Five-thirty in the evening.
Qin Yu, Qi Lin, and their African brother Lao Hei had already eaten in the cafeteria by the time Zhu Wei brought the others back.
“Heh, went out?” Qin Yu asked from his chair.
Zhu Wei loudly gulped down some water and brashly replied, “Some little punk was making trouble for my family. I took the brothers over to check it out. It’s nothing, all settled.”
Qin Yu was silent for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. “Alright, then let’s talk about the case.”
“Are we all working overtime tonight?” Zhu Wei put down his water cup and slouched over to Qin Yu. “Got any cigarettes left? Give me one.”
“I’m out. I only had that one pack, and it’s gone.”
“Fuck, you smoke fast. You should pace yourselves with the good stuff!” Zhu Wei opened his own drawer, took out his e-cigarette, and took a drag. “Are we working overtime tonight?”
“Yeah, Team Leader Yuan ordered us to investigate this case quickly,” Qin Yu nodded. “Everyone’s going to have to work hard tonight. Let’s scout the area first and figure out how these medicine dealers operate.”
Before the others could even respond, Zhu Wei plopped his ass on the desk and said, “No need to scout. The medicine dealers all operate on Tu Zha Street. We can go over there and grab them one by one.”
Qin Yu paused. “We can find them just by going there?”
“Ah, if it weren’t for the higher-ups giving the word, who would bother with these medicine dealers?!” Zhu Wei counted on his fingers. “They openly sell medicine out of storefronts on Tu Zha Street. I’ve run into it plenty of times.”
“Team Leader Yuan told me that drug control in the special zone is very strict. They dare to sell them out in the open like that?”
“Our Ninth District is different from the other zones,” Qi Lin explained. “Because this place was built later, and it’s the only special zone made up of so many different races and ethnic groups, the situation here is more complex. During last year’s chief executive election, military conflicts even broke out in Songjiang and Fengbei. It’s a mess.”
“Oh.” Qin Yu nodded and asked, “Then is sweeping the streets directly going to work?”
Qi Lin was about to answer when Zhu Wei cut in, “Why wouldn’t it? If we grab a few leads now before word of the crackdown leaks out, the case will actually be easier to crack.”
Qin Yu felt Zhu Wei was a bit unreliable. The guy was reckless. So, he turned to Qi Lin and asked, “Do you think a direct sweep is appropriate?”
“I’m not familiar with the situation over there,” Qi Lin scratched his head.
“Haha, him?!” Zhu Wei laughed, curling his lip in a sneer. “This little shit Qi Lin sure knows how to dodge work. Whenever something happens, he hides. He avoids anywhere dangerous, so how would he know the situation over there?”
The words were harsh, but Qi Lin merely smiled and kept quiet.
“Little Qin, you just got here. You definitely can’t go wrong listening to me. We’ll head out and do a sweep tonight. We grab a few leads first, and things will be easy after that.” Completely overstepping his bounds, Zhu Wei shouted, “Brothers, stretch your legs. I’m heading to the armory to sign out our guns.”
Everyone was already used to following Zhu Wei’s orders, so they all stood up.
Qin Yu remained in his chair, staring at Zhu Wei. He didn’t stop him, simply saying softly, “Alright, let’s go check out the situation then.”
Zhu Wei hopped down from the desk and cheerfully slapped Qin Yu’s arm. “Brother, coming to Group Three is your lucky break. We aren’t the type to stir up drama. You treat people generously, and Brother Zhu will definitely get everyone to back you.”
After taking the slap, Qin Yu gritted his teeth and glanced down at his arm.
“Fuck, I forgot, I forgot you were injured.” Zhu Wei froze, immediately stepping closer. “You alright?”
Qin Yu glanced up at him. “It’s fine. Go get the guns.”
“Alright, I’ll go first.” Zhu Wei turned and walked off.
Qin Yu stared at Zhu Wei’s retreating back, his brow slightly furrowed in thought.
“Group Leader, Zhu Wei isn’t like Lao San. He doesn’t have bad intentions. He’s just brash, loves to joke, and likes messing around with people.” Qi Lin walked over and muttered, “Don’t take it to heart!”
You might have encountered someone like Zhu Wei in life. Regardless of your personality, they love cracking entirely inappropriate jokes. They slouch around all day, treating themselves like part of the family, and handle matters without a single thought for anyone else’s feelings. And if you try to get mad at them, they offer a shameless grin, claim it was just a joke, and ask why you’re being so petty. Then they keep doing it, refusing to change…
In regular social circles, you might choose to keep your distance and avoid them. But Qin Yu couldn’t. Zhu Wei was his colleague. They all had to eat from the same pot every day; avoiding him was impossible. But if he kept acting out of turn like this, ordering people around on Qin Yu’s behalf and stealing the group leader’s lines as a regular officer, how was Qin Yu supposed to work? The most troublesome part was that the rest of Group Three were Zhu Wei’s friends. If Qin Yu disciplined him immediately after arriving, it would easily spark internal conflict…
What should he do?
While Qin Yu weighed his options, Qi Lin watched coldly from the sidelines. He also wanted to see when this new kid would clash with Zhu Wei. And once they did clash, whether he could hold on to his post as Group Three Leader.
…
Eight-thirty in the evening.
Two police cars parked at the entrance of Tu Zha Street. Qin Yu and the others stepped out in plainclothes and casually strolled into the area.
Tu Zha Street was the most chaotic part of the entire Black Street District. This place was packed with over ten thousand bottom-rung citizens who held residence rights but lacked stable jobs. On both sides of the road, outside every storefront lit by pink lights, stood at least seven or eight women. They struck seductive poses, constantly waving to solicit customers. In the dark alleys, you could regularly spot heavily drugged junkies sniffling, their hollow eyes scanning the streets. These people had no fixed homes. Today they might steal, tomorrow they might rob, just to scrounge up some food or buy a hit. Just as they felt a fleeting moment of happiness, a heavy snowfall might descend and bury them in these freezing alleys…
Qin Yu had already seen too many people like this and too many places like this back in the Unplanned Zone. His gaze was numb as he simply kept his head down and walked forward.
…
After advancing for nearly a kilometer, the group stopped in front of a nameless storefront.
Zhu Wei scratched his nose and muttered, “This place sells medicine.”
“Doesn’t look like there’s anyone inside.” Qin Yu glanced around and kept his voice low. “I’m not familiar with the situation here. If we raid them right now, can we take them in?”
Qi Lin thought for a moment before replying, “We need to catch them red-handed. We wait for someone to come buy medicine, then we go in.”
Qin Yu stood by the roadside, frowning as he pondered this for a long while. Still feeling uneasy, he said, “If they dare to run this business out in the open, could they really have zero defensive measures? I’m worried we’ll just spook them instead of catching them.”
Zhu Wei’s face immediately flushed with impatience. “I already told you, nobody gave a shit about this before. If you want to sweep them clean, you need the element of surprise. By the time you finish your secret investigations, they’ll have definitely caught wind of it. Breaking the case will be much harder then.”
Qin Yu truly lacked experience living in the Ninth District, nor was he an old hand at criminal investigations. So, after mulling it over for a moment, he turned to Lao Hei. “Zabi, do you think we can raid them?”
“No one really managed this kind of stuff before,” Lao Hei answered honestly. “But if we do a long-term investigation, the news will definitely leak. There are no secrets in the department.”
After a few seconds of silence, Qin Yu immediately issued his orders. “The police cars are too conspicuous, we can’t drive them in… Lao Hei, Xiao Liu, you two move the cars to the back of the street. As soon as we finish the raid, we get in the cars and leave.”
“Understood.”
“The rest of you spread out. Check your weapons, ammo, and bulletproof vests,” Qin Yu ordered again. “The second someone enters the store opposite us, we charge in.”
“Heh, you actually came wearing a bulletproof vest? You’re really timid.” Zhu Wei curled his lip in mockery. “These medicine dealers don’t have any underworld status. A few years ago when I was on patrol, I beat them up all the time. These guys are scared of trouble…”
Qin Yu shot Zhu Wei a glance but remained cautious. “Get to work.”
…
Half an hour later.
Two young men, leading an old man, swaggered into the storefront. Qin Yu, hiding in an alley, spoke into his walkie-talkie. “Check through the glass. See if they’re picking up medicine.”
After a brief wait, Qi Lin responded, “Yes.”
“Everyone move,” Qin Yu immediately barked. “Go in.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the eight men rushed the storefront from three different directions. They yanked open the wooden door and charged inside.
In the dim hall, the two youths and the old man were standing by the counter, currently packing up medicine. Behind the bar, a burly young man smoking an e-cigarette looked toward the entrance in shock.
Zhu Wei strode forward, gun in his right hand, pointing his left hand at the burly young man. “Police Department! Hands on your head, stand to the side!”
The young man snapped out of his daze and stumbled backward. He inadvertently revealed the pistol tucked into his waistband and failed to put his hands on his head.
In this kind of chaotic environment, criminals might pull any sort of extreme stunt when faced with the police. Seeing the gun, Zhu Wei’s left hand shot out and grabbed the young man by the collar. Without holding back in the slightest, he brought his gun down on the man’s head.
“Bam, bam, bam…!”
Zhu Wei struck the man six or seven times with his gun, but the youth was still struggling. Growing anxious, Zhu Wei grabbed him by the hair and slammed him hard against the corner of the counter.
Blood streamed down the burly young man’s head. His eyes rolled back, and he hit the floor with a heavy thud.
At the same time, frantic footsteps echoed from upstairs. A bald man wearing a military greatcoat rushed down. He cast a shocked glance at the scene inside, grabbed a walkie-talkie, and roared, “Damn it, Shop 2 is getting raided! Everyone get out here!”
Silence. Then, after a brief pause…
Deafening footsteps suddenly erupted out on the street. Dozens of people instantly poured out from the single-story houses and buildings on both sides of the road.
Armed with knives, steel pipes, chains, and guns, these people surged forward like a tidal wave, blocking off the front of the storefront.
Looking at the dense, swarming crowd outside, Qin Yu felt a chill run over his scalp. He was instantly reminded of the scenes of people fighting over food back in the Unplanned Zone. Unconsciously, he flicked off the safety of his handgun.
Seeing the scene outside through the glass, Zhu Wei swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. “When… when did their crew get this big? …They’ve certainly grown…”