At 2:30 in the afternoon, Mr. Ma had just pushed open the door of his office. He hadn't even had time to put down his briefcase when the office director hurriedly walked in.

"Mr. Ma, there's a situation that needs to be reported to you."

The director lowered his voice slightly, "The person involved in the case this morning has come again."

"Come again?"

Mr. Ma frowned, "Didn't we already explain everything to him?"

"Is there something else he's dissatisfied with regarding our work?"

"Or is he looking for a re-investigation of the case?"

The office director smiled and quickly explained, "Mr. Ma, you've misunderstood."

"This time is different. He came with something resembling a scroll in his hand. It looks like he's here to present a banner."

Hearing this, Mr. Ma's tense expression finally relaxed, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted: "So that's what it is,

"I almost got scared out of my wits."

"If this had turned into a protest incident because of this, it would have been hard to handle."

He straightened his police uniform and continued, "Alright, I'll go out and meet him."

"But, that being said, it would be more appropriate for Comrade Jiang An to receive the banner."

"After all, he was involved from the start of the investigation to the later stages."

"To be honest, we kind of feel like 'we don't deserve the credit'."

The office director nodded knowingly, "Mr. Ma, I actually contacted them before coming here."

"Captain Jiang An is still on his way back from Chuan City with the involved personnel, and it's estimated that he won't make it back in time."

"It wouldn't be appropriate to ask them to come another day to present the banner."

"Would you mind handling it yourself?"

Mr. Ma appeared slightly hesitant upon hearing this.

Regarding this old case, he actually felt a lot of guilt and self-reproach inside.

Not being able to solve the case promptly back then, and now the parties involved coming to present a banner, made him feel like it was a slap in the face.

But on second thought, criminal investigation work is a product of teamwork and should be valued as such.

With this thought, he nodded: "Alright then, I'll go meet them."

Just as the office director turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back.

"Mr. Ma, there's another important matter to report to you separately."

"Just now, the legal program team from Jiangcheng TV Station called, saying they wanted to do a special episode of 'Jiangcheng Legal Talk' on us to showcase our achievements in promoting the spirit of the rule of law and fighting crime."

"This is a good opportunity to promote our public security image in Jiangcheng."

"Which aspects do you think we should prepare for?"

Mr. Ma crossed his hands on the desk, thought for a moment, and said: "Let's use the current case."

"Although it's been three years, we've finally solved the case after much hardship."

"This case is very representative, on the one hand, it can show our Jiangcheng criminal investigation's spirit of correcting mistakes and facing challenges bravely."

"On the other hand, it demonstrates our determination to relentlessly pursue justice."

"More importantly, it sends a clear signal to all criminals—no matter how well they disguise themselves, how strong their anti-detection abilities, they can't escape before our criminal investigators, and they'll eventually be brought to justice."

"Justice may be delayed but it will never be absent."

The office director earnestly jotted down notes, nodding approvingly from time to time: "Mr. Ma, your analysis is spot on. I'll arrange for the preparation of related materials based on your ideas."

"There's no need to prepare too much material, the key is to highlight the arduous process and significance of solving the case." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The office director added, then asked, "Who do you think would be appropriate to appear on the program this time? Last time it was Mr. Li..."

Mr. Ma thought for a moment, then firmly said, "Let's have Comrade Jiang An go."

"He was not only last year's recipient of Jiangcheng's Outstanding Police Officer, but he's also been following the case from start to finish, making him the person most familiar with the case."

"Furthermore, as a representative of Jiangcheng's new criminal investigation forces, having him on the program can give more confidence to the citizens and serve as an encouragement to young officers."

"Alright, I'll notify Jiang An to prepare."

The office director closed his notebook and quickly walked out of the office.

Mr. Ma looked out at the bright sunshine through the window, let out a long sigh, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

Twenty minutes later, Mr. Ma walked confidently to the meeting room.

When he pushed the door open, he found that the atmosphere in the meeting room was completely different from the morning—besides the special task force members, several direct relatives of the deceased were also present.

Upon seeing Mr. Ma enter, the family members immediately stood up, and the eldest among them spoke with trembling hands: "Mr. Ma, we came specifically to present this banner."

"If it weren't for your persistent efforts in pursuing the truth, this case might have been lost forever."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ma felt a warmth in his heart.

For more than twenty years in the police force, the police-citizen relationship has always been one of his key focuses.

He deeply understood that only by working together with the people can society become more harmonious and stable.

At this moment, a middle-aged woman standing by the side, with reddened eyes, said, "I really can't believe that Li Chuang turned out to be such a scoundrel!"

"When he was young, we treated him like family, and our elders even saved his life."

"Who would have thought he would repay kindness with betrayal, stabbing us in the back at a critical moment."

"An animal like that deserves to be chopped to pieces! Now that he's been brought to justice, our whole family feels avenged."

"Mr. Ma, we truly cannot thank you enough!"

The other family members nodded in agreement, then solemnly handed Mr. Ma a gold-embossed banner.