Chapter 9: Show of Force

“What’s going on…”

Lin Qing looked at his hands and frowned slightly.

He had merely completed one full session of the Four-Six Version of the Morning Practice, and his body no longer absorbed the mysterious energy.

His body cells were like they’d eaten their fill and refused to take more.

“Appetite has limits…”

Lin Qing searched online for a long while and finally understood.

Logically, although his body had already transformed to its first limit, the cells could still consume the mysterious energy—they just wouldn’t undergo further transformation.

What he was experiencing now was simply being full.

A normal person’s body could only practice this once per day.

So, calculating it this way, he’d need sixty-five days to make up the deficit of the Four-Six Version of the Morning Practice.

“More than two months isn’t slow—even quite fast…”

“But there seems to be a way to speed it up.”

In this age of abundant information, and with the Morning Practice being promoted nationwide, information about it was never restricted.

Lin Qing quickly found the solution to this situation.

“The cheapest method… consume High-Energy Sustained-Release Liquid, which makes body cells hungrier. The K1 series is specifically for those who haven’t broken through the first limit. One set of High-Energy Sustained-Release Liquid… discounted price 89,999 kuai?”

“Ninety thousand kuai per set? And this is the cheapest? One set has ten vials?”

Lin Qing was speechless.

Normal practitioners of the Morning Practice usually need hundreds—even thousands—of sessions to gradually approach perfect practice.

One vial of High-Energy Sustained-Release Liquid only allows two extra sessions per day—equivalent to triple efficiency.

One set of ten vials only adds twenty extra sessions, and it costs ninety thousand kuai?

If he needed hundreds or thousands of sessions, wouldn’t he have to spend millions?

“Only the rich can afford this…”

Lin Qing felt helpless.

He only had a few thousand kuai in savings—he couldn’t even afford one set.

Actually, he only needed two sets.

Twenty vials of High-Energy Sustained-Release Liquid, enough for twenty days, would let him practice two extra times daily, completing the remaining sixty-four sessions in just over twenty days.

But one hundred and eighty thousand kuai was too much.

“I’ll deal with it when I have money.”

Lin Qing thought to himself, “After probation, a Level Two Patrol Officer earns four thousand a month, a Level One Patrol Officer five thousand… It’s not much at all. No wonder some people take bribes or earn side income…”

Even after passing his professional exam and being promoted to Level Three Patrol Officer, his salary would only rise to seven thousand.

The main change upon becoming a Patrol Officer was gaining firearm authorization, but the salary increase wasn’t significant.

His cousin, a Level Two Patrol Officer, earned only twelve thousand.

Compared to ordinary people, it was high pay—but compared to the wealthy, it meant nothing.

He could probably borrow money from his cousin, but she had already transferred her merit points to him and was herself in urgent need of funds—he didn’t want to burden her further.

What difference would it make if he broke through sooner?

Learn the Seven-Seven Version faster? Even if he mastered the Seven-Seven Version, without learning two combat techniques, he still wouldn’t qualify as deputy team leader—or even join the Morning Martial Arts Gym.

“I’ll get money when the chance comes.”

Lin Qing wasn’t in a hurry, “Right now is my rapid progress phase. Once I master the Seven-Seven Version and combat techniques, earning money shouldn’t be hard. Slow is fine.”

Although he couldn’t skim any grease under Team Leader Han, once he passed the Patrol Professional Exam and earned one or two merit points, he could leave Team Two—then Team Leader Han couldn’t touch him.

Once his strength increased, earning money would become easier.

If he could master the Original Version of the Morning Practice, even the City Patrol Bureau’s Main Team would invite him—his status would be entirely different.

… With only one repayment per day, Lin Qing spent most of his remaining time studying patrol exam materials.

The Patrol Bureau held a professional exam every 25th of the month; today was December 11, leaving fourteen days.

With his current memory capacity, if he applied himself, he might pass this month’s exam.

When he reached nine p.m. reading, his phone emitted a soft chime.

Lin Qing opened it and saw a message from Team Leader Han.

【Team Leader Han: Tonight’s patrol duty. Wait at the entrance of your residential compound at ten o’clock.】

“Wait at the compound entrance?”

Lin Qing was puzzled—did they really come to pick him up?…

Night was dark, the cold biting.

Lin Qing’s physical condition had improved significantly; his thermal underlayer combined with the patrol uniform kept him warm.

Even the temporary patrol uniform was only missing a shoulder patch—the fabric was nearly identical and equally warm.

Tomorrow, after Logistics delivers his shoulder patch and full patrol uniform, he’d be a true Patrol Officer.

Just after ten, a black patrol vehicle, elongated like a limousine, sped around the corner and stopped smoothly before him.

The window rolled down, revealing Team Leader Han and others inside.

“Get in.”

The patrol vehicle’s interior was spacious: besides the driver and front passenger, the rear had two facing rows of seats—six could squeeze in.

Besides Team Leader Han, there was the slender, short-haired girl “Xiao Qin” and three other male patrol officers.

One drove, one sat in the front passenger seat; in the back, Xiao Qin and a lean, buzz-cut youth sat opposite Han.

Lin Qing glanced, then sat beside Han.

“Team Leader, why come all the way to my door?” Lin Qing said. “I could’ve just gone straight to the precinct—it’s not far.”

“It’s convenient.” Han said calmly.

“Convenient?” Lin Qing frowned.

“Hahaha…”

Xiao Qin smiled sweetly. “We didn’t come specially to pick you up—tonight’s patrol is on Tie Shi Street, so we saved you the trip.”

“Coincidence?” Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Not coincidence. We deliberately assigned the mission to Tie Shi District.” Xiao Qin chuckled.

Lin Qing grew even more puzzled: “Deliberately assigned?”

“Nothing special. All newly probationary patrol officers get this treatment.”

Xiao Qin smiled. “Patrolling your neighborhood first lets those unruly locals in your area know you’re now part of the patrol force. Think of it as a show of force.”

Lin Qing understood.

“There’s an actual mission too.”

Team Leader Han said flatly. “A new gang, the Blue Scarf Gang, has appeared on Tie Shi Street. They seem to have outsiders among them—we’ll coordinate with the Gongan Bureau to investigate.”

Soon, the patrol vehicle stopped at a secluded corner of Tie Shi Street, where a neon-lit bar stood nearby.

“The Blue Scarf Gang’s main members usually operate at the Tie Shi Bar at night.”

“According to prior undercover investigations by temporary patrol officers, only new recruits carry blue neck scarves—officers have no distinguishing features. The gang leader is known as ‘Camel.’”

“Once we move, Zhang Yufei and Liang Jun, you two secure the front and back exits of the bar.”

“Lin Qing, Qin Qin, Wang Hengyi—you three, gear up and come with me inside for the search.”

“Record facial and fingerprint data from everyone in the bar—patrons and staff alike. If identification fails, take blood samples for immediate DNA analysis and cross-reference with the database. That’s the Gongan Bureau’s requirement.”

“Begin operation.”

(End of Chapter)