Plainclothes Officer (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Haiyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This book is the masterpiece and debut work of the author Haiyan. The same-named TV series adapted from this book once caused a sensation across China. The protagonist Zhou Zhiming represents an era, an era that has long passed us by, an era where blood and iron could forge a true police officer. It is evident that Haiyan, in his debut work, exudes the belief and integrity of Zhou Zhiming. The story takes place in 1976, before the overthrow of the "Gang of Four." Following a tip-off, the Nanzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau arrested a Taiwanese spy named Xu Bangcheng. At the time, it was unclear why the spy had infiltrated Nanzhou. Under the of Deputy Director Gan, a military representative, Xu Bangcheng falsely claimed he was to rendezvous with an enemy detachment at the border to disrupt China's campaign against Lin Biao and Confucius. Deputy Director Gan personally led the escort to the border, intending to capture the enemy detachment in one sweep. However, Xu Bangcheng seized the opportunity to escape and was shot dead by the escorting investigator Zhou Zhiming. The arrest operation failed, the also, and the true purpose of the spy's infiltration of Nanzhou remained a mystery.
During an accidental encounter, Zhou Zhiming met a girl named Shi Xiaomeng and developed mutual affection. Soon after, Nanzhou began appearing pamphlets mourning Premier Zhou Enlai, some of which criticized the Central Cultural Revolution Committee. The military representative classified this as a counter-revolutionary incident and demanded the Investigation Department investigate the pamphlet distributors. During a patrol, Zhou Zhiming's colleague Lu Zhenyu, following the military representative's instructions, took photos of two people distributing the pamphlets. Zhou Zhiming discovered that one of them was Shi Xiaomeng's sister, Shi Jihong, and the other was his classmate An Cheng. Just as the military representative was about to arrest the individuals based on the photos, Zhou Zhiming, to protect Shi Jihong and An Cheng, exposed the film in the camera. Subsequently, to avoid implicating Lu Zhenyu, Zhou Zhiming confessed to exposing the film to his superiors. As a result, Zhou Zhiming was branded an active counter-revolutionary and suspected of being a spy due to Xu Bangcheng's escape, leading to a 15-year prison sentence. Shortly after, his only family member, his father, passed away in anger. This sudden turn of events completely altered Zhou Zhiming's fate.
After being imprisoned, only Shi Xiaomeng firmly believed he was not a bad person. Despite her family's concerns and opposition, Shi Xiaomeng persistently visited Zhou Zhiming in prison. To protect Shi Xiaomeng, Zhou Zhiming painfully severed their relationship. Meanwhile, in prison, Zhou Zhiming endured humiliation from certain guards and fellow inmates, nearly losing faith in life. With the overthrow of the "Gang of Four" and the nationwide rectification of, Zhou Zhiming was also rectified and returned to the police force. However, due to some lingering left-wing influences, a minor flaw remained in his organizational conclusion. By then, Shi Xiaomeng had been admitted to university. After reuniting, Zhou Zhiming and Shi Xiaomeng soon experienced misunderstandings and rifts in their relationship. Zhou Zhiming's female colleague, Yan Jun, who had secretly admired him, subtly expressed her sincere love. Zhou Zhiming and Yan Jun became close colleagues at work, but he still longed for Shi Xiaomeng. A thief named Du Weidong, having been helped and reformed by Zhou Zhiming in prison, planned to turn over a new leaf upon release. However, when the home of the Nanzhou Municipal People's Political Consultative Committee Vice Chairman and Chief Engineer of the 941 Factory, Jiang Yiming, was burglarized, Du Weidong was arrested as a suspect. Zhou Zhiming noticed inconsistencies and, after further investigation, confirmed that Du Weidong was not the culprit. At the same time, the 941 Factory suffered significant losses due to the introduction of a large-scale project, indicating that confidential documents from Jiang Yiming's home had been stolen. Shi Jihong suddenly reported her ex-boyfriend, Lu Yuanchao, for stealing from Jiang Yiming's home, leading to Lu Yuanchao's arrest and prosecution. Dissatisfied with her sister's actions, Shi Xiaomeng insisted on defending Lu Yuanchao in court, which resulted in his acquittal.
During the investigation of Shi Jihong, it was discovered that she had sold intelligence, having been lured by a spy who had infiltrated from abroad and had become a criminal. Just as the public security authorities were about to arrest the spy surnamed Feng Hanzhang, who posed as a Hong Kong businessman, someone for him. Zhou Zhiming never forgot the clues from the Xu Bangcheng case years ago, suspecting that a spy had infiltrated Nanzhou. Determined to investigate, Zhou Zhiming's colleagues continued their pursuit. Suddenly, Du Weidong was murdered. A series of interconnected events remained shrouded in mystery. After thorough investigation, the police finally uncovered the truth behind Du Weidong's death, simultaneously exposing the long-term spy in Nanzhou, Lu Yuanchao, and identifying the real thief of the 941 Factory's secrets. It turned out that Shi Jihong's accusation of Lu Yuanchao was a deliberate trap set by the overseas spy agency, aiming to sacrifice Feng Hanzhang and Shi Jihong to protect Lu Yuanchao. Through a series of trials and tribulations, Zhou Zhiming grew into a true police officer. Shi Xiaomeng and Zhou Zhiming eventually resolved their misunderstandings and reunited. Yan Jun was transferred out of Nanzhou after solving the case but remained in love with Zhou Zhiming. This is a story of a young police officer's growth and a ballad of beautiful love.