Chapter 2: Conscription
"Wow, this one is the ultimate reward guy!"
Chen Xia looked at the corpse of Fugui's youngest son and couldn't help but exclaim.
A colleague nearby asked curiously, "What's the reward?"
Chen Xia extended his right hand, made a fist, and moved it up and down, explaining, "It's the craft passed down from our ancestors."
"Ah~" The police colleague nodded in understanding, then looked at the lifeless body of Fugui's youngest son and agreed with a nod.
"He really knew how to reward himself."
"What are you guys gossiping about?!" The police captain in front couldn't help but scold, and then whispered.
"Although indulgence can reduce vitality, it will never lead to death. This matter seems more like the work of evil spirits!"
"That's not our business either. Go to the town entrance and find Daoist Mu Xieyang. He's the expert for this." Chen Xia replied.
"Exactly, exactly." The colleague beside him also hurriedly nodded. As police officers, although they held official positions, they were different from the soldiers guarding the city and didn't need to risk their lives.
He still remembers the three major principles of being a police officer that his senior told him.
Collect protection fees on time.
Make the ungrateful merchants shut up.
Retreat safely when encountering criminals.
These evil spirits are much more dangerous than criminals, and it's not worth getting involved.
Chen Xia thought the same way. He hadn't been a police officer for long, and he had only gained one attribute point. It's not suitable to have conflicts.
The police captain pondered for a moment and whispered, "In fact, this kind of thing has happened before. Ten years ago, when I was a newly appointed junior police officer, the same thing happened."
Ghost, it's been ten years since then.
Chen Xia was a bit surprised, but he thought that if such a case only happened once in ten years, there was no need to be too scared.
After all, ten years later, when his strength points were accumulated, it was uncertain who would kill whom.
This case was indeed too bizarre. The police couldn't handle it and just searched for clues around Fugui's house for a few days.
In the end, they were still clueless, couldn't find any evidence, but the death scene couldn't possibly be suicide.
The police captain didn't want to investigate further and said a famous truth.
"You shouldn't touch things that you shouldn't, isn't it better to live a few more years?"
Chen Xia listened, and his body suddenly shook. He felt a gas rushing to his head, and he had something to say but still held back. He could only sigh.
It does make sense.
Isn't it better to live a few more years?
Moreover, he can become stronger as he lives.
This matter was going to be left unresolved, but the master of Fugui's house was unwilling. He was a local gentry in the town and had a youngest son in his old age, who was loved dearly.
Now he's dead, and the rest are daughters, which means his Fugui family is out of succession.
So he spent a lot of money to invite Daoist Mu Xieyang from the town entrance to investigate.
But after that, it was no longer related to the police.
Chen Xia has been collecting protection fees on time every month, and when he's free, he goes to hear about the rumors of cultivators to avoid them.
At the same time, Chen Xia, adhering to the principle of making more good karma and less bad karma, has done a lot of good deeds in the town. For example, Wang's widowed household has been poor for many years, and he has helped them with money and effort.
Chen Xia often helps fallen girls to become the top courtesans.
Chen Xia treats men and women equally. He not only helps women but also lends a helping hand to men in trouble.
For example, if someone's wife has an affair, Chen Xia will tell him considerately. When couples fight, Chen Xia will persuade them.
Even stray dogs on the side of the road, Chen Xia will take them to eat buffets.
So, as expected, Chen Xia once again earned the title of Outstanding Patrol Officer for the second year in a row.
This was something he hadn't anticipated.
For the second attribute point, Chen Xia chose to increase his strength once more.
With the experience from last time, Chen Xia didn't head to the mountains; instead, he locked the door and added the point within his house.
[Point added successfully, Strength: 2]
As soon as the voice in his mind rang out, Chen Xia felt an unparalleled surge of power coursing through his body, as if his physique had been tempered countless times, making him tougher than steel and fiercer than a wild beast.
The entire process was completed within a minute.
Chen Xia exhaled a warm breath, reached out to grab the blade of a kitchen knife, and squeezed it tightly.
The knife bent easily like rice paper, emitting a sharp cracking sound as it deformed in his hand, continuously changing shape.
It eventually turned into a twisted ball of metal that fell to the floor with a clang when Chen Xia released it.
By now, he probably possessed the strength of nine bulls—possibly even more.
Chen Xia felt that he could easily kill a tiger in the wild with a single punch or take down a pack of wolves with his fists.
He was very satisfied with the current pace of his life.
The third year arrived.
The imperial court sent officials to the town to conscript soldiers, claiming they were at war with a foreign power and lacked manpower, necessitating nationwide recruitment.
The first to be targeted, naturally, were the patrol officers in the town.
Patrol officers held official positions, were trained, and were more reliable than ordinary people. They had previously received a government salary, so now it was their turn to risk their lives for the state.
This was a standard practice; in previous wars, patrol officers were conscripted first, followed by other able-bodied farmers.
However, there was an important criterion for conscription: they generally avoided recruiting those without family ties.
Loners had no attachments and were less afraid of punishment if they fled. If they defected to the enemy during battle, they would do so without hesitation.
Hence, such individuals were usually exempt from conscription.
Like Chen Xia.
The stated reason was that Chen Xia, as a two-time Outstanding Patrol Officer, could be excused from conscription.
It made Chen Xia feel that being a good person indeed had its rewards.
Meanwhile, the rest of the patrol officers with families prepared for the battlefield, including the patrol captain.
Before departing, the patrol captain approached Chen Xia to ask a favor.
"This time going to the battlefield, who knows when we'll return, if ever, perhaps never to come back, becoming mere bones. I don't mind that, but my heart is still burdened with worry."
"Among the patrol officers, I find your nature the best, so I want to ask you to take care of..."
"Captain, rest assured, I will take good care of your wife,"Chen Xia interrupted confidently, patting his chest.
The patrol captain was taken aback, gave Chen Xia a long, deep look, and shook his head. "Not my wife, but my 13-year-old daughter, Xu Zhen."
"Oh, a little girl, I'm good with that too,"Chen Xia quickly nodded.
The patrol captain didn't understand what Chen Xia meant and continued, "I have left a substantial amount of money at home as her living expenses and your compensation for the trouble. Take good care of her, and don't let me down."
"Alright, alright,"Chen Xia nodded.
"Good."The patrol captain nodded as well but didn't say more, hands clasped behind his back, slowly walking away with his back turned, merging with the sunset. It was clear that he felt deeply melancholic.
Going to war this time might truly mean becoming bones, with only a simple memorial left behind.
As autumn arrived, Chen Xia was the only patrol officer left in Weixi Town.