"If you have any assignments in the future, check with me first. I’ll help you vet them."
Chen Yanan sat on the hospital bed and instructed him, "Later, I’ll compile some key points and precautions regarding patrol work and send them to you. Read them carefully and keep them in mind."
Lin Qing nodded, feeling a touch of long-lost warmth in his heart. For someone living in this post-apocalyptic world, care, affection, and familial bonds were luxuries. He hadn't felt them in a long time, and he didn't find them unwelcome. Even if every betrayal came with a price tag, human nature was not meant to be tested. The fickleness of human relationships was the norm; one simply had to keep a clear head.
"You’re assigned to Team Leader Han in the Second Team, right?" Chen Yanan asked.
"Yes," Lin Qing replied. "What kind of person is Team Leader Han?"
"Han Linsong is a good man," Chen Yanan said. "He’s just a bit of a perfectionist with severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and he's quite rigid and by-the-book. However, he is fair and upright. You won't make any extra money following him, but at least you don't have to worry about him pulling any shady moves, and he won't try to steal your credit. I’m quite relieved about that part."
Lin Qing raised an eyebrow. He had heard that patrol work sometimes offered opportunities for "extra income." For instance, during raids on casinos or nightclubs, it was hard to avoid touching upon sensitive, illegal gray areas. It was common practice for those in charge to provide a little "tribute" to avoid trouble. Of course, even if there were such perks, it had nothing to do with temporary patrol officers, so he had only ever heard rumors.
"No wonder..." Lin Qing frowned suddenly. "So that’s why Xiao specifically assigned me to the Second Team. It seems he doesn't want me making any extra money?"
He looked at Chen Yanan and said, "Is Xiao worried that I might scrape together enough money to pay for your leg surgery?"
Chen Yanan nodded slightly. "In the past, I had high ambitions. I looked down on those petty gains and didn't want to jeopardize my future, so I never really accepted those tributes. My savings aren't much." She sighed. "Now that I really need the money, I suspect Xiao is worried you might take advantage of this time to rake in extra cash to help me buy a better prosthetic limb."
"If my strength doesn't decline too much, his chances of getting a permanent promotion are slim." She gave a mocking laugh. "But by specifically placing you in the Second Team, with a rigid and upright boss like Team Leader Han, there’s no way for you to make any extra money in the short term."
Lin Qing shook his head slightly. Someone as shameless as Xiao Peidong was indeed deeply calculating.
"It doesn't matter," Chen Yanan said dismissively. "Xiao is overthinking it. Counting my recovery and preparations, I’ll have to undergo the prosthetic surgery in two or three months at most. You’re just a newly promoted patrol officer; even if you were allowed to take bribes, how much could you possibly save in just a couple of months?"
She reached out and patted the back of Lin Qing’s hand. "Being in Han Linsong’s team is already the best outcome."
"But..." Lin Qing frowned slightly. "What if I could scrape together enough money? Maybe I really could get you a better mechanical prosthetic."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Chen Yanan said, shaking her head. "Between our family savings, my workplace injury insurance, and disability subsidies, we have nearly two million. Your brother asked his classmates in the Metropolitan Area; that money is already enough to buy a Dawn Group G21L-model mechanical prosthetic along with backup power cells."
"A higher tier, the G53 series, would cost at least five or six million to start." She shook her head. "Even if you were incredibly capable and managed to scrape together another million or so in two or three months, spending that much extra would only improve things like battery life. There’s no qualitative change in performance, so it’s completely unnecessary. Do you understand?"
Lin Qing nodded slightly. It was just a thought he’d had; if he could raise the money, he would, of course, try to help.
"I’m glad you understand," Chen Yanan said with a look of relief. "You’ve grown up." She couldn't help but think that she had protected this child too well in the past, shielding him from the harsh realities of the world. Since her accident, he had matured significantly.
*It’s a different person, after all...* Lin Qing muttered to himself, then asked, "Sis, do you know how one can learn a Combat Technique quickly?"
"Besides earning merit, what else could you possibly do?" Chen Yanan glanced at him.
"The escaped convict who wounded you—if I were to take him down, what grade of merit would that be?" Lin Qing asked suddenly.
Chen Yanan couldn't help but glare at him. "Don't go looking for death, kid."
"I was just asking," Lin Qing replied, shaking his head. "I’m not that delusional."
"True..." Chen Yanan finally said, "If you could take that person down, it would definitely be a First-Class Merit. He’s much stronger than I am, and he has almost no weaknesses. Even bullets struggle to cause him effective damage, and even when focus-fired, he manages to escape. I suspect only Yuan Anping, the Chief Commander of the City Bureau, could deal with him."
*Bullets can't deal with him?* Hearing this, a sense of longing rose in Lin Qing’s heart. Wasn't this the power he was striving for? Unfortunately, even his cousin wasn't as strong as the opponent; he was clearly even further behind.
"Merit..." Chen Yanan weighed her words for a moment and suddenly said, "How about this? I still have two unused Third-Class Merits under my name. I’ll apply to transfer them to you. If you manage to earn one more Third-Class Merit on your own, you’ll be able to try learning a Combat Technique."
"Merits can be transferred?" Lin Qing asked in surprise.
Chen Yanan nodded. "Third-Class Merits can be transferred, though honorary commendations and file records cannot, so they can't be used for rank promotion. However, substantive rewards tied to merit exchanges can indeed be transferred." She said with a hint of regret, "Unfortunately, the eight Third-Class Merits and two Second-Class Merits I’ve earned over the years have all been used up trying to learn Combat Techniques."
"Wait, you’ve learned six Combat Techniques?" Lin Qing asked, surprised.
It took three Third-Class Merits to learn one, and one Second-Class Merit to learn two. Between all of Chen Yanan’s merits, she would have had exactly two Third-Class Merits left after learning six.
"Six?" Chen Yanan couldn't help but look at him. "Those were just six attempts to learn. How could I possibly have mastered them all? I tried six times, and I’ve only successfully mastered the basics of three, and only two of those did I truly delve into deeply."
"Is it that hard to learn?" Lin Qing asked with interest.
"Of course it’s hard. The Patrol Bureau has four series of Combat Techniques, totaling twenty-three styles. There’s bound to be one you can master, but it depends on your luck," Chen Yanan explained. "My luck was actually very good—I only tried six and mastered three. If you’re unlucky, you might not even master one out of ten."
Lin Qing realized. He wasn't worried, though; once he finished the 46th Edition Chaoyang Practice Method, learning Combat Techniques would be fine.
"I’ll give you my two Third-Class Merits," Chen Yanan said, looking at him. "You’ll have to find a way to get that last Third-Class Merit on your own."
"I’ll handle it," Lin Qing nodded. It was already a huge help having most of the difficulty removed for him.
"Isn't your marksmanship excellent?" Chen Yanan instructed. "Get promoted to Level 3 Inspector as soon as you can; then you’ll be eligible to carry a firearm."
Lin Qing gave a soft grunt of agreement. It would be soon. If things went well, perhaps it would happen this month.
...
After leaving the hospital, Lin Qing couldn't be bothered to go back to school. Since he was going to pursue the patrol career path, whether or not he took the college entrance exam didn't seem that important anymore.
He arrived back home. After eating a cheap, rather mediocre lunch, Lin Qing began practicing the 46th Edition Chaoyang Practice Method to "pay off his debt." Finishing it only required 65 perfect practice sessions, which didn't feel like much.
However, after practicing just once, Lin Qing noticed something was wrong.