Chapter 1: The New Arrival
Songjiang City, District 9, Northern Asia.
Standing inside the office building of the Black Street District Police Department—a branch under the Municipal Police Bureau—Qin Yu smiled politely at a middle-aged officer. “Ready for me?”
“Yeah, come on in.” The middle-aged officer waved a hand and led him into a spacious, sixty-square-meter office.
Behind a heavy wooden desk sat Chief Li—a man in his early forties with a sharp handlebar mustache and a heavy, fleshy face carrying a cold, intimidating expression.
The middle-aged officer placed two thick stacks of files on the desk. “Chief, this is the last one. Medical exam is done.”
“Alright. You can head out.”
Once the door closed, Qin Yu stepped forward two paces and stood quietly. Chief Li frowned at the paperwork, reading aloud in a gravelly voice. “Qin Yu. Twenty-two years old, seventy-five kilograms, 1.82 meters tall... Born before the New Era. Ancestral home: J City. Lived in the Unplanned Zone prior to enlistment. Parents missing, presumed dead. No known relatives... Hm? Why is your employment history completely blank?”
“Because I don’t have one,” Qin Yu replied with a faint smile. “Just surviving in the Unplanned Zone takes everything you’ve got. You take whatever job puts food in your stomach. There’s no such thing as a resume out there.”
“Heh.” Chief Li let out a short chuckle. “You could’ve made something up. Leaving it blank doesn’t look great in the system.”
“Understood. I’ll fill in a few details later,” Qin Yu agreed without argument.
“No employment history means no military service either. Any experience handling firearms?”
“None,” Qin Yu lied smoothly, shaking his head.
“Any criminal record?”
“No, sir.”
Chief Li fell silent, slowly setting the file down. “In a place like the Unplanned Zone—where there are no laws—to make enough money to buy an official work and residency permit for District 9... You’ve got quite a story, kid.”
“Not at all,” Qin Yu grinned. “Just got lucky and ran into a few decent people.”
Chief Li took a slow sip of tea, sizing him up. “The situation in District 9 is unique. Although it falls under the United Government, it enjoys high autonomous freedom. It’s fundamentally different from the Eight Main Districts—a melting pot of Asians, Black, and White populations. The social landscape is complex, and in certain sectors, there’s chaos we simply can’t fix right now. As an officer, you need to adapt.”
“Understood, sir,” Qin Yu nodded solemnly.
“And another thing,” Chief Li added sternly. “I don’t care what background you have out there, but as long as you’re eating at my table, if you’re a dragon, you coil up; if you’re a tiger, you lie down. Cause trouble, and I’ll deal with you immediately.”
“Chief Li, I came here to reduce trouble for you,” Qin Yu chuckled softly.
Chief Li tapped his desk phone and called Detective Team 1. “Send someone over to pick up a newcomer.”
Hanging up, Chief Li gestured for him to wait outside. Qin Yu stepped forward, reached into his pocket, and placed a tiny black pouch on the desk. “Xiao Qi specifically reminded me that entering the police system is the hardest job to secure right now. Without your help, I wouldn’t even know how long I’d be stuck in the queue. I couldn’t forget my manners.”
Chief Li opened the pouch. Seeing a raw diamond the size of a soybean inside, he froze slightly. “You’ve got some capable people in the Unplanned Zone to get something like this. How many years has it been since I last saw one?”
He tossed the pouch into a drawer, locked it, and pointed at Qin Yu. “You’re young, but you’ve got a solid head on your shoulders.”
A few minutes later, a chubby young officer around Qin Yu’s age stepped in, giving a crisp salute. “Reporting to Chief Li! Third-Class Officer Qi Lin of Team 1, here to escort our new colleague!”
Chief Li patted Qin Yu’s arm. “Work hard. Try to make sure I see your name during end-of-year evaluations.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell Yuan Ke to look out for this young man,” Chief Li instructed Qi Lin.
Out in the hallway, Qi Lin walked on Qin Yu’s left. “Where are you from, brother?”
“The Unplanned Zone.”
“You came from that hellhole?” Qi Lin was surprised. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
“Just a bit of luck,” Qin Yu smiled.
It took over an hour for Qi Lin to walk Qin Yu through all five floors of the building, introducing the armory, interrogation rooms, common office area, training hall, and cafeteria. This administrative branch was responsible for criminal matters and street patrols, but left household registration and border clearance to other departments. Qin Yu noticed Qi Lin was an exceptionally smooth operator—he could strike up a conversation with anyone they passed, yet showed endless patience in answering Qin Yu’s questions.
Around two in the afternoon, Qi Lin led Qin Yu to the Communications Department to purchase an internal-issue mobile phone. Qin Yu examined the single available model—it was outdated, and the price tag was absurdly high.
“I’ll just buy one outside later,” Qin Yu muttered.
Qi Lin whispered in his ear, “You’d better buy it here. The sales counter is privately contracted out to a close friend of Captain Yuan’s. Every new recruit buys their phone here. Best not to stand out. Once your file enters the database, you just log in with your badge number.”
Having lived in the lawless Unplanned Zone, Qin Yu understood basic worldly wisdom. Swallowing his pain, he bought it. Qin Yu was an exceptionally thrifty—and downright stingy—man who would demand a warranty manual even when buying socks. Yet it was this stinginess that allowed him to save enough to buy a job in District 9.
Next, Qi Lin led him out toward a general goods store across the street. Though it was August, the sky was bitterly cold, with patches of lingering snow along the roadside.
“Does it always snow like this?” Qin Yu asked.
“It’s been snowing for three years straight,” Qi Lin replied.
Entering the large general merchandise store, Qin Yu browsed the shelves. The further he walked, the tighter his brows furrowed. After ten minutes, he hadn’t picked up a single item.
“How come you’re not getting anything?” Qi Lin asked, puffing on an electronic vape.
Qin Yu frowned. “Brother... are you a shill for this place? The goods here are marked up by thirty percent, and half are knockoffs! I squeezed that blanket—it’s stuffed with steel wool! It almost pricked my fingers!”
“The quality isn’t great, but Captain Yuan’s cousin owns this shop,” Qi Lin whispered. “It’s our department’s designated supplier.”
Qin Yu’s expression nearly collapsed. “Let me ask you—does Chief Li buy his stuff here too?”
“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Qi Lin rolled his eyes. “Only newcomers buy here for a couple of months.”
“I’m not buying for a single day! This is treating people like idiots!” Qin Yu said coldly. “I bought the phone, and that’s giving the captain more than enough face.”
“Hey, don’t make yourself an outlier...”
“That toilet paper feels like it’s made of razor blades! One wipe and I’d need a Band-Aid!” Refusing to negotiate, Qin Yu walked out the door.
At 4:30 PM, Qi Lin brought Qin Yu to Dorm Room 2 of Detective Team 1.
Inside the thirty-square-meter room, six or seven young men were gathered around a round table playing cards. The small room held six bunk beds—twelve beds in total—and a mountain of personal gear. The leader of the card players was Lao San, leader of Action Group 1, a buzz-cut officer who served as Captain Yuan’s right hand.
“San-ge, I brought the new guy back,” Qi Lin called out.
Lao San gave Qin Yu a brief once-over. “Where are you from?”
“The Unplanned Zone. I was a driver delivering daily goods.”
“Bought your way in, huh?” The slight curiosity in Lao San’s eyes vanished, replaced by lazy indifference. “Put him on the top bunk near the window, Qi Lin.”
“Works for me,” Qin Yu said, heading over with his luggage.
Qi Lin whispered advice while helping smooth the sheets. “Top bunk by the window leaks wind pretty badly, so it gets freezing... Just drape your coat over your blanket until the next new guy joins.”
“This is nothing. I’ve slept outdoors for months at a time,” Qin Yu dismissed the concern. Reaching into his bag, he surreptitiously pulled out two packs of Chunghwa brand cigarettes and slipped them to Qi Lin. “I don’t have much on me, so take these. Thanks for helping me out all day.”
In an era where food was scarce, flue-cured cigarettes were an extreme luxury. Holding the packs, Qi Lin’s eyes widened. “Chunghwa?! How did you get your hands on these in the Unplanned Zone?!”
Lao San suddenly turned around, sneering. “Oh ho? Carrying high-grade loot, are we?”
Qin Yu paused. “A friend gave them to me.”
“Good stuff. The rest of us have never even seen a pack,” Lao San mocked.
Qi Lin quickly pulled out the packs, bending slightly as he walked toward the table. “We’re all brothers here, let me share them!”
Qin Yu had given the cigarettes to Qi Lin out of gratitude, but seeing Lao San bring it up so pointedly, he reached back into his bag for a third pack.
However, Lao San reached out and pushed Qi Lin’s arm away coldly. “Smoke’s too high-class for me. Never had it, wouldn’t know how to enjoy it.”
Qi Lin stood frozen in pure awkwardness.
Hearing the prickle in Lao San’s tone, Qin Yu shoved his third pack back into his bag and resumed unpacking.
Lao San threw his cards onto the table, turning around with a cold smile. “We’ve got a rule around here. When a new guy arrives, he works three consecutive double shifts. Day shift with the squad, night shift on street patrol. No overtime pay. Got a problem with that?”
Qin Yu looked over at Qi Lin, whose eyes flickered away nervously. Qin Yu instantly understood. “San-ge, I can’t take this shift schedule.”
Dead silence fell over the room.
Lao San glared at him. “Every new guy takes it. Why can’t you?”
“I have a heart condition. I can’t stay up all night.”
“No problem. I’ll get you some quick-acting heart pills. You’re doing the three days.”
“I said, I can’t,” Qin Yu replied, his face completely calm.
“Motherfucker!” Lao San’s face darkened instantly. “Who the fuck do you think you are?!”
Qi Lin stepped forward hastily. “San-ge, we’re all brothers...”
BAM!
Lao San drove a hard fist into Qi Lin’s shoulder, knocking him back. “Who the fuck asked you?! Who’s your brother?!”
Qi Lin stumbled backward, his head bowed in silence.
Lao San waved his hand, and four men stepped forward with him, surrounding Qin Yu. Lao San glared down at him with pure malice. “Next week, every single day is your shift. It ends whenever your fucking heart gives out!”
