Chapter 1

Chapter 1 A New Arrival

Northern Asia, Special District Nine, Songjiang City.

Qin Yu stood inside the office building belonging to the Black Street Division of the Municipal Police Department, smiling as he asked a middle-aged man, “Ready for me?”

“Mm, come in.” The middle-aged man waved his hand and turned to walk into the office on the left.

Hearing this, Qin Yu straightened his clothes and followed the man inside.

The office was a decent size, around sixty-something square meters, but behind the desk sat only one person. He looked to be around forty, wore a handlebar mustache, had noticeably fleshy cheeks, and a fierce expression.

The middle-aged man walked up to the desk, placed two stacks of documents in front of the mustachioed man, and said quietly, “Director, this is the last one.”

“Physical done?” The mustache man picked up the documents and asked.

“Yes.”

“Alright, you can go.”

“Sure.”

After a brief exchange, the middle-aged man left. Qin Yu took two steps forward and stood in front of the desk without saying anything, watching the mustachioed man review his file.

Behind the desk, the mustachioed man frowned and read through the documents in a low voice: “Qin Yu, 22 years old, seventy-five kilograms, one-eighty-two… born before the Era Year, ancestral hometown in J City, H Province. Heh, that’s not far from Songjiang. Was living in an unplanned zone before joining, parents missing (presumed dead), no relatives… hm? Why is your work history completely blank?”

“I don’t have a work history.” Qin Yu replied with a smile. “Just surviving in the unplanned zone was a struggle. You did whatever put food on the table. What kind of work history would I have?”

“Heh.” The mustache man chuckled. “You could’ve just made something up before you came. A blank record doesn’t look good in the system.”

“Fair enough, I’ll fill something in later.” Qin Yu didn’t argue and immediately agreed.

The mustache man kept his eyes on the file and asked, “No work history, meaning no military service. Have you ever had any experience handling firearms?”

Qin Yu shook his head without hesitation. “No.”

“Any criminal record?”

“No.”

The mustache man thought for a moment, slowly set down the documents, looked up at Qin Yu, and said with a grin, “To come out of the unplanned zone — a place with no laws and no rules — and manage to scrape together enough money to buy a work and residency permit for Special District Nine. You, kid… have been around.”

“Not really,” Qin Yu grinned. “Just got lucky, ran into some good people.”

The mustache man picked up his cup, looked Qin Yu up and down, and gave a token nod. “Mm, the kid looks sharp.”

Qin Yu smiled quietly and said nothing.

The mustache man set down his teacup, clasped his hands, and gave a brief, straightforward reminder: “Special District Nine is a unique place. It falls under the administrative structure of the United Government, but it has a high degree of autonomous self-governance — fundamentally different from the Eight Districts. It’s a multi-ethnic mix here. Besides us East Asians, there are plenty of Black and White people too… The social environment is extremely complex, and in certain areas there’s genuine disorder that we want to change but can’t, at least not yet. As a police officer, you’ll need to adapt to this environment in every way.”

“Understood.” Qin Yu nodded with a serious expression.

“Also, I don’t care what you’ve been through before, but if you’re eating at my table, a dragon lies low and a tiger stays down. Cause trouble, stir things up, and I’ll deal with you personally.” The mustache man kept his hands clasped, his tone flat.

“Director Li, I’m here to make your life easier, not harder.” Qin Yu grinned.

“Heh.” The mustache man smiled and tapped a few times on the touchscreen phone on his desk, leaning down to speak into the microphone.

A few seconds later, a male voice came through: “Hello, Director, this is the First Criminal Investigation Unit.”

“Where’s Yuan Ke?” Director Li asked.

“…Squad Leader Yuan isn’t in, he just stepped out.”

“I’ve got a new recruit for you. Come pick him up.”

“Yes, right away.”

“That’s all.” Director Li stroked his mustache and pressed the end call button. “Wait by the door. Someone will come get you shortly. Learn the specific rules once you’re with the unit.”

“Yes, Director Li.” Qin Yu nodded, then immediately took two steps forward, reached into his pocket, and placed a very small black pouch on the desk. “Xiao Qi specifically told me to say — getting into the Special District police system is the hardest job to land right now, and without your help, who knows how long I’d have been waiting in line. So don’t forget to show proper respect.”

Director Li casually picked up the pouch and opened it. Inside sat a diamond roughly the size of a soybean. He was slightly taken aback. “You’ve got capable people out there in the unplanned zone — you can get your hands on something like this?! My goodness, I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

Qin Yu smiled and said nothing.

Director Li tossed the small pouch into a drawer and locked it, then looked up and pointed at Qin Yu. “Young as you are, you’ve actually got some substance to you.”

“This is pretty much all I’ve got.” Qin Yu scratched his head with a feigned look of simplicity. Seeing that Director Li wasn’t rushing off for lunch, he chatted with him for a few more minutes.

A few minutes later, a slightly chubby young man about the same age as Qin Yu strode into the room, back ramrod straight, and saluted. “Reporting to Director Li, Third-Level Officer Qi Lin of the First Unit, here on orders to escort the new colleague back to the unit.”

Director Li heard this and patted Qin Yu on the arm. “Work hard. I want to see your name come up at the year-end evaluation.”

“Will do.” Qin Yu nodded.

“Alright, head to the unit.” Director Li pointed casually at Qi Lin. “Tell Yuan Ke to look after this kid.”

One diamond, and Qin Yu had chatted with Director Li for just under ten minutes — earning himself one extra word of goodwill. But it seemed that was about all it amounted to.

……

In the hallway.

The chubby Qi Lin walked to Qin Yu’s left, chatting easily. “Where are you from, brother?”

“The unplanned zone.”

“You came from that godforsaken place?” Qi Lin was taken aback. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“Had a bit of luck on my side.” Qin Yu smiled.

Qi Lin nodded and didn’t press further. Because in this day and age, with food scarce and survival hard, everyone probably had secrets they kept to themselves.

As the two walked briskly along, Qi Lin gave Qin Yu a rundown of the Police Division’s basic setup. This department was primarily responsible for criminal work in the district, including public order and case investigation, but not administrative tasks like household registration, deregistration, issuing residency permits, or handling entry and exit procedures. In plain terms, it was something like a district sub-bureau from before the Era Year, just without as clearly defined a division of functions. For example, Qin Yu’s unit wasn’t only responsible for major criminal cases — it also handled basic public security.

After about an hour or so, Qi Lin had walked Qin Yu through all five floors of the Police Division, introducing him to the armory, interrogation rooms, shared case-handling area, training room, and cafeteria. Through their interactions, Qin Yu noticed that Qi Lin was an extremely smooth operator — he could strike up a conversation with just about anyone, wherever they went. He also had remarkable patience. Whenever Qin Yu asked about something, Qi Lin had a detailed answer ready. At least on the surface, he seemed like a genuinely warm-hearted person.

Just after two in the afternoon, Qi Lin brought Qin Yu to the communications department to buy an internal-issue phone. But Qin Yu glanced at the counter and found there was only one model available — it looked outdated, and the price was far from friendly.

“What brand is this? I’ve never even heard of it.” Qin Yu picked up the phone, gave it a quick look, and turned to Qi Lin. “Forget it, I’ll wait until I’m settled and go buy one somewhere else. This place is way too expensive.”

Qi Lin smiled at that, glanced over at the young man sitting behind the counter, then leaned close to Qin Yu’s ear and said quietly, “You should probably just buy it here.”

“Why?” Qin Yu didn’t understand.

“No particular reason, really. The communications department belongs to the Police Division, but the phone counter is privately contracted. The owner is a friend of Squad Leader Yuan’s, so all the new recruits buy their phones here.” Qi Lin blinked and said, “You’re new here — best not to stand out. The phone isn’t the most durable, but you won’t need to go through the communications department to sync it to the system. Once your info is entered into the main system, just input your name and badge number and it’s ready to go.”

Qin Yu had spent years living in the lawless unplanned zone — did he really not understand the most basic unwritten rules? So the moment Qi Lin dropped the hint, he stopped pushing back and said to the clerk with a pained expression, “Alright, grab me one then. Thanks.”

Why pained?

Because Qin Yu was an incredibly frugal and tight-fisted person — the type who’d want a warranty booklet for a pair of socks. But it was precisely that nature of his that had allowed him, at critical moments, to scrape together enough money to keep himself alive and eventually buy his way into a job in Special District Nine.

After getting the phone, Qi Lin took him out of the Police Division and across the street to a daily goods store.

It was now August. The sky was clear, but the cold was still as bitter as winter, and scattered patches of white snow were still visible on the streets.

“Does it snow here in the Special District all the time?” Qin Yu asked.

“Been snowing for three years.” Qi Lin answered.

“Damn, won’t even let people live.” Qin Yu shook his head and sighed.

The two chatted as they stepped into a large daily goods store.

Qin Yu swept his eyes around the interior as he walked in, brushed a few small mud splatters off his pants, and said with a smile, “Big store. Not many customers though.”

“Take a look around, buy whatever you need.” Qi Lin took a drag from his e-cigarette.

Qin Yu wandered around the shelves, but the more he browsed, the more his brow furrowed. He circled around for over ten minutes and didn’t pick up a single item.

“How come you’re not grabbing anything?” Qi Lin walked over from the counter and asked.

Qin Yu frowned at Qi Lin and blinked. “Man, are you getting a cut from this place?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything in here is marked up at least thirty percent over outside prices, and a lot of it is fake… I squeezed one of the comforters and it felt like there was steel wool stuffed inside — it was poking my hand, brother!”

“…The goods aren’t great, but all the new people from our division buy here.”

“Why?” Qin Yu didn’t get it.

“Because this store belongs to Squad Leader Yuan’s cousin,” Qi Lin said quietly. “It’s basically the Police Division’s designated supplier.”

Qin Yu’s expression crumbled. He held back for a long moment before saying, “Can I ask — does Director Li shop here too?”

“Now you’re just being difficult. Even if Director Li wanted to buy here, Squad Leader Yuan wouldn’t dare sell to him.” Qi Lin rolled his eyes and explained, “It’s only new recruits who come here. Buy for a couple of months, and after that you don’t need to shop here anymore.”

“I’m not buying here for a single day. This is just ripping people off like they’re idiots!” Qin Yu said without hesitation. “Come on, take me somewhere else.”

Qi Lin was taken aback. “You’ve already spent so much — does this little bit really matter? Listen to me, everyone buys here. Don’t make yourself stand out.”

“I bought the phone. That’s already giving the squad leader plenty of face.” Qin Yu turned and walked toward the exit.

“Hey, Xiao Yu, just hear me out…”

“Are you getting a commission?”

“Listen to me, it’s fine, just buy a few things…”

“Buy my ass. The toilet paper feels like razor blades — one wipe and I’d need a damn bandage.” Qin Yu didn’t bother negotiating and walked straight out.

……

Four-thirty in the afternoon.

Outside Room 2 of the First Criminal Investigation Unit in the Police Division dormitory building, Qi Lin called out cheerfully to the people inside, “Third Brother, the new guy’s here.”

Inside, six or seven young men were gathered around a round table playing cards. The one leading the group heard Qi Lin’s voice, looked up, and glanced at Qin Yu. “Come in.”

The two walked in. Qin Yu scanned the room — it was under thirty square meters, yet packed with six bunk beds totaling twelve bunks, two shared iron cabinets, and a lot of personal belongings. It was cramped, to say the least, but reasonably tidy on the whole — at least there wasn’t any particular smell.

“Qin Yu, let me introduce you. This is Third Brother, leader of Action Group One.” Qi Lin tactfully made the introduction. “Third Brother has been on the job for three years, outstanding in the field, and is Squad Leader Yuan’s right-hand man. Third Brother, this is Qin Yu — our new brother.”

“Hey, Third Brother.” Qin Yu smiled and extended his hand.

Third Brother had a short buzz cut. He turned his head slightly to look at Qin Yu, cards still in hand,Only giving him a symbolic nod, then asked: “Where are you coming from?”

　　”The unplanned zone.” Qin Yu answered honestly.

　　The third brother was taken aback: “The unplanned zone? What were you doing out there?”

　　”Helping my boss deliver goods, mostly daily necessities.”

　　”Running street routes? That’s no easy job.”

　　”No, no, I just handle the driving.”

　　”Ah, a driver.” The look of surprise on the third brother’s face had already faded, and he asked lazily: “What connections did you use to get into the police division?”

　　”A friend put in a word, but I paid my own way in.”

　　”Heh, bought your way in, huh?” The third brother was now staring down at the cards in his hand: “Alright, wait for Captain Yuan to come back and sort things out. Qi Lin, let him have the bed by the window.”

　　”Sure.”

　　Qi Lin turned to Qin Yu and said: “You can take the inner bed.”

　　”Fine.” Qin Yu picked up his luggage that he had left at the gatehouse earlier, along with the daily supplies he had just bought, and started heading inside.

　　”Hey, hold on.” The third brother turned his head, spotted what Qin Yu was carrying, and immediately called out.

　　”What is it, Third Brother?” Qin Yu turned around.

　　The third brother glanced at the plastic bag in Qin Yu’s hand: “Where did you buy those supplies?”

　　”I can’t remember the name of the place, just some shop next to the unit.” Qin Yu replied casually.

　　The third brother kept playing his cards, expressionless, and asked with his back to Qi Lin: “Qi Lin, didn’t you tell the new guy where we buy our stuff?”

　　Qi Lin felt a bit awkward hearing that. Because if he said in front of Qin Yu that the guy hadn’t listened, it would make him look disloyal. But if he said nothing, he’d be taking the blame for no reason.

　　After a brief two-second silence, Qin Yu immediately jumped in: “Qi Lin did tell me to buy supplies from across the street. But the stuff there was a bit pricey, and I was running low on cash, so I went to the one next door instead.”

　　”Two of pairs.” The third brother kept playing his cards, let Qin Yu hang for a good few seconds, then finally said: “Ah, no big deal, go sort out your bed.”

　　”Alright.” Qin Yu nodded and walked to the inner side, bowing his head and opening his bundle to start making his bed.

　　Qi Lin stood nearby, diligently helping to tidy up while quietly advising: “New guys who just move into the dorm always sleep on the upper bunk by the window, because there’s a draft over here and it gets pretty cold at night… later on, throw your jacket over your blanket, tough it out for a while, and once another new person comes in it’ll be fine.”

　　”That’s nothing, I’ve lived outdoors for months.” Qin Yu didn’t take it to heart at all, bowed his head and opened his bag, and with a subtle motion pulled out two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes and slipped them into Qi Lin’s hands.

　　”What’s this?” Qi Lin froze, holding the cigarettes.

　　”I saw you smoking an e-cigarette earlier.” Qin Yu said with a smile: “I don’t have much to offer, so take these two cartons, you’ve been running around with me all day, thanks a lot.”

　　In an era where even getting enough to eat was a problem, tobacco cigarettes were an extreme luxury. Not to mention these were a legacy brand from before the calendar reset — the vast majority of smokers had never even laid eyes on them, let alone smoked one.

　　Qi Lin held the two cartons, eyes wide with astonishment: “You can get this stuff in the unplanned zone? Zhonghua — I haven’t seen these in how many years?!”

　　”Poor places have their own perks.” Qin Yu grinned: “I’ll sort out the rest myself, go do your thing, I’ll treat you to something to eat later.”

　　”Thanks a lot, brother!” Qi Lin didn’t stand on ceremony, bowed his head and tucked the cigarettes into his pocket.

　　Just as the two were talking, the third brother suddenly turned around, tilted his head, and said to Qin Yu with a smile: “Well well, got some quality goods on you, huh?”

　　Qin Yu hadn’t expected this guy to have been watching him the whole time, so he paused for a moment and replied: “A friend gave them to me.”

　　”Nice stuff, none of us have ever seen these.” The third brother said with a cold laugh.

　　Qi Lin was briefly stunned, then immediately pulled out the two cartons of Zhonghua, hunched over and walked across saying: “We’re all brothers here, let’s smoke together. Come on, come on, one each.”

　　Qin Yu had given the cigarettes to Qi Lin because the guy had spent half the day going around with him, and he felt a bit bad about it, so he offered two cartons as a token of thanks — but he didn’t feel like he owed anything to the rest of the people in the room. Now that the third brother had noticed and called it out directly, and considering he’d have to keep living in this room going forward, he didn’t want things to get too tense, so after a moment’s thought he bowed his head and pulled another carton of Zhonghua from his bag.

　　At the card table, the third brother reached out and pushed Qi Lin’s arm away: “That smoke’s too good, I’ve never had it before, not used to it.”

　　Qi Lin froze in place upon hearing that.

　　Qin Yu caught the barb in those words, frowned, and stuffed the cigarettes back into his bag, continuing to sort out his things.

　　The third brother tossed down his cards, a smile on his face, turned to Qin Yu and said: “We have a rule here — new people pull three shifts in a row. Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, you’re on street duty. No problem, right?”

　　Qin Yu looked up at Qi Lin upon hearing this, and the latter’s eyes shifted slightly — he immediately understood what was going on: “Third Brother, how are these three shifts structured?”

　　”Back to back — daytime at the station, nighttime on the streets.” The third brother picked up his cup and took a sip.

　　”There’s overtime pay, right? Heh.” Qin Yu asked again.

　　”It’s an internal squad rule, what overtime pay?” The third brother replied without even looking up.

　　”Xiao Yu, if it’s three shifts then it’s three shifts. I’ll swap with someone and keep you company for two of them.” Qi Lin hesitated for a long while, looked down at the Zhonghua cigarettes in his hand, and finally forced himself to speak up.

　　”Pretty loyal of you, Xiao Qi.” The young man sitting to the third brother’s left said with an amused smirk.

　　”We’re all brothers, we look out for each other.” Qi Lin smiled.

　　The third brother set down his cup, pointed at Qi Lin and said: “Once he gets his uniform, tell him how the shifts work.”

　　”Got it.” Qi Lin nodded.

　　”Third Brother, I can’t do these shifts.” Qin Yu suddenly said.

　　The moment the words fell, the room went completely silent.

　　The third brother licked his lips, tilted his head and looked at Qin Yu: “Every new person does them, why can’t you?”

　　”My heart isn’t good, I can’t handle pulling all-nighters.”

　　”No worries, I’ll get you some quick-acting heart pills, you’re still doing the three shifts.”

　　”I said, I can’t do them.” Qin Yu replied with a smile.

　　”What the f**k!” After being pushed back twice by the new guy, the third brother’s expression instantly darkened: “Who do you think you are? Everyone else can do it, why the hell can’t you?”

　　”Third Brother, Third Brother, we’re all brothers here, what’s all this about? Let’s talk it out… heh.” Qi Lin stepped forward to smooth things over.

　　”Bang!”

　　The third brother threw a punch into Qi Lin’s shoulder: “Who the hell are you? You got something to say? Who’s your brother?!”

　　Qi Lin clutched the cigarettes in his hand, head bowed from the hit, standing there not knowing whether to keep talking or just walk away.

　　The third brother led four people forward, tilted his head and looked at Qin Yu: “Next week is all your shifts, every single day. It ends when you have a heart attack. Understood?”