Chapter 2: Trouble from the Start

Inside the dorm room.

Kris squinted at the third guy and others in front of him, replying briefly: "I understand what you're saying, but it's not my job. I can't do it."

"What's the matter, do you have relatives in high positions at your company?" The third guy grinned and grabbed Kris by the collar. "You just got here and you want to stir things up. Are you up for it?"

"Don't touch me."

"Heh, what, are you a cactus? I'm touching you, so what?" The third guy, who was also quite muscular, raised his right arm and punched Kris in the side of the head.

Kris stepped aside and pulled back quickly, locking his hands around the third guy's wrist, his right leg sweeping sideways.

"Bang, clatter!"

With a loud crash, the third guy was thrown onto the bed, his head banging against the iron bars.

"Beat him!"

The third guy shouted, holding his head.

Kris bent down, his upper body leaning into the bed, grabbed the third guy’s collar with his left hand, and quickly raised his right knee, aiming for the guy's temple.

"Bang!"

The third guy was knocked backward, his head hitting the wall with a loud thud. "Beat him to death, if anything happens, it’s on me."

As soon as the words were out, everyone charged at Kris. Kris, however, was quick and agile, slipping out from the bed, retreating two steps, and leaning his body against the corner between the window sill and the bed, slightly crouching.

The third guy got up and grabbed a retractable baton from the wall, walking toward Kris while muttering, "You little brat, trying to start trouble right after arriving…"

At that moment, the half-open door was pushed open, and a woman in a light green police uniform shouted loudly, "What’s going on here?"

Everyone turned and looked back.

The third guy froze, wiped the blood off his forehead, and immediately smiled, saying, "Sister Wen."

"I heard all the noise from the corridor, what are you doing, trying to kill someone?" The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, slightly shorter, but very attractive with an oval face and big, bright eyes.

"It’s nothing, just a new kid here, we were having a chat." The third guy grinned and explained.

The woman glanced around the room and gave the third guy a disgusted look, cursing, "Why are you so domineering? Did he offend you right when he arrived?"

"No, I asked him to work the shift, but he refused and even insulted me," the third guy explained, casually putting the baton down.

"You’re playing cards while on duty, I’ve caught you doing that a few times, haven't I?" Sister Wen glared at the third guy and, with a tired tone, reminded, "If you make any more noise, don’t blame me for writing you up."

"Got it, Sister Wen." The third guy nodded repeatedly.

Sister Wen didn’t bother going inside, just stood at the door and called out to Kris, "You’re the new guy?"

"Yeah," Kris nodded.

"Why haven’t you gone to get your uniform yet?"

"I went earlier, but no one was there." Kris awkwardly responded.

Sister Wen glared at him. "Bullshit. I’ve been in the office all along."

Kris froze. "Oh, I must have missed it."

"Come with me to get your clothes." Sister Wen tossed the words over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Okay." Kris immediately nodded, grabbed his bag, and headed out, calling to Lin, "Come with me."

Lin, who didn’t know how to face the third guy, immediately followed Kris out.

Inside the dorm room, the third guy sat up, rubbing the lump on the back of his head. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor and muttered, "This bastard actually knows a thing or two. That hit was pretty vicious."

"Are you alright, Third Brother?" someone asked.

The third guy didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, are you in the office? No, just asking, is the new guy, Kris, joining our team today? Does he have any connections? ... No? Are you sure? Alright, I got it."

In the corridor.

Sister Wen walked behind Kris and asked, "Do you have connections up top?"

Kris paused and then shook his head. "No."

"Then be more honest. The environment here is complicated," Sister Wen said, her tone stern yet warm. "Don’t clash with them too much. Just work hard; it won’t kill you."

"Thank you, Sister Wen," Kris nodded.

Sister Wen said no more. She led Kris to the first-floor warehouse, picked out a police uniform, a police tactical outfit, a pair of handcuffs, and a baton, and left in a graceful manner.

In the first-floor lobby, Lin glanced at his watch and said, "I need to deliver some materials in a bit, so I can’t stay with you. When you go back, try to smooth things over. Don't keep making trouble. That Third Brother has connections with Captain Yuan. If you offend him, you won’t have it easy."

"Heh, got it. I know," Kris responded with a smile. "If you’re free later, let’s grab dinner."

"Yeah, I’ll find you if I’m free," Lin said, agreeing readily.

After a few simple exchanges, Kris grabbed his belongings and returned to the dorm. However, when he entered, the third guy and the others were already gone, and the room was left with just two people who looked at Kris coldly before returning to their conversation.

Kris gave them a quick glance, then boldly went back to his bed, swiftly organizing his things and ignoring the two people.

Time flew by, and around 7 PM, after finishing his packing, Kris noticed that Lin still hadn’t come to find him. He decided to head out on his own, walk around to familiarize himself with the area, and maybe have dinner.

Kris slid off his bed, grabbed a waist pouch from beneath his pillow, strapped it on, and headed for the door.

"Oops, sorry!"

Just as Kris stepped outside, he bumped into Lin, who was rushing over. They stared at each other for a moment, and Lin immediately explained, "We had an impromptu meeting, that's why I’m late. You were about to...?"

"I thought you weren’t coming anymore. I was just about to go out and walk around, grab something to eat," Kris said with a smile. "Let’s go, I’ll go with you."

"I have a friend, and we’re meeting to discuss something. Is it alright if he joins us?" Lin asked.

"Sure," Kris said after a moment, a little surprised. "It’s fine, let’s all go."

"Good."

After a brief exchange, the two of them walked downstairs and met another young man in the lobby.

Lin’s friend was named OG Cat. According to the senior officers in the force, he had some connections with Inspector Li, though they didn’t interact much. As for the nature of their relationship, no one really knew. OG Cat was also known for being somewhat unruly. His most outrageous stunt was when he got drunk and openly hired prostitutes while on duty, even holding a public casting call for them, which the inspection team happened to catch. Surprisingly, the person who organized it, OG Cat, only got a warning and was suspended for half a month, while the two colleagues who weren’t as friendly with him lost their jobs and were sent packing.

Despite his slightly cheesy name, OG Cat was quite handsome. If Kris had a strong and heroic look, OG Cat’s was more of a charming rogue style, a bit like the famous actor Zhang Yishan from before.

The three of them met, and Lin introduced, "This is OG Cat, a friend who takes care of me. And this is Kris, our team’s new intern officer."

"I heard you caused trouble with Third Brother and the others as soon as you got here?" OG Cat said, hands in his pockets, a wicked grin on his face. "Got a bit of temper, huh?"

"It’s nothing, just a little argument," Kris said vaguely, feeling that OG Cat’s personality was a bit blunt.

"I get it, those guys are annoying. They do nothing but useless stuff," OG Cat said with a sneer. "Our whole team’s full of idiots, doing nonsense all the time."

Kris couldn’t help but feel speechless, looking over at Lin, who scratched his head and explained, "OG Cat just speaks his mind. If there’s something on his mind, he’ll say it."

"Where are we eating?" OG Cat asked.

"I just got here, don’t know where’s good to eat," Kris answered quietly. "You guys choose."

"Who’s paying?" OG Cat asked with a sly look in his eyes.

"I’ll pay, haha," Kris said with a smile.

"Ah, you’re paying…" OG Cat waved his hand and said, "Let’s go to the second sister’s place."

"Don’t go, it’s too expensive," Lin advised.

"Does it cost you?" OG Cat shot a side-eye at him.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I still have a bit of change in my pocket. I’ll be fine for dinner," Kris said, though he felt a little tight in the wallet. The current times were tough, with scarce resources, especially things like vegetables and grains that required a lot of land to grow. For many people in the area, eating out was a rare luxury. Still, Kris understood that making friends was important, and with his new stable job, he couldn’t avoid necessary social spending.

After discussing where to eat, the three of them walked down the road for about two kilometers and found a small restaurant called "Little Tavern."

Kris stood by the road, glancing at the restaurant’s sign, and unconsciously touched his waist pouch, feeling a little heartache.

"Let’s go," OG Cat called, leading the way up the stairs.

"Vroom!"

Just then, the sound of a loud engine echoed, and an old-looking SUV stopped in front of the restaurant.

The three of them turned, and OG Cat, surprised, commented, "What kind of family drives a gas car?"

In this era, gasoline cars had become rare because most land had become uninhabitable, either due to cold or deadly radiation, and oil was no longer available. OG Cat was shocked because gasoline was now an extremely scarce resource.

Four men and one woman got out of the SUV and walked toward the restaurant.

"Let’s go inside," Kris, who had seen a bit of the world, only glanced at the gas car and then headed toward the restaurant’s main entrance. But OG Cat froze in place, his eyes glued to the woman in the group, and he grinned, "Wow, beautiful!"

Kris, hearing this, turned back and shot a look at OG Cat, who was ogling, then sighed and said, "Come on, she’s with the guys."

Among the four men, the woman with big, beautiful eyes looked around before turning her gaze down and quietly saying, "I need to use the bathroom."

"Don’t cause any trouble, just go," one of the short middle-aged men scolded, his accent indicating a Japanese origin.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, Lin’s phone buzzed twice. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the text, then gave Kris a complicated look as they walked ahead.