Results (Monthly Ticket Requested)

In the blink of an eye, it was already the tenth day since Joseph had taken over the police force.

Dust swirled across the open ground before the Saint-Antoine District Police Station. More than two hundred rookie police officers, clad in crisp blue Military Uniforms and blue-and-white wide-brimmed hats, swung strange-looking weapons until they were drenched in sweat.

Joseph had spent several thousand Livres to acquire these Military Uniforms from the army stationed on the outskirts of Paris. At present, Police throughout France, even Europe, dressed however they pleased; there was no such thing as a uniform. In terms of attire alone, the Police of Saint-Antoine District were decades ahead of them.

As for weaponry, Joseph had not chosen muskets. Without half a year of grueling practice, holding one was little different from holding a fire poker.

He had not even equipped the force with many swords. Instead, he had carpenters make over two hundred Y-shaped wooden forks, each around two Meters long. In addition, every two men shared a shield. Though these things looked crude, they were extremely practical. This was precisely the set of equipment used by security guards at future airports and train stations; paired with specific formations, it was remarkably effective at suppressing riots.

These Police Officers, drawn from the very bottom rung of Paris, treasured their identities as Police. They trained ten hours every day, yet not a single one complained of being tired.

Joseph watched the training ground with satisfaction. According to the plan, beginning at noon today, this brand-new police force would take responsibility for security in Saint-Antoine District.

Of course, criminal cases would still rely on the sixty veteran Police Officers originally in the force. As for those who had paid for their positions as Police, Joseph had basically assigned them all to logistics, handling chores such as cleaning and carrying goods. Naturally, their salaries were also at the very bottom tier.

Saint-Antoine District Police Station now had fifty criminal investigators, two hundred and thirty-six patrol officers, and one hundred and twenty-five errand-runners. Even in all of Paris, it could be considered a force with strong soldiers and sturdy horses.

One had to know that these more than two hundred and eighty core Police Officers were all brimming with energy and high in morale, utterly lacking the scoundrel-like air of Police from other districts.

Moreover, these men could genuinely maintain public order, completely unlike the old Police, whose main occupation had been extortion.

Especially when it came to a sense of responsibility, one of them was worth eight of the old Police.

It could be said that this was a truly modern police force!

The sun shone brightly. After lunch, at Joseph's command, nearly three hundred Police Officers marched out of the police station in formation, shouting resounding slogans as they officially took over security in Saint-Antoine District.

They had actually patrolled this district before and knew perfectly well where trouble was most likely to arise, so they were highly experienced. Now that they had official status, coupled with advanced management methods, their ability to control crime had increased severalfold.

The citizens had long received the news, but aside from taking a few extra looks at the impressive uniforms on the Police, they did not pay much attention. What expectations could anyone possibly have of French Police?

On Aure Street, on the eastern side of Saint-Antoine District.

Crude curses and furious roars rang out from a back alley.

Four or five burly men in black vests and felt hats forced a middle-aged man into a corner. Wooden Clubs and iron axes swayed in their hands. "You dare owe money to the Viper Gang? Are you tired of living?"

The middle-aged man shrank into a ball in terror. "Sirs, I-I'll pay next week! For God's sake..."

"You've already owed protection money three times this year." A red-haired man gave his underlings a cold smile and a signal. "By the rules, we have to teach you a lesson."

"No! Don't!"

Before the middle-aged man could finish, a burly man in a felt hat swung his Club and smashed it viciously into his arm. The sound of bones shattering rang out at once, accompanied by a scream that barely sounded human.

The red-haired man ground his foot against the middle-aged man, who writhed in agony on the ground. "Remember, next week. If you dare delay again, it'll be your other hand!"

As he spoke, four people in blue Military Uniforms and wide-brimmed hats suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alley, looking toward the injured man groaning incessantly on the ground.

The red-haired man recognized two of them and casually said, "Baptiste and Quillian? I heard you became Police. Hmm, those clothes fit you quite well."

The two had once been members of the civilian Patrol and were familiar faces to the Viper Gang.

The red-haired man waved the knife in his hand. "I'm collecting a debt here. Get lost, all of you."

Quillian suddenly pulled out a whistle and blew it sharply, then pointed at them and shouted, "Assaulting someone in public—"

"I am placing you under arrest!"

He had once been a tanner. To protect his family, he had voluntarily joined the Patrol, making rounds nearby every day from six in the afternoon until eleven at night. When he encountered villains like the Viper Gang, he would usually avoid them whenever possible.

But now he was a genuine Police Officer, earning the high monthly salary of thirty-five Livres. His wife and two children had White Bread to eat every day, and every few days they could even have some meat. Such a life had once appeared only in his dreams.

Now he wanted only one thing: to devote every ounce of his strength to maintaining security in this district, to protect his family's happy life, and at the same time repay the Crown Prince. Besides, arresting more criminals increased performance points, and the higher the score, the higher the bonus!

He and the other three Police Officers shouted in unison, "In the Crown Prince's Name! Move!"

The red-haired man snorted disdainfully and waved at his lackeys. "Teach these idiots a lesson!"

He was extremely confident. Never mind the Patrol—even Police were nothing but tough on the outside and weak on the inside, cowardly men who would cry and flee like women at the sight of a little blood.

However, this time, he was wrong.

Three of the Police Officers took the two-Meter Y-shaped wooden forks from their backs and stepped forward in unison, using the forks to pin the waists of two Viper Gang lackeys charging at them.

The head of each wooden fork was more than an arm-span wide. One could hit a target even with one's eyes shut. This was the future security miracle weapon—the Anti-Riot Waist Fork.

Another Police Officer carrying a spear seized the chance and stabbed one of the gang members on the left in the foot.

With a howl of agony, the man clutched his foot and rolled across the ground. The nearby Viper Gang lackeys bared their teeth and glared, wildly swinging their short swords, but the wooden forks kept them at bay. They could not reach the Police at all.

The red-haired man flew into a rage and charged forward at the head of the group. Though he had four men on his side, the Anti-Riot Waist Forks blocked them, and after a long while they still could not get close to the Police. Instead, two more of his men were ambushed by the spears and stabbed in the calves.

The red-haired man felt utterly stifled. More than ten years of fighting skills honed while licking blood from a blade's edge could not be brought into play at all before the Police's bizarre formation.

This was precisely the Security Combat Method Joseph had taught the police force. It was commonly used in future train stations and airports. Its characteristic was not to seek the enemy's death, only to hold them in place, while also making self-protection easy.

More importantly, this method was simple and easy to learn. Anyone could master it after a week of practice.

The red-haired man ground his teeth until they nearly shattered, unable to understand why these Police were so difficult to handle today. Very quickly, he decided to give up—he himself had nearly been stabbed as well—and decisively waved his hand and shouted, "Retreat!"

However, at a security post half a street away, the Police Officers on duty had already heard the whistle. They immediately dispatched four men to provide support.

When they arrived at the narrow alley, they ran headlong into the fleeing Viper Gang. The leading Police Officer shouted, "In the Crown Prince's Name!" and three Anti-Riot Waist Forks instantly barred the way before them.