Chapter 37: Aftermath

Chapter 37: Aftermath

“Lieutenant.”

Cheng Qianfan saluted.

After thinking for a few seconds, he shook his head and replied directly in French,

“I’ve never seen them before... however, I heard the gunmen communicating in Russian.”

“Russian? Are you certain?”

“It sounded like Russian.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“I know a few common Russian phrases.”

At that moment, Deputy Inspector Ma Yishou, who had been examining the corpse, walked over.

“Chief Qin, Inspector, we found this on the dead gunman.”

Qin Detai took it and glanced at it.

His expression changed slightly.

Then he handed it to Lieutenant Marais.

It was a bloodstained newspaper clipping.

Late last year, the French Concession had arrested a Soviet Russian spy.

Last month, that Soviet Russian had died in prison from illness.

The incident had provoked strong protests from the Soviet Russian side.

“The foolish Soviet Russians will pay the price for their foolish provocation.”

Lieutenant Marais snorted coldly.

Holding the evidence, he stormed off in anger.

“Xiao Cheng, you’ve been through quite a fright. I will not let this matter rest.”

Qin Detai patted Cheng Qianfan’s shoulder.

Looking around at the crowd, he spoke in a deep voice.

“Anyone who dares touch one of my men, Qin Detai’s men, no matter who they are, will answer for it!”

“Thank you, Chief Qin.”

Cheng Qianfan replied gratefully.

“Xiao Cheng, take three days off and get some rest.”

Jin Kemu patted Cheng Qianfan on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Chief Jin.”

Accompanied by He Guan, Cheng Qianfan returned home to rest.

Yande Lane was unusually quiet.

The residents had all locked their doors and shut their windows.

Everyone had been frightened by the shooting.

The moment he entered, Cheng Qianfan collapsed into a chair.

Picking up the cup on the table, he gulped down all the water inside.

He Guan glanced downward at Cheng Qianfan’s crotch and covered his mouth with a grin.

“Not bad. At least you didn’t wet your pants.”

“Why don’t you try it yourself?”

Cheng Qianfan glared at him.

Had his legs not still been too weak to stand properly, he would have beaten the brat up.

“No thanks.”

He Guan waved his hand.

“Scenes that exciting are too much for me.”

“Pour me another cup of water.”

Cheng Qianfan took a breath and said.

“You sure know how to order me around.”

He Guan took the enamel cup and found the thermos flask.

He poured half a cup of water, shook the flask, and discovered it was empty.

“You really are unlucky. How did the Soviet Russians end up targeting you?”

“How should I know?”

Cheng Qianfan gritted his teeth.

“Those bastards were genuinely trying to kill me.”

He Guan nodded.

He had inspected the scene as well.

Spent shell casings had been scattered everywhere.

A gun battle of this scale was relatively rare in the French Concession.

“You should head back to duty. I’ll be fine.”

“I’d better stay here.”

He Guan shook his head.

“Who knows whether those foreign devils might come back.”

“They wouldn’t dare!”

Cheng Qianfan snorted coldly.

“Not unless someone truly wants to go to war with the police station.”

“That’s true.”

He Guan nodded.

Then he picked up the police cap on the table and dusted it off.

“Well then, I’m leaving. You really didn’t wet your pants? Need me to help you change them?”

“Get lost.”

Cheng Qianfan cursed.

Laughing loudly, He Guan reached the doorway.

After thinking for a moment, he pulled out his service pistol, removed the magazine, and tossed it over.

“Better safe than sorry.”

“Thanks.”

Cheng Qianfan caught the magazine.

“You be careful too. And thank Zhao Si for me. I’ll host a meal for him another day.”

Zhao Si was the constable who had led the rescue team.

“Got it.”

He Guan waved his hand, turned around, and pulled the door shut behind him.

However, he did not leave immediately.

Instead, he wandered around the alley for a while, making sure there was no danger left.

Only then did he leave in a huff.

Cheng Qianfan remained slumped in the chair.

Only after several minutes did he quietly get up and slide the door bolt into place.

His expression was grave.

He was reviewing the gains and losses of his response to the incident.

He was considering whether his cleanup measures afterward would eliminate the astonishment of anyone paying close attention.

Faced with an encirclement by three gunmen, the fact that a mere constable had managed to survive until reinforcements arrived without injury could not be called astonishing, but it certainly demonstrated that he was no ordinary man.

Cheng Qianfan cursed softly.

For an underground operative, this kind of unexpected incident was precisely the sort of thing he hated most.

Under normal circumstances, he could conceal himself very well.

But when confronted by a sudden attack like this, there was no way he could think of everything in the moment.

Mistakes were possible.

He had been an outstanding student at the police academy.

His marksmanship had been excellent.

That could explain part of it.

What troubled him most was the decisiveness of his reactions.

That was not something a police academy could teach.

Which was why, once the danger had passed, Cheng Qianfan deliberately acted as though he were so frightened that his legs had gone weak.

His responses during the attack could be attributed to a survival instinct triggered by imminent death.

They could be explained as hidden talent and potential.

Being terrified afterward, however, was the normal reaction of an ordinary constable.

More importantly, after shooting and killing the first man, he had already begun thinking about how to handle the aftermath.

With his marksmanship, he could easily have left another attacker behind.

He had not done so.

He had anticipated that the responding constables would arrive quickly.

Therefore, during the firefight, he had deliberately appeared nervous.

His marksmanship had intentionally deteriorated.

His goal was not to kill enemies but to buy time.

After careful consideration, Cheng Qianfan concluded that his remedial measures had been adequate.

Even if some people felt a slight sense of surprise, it remained within acceptable limits.

Of course, he would need to become even more cautious and prevent that surprise from developing into suspicion.

Underground work tolerated no mistakes.

Furthermore, provided he had not aroused further suspicion, his performance this time could actually be considered a highlight.

In that sense, misfortune had turned into a blessing.

Central Police Station, office of Chief Inspector Qin Detai.

Zhao Si respectfully and meticulously reported the situation to Qin Detai.

“You said Xiao Cheng was terrified when you arrived?”

“Yes, Chief Qin.”

Zhao Si nodded.

“Officer Cheng was lying on the ground. He tried several times to get up and couldn’t. When I pulled him up, his legs were shaking.”

“What else?”

“Officer Cheng wanted to examine the dead gunman, but he had no strength. We had to help him roll the body over.”

“Did Xiao Cheng touch the corpse?”

“No.”

Zhao Si shook his head.

“If I hadn’t been supporting him, Officer Cheng wouldn’t even have been able to stand.”

“You may go.”

Qin Detai nodded and waved his hand.

“What I asked you today, don’t mention it to anyone.”

“Understood, sir.”

After Zhao Si left, Qin Detai rubbed his temples.

“Shuli, what do you think?”

“Based on Zhao Si’s account, it all seems reasonable.”

After some thought, Zhao Shuli said,

“A young man facing danger shows courage in the moment and becomes frightened afterward. That makes sense.”

“If you had been in that situation, how much could you have accomplished?”

“I visited the scene.”

After considering it, Zhao Shuli replied,

“If it had been me, I could have left at least one more of the other two gunmen behind.”

“I know Cheng Qianfan’s academy records. His marksmanship is excellent. Being able to drop one gunman with two shots is perfectly normal. However...”

“However what?”

“Young people are still inexperienced.”

Zhao Shuli said,

“Using that gunman as a human shield was clever, but afterward he remained in the same position. That’s a major mistake.”

“I checked the scene. One shot nearly hit him.”

“Cheng Qianfan survived because he was lucky.”

“So you also believe his reactions were instinctive rather than the response of someone with extensive experience?”

“I do.”

Zhao Shuli shook his head.

“An experienced person facing a life-or-death crisis instinctively makes the choices most likely to keep himself alive.”

“If he had been a seasoned veteran, then with his marksmanship he would have hit at least one more gunman.”

“That would have been the best way to protect himself.”

“During the later stages of the firefight, Cheng Qianfan’s shooting deteriorated because he was panicking. That’s normal.”

“Killing the first man was an immediate reaction.”

“During the subsequent exchange of gunfire, he became afraid.”

“A hail of bullets, the overwhelming terror of death flying over your head, for someone experiencing it for the first time, fear is normal.”

“Between life and death, nobody can pretend.”

Zhao Shuli added.

He believed that if he had faced such a situation himself, survival would have come first.

He would have tried to kill as many enemies as possible.

Who would still have the spare attention to put on an act?

Even he, a man who had survived countless life-and-death situations, could not have done that.

For a young man like Cheng Qianfan, simply surviving this ordeal was already the result of extraordinary luck.