Within the Rules, Beyond the Rules!

The sound of rain roared.

Water poured down from the eaves of the workstation like a curtain, splashing into the drain and creating waves of water.

The small Identity Badge tumbled in the waves, quickly caught and stuck in a clump of thick yellow mud.

Jamie looked as if he'd seen a ghost, thinking he hadn't heard correctly.

What was this arrogant Dongren saying?

He wanted him to go pick it up?

"Sorry, did you say you want me to go into the sewer to pick up the badge you just dropped?"

The figure under the large black Raincoat nodded, his serious expression immediately drawing another burst of laughter from the surroundings.

Hearing the laughter, Jamie's face flushed, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Then you probably..."

Before he could finish.

A cold gun barrel was suddenly pressed against him. The metallic chill shot straight up his spine from his forehead, freezing the rest of his sentence in his throat.

The laughter also stopped abruptly, and everyone wore expressions of disbelief.

A gun!

He's crazy, this Cheng Ye is crazy!

He actually dared to pull out a gun at a Checkpoint and point it at his own people?

"Go, pick it up for me."

Cheng Ye repeated, his smile completely gone, his expression as cold as if he'd become another person.

There was bullying in the orphanage too.

The older children would finish the food in the cafeteria, and only then would the leftovers be available for the younger children.

But, since he was five years old, he had always been among the first to eat.

And it was never because of the older children's mercy!

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"I am."

Cheng Ye forced a smile, slowly lowering the muzzle of the gun from his forehead to his chin.

Then, he nudged the cold gun barrel upwards, pressing hard against Jamie's jaw, causing him pain.

"Checkpoint Regulation Chapter 1, Article 3: During duty, the Inspector's orders are absolute."

"Any violation will be treated as an Infected."

"Mr. Jamie."

The soft click of a safety being disengaged sounded. "Please answer me directly, are you an Infected hiding within the North Checkpoint?"

Arrogant.

How incredibly arrogant!

Jamie swallowed hard, but ultimately remained silent.

Because he could vaguely sense that if he didn't say the right thing next, this smiling lunatic before him was absolutely serious. He would actually pull the damn trigger!!

But the gazes cast from all around felt like countless steel needles pinning his back, making it impossible for him to bend his waist.

He could already foresee that if he actually picked up the badge, he would become the laughingstock of everyone.

A disgrace among the Xiren, even affecting the reputation of the entire West Station!

But.

He, he didn't want to die.

Even if he died at the hands of an Infected, he didn't want to be shot dead by an Inspector for refusing to bend his waist.

"Garcia, the Inspector, is currently in an unknown state."

"You're just a nobody, without rank or position. For the sake of pride, after a few words of instigation, you'd risk your life?"

The devil's whisper continued in his ear.

Jamie suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with fear.

He looked at the people around him. They were indeed egging him on with their eyes, encouraging him, trying to make him use his "life" to prove that Cheng Ye wouldn't dare to shoot.

But he...

"I'll get it, I'll get it!"

Jamie's legs went weak, and he scrambled towards the drain.

Under Cheng Ye's half-smile, half-scowl gaze, and amidst the dumbfounded stares of the surrounding youths, he dug the badge out of the yellow mud, washed it clean in a puddle, and finally wiped it repeatedly with the cleanest part of his collar.

"Inspector Cheng."

"Kneel and hand it to me!"

What?

Jamie's eyes widened, bloodshot and filled with a ferocious glare, his face a mask of disbelief.

Kneel? What a joke.

He was the Inspector's only son. He could bow his head temporarily to save his life.

But he would never allow his dignity to be trampled, not even if it meant death, not even if he was beaten.

BOOM!

A violent roar sounded in his ears. A scorching current of air grazed his face, leaving a burning mark.

Jamie froze instantly. Instinctively, a warm liquid slowly flowed down his pant leg.

He shot?

He, he actually shot?

No, how dare he?

Shooting a colleague, wasn't he afraid of the penalties from the Checkpoint's rules at all?

The thick gunpowder smoke rushed into his nostrils. His ear canals were still buzzing, the acrid smell making Jamie almost suffocate, but his mind was clearer than ever.

Under the mad rush of adrenaline, his stiff body quickly regained sensation.

But at this moment, even though he felt his legs regain their strength, he completely lacked the courage to stand up straight.

Thump.

Jamie knelt on one knee on the ground, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, the object in his hand extended forward almost instinctively.

Something seemed to be lost forever: his held-high head, his innate arrogance, the dignity of the Inspector's descendant.

But it seemed more things were retained: the heart still pounding wildly in his chest, the rapid gasps in his throat, and the fresh air continuously flowing in.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he offered his dignity and picked up his life.

Was it worth it?

"Congratulations, you made the right choice."

The Devil reached out, taking the badge, and also taking a part of what he had lost.

Silence descended upon the surroundings.

Those who had been shouting, mocking, and egging him on earlier were all silenced by the gunshot.

The rules of the Checkpoint stated that they were the descendants of Inspectors, superior to all ordinary people.

But when someone openly disregarded the rules, even using them to their advantage, they suddenly realized they weren't even as good as the lowly guards.

At least the guards had official positions; the Checkpoint could investigate their deaths with reason.

But they, the commoners, would just die. Worse, they might even be branded "Infected" and have their ashes scattered.

Cheng Ye blew on a non-existent water droplet on his Identity Badge, pursed his lips, and turned as if to leave.

The surrounding crowd secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next second, that breath was caught in their throats by an invisible hand.

That madman actually, he actually didn't leave?

What, what was he planning to do?

The dark muzzle of the gun was raised, sweeping slowly from left to right across the crowd. Each time it stopped in front of someone, the barrel would tremble slightly, as if silently taking attendance.

Who was he looking for?

Someone's knees buckled, and they instinctively tried to retreat into the workstation.

Bang.

A gunshot rang out. The bullet hole gouged a small, black pit in the epoxy floor, landing precisely in front of the foot that person was about to step out. It was just a hair's breadth away from piercing their foot.

The person, terrified out of their wits, stumbled and fell to the ground. "You're crazy, what are you doing?"

"Everyone, please don't be nervous."

Cheng Ye toyed with his Identity Badge, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "I suspect an Infected has infiltrated. Someone was constantly instigating Mr. Jamie to disobey the Inspector's orders just now, but I can't quite pinpoint who it is. What do you all think?"

?

Confusion appeared on everyone's faces. Then, as if on cue, they all turned in unison towards one person in the crowd.

Dozens of gazes focused on him. The man felt as if struck by lightning, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"No, it wasn't me!"

"Was it him?" Cheng Ye turned and looked at Jamie, who was still kneeling on the ground. He said softly, "I know you're a good kid. Tell me, was he the one instigating you?"

They were roughly the same age, and Cheng Ye was even a year younger than him.

But Jamie felt an incredibly strange sensation.

At this moment, he wasn't facing a peer, nor an Inspector, but a godfather who had baptized him.

The Godfather asked kindly, "Is it him?"

He also replied piously, "Yes, it's him, Raul Davidson!"

Davidson?

Isn't that the surname of the deputy station chief on duty at North Station?

"Very good!"

Cheng Ye reached out and patted Jamie's shoulder, then turned his head with a smile, "Mr. Davidson, could I trouble you to come over here?"

Although his tone was incredibly kind, Raul felt a death threat.

He turned to look around, only to see a group of people whose eyes were filled with schadenfreude at not being chosen.

Damn it.

They had all egged Jamie on, so why me, why me!

"Do I need to repeat myself a second time?"

Cheng Ye raised his Bison Combat Pistol in confusion, as if about to pull the trigger.

The immense threat of death made Raul's body stiffen instantly, but he ultimately did not choose to live in humiliation by kneeling like Jamie.

He was the son of the deputy station chief on duty, Evan Davidson.

He would rather die standing than live kneeling!

Even if he knelt before Cheng Ye now and survived, he would be stripped of his inheritance as an Inspector by his strict father upon returning home, and ultimately die in obscurity in some corner of the Buffer Zone.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

After a few seconds, Raul finally walked over with difficulty, his legs straight, his face flushed red, and veins bulging on his forehead.

In just a few steps, his mind rehearsed his next words. Even if the final outcome was death, he wanted to die spectacularly.

He wanted to let this arrogant guy know that not everyone at North Station was like Jamie.

"Mr. Davidson, I need to report to the Station Chief. Could you please lead the way?"

"Cheng Ye, no—"

The two spoke at the same time, and a subtle feeling instantly filled the air.

Raul looked up sharply, his eyes filled with horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

Jamie, who was kneeling on the ground, was struck by lightning. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he immediately understood Cheng Ye's intention.

The station chief reports?

Lead the way?

These two short words struck like heavy hammers, making him unable to catch his breath for a moment.

"Hmm, what did you just call me?"

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and slowly put his gun back into its holster, a hint of confusion on his face. "Sorry, I didn't hear clearly. Could you repeat that?"

All the overwhelming killing intent and ferocity were withdrawn. The face under the loose raincoat regained its previous calmness.

Raul turned his head and his gaze swept over the stunned crowd behind him. No one had expected Cheng Ye to make such an unconventional move.

He was confused for a moment, not quite reacting.

But the next moment, a feeling of having narrowly escaped death washed over him. Only then did he realize that his entire body was soaked.

It was sticky, as if he had just been pulled out of a sewer.

"Inspector Cheng, I said, I. It's my honor to lead the way for you."

ps: Thanks to Xiao Le bb for the generous reward, thanks to book friends 20220726 and 20200225 for the Monthly Tickets, thank you!!!

ps2: New readers, please click to add to your Collection and give me some Follow-up Reading. This is very important for a new book~~