Chapter 11

He ordered two cups of Zhou Mountain coffee, savoring the rich aroma and the salty scent in the air. Du Qian felt that such a life seemed really quite nice.

Back then, his aunt secretly approached him, first forcing him, then pleading, to arrange for him to become a patrol officer. Du Qian was extremely unwilling. Even though he knew he wasn't suited for the military, he believed he could live a good life on his own.

When he was with his cousin, Du Qian always acted nonchalant, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold. But deep down, did he really not resent his aunt at all?

This question, even Du Qian himself couldn't answer. At eight years old, he lost both his parents, and his aunt couldn't even lend a helping hand, let alone adopt him or offer a few warm words.

It had been ten years, and Du Qian, who always thought he had an excellent memory, couldn't recall how he felt back then, or perhaps he instinctively resisted those unpleasant memories.

His aunt was a very strong-willed woman. In Du Qian's memory, she was always so beautiful and charming, making people want to get close to her.

Du Qian shook his head, no longer thinking about these things. It was working hours now. Of course, drinking coffee was just to work better.

Even though he had only been on the job for two hours and hadn't even met a tenth of the people he needed to know, he seemed to be starting to adapt to the life of a patrol officer.

"Uncle Feng, it looks like we have good luck today, nothing to worry about." Du Qian forcibly pushed aside thoughts of his aunt, which he had no right to comment on.

"Luck? Is that what you think?" Feng Bao took a sip of coffee, his brows slightly furrowed. Drinking coffee was a good way to rest, but he preferred tea.

Zhou Mountain produced coffee, so it was rich and cheap. If it were the Alliance's wine or Biantian's tea, the price would be much higher, beyond the means of a small patrol officer.

Du Qian caught a fleeting look of disdain in Feng Bao's eyes but couldn't understand where he had offended Uncle Feng. Fortunately, Feng's nickname "Honest" wasn't for nothing; no matter how annoyed he was inside, he could still maintain a decent appearance.

"Uncle Feng, please give me some guidance. I'm new and don't understand much. If I've offended you in any way, please point it out; I wouldn't see it myself." Du Qian said sincerely.

Feng Bao was taken aback, his lips twitching as if he remembered something. "It's your first day, and the main desk and the other five patrol groups know that. So when there's something to do, the main desk directly dispatches them and deliberately lets us off to give you a good impression. Starting tomorrow, you'll realize that having a cup of coffee isn't so easy."

"Is that how it is?" Du Qian realized he was indeed very naive, thinking the life of a patrol officer was so leisurely. If patrol officers just walked a few hours a day, drank coffee, ate, chatted, and looked at beautiful women, wouldn't everyone want to be a patrol officer?

In reality, anyone who could enter the police station, even for a job with almost no benefits, wouldn't want to join the patrol force.

"Let's go. This leisure will only last one day. Starting tomorrow, even if you don't want to be busy, you will be. People don't seek trouble, but trouble seeks people." Feng Bao sighed lightly. He had to endure a few more years. Even though he was used to this life, if possible, who would want it? In a few years, he would reach retirement age.

The city lord's office might have various problems, but the salary was high, the benefits were good, and there was security in old age. That was the truth.

Following the road along the dock, Feng Bao pointed out each berth, telling Du Qian who owned it, who rented it, how long the lease was, how deep the water was, what kind of weather and wind prevented docking and unloading.

Du Qian tried hard to remember. He knew some of this information would be useful, and some might just be casual talk from Uncle Feng. This man had worked at the Fisherman's Wharf for so long that he was familiar with every blade of grass and tree, even more so than his own home.

"You stay here and enjoy the view; I'll go to the bathroom." Feng Bao said, regretting drinking coffee as his stomach hurt.

"Uncle Feng, you go. There shouldn't be anything today." Du Qian smiled. Today was a new recruit's benefit, and if there was something to do, they wouldn't be called.

The wharf was bustling with people, so they couldn't just use the bathroom anywhere. Du Qian had seen public restrooms along the road every few hundred meters, and the Fisherman's Wharf had a large flow of people.

Facing the sea, feeling the sea breeze, and watching the motorboats, it was a really nice feeling. Large fishing boats over thirty meters long and carrying more than three thousand tons, medium-sized fishing boats of two thousand tons, small fishing boats under one thousand tons, fireboats, flat-bottomed sand boats, patrol boats, and speedboats—there were so many boats, and he had never really noticed before.

A few speedboats passed in the distance, leaving long trails of water behind them, with waves splashing to the sides, creating an indescribable beauty.

"One, another, and another, they are so beautiful. When can I drive a speedboat and take a ride? It must be so cool. Another one, this one is really fast..."

Du Qian was envious and talking to himself, but he soon realized something was wrong. The other speedboats were zipping between the boats, their purpose being to transport people, mostly public speedboats used by the tax department.

But the one in the distance was clearly different. It was charging straight toward the wharf, and from its direction, even the most inexperienced new patrol officer, Du Qian, could tell it wasn't heading for a berth but the shore.

The Fisherman's Wharf was a port, and the seaside wasn't a beach. The few original beaches had long been filled in, and the area by the sea was built with stone and cement berths. Charging straight in like this would easily crash into the wharf, which was suicidal.

"You... stop... dangerous..." Du Qian forgot Feng Bao's warning. Could he ignore danger? He was a patrol officer.

He jumped and waved his hands, but this was the seaside, a noisy wharf, howling sea wind, and endless waves, so his voice didn't carry far.

"Bang, bang, bang..." A series of sharp sounds echoed for miles. The surrounding boats scattered like rabbits chased by a dog, clearing the area. Only then did Du Qian see that behind the speedboat was a larger one, cutting through the waves and chasing relentlessly.

The distance was still some way off, and it wasn't clear, but the sharp sounds came from the larger speedboat.

"Sharp sounds? Damn, it's gunfire." Du Qian finally realized the series of sounds was gunfire, no doubt about it.

It was no wonder Du Qian was slow to react. Kinetic guns were originally silent. The guns relied on kinetic strips for power, firing pointed or round metal bullets. When shooting, they only produced the sound of the bullet leaving the barrel and breaking the sound barrier.

The gunfire he heard was entirely due to the resonance of the kinetic strips, which required the installation of a resonance tube. This was inconvenient for the gun and didn't enhance its lethality, making it a useless and cumbersome addition.

Of course, it wasn't entirely useless. Almost all police guns were equipped with resonance tubes, installed at the factory. Their only function was to alert people around that a gunfight was happening, to stay away and be safe.

Civilian guns were also required to have resonance tubes, so they would make noise when fired, making them easier to manage. Military guns, however, didn't have this useless and burdensome addition.

Rookie is a rookie. Fortunately, this happened at sea. If it were on land at close range, Du Qian might have been riddled with bullets by now.

His first reaction was to lie down. Even without professional training, he knew reducing his exposed area would help protect him. He shakily drew his gun from his waist, released the safety, and chambered a round.

An action that usually took a second at most took Du Qian ten seconds. Lying on the ground, he felt his whole body trembling.

Damn, wasn't it said that the Fisherman's Wharf had good security? Wasn't it said that new recruits got a benefit on their first day? Is this the legendary surprise benefit?

"Qian... hurry..." A muffled voice came from behind. Du Qian turned his stiff neck and saw Uncle Feng running toward him from a distance, moving slowly and occasionally waving his arms before lying down. He couldn't hear what he was shouting.

The sound was hollow, as if coming through an echo chamber. No matter how hard Du Qian tried, he couldn't hear clearly. He only saw Uncle Feng draw his gun and gesturing.

Right, he was a patrol officer, a police officer, a member of the law enforcement agency, a new recruit who needed to show his worth. If not now, when?

But... his legs weren't listening. They were shaking. He wasn't afraid; they had to believe him...

The speedboat was incredibly fast, rushing over in an instant. At most, it was a few dozen meters away, and Du Qian could clearly see the people on the boat. There were four in total: one driving, one shooting back at the pursuing boat without a resonance tube, which meant it was either a private or military gun.

There were two more people on the boat: a fat man holding a large metal box and a muscular man with a calm face, hands empty, no weapon.

He didn't know where the courage came from, but his hands stopped trembling, and his legs stopped shaking. Without a gun, he was afraid of nothing. The guy with the gun had his back to him, and this was a rare opportunity. In school, Du Qian was a sharpshooter, hitting the target every time at fifty meters.

Estimating the distance, it was at most thirty meters. A shot that would graze the flesh, he had the confidence. First, take out the one with the gun, and the other three would be easier to handle. With a gun in hand and Uncle Feng behind him, what was there to fear?

This famous saying from the military flashed in his mind. War orphans might not be soldiers, but certain aspects of soldiers had long been ingrained in their bones and minds, inseparable.

First battle of a young man full of passion, what was there to hesitate? Go!