Summer mornings in Qianjiao County were quite cool.
At the intersection of the only three main roads in the county’s eastern district stood a bustling breakfast shop. The storefront had three stalls in all: one sold congee, side dishes, baozi, and mantou; one sold soy milk, fried flatbread, and other convenient foods; and one sold all kinds of sweet breakfast treats.
“It smells so good!”
Yang Wenqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva, lifted the water flask at his waist and gulped down some cooled boiled water. Then he forced himself not to look at those tempting baozi, took a vicious bite of the somewhat hard rice cake in his hand, and strode quickly toward East Third Street. His destination was the most iconic building on East Third Street: the security station.
The place where he had taken up his post was still only a security station. Aside from the slightly low wages, there was nothing bad about it.
As he crossed the road, Yang Wenqing heard a crisp ringing coming from deep down another street. It was a rail bus. An earthy-yellow stream of light shimmered beneath its chassis; if one looked closely, one would find that it was hovering above the tracks.
Yang Wenqing’s footsteps unconsciously quickened, because that bus arrived at the intersection at seven-fifty, and he had to report for roll call at the security station at eight.
At this moment, all the shops on both sides of the street had already opened for business. Most of them sold leather goods, and the majority were marked with the words “wholesale.”
“Wenqing!”
A voice suddenly rang out.
Yang Wenqing turned his head and saw a young man also dressed in a trainee city defense uniform.
“Ah Yong!”
Yang Wenqing greeted him politely. This was Ye Yong from the same squad as him, who had only taken up his post last week.
Ye Yong was on the other side of the street. After greeting him, he quickly walked over, while taking a meat bun from an oil-paper bag and stuffing it into his mouth.
Seeing this, Yang Wenqing swallowed the rice cake in his hand in one gulp, washed it down with a large mouthful of water, then quickened his pace toward the security station, lest his appetite be stirred up again.
The reason he was in such straits was that he had too much debt. Every month, he was borrowing from one place to pay another. This debt was money he had borrowed from the clan ancestral hall when he was admitted into the city’s Police Academy, totaling fifty thousand yuan.
That he had been able to obtain a loan from the clan was thanks to his reputation as a genius. From childhood, he had been very intelligent in the clan school. Later, when he practiced qi with the other clan children, he had also been the first to grasp qi sense. At sixteen, with the help of the clan elders, he had drawn his first spell talisman.
This sum of money did not seem like much, but his current monthly salary was only twelve hundred, and what reached his hands was just over a thousand. Of that, eight hundred had to go toward repaying the debt. Since there were also younger siblings at home, his parents could not support him with even a single cent. They could only entrust others each month to bring some rice and flour into the city.
As he approached the security station’s main gate, more and more colleagues appeared on the street, including some experienced sergeants. Yang Wenqing greeted his seniors while quickly entering the security station.
The front courtyard of the security station was very casual; ordinary people could enter, so it seemed rather lively. But entering the rear courtyard was much stricter. Both entrances were staffed by police guards on duty twenty-four hours a day. When he entered, an array checked whether the badge on his chest matched the aura stored on record.
There were several office areas in the rear courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, a flying shuttle was parked. At full speed, it could reach any area of the eastern district within three minutes, and support the county’s western district, the farthest from here, within ten minutes.
When Yang Wenqing entered the rear courtyard, Ye Yong had just caught up with him. By now, Ye Yong had already finished his breakfast, and the oil-paper bag in his hand had been thrown who knew where.
“Wenqing, today’s the day you receive your rank, right?”
Ye Yong’s tone carried urgency and envy.
Yang Wenqing nodded. He had already completed a full year of internship. Soon there would be an extra chevron on his shoulder, and his salary would also increase by three hundred yuan. He would be one step closer to escaping poverty, and at the same time, he would obtain the right to enforce the law and the right to carry a gun.
This world was not safe. A handgun was standard equipment for every formal police guard.
When he got off work yesterday, his direct superior, Xiao Liang, captain of the security station’s Second Patrol Squad, had specially reminded him not to be late this morning, because the station chief had to personally confer his rank.
As the two spoke, they walked toward a room on the far left side of the courtyard with its door wide open. The moment they entered, the scent of fragrant herbs rushed toward them. They had long since grown used to this smell. The first thing they did after entering was check in on the jade slip array by the door.
“Xiao Yang, you’re finally here.”
A woman’s voice rang out, and then a middle-aged woman walked over.
She had a full figure, and her light-blue city defense uniform was neat and efficient. Fine lines had already crept into the corners of her eyes, and her gaze was capable yet gentle. Her hair was coiled behind her head in a simple bun, with a few loose strands hanging by her ears. On her shoulder strap was the crossed blade-and-shield insignia of a senior sergeant.
As she spoke, she walked toward Yang Wenqing, holding a police cap in her hand. When she reached his side, she skillfully placed it on Yang Wenqing’s head.
“Sister Liu.” Yang Wenqing hurriedly stood at attention and adjusted the police cap that had suddenly been put on him. This was his own police cap, but no one wore it when going home after work.
“The station chief will personally confer your rank in a bit. Look sharp. This is a big matter,” Sister Liu instructed sternly. After saying this, she looked at Ye Yong again. “You should look sharp too. Go put your cap on.”
As soon as she finished speaking, three formal police guards and one senior police guard walked in one after another. With this, all the members of Patrol Squad Two, except for Captain Xiao Liang, had arrived.
Sister Liu was just about to say something when the four who had entered gave the three people in the room a meaningful look, then quickly walked to their respective desks, picked up their police caps, and put them on properly.
Yang Wenqing immediately understood what was going on. Just as Sister Liu stepped aside, two more people walked in.
“Station Chief!”
Everyone, including Yang Wenqing, called out respectfully at the same time.
The man walking in front was none other than Wang Ren, chief of the East City Security Station. He wore a pure white uniform, and the silver star on his shoulder strap was especially eye-catching. Aside from his badge, there was also a row of service ribbons on his chest.
The person behind Station Chief Wang Ren was Xiao Liang, captain of the Second Patrol Squad. He also wore a pale-blue uniform. On his shoulder strap was the crossed blade-and-shield insignia, plus a chevron. This was the highest rank among the lower-level police guards: veteran sergeant.
Wang Ren’s gaze swept over everyone, lingering briefly on Yang Wenqing. Then he walked to the space specially cleared at the front of the room, looked at Yang Wenqing, and said in a loud yet amiable voice, “Xiao Yang, come here.”
Yang Wenqing appeared very calm. Under the gaze of his colleagues, he walked up to the station chief, stood at attention, and saluted.
Wang Ren returned the salute, then took a small square box wrapped in dark-blue velvet from Xiao Liang’s hands. He opened the box. Inside lay a brand-new pair of shoulder straps, with a silver “V”-shaped chevron clearly visible on the light-gray base.
“Xiao Yang, from today onward, you are a formal police guard. In the future, you must perform your duties with utmost diligence and safeguard peace in your jurisdiction.” Wang Ren’s voice was not loud, but it was especially clear in the quiet room.
As he spoke, he personally removed the blank trainee shoulder straps, then replaced them with the new ones.
“Yes, Station Chief!”
Yang Wenqing straightened his chest, his voice firm.
Wang Ren patted him on the shoulder. “Work hard.”
Afterward, a burst of applause rang out in the room. When the applause ended, Captain Xiao Liang stepped forward with a smile and handed Yang Wenqing two documents, saying, “These are your gun permit and law enforcement certificate. Keep them safe. Reissuing them if they’re lost is quite troublesome. You can go to the equipment room to collect your gun later. I’ve already issued the proof.”
“Thank you, Captain!”
Yang Wenqing once again stood at attention and saluted, then accepted the two documents.
Next, Station Chief Wang Ren encouraged Yang Wenqing with a few more words, then left the room accompanied by Xiao Liang.
As soon as the station chief left, Ye Yong was the first to come over. He enviously touched the chevron on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder. “Wenqing, you have to treat us tonight.”
Sister Liu interrupted, “No need for all that trouble. I’ve already ordered two roast geese from Li’s. Remember to pick them up when you finish your patrol at noon.”
Yang Wenqing let out a breath of relief when he heard this. He was not afraid of anything right now except sudden expenses. Although he had long prepared the money to treat everyone, he was not exactly well-off. Two roast geese were entirely within what he could accept.
“Thank you, Sister Liu.”
He thanked her in a low voice. At this moment, the remaining squad members also loudly congratulated Yang Wenqing.
After they finished offering their congratulations, Xiao Liang returned to the room. He looked around and said, “Everyone, get ready.”
“Yes!”
As everyone responded, all except Sister Liu walked toward the changing room inside. At the entrance to the changing room was an incense table, and the fragrant herbal scent in the room was precisely what it gave off.
The changing room was surrounded on all four sides by solid walls. Array runes also flickered across the surface of the walls. The ceiling lights were very bright, and image-recording arrays were installed in every corner.
Yang Wenqing first walked to his locker, took out the tactical belt inside, and put it on. Then he took out two swords, one long and one short, and fastened them to the belt. He also picked up a metal bracer and put it on his left wrist. This bracer was a defensive array, standard equipment for every police guard member. Last were handcuffs carved with special runes.
“Wenqing, go collect your gun first. We’ll wait for you in the small courtyard.” After placing his own gun into its holster, Xiao Liang gave Yang Wenqing an instruction.
“Understood, Captain!” After Yang Wenqing agreed, he put on his police gloves. A green light flashed across the surface of the gloves; clearly, they also contained a rune array. Their function was to help police guard members quickly draw spell talismans.
The equipment room was the third room on the left side of the rear courtyard. After entering, one could only see a wall forged from metal. In the middle of the wall was a service window, and inside the window was a middle-aged man wearing the shoulder straps of a senior sergeant.
“Brother Hai!”
When the sergeant opposite looked at him, Yang Wenqing took the initiative to greet him, an appropriate smile appearing on his face. This sergeant was from the same clan as him, though they were already beyond the five mourning grades.
“Wenqing, you’re here to collect your gun, right? I prepared it for you long ago.”
Yang Hai smiled. When Yang Wenqing walked up to the service counter, he immediately took out a brand-new holster. Inside the holster was a revolver. Its official name was the “Basic Class-B Type 3 Handgun,” and its effective range was within thirty meters.
When Yang Wenqing took the gun, Yang Hai took out a small box of bullets and said, “There are six bullets here. One of them is an explosive round. Keep them safe.”
“Understood.”
Yang Wenqing answered seriously. He took the handgun from the holster, turned off the safety, and loaded the bullets first. After chatting briefly with Yang Hai, he left the equipment room.
In the small courtyard, the Second Patrol Squad had long since finished assembling. Without waiting for the captain to call him, Yang Wenqing jogged over. Captain Xiao Liang glanced at the holster at his waist, then formed a hand seal. When the seal took shape, a white light flashed across the badge on his chest.
“Ahem, ahem—”
A clear cough immediately echoed beside Yang Wenqing’s ear. After that, Sister Liu’s voice came through. “No problems, right?”
This was the bureau’s communication device.
After everyone responded in turn, Xiao Liang looked at Yang Wenqing and asked, “The first spell you learned was the Immobilization Spell, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then you’ll be in a group with Li Ming. He has mastered the Clear Heart Spell. The two of you will patrol District 3.”
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