Chapter One: Arriving in a New Place

Qin Yu stood in the office building belonging to the Municipal Police Department's Black District Police Division and smiled as he asked a middle-aged man, "Is it all right?"

"Hmm, come in." The middle-aged man waved his hand and turned to walk into the office on the left.

Qin Yu straightened his clothes at the sound and followed the middle-aged man into the office.

The office was not small, about 60 square meters, but there was only one person sitting behind the desk. He looked to be around forty years old, with a mustache and a fierce expression.

The middle-aged man walked up to the desk and put two piles of documents in front of the mustached man, saying softly, "Chief, this is the last one."

"Have you had your physical exam?" The mustached man picked up the documents and asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm, you can leave now."

"Okay."

After a brief exchange, the middle-aged man left, and Qin Yu took two steps forward, stood in front of the desk without saying anything, and watched the mustached man examine his documents.

Sitting behind the desk, the mustached man frowned and stared at the documents, murmuring to himself, "Qin Yu, 22 years old, 75 kilograms, 1.82 meters...born before the era change, ancestral home in J City, H Province. Heh, it's not far from Songjiang now. Before joining us, he lived in the Development Zone, and his parents went missing (presumed dead) with no known relatives... Huh? Why is your work history blank?"

"I just don't have any work experience." Qin Yu replied with a smile. "It's tough enough to survive in the Development Zone. I just did whatever I could to make ends meet. Who has time to worry about work experience?"

"Heh." The mustached man chuckled. "You could have just written a couple of fake experiences before you came here. It doesn't look good to have a blank work history in the system."

"Okay, I'll fill in some later." Qin Yu didn't argue and immediately agreed.

The mustached man stared at the documents and asked again, "No work experience, so you haven't served in the military. Have you ever had any experience with firearms?"

Without hesitation, Qin Yu shook his head. "No."

"Have you ever been criminally punished?"

"No."

The mustached man groaned for a moment and slowly put down the documents in his hand. He looked up at Qin Yu with a smile and said, "In the Development Zone, a lawless and unregulated place, you were able to make it to the point where you could buy a work and residence permit for the Ninth Special Zone. You, kid... have some experience."

"Where? " Qin Yu grinned. "I just got lucky and met some influential people."

The mustached man picked up his water glass and looked up at Qin Yu, nodding symbolically. "Hmm, young man, you look pretty energetic."

Qin Yu smiled and didn't say anything in response.

The mustached man put down his tea cup and leaned forward to look at Qin Yu, giving him a concise admonition. "The situation in the Ninth Special Zone is quite unique. Although it is part of the administrative hierarchy of the United States, it has a high degree of autonomy and is fundamentally different from the eight other districts. Here, there is a mix of different ethnic groups, not just Asians but also black and white people... the social environment is extremely complex, and there are indeed chaotic phenomena in some areas that we want to change but can't do it for now. As a police officer, you must adapt to the environment here from all aspects."

"Understood," Qin Yu nodded solemnly.

"Also, I don't care what experience you have, but when you eat with me, you have to be careful and stay out of trouble. If you cause trouble or start problems, I'll deal with you immediately," the mustached man reminded him with a calm tone, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Li Chief, I'm here to help you reduce trouble," Qin Yu chuckled.

"Heh heh." The mustached man chuckled and tapped a few times on the touchscreen phone on his desk, then lowered his mouth towards the microphone.

After a few seconds, a male voice came on the line, "Hello, Chief. This is the First Criminal Investigation Team."

"Where is Yuan Ke?" Chief Li asked.

"Yuan Team is not here, he just left."

"I'm adding a new member to your team, come and get him right away."

"Okay, okay."

"That's it." Chief Li patted the mustache and hung up the phone. "Go wait at the door. Someone will come to take you away. Learn the specific rules when you get to the team."

"Okay, Chief Li," Qin Yu nodded and took two steps forward. He then lowered his head and took out a small black bag from his pocket, placing it on the desk. "Xiao Qi specifically reminded me that getting a job in the special zone police system is the most difficult right now, and without your help, I wouldn't even know how long it would take me to get a position. So please don't forget the courtesy."

Chief Li picked up the bag and opened it, revealing a diamond about the size of a soybean. He was slightly taken aback when he saw it. "You guys in the Development Zone have some talent. You can get your hands on this stuff? Wow, I haven't seen this in years."

Qin Yu smiled but didn't say anything in response.

Chief Li threw the small bag into a drawer and locked it, then pointed at Qin Yu and said, "You're young, but you really do have some substance."

"I only have this much," Qin Yu pretended to be simple and scratched his head. Seeing that Chief Li didn't immediately leave for lunch, he chatted with him for a few more minutes.

A few minutes later, a young man of the same age and build as Qin Yu, but with a slightly larger frame, walked into the room with a straight posture and saluted. "Reporting to Chief Li, First Team Third Level Officer Qi Lin is here to take the new colleague back to the team."

Chief Li patted Qin Yu's arm when he heard the voice. "Do well and strive to make me see you at the end-of-year selection."

"Okay," Qin Yu nodded.

"Alright, go to the team," Chief Li waved his hand and pointed to Qi Lin. "Tell Yuan Ke to take care of this young man."

With just a diamond and less than ten minutes of chatting with Chief Li, Qin Yu only received a single sentence of "take care", which seemed to be all there was to it.

...

In the hallway, chubby Qi Lin walked on Qin Yu's left and asked cheerfully, "Where are you from, bro?"

"From the Development Zone."

"From that ghost place?" Qi Lin was taken aback. "That's not easy."

"Just a little luck," Qin Yu smiled.

Qi Lin nodded and didn't continue to pry any further. In this day and age, food and drink were scarce, and life was difficult. Everyone might have some secrets that were not known to others.

As the two of them walked briskly, Qi Lin introduced the basic situation of the Police Department. This functional department was mainly responsible for criminal work in a specific area, including maintaining public security, solving cases, and so on, but it did not handle administrative work such as registering households, issuing residency permits, and processing entry and exit procedures. In other words, it was a bit like the district police station before the Yuan Dynasty, but its functions were not so well-defined. For example, Qin Yu's department not only had to handle major criminal cases, but also had to manage basic public security.

It took about an hour for Qi Lin to lead Qin Yu through the five floors of the Police Department and introduce him to the functional places such as the gun storage, interrogation room, public work area, training room, and cafeteria. During their interaction, Qin Yu found that Qi Lin was a very smooth person who could strike up a conversation with anyone he met. Moreover, he was very patient, answering Qin Yu's questions in detail and appearing very enthusiastic.

In the afternoon around 2 o'clock, Qilin led Qin Yu to the communication department to buy an internal purchase mobile phone. However, Qin Yu took a quick glance at the counter and found that the phone had only one style, which looked old-fashioned and was priced extremely unfriendly.

"This brand, I've never even heard of it," Qin Yu said, holding the phone and turning to Qilin. "Forget it, I'll go buy one myself after I settle in. It's too expensive here."

Qilin chuckled at the response, turned to glance at the young man sitting behind the counter, and then whispered in Qin Yu's ear, "You should still buy it here."

"Why?" Qin Yu was puzzled.

"Nothing special, the Communications Department belongs to the Police Department, but the phone counter is privately contracted. The owner is a friend of Captain Yuan, so all new recruits buy their phones here," said Qilin, winking. "As a newcomer, it's best not to make things difficult. Although the phone may not be very durable, you don't have to interface with the Communications Department's system. Once your information is entered into the main system, you can use it by just inputting your name and badge number."

Qin Yu had been living in an undeveloped and unplanned area for several years. Can he not understand the most basic social skills? So when Qi Lin insisted, Qin Yu did not insist anymore, and reluctantly said to the cashier, "Okay, then help me get one. Thank you."

Because Qin Yu is extremely obsessed with money and is very frugal, he would even want a warranty manual when buying a pair of socks. However, it is precisely because of his character that he can come up with money to support himself during critical times and be able to buy a job in the Ninth Special Zone.

After taking the phone, Qi Lin led him out of the police station and went to a daily necessities store across the street.

It was already August, and although the sky was clear, it was still as cold as winter, and occasional white snowflakes could still be seen on the street.

"Has it been snowing in the Special Zone for three years now?" Qin Yu asked.

"Yes," Qi Lin replied.

"Damn, it's unbearable," Qin Yu shook his head and sighed.

The two chatted and stepped into a very large daily necessities store.

Qin Yu took a look around when he entered the store and patted the small mud spots on his leg. He smiled and said, "This store is pretty big, but there aren't many people around."

"Just take a look around and buy whatever you need," Qi Lin said as he took a puff of his e-cigarette.

Qin Yu wandered around the shelves, but the more he looked, the more furrowed his brow became. He walked back and forth for more than ten minutes, but didn't pick up anything.

"Why aren't you getting anything?" Qi Lin walked over from the counter and asked.

Qin Yu frowned and looked at Qi Lin, blinking as he asked, "Dude, are you a shill?"

"What's the matter?" Qi Lin asked.

"The goods in this store are at least 30% more expensive than outside, and many of them are fake... I squeezed a quilt and it felt like there were steel wool balls inside, it hurt my hands, man!" Qin Yu replied.

"The goods are not that good, but all the new people in our police station come here to buy stuff," Qi Lin said.

"Why?" Qin Yu was confused.

"Because this store is run by Captain Yuan's cousin," Qi Lin said in a low voice. "It's a designated procurement unit for the police station."

Qin Yu's expression collapsed upon hearing this, and after holding it in for a while, he asked, "So, I want to ask, does Director Li also shop here?"

"You're just being stubborn. Even if Director Li dared to buy, Captain Yuan wouldn't dare to sell it," Qi Lin explained while rolling his eyes. "The people who come to buy here are all new recruits. After you buy for a couple of months, you won't need to buy here anymore."

"I won't buy anything, isn't this just taking advantage of people?" Qin Yu said without hesitation. "Let's go, take me to another store."

Qi Lin was taken aback, "You've spent so much money already, is this little amount still an issue for you? Listen to me, just buy here, don't be so picky."

"I'm just buying a phone, I'm giving enough face to Captain Yuan," Qin Yu said as he walked out.

"Hey, Xiao Yu, listen to me..."

"Do you get a commission or something?"

"Trust me, it's okay, just buy something..."

"I'll buy nothing! The toilet paper here is like a razor blade, I had to use a band-aid to stop the bleeding!" Qin Yu didn't bother to negotiate with Qi Lin and just walked out.

...

It was 4:30 in the afternoon.

Outside the dormitory building of the police station, at the entrance to Room 2 of the First Criminal Investigation Team, Qi Lin smiled and shouted to a few people inside, "Third Brother, I brought back a new recruit."

Inside the room, six or seven young men were playing cards around a round table. The leader heard Qi Lin's voice and looked up at Qin Yu, "Come in."

The two heard the voice and entered the room. Qin Yu took a quick glance at the room and saw that it was less than 30 square meters in size but had six double-decker beds, a total of twelve beds, two shared metal cabinets, and many personal belongings. It looked very crowded, but overall it was relatively tidy, and there were no particular odors.

"Qin Yu, let me introduce you. This is Third Brother, the team leader of our action group," Qi Lin explained politely, indicating the other's position. "Third Brother has been with us for three years and has outstanding professional skills. He is Captain Yuan's right-hand man. Third Brother, this is Qin Yu, our new brother."

"Nice to meet you, Third Brother," Qin Yu said with a smile, extending his hand to shake hands.

hird Brother had a small flat top haircut, and he turned his head slightly to take a look at Qin Yu, holding his cards. He nodded at him symbolically and asked, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from the Planned District," Qin Yu replied truthfully.

"Planned District? What do you do there?" Third Brother was taken aback.

"I help the boss deliver some goods, mainly daily necessities," Qin Yu said.

"Running deliveries? That's not easy," Third Brother said.

"No, no, I just drive the truck," Qin Yu clarified.

"Oh, you're a driver," Third Brother said, surprised. His expression had changed, and he lazily asked, "How did you get into the police station? Did you use connections?"

"A friend helped me out, and I paid my own way into the police station," Qin Yu said.

"Heh, you paid for it?" Third Brother, now only looking down at his cards, said, "Alright, wait for Captain Yuan to come back and he'll arrange things. Qi Lin, have him take the bed by the window."

"Okay," Qi Lin replied.

"Qin Yu, you'll take the bed on the inside," Qi Lin said to Qin Yu.

"Okay," Qin Yu said, picking up his luggage that he had left at the guardhouse and the new daily necessities he had just bought and started walking towards the inside of the room.

"Hey, wait a minute," Third Brother called out as he turned his head and saw the bag of daily necessities in Qin Yu's hand.

"What's the matter, Third Brother?" Qin Yu turned around.

Third Brother glanced at the plastic bag in Qin Yu's hand and asked, "Where did you buy the daily necessities?"

"I forgot the name, it's just a store next to our unit," Qin Yu replied casually.

Third Brother continued playing his cards, with no expression on his face, and asked Qi Lin, "Qi Lin, where do we buy things? Did you tell the new guy?"

Qi Lin felt a bit awkward upon hearing Third Brother's question because he didn't want to say that Qin Yu didn't listen to his advice in front of him, which would make him seem disloyal. But if he didn't say anything, he would be unjustly blamed.

After a brief silence for a couple of seconds, Qin Yu immediately spoke up, "Qi Lin told me to buy daily necessities at the store across the street. But the items there were a bit expensive, and I didn't have much money on me, so I went to the one next door."

"Got it," Third Brother said as he continued playing his cards, ignoring Qin Yu for a few seconds before finally saying, "Oh, it's okay. Just go ahead and make your bed."

"Okay," Qin Yu nodded and walked to the inside of the room, unpacking his belongings and starting to make his bed.

Standing next to him, Qilin diligently helped tidy up while whispering, "Newcomers in the dormitory always sleep in the upper bunks near the windows because it's drafty and quite cold at night... Later on, cover your coat with the blanket, endure for a while, and wait for new people to come in."

"This is nothing, I've lived outside for a few months," Qin Yu dismissed the advice, lowering his head and pulling out two boxes of Zhonghua cigarettes from his luggage in a covert manner, handing them to Qilin.

"What's this?" Qu Lin was surprised as he received the cigarettes.

"I saw you vaping earlier," Qin Yu smiled and replied, "I don't have much on me, so I'll give you two boxes of these instead. You've been helping me all day, thank you."

In an era where even having enough to eat was a problem, cigarettes of this kind were considered a luxury. Furthermore, this was an old brand from before the new era, and most smokers hadn't even seen them before, let alone had a chance to smoke them.

"Qi Lin was holding two boxes of cigarettes and exclaimed with a shocked look, 'You can find this stuff in the Development Zone? Zhonghua cigarettes, we haven't seen them for years!'

'Poor places have their own advantages,' Qin Yu grinned and replied, 'I'll tidy up myself. You go handle your work and I'll treat you to something later.'

'Thanks, bro!' Qi Lin didn't refuse and immediately put the cigarettes in his pocket.

Just as the two were talking, Lao San suddenly turned around, tilted his head and looked at Qin Yu with a smile, 'Oh, you have some good stuff in your hands?'

Qin Yu didn't expect that the man had been observing him all along, so he was a little stunned and replied, 'It was a gift from a friend.'

'Good stuff, we've never seen it before,' Lao San sneered and said."

Qi Lin was briefly stunned, but immediately took out two boxes of Zhonghua cigarettes, bent down and walked over, saying, "We're all brothers, let's smoke together. Come on, come on, one for each of you.

Qin Yu gave Qi Lin the cigarettes as a way of expressing gratitude because the latter had accompanied him for most of the day, and he felt a little embarrassed about it. He didn't think he owed anything to the people in the house. However, now that Lao San had seen it and made it clear, Qin Yu considered that he would still be living in the same house and it wouldn't be good to create too much tension, so he thought for a moment, then lowered his head and took out another box of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag.

Beside the card table, Lao San pushed Qi Lin's arm and said, "This cigarette is too good. I haven't smoked it before and can't handle it."

Qi Lin was stunned in place after hearing this.

Qin Yu was a bit prickled by the comment and frowned, then put the cigarettes back in his bag and continued to pack his own things.

Lao San threw down the cards, with a smile on his face, turned around and said to Qin Yu, "We have a rule here. When a new person comes, they have to work three days in a row. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, you'll be on duty on the road. Is that okay?"

Qin Yu looked up at Qi Lin upon hearing this, but the latter's eyes were avoiding him. Qin Yu immediately understood what was going on and asked, "Lao San, how are the shifts arranged for the three days?"

"It's non-stop. During the day, you work at the station, and at night, you work on the streets," Lao San said as he picked up a glass of water and took a sip.

"Is there overtime pay?" Qin Yu asked again.

"It's the rules of our station. There's no such thing as overtime pay," Lao San replied without even looking up.

"Qin Yu, just do the three days of shifts. I'll find someone to cover for me and accompany you for two days," Qi Lin hesitated for a while, looked down at the Zhonghua cigarettes in his hand, and then spoke with a bit of hesitation.

"You're quite loyal, Xiao Qi," the young man sitting on Lao San's left side teased with a smile.

"We're all brothers, so we should help each other," Qi Lin replied with a smile.

Lao San put down his glass and pointed at Qi Lin, saying, "After you get your uniform, you can tell him how to do the shifts."

"Okay," Qi Lin nodded.

"Lao San, I can't handle this shift," Qin Yu suddenly spoke up.

As soon as his words fell, the room fell silent.

Lao San licked his lips, tilted his head and asked Qin Yu, "Everyone else can handle it, why can't you?"

"I have a weak heart and can't stay up late," Qin Yu replied with a smile.

"It's okay, I'll prepare some quick-acting heart pills for you. You're scheduled for three days," Lao San said.

"I already said I can't handle it," Qin Yu replied with a smile.

"Damn it!" Lao San's face darkened after being countered twice by the newcomer. "Are you better than anyone else? Everyone else can handle it, why can't you?"

"Brother, brother, we're all brothers. What's going on here?" Qi Lin stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Bang!"

Lao San punched Qi Lin on the shoulder and said, "You're a piece of shit. Who gave you the right to speak? Who's your brother?!"

Qi Lin held the cigarette tightly in his hand and lowered his head, standing still and not knowing whether to continue speaking or to turn and leave.

Lao San led four other people forward and tilted his head to look at Qin Yu, asking, "It's your shift for the whole next week. When you have a heart attack, that's when it's over. Do you understand?"