completely irregular.”YEurHTwzQkraWklcmlSPKfoYYFNIPY

“Okay, video call me when you get in so I can see what’s in his room.”OiyvgcEgfXXRfWjEycXTqfdRpODczm

“I’ll ask the property management if they have a key. If not, I’ll call the fire department to unlock it.” There were several voices discussing on the other end of the phone, and Cai Qiang said again, “Oh, never mind, the property management has unlocking tools. We’ll talk after we get in.”iKSVLQchocusMzVskkGiAokCEtBZxH

After the call ended, the equipment Gong Yingxian requested also arrived. He assigned several police officers to start testing from top to bottom. This ion mobility spectrometer was similar to the one they used to search the truck carrying explosives at Honglin Gymnasium. In fact, the principle of any detection device is to identify chemicals through chemical reactions; it’s just that the equipment is faster and more comprehensive.UxcmFhIhypnFTCTYdeYNtwOhnIQWnv

Gong Yingxian pulled Ren Yi aside, “Now we have a little time. I need you to recount your conversations with Bai Chicheng and Yue Xingu from start to finish, as much as you can remember.”VTiWNAKujZLgefVDeECUgyuqQsFVxA

“No problem. Since being with you, I feel like I’ve become smarter. Every time I interact with them, I pay special attention to remember what they say and observe their expressions.”MuEGYLdAEtYvXCwfuQFFREqIAJlgxu

Gong Yingxian said matter-of-factly: “Being with smart people will naturally make you smarter; there’s scientific basis for that.”AdhiMYSFQWUpOBvsvHPvJzVPqKgGcD

Ren Yi smiled slightly: “You’re right.”qRBTazHsyUbXQJULDAdagroFheNyhI