Tong Haojing's actions best matched Professor Guan's intentions, and he was clearly praised by Professor Guan. Tong Haojing revered Professor Guan and deeply felt that studying the law was his most urgent task at present. Professor Guan said, "Legal provisions are a sharp sword, the weapon in a police officer's hand. We must arm ourselves before we are qualified to respond to incidents and handle cases. This is the key to transforming from a soldier into a police officer."
The campus was shaded by lush green trees, with flowers and grass flourishing.
Tong Haojing got up early every day. Before the morning mist had lifted, he would already be wearing his training uniform and running toward the circular track in front of the teaching building, a standard 400-meter rubber track. Tong Haojing counted his laps, aiming for ten. Police Academy Instructor Ke Suren was a sports enthusiast, and for the needs of his teaching as well, he had kept up physical training for ten years without fail.
Instructor Ke Suren had noticed Tong Haojing long ago. "This man has a dignified bearing and excellent formation skills. He must have come from the military." Seeing that he was neither out of breath nor winded after long-distance running, light as a swallow, and swift, agile, and precise in grappling and combat moves, Ke Suren could not help admiring the young man before him. Ke Suren, a police physical training instructor, had transferred from the special forces and had taught for ten years. During one police physical training class, Ke Suren asked Tong Haojing, "Young man, where are you from?"
Tong Haojing said, "Tangdu City."
Ke Suren said, "You were in the military, weren't you?"
Tong Haojing said, "Yes! I won the military all-around championship." He did not hide it, as though he were still immersed in the glory of military life.
Ke Suren was startled. He carefully sized up the unexpected visitor before him and said, "I was in the military too, a special reconnaissance soldier. We both have that soldier's attachment!" Ke Suren deliberately repeated the words "special reconnaissance soldier."
After Instructor Ke got to know Tong Haojing, their shared military experiences became the bond that brought them closer. Whenever the school held police physical training classes, Instructor Ke would have Tong Haojing serve as his practice partner, and Tong Haojing was more than willing.
In the third week's on-site response class, Instructor Ke set up a scenario: "A violent criminal has taken a girl hostage with a sharp knife. The situation is extremely urgent, and there are many bystanders at the scene." Instructor Ke divided all the trainees into six response teams.
Su Feiya led the first team, Wang Chongyang led the second, Long Xing led the third, and Tong Haojing led the fourth...
The members of the teams before them all followed the textbook procedures step by step. But at the final critical moment, Tong Haojing used an unorthodox signature move he had developed in the military.
After receiving the report, Tong Haojing and his teammates rushed to the scene. The moment Tong Haojing saw that the hostage was a woman, his emotions instantly spiraled out of control. Ignoring coordination with his teammates, he advanced alone and drew his gun in warning. The criminal refused to surrender. No one expected Tong Haojing to abandon the prearranged plan. Instead, he made a risky move that stunned his teammates—he pretended to fall, dropping his gun one meter in front of the criminal.
This was a unique skill Tong Haojing had developed in the Special Operations Unit. It had earned him the respect of his comrades and the approval of his superiors. Once, while assisting local authorities with a major hostage case, Tong Haojing had volunteered to use this move, successfully rescuing an elderly hostage and pinning down the criminal.
The scene was almost identical, and Tong Haojing was thoroughly familiar with it. His practiced movements gave him complete confidence. At that moment, the hostage began screaming, and the danger escalated.
"Send a car over! Send a car over! If you don't agree, I'll kill her!" The criminal began to go mad.
"Don't get agitated. We need time. We're contacting them now..." The negotiation specialist beside Tong Haojing deliberately stalled for time.
"You think you can fool me? Do you take me for an idiot?"
Tong Haojing feared most that the criminal would see through their intentions. The moment the criminal said that, it meant he was about to take real action. Tong Haojing was furious. Spotting his chance, he decisively unleashed his move. Sure enough, the criminal took the bait. Seeing an opportunity, he slowly released the woman and stepped forward to seize the gun. The instant he bent down, Tong Haojing sprang up and kicked him to the ground. The sharp knife fell away. Turning sideways, Tong Haojing immediately executed a throat lock and takedown, pinning him face-down to the ground. The criminal's joints cracked loudly. Tong Haojing moved into a standard handcuffing position, his legs firmly pinning the man so he could not move. Instructor Ke shouted, "Stop! Stop!" He yanked Tong Haojing away, but the opponent's nose was already bleeding.
Tong Haojing froze. "I'm sorry, I lost control!" In truth, the moment he entered the scenario, he suddenly felt that the hostage looked very much like someone. He vaguely felt that the girl was Mei Tingyu, whom he had not seen for many years. More than six years had passed since they parted at Anda Station. He wondered how Mei Tingyu, alone out in the world, had been doing. A woman setting out alone to change her circumstances, change her life, and pursue a better, happier existence—he admired her courage. Yet they had not had any contact since then. Images of Mei Tingyu's lovely voice and smile flashed through Tong Haojing's mind, making him feel sorrowful and miss her even more. The woman before him bore an extremely close resemblance to Mei Tingyu. Tong Haojing had become too immersed in the scenario and had already treated her as Mei Tingyu. Seeing Mei Tingyu, alone in the world, being bullied by someone else, Tong Haojing hated evil with a passion. How could he tolerate the criminal's cruelty? How could he hold back? The skills he had honed in the special forces had happened to come in handy.
Cheers erupted from the crowd, followed by waves of laughter. "A hero saving a beauty—well done!" It was clear that the trainees' applause carried a hint of mockery. Instructor Ke arranged for someone to take the injured man to the school clinic. Tong Haojing stood there blankly, never expecting things to turn out so badly. He deeply regretted it and thought, Now I'm in for a scolding.
As the police physical training class neared its end, Instructor Ke commented, "...Everyone studied seriously and threw themselves into it. It had a real combat effect. In particular, I want to commend Trainee Tong Haojing. He has strong practical combat awareness, and his response was on point..."
The trainees had not expected Tong Haojing's handling of the situation to receive the instructor's approval, nor had Tong Haojing. The sudden praise caught him off guard, and he unconsciously headed toward the clinic... Yet things took a turn. The injured man's condition worsened, and he was immediately transferred to Hexi Hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion and a nosebleed and required hospitalization. His condition was unclear.
The academy attached great importance to the matter and immediately formed an investigation team headed by Discipline Inspection Secretary Lu Wei. The Discipline Inspection Office questioned Instructor Ke and Tong Haojing separately. Instructor Ke blamed himself. He had emphasized the realism of the training task and the safety requirements of police physical training equally, but it was difficult for trainees to grasp the proper degree of force while completing the training task. However, while gathering evidence, the discipline inspectors clearly sensed that Instructor Ke was taking responsibility for Tong Haojing. Tong Haojing also said that he had become too immersed in the training and made a mistake as a result.
Waiting, even for a moment, felt unbearably long. This sudden accident cast a lingering shadow over Tong Haojing's mind. Far from home, aside from hoping for a turn in the situation, Tong Haojing thought of his mother, because she could give him tremendous strength. He also thought of Mei Tingyu, whom he had not seen in a long time, because she could encourage him. It was precisely Mei Tingyu's words when they graduated from middle school—"A good man should aspire to travel far and wide. Joining the military is not a bad path!"—that had set him on the road to military service and given him the chance to transfer into civilian work afterward. In fact, when he felt most helpless, such thoughts often stirred his fighting spirit the most. Stay calm when trouble comes; there was always a solution. Then things took a dramatic turn.
In the end, after the investigation, the academy's discipline inspectors concluded that Instructor Ke's teaching had been appropriate and that he had adequately emphasized safety. Trainee Tong Haojing had trained seriously and with full commitment, but the proper degree was difficult to control. Neither of them would be held accountable, and the school would cover the medical expenses, though both were to take this as a lesson.
Tong Haojing sincerely thanked Instructor Ke for selflessly taking responsibility. Instructor Ke stood tall in his eyes. Perhaps Tong Haojing's enthusiasm for study began from that moment onward. Every case explained by the teachers and every combat scenario felt like a performance to him; he acted each one out vividly and movingly, so intensely that it was almost heart-stopping. He had gradually come to feel that the road ahead as a police officer would be perilous, but he would not turn back.
The three months of pre-service training quickly drew to a close.
Director Gao Weimin sat in his office, looking at the desk calendar. A red line marked the date when training would end. He decided to have Director Wu visit Tong Haojing and the other three on his behalf. Before long, Friday arrived. Tong Haojing was in police physical training class when his phone rang. It was Director Wu. "Is this Tong Haojing? Bring the others to the third-floor conference room immediately. Leaders from the Public Security Bureau are coming to see you."
"Okay, I'll go get them!" Tong Haojing was both surprised and excited, warmth spreading through him. The Public Security Bureau is so thoughtful! Tong Haojing told Su Feiya, Wang Chongyang, and Long Xing the exciting news.
The four were exceptionally excited as they watched and waited.
In the conference room, the Police Academy's Office Director sat upright and formal. Beside him sat Xiao Huang from the Political Department and the Office Director. The Office Director spoke first. "Welcome, leaders from Tangdu City. These four trainees are excellent, with strong qualities and outstanding performance. Trainee Tong Haojing in particular has exceptionally strong military physical skills..." The Office Director did not mention a single word about Tong Haojing injuring his opponent during training and sending him to the hospital. This greatly surprised Su Feiya, Wang Chongyang, and Long Xing.
The academy leaders' high praise for the Tangdu City trainees brought great pride to Director Wu's face, and he repeatedly nodded toward Tong Haojing. Su Feiya, Wang Chongyang, and Long Xing noticed Director Wu's behavior, and undisguised contempt appeared on all their faces.
Director Wu said, "Entrusted by Director Gao Weimin, I would first like to thank the academy leaders and teachers for their hard work. I would also like to thank the trainees for bringing honor to Tangdu City. I hope you will carry forward the spirit of continuous effort and tenacious struggle, and master your skills..."
The visit concluded in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Director Wu skipped lunch and left the Police Academy in a rush. Once he was gone, Tong Haojing was still basking in the glory of a victor, while Su Feiya, Wang Chongyang, and Long Xing secretly cast resentful glances at him. "Why is he always the one stealing the spotlight?"
The three months of grueling training soon came to an end, and the school held a graduation ceremony. Tong Haojing achieved the best results in the entire unit and was named an Outstanding Trainee.
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