Sudden task

  (Suddenly) Mission (9)

  It's another boring morning, I was woken up by my grandfather from bed, saying that he wanted me to open the store door for him. He said he would go hiking with his friends today. What kind of friends? They're just those few grannies from the old people's university again! I muttered to myself while staring at grandma's photo, but grandpa had already ignored me and walked out the door.

  I had just opened the door when I ran into someone from the Quick Company, who handed me an envelope. As soon as I saw the big official seal, I knew that the results of this exam were out. I went back inside and slowly opened the letter, but the result was like scratching a lottery ticket - it always says "Thank you for your patronage". I slumped powerlessly into my chair, having failed once again. It seems that being a police officer really isn't suited to me after all. When Grandpa finds out tonight, he'll definitely scold me for not living up to expectations again.

  It seems that the failure of this time made me temporarily forget the beautiful girl I saw yesterday. In the morning, there are usually no customers coming to visit, and this antique business is not like other shops, which can be closed for three years and then open for three years. And I have long been accustomed to this quiet atmosphere, sitting among these old antiques every day, as if my heart has become a little older.

  At this time, a middle-aged man walked into my store. From his appearance, I knew he wasn't a businessman, but rather someone from a government agency, because those who came here to collect fees and taxes all had the same temperament, which made people feel disgusted at first glance.

  "You are Jile Tian, aren't you?" The middle-aged man said to me, his tone filled with an irresistible power.

  "Am I? Are you?" I asked back.

  "I am a police officer." The middle-aged man took out his police ID and placed it in front of me.

  "What's wrong? Are you feeling that your decision was wrong and came to apologize?" I thought of that letter, and my heart suddenly felt uncomfortable.

  The middle-aged man saw the letter I casually threw aside, smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, and found a chair to sit down.

  "Ji Le Tian, you've taken the civil service exam eight times, and this time makes it the ninth. Unfortunately, you still haven't passed. At your age of almost thirty, what capital do you have to compete with those twenty-year-old young men who just graduated?" said the middle-aged man.

  "What are you trying to say? If it's just to mock me, then please leave." I almost didn't want to hear him continue, this kind of exposing someone's scars made me feel really uncomfortable.

  "If you drive me away, you won't even have your last chance," said the middle-aged man.

  "Opportunity? Do I still have an opportunity?" I bitterly smiled.

  "Because you met me, let's be straightforward. At your current age and ability, it's already impossible for you to take the civil service exam, so I'll use a special method to make your wish come true, but in return, you need to help me with something." The middle-aged man said.

  "What makes you think I believe? Just this certificate? For a thousand bucks, I can make one that's even more real than the real thing."

  "What's this then?" The middle-aged man threw a handgun in front of me, and I was so scared that I fell directly from the chair.

  "I'm giving you a chance, take it yourself. It's not convenient to talk here. If you change your mind, come find me here and I'll tell you everything." The middle-aged man put a piece of paper in front of me and stood up to leave.

  A policeman came with a gun to threaten me? What does he want to do? Use special methods to make me a policeman, what method is it?

  After considering for a whole morning, I closed the door after lunch and went to find him according to the address he wrote. It seemed to be a commercial street, where all kinds of businesses from insurance to direct sales were located in this office building. And I got off on the seventh floor.

  After turning a few corners, I saw the address recorded on the paper slip. As soon as I pushed open the door, that middle-aged man was sitting there smiling at me and said:

  "Welcome to join, it seems I didn't misjudge you after all."

  "Then don't beat around the bush, what's going on?" I sat down in front of him casually.

  "Three days ago, the Xing Hou Yi from the British Museum was stolen, you know?" said the middle-aged man.

  I nodded, this was exactly what I saw in the news yesterday, and I really didn't know what it had to do with me from so far away.

  "That's good, the news from the UK said that at the time of the surveillance video, there was no shot of how the Xing Hou Yi was lost, and not even a shadow of a person appeared, it just disappeared in front of the camera lens, as if it had been suddenly transferred through space-time." The middle-aged man said.

  "So?" I seemed to understand something.

  "While reviewing the footage, British police found a problem. The year the treasure was stolen, a group of tourists from China visited here, and one female tourist stood in front of the Xinghou Gui exhibit for a long time. The camera clearly captured her face, and this woman is the leader of a tomb raiding gang we've been searching for, named Lin Ruoshui. This woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and quickly made a name for herself in the tomb raiding world. Originally, we couldn't catch her trail, but this time she's made things so big that it's become an international crime, so we have to take action against her." The middle-aged man said.

  "What does it have to do with me? Just catch her directly." I said.

  "But we have no evidence now, and we're just suspicious. We must know for sure if the Xinghou Gui is in her hands and whether she has already sold it out. So I've come up with an undercover plan, hoping you can infiltrate her organization, gather evidence of her tomb raiding, and then catch them all at a critical moment." The middle-aged man excitedly said to me.

  "Why look for me? Don't you have anyone in your police force?" I said.

  "There are indeed people who fit the bill, but they all seem too much like police officers. And it's impossible for us to collaborate with those tomb raiders. So we had to find someone who is familiar with antiques and tomb raiding, yet also enjoys being a police officer. We thought such a person would be hard to find, but then you appeared. We've investigated your background - your grandfather, Ji Shi-chang, was once the heir to Xiangzhou City's largest tomb-raiding family. He later joined the revolution, and your parents, Ji Wei-dong and Yu Yong-hong, are currently in prison for tomb raiding. Yet you've been taking the civil service exam year after year, but never pass - not because you're not excellent, but because of your family background. We didn't dare to hire you."

  Seeking gold medals, seeking collections, seeking recommendations, seeking clicks, seeking comments, seeking red envelopes, seeking gifts, all kinds of requests, whatever you want, just throw it over!