Chapter 16: Run, Brother, the Police Are Coming to Get You!

[Congratulations to the host, you have received 8 basic skill points, plus an additional 4 as a bonus.]
[Congratulations on receiving the Gift of the Departed: Junior Woodcarving Artisan!]
[Congratulations on receiving the bonus reward: Advanced Criminal Investigation Synthesis!]
[Note: As long as a case is solved, the host will receive basic skill point rewards. Additional rewards and extra skill points depend on the host's performance during the investigation.]

Shen Ting suddenly understood. The eight basic skill points were granted the moment the mission was issued. This meant that regardless of his performance in solving the case—even if he contributed nothing and relied entirely on the group members—he would definitely receive those eight points as long as the case was closed. However, to earn more skill points or rewards like "Advanced Criminal Investigation Synthesis," he had to demonstrate outstanding performance.

"So, there is a certain level of competition between me and the group members. If someone else discovers a line of inquiry, a lead, or a breakthrough, the credit goes to them. If I propose it, it’s my credit."

Hard work pays off; it’s quite reasonable!

"This 'Advanced Criminal Investigation Synthesis' is interesting!"

Feeling the knowledge flooding into his mind, Shen Ting smiled. Criminal investigation synthesis covers a great deal: physical evidence collection, suspect tracking, interrogation techniques, investigation methods, and much more. Although he was a suspense novelist in his previous life, he was an outsider to these procedures. This reward effectively bridged his knowledge gap. To put it bluntly, he could now easily serve as a criminal investigation team leader.

"As for this 'Junior Woodcarving Artisan,' a gift from the departed? Does it come from Song Xiaoqian?"

In other words, as long as he catches the killer, solves the case, and speaks for the deceased, he can receive their gifts? Interesting!

Shen Ting tested it for a moment and found he had indeed mastered significant knowledge of woodcarving. Carving a little rabbit, a goldfish, or a Maitreya Buddha from a piece of wood was no problem at all.

"Let’s see what the others got!"

Shen Ting peeked at the group chat. He had noticed that since the rewards were issued, the messages had surged to over 99 unread.

kikO: "Wow, there really were rewards! I thought the group owner was just making empty promises to scam us! Haha, I got a laptop, and the performance is way better than the one I was using. Thanks, Group Owner!"

Tang Ren: "Wahaha, I got photos of Xiang Xiang! And they're bath photos! If it were a video, that would be even better!"

Qin Feng: "My reward is... stuttering medicine? The effects only last for a day, but it’s so powerful. I just took it, and my stuttering is actually gone?"

Even those who rarely spoke, like Hannibal and Jigsaw, left messages.
Hannibal: "Thank you!"
Jigsaw: "Good stuff!"

As the group owner, Shen Ting had the authority to view their rewards. Hannibal received two recipes and a table of special delicacies. Jigsaw's was... wait, pedagogy?! And it came with a list of people who needed to be "educated"! Qin Ming was awarded a scalpel. Guan Hongfeng received medication to treat his fear of the dark, also effective for only one day.

"In this case, the contributions of kikO, Jigsaw, and Hannibal were relatively larger. kikO discovered the killer's voice in the surveillance footage and found the killer's brother, who suffered from trichotillomania, in the files. Jigsaw and Hannibal were mainly responsible for locating the body dump site. That’s why their rewards seem slightly better."

This "better" was subjective. For instance, the recipes were treasures to Hannibal, but to others, they were just scrap paper.

"System, next time you issue rewards, list the contribution rankings of the group members. It will be clearer and prevent dissatisfaction!"

[Understood!]

Shen Ting then typed in the group: "Alright, everyone, thank you for your hard work this time. Rest well, and we'll see you for the next case."

kikO: "Bye-bye, Group Owner!"
Tang Ren: "No way! I want to contribute, I want to solve cases, I want to get the videos of Xiang Xiang, the bath videos!"
"Goodbye!"
"Bye-bye!"

Over the next few days, life returned to a period of calm. Shen Ting stopped delivering food and instead "transitioned" into a neighborhood vigilante. Three days after the case was solved, the rewards for his reports arrived in his bank account. He received 30,000 for reporting the body dump site, 50,000 for identifying the killer, and 10,000 for reporting an old man for prostitution. Added to the 30,000 he got for reporting the initial drug dealer, he had accumulated 120,000 in just a few days since getting the system.

Shen Ting was satisfied. "However, a decent cochlear implant costs hundreds of thousands. 120,000 is still quite far off; I need to keep working hard!"

About a week after the case, on the weekend, Shen Ting was at home playing house with his younger sister, Shen Manman.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The knocking was forceful and rhythmic. Shen Ting, lounging on the sofa, nudged Shen Manman and pointed toward the door. She understood immediately and skipped over to open it, but the moment she looked outside, she slammed it shut and shouted into the room: "Brother, run! The police are here to arrest you!"

Huh? Finally?

Shen Ting sat up straight and glared at Shen Manman. "Police are here to arrest me? In your mind, your brother has never done anything good, right?!"

*Creak.*

The police outside had already pushed the door open. The leader was a middle-aged man with a square face and parted hair, looking very upright. When Shen Ting shared the files earlier, he learned his name was Zheng Yuanqiao, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team. Behind him were a young man and a young woman. The man was over 1.9 meters tall and burly, while the young policewoman had short hair and looked sharp. All three looked at him with curiosity.

"Hello, is anyone home? We're looking for Shen Ting!" the leader said.

Shen Ting walked up and smiled. "I am Shen Ting. What can I do for you?"

Zheng Yuanqiao offered a handshake, looking surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so young! Are you 'Helpful Shen' and 'Powerful Shen'?"

"'Helpful Shen' is me; I don't know who 'Powerful Shen' is! Haha, who came up with such silly names?"

"Helpful Shen" was the name he used when reporting the killer, and "Powerful Shen" was for the body dump site. Shen Ting invited them in. Shen Manman cowered behind him, clutching his shirt and peeking timidly at the tall officer. When the tall officer smiled at her, she retreated in fear.

Once seated, Zheng Yuanqiao got straight to the point: "Mr. Shen, I won't beat around the bush. On behalf of all the investigators, the victim, and the victim's family in the National Highway 245 Skull-Crushing Case, I want to thank you for reporting the criminal. If not for the information you provided, we don't know when this case would have been solved."

"It's just what any citizen should do," Shen Ting replied politely.

Zheng Yuanqiao changed his tone. "Mr. Shen, you're not an ordinary delivery driver, are you? You should also know that our country does not support private investigators."

This was a very sophisticated way of putting it. It wasn't that private investigators weren't "supported"; they were technically illegal. But since the other party was being so subtle, it meant they didn't intend to pursue Shen Ting for his unauthorized investigation. It also meant they had conducted a deep investigation into him before arriving. They knew he had been to the riverbank where the body was dumped, had spoken with fishermen, and had even visited the primary crime scene. These things could not be hidden. This was why Shen Ting had intentionally used his own information for the second report—he hoped they would come to find him soon. He had researched Zheng Yuanqiao beforehand; he wasn't someone who fixated on trivialities, and more importantly, he cherished talent.

Since they were being direct, Shen Ting didn't beat around the bush. He smiled, "Captain Zheng, it seems you're here to help me resolve my troubles!"

"I wouldn't call it resolving trouble," Zheng Yuanqiao shook his head. "I'm just offering Mr. Shen an option. I don't know how exactly you found Zhou Gexin, but you definitely have your own methods. Or rather, you have strong investigative capabilities! Inviting you to become a criminal police officer would be the best, but the requirements are strict and there's a lot of red tape; you might not be willing. Therefore, I’d like to invite you to be a consultant for our Chaoyang Criminal Investigation Team. When we encounter difficult cases, you can provide guidance. With this status, you'll have relative freedom to investigate, access crime scenes, and review physical evidence. As a consultant, you have a rank; the more you contribute, the higher your rank and salary. What do you think?"

"Sure!" Shen Ting agreed immediately.

His need was exactly that—the freedom to investigate cases, access physical evidence, and visit crime scenes. The consultant position was perfect for him.

Zheng Yuanqiao's tense expression finally relaxed. "Good. Mr. Shen, come with us to the police station to handle the paperwork."

With no one at home, Shen Ting took Shen Manman with him to the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau. Signing the agreement, pressing his fingerprints, and taking photos—everything was done in one go! Shen Ting even learned that as a Level 1 Consultant, he had a monthly salary of 6,000. If there were extra contributions, the rewards would be even higher.

Soon, Zheng Yuanqiao extended his right hand again and smiled. "Congratulations! From now on, you are Consultant Shen!"

Shen Ting also smiled. "Captain Zheng, this consultant status is very important to me. I don't want to owe you a favor, so I'll share a clue with you—the victim's leather shoes you salvaged from the dump site have a problem!"

"Huh? The leather shoes?" Zheng Yuanqiao and his officers racked their brains for a moment before vaguely recalling the pair of black shoes. "A problem? What kind of problem?"

Shen Ting stated flatly, "Those might be... human skin shoes!"