Special District 9

“Don’t stop me!” Qi Lin shook away Old Cat’s hands as he howled. “I’m going to ask Yuan Ke what rights he has to transfer me over to the back office!”

“Are you suited to be working on the frontlines? Wake up your idea! Haven’t you harmed enough people already?” Old Cat glared at Qi Lin as he bellowed. “Everyone is still furious after what happened last night. You are asking to be shot if you were to look for Yuan Ke right now! Are you a dumbass?”

“…!”

While the two of them were arguing, Qin Yu walked down from the stairs and asked, “What are the two of you doing?”

The two of them were stunned.

“Aren’t the two of you embarrassed to be causing a huge ruckus over here?” Qin Yu looked at them with a disapproving frown. “Let’s find somewhere else to sit. I have something to say to Qi Lin too.”

Qi Lin hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he was still forcefully dragged away by Qin Yu and Old Cat.

…

On the bottommost floor.

Lin Nianlei blinked her beautiful large eyes as she said, “I am the reporter of an internet radio company, and I realized that there has been someone selling smuggled medicine around Dirt Street at a premium. During an interview, a bunch of ruffians spotted us and took away my camera.”

“Do you recognize those ruffians?”

“I don’t.”

“Fill in this form and photocopy a set of your identification documents. Make sure to write down the time, location, and details clearly,” the policeman on duty passed over a form as he said.

Lin Nianlei earnestly filled in the form before handing it back to the policeman, asking, “Is that all? Can you capture them now?”

“Yes, that’s all. You can head back for now. We’ll investigate this matter and get back to you soon.”

“No, wait a moment. My camera is still with them, and they are still there. Why aren’t you heading over right now to arrest them?!” Lin Nianlei was starting to get a little agitated.

“Do I need you to teach me how to deal with cases?” the policeman shook his legs idly as he replied. “Go back. We’ll call you once there is any update.”

“What’s with your attitude? They stole my camera, and they should still be in the vicinity. Why aren’t you heading over right away?”

“Do you not understand human language? I’m telling you to head back first.”

“… You!” Lin Nianlei was so enraged that her face had turned crimson in fury. In a moment of panic, she bellowed, “Forget it! I’ll look for Qin Yu then. Is he around?”

“You know someone here?” the policeman asked in surprise.

“Yes, I know Qin Yu.”

“Give me a moment.” The policeman’s attitude became slightly more polite as he picked up a phone and began dialing someone.

Lin Nianlei waited for around a minute before the policeman told her with a shake of his head, “Qin Yu isn’t around.”

With a helpless sigh, Lin Nianlei said, “Then, can you follow me there for a moment to get my camera back from them?”

“I can’t do that. I need to follow the standard procedures and report this matter upward first.”

“… Wow, I am speechless,” Lin Nianlei rolled her eyes before grabbing her bag and leaving the Police Bureau.

…

At a breakfast store just beside the Police Bureau.

Qi Lin looked at the buns on the table with an unfocused look in his eyes, not moving at all.

“Qi Lin, you should calm down a little here. Just accept it and head over for the back office for the time being. Platoon Commander Yuan is still in the heat of his anger,” Qin Yu said as he tried to advise Qi Lin.

Qi Lin’s eyes reddened as he muttered indignantly, “This isn’t fair.”

Old Cat’s temper had always been explosive. He was already very displeased with Qi Lin’s performance last night, so he immediately flew into a rage upon hearing Qi Lin’s words, “Unfair? You were inept in your job, so what’s wrong with punishing you? I have told you before that you weren’t suited to be on the frontline, but you simply keep dreaming about getting promoted…

“Look! You screwed yourself and your teammates up yesterday, didn’t you? If we have caught Ah Long yesterday night, how do you think that those above would have reacted? Everyone involved in the case would have been rewarded. But because you didn’t dare to fire your gun, not only are we going to get punished, Jabi even got gunned down. Did you see his corpse? He got shot three times, and even his bulletproof vest was shot through!”

Hearing those words, Qin Yu fell silent.

Qi Lin slowly raised his head, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of agitation to be seen on his face. There was only a numb look as he replied, “Old Cat, can you not jump to conclusions without knowing the details of the matter?!”

“What other details are there then? Tell me, I want to know why didn’t you fire your gun!” Old Cat slammed his bowl on the table as he glared at Qi Lin furiously.

Qi Lin stared at Old Cat for a few seconds before replying with gritted teeth, “Fine, I didn’t fire my gun… I’ll admit it, it’s my fault.”

“It is your fault.”

“But have you never made any mistakes before?” Qi Lin suddenly asked.

Old Cat suddenly found himself at a loss of words.

“I haven’t. Ever since I was on probation, I have never flouted any rules of the Police Bureau before, not once!” Qi Lin looked at Qin Yu and Old Cat as he spoke with a quivering voice. “As if treading on thin ice, I have been living my life carefully in the Police Bureau. Not only have I never made any mistakes, I should have already done well enough to be promoted to a Tier-2 Police Officer. In order to get a bit more money every month, I worked hard to become the top shooter of the bureau and the top three of our district. Do you know that?”

Qin Yu was flabbergasted to hear those words. He had never known that Qi Lin had achieved such honors in shooting.

“I have never received any substantial rewards when I brought our Police Bureau honor, but as soon as I made a mistake, I am to be punished severely. Is this fair?” Qi Lin asked with reddened eyes. “Is it that hard to become a Tier-2 Police Officer? All it takes is just a word from those above, but why does it never come down to me? Why won’t anyone speak up for me? I get nominated every single year, only to be rejected each and every time. Is this fair, Old Cat?!”

Old Cat had never seen the usually calm Qi Lin talking to him in such a way before, so he was dumbstruck for a moment.

“I am different from you! You have Old Li backing you in the Police Bureau, there’s no one who would dare to take advantage of you. You can even curse at Yuan Ke without paying any price. But what about me? I can’t afford to vent my frustrations even when I’m wronged. If I were to say the wrong words, I could be sent packing the very next day. Who will be there to pay my mother’s medical fees if I lose my job? Who will take care of my little sister? You? Are you willing to take responsibility for them?” Qi Lin’s voice had grown a little hoarse from agitation as he clenched his fists tightly together.

“You are living a life over there, but I am begging for a life over here. The reason why I have to run away from trouble is because I can’t afford to gamble with my life! There are two mouths I have to feed back at home. If I were to disappear for even three days, they would starve to death! You have a backing behind you, but all I have behind me are baggage! That’s the reason why you can stand on a high ground and look down on me while I can only humbly accept it. Even if I were to give it my all someday, at the very most, I can only hope to reach the same starting point as you.”

After saying his piece, Qi Lin stood up and said numbly, “You two eat. I’ll go first.”

“Qi Lin!” Qin Yu called out.

But Qi Lin didn’t turn around. His silhouette looked exceptionally forlorn as he walked away from the breakfast store.

Old Cat looked with a frown as he continued eating his porridge.

On the other hand, Qin Yu fell deep in thoughts.

A long while later, Old Cat lowered his head and asked, “Did I go too far?”

“Un, a little.” Qin Yu nodded.

“I am really worried for him…” Old Cat sighed.

…

Snow drifted down from above as Qi Lin trudged stiffly across a cold road. He wanted to buy a bottle of alcohol to wash down his frustrations, but when his hand reached into his pocket, he suddenly remembered that even the cheapest alcohol cost 25 dollars…

He could only endure the feelings bubbling inside him as he slowly trudged back home.

…

In a certain house within Dirt Street.

Ah Long smoked on his cigarette as he looked at Old Ma with a frown, “When can I leave?”

“I’m still arranging for it. It should be done within the next two days.”

“I need to go out for a bit before leaving.”

“Are you out of your mind? They have gone crazy looking for you outside!” Old Ma warned in astonishment.