In the southwestern outskirts of Quancheng, at Wang Dazhuang.
Eighteen criminal police officers formed a tight circle as Luo Yan, the captain of the task force, meticulously laid out the plan for the operation.
"Headquarters calling Unit 1, Headquarters calling Unit 1, do you copy? Please respond."
The crackling voice from the radio clipped to her waist broke the tense silence.
"Unit 1 here, Unit 1 here. Loud and clear. Go ahead, over."
Luo Yan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. The operation was moments away from commencing—had something gone wrong? Regardless, a call from command was not something she could ignore.
"There's been a development. The informant's intelligence may be unreliable. Proceed with caution, avoid harming civilians, and be mindful of the impact. Over."
The officers exchanged bewildered glances. They were on the brink of action, and now they were being told the intel might be faulty? What kind of joke was this?
They had already gathered information about the area. There were indeed people residing inside, but whether or not they were the suspects remained uncertain.
The gang of robbers had always worn masks during their heists, making it impossible to discern their faces. The best they could do was estimate their height—how were they supposed to confirm their identities?
Irritation flickered across Luo Yan's face as she gripped the radio. "What's going on? Explain clearly. Over."
"Uh… well…" The voice on the other end hesitated. "The informant is a fortune teller. He claims he deduced the suspects' location through divination. Over."
What?
A fortune teller? And he calculated it? Was this some kind of international joke?
What if they weren't the suspects? What if a stray bullet hit an innocent bystander? How would they explain that?
But what if they were the suspects? If they hesitated and failed to act decisively, and the criminals retaliated or escaped, what then? They had spent so much time chasing shadows—if these suspects slipped away, where would they even begin to look again?
Would they have to go back and consult that fortune teller for another reading?
This was absurd!
Luo Yan felt as if command had handed her an unsolvable dilemma. Moving forward felt reckless, yet retreating was equally impossible. Those desk-bound officers in command had simply tossed the problem into her lap.
Still, as much as she resented command, her frustration burned hotter for that charlatan of a fortune teller. If not for him, would she be in this mess?
"D*mn it, these con artists have even dared to scam the police now. Are they that desperate for money?" one officer grumbled angrily.
"Morality has hit rock bottom. All for the sake of a 100,000 yuan reward? Who's going to take responsibility if something goes wrong?"
The team found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure of how to proceed.
"Captain, should we go ahead?" one officer asked.
All eyes turned to Luo Yan, awaiting her final decision.
Luo Yan deliberated for a long moment, her expression dark and stormy, before finally making up her mind. "Proceed as planned."
"What? Still going? What if we arrest the wrong people?" someone questioned.
"Yeah, we know it's bogus intel—why walk straight into the trap?"
"This isn't a game!"
Many officers voiced their objections, and it was hard to blame them. The situation was simply too absurd to believe.
"How will we know if the intel is false unless we act? And how else are we going to deal with that damned fraud when we get back?" Luo Yan seethed, her frustration boiling over. In her three years on the force, handling dozens of cases, she'd never encountered anything like this.
"Fine, let's just consider this a lesson learned. When we're back, we'll make sure to deal with that swindler thoroughly!"
"Exactly, we won't let him off easy!"
…
Meanwhile, the conference room at the city police headquarters had erupted into chaos.
A flurry of accusations flew at Chen Yi, who stood at the center of the storm, enduring the verbal onslaught with calm composure.
Officer: "Kid, do you even know where you are?"
Chen Yi: "Of course, the Quancheng Public Security Bureau."
Officer: "And yet you dare to come here and scam us?"
Chen Yi: "I'm not scamming anyone. I'm here to report criminals. Fighting crime is everyone's responsibility!"
Officer: "And what gives you the right to fight crime? You didn't see or hear anything. Do you think shaking a couple of coins can pinpoint the criminals' location? Or chanting a spell can curse them to death?"
Chen Yi: "The method doesn't matter. The result is what counts. As Deng Xiaoping once said: 'It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.'"
Officer: "I think you're just after the 100,000 yuan reward, aren't you?"
"Eliminating criminals and maintaining social stability is paramount. The reward is merely an incentive to strengthen ties between the police and the public. After all, we can't work for free, can we?" Chen Yi replied with a straight face, adding, "That's what the leadership said."
Arrogant. Brazenly arrogant!
Never before had they seen someone so boldly attempt to con the police, let alone argue with senior officers at the city bureau.
Liu Siming, the bureau chief, rubbed his temples, his forehead lined with frustration. He had weathered countless storms in his career, yet somehow, he'd fallen into this kid's trap.
Had he known from the start that this young man was just a fortune-telling fraudster, he would have thrown him straight into a holding cell without a second thought.
Alas, experience had betrayed him. Judging someone by their appearance had led him astray. After decades as a seasoned officer, how could he have made such a rookie mistake?
When Chen Yi first walked in, his calm and composed demeanor had left a strong impression. His measured words and unwavering confidence had even sparked a flicker of admiration in Liu Siming. He had thought to himself, "It's rare to see such poise in someone so young these days."
He had even considered recruiting the young man into the police force.
But who could have predicted this turn of events? This kid was nothing more than a con artist!
Was he a fool, or was he hiding his true cunning? To have the audacity to pull a stunt like this at the city police bureau—what was he thinking?
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
"No wonder he's so smooth—he must have conned plenty of people before. Perhaps he's a repeat offender," Liu Siming thought grimly.
There was no way he could let this slide. If word got out, his reputation would be in tatters.
Chen Yi, however, remained unruffled, his words sharp and logical, holding his ground against the roomful of officers with the confidence of a seasoned debater. His performance was nothing short of reminiscent of Zhuge Liang's legendary verbal duels.
But the more impressive he seemed, the more Liu Siming felt he needed to teach this kid a lesson. Someone this audacious couldn't be allowed to run amok unchecked.
"Enough!"
Liu Siming slammed his hand on the table, his voice cutting through the commotion. The room fell silent as everyone turned to him, awaiting his decision.
"Lock him up for now. Wait for Luo Yan's update. If her operation yields nothing, charge him with fraud."
A leader's words carried weight, and with that, the matter was settled.
"Well, kid, you're done for this time. Fraud involving 100,000 yuan? You're looking at several years in prison," sneered an officer named Fang Hua.
Fraud was a serious criminal offense, and with such a significant amount involved, there was no doubt Chen Yi would face severe consequences.
"What grounds do you have to arrest me? I've told nothing but the truth!"
Chen Yi's expression remained unchanged, utterly unfazed by Fang Hua's threats, as if the looming prospect of prison was someone else's problem, not his own.
"Master Chen, didn't you divine this outcome for yourself? Next time you pull a stunt like this, you'd better calculate your own fate first, or your title as a fortune-teller might lose all credibility."
Chen Yi, of course, had wanted to predict his own fate, but divination, like medicine, had its limits. As the saying goes, "A physician cannot heal himself," and a fortune-teller's own destiny often remained shrouded in mystery.
"What's the matter, Master Chen? Cat got your tongue? Didn't you foresee this?" Fang Hua continued to mock him. "I'll give you this, though—you've got guts. If you'd gone into motivational speaking, you might've conned a fair number of people."
"Conned? What do you mean conned? I make an honest living through my skills. How is that conning?" Chen Yi snapped, his pride wounded.
His words brought the room to a standstill. The officers stared at him as if he were an idiot.
This was beyond audacious—it was delusional!
The room erupted into laughter.
"Is he missing a few screws?"
"Maybe he escaped from a mental hospital."
"Sounds about right."
…
Liu Siming's frustration boiled over. He had been outmaneuvered by a fool—a reckless, delusional fraudster.
Just then, the door to the conference room burst open with a loud bang. A junior officer rushed in, panic written all over his face.
"Chief Liu! Chief Liu!"
Liu Siming felt his heart drop.
"Is there a problem?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
"Captain Luo Yan just reported—all suspects have been neutralized, and the stolen goods have been fully recovered!"
They caught them? This kid wasn't lying?
The room fell into stunned silence once more. It was as if the officers had collectively lost their voices.
Chen Yi rose to his feet, a smug grin on his face as he surveyed the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've always believed in reasoning with others. You've seen my abilities for yourselves. Whether it's predicting fortune, matters of love, Feng Shui for ancestral tombs or residences, or naming based on the Book of Changes—I excel in all of them. If you ever have a need, feel free to contact me. Here's my card."
The officers: "…"