Special District 9

During this period of time, Old Cat, Zhu Wei, Guan Qi, and the others had constantly remained by his side, barely going home at all. As soon as they were off work, they would rush to the hospital to guard him, fearing that the Yuan Family would attempt to assault him while he was vulnerable.

Fortunately, after the huge incident over at Dirt Street, the Yuan Family’s connections with the Police Headquarters were also afraid that things would blow up beyond what they could handle. So, the Yuan Family could only put aside those plans for the time being. Besides, they had mostly achieved their goal of dealing a heavy blow to the Ma Family. The core members of the Ma Family had been arrested, and most of their subordinates had dispersed.

As a result, Songjiang ushered in a period of peace.

The Yuan Family didn’t continue causing trouble. Instead, they began organizing their members to prepare for the release of their stockpiled medicine.

On the other hand, the wanted Old Ma went into hiding together with the remaining core members of his organization.

But while it looked peaceful on the surface, Superintendent Li and Qin Yu still weren’t able put their minds at ease. Deep down, they knew that the Yuan Family was just selling the Police Headquarters a face and lying low for the time being.

The death of Yuan Wei and Tiger, as well as the casualties on their side from clearing away the Ma Family on Dirt Street, had made the grudge between them irreconcilable.

It was only a matter of time before Yuan Hua’s vengeance struck, so as soon as Qin Yu’s injuries recovered, he headed over to the Police Bureau to have a talk with Superintendent Li.In the office.

“Have you gotten into contact with Qi Lin yet?” Superintendent Li asked.

Qin Yu shook his head and replied, “He left in a hurry. He was using the Police Bureau’s phone previously, and he couldn’t use it anymore, so I wasn’t able to contact him for the time being.”

“Aren’t you the one who arranged his accommodations over at the Development District?” Superintendent Li asked curiously. “Can’t you contact him by calling your friend?”

“My friend headed out to deal with other matters after settling Qi Lin in, and he’s unlikely to come back anytime soon,” Qin Yu replied. “However, it doesn’t matter. I know where Qi Lin is, so I can head over there to look for him.”

“You need to hurry,” Superintendent Li said. “I am done talking with my mentor. As long as you can procure the supply route, everything else is negotiable.”

“How would my absence be accounted to the Police Bureau?” Qin Yu asked.

Hearing those words, Superintendent Li chuckled and said, “I’ve already made arrangements. On the inside, we’ll say that you are heading to Fengbei to study for two weeks. The reason is that you have taken down Matsushita, so it’s only a matter of time before you are promoted to Tier-2 Police Officer and officially take on the role of a squad leader. So, the Police Bureau made a special exception for you to undergo additional training.”

“Do I need to report it to the platoon?”

“There’s no need for that. I’ve already done all of the necessary procedures. All you have to do is to let out the word and go.”

“Alright, I got it,” Qin Yu replied with a nod.

“Qin Yu, you know how serious the situation is,” Old Li said with a sigh. With a tight knit on his forehead, he reminded, “Whether I am able to continue sitting in this position and whether you are able to get a foothold in Songjiang, it’s all banking on this.”

Qin Yu stood up before replying solemnly, “I’ll put my all into getting this matter done.”

“Good luck.” Superintendent Li nodded.

…

Half an hour later.

Qin Yu gathered the members of the Squad 3, who had recently been neglected by Platoon 1, and held a small meeting.

“I’ll be leaving Songjiang for half a month. During this period of time, you’ll follow Platoon 3 on their cases. I have already given them a heads up. No matter what happens in the future, there will be a place for you in the Police Bureau,” Qin Yu said with a smile. “I am very grateful to all of you for standing up for me during a crucial moment back then. If we are lucky enough to get past this hurdle, you can be assured that there will always be a place for you as long as I’m around.”

Guan Qi scratched his nose before replying with a chuckle, “We were never valued in Platoon 1 anymore. Zhu Wei has expressed his wish to become the squad leader a few times now, but Yuan Ke always feigned ignorance. We know that the ceiling is low for insignificant figures like us, so we can only choose to follow the person who can offer us more.”

“Yeah,” Zhu Wei nodded in agreement. “We have already chosen a side anyway, so it’s too late for regrets. To be frank, if Old Li fails to shoulder the pressure in the end, we’ll just fire ourselves from the Police Bureau then. I don’t believe that he would go after small fries like us just because I refuted him the other day at Dirt Street.”

“Don’t worry, squad leader. We’re all veterans in the Police Bureau. We know how to deal with them,” Guan Qi consoled. “You just have to focus on whatever that needs to be done.”

In truth, everyone knew that there was no way Qin Yu would take leave at this juncture to study at Fengbei. Most likely, Superintendent Li had made some sort of special arrangements for him, so they wanted to put his mind at ease.

“Thank you for understanding,” Qin Yu said as he stood up. He patted Zhu Wei’s shoulder and said, “I’ll be leaving the squad in your hands. If you encounter any issues, feel free to settle it at your own discretion if it’s within your means. Otherwise, you can look for the commander of Platoon 3 for help. He’s a close friend of Old Cat.”

“Alright.”

“Understood.”

“…!”

Everyone rose to their feet.

“With that, wish me a safe journey then!” Qin Yu said with a grin as he stretched his hand out.

Everyone looked at one another before placing their hands on Qin Yu’s hand and shouting in unison, “Have a safe journey!”

…

Afternoon, on the way to Residence 88.

Qin Yu glanced at Old Cat and asked, “So, did you tell Old Li that you are going to the Development District with me?”

“Oh, I forgot.” Old Cat seemed to have caught a cold, so he was sniffing in his snot every now and then. Somehow, it made him look sillier than ever.

“Did water get into your head?! There’s no way Old Li would want you to go, and you still didn’t tell him in advance? If you suddenly disappear with me, he’ll think too much into it and misunderstand that I was the one who forced you to come with me!” Qin Yu berated loudly.

“Calm your shit!” Old Cat spat his phlegm out of the window before he took out a phone and dialed Superintendent Li’s number.

Several seconds later.

“Hello?”

“I’m going to the Development District with Qin Yu,” Old Cat said directly.

Superintendent Li was silent for a good four seconds before exclaiming in utter bewilderment, “Why the hell do you want to go to the Development District with Qin Yu?”

“To play.”

“Are you a dimwit? Do you have a brain? That place is even more chaotic than Dirt Street, and you still want to fool around there? Come back right now!” Superintendent Li was usually a composed and mature adult, and his tone tended to be formal. Yet, whenever it came to matters concerning Old Cat, he would end up losing his poise.

“I’m not asking for your permission. I’m just informing you of my decision. I’ll have someone deliver my leave request to you later on.”

“I’m telling you to come back right now!”

“Oi, don’t shout at me. I don’t have a good temper. If you make me angry, I might just hang myself halfway through the journey!” Old Cat’s words were also becoming more and more ridiculous by the moment.

“You bloody idiot, just go and die then! Eat a bullet and go to hell!” Superintendent Li trembled with rage. “I really don’t know what the heck is running through that mind of yours… I really should just…!”

“Alright, I won’t fool around with you anymore.”

“Who the hell is fooling around with you?!”

“It’s too dangerous for Qin Yu to head there alone. It’ll be hard for him to settle any problems by himself. I can at least give him some ideas if I were to go with him.”

“You shouldn’t, or else it’d just be a matter of time before Qin Yu dies in your hand,” Superintendent Li uttered in exasperation. “Hurry up and get back to the bureau!”

“This matter is settled, you don’t need to say anymore. You don’t have to worry about anything on that chair of yours… As long as there’s a sliver of hope for the supply route, I’ll make sure to get it down for you even if I have to put my life on the line,” Old Cat replied with his usual lackadaisical tone.

Superintendent Li was stunned to hear those words. For a moment, he was unable to come up with anything to berate Old Cat.

“I’ll call you if we’re facing any problems,” Old Cat said before decisively hanging up the call.

In the car, Qin Yu looked at Old Cat and chuckled softly, “On the surface, it looks like you carry some resentment toward Old Li, but… it seems like you care about him quite a bit, huh?”

“Who would care about that naggy old man? It’s just that I won’t be able to act as I please once he’s gone,” Old Cat replied as his eyes shifted a little.

…

The two of them returned back to Residence 88 and packed some of their stuff before locking up the door and heading out.

On his way out, Qin Yu glanced at Lin Nianlei’s room, only to see the latter’s doors were tightly shut. She wasn’t home.

“Why are you staring at my wife’s home?” Old Cat asked with narrowed eyes.

“Aren’t you shameless? Lin Nianlei told me that she can only agree to be your mum at most!” Qin Yu berated.

“Scram,” Old Cat replied. “Tell me the truth. Do you have feelings for our Leilei?”

“You’re noisy,” Qin Yu snorted as he hastened his footsteps out of the residence.