Attentive

Third District, Enforcers Headquarters.

"Chen Ling, right?"

After carefully verifying Chen Ling's identity, an Enforcer handed him two sets of black-and-red uniforms and an Enforcer ID.

Chen Ling changed into the uniform, had lunch at headquarters, then took the oath of office in the headquarters plaza that afternoon. This was followed by a speech from the leadership. The whole process made Chen Ling feel increasingly as if he had returned to modern society...

Even nearly four hundred years after the Great Cataclysm, some human habits had still been preserved. One could catch glimpses of pre-cataclysm civilization in them.

The only thing that surprised Chen Ling was that the "leader" giving the speech was not Han Meng, but another Second-Mark Law Enforcer he had barely seen before.

"Where is Officer Han Meng? Why isn't he giving the speech?" An Enforcer nearby voiced the same question.

"You didn't know? I heard the Law Enforcers of the Third District rebelled a couple days ago... That Ma Zhong led two other Law Enforcers in an ambush against Officer Han Meng, only to be killed instead."

"Huh??? Seriously?"

"Of course it's true. They say Officer Han Meng flew into a rage that night and, before Aurora City approved the official documents, executed Ma Zhong and the other two on the spot. He even killed more than fifty Enforcers who had ties to them... Haven't you noticed that a huge number of Enforcers are missing today?"

"Damn, killing that many people at once—isn't that cutting off the Third District Enforcers' own arm? Officer Han Meng is that ruthless?"

"Now there are only two Law Enforcers left in the entire Third District... One is Officer Han Meng, and the other is Xi Renjie up onstage. This Xi Renjie was personally promoted by Officer Han Meng. Though he only has two marks, his background is very clean."

"But I heard that Aurora City is furious because Officer Han Meng acted on his own and killed people without reporting it in time. They may deal with him soon."

"So that's why he couldn't show himself..."

"Ah, what a pity."

"..."

Hearing the conversation beside him, Chen Ling's brows rose slightly.

He suddenly recalled what Han Meng had said in his home yesterday afternoon after a long silence: "Whether you believe me or not, I've always been carrying out my duties... If you truly think this world lacks justice, then become it yourself."

Chu Muyun's assessment of Han Meng had also been that he possessed a sense of justice... Looking at it now, Han Meng really did seem to have some substance.

After Law Enforcer Xi Renjie finished speaking, he began assigning the newcomers their duties and the streets they would patrol from now on. As the only Enforcer from Frost Street this year, Chen Ling was naturally assigned to Frost Street.

After Han Meng purged the Enforcers of the Third District, the organization truly had become much cleaner...

Thinking this, Chen Ling left headquarters and headed straight for Frost Street.

On an Enforcer's first day on duty, he had to patrol his assigned street so the residents could become familiar with him. It was another form of "declaring sovereignty," an internal Enforcer regulation.

Ever since he put on this uniform and left Enforcers Headquarters, every passerby had gone around him. They did not even dare meet his eyes.

"Officer... would you like a peach?"

An aged voice came from nearby.

Chen Ling turned and saw a white-haired old woman pushing a wooden cart piled full of peaches. She spoke in a hoarse voice.

"No, thank you." Chen Ling waved her off.

"Officer, please try one... I pushed these over from the Fourth District this morning. Their peaches are good and cheap..." She caught hold of Chen Ling's collar, her clouded eyes filled with pleading.

Chen Ling looked along her frail figure and saw an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes lying atop the peach cart. The bitter wind swept over the earth, and the baby seemed to be shivering.

"Take a bite. If it doesn't taste good, you don't have to pay." She selected the largest peach from the cart, carefully wiped it with the hem of her clothes for a moment, and handed it to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling did not eat it, because he could not be sure whether there was something inside the peach—such as... poison.

The moment that thought surfaced in his mind, even he was startled... because he had not been like this before.

If it had been him before the Great Cataclysm... No, even if it had been yesterday's him, he would certainly have helped. Though he could not have done much, he could at least have bought a few peaches as an act of kindness.

That had been his compassion and his conviction, yet now, those things seemed to be fading away bit by bit...

After meeting the old woman's gaze for a moment, Chen Ling finally spoke.

"How much are the peaches?"

"One copper coin per pound."

"Give me two pounds." Chen Ling expressionlessly took two copper coins from his pocket and handed them to her.

Seeing this, the old woman immediately accepted the coins with both hands. She bowed repeatedly to Chen Ling while muttering her thanks, then chose several of the largest peaches from the cart and put them into a bag.

At the same time, Chen Ling suddenly said, "That child has a fever. Take him to get some medicine."

With his [Secret Eye], Chen Ling could tell at a glance that something was wrong with the infant on the cart, so he spoke up to warn her.

The old woman froze. Struggle and guilt surfaced in her eyes as she looked at the infant, but she said nothing. She merely silently picked out two more peaches for Chen Ling.

She did not weigh them, but even with the naked eye, Chen Ling could tell that the two bags of peaches were far more than two pounds.

"Thank you, Officer. Thank you, Officer..." After repeatedly thanking Chen Ling, she pushed her cart onward.

When she encountered the next passerby, she hurried over and pleaded, "Sir, would you like some peaches? Peaches pushed over from the Fourth District..."

The cold wind reddened both her face and the infant's, yet it could not knock down that aged, frail body.

Chen Ling touched his pocket and helplessly shook his head.

He had only bought two pounds purely because he had only two copper coins left in his pocket... The silver coins he had gotten from Qian Fan had long been left behind in the pool of blood at the residence.

The moment he stepped onto Frost Street, he noticed quite a few people secretly standing in their doorways and looking this way... When they saw Chen Ling approaching in uniform, they began whispering among themselves.

"Oh my, Officer Chen Ling!"

The first shop on the street was the cake shop Chen Ling had visited before.

The owner immediately put on a fawning smile when he saw Chen Ling approach. "Officer Chen Ling, you look so handsome in that uniform!"

"Boss Li." Chen Ling walked to the shop entrance and looked at the Frost Street residents standing in their doorways. "What's going on?"

"Oh my, everyone's here to see you!"

"To see me?"

"That's right. The Enforcer who used to patrol Frost Street was supposedly killed by Officer Han Meng... Today is the day the new Enforcer takes office, so everyone wanted to see who would have the final say on this street from now on...

When the list of Enforcers who passed the assessment was posted on the street that day, everyone guessed it might be you. After all, you're from Frost Street...

And sure enough, here you are!"