Special District 9 Chapter 12: Looking at the World From Another Perspective

The next day, eight in the morning.

Sitting in his own individual office, Yuan Ke smiled at Qin Yu and said, “Alright, I’ll skip those hypocritical words and get straight to the point. Everyone who participated in the operation yesterday will be compensated 300, and this money will be taken out of our platoon funds…”

Qin Yu put up a thumbs up and said, “Generous.”

“Get along with the investigation. I’m waiting for the results.”

“Alright,” Qin Yu nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out.”

“Wait a moment,” Yuan Ke said as he opened up his small cupboard. He took out a box of new boots from within and asked, “What is your foot size?”

“43.”

“Nice, we are of the same size,” Yuan Ke replied as he placed the box on the table. “It’s from a friend, and I haven’t worn it yet. Take it.”

“This… They are quite expensive.”

“What does a pair of boots count as?” Yuan Ke waved his hand casually. “Take it.”

Qin Yu lowered his head to look at the box, and he suddenly felt that Yuan Ke wasn’t just words. This was because as long as his subordinates did whatever they needed to, he would do his best to fight for their interest.

“Thank you, Platoon Commander Yuan.”

“Thank my head, go out,” Yuan Ke said with a smile.

“Aye!”

Qin Yu took the pair of boots and walked out.

…

Over the next two doors, the brothers of Squad 3 devoted all of their effort to interrogating those whom they had caught. However, what surprised Qin Yu was that Ma Lao-er and Third Uncle’s mouths were tightly sealed. Even though the other two small fries had already spat out everything that they knew, these two were still feigning ignorance, refusing to say a thing at all.

Interrogation wasn’t Qin Yu’s strength. He wasn’t in the Development District anymore, so a lot of the means that he knew couldn’t be used anymore. When it came to the standard police procedures, it was clear that the rest in Squad 3 was more experienced than him. Since that was the case, he might as well just leave everything to them.

Thursday afternoon, 3 o’clock.

Qin Yu was seated in the office with Qi Lin, Jabi, Little Six, and a few others. They were chatting casually with one another. Zhu Wei, who had a small drink outside, walked over with huge strides.

“Erp! You all aren’t interrogating the criminals anymore?” Zhu Wei burped a little as he asked with a grin.

“Un, we’re just resting for a bit,” Qin Yu nodded.

Pah!

Zhu Wei habitually pushed Qin Yu’s head, saying, “Move over to the side.”

With a smile, Qin Yu moved over and said, “You should stop messing around with me all the time. Why do you keep hitting my head?”

“Hell, what’s wrong with me hitting your head? Are you putting on airs because you have come out of your probation?” Zhu Wei teased.

“Why did you go out to drink during working hours again?” Qin Yu continued on. “Look at how expensive alcohol is nowadays! Your body might be able to take it, but you must be burning a hole through your pockets.”

“Can’t be helped. Too many friends, I need to keep up with them,” Zhu Wei shook his leg casually as he replied. “My family keeps pressuring me to get married, so they introduced a Japanese girl to me. I went there to meet her and drank a little.”

“I see,” Qin Yu nodded. He intentionally took out a stick of Chunghwa and placed it into his mouth as he lit it up with a lighter.

“What the?!” Zhu Wei was stunned. He leaned over and berated, “You bastard, didn’t you say that you don’t have that anymore? Are you keeping things from us brother? Come, give me one too.”

“I don’t have it anymore. This is my last one,” Qin Yu replied as he took a puff.

“You should stop bullying our squad leader. That cigarette is pretty expensive, y’know? You shouldn’t keep sponging off him,” Guan Qi replied jokingly to Zhu Wei. He then stretched his hand out to Qin Yu and said, “But I’m different from him. I had a breakthrough today, right? You should give me one as a reward!”

If there was no one messing around, there would be no one in the squad who would take the initiative to joke with Qin Yu. However, Zhu Wei’s attitude was simply too careless and sloppy around him. He would go too far with his jokes, paying no heed to propriety at all. As a result, everyone else in the squad also began to speak and act without any restraints regardless of the surroundings they were in.

“I really don’t have any,” Qin Yu pushed Zhu Wei away as he replied. “This is the only one I have.”

“Tsk, you sure are stingy. Hurry up and give me one!” Zhu Wei said as he grabbed Qin Yu’s wrist.

“Squad leader, stop being so stingy and share some with the rest of us, will you? We’re fine with getting half a stick too,” Jabi chirped in as well.

“I really don’t have it anymore,” Qin Yu replied as he dodged around on his seat.

“Get him!” Zhu Wei held Qin Yu’s shoulder in place as he rallied the other members in the squad over. “Come, hold him down. We’ll get the packet out of his pocket and share it! Heck, this fellow really doesn’t know the rules around here at all. How can he be so stingy when he has only arrived?”

“Zhu Wei, stop playing around. I really don’t have it,” Qin Yu said with a laugh.

“Hurry up, hold him down! Little Six, grab his legs!” Zhu Wei was still shouting around

Just like that, the atmosphere was roused. Everyone in Squad 3, other than Qi Lin and the two injured Thai brothers who weren’t around, rushed over to the chair to hold Qin Yu in place and ransack his body.

“Heck, stop messing around! I really don’t have it…” Qin Yu tussled with the rest of the members while chuckling along with the others.

“Haha, what’s with the rest of them? It’s almost as if they have never smoked it before,” Qi Lin remarked with a smile as he got up to get some water.

“Heh, I can curb you easily if I want to. Hurry up and take it out!” Zhu Wei said as he began sliding his hand into Qin Yu’s pocket.

At this moment, Qin Yu suddenly grabbed a knife that was on the table, and holding the blade between his thumb and his forefinger, he stabbed it right toward Zhu Wei’s thigh.

Puchi!

This abrupt attack caused Zhu Wei to freeze on the spot.

“Don’t mess with me or else I’ll really stab you,” Qin Yu shouted with the same playful smile on his lips. Still holding onto the blade, he brandished it forward to stab Zhu Wei’s thigh once again

Puchi!

The knife pierced through Zhu Wei’s skin, and he hurriedly retreated two steps.

Seeing that blood had been splattered, the rest in the squad also froze on the spot. All of them turned to look at Qin Yu in a daze, horrified by how things had turned out.

“What are you all looking at me for? Did the knife really cut you? Aiyo, I was just brandishing it around for a bit…” Qin Yu pretended to be stunned as well. He quickly put the knife aside as he lowered his head to look at Zhu Wei’s thigh, “Are you alright?”

Hurting from the cut, there was no way Zhu Wei could have been able to remain calm. He immediately shoved Qin Yu away as he shouted, “Shit, are you trying to kill me? Why did you grab a knife?”

Qin Yu still had the mischievous smile on his face up to this moment as he shrugged, “I told you not to mess with me. I tend to lose myself in the moment at times, but you still joked around with me. See, you ended up getting cut in the end.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone in the room fell silent. They turned to look at Qin Yu as the playful expressions on their faces vanished without a trace.

However, as if oblivious to their reactions, Qin Yu said with a chuckle, “Heh, you all really shouldn’t play around with me next time.”

He then walked over to help Zhu Wei up and said, “Come, let’s go to the infirmary to get your cut treated.”

Zhu Wei hesitated for a moment, but his earlier rage had already vanished without a trace. With his head lowered, he allowed Qin Yu to support him to the infirmary.

…

After that incident, there was no one in Squad 3 who dared to go overboard with Qin Yu anymore, and this included the insensitive Zhu Wei as well. More than that, no one dared to view him as a newcomer anymore.

From the perspective of an onlooker, Qi Lin saw how Qin Yu managed to curb Zhu Wei from the start to the end, and he suddenly felt that the latter was really quite skilled at dealing with humans. He was generally light-hearted and easy to chat with, so it appeared easy to make friends with him. Yet, if you were to go overboard with him, he had a way that no one could think of to make it known to you that you have gone overboard, and this was done while preserving your dignity.

This made Qi Lin recall how, ever since the kidnapping case, the domineering Ol’ Three had never tried to mess with Qin Yu anymore.

What did this mean?

It meant that Qin Yu had managed to settle that privately too.

It was then that Qi Lin realized that perhaps only people like Qin Yu would be able to rise through the ranks in such a chaotic environment.

Brave yet sensitive. Conscientious of his surroundings and the feelings of those around him.

Perhaps he had tempered himself in the Development District for more than a decade just so to rise up the ranks here.

…

It was after parting with Zhu Wei at the infirmary that Qin Yu suddenly remembered that he had rented a house. However, he was simply so busy over the last few days that he hadn’t gone there to take a look. So, he called Old Cat over, and the two of them headed to Residence 88 together.

At the same time…

In a certain storage facility of Dirt Street, an old man in his sixties held onto his cane as he said, “Qin Yu. I have never heard of him before.”

“I had someone investigate him. He’s new.”

“He captured Ma Lao-er and Damin as soon as he arrived here? Does he have someone behind him?” the old man muttered contemplatively beneath his breath. Then, he turned to his men and ordered, “Send some men over to find that Qin Yu.”