Special District 9

If it was an outsider who treated Qin Yu in such a manner, he would still be able to disregard it. However, these were the people whom he had to live with for a long period of time. Even though none of them would provoke him anymore, they chose to neglect him, refusing to speak to him at all. As soon as Qin Yu stepped into the dormitory, everyone would either fall silent at once or leave the room together. And once he left the room, they would all suddenly come back and return to what they were doing previously.

Everyone was treating him in such a manner due to the bad blood between him and Ol’ Three. Furthermore, he snatched the credit of a major case as soon as he arrived, so it was inevitable that he would incur the envy of others.

Had it been anyone else, he would have already regretted offending Ol’ Three. But Qin Yu, on the other hand, didn’t have such thoughts at all. Deep down, he had a cold personality that wouldn’t easily open up to anyone else, so he was also less affected by the attitude of others too. Besides, he didn’t think that putting on a humble attitude and acting subserviently would help him assimilate into the social circles.

He felt that if a person were to behave too weakly in such an environment, it would lead to endless demands from others. If Ol’ Three could oppress him once, he would be able to do it another hundred times. If he had accepted the three days shift back then, Ol’ Three might have tried to make him take on four days shift or even more in the future. Perhaps, it might even lead to him having to clean the dormitory and wash the clothes of others. This was not something that Qin Yu could accept.

While Qin Yu was nonchalant to the neglect of his colleagues, it was still awkward for him to have to live with them like that. After all, they were still living under the same roof. Having to face sour faces all day long would have still affected one’s mood.

Qin Yu received a bonus of 3000 from Matsushita’s case, and this was a fortune he hadn’t planned for. So, he immediately made the decision to rent a house outside for him to live in.

Since they couldn’t get along, there was no need for him to continue facing them and spoil his own mood. However, as he wasn’t familiar with the area, he could only engage Old Cat’s help in finding a house. The conditions were that the rent mustn’t be too expensive, and basic amenities should be available.

On the other hand, Old Cat felt that Qin Yu was a capable and decisive man, and the latter happened to have a personality he could get along with too. So, he agreed to help Qin Yu right away.

…

The next day.

As soon as Qin Yu entered the office to take over someone else’s shift, someone suddenly called him, “Qin Yu, Platoon Commander Yuan calls you over to the canteen.”

Qin Yu turned around to ask the person what was going on, only to find the latter had already left the area. The latter had no intention of talking to him at all.

“Heh,” Qin Yu chuckled to himself as he grabbed his coat and walked out of the office.

In the bureau’s canteen.

After asking the staff around, he finally found Platoon Commander Yuan seated next to the window.

Yuan Ke was around 1.78 meters tall. His figure was on the leaner side, and he had a fair complexion. On the whole, he did look rather dashing. Furthermore, he had a pair of crescent eyes that made it look as if his eyes were always smiling. His appearance made it very easy for him to garner a good impression from others.

“Pleased to meet you. You are Platoon Commander Yuan, right? I am Qin Yu.”

“Pleased to meet you too,” Yuan Ke smiled as he stood up and shook hands with Qin Yu. “I should have been the one to receive you when you arrived in the platoon two days ago, but it just so happens that I wasn’t in Songjiang the last few days. So, we ended up meeting only now.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that you had a meeting over at Fengbei.”

“How is it going? Are you settled down yet?” Yuan Ke asked as he gestured for Qin Yu to take a seat.

“Un. I have already cleared most of the administrative processes,” Qin Yu replied as he sat down opposite to Yuan Ke.

“That’s good.” Yuan Ke personally poured a cup of water for Qin Yu as he said, “I have already heard about the kidnapping case. You have done us proud this time around.”

“We happened to bump into it. It was mostly luck,” Qin Yu replied with a smile.

“This morning, I had a talk with Superintendent Li, and he told me about your situation,” Yuan Ke naturally directed the conversation to the main topic at hand. “When a highly wanted criminal like Matsushita is caught, the key person behind it would usually be handsomely rewarded. At the very least, there would at least be a promotion for Police Officers.

“Superintendent Li intends to promote you into a squad leader and a Tier-2 Police Officer, but to others, it might seem too much of a coincidence for you to stumble on such a huge case when you haven’t been here for too long. If we force your promotion through, it might cause others to think too deeply into it. So, after discussing this matter with him, we decided to postpone it for the time being. There’s no need to rush this since there is plenty of time ahead of us.”

“Yes, Superintendent Li has told me about it too. I’m not in a rush either,” Qin Yu replied. “As a newcomer, it would be best for me to adapt to this new environment first.”

“Don’t worry. You can be assured that I’ll get you whatever that you are entitled to.”

“…”

While the two of them were chatting, the canteen staff brought over two plates of hot dishes and two plates of cold dishes. There were beef and the exceptionally expensive green vegetables. This gave Qin Yu the impression that Yuan Ke was quite a generous person with a hearty personality.

“We can’t drink during work time, so let’s just make do with a meal for the time being,” Yuan Ke said as he refilled Qin Yu’s cup of water.

“This is pretty great too.”

“Don’t just look. Eat while the food is still hot.”

“Of course, of course.”

Amidst words, the two of them began moving their chopsticks. Yuan Ke used his peripheral vision to assess Qin Yu, and he swiftly realized that this young fellow who came out of the Development District wasn’t one to lose his nerves at all. He didn’t gorge himself with food during the meal, but neither did he look too stiff and uncomfortable.

“Qin Yu, you should join Squad 3,” Yuan Ke suddenly said after a moment of contemplation. “The squad leader has been dealt with internally due to charges of breach of responsibility and corruption. There’s no one to lead the team at the moment, so I’m thinking of having you lead them as an interim squad leader.”

Qin Yu was a little taken aback, “That wouldn’t be too good, would it? I mean, Superintendent Li’s intention is to have me serve as a vice squad leader…”

“An interim squad leader is a position usually taken on by the vice squad leader. Besides, it’s Superintendent Li’s intention to promote you to a Tier-2 Police Officer, and once you settle into that position, he’ll formally promote you to a squad leader,” Yuan Ke said. “It’s an internal matter within a platoon, so it won’t be too much trouble.”

“Then, thank you for giving this opportunity to me.”

“Qin Yu, I don’t own the Police Bureau. My position as the platoon commander is built upon the support of everyone else. Without the brothers in Platoon 1 putting their lives on the line to crack cases, what chips would I, Yuan Ke, have to negotiate with Superintendent Li?” Yuan Ke’s words were extremely well-constructed. They were filled with camaraderie and loyalty.

“Since you have joined Platoon 1, I consider you one of my own. It’s only right for me to take care of those who support me. There’s no need for you to get so courteous with me… Feel free to make any request to me in the future. If something belongs to you, I’ll do my best to get it for you. We’re all eating from the same pot over here; the only difference is our roles. However, our aim is all the same, and that is to survive and live a slightly better life in this chaotic environment.”

Qin Yu thought that Yuan Ke would be a thorn in his back after offending Ol’ Three. Even if Yuan Ke wouldn’t deal with him in the open, he could still play all kinds of underhanded tricks to make things difficult for him and kill his spirit.

Yet, who could have thought that Yuan Ke would be such a humble individual? He didn’t have put on the airs of a person in power at all, and he didn’t beat around the bush to make his point known either. He felt like a warm person.

“Platoon Commander Yuan, since you have already said those words, allow me to propose a toast to you then!” Qin Yu was not a person who didn’t know how to appreciate the goodwill of others either. He raised his cup and said, “I’ll fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities in Platoon 1!”

After saying those words, the two of them downed their cups.

Placing his cup back onto the table, Yuan Ke wiped his mouth to look as Qin Yu once more and said, “Alright, now that I have finished saying my piece as a friend, let’s start talking about work.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“This morning, I received an arrest warrant. A few major criminals from the Development District might appear in Black Street very soon. I’m leaving this job to Squad 1; the reason why I’m here is to organize them for this operation,” Yuan Ke said. “However, I have another important case on hand as well, and I need someone to handle it. As you have just arrived, I don’t think that you have the experience to deal with those major criminals yet, so I’m thinking of having you lead the Squad 3 to deal with the other important case I have first.”

“What case is it?” Qin Yu asked.

“It’s a case regarding medicine smuggling,” Yuan Ke took a sip of water before he began explaining. “Recently, there has been a huge surge in smuggled medicine in Black Street. Some are fake, and some came from illegitimate sources… Usually, no one would bother touching this issue since there’s bound to be a market where the demand is. We already have enough cases on our hand to handle, so we don’t have the manpower to interfere in this matter either.

“However, over at Fengbei, the Central Special District, two major pharmaceuticals have been heaping pressure on the Confederate Government, saying that this matter has affected their profits…

“As you know, the more chaotic the world is, the more influential companies that hold the power to save lives are. So, those above are left with no choice but to pressure those beneath them to take action. The leader of Songjiang Pharmaceuticals has been calling the headquarters nearly every single day, and the headquarters, in turn, pressures Superintendent Li. This is because the situation is exceptionally rife in our Black Street. As a result of that, Superintendent Li is about to be driven mad by the issue. He has already issued an ultimatum, ordering our Platoon 1 to clean away all of the medicine smugglers from Black Street within three months.”

“Are we really going to clean them away, or is it just an attitude…” Qin Yu asked indirectly.

Yuan Ke was slightly taken aback. He replied with a surprised look on his face, “Yes, we are cleaning them away for real. It’s not just showing an attitude.”

“Do we have enough personnel in Squad 3 for that?”

“You’ll handle the investigation first. Once you receive a crucial tipoff, our Platoon 1 will come together to get them in one swoop,” Yuan Ke replied. “But before we receive anything like that, Squad 1 will still be mainly focusing their attention on capturing those major criminals from the Development District.”

“Alright, I understand.” Qin Yu knew very well that he had to obey the orders of his superior as long as he was wearing this uniform. This was the ironclad rule of the Police Bureau, and he didn’t have the power to choose.

“The Confederate Government is putting a lot of attention and effort into dealing with the issue of fake medicine in order to ensure the interests of the pharmaceutical companies who invest greatly into research and development, as well as the interests of the patients. For this reason, anyone who smuggles medicine, regardless of whether it’s real or fake, as long as the amount exceeds 5 kilograms, will be dealt with the death penalty…” Yuan Ke reminded. “So you must make sure to proceed carefully for this matter. This case must be cracked, but at the same time, you must pay careful note of both you and your squad’s safety.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll send the information over to Squad 3 later in the afternoon; you’ll need to digest the details quickly in order to start planning. Other than that, you must also make sure to familiarize yourself with your squad members. If you are having some difficulties, you can consider investing in a meal to get to know one another. You are all youngsters, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you all to find a common topic,” Yuan Ke said as he stood up to foot the bill.

However, he suddenly stopped halfway, and he turned around to say, “Right, I forgot one last thing. Ol’ Three has a nasty temper, and he often acts and talks without thinking. Don’t let his actions bother you too much. I’ll find a date to have you two sit down, thrash it out, and let bygones be bygones.”

Qin Yu nodded, “I’ll be troubling you then.”

“Alright, I’ll foot the bill now. There’s plenty of work to be done.” Yuan Ke directed a smile at Qin Yu before walking over to the cashier.

Qin Yu looked at Yuan Ke’s back as he muttered to himself, “He seems like a generous person.”

…

Afternoon.

Qin Yu was about to head to Squad 3 when Old Cat told him to rush over to Black Street Sector Tongbai Road Residence 88. The latter had managed to find him a house.

Qin Yu took a look at his phone and noted that he still had plenty of time before official working hours. So, he immediately made his way over.

It took him roughly fifteen minutes to make his way over on foot. When Qin Yu arrived at the entrance of the residence, he couldn’t find Old Cat around. However, it was right then that he heard someone calling out to him from behind, “The guy who can’t differentiate between a man and woman. Is that you?”