Jiang Ye sat at a table by the police station entrance, casually crossing his legs.
Two police officers stood by, their faces stern, motionless.
On the table sat a small dish of peanuts, a plate of cucumber slices, and a plate of cherry tomatoes. Jiang Ye reached for one occasionally, chewing slowly. Behind the cherry tomato plate, a large screen glowed, with various messages popping up:
[Officer 0017: Apprehended two suspected sex workers, escorting them back to the station.]
[Officer 0988: Top floor of Building A11, District 3, East City. Suspect is on drugs, possesses automatic weapons, requesting backup!]
[Officer 0442: Apprehended a firearms offender, seized approximately twenty kilograms of assault rifles and ammunition, escorting them back to the station.]
[Officer 0713: West City Bridge, a suspect escaped! Nearby units, please intercept, suspect is an East Asian male in a black down jacket!]
[Officer 0661: One suspect apprehended, opened fire on our officers, has been injured and subdued, officer unharmed. Currently escorting injured suspect to medical point, requesting O-type blood, gunshot wound to the thigh.]
The police station doors remained open, cold wind whistling through. Occasionally, an intercity bus roared in, braking sharply at the entrance. Heavily armed officers in black leaped out, dragging suspects into the station, then escorting them to the detention cells in the backyard.
Jiang Ye remained remarkably calm, watching the messages flash across the screen, wave after wave of officers coming and going.
The largest police raid in the history of this planet had been ongoing for two hours.
The entire Oil City was being searched for criminals, with house-to-house sweeps.
Initially, there were only 200 local police officers and 1000 external officers. Later, realizing manpower was insufficient, 500 soldiers were urgently dispatched to assist. A total of 1700 personnel were in action simultaneously, a truly massive undertaking.
Officers armed with assault rifles went upstairs in teams, breaking down doors, forcing uncooperative residents to the ground. Similar scenes were unfolding across the city.
If residents willingly opened their doors and cooperated, only two officers would conduct a brief inspection, glancing around for anything suspicious, and leave in under half a minute.
Jiang Ye sat until two in the morning. The arrest messages on the screen gradually dwindled, and finally, all teams announced their withdrawal.
After the last police team sent their message, Jiang Ye brushed the peanut crumbs from his hands and stood up.
The two officers accompanying him had been nodding off, but they jolted awake, reflexively straightening up, adjusting their caps to appear alert, and followed behind Jiang Ye.
Passing through the corridor, across the wide police compound, Jiang Ye entered the prison building.
The prison building in Oil City was the largest among several cities, with four floors above ground and underground, each floor containing 70 cells. The grey walls were high, and each window was only three bricks wide, like a rat hole, looking oppressively bleak.
Many officers were inspecting the cells. The prison building was noisy, with the wails of various suspects echoing:
"Injustice! I'm innocent!"
"Let me out! Bastards, you have no right to hold me!"
"Just one hit! Just one hit! I'm dying! My intestines hurt so much!"
"Why did you arrest me! I didn't do anything!"
As Jiang Ye appeared, the officers swiftly closed all cell doors and stood at attention against the wall within three seconds.
Shao Wan hurried over and handed Jiang Ye a long sheet of paper, "This is the list of suspects compiled. We haven't finished confirming everything, but the names and cell numbers should be correct."
Jiang Ye grunted and lowered his head to count the names on the list.
Shao Wan drew his pistol, fired a shot towards the window, and roared, "Who's making noise again!"
The chaotic shouting was cut off as if by a knife. The cells instantly fell silent, a terrifying and oppressive atmosphere instantly pervading every corner.
A few addicts were still howling. Shao Wan gestured, and several officers immediately opened the cell doors and entered. A flurry of kicks and punches ensued, and all the addicts cried out in pain and fell silent.
A complete silence descended, broken only by the rustling of the paper in Jiang Ye's hands.
A total of 142 suspects.
Including: 36 sex workers, 50 individuals found with concealed weapons, 12 who assaulted police officers, 38 drug addicts, and four petty thieves reported by citizens, along with two robbers caught in the act of home invasion.
Jiang Ye reached out, and Shao Wan handed him a megaphone.
Jiang Ye, expressionless, raised the megaphone. Its deafening sound carried to the end of the corridor:
"Everyone, I have repeatedly warned you in the group chat, and now I will repeat myself."
"On this planet, unauthorized possession of firearms is strictly prohibited, as are the sex trade, drug use, theft, and any form of criminal activity!"
"This planet has no need for scoundrels. Today's arrests are to give you an opportunity to repent sincerely in your cells and reflect. Upon release, you will be reborn and enjoy life."
"If you cannot mend your ways, and return in the future, you will face a brutal death penalty!"
A moment of dead silence was followed by a chorus of loud crying from many cells, along with shouts in various accents.
The cold, cramped cells, the sudden loss of freedom, and Jiang Ye's aggressive tone made the prisoners emotional and unable to control their wails.
Jiang Ye went directly to the top-floor office, with Shao Wan following him.
The office was simply furnished, with only a desk and a few chairs. After all, under normal circumstances, Jiang Ye visited this room only a few times a year. Following the principle of saving where possible, there was no air conditioning, making it as cold as an ice cellar.
"You've worked hard all night. Go back and rest, get a good sleep. When you wake up tomorrow morning, I have a few tasks for you to handle," Jiang Ye said, sitting down.
"As you command," Shao Wan nodded, standing by the desk.
"Experienced officers are to take statements from each of the apprehended individuals. Interrogate them carefully to see if anyone was wrongly arrested. If so, release them and provide twenty thousand in compensation."
"Sex workers will be detained for five days for criticism and education, fined forty thousand each, and then released."
"For those found with concealed weapons, interrogate them thoroughly to understand their reasons for hiding them. If the circumstances are not severe, detain them for fifteen days and fine them a hundred thousand. If the circumstances are severe, they can be detained for three to four months."
"Those who were armed and resisted arrest, or assaulted officers, will be detained indefinitely. We'll deal with them later."
"Those who used drugs will be detained until they are completely clean, fined two hundred thousand. Inquire about the source of their drugs. If they are local manufacturers or traffickers, arrest and execute them directly."
"For the thieves, you decide based on the circumstances."
"Understood!" Shao Wan nodded, "I've got it."
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment, finding nothing else to say, and got up to leave.
He drove back to his office at the military base and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep from exhaustion.
Perhaps it was staying up too late, but he didn't wake up until one in the afternoon the next day.
Upon waking, Jiang Ye's first instinct was to check his phone.
By the timing, the spaceship carrying the seeds should have arrived.
However, there was no information from the seed company on his phone.
Jiang Ye felt a bit anxious. He had been eagerly awaiting Cen Yemeng's message for days. How could the messenger be late?
He found the account he had used to message about the seeds last time and sent a direct message:
"Hello, this is Jiang Ye from Jiang Ye Star. Last week I ordered a batch of water lily seeds. According to the schedule, they should have been delivered by now. Why haven't they arrived?"
Within a minute of sending the message, a reply came.
Upon reading the reply, Jiang Ye immediately cried out in pain, as if an ice pick had stabbed his stomach.