"What a mess!" Captain Tao angrily smashed the water cup in his hand in his office, letting out a string of low, furious curses. His exclamation of "What a mess!" left it unclear who he was targeting.

Opposite him, the Political Commissar wore a bitter smile. Seeing the floor littered with fragments of the cup, he rose, picked up the trash can, and meticulously gathered every piece.

"Old Tao, it's useless to be angry." The Political Commissar gently comforted Captain Tao. "Zhou Hu was transferred out due to both organizational considerations and respect for his personal wishes. Although moving him to a local police station is a bit of an underutilization of his talents, it's still a promotion for him. We can't forcibly stop him from taking up the position of Deputy Director, can we? After all, you know as well as I do that there isn't as much room for advancement within our detachment compared to local departments."

Captain Tao didn't calm down after the Political Commissar's persuasion; instead, he became even more irritated. "But they shouldn't transfer him out at this critical juncture! With Zhang, captain of the First Brigade, suddenly going deaf, and Zhou Hu, the deputy captain, now also transferred out, what's the First Brigade to do? Are you saying you'll lead the brigade, or should I?"

The Political Commissar gave another bitter smile. "It's just bad timing. Who could have known that Zhang would suddenly fall ill? Besides, I told you about Zhou Hu's situation a long time ago."

"Then why couldn't they wait a few more days to transfer him? Why did they have to take him away right now?"

Captain Tao knew his anger was pointless. He still had to face the current reality, so after venting his complaints, he asked, "What exactly is Zhang's condition now?"

"The doctor says it's overwork combined with a recent cold, leading to virus-induced deafness."

Listening to the Political Commissar's detailed explanation, Captain Tao grew impatient. "Just tell me when he'll recover. It's been three days, and there's no improvement at all?"

The Political Commissar's face also turned grim, and he slowly shook his head.

Captain Tao's eyes widened instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sigh. After three days of treatment, Zhang's condition hasn't improved in the slightest. In fact, he's become slow to respond and is constipated."

"Slow to respond?" Captain Tao was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"It means he's become somewhat lethargic. Whether we use hand gestures in front of him or write words down, he doesn't react."

"****!" Captain Tao couldn't control his anger and blurted out, "Get an expert! Isn't there a single competent doctor in Jinzhou? What kind of damn hospital is this? How did they manage to make my man worse?"

Seeing Captain Tao becoming agitated again, the Political Commissar quickly tried to calm him. "Don't worry about that. We've already found the best Otorhinolaryngologist and Neurology Department specialist in Jinzhou. I believe we'll have good news soon. For now, let's figure out what to do about the First Brigade. They're handling several major cases, and it's not right for them to be without a leader for too long. How about letting a captain from another brigade take over temporarily?"

Captain Tao took a few deep breaths and said irritably, "What can I do? Tell me, what can I do? The First Brigade's two leaders are gone—one transferred, one hospitalized. Brigade 2 is so busy its members can't even go home; they're all out in the field. Su from the Third Brigade is in poor health, and that entire brigade is relying on its deputy captain. What options do I have?"

"What about having Zhao from the Economic Investigation team fill in temporarily? They've been pretty idle recently, haven't they?"

"They're not idle; they're incompetent!" Captain Tao's anger, which he had just suppressed, flared up again at the mention of Zhao from Economic Investigation. "A small-time loan company, and they've investigated for three months without finding a single lead! They're a bunch of good-for-nothings! With someone like that, do you think he can lead Zhang's First Brigade? I'm afraid if I let him lead for a while, my First Brigade will also turn into a bunch of good-for-nothings. Absolutely not."

Seeing Captain Tao's firm stance, the Political Commissar dropped the subject and asked, "Then what do we do now? We can't just let it be, can we? Or perhaps one of us should go?"

Captain Tao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. After a good while, he finally said, "Promote from within."

"Promote who?"

"Wu Shengnan."

Wu Shengnan? The Political Commissar's eyes narrowed slightly. He suddenly felt that Captain Tao's anger just now might have been a ruse, a ploy to refute his suggestions. But with Wu Shengnan's name put forward, he had no grounds to object. Or rather, he didn't dare to object. As for the reason, it wasn't just Captain Tao who was astute.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Little Wu is also suitable. Don't underestimate her because she's a girl; she has ideas, capability, and education. She's daring, fights hard, has a meritorious record, and nearly crippled her foot. Promoting her, I believe, won't draw objections from others. The First Brigade right now needs exactly this kind of capable and driven leader. Promoting her directly to captain, I think that's feasible."

As soon as the Political Commissar finished speaking, Captain Tao shot him a sharp glance, a fierce light flashing in his eyes before he quickly concealed it. "Promoting her to captain is too fast; it wouldn't be good for Little Wu's future development. Let's make her deputy captain first, taking Zhou Hu's position. Until Zhang returns, I'll help keep an eye on the First Brigade."

Hearing Captain Tao's words, the Political Commissar showed no change in expression, merely chuckling lightly. "We'll do it your way then."

"We'll convene an emergency meeting in half an hour. Everyone who's in should attend; contact those who aren't by phone. We can take this opportunity to resolve the issues with the Fourth Team and the Third Brigade as well."