"Don’t go yet. We need to discuss something."

After the chief of constables finished the main meeting, Sun Zhang kept the East District constables behind for a smaller one to discuss the tasks assigned by their superiors.

"Constable Zhao, this is a map of East City. Which area would you like to be in charge of?"

Sun Zhang took out a map, spread it on the desk, and asked Zhao Lin with a smile.

East City had three teams of constables. Sun Zhang led one himself, while the other two constables, Shi Dahai and Jin Liqun, each led a team.

Now that Zhao Lin had joined, the jurisdictions would be re-divided to carve out a section for him.

Zhao Lin knew he was in no position to be picky, being the newcomer. He replied in a low voice, "You’re too kind, Chief Constable Sun. I’ve only just arrived. I’ll defer to your arrangements."

Sun Zhang was clearly pleased. "That works," he said with a chuckle. "In that case, how about we assign the wharf to Constable Zhao? It’s the most lucrative area." As he spoke, he drew a circle on the map with a pen.

Zhao Lin glanced at the map, his mind filling with suspicion.

When he was a laborer, he had run all over East City and was extremely familiar with the wharf area.

The area Sun Zhang had circled included not just the wharf, but also a large swath of commercial and residential zones. It was arguably the most prosperous territory in the East District.

’But why would he give such a prime location to me?’

The constable Shi Dahai, standing to the side, called out, "Chief Constable, you’re playing favorites! I’ve asked for that area several times and you never gave it to me. The moment Constable Zhao arrives, you just hand it over."

The other constable, Jin Liqun, chimed in, "That’s right! Just skimming taxes from the merchants at the wharf brings in several hundred silver a month. If you just let a little..." Realizing his slip of the tongue, he quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

Zhao Lin sensed they were putting on a show for him. He kept his expression neutral, but his mind was racing.

The wharf had frequent traffic from out-of-town ships, a dense population, and was chaotic compared to other places. This also meant that homicides were more likely to occur. He had heard rumors of this when he was a laborer.

Recalling how the County Magistrate and the chief of constables were relentlessly pushing everyone to solve cases, Zhao Lin began to understand Sun Zhang’s motive for assigning him this territory.

’He’s setting me up to take the fall.’

To run into this on his very first day... Zhao Lin felt a surge of irritation.

’But can I refuse?’

Sun Zhang was his direct superior. If he disobeyed orders right after arriving, he would probably be labeled as insubordinate and incapable.

Even if he wasn’t kicked out, the days to come would surely be difficult.

"Well, Constable Zhao? What do you say?"

Sun Zhang pressed, a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes.

Zhao Lin thought it over and finally agreed, "So be it. Thank you, Chief Constable, for placing your trust in me."

Sun Zhang seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He put an arm around Zhao Lin’s shoulder affectionately and said, "Of course! Younger Brother Zhao, you are young and promising. As long as you’re willing to work hard, your future is limitless."

As he spoke, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! Since this jurisdiction is your responsibility, I’ll have the relevant case files transferred to you so you can get familiar with them as soon as possible."

"Someone, bring the case files!"

A subordinate constable went to the records room to borrow the case files and piled them on the table.

"Take your time with these, Brother Zhao. If you have any questions later, feel free to find me."

With a quick word, Sun Zhang left with Shi Dahai, Jin Liqun, and the other constables.

Only Zhao Lin, Liang Song, and two other new constables remained in the room.

Zhao Lin had no time for the other two. He knocked over the stack of files and pulled out a few scrolls from the very bottom to examine.

It was just as he had expected: three murder cases, all from this year.

Liang Song finally understood what was going on. "Aren’t they setting us up?"

Zhao Lin didn’t speak. He focused his hearing, listening to the sounds from outside.

Sun Zhang and the others didn’t speak a word until they were outside the yamen. Shi Dahai glanced back and asked in a low voice, "Chief Constable, are you sure it’s a good idea to let that greenhorn investigate the cases?"

Sun Zhang curled his lip. "Doesn’t he want to punish the strong and root out evil? Let him do it then. What, you want to take a crack at it?"

Shi Dahai quickly backed off. "I definitely can’t. I’m just worried. What if the deadline arrives and the cases still aren’t solved?"

Sun Zhang snorted. "There are five cases in the East District. Three of them are in his hands. Who do you think will get the blame?"

Shi Dahai and Jin Liqun exchanged a look. The other two cases were split between them, one each. It turned out Sun Zhang had long planned to remove himself from the line of fire.

If Zhao Lin hadn’t shown up, the two of them would have likely been the scapegoats.

Jin Liqun asked worriedly, "What if the kid has connections?"

Sun Zhang spread his hands. "If he has connections, great. They can take the heat. If his connections aren’t strong enough, he can take the fall, and we can kick him out. Problem solved."

Shi Dahai and Jin Liqun praised in unison, "The Chief Constable is brilliant."

They thought Zhao Lin couldn’t hear them, but he had heard every single word.

Zhao Lin was left speechless.

To be handed such a huge mess on his first day... Failing and losing face was a small matter, but how could he face his master after returning in disgrace?

’But I’m not without my own advantages. My superhuman hearing might be useful during the investigation. As long as I can solve one case, I can get myself out of this jam...’

"Tsk tsk tsk, these cases won’t be easy to handle."

As Zhao Lin was lost in thought, someone spoke beside him.

He looked up and saw an old man and a large, sturdy man standing before the desk.

The old man was leafing through the case files; the voice had come from him.

These two were Zhao Lin’s new subordinates.

Although Zhao Lin didn’t know them personally, he knew everything about their backgrounds.

Earlier, the head constable had ordered the three chief constables to each provide one man to be placed under Zhao Lin. After the names were announced, there was a lot of discussion among the men.

Zhao Lin had overheard most of it and remembered the origins of the three men.

The old man was named He Qingquan, formerly a constable from West City.

His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was a web of wrinkles. He looked to be at least sixty-five, if not seventy.

He had only shed his skin three times, failing to even complete the Skin Refining stage. Given his age, he probably couldn’t even win a fight against a common person.

The sturdy man was the candidate from the South City Chief Constable. His real name was Tao Zhuang, but people called him Tao Erleng.

He was at the Bone Refining Realm of cultivation, with considerable combat strength. However, he had trained too hard, accidentally swung a hammer into his own head, and had been simple-minded ever since.

That’s how he got the nickname "Erleng."

After becoming simple-minded, Tao Erleng became impulsive, quick to anger, and hated evil with a passion. He would often beat suspects senseless at the slightest provocation, completely destroying the crime scene in the process.

Once, he encountered two thugs harassing a woman on the street and beat them so badly that one died and the other was crippled, causing a huge uproar.

The former County Magistrate wanted to punish Tao Erleng severely but feared it would demoralize the other constables. So, he just locked him up for half a year and then released him.

But since then, no one had dared to use him, terrified he would cause another disaster.

The North City Chief Constable was even more outrageous. The person he sent over, surnamed Tao, was the County Magistrate’s nephew—a man who was truly a "ghost employee," never having set foot in the yamen for a single day.

Zhao Lin knew they wouldn’t send him their best men, and he could understand that.

’But an old man, a simpleton, and a no-show? What is this?’

He shook his head to himself and read through the files for the three murder cases carefully. Then he looked up and asked the old man, He Qingquan, "Elder He, you just said these three cases would be difficult to crack. Why is that?"

Because of his age, He Qingquan had never been well-regarded among the constables. Hearing Zhao Lin address him with a respectful title, he was a bit taken aback and flattered.

"Reporting to the Constable, none of the three murder scenes had any witnesses or physical evidence. Plus, with the docks being so crowded and chaotic, finding the real killer will be extremely difficult."

"But you are young and promising, Constable. I’m sure it will be an easy task for you. This old man was just speaking his mind. Please don’t take it to heart."

Zhao Lin had thought he might have some profound insight, so he was a little disappointed after hearing this. He turned his head and saw Tao Erleng also flipping through the case files with a loud RUSTLE, a solemn expression on his face.

"Tao Zhuang, did you find anything?"

Tao Erleng’s breathing was rapid, his eyes bloodshot. "Catch killer. Beat to death!"

Zhao Lin sighed.

He pressed a hand to his forehead and stood up. "Let’s go. We’ll take a walk."