Special District 9

Standing before the window with his hands tucked behind his back, Superintendent Li asked softly, “Has that lad left yet?”

“He’s already out of the city,” Old Cat replied with a nod.

“I have been the superintendent of this Police Bureau for quite a while now. The main reason why I haven’t advanced any higher is because I don’t want to get involved in any power struggles,” Superintendent Li said with an exhausted look on his face. “But now that I have made a stand, it’ll be hard for me to maintain a neutral position anymore.”

Standing behind the office desk, Qin Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity toward Superintendent Li after hearing the latter’s words. This was because the latter’s attitude toward him was no longer formal, and his words were also very direct. This meant that Superintendent Li no longer viewed him as just another squad leader in the Police Bureau but one of his own.

This change came with both benefits and detriments.

The benefit was that Qin Yu finally had an affiliation and ties with a higher-up. He would have opportunities that others desperately fought for but to no avail. However, the downsides were apparent too. He had utterly offended the Yuan Family over this, so he could very well face their vengeance and suppression in the future.

And so far, Superintendent Li still didn’t appear to be too optimistic about their current plight. From this, it could be seen that the Yuan Family’s connections were far more deep-rooted than what he could see on the surface.

“It’s likely that we’ll clash with the Yuan Family in the near future.” Superintendent Li turned around to face Old Cat and Qin Yu, and he instructed, “Tell the Ma Family that regardless of whether they have spare goods or not, they are to stop the distribution of medicine for a while. Get those under their wing to lie low for the time being too. I want to see what cards Yuan Hua has in his hands.”

“They have no choice but to stop anyway,” Old Cat replied quietly. “Now that Ah Long is dead, the Ma Family has lost their supplier. Even if they want to sell their medicine, they don’t have anything on hand.”

Superintendent Li walked over to his chair and sat down as he asked with a frown, “Does Qi Lin have Ah Long’s supply route or not?”

“Qi Lin said that he tried searching for it, but he couldn’t find the contact number his brother left him,” Old Cat replied swiftly. “I told him to find a way to look up Ah Long’s previous contacts so as to see if he could somehow re-establish the connection with the medicine supplier.”

Old Li took a sip of tea before speaking solemnly, “The connections I have will only move if they see profit in this business. If we can’t re-establish the supply routes, given that the Ma Family’s influence is beneath that of the Yuan Family, there is no way I can convince my connections to back us.”

“I understand.” Qin Yu nodded.

“You should try your best to stay low and avoid the Yuan Family during this period of time too,” Old Li turned to Qin Yu and said. “Tiger is dead, and Yuan Wei is gone too… Your shadow can be seen in these two incidents, so you need to guard yourself against vengeance from the other side.”

“I will take note of it, Superintendent Li,” Qin Yu replied gravely.

“Sigh!”

Old Cat sighed deeply as he took a cup of hot water from the table. While blowing lightly on it, he shook his head and said, “What’s wrong with people nowadays? I can understand why those suffering in the slums would put their lives on the line to protect their interests—it’s hard for them to make a living after all. But those who wield power in their hand, do they have nothing better to do? Why the heck is profit so important to them? Is there just no one who would do their job earnestly?”

Old Li pondered for a moment before saying to Old Cat, “Do you still remember the words I said during my inauguration ceremony as the superintendent of this Police Bureau?”

Old Cat fell into deep thoughts upon hearing those words.

“I was the first one to declare that I would unravel the chaos in Dirt Street within two years and bring peace and security to Black Street Sector within five years. Back then, when word got around, many officials in the Police Headquarters laughed at me. I shrugged off their ridicule then, but look at me now. Do you think that I’ve fulfilled what I have set out to do?” Old Li said with yet another deep sigh. “It has really become a joke now.”

Old Cat and Qin Yu fell speechless.

“Having sat in this chair for so many years, I have finally come to understand one thing,” Old Li said with a wry smile. “Even the most idealistic dream would shatter in the face of reality. The deterioration in the environment and the lapse in order, this is an opportunity for the top brass to reshuffle the cards they and their organizations have. This is a chance to wrestle for a greater power. In such an environment, the dream of an individual is not worth a mention at all. If you wish to bring about some change or achieve something, the best way to do it is not to fight against the currents but to meld into it. You need to obey the rules of the new era and thrive in it… Maybe, after everything settles down, we can look back and see if we have managed to leave our imprints in the era.”

Hearing Old Li’s words, Qin Yu suddenly felt that the middle-aged man sitting before him was a person with many stories behind him. He was a respectable person with great wisdom and vision. In a way, Old Li was actually strikingly similar to Old Cat. The two of them managed to live out their truest self despite being in this tumultuous era… even though they were forced to compromise from time to time.

“Enough. There’s no point chit-chatting about this whole bunch of nonsense,” Superintendent Li said with a sigh. He looked at the two juniors before him and ordered strictly, “Tuck your tails between your legs and lay low. Don’t get into any trouble, understand?”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

The two of them nodded.

“Right, there’s one more thing.” Superintendent Li stood up, looked at Qin Yu, and said, “Since you have chosen to take a side, you should adjust your mindset away from that of an individual. You need to hurry up and turn Platoon 1 Squad 3 into Qin Yu’s Squad 3. I’ll find an opportunity in the future to take out the members of Squad 3 and put them in another platoon… As for your promotion, I’ll clear the path for you. You just need to give me convincing reasons why you are the one for the job.”

“Yes, sir!” Qin Yu saluted in response.

“The two of you can get lost now,” Superintendent Li said with a wave of his hand.

…

One and a half hour later.

In Dirt Street, Old Cat squatted by the roadside as he turned to Qin Yu and asked, “… Do you regret taking my side?”

“What’s done is done. You talk as if my regret will change a thing at all.” Qin Yu rolled his eyes.

“I thought you weren’t planning on getting involved. What made you change your mind?” Old Cat asked with a light chuckle.

Qin Yu pondered for a moment before replying slowly, “You were willing to give your all for Qi Lin, who didn’t have anything at all… I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“Qin Yu, let’s walk this path together,” Old Cat patted Qin Yu’s shoulder as he spoke with a grin. “A fortune teller I’m close with told me that people who are small below tend to be loyal. I saw your length, and you count as the cream of the crop in this category. I can definitely trust you with my life.”

“The heck! Is there a screw loose in your head?” Qin Yu wrapped his right arm around Old Cat’s neck and gripped it tightly. “I really should help the world get rid of a dumbass over here!”

“Stop messing around!”

“… Am I big?”

“Yes yes, you are.”

“Call me daddy.”

“Oi, you are going overboard here. I won’t be humiliated!” Old Cat glared at Qin Yu in agitation.

“Say, is the reason why you got along with Qi Lin because he… is very small and weak?” Qin Yu asked.

Old Cat’s face flushed red upon hearing that question. With a crooked smile, he replied, “Well, I can only say that he is… a nascent lotus emerging from the lake…”

(This is a quote from a poem by Yang Wanli.)

“Wow. Your mouth is really downright dirty,” Qin Yu punched Old Cat in the stomach playfully while holding his neck firmly in place.

Beneath the dim streetlight, two young men whose paths happened to converge due to an incident joked around with one another. It was at this moment that their hearts finally opened up to one another. In the days ahead, they would support each other forward through difficult times…

After fooling around for a bit, Old Ma suddenly walked over from the opposite end of the street. He called out impatiently, “What are you two messing around here for?”

Qin Yu raised his head and asked, “You’re here?”

“When are you going to get Damin and Ma Lao-er out?” Old Ma got straight to the point.

…

Meanwhile…