Chapter Thirteen: The Well-Connected
Ye Chen listened to the peals of laughter from Ye Shanshan outside the window, his face ashen.
If his ordeal at Jin Yinghui's house that morning was merely a brush with social death, then this moment at his own doorstep was the absolute end.
He regretted not running faster, regretted that the creature which attacked him last night hadn’t finished him off.
Ye Chen put the sofa down wherever he could, not caring if it was dirty, and collapsed onto it, staring at the ceiling with a mournful sigh:
“In her eyes, I’m already tainted…”
There are two things most mortifying for a man: being caught with soiled trousers after childhood, and being seen by one’s parents in a compromising act. Either is enough to make a grown man writhe in shame.
When he emerged from the bathroom again, he muttered,
“Cultivating this breath technique really burns through soap…”
Today was the day to report to the Outskirts Patrol Bureau. Ye Chen rummaged through his belongings and finally pieced together an outfit.
Looking in the mirror, he saw a face with sword-shaped brows, a prominent nose, strong cheekbones—a striking, rugged beauty. Yet the memory of the morning’s embarrassment quickly clouded his expression.
…
The Outskirts Patrol Bureau stood in the administrative district. Upon entering, one was greeted by a vast courtyard.
The area was divided into various zones: physical training, shooting range, assembly, and residential quarters. At the center stood an office building, one of the tallest structures in the outer city.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the office of Team One’s captain was tense.
Captain Zhu Gan sat behind his desk, scanning yesterday’s work report at lightning speed.
His thick, pudgy fingers gripped the papers tightly, then crumpled them into a ball and hurled it at the team members standing before him.
No one dared dodge; the paper ball drifted down and struck one of them, but not a single person dared breathe loudly.
Everyone stared at their noses, their mouths, their hearts, letting the paper roll at their feet.
“This is the result of your entire day’s investigation yesterday? Huh…”
Captain Zhu’s hand slammed onto the desk, his face flushed, chest heaving in fury.
His fierce gaze swept back and forth over the row of team members cowering like quails.
“This case—is it really so difficult? It’s just a mutated beast breaking into a house and slaughtering a family.
“Catch the mutated beast and the matter’s settled!”
---
With a loud thud, Captain Zhu leapt from his chair, visibly shorter now that his feet were no longer dangling.
A team member at the end of the row peeked up, quickly ducked his head, barely stifling a laugh.
The silence continued; Captain Zhu clutched another report, stepping out from behind the desk.
Standing before the row of team members, one hand behind his back, belly pushed forward, he began to read the new briefing.
“Last night, yet another pedestrian was attacked on Bar Street—killed on the spot, organs devoured. Preliminary assessment: still the work of a mutated beast.
“Still the work of a mutated beast! Still the work of a mutated beast!!!
“Tell me—where were you patrolling last night? Whose bed did you crawl into?”
Captain Zhu, enraged, looked up at the burly men before him, their eyes lowered.
Suddenly, he barked, “Everyone squat down!”
In unison, the team dropped into a half-squat.
It seemed this was the one command they could execute instantly.
Captain Zhu was very pleased with their compliance, tugged at his trousers, held his head at a forty-five degree angle, and paced before the team.
“Two consecutive homicides—all in our jurisdiction. Do you people have any sense at all?”
By now, sweat beaded on the foreheads of several team members, especially those assigned to last night’s patrol; their legs trembled, whether from fatigue or guilt.
Some secretly scoffed: It was just so cold last night, the lights from the houses by the roadside so warm. When the women beckoned from the windows, shivering in the wind, who could resist offering them warmth?
Seeing the quails so docile, Captain Zhu exhaled heavily.
He strode up to a team member who, even squatting, was still taller than him, and delivered a sharp knock to his head.
“You’re the tallest—get your head down!”
“Yes, Captain!” The big man bowed lower.
“Good!”
Captain Zhu tucked his hands behind his back, pinching the report between two fat fingers.
“This morning, the Chief told me the residential district is panicked—wants a solution from me soon.
“You all think about it—how should I report back?”
Someone in the ranks had a sudden inspiration and fawned:
---
“Captain, the residential area we patrol is the most crowded at night—most likely to be targeted by mutated beasts.
“We’re short-staffed and can’t monitor the whole district all the time.
“If mutated beasts are attacking residents, maybe they slipped in from other districts. That’s patrol failures elsewhere—other teams share responsibility.”
Captain Zhu’s face broke into a wide grin, his chubby cheeks bunching up.
He wobbled over to that team member, slapped his shoulder heartily:
“Exactly! That’s the truth—you summarized it well.
“No patrol for you today. After work, come with me.”
“Thank you, Captain! I’ll follow your orders!” The team member was overjoyed.
Team One’s patrol covered crowded residential blocks and the lucrative Bar Street.
Especially that area of neon and revelry—besides regular taxes and rent, the bar owners’ gifts were endless.
Don’t even mention the ever-present red envelopes, and any bar visited offered discounts so deep the owners practically paid you to drink.
There were always people in need, making sure the captain and team wanted to linger.
A saying was popular in Team One: We’re not scoundrels—we just want to give them a home.
…
Meanwhile, after checking in at the gate, Ye Chen followed the guard's directions to the Team Two captain's office.
The room was empty, so he waited quietly outside.
He watched a group of patrol officers downstairs, arms slung around each other as they joked and left together, a trace of disgust flickering in Ye Chen’s eyes.
Soon, footsteps sounded at the stairwell—a captain appeared, tea cup in one hand, notebook in the other.
Others accompanied him.
Among them, a short, stout man stood with hands behind his back, neck cocked, squinting at the tall, slender Captain Dai, asking coolly,
“This is the newcomer you reported? I’ve been meaning to ask—why must he be assigned to your team?”
Captain Dai turned slightly, offering a faint smile downward without replying.
He tucked his notebook under his arm and gestured toward the inner city.
Captain Zhu paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes… This newcomer—could he have connections in the inner city?