Patrol Duty

The Third District Xiao Liang mentioned consisted of three main factories. One was the county's only power unit assembly plant and counted as a pillar industry; the other two were seafood processing factories.

There were generally few people in this neighborhood on weekdays, and there were not many shops on either side. Their main patrol points were a vegetable market and the major traffic routes, along with checking the IDs of unfamiliar people.

"If we run into anyone suspicious, cover me while I go up and question them." As soon as Li Ming entered the patrol area, he gave Yang Wenqing this instruction.

"Okay." Yang Wenqing nodded. During his year-long internship, he had only needed to follow behind his captain. During that time, he had encountered one incident of mass livestock mutation caused by spiritual energy fluctuations and twice assisted a precinct in surrounding members of evil cultivator organizations. Fights between martial artists who had not entered the Qi Refining Stage were even more commonplace.

Now that he had become a full-fledged security officer, he would have to be on the front line whenever such incidents occurred. He could no longer hide behind his captain as before and handle only peripheral trivialities.

"Don't be too nervous. Even if something big happens, it won't be you and me standing at the front." Li Ming smiled and patted Yang Wenqing on the shoulder. He was a veteran security officer who had worked this area for nearly five years. Next year, he might be able to advance to senior security officer simply through seniority.

As they spoke, they arrived at a small intersection. A Monitoring Formation had been carved beneath the ground here. Li Ming said to Yang Wenqing, "You check it."

Yang Wenqing nodded and formed a fixed hand seal with his left hand, activating a formation inside his police badge. A beam of green light projected from the badge into the center of the intersection. In the next instant, a formation network appeared in his field of vision, covering everything within five hundred meters, including the sky above.

"Nothing wrong."

Yang Wenqing carefully examined the traces in the formation network and released his hand seal only after confirming there were no contamination records.

Li Ming, who had been keeping watch with his right hand on his holster, relaxed. He instructed Yang Wenqing, "The captain should have told you this already: when activating a Monitoring Formation, you must never be careless. In our county precinct alone, at least one colleague dies over something like this every year on average."

Yang Wenqing nodded solemnly. During the time he had followed the captain on patrol, he had heard such reminders regularly.

The two continued their patrol. Whenever they entered a new block, Li Ming patiently introduced it to Yang Wenqing. Pedestrians who encountered them on the street would instinctively keep their distance, while the heads of security at certain small factories would come out to exchange a few words with them.

Near nine o'clock, they reached the entrance of the power unit assembly factory. The factory was called Prosperity and had a dedicated militia squad patrolling inside. All they needed to do was activate the Monitoring Formation at the entrance and inspect it. Once the inspection was over, the militia squad leader guarding the gate came over to chat with them briefly.

Afterward, they went to patrol the other two large seafood processing factories and the vegetable market. Once they confirmed there were no problems, they rested for half an hour before continuing along their previous route. After repeating this three times, it was exactly noon.

Not long after the mechanical clock in the county government building struck twelve, Liu-jie's voice sounded by their ears through their police badges. "Remember to go to Li's."

Then Captain Xiao Liang's voice sounded. "Wen Qing, you and Li Ming go first."

A patrol squad could not possibly all go eat at once, because accidents could truly happen at any time in this world.

The Li's Liu-jie mentioned was a fast-food restaurant designated by the East City Public Security Station. By the time Yang Wenqing and Li Ming arrived, quite a few colleagues were already eating. After Yang Wenqing explained why they were there to the owner, the owner immediately brought out a portion of chopped roast goose.

"The two roast geese have been cut into four portions as Police Sergeant Liu requested," the owner explained as he set down one portion.

"How much?" Yang Wenqing asked.

"Three hundred and twenty-one." The owner handed Yang Wenqing a bill as he answered, then added, "Three hundred and twenty is fine."

Yang Wenqing did not haggle. In this world, aside from pork and mutton, other poultry was relatively expensive because it was not raised on a large scale. Sometimes a spiritual surge would drive them mad and mutate them, making the aftermath troublesome to handle.

Perhaps because he had not satisfied his appetite in a long time, Yang Wenqing ate especially fast. Li Ming was the same. In barely ten minutes, they had finished a portion of roast goose. As they walked out of Li's, both of them looked toward the seafood restaurant next door at the same time.

At the entrance of the seafood restaurant, four uniformed security officers were emerging amid lively chatter. A slightly chubby young security officer was surrounded in the middle.

Yang Wenqing knew this security officer. He was Zhao Qin, who had entered at the same time as him. His family seemed to have some connections in the County Administrative Office and owned a leather factory. He had been very high-profile back at the city's Security Academy. He and Yang Wenqing were not the same kind of people, and they had never had much interaction.

Zhao Qin was flushed with excitement, clearly in an excellent mood. He patted his chest and assured his companions, "Don't stand on ceremony with me. This seafood feast is only the beginning. Tonight, I'll treat you all to music and drinks too!"

A tall security officer beside him immediately chimed in, "Young Master Zhao is generous!"

The young security officer called Young Master Zhao laughed loudly. His gaze casually swept over Yang Wenqing and Li Ming, who were about to leave. His eyes paused on Yang Wenqing for a moment before he resumed laughing and talking with his companions.

Li Ming lightly nudged Yang Wenqing's arm and whispered, "Let's go."

Yang Wenqing nodded.

At that moment, Captain Xiao Liang was also approaching Li's with Ye Yong and another full-fledged security officer. After a brief exchange, the five went their separate ways.

The afternoon was much calmer. The two followed their established route for another two patrol rounds, checking the IDs of several pedestrians who looked suspicious but ultimately proved to be ordinary visitors.

Close to four in the afternoon, just before the shift change, Liu-jie's steady voice suddenly came through the police badge communicator. "Stonepine Street in the Second District. A small-scale armed brawl has broken out. Li Ming, Wen Qing, get there and provide support immediately!"

"Move!" Li Ming barked, his right hand instinctively pressing against the holster at his waist before he shot forward.

Yang Wenqing immediately followed after him. The Second District was the Second Patrol Squad's designation. Zhu Lin and Wang Yuanfeng were currently responsible for patrolling that area, and Zhu Lin was an experienced senior security officer.

When the two arrived at Stonepine Street, they saw two groups of young men in different work uniforms engaged in a chaotic brawl outside a barbershop. But on closer inspection, only two young men were actually fighting, while most of the others were merely putting on a show.

The moment Zhu Lin saw Li Ming and Yang Wenqing arrive, he stepped forward and shouted sternly, "Stop right now!"

The young men who had been putting on a show promptly stopped and tacitly retreated to stand on either side. But the two young men in the middle had clearly fought themselves into a frenzy and turned a deaf ear to the order.

"For Xiao Juan, I'm beating you flat today!"

"Dream on!"

As the two roared, faint halos appeared over their skin. They had clearly opened their Spirit Veins, and combined with the martial arts techniques they used, their attacks carried some power.

Li Ming said to Yang Wenqing, "Just some minor boxing styles."

Yet he did not rush forward to stop them. Zhu Lin and Wang Yuanfeng stood nearby, coldly watching the separated groups of young men, their right hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

So-called minor boxing styles referred to martial arts passed down by small clans for self-defense.

After the two had fought for more than ten seconds and both sustained injuries, Li Ming gave Yang Wenqing a look. The two then rushed forward at the same time.

Li Ming cut in from the side and grabbed the arm of the young man on the left, using a clever twist to wrench it behind his back. The young man cried out in pain and struggled to resist, but Li Ming drove a knee into his lower back and pinned him down firmly.

Yang Wenqing charged at the young man on the right. When the latter saw him coming, he instinctively threw a punch at Yang Wenqing's face. Yang Wenqing sidestepped it and precisely hooked his foot under the man's leg. The young man's forward momentum was too strong, and when his footing was blocked, he lost his balance and pitched forward. Yang Wenqing seized the chance to grab his wrist and efficiently slammed him face-down onto the ground, pressing a knee firmly into his back.

"Don't move!" Yang Wenqing barked, already pulling out his handcuffs with his other hand.

Click. The handcuffs snapped shut.

On the other side, Li Ming had successfully cuffed the other young man as well.

Only then did the two young men seem as if cold water had been poured over them. Their struggles weakened, leaving only heavy breathing and resentful stares.

Zhu Lin walked over. He first nodded to the barbershop owner to signal that everything was fine, then looked at the restrained pair and snorted. "Fighting in the street over a girl, and even using your Spirit Veins. You two are really something!"

Li Ming and Yang Wenqing released their holds, allowing Wang Yuanfeng to take custody of the two young men. Zhu Lin looked at Yang Wenqing and said with a smile, "Quick reaction. Clean handling."

Yang Wenqing let out a breath. He had fought plenty of people at the Security Academy. As long as he calmed down and drew on the power of the Golden Core World, his opponents' movements immediately became traceable. That was the Golden Core World's predictive ability.