Chapter 19

It has to be said, the Imperial Police Department is quite humane. Many of the patrol officers have low educational backgrounds, and patrol logs only require the incidents to be noted, without needing much literary flair.

However, there was just too much happening at Fisherman's Wharf. Even if each incident was just a few words, after about ten minutes, Du Qian found that yesterday's patrol log had already grown to a lengthy piece, at least over two thousand words.

Shaking his head and twirling his pen, he thought, "This typing speed is really fast." Although Du Qian had the learning ability of a top student in school, his writing speed wasn't necessarily faster than a slacker's. If he wanted the writing to be neat, it would be even slower.

Du Qian hadn't calculated it in detail, but he knew that writing forty to fifty words per minute on average wasn't slow. In fifteen minutes, writing seven or eight hundred words would be quite impressive.

Now, his speed had nearly tripled? Could it be a benefit from the increase in combat power?

It seemed unlikely. An increase in combat power could indeed enhance one's reaction time, but writing requires not only the fingers' reaction but also the brain's. The combination of the two isn't just a simple addition; more often than not, it's less than one.

While he was puzzled, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from behind him. A batch of patrol officer colleagues walked in. Glancing at the kinetic clock on the wall, it was 7:15. They were all here so early today.

If Feng Bao heard this, he would laugh to death. "You've only been here for a few days. There's a lot you haven't seen."

A gentle breeze blew towards his left shoulder. Without any conscious control, his body reacted naturally. His shoulder sank, he half-turned, and his right hand reached back. He realized it was inappropriate halfway through and quickly retracted it.

"Kid, your reflexes are good. Do you remember me?" Behind him, a muscular man, who looked like a fitness coach, had already stripped off his clothes, revealing a body as strong as a bull.

This man was easy to recognize. He was the famous Iron Ox in Du Qian's patrol squad. Iron Ox was a nickname; his real name was Liu Changyan, the captain of the Pearl Wharf patrol team.

The title of captain in the patrol squad could be significant or insignificant. For example, Leng Jun, the chief of the patrol squad, and Liu Changyan, the captain of the patrol team.

The difference in a single word in their titles actually represented a vast disparity in power, status, and position, making them fundamentally different.

Leng Jun was the chief of the entire Precious Gem Police Station, commanding nearly a thousand people responsible for patrolling the entire Precious Gem District, including three wharfs, three residential areas, a commercial area, and the public service center.

Patrol officers, though often overlooked, are indispensable. They have basic personnel, equipment, and facilities. There are over a thousand patrol officers, a command center, an information exchange center, and a large number of police vehicles.

In the police station, they naturally couldn't compare to the chief, the three deputy chiefs, the Flying Tiger captain, the criminal investigation captain, and the internal affairs chief, but after them, Leng Jun was next in line. In a police station with thousands of people, Chief Leng was definitely a significant figure.

Liu Changyan, on the other hand, was only responsible for the Pearl Wharf patrol team, commanding twenty groups of forty patrol officers, which was incomparable.

The Pearl Wharf was much better than Fisherman's Wharf. Although it wasn't the main wharf of the major merchants, almost all the independent fishing boats in Pingchuan City docked there, making it much more lucrative than a civilian wharf like Fisherman's.

The work at the wharf wasn't much, but the benefits were significant, indicating the strength of the other side. The combined strength of nearly a hundred merchants was something even the Precious Gem Patrol Squad, let alone the entire Precious Gem Police Station, couldn't afford to offend.

The monthly bonus was several times higher than at Fisherman's Wharf, and there were many more patrol officers. There were almost no troublemakers or thugs there, and the work was much easier, but there were also many more people they couldn't afford to offend.

Liu Changyan was quite capable, with a combat power of over nine thousand, close to the level of a martial cultivator. He was also young, just over thirty, and had a chance to advance further, becoming a martial cultivator almost inevitable, just a matter of time.

With his talent, even if he became a martial cultivator, his future achievements would only be average. Being able to condense two spirit weapons in his lifetime would already be considered lucky, and anything stronger was out of the question.

Even so, in Du Qian's patrol squad, he was still a significant figure. Of course, he was just a significant figure. The strongest patrol team was at the Gem Wharf, where the number of people was several times more than at Pearl and Fisherman's Wharfs combined, with over a dozen martial cultivators, and the leader was also a patrol squad captain.

"Liu Brother."

"Damn, what happened to you?" Du Qian turned around, and Liu Changyan was startled. It was as if he had seen a ghost early in the morning.

"Nothing, I accidentally got my head caught in a door last night." Du Qian's lips twitched, not from pain but from embarrassment.

"Oh... caught in a door. I must say, it's quite artistic." Liu Changyan laughed, and the patrol officers who had just walked in all smiled. Patrol officers are police, well-informed, and Du Qian's injury was so obvious that even a fool could see it.

"Heh, it's quite artistically squeezed." Feng Bao also walked over and drew an arc on Du Qian's face, forming a shape that was neither a circle nor an oval.

"Really?" Du Qian knew his injury couldn't fool anyone, but what was artistic about it? He hurriedly walked to the mirror, recalling the path Feng Shu had traced on his face. Upon closer inspection, he realized... it really was artistic.

After a night of cultivation, his face had swollen much less than the previous night, but it was still colorful and clearly layered, even more so.

To put it simply, the places hit harder were more swollen, and the places hit lighter were less swollen. The path Feng Shu had traced was a clear small fist mark, indeed squeezed out artistically.

"I bet it was a pretty girl's door."

"Of course, a man's door wouldn't have such a small gap. From the door's mark, you can tell it's between fifteen and twenty years old."

"Obviously, it's two doors. What kind of eyesight do you have..."

If there were a crack in the ground, Du Qian would have crawled into it. The excuse he came up with last night was just an excuse, and he didn't expect anyone to believe it, but these people... they could analyze so much from just one look?

Thinking about it, even though they weren't detectives, they were still police. If they couldn't see the clues on his face, they wouldn't be able to do their job. Anyone with a bit of common sense could guess, let alone a group of patrol officers.

"Alright, stop fooling around. We have work today. Regardless of whether it's a man's door or a woman's door, fifteen or twenty, the important thing is to do your job well. The patrol squad is the labor force of the police department, the temporary workers who take the blame. If you don't want to get into trouble and don't want to end up like Du Qian, squeezed by a door, then pay attention."

Speaking was the captain of the wharf patrol squad, the leader usually stationed at the Gem Wharf. Bi Changsheng, around forty years old, was said to have a combat power of over eighty thousand, making him a formidable figure in the entire patrol squad.

There must be something going on, no wonder they came so early, but why didn't anyone notify him?

Du Qian really thought he was important. As a new patrol officer, what could he do? The newer the officer, the less likely they are to be late, and there was no need to worry about him not making it on time.

"The higher-ups have notified us that a big shot will be inspecting the wharf area today, with a focus on the Gem Wharf, and possibly the Pearl Wharf. The patrol officers at these two wharfs must be on their best behavior, with no room for error. Whoever makes a mistake will take the blame, and even if someone else makes a mistake, we will still take the blame. Most of you are experienced, so I don't need to say much more. Now, let's assign tasks," said Bi Changsheng.

Only then did Du Qian notice that there were many more people today, and a considerable number of them were unfamiliar. Judging by their familiarity, Du Qian guessed that these were likely the night shift patrol officers, temporarily called in to handle the inspection.

Speaking of inspections, they are everywhere, regardless of the country's system. The only difference is the state during the inspection.

In the Empire, inspections are the most stringent, with the hierarchical system most evident. Different people inspecting have different levels of protocol, and sometimes, even a single step can't be wrong.

In the eyes of the people from Biantian and Zhenhai, the Empire's inspections are jokingly referred to as "Mr. Arrives." This has a bit of a story behind it and also illustrates the Empire's system.

It is said that many years ago, a certain emperor of the Zhou Shan Empire loved inspections and would go out to inspect every few days.

Every time he arrived at a place, the streets would be sprinkled with clean water, and the common people would be asked to stay away. When he arrived, the royal guard's duty officer would stand in the world's most standard military posture and shout in the loudest voice, "His Majesty has arrived."

This was quite normal. The Zhou Shan Empire was vast, with a large population and abundant resources. For the ruler of such a great empire, shouting "His Majesty has arrived" was not wrong.

However, when the higher-ups have a preference, the lower-levels will follow. The emperor's inspection naturally meant "His Majesty has arrived," which was very impressive. A cabinet member, bored out of his mind, thought it was quite good and hinted at it. Naturally, the lower-levels would follow. When he went out for inspections, his secretary would shout, "The Minister has arrived."

Well, the minister was also a big shot, and many people found it impressive, so they started shouting "The General has arrived," "The City Lord has arrived," "The Chief has arrived," and so on.

At the lower levels, there were no impressive titles, and the assistants didn't know what to shout. Until a great talent came up with a solution: "Mr. Has Arrived."

This wouldn't be wrong, as long as you were a man, you could use the term "Mr." At the most extreme, a woman with a bit of status in the Empire would also shout, "Madam has arrived," becoming a laughingstock in the other two countries.