Chapter11 Group Three

At the entrance of No. 88 Courtyard.

 

Alexander asked with a smile, "Emily, what are you doing here?"

 

"I'm here to check out a house." Emily brushed her hair and asked casually, "What about you?"

 

"Coincidentally." Alexander was surprised. "I'm here to check out a house, too."

 

"What do you mean?" Emily blinked her big, bright eyes, "Doesn't your police department have dorms?"

 

"The dorms are too crowded. I can't get used to it, so I wanted to rent a place." 

"Alright." Emily nodded playfully and extended her hand graciously. "Since it's such a coincidence, let's get to know each other. I still don't know your name."

 

"My name is Alexander."

 

"Thank you, Alexander!" The reason Emily initiated the conversation was just to express her gratitude.

 

Alexander knew Emily was thanking him because he had saved her life in an alley, so he responded modestly, "It's my duty. No need to thank me."

 

Emily stood at attention and saluted. "Salute to Officer!"

 

"Let's go in and take a look together." Alexander, in fact, had little resistance to attractive women. Due to previous circumstances, he couldn't strike up a conversation. Now that things were more stable, he had some thoughts and at least wanted to chat more with a pretty girl.

 

"I've already checked it out and decided on it. My colleague went to buy some things. When she comes back, we'll leave," Emily responded warmly. "If you rent here, we'll run into each other in the future. When I get my paycheck, I'll treat you to a meal."

 

"I need to see if the house is suitable first," Alexander said.

 

"I work at a web station, so I'll be around the police department in the future. See you later," Emily replied.

 

"Alright!" After a brief exchange, Alexander walked into No. 88 Courtyard. He didn't have time to get Emily's contact information before she left with a female colleague.

 

Inside the courtyard.

 

Andrew was sitting on a stone stool, waving and shouting, "Alexander, over here!"

 

"Okay," Alexander responded and walked over.

 

"I heard you talking at the entrance just now. Who were you with?" Andrew asked casually, "Did Eric come, too?"

 

"No, I just ran into the girl who was kidnapped that day and chatted for a bit," Alexander answered.

 

Andrew was stunned for a moment. "You ran into that girl? Where is she?"

 

"Can you not act like you're going to be so thirsty? She's already gone." Alexander sneered.

 

"What was she doing here?" Andrew asked with great interest. "Who was she with? What did she tell you?"

 

"She works at the web station, which is not far from our police department, so she came here to check out a house and ran into me," Alexander replied impatiently. "Why do you need to know all the details?"

 

"Did she rent a house here?" Andrew asked.

 

"Seems like she did," Alexander replied.

 

Andrew frowned in thought for a while, then suddenly looked at Alexander and asked, "Do you need a roommate or something? I can cook."

 

"You're such a jerk." Alexander was speechless.

 

"She really attracted me, Alexander," Andrew muttered, "Let's rent together! "

 

"Let's talk about it later and see the house first." Alexander waved his hand urgingly. "Hurry up, I need to get back to the team later."

 

"Alright, let's see it first," Andrew agreed.

 

With that, the two stepped into the main hall of the house.

 

The house Andrew showed Alexander was about 300 square feet, with some basic furniture and freshly painted walls. The overall environment looked clean, but the price was a bit high. The landlady asked for $45 a month, and payment was required every six months.

 

This price was indeed not low, but it was reasonable. No. 88 Courtyard was located in the area with the most government institutions in Pine City, close to the TV station, web station, police department, and transportation department. This was why Alexander and Emily ran into each other. Their workplaces were close, so even if they didn't meet there, they were bound to run into each other in the future.

 

Currently, the common currency in the Ninth District was the newly issued BTC - Bitcoin, while the global currency was ETH - Ethereum, issued by the United Government's Savings. Of course, the EU has its own currency, the Euro, but that's another story.

 

The exchange rate of ETH - Ethereum to BTC - Bitcoin was roughly 1:6.

 

Since BTC-Bitcoin was newly issued, its purchasing power was high. Roughly calculated, it might be about ten times the purchasing power of the previous dollar. So, 300 BTC - Bitcoin was equivalent to about $500. Alexander's current salary was only $75 a month. If he rented this house, there wouldn't be much left after food and drink.

 

This was a reflection of the lives of the lower class in the Ninth District. The cost of living was rising daily due to shrinking resources, more people, fewer jobs, and low income. This was why Eric was eager to become a Level 2 officer, as a higher rank meant a higher salary.

 

Andrew saw that Alexander liked the house but was hesitant about the $45 monthly rent, so he whispered, "In the police department, except for people like Eric who are timid and only know how to flatter, most people don't rely solely on their salary. I don't think you're a saint either. You'll need some extra income."

 

"Do you have extra income?" Alexander asked, squinting.

 

"Of course," Andrew replied.

 

"What extra income do you have?"

 

"I specifically bully those in the sex business. If they don't pay up, I deal with them," Andrew responded shamelessly.

 

Alexander was speechless.

 

"Stop overthinking. Rent it. Then I can come over, too." Andrew persuaded again.

 

After some consideration, Alexander thought he might not find a better and cheaper place for a while. Plus, this courtyard was indeed close to the police department, so he hesitated for a moment and then agreed, "Alright, I'll rent it for six months."

 

After the afternoon shift.

 

In an office area of less than 500 square feet, nine young people stood in uniform.

 

William smiled at everyone and said, "Although Alexander just joined, he did take down the big criminal Joseph and successfully solved a kidnapping case. So, after careful consideration by the department and the team, Alexander is temporarily appointed as the leader of Team 3, Group 1."

 

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then applauded enthusiastically.

 

"Alexander's personal third-class merit has been reported, and his rank will be promoted in due course. As I said before, if you perform well, I'll promote you. This applies to everyone." William finished and pulled Alexander forward. "Introduce yourself to everyone."

 

Alexander stepped forward, wearing his neatly pressed uniform, saluted, and said, "My name is Alexander. Nice to meet you."

 

In the crowd, Eric stared blankly at Alexander, feeling a bitterness he couldn't describe.

 

Just hours ago, he had personally brought this newcomer back to the team. But in less than two days, the newcomer had become his leader. This feeling was indeed hard to swallow.

 

"Once you put on this uniform, you must follow the rules here. Although Alexander is new, if anyone bullies him, speaks out of turn, or disrupts work, don't blame me for being harsh." William smiled and reminded everyone, then turned to Alexander and said, "Alright, you guys chat."

 

"Alright." Alexander nodded. "Thank you, William."

 

"Never mind." William left gracefully.

 

In the office area, Alexander looked at everyone, took out a pack of cigarettes he usually couldn't bear to smoke, and said with a smile, "I just happened to get lucky and became the team leader. But my personal experience is less than yours. So, I'll need your help with the cases. Come on!Relax and have a cigarette."

 

Alexander's words were just a formal opening, intending to get closer to everyone. But unexpectedly, the oldest among them, John Johnson, casually took the cigarette pack from Alexander, tore open the packaging, and said, "Alexander, you're impressive to get hold of these cigarettes."

 

Alexander was stunned and responded with a smile, "A friend gave them to me."

 

The person who spoke to Alexander was John, an old member of Group 3 who had been on the job for four or five years. Due to his straightforward style, he hadn't been promoted. If Alexander hadn't come, John might have been promoted to team leader, given his seniority and decent relationship with William.

 

John took a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and then passed the pack to the others.

 

"Sit down, everyone." Alexander invited.

 

At this moment, John suddenly patted Alexander's arm and said with a laugh, "This stuff is the best and really feels good. Alexander, you did well, not stingy!"

 

There was nothing wrong with the words, but John's pat happened to hit Alexander's arm injury. He had been grazed by a bullet during the shootout with Joseph, and it hadn't fully healed.

 

Alexander winced in pain, frowned, and took a step back, turning to look at John.

 

"John, leader Alexander is injured." Eric had already changed how he addressed Alexander, subconsciously calling him a leader.

 

"What's the matter?" John asked nonchalantly, "Where are you injured?"

 

Alexander glanced at John and replied with a smile, "Got grazed by a bullet while taking down Joseph."

 

"A graze? That's nothing. Just get some medicine from the hospital. Don't get a shot, though. It'll cost half a month's salary." John said with a grin.

 

Hearing this, Alexander squinted at John but said nothing more. He just invited everyone to sit down.

 

After everyone in Group 3 sat down, they began to chat.

 

During the initial conversation, Alexander got a rough understanding of Group 3.

 

The group, including him, consisted of ten people: three Niroshtan, one Afrovia, and six locals. The Ninth District, being in the northeast, had its own dialect, which everyone had picked up well, though with some accent.

 

After a brief chat, everyone began to study the drug trafficking gang's files.

 

In the evening, Alexander had just finished inspecting two old police cars downstairs and returned to the office, only to find it empty except for Eric and the Afrovia guy, who were sorting through clues.

 

"Where is everyone?" Alexander asked.

 

"John took them out for something," Eric replied.

 

Alexander frowned. "I said we were studying the case and having a meeting tonight. Why did he suddenly take people out? Is there a case?"

 

"No, he took them out for some personal matter," Eric said.

 

"It's not even the end of the shift, and he didn't even say anything before taking people out?" Alexander said expressionlessly.

 

Eric was silent for a moment, not responding.

 

Alexander frowned and sat in a chair, looking at the desk phone and tapping his fingers on the table.

 

Alexander thought, 'What is John up to? Is he trying to mess with me?' 

 

On his first day leading Group 3, Alexander's test had arrived.