Days gradually grew calm.
Lin Qing’s life settled into a rhythm. Every morning, after finishing his first round of training, he would go to the sub-bureau’s storage room to consume his High-Energy Sustained-Release Fluid. He maintained a schedule of three training sessions a day, followed by patrol duty in the evenings.
In his spare time, he flipped through professional literature regarding patrol work, preparing for the professional examination at the end of the month. As for school, he had already taken an extended leave; with the official seal of the Patrol Bureau, his application had naturally been approved without a hitch.
Regrettably, during his patrols over the past few nights, he had never again encountered a stroke of luck like the first one.
A week passed by in a flash.
[Your Third-Class Merit and bonus have been processed. Come to the bureau before two o'clock this afternoon. The Chief will personally present you with a public commendation.]
"Finally," Lin Qing whispered, catching his breath as he read the WeChat message from Team Leader Han. "I can learn a Combat Technique today."
Although the outcome had been certain, he hadn't been able to truly relax until it was officially in his hands.
…
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
"Chief."
This was only the second time Lin Qing had seen Kou Guoyong, the head of the Xiaoshan District Sub-bureau. The first time had been at the inauguration ceremony for the acting captain, Xiao Peidong.
Kou Guoyong was nearly fifty. Twenty years ago, he had been a patrol captain himself, though he had gained quite a bit of weight since then. His image and demeanor were more reminiscent of the stereotypical bureaucrat, always maintaining an amiable, professional smile.
"Captain Chen's cousin? Not bad."
Kou Guoyong’s smile was gentle as he personally handed the medal and certificate to Lin Qing, while a reporter and a photographer stood by to document the moment.
The others in the Second Team also received certificates of commendation, adding a new entry to their personnel files. Of course, these were mostly for show.
The actual material rewards were modest: a personal commendation earned two thousand yuan, and the Third-Class Merit earned five thousand. It was decent enough.
Lin Qing didn't care much for the money; what he valued most was the Combat Technique that came with the Third-Class Merit, as well as the one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-yuan bounty.
After a series of procedures, signatures, and stamps, the bounty finally hit his account.
His balance reached an unprecedented six-figure sum, but before the money had even warmed, Lin Qing immediately transferred one hundred and forty thousand to Team Leader Han.
In return, Team Leader Han sent him back two yuan.
"Team Leader, what is this?" Lin Qing asked, confused.
"Sixty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine for one set, two sets make one hundred and thirty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight. You gave me two yuan too much," Team Leader Han said earnestly.
Lin Qing: "..."
…
After the public commendation ended, Team Leader Han went upstairs to speak with the Chief, leaving Lin Qing and the other team members waiting in the Second Team’s office.
"Riding your coattails, I earned two thousand and a certificate for nothing," Qin Qin said with a smile. "I saw the Team Leader looking quite pleased when he collected his money earlier."
"I actually thought the Team Leader wasn't the type to care about money," Lin Qing remarked in surprise.
"How could that be?" Qin Qin replied. "The Team Leader has a family to support. His daughter is studying at a university in the Metropolitan Area. Even though there aren't many expenses right now, if she gets a residency permit for the Metropolitan Area in the future, the rent alone will be a significant burden, even with housing subsidies."
"Studying at a university in the Metropolitan Area?" Lin Qing was taken aback.
"Indeed," Qin Qin said, looking envious. "Her future is far brighter than working in the Patrol Bureau."
"By the way," Lin Qing suddenly asked, puzzled. "When I heard the Chief’s commendation, why did he only mention the fugitive Jiang Chengwu? Didn't we also catch the Blue Scarf Gang members who were harboring him?"
Qin Qin glanced around, leaned in, and lowered her voice. "I’ll tell you this in secret: the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang, Camel, still hasn't been charged. He's only under suspicion, but the public security forces haven't found any concrete evidence."
"No evidence? How is that possible?" Lin Qing frowned slightly. "There should have been surveillance in the bar, right? And the light fixture sabotage must have involved some sort of remote device. Camel and the fugitive must have had private contact—can't they find evidence for any of that?"
"Nothing. It’s as if everything was wiped completely clean," Qin Qin shook her head. "The public security department is investigating with everything they’ve got, but if it continues like this, they’ll have to let him go once the thirty-day limit for criminal detention expires."
Lin Qing fell silent.
He recalled that his Order Level had only increased by 0.1, and he suddenly understood. The Blue Scarf Gang had been disbanded, but its founder, Camel, remained at large. The source of the chaos and the threat still existed, which was why the Order Level had only risen by 0.1.
"Is there some force protecting Camel?" Lin Qing mused to himself. "The surveillance, the physical evidence—all wiped clean. Even the police can't find a thing..."
At this rate, when would he ever reach Order Level 1?
…
When Team Leader Han finished his talk with the Chief and came back down, he didn't say much to the team members, simply taking Lin Qing to the second floor to apply for a Combat Technique.
"Can I learn a Combat Technique right here in the sub-bureau?" Lin Qing couldn't help but ask.
"Of course," Team Leader Han replied. "The key is the authorization. Once the application is approved, the main bureau will transmit all the material and content for the technique, and you can learn it in the secret chamber. Someone will be there to guide you."
"A secret chamber?" Lin Qing realized. It wasn't ancient times, after all; one didn't need to travel to some remote location to flip through secret manuals. Information carried by books could just as easily be transmitted via network-delivered imagery.
On the second floor, Team Leader Han led him down a long corridor. After passing through a gate protected by an electric grid at the end, they arrived in front of an elevator.
"Go on down. Someone will guide you when you arrive," Team Leader Han said.
Lin Qing nodded, walked to the elevator, and pressed the only button—a 'down' arrow. Two black surveillance cameras nearby rotated slightly, focusing on him as if verifying his identity.
Then, a slightly raspy voice suddenly rang out:
"Look up for iris recognition."
Lin Qing looked up and saw a silver camera extend from above, silently locking eyes with him.
Immediately, the elevator doors opened.
Lin Qing stepped inside and noticed there were no controls, but it was clear someone was operating the elevator’s descent. Before long, the elevator came to a halt.
When the doors opened, Lin Qing found himself in a hallway constructed entirely of glass and silver metal, giving it a much more futuristic feel than the rest of the building.
At the same time, the raspy voice echoed again: "Walk to the secret chamber at the end."
Lin Qing walked toward the end of the corridor. Moments later, the wall at the end slowly parted, revealing a dim, secluded room.
As he entered, the wall behind him sealed shut, leaving him in total isolation.
In the darkness, lines of light suddenly flickered to life, projecting onto a wall and forming lines of text:
Name: Lin Qing
Gender: Male
ID Number: 330109210210303612
Patrol ID: 3301758
Title: Level 1 Patrol Officer
Merits: Three Third-Class Merits...
The projected content clearly displayed Lin Qing’s identity information, along with his photograph.
"Level 1 Patrol Officer Lin Qing, allow me to remind you: while learning, you must not damage anything within the chamber. Once your time is up, you must leave."
The raspy voice sounded again.
"Understood," Lin Qing nodded.
The voice echoed in the room: "You have a record of three Third-Class Merits. You may choose any one Combat Technique to attempt to learn."
As the voice spoke, Lin Qing noticed lines of text appearing on all four walls.
[Hundred Beasts Series]
Based on various animal forms, this technique allows one to refine their body into the form of beasts. The more animal forms one integrates, the greater the power of the technique. Each animal visualization represents a single Combat Technique. There are currently six animal visualizations available.
Note: The Hundred Beasts Series has immense potential, but any single technique on its own is relatively weak. Furthermore, after mastering the six basic forms, further forms can only be learned at the Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall.
[Free Body Series]
This series is divided into six Combat Techniques: "Speed," "Agility," "Strength," "Subtlety," "Hardness," and "Softness." While each has its own strengths, the six combined are near perfection.
Note: The "Free Body" series forms the foundation of one of the top three Combat Techniques at the Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall. It is extremely difficult, with an entry success rate of only 4.1%. It prioritizes insight and control above all else. With sufficient talent and precise control, progress will be rapid; otherwise, even entering the basics is difficult. Choose with caution.
[Divine Transformation Series]
This series is divided into six Combat Techniques: "Eyes," "Ears," "Nose," "Tongue," "Body," and "Mind." It focuses on the senses and excels in perception...
[Five Elements Series]
This series is divided into...
"Twenty-three Combat Techniques?"
The descriptions for the four series of techniques floated before Lin Qing’s eyes, with detailed explanations for each beneath them. He immediately focused his attention, browsing through them.
"A word of advice."
The raspy voice spoke up: "Once you choose a series of Combat Techniques and achieve entry, you should try to stick to that same series in the future. It is best not to learn from other series."
Lin Qing asked thoughtfully, "Is it because these techniques were all broken down from larger ones? Were the four series originally four distinct Combat Techniques?"
"You guessed quite well," the voice replied. "They were deliberately disassembled into simplified parts to lower the difficulty of learning. The true, complete versions of these techniques require immense effort, even for inner-hall students of the Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall, to potentially master."
Lin Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any of those complete, non-disassembled techniques here?"
If he could just get his foot in the door, he could use the Anti-Entropist's power to advance. If he could learn a complete technique, that would naturally be the best.
"...No."
The raspy voice fell silent for a moment before saying: "Even these disassembled techniques are incredibly difficult for you, let alone the complete ones. The complex mental states required to form the complete visualization would be impossible for you to master, and your mind wouldn't be able to withstand it."
"Can I learn them with a First-Class Merit?" Lin Qing asked.
"Even if you possessed a First-Class Merit, you would still only be able to learn these four series of techniques," the voice replied. "At most, you would be allowed to view three other special cultivation methods."
"Special cultivation methods?" Lin Qing felt a spark of curiosity.
"Wait until you earn a First-Class Merit before you ask about those," the voice urged. "Hurry up and choose, little one."
Lin Qing slowly turned, looking closely at the twenty-three techniques on the walls, and fell into deep thought.
Which one should he choose?