Feeling his grandfather's extraordinarily expectant gaze, Zhou Quan felt a heavy pressure well up inside him.
He had only just joined the Police Force. Even though his starting point was much higher than that of most Police Officers,
making it to commissioned rank in the Police Force before Hong Kong Island returned was still no easy task.
After all, even the lowest rank among commissioned officers, Superintendent, was a command position in an important Police Force department or a district.
Under normal circumstances, a Probationary Inspector needed two years of probation before becoming a full Inspector.
To be promoted to Senior Inspector, he had to serve five years at Inspector rank and pass a rigorous examination.
A Senior Inspector could only be promoted to Chief Inspector after serving five years, passing the advanced professional examination, and receiving a recommendation from the Selection Board.
Promotion from Chief Inspector to Superintendent required another two years of service.
During this process, only time served at Inspector rank could be accumulated. Time served at all other ranks was calculated separately.
In other words, even if the promotion process went smoothly,
a Probationary Inspector needed at least twelve years to reach commissioned rank.
There were less than six years left before Hong Kong Island officially returned to the Motherland.
For Zhou Quan to reach commissioned rank in the Police Force, he would have to cut that time by more than half.
It was easy to imagine how difficult that would be.
If Zhou Quan didn't have enough accomplishments, then even the Lee Family's full support wouldn't be enough to make it happen.
Why did Old Master Lee hope that Zhou Quan would reach commissioned rank before Hong Kong Island returned?
Because after the handover, his influence within the Police Force would decline sharply.
Moreover, with Hong Kong Island's sovereignty having just changed hands, the Motherland's standards for the Police Force would undoubtedly be at their strictest.
This meant that the time served at each rank could not easily be shortened by making an exception.
Zhou Quan was twenty-two now. After the handover, he would only be twenty-eight.
If he really managed to reach commissioned rank in the Police Force, his future there would be remarkably smooth.
A Superintendent under thirty would, all by itself, give Zhou Quan a very favorable position in the competition.
Add in Zhou Quan's abilities and the Lee Family's influence within the Police Force,
and by then, Zhou Quan would have a very good chance of winning even the Number One car plate in Hong Kong Island.
"A twenty-eight-year-old Superintendent. Just thinking about it is exciting."
A feverish gleam flashed in his eyes. Zhou Quan nodded firmly and declared, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'll do everything I can!"
This goal would certainly be difficult to achieve, but it wasn't impossible.
His own abilities, along with the support of his elders, gave Zhou Quan plenty of confidence.
"Very good!"
Old Master Lee nodded with deep satisfaction, then turned to Zhou Quan's uncle, Lee Man-bun.
"Man-bun, tell Chun about your plans."
Old Master Lee had already retired from the Police Force. The one currently in charge of the Lee Faction was Lee Man-bun, the deputy head of O Division.
Old Master Lee's position could influence the Police Force, but the actual arrangements for supporting Zhou Quan would depend on Lee Man-bun's plans.
"Chun, you handled the armored van robbery beautifully. You've also made a name for yourself in the Police Force."
Lee Man-bun gave a slight nod, first praising Zhou Quan before laying out a very detailed plan for him.
"When your probation ends, the family will use its connections to transfer you out of PTU."
"Your Uncle by Marriage's Anti-Triad Unit in Yau Tsim District is where you'll next get to show what you can do."
It wasn't 1984 anymore. As the handover drew closer, the Police Force's senior ranks had also undergone a major reshuffle.
Back then, the Foreigners had ulterior motives. They secretly turned a blind eye to, and even supported, the gangsters.
But with the current Number One in office, those Foreigners no longer dared to openly disrupt order in Hong Kong Island.
Last week, at the Police Security Conference, the Number One had officially announced a policy to crack down on the Hong Kong Island Triads.
Eradicating gangs and organized crime would be the main focus of work in Hong Kong Island over the next few years.
The aim was to present Hong Kong Island as a place of peace and stability before the official handover.
As long as Zhou Quan could make a name for himself in the Anti-Triad Unit, the Selection Board and time-in-rank requirements during his promotions would no longer be problems.
As deputy head of O Division, Lee Man-bun had absolute authority when it came to dealing with the gangsters in Hong Kong Island.
Across all the societies large and small in Hong Kong Island, which one didn't have informants and undercover officers planted by Lee Man-bun?
He hadn't transferred Zhou Quan directly into O Division because Police Force Headquarters was the heart of the force, drawing everyone's attention.
If Zhou Quan made any missteps while working there, they would surely be magnified countless times and used as grounds to attack the Lee Faction.
The Lee Faction's influence was powerful, but it certainly didn't lack enemies.
For one thing, many of the Foreigners among the Police Force's senior ranks didn't want to see the Lee Faction grow any stronger.
The situation in the districts outside Headquarters was entirely different.
As long as the Big Sir above him was tough enough, and Zhou Quan didn't actually break the law, he could freely put his abilities to use.
And the Big Sir in Yau Tsim District happened to be Wong Bing Yiu, who treated Zhou Quan like his own son.
On his turf, it would be difficult for anyone to make things hard for Zhou Quan.
"Don't worry, Chun. Your Uncle by Marriage's Kindly Gun may never have been fired, but that doesn't mean just anyone would dare offend him."
At that moment, Wong Bing Yiu patted his broad waist and offered his firmest support with a hearty laugh.
"Grandpa, Uncle, Uncle by Marriage, I definitely won't let you down!"
With a slight curve to his lips, Zhou Quan beamed at the three members of his family and nodded firmly.
Zhou Quan naturally had no objections to his elders' arrangements.
He wasn't some idiot who would throw away his advantages just to prove his independence.
Having family members in high positions who were willing to give him their full support-
that was Zhou Quan's most solid and powerful asset, apart from Earth Online.
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