Chapter 1

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A long whistle echoed for miles, as the salty sea breeze blew in from Treasure Bay. In the sky, several thunderbirds pierced through the clouds, emitting loud, clear calls.

A gentle breeze blew by, pressing the roots of the hair firmly under the cap, while the tips of the hair could only weakly flutter in front of their owner's eyes.

"I'll go take a look." The owner of the long hair, dressed in a neat police uniform, had a bright police badge hanging on her left chest. Her short hair, paired with a delicate face, evoked a sense of admiration from the bottom of one's heart.

Her waist was laden with equipment, arranged from left to right: a riot baton, handcuffs, an identification terminal, a bullet box, a dagger, and a black gun holster on the right side, revealing a dark gun handle.

"Wait a moment..." Behind her, an old patrol officer in his fifties, with weathered skin from years of patrolling the seaside docks, smiled bitterly and shook his head, habitually resting his right hand on the gun holster. His expression clearly showed that he wasn't taking it seriously.

The old patrol officer, named Feng Bao, nicknamed Feng Lao, was over fifty and had only a few years left until retirement. Feng Lao was a good-natured person, somewhat timid, and had worked in the Precinct Patrol Unit for over thirty years, knowing the area like the back of his hand.

He was indeed timid, but after thirty years as a patrol officer, his judgment was far superior to that of ordinary people. He had seen many people like Miss Mi, who came down to gain experience, full of confidence but lacking in understanding.

Those who had the qualifications to come down for experience naturally had the right to be confident, unlike Feng Lao, who, even after retirement, would still be just a small patrol officer.

From the first glance at Xiao Mi, he knew that Miss Mi was no ordinary person. Her complexity was not only reflected in her personal strength, which he couldn't fully grasp, but also in her background, which was likely more powerful than any of the young people who had come down for experience before.

This made Feng Lao quite cautious and somewhat puzzled at first. Why would someone who could make the patrol captain, Leng Jun, smile and escort her down, need to come to this place for experience? What kind of gold was worth her plating here?

After a few days, Feng Lao had a clear understanding of Xiao Mi's character. The more he understood her, the more he felt a headache. She was a young, passionate, and highly responsible person with a strong sense of justice. No wonder she was sent here.

The Precious District of Pingchuan City had three docks, one commercial area, and three residential areas. Residential areas were naturally full of people and conflicts. The commercial area was even more so, with interests leading to disputes. Even the three docks were not easy to deal with. After some thought, he realized that the Fisherman's Dock was the most suitable place for her.

The Fisherman's Dock, also known as the Commoner's Dock, was 4.6 kilometers long and had 123 berths, mostly for small and medium-sized fishing boats. The people here were either fishers or laborers, with the most prestigious being managers, foremen, and innkeepers.

Even Feng Lao could handle such people, let alone Miss Mi with her strong background. Captain Leng's arrangement was indeed the most suitable. In the month since Xiao Mi arrived, she had already dealt with over a dozen small hooligans, confiscated three boats, and kicked out two power transport vehicles. Her ability to cause trouble was among the top three of all the people Feng Lao had seen.

However, compared to the others, Xiao Mi left a very good impression on him. At least she didn't create trouble for no reason or bully the good. Although her temper was fiery, she was still reasonable.

Her judgment, however, still needed some practice. The Fisherman's Dock had a constant flow of people, at least tens of thousands every day. Only six patrol teams were responsible for security here, and with insufficient manpower, good judgment was essential. Without it, one would be busy with trivial matters and unable to handle important tasks.

The two young men were quite sturdy. At first glance, Feng Lao could tell that they were still very inexperienced, with their baby fat not yet gone. Considering the date, their attire, and the eager looks they occasionally gave to the Shao family gun shop, as well as the time they spent staring at the distant berths, Feng Lao could guess their intentions with a high degree of certainty.

To be an excellent patrol officer, the most important thing was not one's combat ability but one's judgment. If it came to a fight, it would be the responsibility of the Flying Tiger Team, the combat unit of the police.

Without their identity and equipment, most patrol officers might not be stronger than the small hooligans at the docks.

"You two, stand up and put your hands where I can see them," Mi Su said, her face tense. Her friends and family always praised her beauty, with her youthful, doll-like face, but over the past month, she had come to hate her appearance. On the docks, such a face had no deterrent effect and was not in line with her patrol uniform.

The thin man on the left stood up, at least a head taller than Mi Su, definitely over 1.8 meters, with a lazy expression that made Mi Su angry.

As the thin man stood up, the muscular young man on the right also stood up. This made Mi Su jump back half a step in surprise. The guy was at least 2.1 meters tall, as strong as a bull. The thin man was already quite tall, but next to him, he looked like a child.

However, the simple-minded expression of the muscular man made Mi Su relax. His intelligence was clearly not high.

"Senior Sister, we're on the same side. Is there anything wrong?" The thin man spoke, still with a lazy tone.

"Shut up, answer only what I ask. Who said we're on the same side?" Mi Su was angry. The past month of patrol life had taught her many things, showing her a different life she had never imagined.

His words were exactly like those of the small hooligans on the docks. Out of ten, at least nine would speak in this manner.

"Alright, if not today, then tomorrow," the thin man said, clearly not paying attention to Mi Su's anger.

"Feng Uncle, be on alert. You two, show me your identity cards," Mi Su said. These two guys were so imposing that even with her confidence in her own abilities, she still strictly followed the patrol rules, conducting a safety check in the safest way possible.

"Alert complete," Feng Bao said, reluctantly drawing his kinetic energy pistol, the muzzle slightly lowered, pointing at the two young men. He didn't even open the safety, believing his judgment to be correct. These two inexperienced boys posed no threat.

However, to ensure Xiao Mi's safety, he still prepared the kinetic energy gun. Mi Su's identity was not simple, and if anything happened to her here, he would be in big trouble.

"Identity cards are on my chest, I'll take them out," the thin man said, unbuttoning his collar and revealing a blue metal identity card hanging on a safety rope.

Seeing that their identity cards were hanging around their necks, Mi Su was momentarily stunned. This method of carrying was not unfamiliar to her; almost all military personnel carried their identity cards this way. What made her blush was that the identity cards were blue.

According to the Empire's identity management law, adults' identity cards were green, and only minors under eighteen used blue identity cards.

This was embarrassing. Miss Mi, a grown woman, was so tense about two minors. If this got out, her brothers would laugh at her.

"Throw them over." She was embarrassed, but her face remained tense. These two troublemakers, not even adults, were so tall. What was wrong with them?

Her right hand still rested on the gun holster, and her left hand reached behind her, pulling out a wireless identification terminal. She swiped the thin man's identity card with one hand.

The dark green screen immediately displayed the information on the identity card.

Du Qian, male, currently 17 years old, born on September 18, 63502, a war orphan, combat strength 5980, tested on June 18, 63520.

Below were detailed information, including the death dates of Du Qian's parents and the time he entered the war orphan school.

Seeing the words "war orphan," Mi Su's heart softened, and her tense face relaxed.

A war orphan referred to a child whose parents both died in the war for the country, and who, with no direct relatives willing to raise them, entered the war orphan school at the age of eight, with their consent, to be raised by the state.

The Empire's policy toward minors was quite humane, especially for war orphans. Their parents had sacrificed their lives for the Empire, and if their children and families were not well cared for, how could the people trust the government, and how could the war continue?

Mi Su had visited the war orphan school. From her perspective, the children there did not live well. Compared to the poor, their basic living conditions were barely acceptable, but they had lost their parents and relatives, and their material conditions were not much better. In her eyes, these children were truly pitiful.

The Empire's economy was decent but not excellent, so the policy for war orphans was a semi-funded system.

The semi-funded system gave war orphans two choices. If they were physically fit and willing to join the Empire's military at the age of eighteen, the cost of raising them would be fully covered, and all expenses would be deducted from the annual military budget by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs.

If they did not want to join the military, the cost of raising them would be halved, with half paid by the Ministry of Finance and the other half repaid by the war orphans through installment loans after they started working, with a maximum repayment period of thirty years, including interest.

Regardless of the choice, the starting point for war orphans was much lower than that of ordinary children.

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