Chapter 129: Zhao Shu's Request

The residents of Frost Street were, naturally, well aware of the current situation in District Three.

They had walked through other streets and visited clinics, seeing for themselves the devastating casualties in other areas, which were no different from a living hell. They considered themselves fortunate; none were missing limbs, none were critically injured, and most of their families were completely unharmed. All of this, they knew, was thanks to Chen Ling.

They wanted to thank Chen Ling, yet they were somewhat hesitant. After all, the impression he had left on them previously was so profound that even a glance from him would make their hearts tremble.

Chen Ling noticed this scene. He looked at his neighbors, their faces filled with hesitation and their eyes darting away, and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

Of course, he had no interest in claiming credit. Instead, he simply maintained a poker face and continued his patrol, seemingly oblivious to those around him. His black trench coat swayed gently on the deserted street.

Eventually, a bolder individual stepped forward, walking directly towards Chen Ling. Recognizing the person, Chen Ling felt a touch of surprise.

The one who first gathered the courage to approach was none other than Mr. Xu, the owner of the funeral parlor, whom Chen Ling had previously frightened into unconsciousness in the back mountains.

Mr. Xu, carrying a plastic bag and with a complex expression, walked up to Chen Ling. Chen Ling raised an eyebrow and naturally paused.

"Mr. Xu, is there something you need?" Chen Ling asked calmly.

"Officer Chen," Mr. Xu began solemnly, "on behalf of my entire family, young and old, I want to thank you for saving our lives. This is a small token of our appreciation; please accept it."

As he spoke, Mr. Xu handed the plastic bag to Chen Ling. A tiny, almost imperceptible twitch appeared at the corner of Chen Ling's mouth; even without opening it, he could guess what was inside.

"Understood."

Chen Ling sighed inwardly, but still braced himself and accepted the bag of chicken hearts. At this rate, he estimated his family's food reserves would last until the year after next.

With Mr. Xu leading the way, more and more residents gathered courage and stepped forward. They held either bags of chicken hearts and duck hearts, or some bloody beast meat. Even more outrageous were several IOUs, on which was written: "Owe Officer Chen Ling three catties of beast hearts, to be repaid within five days..."

Before he had walked even a few meters, Chen Ling's hands were full. He had no choice but to go home to drop off the items before continuing his patrol. However, upon reaching the adjacent Snow Street, another group of people came forward with gifts.

He guessed, without much doubt, that the people from Frost Street had been gossiping and inadvertently revealed his "preference."

Chen Ling felt a sense of helplessness. After collecting all the items and finishing his patrol of all the streets, night had fallen. He dragged his weary body to his doorstep and noticed that across the quiet street, only one breakfast shop was still lit.

He hesitated for a moment but then walked towards the shop. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard a series of painful yelps from inside:

"You brat! I told you to bear with it!"

"Ahhh... It hurts, Dad, it really hurts! Are you sure you didn't grab the wrong medicine?"

"Your old man here taught himself medicine when he was young. How could I mistake iodine? Bear with it, disinfection is supposed to hurt."

"Lighter, lighter, lighter... Ahhhh!!"

Chen Ling pushed the door open and saw Zhao Yi lying shirtless on a table, a gruesome knife wound on his body, a shocking sight.

At that moment, Zhao Yi's face was pale, and he was wailing incessantly. Uncle Zhao, beads of sweat on his forehead, was disinfecting him with iodine, his heart aching visibly despite his efforts to hide it. Even so, he gritted his teeth and scolded:

"Now you know pain?! How many guts did you grow to dare fight an enforcer? Let it hurt! It serves you right to feel this much pain!!"

Hearing the door open, Zhao Yi saw who had entered, and his wailing stopped abruptly.

He stared at Chen Ling, enduring the pain, refusing to utter another sound, like a stubborn duck with its head held high.

"Ah Ling! How are you?" Uncle Zhao asked with immediate concern upon seeing Chen Ling. "Did you get hurt fighting those monsters? Is it serious?"

"I'm fine."

Chen Ling's gaze returned to Zhao Yi, who clearly couldn't hold back anymore, letting out muffled groans of pain.

"Didn't you go to the clinic?"

"Sigh... the clinic was full. I saw that others were more severely injured, so we didn't go," Uncle Zhao said, wiping sweat from his brow. He had finally finished disinfecting and began carefully bandaging Zhao Yi. "It's a good thing I learned a bit of medicine; I can handle simple wounds."

It was clear that Uncle Zhao indeed had some medical knowledge; the bandaging process went smoothly. Zhao Yi, wrapped up like half a zongzi, lay on the table, resembling a dried corpse that had lost all hope.

Uncle Zhao let out a long sigh. He glanced at his son, a complex expression in his eyes. He then walked up to Chen Ling.

"Ah Ling, Uncle Zhao wants to have a word with you outside."

Though surprised, Chen Ling didn't refuse. He followed Uncle Zhao out onto the street.

Uncle Zhao glanced back at the house, then closed the door behind him. On the silent, dim street, only faint gleams of kerosene lamp light shone through the frosted glass door, flickering silently.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ling asked.

"Ah Ling... Xiao Yi is my only child," Uncle Zhao began bitterly. "Xiao Yi has been stubborn since he was little, and he's impulsive. I always hoped to find him a stable job, just so he wouldn't get into any serious trouble... But this time, he truly terrified me.

"Now, I'm just filled with dread. I keep thinking, if that enforcer's knife hadn't missed and had gone into Xiao Yi's heart... then my son would be just like those bodies on the street, never coming back..."

Chen Ling looked down slightly at Uncle Zhao, whose eyes were noticeably red. After taking several deep breaths, he barely managed to compose himself enough to continue:

"Ah Ling, I've lived long enough in this life, and I don't have any other desires, except that Xiao Yi can live a safe and peaceful life... You've been smart and steady since childhood, and now you're an enforcer in our District Three, someone who can shake the whole district with a stomp of your foot. I was thinking... I was wondering if you could use your connections to arrange for Xiao Yi to be by your side?

"You can use him however you want in your daily work, without giving him any official position, or even an enforcer's title. Even if you send him to your department to be a doorman or do some clerical work, that would be fine... I just want him to be under your protection, to have a safe haven."

Uncle Zhao's back stooped lower and lower. He looked into Chen Ling's eyes, his wrinkled face filled with sincerity and pleading. This was an elder, having cast aside all dignity, making a request to a junior.

"...If this puts you in a difficult position, then just pretend I never mentioned it," Uncle Zhao said, seeing Chen Ling's prolonged silence. He forced a smile. "I was just... just speaking offhand."

Chen Ling turned his head slightly. Behind the frosted glass door, he saw a shadow crouching in the corner, seemingly listening intently.

He pretended not to notice, averted his gaze, and nodded calmly.

"...Alright."