Inside the dormitory.
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes at Lao San and his crew, his reply terse. “I heard you, but that’s not my job. I’m not doing it.”
“What, you got a big shot relative in the Department?” Lao San grinned, reaching out to grab Qin Yu by the collar. “You just fucking got here and you’re already trying to start shit. You think you’ve got what it takes?”
“Don’t touch me.”
“Heh, what are you, a fucking cactus? I’m touching you, so what?” Lao San was also heavily built. He raised his right arm, paused slightly, and threw a short, explosive punch straight at the side of Qin Yu’s head.
Qin Yu sidestepped and pulled back. With a sharp smack, his hands clamped around Lao San’s wrist while his right leg swung in a tight horizontal arc.
“Bang, crash!”
A deafening noise erupted as Lao San was pitched onto the bed, his head smacking directly into the iron railing.
“Beat his ass!”
Lao San roared, clutching his head.
Qin Yu bent down, leaning his upper body into the bottom bunk. His left hand grabbed Lao San’s collar, and his right leg rose, driving his knee straight toward Lao San’s temple.
“Bang!”
The impact snapped Lao San’s head back, his skull thudding heavily against the wall. “Beat him to death! I’ll take the fall!”
The others instantly rushed him. But Qin Yu nimbly slipped out from the bunk, backing up two quick steps. He wedged himself into the blind spot between the windowsill and the bed, crouching slightly.
Lao San got up, yanking a telescopic police baton off the wall. He stalked toward Qin Yu, muttering darkly, “You little shit, trying to turn the place upside down as soon as you arrive…”
Just then, the half-open door was pushed wide. A woman in a light green police uniform bellowed at the top of her lungs, “What is going on?!”
Everyone turned in unison.
Lao San froze. Wiping the blood from his forehead, he immediately plastered on a smile. “Sister Wen.”
“I could hear you tearing up this room all the way from the hallway! What are you doing, trying to kill someone?!” The woman was in her early thirties and a bit on the short side, but quite pretty. She had an oval face tapering to a narrow chin, large eyes, and a fresh, lively look about her.
“It’s nothing. A new kid arrived, we were just having a chat,” Lao San replied with a grin.
Sister Wen swept her gaze across the room, looking at Lao San with open annoyance. “Why do you have to be such a bully? Did he really offend you the second he got here?”
“No, I told him to take a shift, he refused, and then he cursed at me.” Lao San casually lowered the baton, still grinning as he explained.
“How many times have I caught you playing cards during your shift?” Sister Wen rolled her eyes at him, warning impatiently, “If you make any more noise, don’t blame me when I report you.”
“Got it, Sister Wen,” Lao San nodded repeatedly.
Sister Wen didn’t bother stepping fully into the room. She just stood at the doorway and called out to Qin Yu, “Are you the new guy?”
“Yes.” Qin Yu nodded.
“Why haven’t you come to get your uniform?”
“I went earlier, but no one was there,” Qin Yu replied, playing the clueless rookie.
Sister Wen glared at him. “Bullshit. I’ve been in the office the whole time.”
Qin Yu paused. “Ah, then I must not have found the right place.”
“Come with me to get your clothes,” Sister Wen tossed back, turning to leave.
“Okay.” Qin Yu immediately nodded. He bent down to grab his luggage and headed for the door, calling out to Qi Lin on the way. “Come with me for a bit.”
Qi Lin had no idea how to face Lao San right now, so he jumped at the chance and hurried after him.
Back in the dorm, Lao San sat up and rubbed the swelling lump on the back of his head. He spat a wad of bloody phlegm onto the floor. “This bastard knows a move or two. Pretty ruthless.”
“You okay, Brother San?”
Lao San didn’t answer. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Hey, you in the office? Nothing much, I just wanted to ask—that Qin Yu who got assigned to our team today, does he have connections up top? …No? You sure? Ah, alright, got it.”
…
In the hallway.
Sister Wen walked with her hands behind her back. “You got connections up top?”
Qin Yu blinked. “No.”
“If not, then keep your head down. The environment here is complicated.” Despite her cold expression, Sister Wen’s warning was well-meaning. “Try not to butt heads with them. Doing a little extra work won’t kill you.”
“Thank you, Sister Wen.” Qin Yu nodded.
Sister Wen didn’t say anything else. She led Qin Yu to the first-floor warehouse, picked out a regular police uniform, a police training uniform, a pair of handcuffs, and a baton for him, then walked away.
Down in the first-floor lobby, Qi Lin checked his watch. “I need to run some files over later, so I won’t go up with you. When you go back, try to smooth things over. Don’t fight with them. That Lao San is backed by Team Leader Yuan. Offending him won’t end well for you.”
“Heh, alright, I get it.” Qin Yu smiled and nodded. “If you’re free tonight, let’s grab dinner.”
“Yeah, if I’m free, I’ll come find you.” Qi Lin readily agreed.
After a few more words, Qin Yu grabbed his gear and headed back to the dorm. By the time he arrived, Lao San and the main crew were gone. Only two guys were left in the room. They shot Qin Yu a cold glare before turning back to their conversation on the beds.
Qin Yu glanced at them, casually strolled over to his bunk, and began efficiently packing his things away, ignoring them completely.
…
Time flew by until around seven in the evening. Having finished unpacking and seeing no sign of Qi Lin, Qin Yu decided to hit the streets alone to scout the area and grab a bite.
Qin Yu hopped off the bed. He pulled a fanny pack from under his pillow, strapped it around his waist, and headed for the door.
“Whoa, sorry.”
Qin Yu had just stepped out when he nearly collided with a rushing Qi Lin. The two paused. “We had an impromptu meeting, got held up,” Qi Lin immediately explained. “You’re heading out?”
“I thought you weren’t coming. I was just about to go for a stroll and find some food.” Qin Yu smiled warmly. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
“I’m meeting a friend to talk over some stuff today. Is it okay if we all go together?” Qi Lin asked.
“Sure.” Qin Yu was mildly surprised but agreed easily. “No problem. Let’s go together.”
“Okay.”
Chatting as they went, the two walked downstairs and met another young man in the lobby of the dormitory building.
Qi Lin’s friend was named Li Fugui, though everyone called him Lao Mao. According to the veterans in the Police Department, he had some kind of connection to Bureau Director Li. However, the two rarely interacted, so outsiders were left guessing about the actual relationship. Lao Mao was famously unreliable. His most outrageous stunt was getting very drunk and openly soliciting prostitutes at his duty post—he even insisted on holding “auditions”—only to get caught by Internal Affairs. Yet, despite being the mastermind, he walked away with a demerit and an administrative suspension for half a month. Meanwhile, two colleagues who had never gotten along with him suffered the fallout, being pressured to resign and stripped of rank.
Despite the rustic-sounding name, Lao Mao was genuinely handsome. If Qin Yu possessed resolute features and a spirited, heroic look about his eyes and brows, Lao Mao had a roguish, bad-boy charm. He looked a bit like Zhang Yishan, who had once been very popular.
The three met up, and Qi Lin gave a brief introduction. “This is Lao Mao, a friend who looks out for me. This is Qin Yu, the new Probationary Police Officer in Team One.”
“Heard you got into it with Lao San and his group on your first day?” Lao Mao asked, one hand stuffed in his pocket and a smirk on his face. “Brother’s got a bit of a temper, huh?”
“No, we just exchanged a few words.” Qin Yu, sensing Lao Mao’s brash personality, gave a noncommittal reply.
“I can’t stand those pricks either. If you gotta fight ’em, fight ’em.” Lao Mao curled his lip. “Everyone in Team One is a scumbag. Everything they do is rotten.”
Qin Yu didn’t quite know what to say to that and glanced at Qi Lin. Qi Lin just scratched his head. “Lao Mao’s just like that. He says whatever’s on his mind.”
“Where are we eating?” Lao Mao asked.
“I just got here, I don’t know any of the good spots,” Qin Yu said quietly. “You guys lead the way.”
“Who’s treating?” Lao Mao blinked his shrewd eyes, lowering his voice.
“I’m treating,” Qin Yu chuckled.
“Ah, you’re paying…” Lao Mao waved a hand. “Let’s go to Sister Er’s place.”
“Don’t. It’s really expensive,” Qi Lin warned.
“Is it your money?” Lao Mao shot back with a sideways glance.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve still got some change in my pocket. It’s definitely enough for dinner.” In truth, Qin Yu’s heart ached a little. In this era, resources were agonizingly scarce. Produce and grain—things that required vast tracts of arable land—were absolute luxuries. Out in the Unplanned Zone, people had to risk their lives just to scrounge up a single ration. For the vast majority of the poor, eating at a restaurant was something that didn’t even happen once a year. But despite the sting to his wallet, Qin Yu knew he was a newcomer who needed to build connections. The cost of socializing was unavoidable, especially now that he had a stable job.
Having settled on a destination, the three walked about two kilometers down the road until they reached a restaurant called the Little Tavern.
Standing by the curb, Qin Yu took one look at the storefront and unconsciously patted his fanny pack, wincing again at the thought of the bill.
“Let’s go,” Lao Mao called out, stepping up toward the entrance.
“Vroom!”
Suddenly, an ear-splitting engine roared from the street, followed instantly by an old-looking SUV stopping right in front of the door.
The three turned around. Lao Mao’s eyes widened in shock. “What kind of family can afford a gasoline car?”
In this day and age, gasoline cars were incredibly rare. Most of the world had been reduced to no-man’s land—either frozen wastelands or deadly radiation zones. Oil extraction had ground to a halt, making fuel an extremely scarce resource. Lao Mao’s shock was entirely justified.
After the SUV stopped by the curb, four men and a young woman got out and walked toward the restaurant.
“Come on, let’s go in.” Qin Yu had seen a fair bit of the world in the Unplanned Zone. He only glanced at the gasoline car before turning toward the door. Lao Mao, however, remained rooted to the spot. His eyes were glued to the young woman walking among the men. “Hot. Pretty. Beautiful!” he muttered, grinning.
Qin Yu looked back, saw Lao Mao’s lecherous stare, and called out in exasperation. “Let’s go. She came with four guys.”
Surrounded by the men, the girl blinked her large, striking eyes. She glanced around before lowering her head. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Don’t even think about trying anything. Hurry up.” A short, middle-aged man looked down as he scolded her. His accent was stiff, carrying a heavy Japanese inflection.
“Buzz, buzz!”
At the same moment, the phone in Qi Lin’s pocket vibrated twice. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and a conflicted look crossed his face as he looked up at Qin Yu walking ahead of him.