Chapter 9: The Police Station

Chapter 9: The Police Station

Chu Yi didn't have to wait long before Zhao Qing informed her that she could come to the police station to process the reward collection. Thinking of the things she could buy for the children with the money, she was overjoyed. After getting ready, she headed to the police station.

As soon as Chu Yi entered the station, Zhao Qing greeted her, "Chu Yi, you're here. This way, please." He then led her to a nearby room.

With a warm smile, Zhao Qing offered her a seat. "You have no idea how much effort we put into catching these fugitives. We allocated a significant number of police officers for the search. To maintain secrecy, everyone involved in this operation couldn't rest and even had their phone calls monitored. Thanks to you, we solved the case much sooner. On behalf of all the officers, I want to express our gratitude." Saying this, Zhao Qing stood and gave a formal salute.

Chu Yi also stood up and waved off the thanks, "No need to thank me, I just happened to be there."

Zhao Qing quickly asked Chu Yi to sit down again, "With your combat skills, have you ever considered becoming a police officer after graduation? Although it's not your field of study, you're more skilled than most of our professionally trained officers. You're also a good person. What do you think? I can write you a recommendation letter. Just pass the police recruitment exam, and you can become a people's police officer dedicated to fighting crime and maintaining peace."

The more Zhao Qing thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Although they usually preferred candidates with relevant professional backgrounds or military experience, there were exceptions. Given Chu Yi's exceptional skills, she had already outperformed most of the officers.

Nowadays, society is quite stable, and the physical prowess of many police officers is not up to par. Only those with military backgrounds are somewhat competent. However, few soldiers are willing to join the police force after their service. Someone with Chu Yi's abilities is exactly what the police force lacks.

Chu Yi shook her head, "No, I haven't considered that for now."

Chu Yi didn't completely reject the idea. Being a police officer wasn't much different from her previous work as a mercenary, but the lack of freedom compared to being a mercenary was a concern. However, it seemed there was no mercenary profession available at the moment.

Seeing that Chu Yi didn't agree, Zhao Qing's spirits dampened momentarily before he rallied, "Well, if you ever change your mind, please contact me. Today, you're here for the reward. The approval has already come through. Just complete the necessary procedures and you can claim it."

After explaining, Zhao Qing handed her some documents and guided Chu Yi on how to fill them out. Once everything was done, Chu Yi just had to wait for Zhao Qing to submit the paperwork. After review, the 200,000 reward would be issued.

With numerous police officers as witnesses to Chu Yi's capture of the criminals and Zhao Qing's active assistance in applying for the reward, the 200,000 bounty was quickly approved. With this money, Chu Yi could finally feel at ease.

As she was leaving, Chu Yi suddenly remembered something, "By the way, what happened to the verdict for the five thugs we arrested last time?"

It had been a while since that case, and Chu Yi thought there should be a result by now. It was a good opportunity to ask while she was at the police station.

Zhao Qing looked up and said, "According to our investigation, they did commit multiple assaults on young girls, but they didn't commit murder. We found many female victims, but none were willing to testify in court. They became emotionally agitated just hearing about it. Therefore, their sentences weren't very severe. The gang leader was sentenced to one year in prison due to insufficient evidence, and the others received sentences ranging from 3 to 9 months, depending on their individual records."

Zhao Qing felt helpless about this case. Most of the victims were young women, many of them university students. After being harmed, they didn't report the incidents immediately but chose to hide and pretend nothing had happened.

When the police approached these young women based on the thugs' confessions, most refused to recall the incidents and were unwilling to cooperate with the police, let alone testify in court. They wanted to put it behind them.

Zhao Qing had no choice in the matter. The thugs had already caused severe harm to these girls, and they didn't want to relive the events. The police couldn't force them to speak up and risk causing further trauma. Their only option was to tighten city management, conduct thorough checks in alleys without cameras, install surveillance, and strictly monitor such thugs.

Chu Yi was dissatisfied with the verdict, her eyes narrowing and her fists clenching unconsciously. The sentences were too lenient. She thought about the original Chu Yi, whose life was ruined by these thugs, but she couldn't share this with anyone.

The reactions of the female victims were within Chu Yi's expectations. They considered their own well-being, and only the thugs knew of their crimes. With countless encounters every day, they wouldn't remember each girl they harmed. Except for the victims themselves, no one else would know. Many might treat the incidents as a nightmare, forgotten upon waking, with their lives resuming as if nothing had happened.

If they testified, their families, friends, and even strangers would know they were assaulted by the thugs. Although they were the victims, society often judges harshly. The gossip, disdain, and various other judgmental looks would follow them, disrupting their lives.

Zhao Qing, sensing Chu Yi's dissatisfaction, said helplessly, "That's how it is sometimes. The law requires evidence. But don't worry, even after they're released, they'll be under close surveillance by our police department. I've arranged with my colleagues in the prison to provide them with proper ideological education and strict discipline, hoping to reform them."

Chu Yi knew the matter was settled. She and her dormmates hadn't suffered any physical harm, so they couldn't testify in court. The most that could be charged was attempted assault, which wasn't very significant.

Chu Yi responded, "Thank you. I just hope there are fewer such people in society and more who stand for justice."

If only it were that simple. In the darker corners of society, many still suffer. In an ideal world, one could help others while ensuring their own safety. But this wasn't the interstellar era where everyone was a trained soldier. In this era, there were too many people who couldn't defend themselves.

As Chu Yi was leaving, Zhao Qing scheduled a few training sessions with her. Since receiving training from Chu Yi, Zhao Qing's skills had improved significantly, noticeable even to his colleagues. Ted, having learned from Zhao Qing about the source of his improvement, begged Zhao Qing to ask Chu Yi to give lessons at the police station, especially since they had just cracked a major case and had some downtime.

Chu Yi agreed and set a date to visit the police station in three days.

Three days later, Chu Yi arrived at the police station and followed Zhao Qing to a large training ground at the back, equipped with various training apparatus, some of which were already in use. "Do you train regularly?" Chu Yi asked, pointing at the equipment.

Zhao Qing nodded enthusiastically, "Of course, we have regular assessments, and physical fitness is an important part of them."

Chu Yi simply responded, "Oh."

Regular use of this equipment would indeed improve physical strength, but it wouldn't necessarily improve combat skills.

Zhao Qing then stepped forward and called out, "Gather around, everyone, come here." His call quickly brought the young officers training on the equipment together in a line.

Zhao Qing introduced, "Chu Yi, these are the young officers of our department. Heh, the older ones can't withstand your training." He remembered the training sessions with Chu Yi, which were both exhilarating and painful.

Chu Yi's approach to teaching involved practical combat training. Zhao Qing, being less skilled, was mostly on the receiving end of her blows. During this process, Chu Yi pointed out his weaknesses and strategies to overcome them. Despite understanding her advice, Zhao Qing still found himself overpowered, a thought that brought him to tears.

However, this significantly improved Zhao Qing's skills. Although he couldn't match Chu Yi, he had surpassed most of his colleagues at the station and could now hold his own against those he previously couldn't beat. He believed it wouldn't be long before he surpassed them.

Looking over the group of about twelve young officers, Chu Yi noted that although they were all older than her, those who knew of her abilities respected her. However, most were unfamiliar with her and seemed reluctant to receive training from someone younger.

Fortunately, Chu Yi's pregnancy wasn't too advanced to prevent her from demonstrating her skills. She firmly believed in proving her worth through action. If one session wasn't enough to convince them, then she'd do two or more until they acknowledged her.

Without further ado, Chu Yi had them start by using the training equipment on the field to assess their physical strength. As expected, while their combat skills might be lacking, their physical fitness, a prerequisite for being a police officer, was not subpar.

Chu Yi didn't waste words and immediately singled out a male and a female officer who seemed the most disengaged, with lax posture and unfocused eyes, clearly showing their lack of respect for her authority.

Chu Yi engaged the two officers in combat, eventually leaving them lying on the ground, wailing. This display left the other officers looking at her with astonished faces.

Zhao Qing stepped forward, "Alright, alright, that's enough for a warm-up. I believe everyone has seen Chu Yi's skills. Let's get ready to learn earnestly now."

"Yes," the previously disengaged officers responded, standing up straight like attentive students awaiting their teacher's instructions.

Chu Yi was pleased with their changed attitude. She believed in effective teaching, which was only possible when students were willing to learn. Otherwise, she had no interest in forcing them.

Next, Chu Yi had the officers pair up for sparring, pointing out each other's weaknesses and suggesting appropriate countermeasures. The session was highly beneficial, even prompting some officers to make insightful connections. Of course, the remuneration for several days of teaching was quite substantial.