Chapter 2

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Misu looked up at the two of them, wondering if the food at the war orphan school was really that good, to have raised such big guys.

She swiped another identity card, and the information instantly appeared: over 2.1 meters tall, a burly man with a simple expression, indeed a war orphan.

Leiming, male, currently 17 years old, born on September 18, 63502, a war orphan, with a combat power of 13,608, tested on June 18, 63520.

Misu stood in the sea breeze, feeling disoriented. A combat power of 13,608? While there were geniuses among war orphans, they were extremely rare. In the entire empire, the number of people who, upon reaching adulthood, had a combat power exceeding 10,000 was very small, let alone among war orphans. Their living and learning conditions were far inferior to those of ordinary families, not to mention the children of wealthy families.

After a while, Misu returned the two identity cards to them, her body visibly relaxing. With a cold face, she asked, "Why are you two sitting here?"

Her face was still cold, and her tone wasn't good, but from her expression, it was clear that she had softened.

"Senior Sister, where else should we sit? If we sit in front of a gun shop, you'd suspect us of robbing it? If we sit in front of a store, it would be robbing the store? In front of a bank, robbing the bank? Even if we sit by the sea, would you suspect us of hijacking a ship? We have our graduation exam tomorrow, can't we relax a bit?" Du Qian answered nonchalantly, now realizing that the senior sister in front of him suspected them of planning to rob the Shao family gun shop.

This joke was too big. The empire didn't ban guns; any adult could buy a gun at a gun shop with their identity card. The arms trade was always a big business. Men's love for guns was an unchanging nature, and gun shops could be found everywhere in the empire.

But not banning guns didn't mean they could rob gun shops. Gun shops were quite secure. Unlike other businesses that opened their doors, gun shops kept their doors closed, even when in business. The transparent safety doors remained closed, only opening when swiped with an identity card.

When swiping to open the door, personal information was recorded. Du Qian and Leiming would only turn 18 tomorrow, and after the graduation exam, they could exchange their blue minor identity cards for green adult identity cards. Their current blue cards couldn't open the safety doors of gun shops. Even if Du Qian loved kinetic guns, he could only stand outside and drool.

As for breaking the door by force, forget it. The transparent safety doors, though not thick, were extremely secure, with defense capabilities comparable to those of armored vehicles. Even armor-piercing rounds under 80mm couldn't penetrate them.

Leiming's combat power wasn't weak, ranking him among the best in his age group, but with just over 13,000 combat power, he couldn't do anything to the safety doors either.

He looked up at Misu's stunning face, his heart stirring. She was a classic example of uniform temptation, but her intelligence was a bit lacking, suspecting them of wanting to rob the gun shop?

"Alright, don't stay here too long. Go back to school. You have an exam tomorrow, shouldn't you review your lessons?" Misu scolded, completely covering up her embarrassment. As someone who had been through it, she naturally knew that the graduation exam and the entrance exam were two different things, with a pass rate of almost 100%. However, she had some doubts about whether this burly man with a simple expression could pass.

Forget it, she didn't need to worry about such things. The war orphan school wasn't an ordinary school, and failing a grade required money. With his combat power of over 13,000, there would be plenty of people vying for him, so there was no need to worry about the graduation exam.

"Understood, Senior Sister." Du Qian said with a grin. Maybe tomorrow, we'll really be on the same team.

"Wo..." Another siren sounded, and Du Qian and Leiming turned their heads, their faces lighting up with joy.

"Senior Sister, see you tomorrow, we're off." Du Qian's voice drifted in the wind, and before he finished speaking, he had already run over twenty meters away.

Watching their backs, Misu looked puzzled and turned to Feng Bao, who had put away his gun, and asked, "Uncle Feng, why are these two running off, and they look so happy?"

"Waiting for the Icebreaker, they're hungry." Feng Bao said matter-of-factly. He had seen many such young men, and it was just this kind of trivial matter.

"Hungry? What do you mean?" Misu was confused. She realized that her time at the Fisherman's Wharf was still too short, and she didn't understand many things.

He took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a satisfying puff. "Xiao Mi, you don't know the value of things until you manage a household. These boys are good, but life as a war orphan is tough. From the age of 16, they only get a monthly allowance of 5 yuan, and even that isn't free. If they don't join the imperial army in the future, they have to pay back half of it."

Misu nodded. She had specifically studied the situation of war orphans and had visited the war orphan school several times, knowing that their lives were not easy.

"The food at the orphan school is just okay, not comparable to our own homes. Being able to eat enough is already good; eating well is out of the question. These boys are 17 or 18, in the prime of their growth, with big appetites. They have to find ways to satisfy their cravings, and the Fisherman's Wharf is the best place for that." Feng Bao finished, extinguished the cigarette, and tidied his police uniform, continuing his patrol. It wasn't time to clock out yet.

"Fish?" Misu understood. As the saying goes, those who live by the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who live by the sea eat from the sea. In the five districts of Pingchuan City, the Treasure Bay district, being next to the bay, naturally had the cheapest fish.

"Of course, it's fish, but there are many nuances. The Treasure Bay district has three docks: Fisherman's, Pearl, and Gem. You know, only the Fisherman's Dock is the best. Among the ships at the Fisherman's Dock, the Icebreaker, Seabird, and Octopus are their choices." Feng Bao said slowly.

"Uncle Feng, what are these nuances?" Misu asked seriously. Indeed, each has its own path, and the world of small people has its own ways, which, though not directly related to her, were interesting to learn about.

"First, these ships belong to small trading companies. They aren't their own, and the companies are large, with high standards. Many fish don't meet their standards. And life at sea is tough, even though the earnings are higher than those of ordinary people, the difference isn't much. The higher-ups know this and turn a blind eye, as long as it's not too excessive, everyone can save face, and no one will say much." Feng Bao said with a smile.

"I see." Misu was a girl with a clear mind, quick to understand. She just lacked experience. Given time, her achievements would surely be high. Feng Bao had seen this long ago, which was why he treated her with particular kindness and warmth, unlike his distant attitude towards the spoiled rich kids.

Leaving the patrol and idle chat aside, Du Qian and Leiming ran to the dock as fast as they could. The Icebreaker had indeed returned.

The Icebreaker was a medium-sized fishing vessel belonging to a small trading company, the latest model of a commercial ship, with a carrying capacity of 3,500 tons, larger than the warships of the Pingchuan Navy. It could venture into the deep sea, and each trip yielded a much greater harvest than other fishing boats.

Before the Icebreaker docked, a large number of people were already waiting at the pier, mostly from the trading company, as well as buyers from other companies, restaurants, and a large number of workers. There were also a few war orphans like Du Qian, looking to get a cheap meal.

For this feast, the two hadn't even eaten breakfast, and it was already past noon. Du Qian knew they would have to wait a while longer.

No problem, good food is worth the wait. Being a bit hungry would make the meal even more delicious.

A large sorting machine with four tracks was parked at the pier, with the receiving tracks extending to the Icebreaker's side, aligned with the hatch. A group of laborers, under the foreman's direction, entered the fish hold and began their work.

One by one, large sea fish were conveyed along the receiving tracks to the sorting machine, quickly sorted, and separated onto three conveyor belts.

The longest conveyor belt was connected to the kinetic vehicle's freezer, where the most fish were conveyed.

The second conveyor belt was much shorter, with dozens of burly men in martial attire standing around it. Du Qian knew to stay away from this short track. The fish separated here were few but the most valuable, the spirit fish.

The Icebreaker's 90% income came from these spirit fish. These men were not only strong but also had high combat power, serving as the company's security team.

Trading companies were a major feature of the empire, spread throughout the country, ranging from small to large. Large companies could rival a regional power, extending their influence across the entire continent.

For example, the Snow Drift Trading Company in Pingchuan City, in Du Qian's eyes, was already quite large. The head of the company was a major figure who could sit on equal terms with the city lord. The company's security team included several combat masters, and whether there were any divine masters was a matter of debate, something Du Qian, a small person, couldn't know.

The last conveyor belt was the one Du Qian and Leiming were most interested in. From the capture, loading, transportation, to unloading and sorting, the entire process would inevitably result in some damaged fish. If it were a private fishing boat, even a fish with a torn belly would still be a fish.

The trading company, however, was more generous. Such fish were not worth their attention and would be sold at half price at the dock. These fish were the target of Du Qian, Leiming, and other poor guys.

"Here they come, here they come." Seeing the damaged fish being conveyed, a group of poor guys cheered. Among them were war orphans like Du Qian, scavengers from the poor district, and laborers...

"Leiming, let's go." There seemed to be more people today. Du Qian, with Leiming's large frame, led the charge, confident they wouldn't miss out on the fish.

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