Silence is Tonight's Cambridge Bridge

Wang Dachuan steeled himself and took a couple of steps forward, entering the private museum.

It’s worth mentioning that as he approached the entrance, he deliberately slowed his pace to take a good look at the door.

Then, as if he had just discovered a masterpiece, he exclaimed in awe, “Holy crap! This door… it’s so artistic! I think even the main entrance of the provincial museum pales in comparison. Captain Xu, you’ve got such great taste! You really know how to pick them.”

He was laying it on thick, trying to butter up Xu Mo to make up for his earlier slip of the tongue.

Xu Mo: “…”

Han Fei: “…”

This guy’s flattery skills were seriously lacking.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

After stepping inside, Wang Dachuan’s attention shifted to the tiles on the floor.

“These floor tiles are so classy too! Captain Xu, you—”

Before he could finish, Han Fei gave him a light kick. “Stop sucking up and focus on the task at hand!”

“Got it,” Wang Dachuan replied, instantly falling in line after the kick.

The group made their way into the surveillance room.

The private museum’s security system was top-notch, as it housed many valuable treasures that needed protection from potential thieves.

Not only were there numerous cameras inside the museum, but high-definition cameras also covered the perimeter, even capturing part of the neighboring music store.

The team skipped reviewing the interior footage and instead focused on the camera that had a view of the music store next door.

The camera positioned to the left of the museum’s entrance, angled diagonally toward the door, happened to capture the entrance of the music store on the right. While it didn’t show the entire store, it provided a clear view of the music store’s front door.

“Captain Han, Captain Xu, this camera angle perfectly captures the music store’s entrance!” Li Chen excitedly pointed at the computer screen.

This trip was definitely worth it.

“Let’s check the footage between midnight and 1:30 a.m.,” Han Fei instructed.

The report had come in at 1:30 a.m. the previous night, so there was no need to review footage after that time. They only needed to look at the recordings before 1:30 a.m.

Li Chen quickly adjusted the footage on the screen, scrolling to the 12:00 a.m. mark.

At 12:15 a.m., an SUV appeared in the footage, pulling up and stopping right in front of the music store.

“That car looks suspicious!” Wang Dachuan blurted out almost the moment he saw it.

The other officers nodded slightly, all agreeing that the car’s owner was likely a suspect.

Han Fei chimed in, “Zoom in and note down the license plate number.”

“Got it,” Li Chen replied, enlarging the image.

The footage froze on the front of the car.

Thanks to the high-definition camera, they could even see inside the SUV through the windshield.

A man and a woman were seated in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, respectively. After parking, the woman in the passenger seat unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned forward, and seemed to be rummaging for something.

“Look, they’re about to get out. The woman bending over might be grabbing gasoline, preparing to start a fire,” Li Chen analyzed. “Most likely, they’re the arsonists.”

A look of relief washed over Li Chen’s face.

Who would’ve thought this case would be so easy to crack? Just by reviewing the footage, the truth was laid bare.

The other officers shared the same sentiment, their faces all showing expressions of “case closed.”

“This case was way too simple.”

“Yeah, if all cases were this straightforward, it’d be a breeze. Just check the surveillance and you’re done.”

“We owe it all to Captain Xu. If he hadn’t suggested coming here to review the footage, this case wouldn’t have been solved so easily,” Wang Dachuan seized the opportunity to flatter Xu Mo once again.

“Grab a USB drive and copy this footage,” Han Fei reminded them. “This is evidence of the arson.”

Without hesitation, Li Chen pulled out a USB drive and prepared to copy the video.

“Wait a second, I don’t think it’s that simple,” Xu Mo frowned. “Who would drive up in broad daylight to commit arson without even covering their license plate? That’s just asking to get caught.”

“Captain Xu, I think you’re overcomplicating things. Not all criminals are as smart as you. A lot of crime scenes are full of holes. And… who knows if this car even has a real license plate?” one officer countered.

Hearing this, Li Chen chimed in, “Yeah, Captain Xu, always thinking too deeply and assuming criminals are smarter than they are can lead you astray. Trying to predict a bronze-level player with a grandmaster’s mindset is bound to fail because bronze players don’t even know how to position properly. Right, Captain Han?”

“Mhm,” Han Fei nodded. “The thrill of committing a crime can make people lose their rationality. It’s not uncommon for them to do seemingly stupid things. I’ve seen it plenty of times. Captain Xu, you’re stuck in a mental trap. Don’t always assume criminals are geniuses.”

As a seasoned officer, Han Fei knew this all too well.

Many criminals aren’t as clever as they’re made out to be, and their methods aren’t as sophisticated as one might think.

Besides, a car showing up in front of a music store in the middle of the night was already highly suspicious.

Who in their right mind would park in front of a closed music store at that hour? It was practically screaming “suspect.”

As they were talking, Li Chen had already pulled out the USB drive.

But just as he was about to plug it into the computer, he froze, as if struck by lightning.

The same stunned expression appeared on the faces of the other officers.

On the screen, something completely unexpected unfolded before their eyes.

After unbuckling her seatbelt, the woman in the passenger seat didn’t grab gasoline to start a fire as they had assumed. Instead, she hunched over, turned her back to the windshield, and climbed over to the driver’s seat…

Then, the car began to rock rhythmically.

The officers: “???”

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Silence was the theme of the night.

Gradually, everyone realized that things weren’t as they had thought. Xu Mo had been right all along.

These two weren’t here to start a fire—they were here to relieve some… tension.

After about a minute, the car stopped rocking, and the woman returned to the passenger seat. Then, under the watchful eyes of the officers, the SUV drove away…

The surveillance room filled with a chorus of awkward coughs.

Tactical coughing.

“Heh heh heh…” Xu Mo, who had been holding it in, finally burst out laughing.

He was professionally trained and usually didn’t laugh—unless it was too funny.

Just moments ago, the officers had been earnestly discussing how these two were the arsonists, even imparting their wisdom with an air of authority. But now, it turned out to be nothing more than a hilarious misunderstanding.

The couple in the surveillance footage weren’t arsonists at all…