"Duo Ya, what do you mean by this? Lin Chen is my friend, so all his friends are also my friends," Wei Ling said with dissatisfaction.
With a look of disdain, Duo Ya replied, "Xiao Ling, what kind of friends do you think he can make? My father is a germaphobe. He doesn't like to dine with people who are not well-dressed."
Wei Ling was about to get angry, but Lin Chen just smiled faintly, "Sister Ling, it's fine. My friend should be here soon. If they feel she isn't qualified to sit and eat with them, then we can go to another table."
After hearing Lin Chen's words, a smug look appeared on Duo Ya's face. This kid seemed to know his place quite well.
Because of this incident, the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward.
At this moment, accompanied by the sound of high heels, a young girl wearing a white blouse, a very short skirt, and sunglasses walked in.
Lin Chen, upon seeing the girl who walked in, quickly raised his hand, "Qima, over here!"
"Qima?" When Duo Kun heard Lin Chen's words, he was initially taken aback.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. How could this poor kid possibly know Director Qima? It must be a common name.
At this moment, Qima had walked up to the table. There were no vacant chairs around, and she hesitated for a second.
Duo Ya looked up with disdain, but when he saw the face that had just removed the sunglasses, he was dumbfounded.
"Director, director, what brings you here?" Duo Ya was so shocked that he actually stood up.
Seeing Duo Ya with his mouth agape, Duo Kun was stupefied for a moment. When he turned his head, he, too, was dumbstruck.
"Director, it's you!" stammered Duo Kun.
Lin Chen stood up, "Qima, these gentlemen said that dining with my friend would affect their appetite. Perhaps we should eat elsewhere."
Hearing Lin Chen's words, Duo Kun and Duo Ya suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
To know that Director Qima was their direct superior, and Lin Chen's words were clearly meant to corner them.
Having an opportunity to dine with the director and curry favor was something to be treasured, even a chance for further promotion.
Duo Kun had just been promoted to head of the police station and was looking for an opportunity to climb up the ranks.
Now the opportunity had seemingly presented itself, but Duo Ya had foolishly blurted out those pretentious words.
In a hurry, Duo Kun stood up, "No, no, it would be our honor to dine with Director Qima."
Qima looked coldly at them and said indifferently, "I'm very busy right now and don't have time to dine with you. This place is crowded; you should find somewhere else."
Hearing Qima's words, Duo Kun and Duo Ya, although somewhat disgruntled, still faced their boss, and they dared not provoke her. The two of them reluctantly stood up.
"Director Qima, we'll take our leave then. Enjoy your meal," they said, and left unwillingly.
They had spent over a hundred thousand on this meal and had hardly eaten a few bites before being chased away, so of course, they felt disgruntled.
At that moment, Duo Kun looked at Lin Chen with a hint of shock, "Just who is this young man to be so close to the director?"
Duo Ya was utterly shocked: "Isn't this kid just a farmer? How can he be so close to the director!"
Thinking back on the mocking words he had directed at Lin Chen, he now wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Being able to summon the director with a single phone call; could this person's identity be ordinary?
As the two men left, Qima finally sat down. She glanced at Wei Ling beside her.
Lin Chen smiled, "Sister Ling is one of us. You can speak freely."
After hearing Lin Chen's words, Qima nodded, "Lin Chen, you must have heard about the child murders happening in Man City recently, haven't you?"
Lin Chen nodded, "I've seen the news about this case. Has the criminal still not been caught?"
Qima shook her head, "No, we don't have any leads right now. The higher-ups have issued a death order demanding the case be solved within three days."
"Such a short time?" Lin Chen frowned.
Qima nodded, "The case has had a terrible impact. It has already caused great panic among the citizens of Manchester. If we don't solve the case soon, I'm afraid I will have to resign to take responsibility."
"You mean you want me to help you investigate?" Lin Chen asked.
"Yes, I hope you can help me," Qima said, looking at Lin Chen earnestly.
Lin Chen nodded, "This devil is abhorrent, attacking children. Then I'll give it a try."
"Really?" Upon hearing Lin Chen's agreement to help, joy appeared on Qima's face.
"I'm sorry, Ling, I need to take a couple of days off," said Lin Chen to Wei Ling at his side.
Wei Ling nodded, "That guy is too vile. Lin Chen, go ahead and do your best to catch that child-murdering demon."
"Yes, I'll do my best," Lin Chen said with a smile.
Just then, Qima's phone rang again. After answering the call, Qima's expression changed, "What, the child-murdering maniac has acted again?"
"What happened? Is there another child victim?" Lin Chen's expression turned grave.
Qima nodded, "Just now in the slums, a child was found, dead in the same manner as the previous five children, all were hanged from the rafters."
"Damn it, let's go to the scene and have a look," Lin Chen said furiously.
Lin Chen followed Qima to the scene. By this time, the thatched house where the incident occurred had already been cordoned off by the police, with a mother, turned into a person of tears, crouching at the roadside.
Qima and Lin Chen entered the scene, where several police officers were conducting an investigation.
The family appeared not to be very wealthy, with only simple furniture in the house. The girl was hanged in the kitchen, yet there were no injuries on her body.
There was no fear on the girl's face, and no signs of struggle were evident on her body; it seemed she died in peace.
Lin Chen looked at the girl's corpse, his gaze focusing slightly.
Although there were no injuries on the girl's body, the capillaries in the Dantian area inside her body were all dilated.
Could it be that the girl died from having her qi drawn out?
Lin Chen soon had a general understanding of the girl's cause of death.
Qima asked a policeman, "What's the situation here?"
The officer glanced at his notes and said, "This girl came from a single-parent family, went to elementary school, her mother made a living working at a supermarket. Mother and daughter depended solely on each other. Usually, while the mother worked, the girl stayed at home by herself, but yesterday when the mother came home from work, she found her child ."
"This bastard!" Qima slammed her fist heavily against the wall.
"Oh! Looks like Chief Qima is not in a good mood!" said a middle-aged man, smoking a cigarette as he strolled in.
Sighting the newcomer, Qima's expression shifted slightly, "Chano, why are you just arriving now? As the head of the detectives, you're supposed to be at the scene first thing!"
Chano scoffed, "Chief Qima, I am very busy with lots of cases to handle, not like you, who can just brown-nose and sleep your way into the chief of police position!"
"What did you say?" Upon hearing Chano's words, Qima's face changed.
"Chief Qima, you need to understand the situation. Your current position is just acting chief. If the case isn't solved in three days, your time as chief will be over, and I will take your place," Chano said with a sneer.
"Chief Qima, when investigating a case, should someone who tampers with the evidence be punished?" Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from beside Qima.