Chapter 9

A new day, a new atmosphere, a new life filled with happiness. Xiaoming could finally take a shower at home, eat at home, no one was fighting with him for food, and he could wear his best clothes. As he stepped out of his house, Du Qian was brimming with happiness, even the air seemed to carry a refreshing fragrance.

If it weren't for the smell from the hardworking sewer workers in the neighborhood, everything would have been perfect.

The Precious Treasure Police Station was as busy as ever. Neatly dressed patrol officers, hippie-dressed troublemakers, cheap perfume-scented delinquent girls, and well-groomed successful men with slicked-back hair—all kinds of people hurried about.

Du Qian swiped his identity card at the gate and walked into the floor where the patrol unit was located, heading to the captain's office at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly ajar, and Du Qian knocked politely. Hearing the response, he pushed the door open and entered.

"Captain, good morning."

"Hmm, I'm Leng. Please wait a moment." Captain Leng was truly busy. From his appearance, it seemed he hadn't gone home last night. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was signing documents with his left hand while pressing the communicator with his right. "Call Feng Laoshi up here."

After saying that, he ignored Du Qian. A few minutes later, a patrol officer in his fifties walked into the office without knocking.

Du Qian was delighted to see the man. It was the patrol officer he had met the day before.

"It's you?" Feng Bao was also surprised. He had just sent off that young lady yesterday, and today he heard that another one had arrived. Although this one wasn't from a powerful background, he still had some connections. No patrol officer wanted to deal with such cases, and most of them would push it to him. After all, he was Feng Laoshi.

"Hello, Uncle Feng." Du Qian's memory was always good, and he remembered Feng from just two days ago.

"Ah, Du Qian, right? Follow me from now on." Feng Bao's nervousness eased a bit.

In the patrol unit, Feng Bao was considered a rookie. After more than thirty years as a patrol officer, he wasn't outstanding in physical strength, combat skills, intelligence, or interpersonal relationships. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been stuck in the same position for thirty years. The only thing he was confident about was his judgment. After thirty years, even a fool would have good judgment.

"Du Qian is in your hands. Go ahead." Captain Leng said without looking up. The Precious Treasure Patrol Unit was always busy, and having such a well-connected person would only add to his headaches. Fortunately, this time it wasn't a very powerful connection, but the person was the deputy director of the Precious Treasure Police Station. Even if she was the least influential and had little power, she was still a deputy director, and technically his superior.

Director Du was very low-key. Even if she wanted to be high-profile, she couldn't. However, her husband's background was very strong, so no one would dare to take her lightly or harm her in any way.

She couldn't make major decisions, but adding a new patrol officer to the already understaffed Precious Treasure Police Station was quite normal.

Actually, adding a new person wasn't a big deal, but dealing with someone with connections was more complicated. Handling it lightly could cause trouble, and handling it heavily could make people dislike him.

"Captain Leng is really busy. Follow me." Knowing who he was going to bring, Feng Bao felt much better. The month he spent with Mi Su was nerve-wracking. He was always worried about her causing trouble or getting into trouble.

"Let's go get your equipment first." Feng Bao led the way to the logistics department. The logistics department was like a fighter jet among the internal staff, with a strong presence. Along the way, Feng Bao smiled and spoke politely, as the logistics department managed the supplies. Patrol officers weren't detectives or the elite Flying Tiger Team, so they couldn't be too tough.

On his first day at the police station, Du Qian only observed and didn't speak, mimicking Feng Bao's behavior, smiling and being even more polite than him. Feng Bao nodded in approval, thinking he had a good catch. Bringing a new recruit was a bit annoying, but it was much easier than dealing with a spoiled brat.

They received two sets of autumn uniforms, including underwear, a police badge, a baton, a terminal, and a communicator. In less than an hour, the box in his hands was almost full.

"This is the armory. According to regulations, you should collect your gun in the morning and return it in the evening. However, since the Precious Treasure Police Station has many issues and is understaffed, you don't need to return the gun every day. Just return it on weekends. Remember, the most important thing is to record why you fired and the exact location of each bullet. You'll need to write a report when you return."

"Understood." Du Qian was excited as he collected the gun with his identity card. Boys always liked guns. In the Zhou Shan Empire, guns weren't banned, and adults could buy them, but they were expensive. The cheapest gun cost over fifty dollars, which was a month's salary. A better gun could cost a year's salary.

This gun was good, a real police kinetic pistol, a standard issue weapon that couldn't be bought in stores. The best part was that it was free. The only downside was that he couldn't shoot it casually, which was a bit disappointing.

"Guns aren't good things. If you like guns, it's best to buy one and practice at a shooting range. Return the police gun as soon as possible, and be very careful. Firing a gun can cause trouble, and losing a gun can cause big trouble." Seeing Du Qian's excited face, Feng Bao was a bit worried.

Du Qian nodded repeatedly. "I understand, Uncle Feng."

As for whether he knew how to use a gun, Feng Bao didn't ask. In the empire, anyone who had been to school knew how to use a gun. Even though it was a peaceful era, wars were still close, and small conflicts often occurred. Armed basic training was a mandatory course in all schools, covering both handguns and rifles, both theory and practice.

Feng Bao was right. Du Qian's gun skills weren't as good as those of detectives or the Flying Tiger Team, or even the city guards or field army. However, he was an amateur who loved guns and was better than most of his classmates. At fifty meters, he could hit the target every time, which was an excellent score.

As for hitting the bullseye? Well, you needed a lot of practice. For a newly graduated adult, hitting the target every time was already a scholar-level achievement.

After putting on his police uniform and equipment in the rest room, Du Qian inserted the magazine into the police gun and practiced a few times. Of course, he didn't load the chamber or turn on the kinetic switch. Even with mature firearms, accidental discharges could happen, so safety first.

"Young man, you look spirited. However, you don't have time for training, so let's start work. We'll talk as we go, and you'll learn gradually. Don't rush." Feng Bao said. In the Precious Treasure area, patrol officers were always on call.

What? You ask why they don't hire more people if they are understaffed?

Are you kidding? Hiring more people means paying more salaries. In the Precious Treasure area, 40% of the population were laborers and poor, 50% were ordinary citizens, and only 10% were middle-class. Why would they need so many police officers?

Fights? As long as no one dies, it's fine.

Thieves? Where in the world doesn't have thieves? In this place, there wasn't much worth stealing, and it might not even be worth a patrol officer's salary. Is it worth increasing the police force?

Major cases, important cases, violent robberies, gang smuggling, rape, and human trafficking...

These were major cases, handled by detectives and the Flying Tiger Team. They had nothing to do with patrol officers, so there was no need to increase the police force.

Although patrol officers were the most underappreciated in the police system, they still had necessary equipment. Each patrol officer had a set of valuable police equipment, and two officers shared a patrol car.

As they walked out of the building to the parking lot, Du Qian was surprised to see a Mountain Tiger, a very expensive car, almost twice the price of his cousin's Spirit Deer, costing over 50,000. This one was clearly customized, with obvious differences from a regular Mountain Tiger.

"Is there a patrol car?" Du Qian was quite surprised. Was the Precious Treasure Police Station so wealthy?

"It's your first day, so it's specially approved. Anyway, we need a patrol car in our area. Starting tomorrow, it won't be our responsibility." Feng Bao smiled.

Feng Laoshi was indeed honest and easy to bully, but he had some benefits from frequently dealing with well-connected people, even if they were temporary.

"Got it. Can I drive?" Du Qian's hands itched.

"Can you?" Du Qian was a bit hesitant. Not just anyone could drive a car. Swiping the identity card would show if Du Qian had driving privileges.

However, he heard that this kid graduated from a war orphan school. Even if he had the privilege, he was still a beginner. Repairing a damaged police car was a public expense, but it was still a hassle. Feng Bao hated trouble.

"No problem, just drive slowly." Du Qian said confidently. He had the privilege, but the opportunity to drive was rare.

He got into the car, started it, and swiped his identity card. The green light came on, and Feng Bao felt much more at ease. At least he really had driving privileges. If he had asked to borrow the identity card, Feng Bao would have refused.

Actually, the vehicle anti-theft system could be more advanced, with fingerprint and genetic testing on the steering controller. Only the identity card holder could drive the car.

Such a system existed thousands of years ago, but it was very expensive. A single system might cost more than the Mountain Tiger, so it wasn't installed. Like taxis, only a simple card-swiping system was used.

"Uncle Feng, where are we going?" Du Qian asked as he slowly drove the Mountain Tiger out of the Precious Treasure Police Station.

"Precious Treasure Bay, the Fisherman's Wharf." Feng Bao smiled. He had patrolled that area for almost twenty years and knew it better than his own wife.

"Got it." Du Qian knew the place well. It wasn't far from the war orphan school and was a large canteen for the war orphans. He didn't expect to end up so close after leaving the school.

The Fisherman's Wharf was bustling with over a hundred berths, constant fishing boats, merchants, restaurant buyers, laborers, and troublemakers. With so many people, there were only six patrol officers and one patrol car, which was quite unusual.

If you calculated the areas in Pingchuan City with the fewest police officers, the Fisherman's Wharf would definitely be first, far ahead of the second place in the east of the city.