Archfiend

Chapter 1: Disciplinary and Investigations Unit

Translator: XTB

In a blood-drenched room, a small child appeared alone. In shock and disbelief, eyes wide, he kneeled on the floor as he surveyed the room that he’d once called his home.

From the ruins, the pungent smell of blood assailed his nostrils as if it sounded the grim reaper’s knell. The smell urged him to quickly turn back, flee to the door, and never return. His legs trembled violently as he saw blood flowing out from his parents’ bedroom. The crimson fluid was an abnormal shade of red, irregular in quantity, making him feel as if he’d laid eyes upon a demon. Sluggishly moving his legs, he walked over one step at a time like a machine.

Steeped in thick, sticky blood, his shoes made a squelching sound as they pulled up dark-red threads.

“Urragghh...” Already, a soul-sucking screech rang out from behind the rusty bedroom door. Soon...

The boy saw another set of eyes and a face that he would never forget for all eternity.

Boom... The world turned black and white. The image of the face froze and crumbled away, like a withered leaf in the wind.

Squeezing his palm, Xu Yangyi woke up from the dream realm that he’d run across countless times. He subconsciously clenched his fist, only feeling his sweat-covered palm.

“Huff...” He picked up the mug in front of him and rocked it. “It’s been over ten years...” With the mug in his hand, he calmly looked outside. “I wish I could turn It back into a dream...” He pursed his lips for a sip. The tea was already ice-cold.

He was around twenty-one or twenty-two years old. His brows were strong and coarse without any curve, appearing like two swords soaring upwards. His gaze was steady and his eyes half-lidded. Neither obese nor thin, he was almost 1.81 meters tall. From an outsider’s perspective, any could see the faint swell of muscle beneath his police uniform.

In the office of Sanshui City’s Disciplinary and Investigations Unit for Major Cases, standard uniform was commonplace. Especially since he was the current sitting captain. It happened to be August, and the evening heat blanketed the floor, causing steam to rise from underground. It wouldn’t be unwarranted to say that the office was a steamer basket.

The temperature was such that it was even more unbearable outside. No one still wore the entire police uniform. For the most part, everyone was wearing short sleeves. He was the only one acting strictly to the rules, to the extent that even his uniform’s neck button was fastened tightly. It was strange though, there wasn’t even a single bead of sweat on his neck. Furthermore, he hadn’t even exclaimed that the weather was hot. It was as if he didn’t have any sensation of hot or cold.

The electric fan above spun, its ear-piercing whine offending his hearing. In his present surroundings, there were ten people near him wearing shirts. Men and women used folders to fan themselves, seated in a circle together. Disdain, envy, and all kinds of negative emotions were directed at Xu Yangyi’s gaze. Nonetheless, there was only one expression not present on their faces that should’ve existed when meeting their sitting captain.

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Respect.

Sanshui City wasn’t a big city. Moreover, it had no connections to wealth, with two of the hundred poorest counties under its control. If it weren’t for this, they wouldn’t only have just a few high-powered electric fans installed in such sweltering weather, since they were the city’s police force. They’d been forwarded a special case this afternoon, yet as the time for the meeting drew near, and all of them gathered to discuss the matter, they soon discovered their captain was sleeping!

“Captain, are you up?” A man around forty years old coldly watched Xu Yangyi sigh, his nostrils not concealing his snort at all. “We’ve been waiting for half an hour. Are you going to hand out orders?”

“I’m awake.” Xu Yangyi turned his eyes, taking a pen in his hand and spinning it. He nodded at the middle-aged man. “Vice Captain Chen, is something the matter?”

“Of course something’s the matter! You aren’t listening!” A single sentence made Vice Captain Chen slam the top of a chair. His voice suddenly increased a few degrees in intensity, and the folder in his hand was flung out, rustling. “The major murder case! Twelve murders! It’s been a full week since it was transferred to the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit, but we haven’t made an inch of progress! Captain Xu, we’re all like a family, so I won’t speak politely! How is this case going to be dealt with? Who’s going to handle it? How much power do we need to handle it? We want orders!”

He suddenly stood up, streaking the rustling folder in front of everyone’s stunned or sneering faces, and said, “There are about over a dozen of us in the force! All of us are waiting on you, Captain Xu, to deliver a command! We’re going to inform the Chief about this! We’ve been waiting on you for over half an hour, but you said fifteen minutes ago! When the killer appeared for the first time, he carried out an unusual attack! And you’re seriously asking what’s going on now?!”

Xu Yangyi faintly swept his eyes over. “I remember saying it very clearly. I’ll be accepting this case by myself.”

“Poh!” A glob of phlegm landed on the side of a trash bin. A man approaching forty years old cleared his throat. “My apologies, I suddenly had a little itch in my throat.”

The smile on Xu Yangyi’s face never once vanished. “Got a complaint?”

“Oh no, oh no...... The new captain’s just taken office, but this is his first command in the two days he’s been assigned. How could I dare be unsatisfied...” A sneer hung at the corner of the man’s mouth, hardly concealing his laughter. “I only want Captain’s command...”

Thonk! Before his voice even fell, a pen nailed into the table beside him. Penetrating through the wood, the writing utensil slightly trembled!

“Fuck!” A young police officer at the man’s side almost jumped up in fright. Was this even a pen? A fucking pen? Wasn’t this actually a blade?

“It’s fake, right...” A thirtyish-year-old police officer looked at the pen in a daze, feeling the wild palpitations of his heart. The table wasn’t thick and the wood was rather thin, but to hurl a pen into it, could this be achieved without formidable martial skill? Was this still the most ordinary of damn fountain pens!?

He didn’t know how many experts could accomplish such a feat, but in any case, no one in the entire force could do this! Everyone’s eyelids jumped as they stared blankly at the pen. They looked at Xu Yangyi in even more of a daze, who was sipping his cold tea in content. They suddenly felt their muscles begin to mysteriously ache.

“Fuckin’ A...” A young police officer swallowed the saliva in his mouth and whispered, “This is qigong, huh...”

“If I haven’t remembered incorrectly, you’re the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit’s third-in-command Old Zhu?” Xu Yangyi raised his eyes and said casually.

“Yes...” Xu Yangyi’s gaze appeared tranquil, yet Old Zhu felt as if a blade had carved through him in a flash. He calmed his mind and opened his mouth, yet he found his voice was somewhat unsteady.

“So that’s how it is...” Xu Yangyi gently caressed the cover of his teacup and asked indifferently, “Is your throat not feeling well?”

“No... not at all... It’s not itchy...” Old Zhu clenched his teeth a few times, forcing a smile and sitting down.

Vice Captain Chen was also rendered dumb for a long time. It was unknown when, but the documents that were just swishing in his hand and lending to his might had already stopped rustling. The only thing that could be heard inside the room was the electric fan’s whine. The calm was somewhat frightening.

“Captain Xu.” After a brief passage of time had gone by, he braced himself to speak, “...This case, it’s related to the welfare of our brothers.”

The teacup lid gently closed with a clang. Vice Captain Chen had still wanted to say something yet ultimately couldn’t help but shut his mouth.

“Are you pressuring me?” Xu Yangyi wiped away at the remaining specks on his teacup with his thumb. He propped his head with his right hand and looked at everyone, raising his sword-like brows. “Yeah?” The room warmed by the summer heat had suddenly become a little frighteningly cold. “Just this once.” He tidied his police uniform and stood up, appearing as if the matter had never happened. Pushing the door open, he walked out.

“Hey... Hey! Captain Xu! How should this case be handled?! Are you going to give us an answer?!”

“Wait,” his voice echoed out from the hallway.

The room was silent.

Everyone, you can see me, and I can see you. No one had expected that this fairly young captain, who had been transferred in the last two days and hadn’t made a show of power, would erupt with a storm and force them into silence, leaving them reluctant to speak.

“Wait for his motherfucking &#^@!” Vice Captain Chen slammed the table fiercely. “It’s easy for him to say it! The brothers have been hoping for a big case to show up, but you want to fucking accept it by yourself?! How are the brothers going to eat?!” His voice was furious, but it was oddly forced rather low. After all... the fountain pen in the table was too striking.

“Vice Captain Chen, what the hell are you scared for?! Let him go talk! What, can’t we go for a talk, as well?!” Old Zhu stood up. “Why?! You were the most promising for the captain’s position. Why was that brat without a hair on his upper lip, who hasn’t even accepted one case, made the captain?!”

“In this day and age, hard work is worth less than a good background.” A woman around thirty-one to thirty-two years old snorted coldly in disdain towards the shut door. “Didn’t I say it? What the hell does he even know besides kissing ass?”

“That’s right! What is he showing off in front of us for? Big fucking deal he’s got strong martial arts! Does he risk going to the Public Safety Martial Arts Competition? There are plenty of friggin’ amazing people there! It’s stupid!”

“Fuck, he’s just flaunting around in our deserted Sanshui City! Who does he think he is?”

“Hehe, maybe that kid got fucking sent down to our ordinary neck of the woods to put on a show!”

Vice Captain Chen gritted his teeth and drank some tea. The flavor of the tea was rather bitter, so bitter that he wasn’t able to say a single thing.

“Who’s he putting on that police uniform everyday for?” a woman provoked as if she was swatting a mosquito in front of her, furrowing her brows. “He wants the higher-ups to send someone down for an inspection, heh, so that everyone else will be used as a measuring stick... ‘Take a look at this button, it’s fastened so snugly’. ‘My clothes are longer than everyone else’s’... ‘You guys, heh, when do we study how to write essays on face, honor, and respect’? How did you learn to imitate other people, Captain Xu?”

A young police officer coldly snorted, “Besides acting like this, what does he even know about the world? It’s obvious everyone knows that Vice Captain Chen is the most qualified to be captain. Who would’ve thought that the higher-ups would stick a guy in at the last second?”

“Although our Sanshui City is a poor and remote place, good or bad, it’s our city. Over the course of a dozen years, we’ve accepted quite a few cases...” a police officer said meaningfully, “That’s to say in the end, whoever has power is who’s at top. Vice Captain Chen’s held on for so long; it should be his turn.”

“Hehe, I wanna transfer a Detective Conan that I know, too. How ‘bout fucking that?”

“This is the police department’s Disciplinary and Investigations Unit for Major Crimes. Who doesn’t have the fucking qualifications in a place like this? Who doesn’t have a few big cases under their belt?”

“The last person to take up post—Captain Gong—got transferred. We rank according to seniority and by our foundation! But out of nowhere, a new captain gets transferred in! Who can accept this?!”

In any industry and department, there was no question that paratroopers were bitterly detested things...

Moreover, it didn’t need to be said that the paratrooper was this young brat!

With great difficulty, you would hold on until you laid eyes on a managerial position, but if all of a sudden the boss’s relative came in to stand on top of your head and shit on you, what would you feel?

Xu Yangyi, male, unmarried, age: 21.

Specialty: blank.

Academic Background: blank.

Political Affiliation: blank.

University: blank...

Would you dare believe a resume with four or five blanks?!

Who here doesn’t have a good deal of experience? Who hasn’t climbed towards the top, one step at a time? Why did you have to be dropped in?

Vice Captain Chen called these things to mind, and his veins wildly pulsated. He inhaled deeply and snorted, “If a really awesome person came, we wouldn’t say a thing. But what the hell is that fucking emotionless brat doing here? Once he sees a real crime scene, won’t he just piss his pants in fright?”

“The higher-ups just don’t get it, either.” Old Zhu smothered a cigarette and spat out, “We all went to talk yesterday, but Chief Zheng was vague about it and dismissed it. It’s like he doesn’t know that a paratrooper’s come to our Public Security Bureau’s police force! And on top of that, a wet-behind-the-ears rookie who’s never even seen a case! What kind of freakin’ business is this?!”

“Hehe...” Vice Captain Chen sneered and poured a mouthful of bitter tea down his throat, wiping his mouth. “Go to him, then, alright? I! Do! Not! Care! Who fucking knows that damn fucking kid?! Son of a bitch! If he wants to speak, then let him fucking speak! I want to see who Chief Zheng is going to look for in the end!”