Chapter 8: Group 3

In front of the gate of No. 88 Courtyard.

Kris smiled and asked, "Sophie, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to look at the house," Sophie casually asked while brushing her hair, "How about you?"

"Coincidentally," Kris was taken aback, "I'm here to look at a house too."

"Huh?" Sophie blinked her big, sparkling eyes, "Doesn’t the police chief have a dormitory?"

"Heh, too many people in the dorm, I can’t get used to it, so I thought I’d rent a place," Kris replied.

"Oh."

Sophie playfully nodded and confidently extended her hand, saying, "Since it's such a coincidence, let's get to know each other. I don’t even know your name."

"My name is Kris."

"Kris, thank you!" Sophie was actually initiating the conversation just to say this.

Kris knew Sophie was thanking him for saving her life in the alley, so he pretended to be modest, "It’s my duty, nothing to thank me for..."

Sophie looked at him with respect, "Hehe, a salute to Sir!"

"Let’s go in and take a look." Kris wasn’t immune to attractive women, but due to his circumstances before, he couldn’t really flirt. Now, temporarily settled, he was feeling a little intrigued and wanted to talk more with the pretty girl.

"I’ve already seen it, I’ve booked it. My colleague went to buy something. When she comes back, we’ll leave," Sophie responded enthusiastically, "If you rent here, we might run into each other. When I get my salary, I’ll treat you to a meal."

"Heh, let me first see if the house is suitable."

"I work at the web station, and I’ll definitely be in touch with the police department, so see you later."

"Alright!"

After a few simple exchanges, Kris stepped into No. 88 Courtyard. He hadn’t had a chance to ask Sophie for her contact information before she left with a female colleague.

...

Inside the courtyard.

OG Cat was sitting on a stone pillar, waving and calling out, "Kris, over here!"

"Coming," Kris rushed over.

"I heard you talking at the gate, who was that?" OG Cat casually asked, "Did Lin come too?"

"No, I just bumped into that girl who got kidnapped the other day, chatted for a bit."

"?" OG Cat paused for a moment, "You ran into that girl? Where is she?"

"Can you stop acting like you’re about to eat someone? She’s already gone."

"What was she doing here?" OG Cat asked eagerly, "Who was she with? What did she say?"

"She works at the web station, and since it’s not far from the police department, she came to look at the house and just happened to bump into me," Kris replied impatiently. "Why are you asking so much?"

"Did she rent a house here?"

"Seems like it."

"…!" OG Cat frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Kris and asked, "Hey, are you still looking for a roommate or something? I can cook."

"You’re really a pervert." Kris was speechless.

"She really caught my eye, bro," OG Cat rambled on, "How about we rent together? We’ll live together, I’ll tell you..."

"Let’s talk later, let’s look at the house first," Kris waved him off. "Hurry up, I need to get back to the station soon."

"Okay, okay, let’s go."

After speaking, they walked into the main room of the house.

The house Kris was shown by OG Cat was about thirty square meters, with some simple furniture. The walls were freshly painted, and the overall environment looked clean, though the price was a bit high. The landlady was asking for 300 a month, and she required payment every six months.

This price was indeed not low, but it was considered reasonable. The No. 88 Courtyard was located in the area with the highest concentration of government institutions in Songjiang City, close to the TV station, internet broadcast station, police department, traffic department, etc. This was also why Kris and Sophie could run into each other. Their workplaces were already quite close, and even if they hadn’t bumped into each other here, they would likely meet in the future.

The common currency in the Ninth District was the newly issued Asian Dollar, while the world’s common currency was the Alliance Currency, issued by the Union Government’s savings agency. Of course, the European Union still had its Euro, but that’s a different story for now.

The exchange rate was roughly 1 Alliance Currency to 6 Asian Dollars.

The Asian Dollar had only been issued recently, so its purchasing power was very high. Roughly speaking, it was about ten times the purchasing power of the previous Chinese yuan. So, 300 Asian Dollars was equivalent to 3,000 yuan. Kris’s monthly salary was only 500, and if he rented this house and spent on food and drink, he wouldn’t have much left.

This reflected the current situation of the lower class in the Ninth District, where the cost of living was rising every day because various resources were dwindling. With a high population and few jobs, income was very low. This was also why Lin was trying so hard to become a second-level officer. Higher ranks meant higher pay.

OG Cat saw that Kris liked the house but was a bit reluctant to pay the 300 rent, so he whispered, "In the police department, aside from guys like Lin who are timid and just want to please others, most people don’t rely solely on their salary. I see you’re not a saint, you’ll definitely have some gray income..."

"Do you have gray income?" Kris asked with a sideways glance.

"Of course, who doesn’t?" OG Cat answered shamelessly.

"What’s your gray income?"

"I specifically target pimps. If they don’t pay up, I teach them a lesson." OG Cat responded shamelessly.

"…!" Kris was speechless.

"Stop thinking about it, just rent it. I can come stay with you sometimes," OG Cat persuaded again.

Kris thought for a moment, considering that he probably wouldn’t find a better or cheaper place, plus this courtyard was very close to the police station, so he hesitated and said, "Alright, I’ll rent it, just for six months."

...

After work in the afternoon.

In the less than fifty-square-meter office area of Group 3, nine young officers were standing, wearing uniforms.

Yuan Ke smiled and looked at the crowd, "I’ll be brief. Although Kris just arrived, he has successfully killed the notorious gangster Matsushita and solved a kidnapping case. After serious consideration by the department and the team, we’ve decided to temporarily appoint Kris as the leader of Group 3."

The others exchanged glances for a while before bursting into warm applause.

"Kris’s third-class merit has already been reported to the department, and his rank will be raised in due time, so don’t have any other thoughts. I’ve told you before, if you’re good, I’ll promote you to Group 1, and I’ll definitely promote you. This goes for everyone," Yuan Ke finished, then pulled Kris forward, "Introduce yourself to everyone."

Kris stepped forward, wearing a neat light green police uniform, with two crutches on his shoulders. He saluted and said, "My name is Kris, I look forward to working with all of you."

Among the crowd, Lin stared blankly at Kris, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

Just a few dozen hours ago, he personally brought this newcomer into the team. But now, in less than two days, this guy had become his leader. That feeling… was really hard to take.

"I’ll repeat it again, once you wear this uniform, you must follow the rules here. Kris may be new, but if anyone tries to bully him, mess around, or disrupt the work, don’t say I didn’t warn you," Yuan Ke said, smiling at everyone before turning to Kris, "Alright, you all chat. Kris, you can talk to them."

"Alright." Kris nodded, "Thank you, Captain Yuan."

"Don’t mention it." Yuan Ke left, floating away.

Inside the office, Kris blinked, took out a box of Chinese cigarettes he usually couldn’t afford to smoke, and smilingly said to the crowd, "I happened to run into something good, and by chance became the team leader, but compared to you all, my personal experience is definitely lacking. So, when it comes to cases, I’ll still rely on your help. Come on, relax, take a smoke."

Kris said this as a form of polite opening, intending to get closer to the team, but he didn’t expect the person on the far left, an older youth, to casually take the cigarette from Kris, expertly tear open the package, and say, "Hehe, brother, you’ve got some good stuff. You can get roasted tobacco?"

Kris was taken aback and smiled, "A good friend gave it to me."

The man who spoke to Kris was named Zhu Wei, an old member of Group 3 who had been on the job for four to five years. However, due to his blunt approach to things, he hadn’t been promoted. If Kris hadn’t come, they might have promoted him to group leader, as he had the experience, and he got along with Yuan Ke fairly well.

Zhu Wei lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then passed the box around to others.

"Sit down, everyone." Kris called out.

"Slap!"

At that moment, Zhu Wei suddenly slapped Kris on the arm, laughing and saying, "Still feels good, it has a kick. Brother, you’re straightforward, not stingy, haha!"

There was nothing wrong with the words, but the slap landed right on the bruise on Kris’s arm. He had been grazed by a bullet while dealing with Matsushita, and the wound hadn’t fully healed yet.

"Ah!"

Kris winced in pain, frowned, stepped back, and turned to look at Zhu Wei.

"Brother Wei, the team leader has an injury." Lin, who had already started calling Kris "team leader" instead of just Kris, spoke up.

"Damn, what happened?" Zhu Wei looked at Kris, "Where’s the injury?"

Kris glanced at Zhu Wei, smiled, and replied, "I got grazed by a bullet when I took down Matsushita."

"A graze? That’s nothing, just go to the hospital later and get some medicine," Zhu Wei said, grinning, "No need for an injection, it won’t kill you. Getting a shot would cost half a month’s salary."

Hearing this, Kris narrowed his eyes at Zhu Wei, said nothing, and motioned for the others to sit down.

After all ten members of Group 3 sat down, they began to chat softly.

In the course of the conversation, Kris roughly understood the situation of Group 3.

Including himself, the group had ten members, three of whom were Thai, one African, and six Chinese. But since the Ninth District was located in the northeastern region, Chinese was the official language, and they had all lived there long enough to speak fluent Chinese, though with a slight northeastern accent.

After the simple communication, they began to focus on studying the drug trafficking gang’s information.

...

In the evening, after Kris finished checking the two worn-out police vehicles of Group 3 downstairs, he turned around to return to the office, only to find that no one was inside, except for Lin and the African brother, who were working with the case files.

"Where is everyone?" Kris asked.

"Zhu Wei took them out on a mission," Lin replied.

Kris frowned. "I told them to study the case, and we’re supposed to have a meeting tonight. Why did he suddenly take people out? Is there a case?"

"No, it looks like he just took them out for some personal business."

"...It’s not even off-duty time, and he didn’t even leave a message before taking them away?" Kris muttered, his expression unreadable.

Lin fell silent for a moment, not responding.

Kris frowned as he sat down in his chair, looking at the phone on the desk. His fingers gently tapped the table.

What’s Zhu Wei’s game?

On his first day as the leader of Group 3, Kris's test had already begun.