The Runners
Yu Feng followed Officer Zhou back into the hall where they had walked through when they first arrived.
Just like a few moments ago, everyone was busy running around, some with documents in their hands. Her gaze went towards the man who was sitting quietly, even with all the noise around them. When she came in earlier, the man had startled her when he announced the time with his loud voice.
His gaze was still on the device on his table, unwavering.
At this time, Yu Feng was worried that the man would hurt his neck or go blind after staring at the device for too long.
Yu Feng rushed forward and tugged on Officer Zhou's sleeve.
"What is it?" Officer Zhou turned to her with an impatient gaze.
"That person," Yu Feng pointed at him. "What is he doing?"
Officer Zhou followed her gaze and chuckled. "That person is a timekeeper. His job is, of course, to record the time."
Yu Feng nodded as she recalled that the man had suddenly announced the time out loud when she entered the building earlier.
"Alright, let's keep on moving," Officer Zhou said. He cleared his throat, turned around, and led Yu Feng into another room. Once they stepped inside, the guards paused to greet the Officer.
Officer Zhou Ming stopped just before they reached into the room, and Yu Feng looked at the elder man with a questioning gaze.
"Observe."
Yu Feng followed the man's gaze and observed into the room.
A tall man clad in a royal blue robe stood at the center of the room. His hair was combed into a neat bun with a silver hair clasp. His hands were both behind his back as he stood up straight. Another man in a gray robe and green lining stood at the side, whispering something to the first man.
At this time, a loud voice reverberated. "Report! Report!"
A man dashed into the room. The clothes he wore and the red and purple flag attached to his back showed that he was one of the Department of City Security's runners. He stopped just before the tall man, took a deep breath, and spoke, "Chief Zhang, the watchtower reported that a riot is happening in the Eastern Square." The runner then took out a letter from his clothes and handed it over to the tall man.
The tall man called Chief Zhang read the notes, turned to the man in a gray robe before instructing someone to take an action.
Not long after, another runner entered the room and announced that an abandoned warehouse in the west part of the city was on fire.
Yu Feng stood quietly beside Officer Zhou as she watched the runners go in and out of the building. Each of them came to report something and each news was something that would greatly affect the safety of the Capital City.
"This is the Department of City Security," Officer Zhou Ming spoke. "The man in the center is the chief of this department, Chief Zhang Yue." He turned to Yu Feng to ensure that she was listening to him. "Every day, every hour, every minute, the runner will enter this room and report every single thing that goes on in the city. The watchers on the watchtower will observe everything down there, when something happened, they will pass the message to a runner and the runner is responsible to send a message back to the Department of City Security."
"Officer Zhou. Why are you showing me all these?" Yu Feng chuckled. Her signature languid smile remained on her face. "It couldn't be that you are trying to tell me that this is how you and that person caught me the other day?"
"You are a smart boy, Xiao Feng. You should know why I brought you here."
The mischievous glint in her eyes disappeared quickly. In fact, Yu Feng knew the reason why Officer Zhou Ming had taken her there and observed the runners go in and out. He was trying to tell her about the importance of this task.
"Are you not afraid that I might stay here and listen to this information and sold it to outsiders?"
Officer Zhou Ming laughed lowly. "You can try." He bent down and his face stopped just beside Yu Feng's. "But Xiao Feng, you have been marked the moment you fall into our hands," he whispered. "If you dare to do anything, if my men think that your movement was too suspicious, you will be killed." He took a step back and smiled amiably.
Yu Feng narrowed her eyes at the man and cursed inwardly. "It's not enough that you have threatened me with Orange's life, and now you're threatening mine? Is this the attitude of someone who is asking for help?"
"Don't get upset." Officer Zhou heaved a loud sigh and patted at Yu Feng's shoulder loudly.
Yu Feng rubbed at the spot where the officer had patted her and frowned. Just because she was dressed like a boy and acted like a boy, this old man dared to treat her like a boy. Yu Feng made a promise to himself that if he ever crossed his path with the man after Orange was no longer in his hand, she will find a way to take revenge on him.
Officer Zhou turned her body around and dragged her away from the area. "Everything we do is to ensure the Lantian's safety. Moreover, Xiao Feng, I believe that you are not the type of person who would sell some information in exchange for some money."
"I'm flattered by your confidence in me."
Another laugh escaped from Officer Zhou. "It's not that I have confidence in you. But little boy, I have confidence in myself. You are someone who did not dare to steal money just because you were afraid of the harsh punishment. What makes you think that you will have the guts to sell-out information?"
"People can change."
"But not in a blink of an eye." Officer Zhou smiled. "Whatever you heard in the room today will be obsolete the moment you are a free person. Even if you wanted to sell whatever news you heard in the room just now, it will be useless."
Yu Feng rolled her eyes and found that her dislike towards this man intensified. "Officer Zhou, you are an annoying person."
Her words elicited a loud laugh from the old man. "Come on. Let me explain to you what you have to do for us."
Once they arrived back at Officer Zhou's office, the man looked around his surroundings before he closed the door. Then, he pulled out a map and spread it out on the table. Yu Feng immediately knew that this map was the map of Capital City.