Retrogade Mission

Chapter Eight: Recruitment

The taxi drove for about twenty minutes and arrived at the police academy.

Police academies are special schools, belonging to the university category, and recruit from high school graduates. Due to the explosive population growth in City A over the past decade, and the increasing demands for police quality, the police force has been consistently insufficient. This police academy is one of the important sources of police recruitment for City A. However, this school is very difficult to get into, and graduating is even more difficult. After graduation, grassroots units will recruit graduates for a six-month probationary period. If they fail, they can only work in related industries, such as security guards.

The police academy currently has four grades, with four classes in each grade, and a total of about 800 students.

The police academy has a fence-like iron gate at its entrance, and another iron gate next to it. Su Cheng went to the door of the duty room, took out his ID card and said, "Seventh Group of Department Z needs to select one trainee."

Selecting trainees isn't unusual; it's usually for short-term undercover missions. However, since Department Z is the highest-level criminal investigation department, they generally don't select personnel from among the trainees. The officer on duty was an elderly man in his fifties. Having seen the standardized identification of Department Z personnel, he didn't suspect anyone would impersonate a police officer to find the police. He came out, opened the iron gate, and enthusiastically introduced, "The principal's office is over there."

"Thank you." Principal's office? What do I need the principal for? Su Cheng smiled and took his leave, entering the police academy.

Police academies emphasize theoretical knowledge, with practical training confined to the final year. Students are assigned to various units for a six-month internship, followed by another six months of theoretical study at the academy. Therefore, police academies seem no different from regular universities; some students attend classes, some play basketball, and some skip classes.

"You, come here." Su Cheng pointed to a female student who had just come out of the library.

The female student became very nervous upon seeing Su Cheng's attire and the ID badge in front of her, and immediately ran over: "Hello."

She's a pretty girl, with a touch of childishness on her earnest face that makes her look quite cute and simple. She's worn this casual outfit for at least two years, her shoes seem ill-fitting, and her hair is tied back—a girl from a poor family. She's very clean and tidy, which adds to my positive impression. However, she's still not pretty enough; she doesn't meet my standards.

Su Cheng asked, "Are there any policewomen in the graduating class?"

The female trainee was stunned for a long time: "Policewoman?"

Su Cheng read it aloud. She wasn't unaware of what a policewoman was, but rather, she didn't understand why Su Cheng was looking for one. Su Cheng said seriously, "There's a mission that requires the help of a beautiful female trainee."

"Yes, Lingling. Shall I take you there?" the female student asked.

"Okay, thank you."

The female cadet led the way, looking quite uncomfortable, seemingly trying hard to maintain her posture. As she walked, she even started moving her arms and legs in unison. Su Cheng kindly chatted with her, asking about the purpose of the buildings, the police academy's facilities, and the faculty, which eased her tension. Finally, the two arrived at the third floor of a four-story teaching building.

Class 2, Grade 4.

There were about a dozen male and female trainees in the class. Some were obviously dating, some were sleeping, and others were studying diligently. A female trainee entered the classroom first and, seeing the scene, quickly clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. Everyone looked up and saw Su Cheng in a suit. They immediately thought of Department Z; only the police officers in Department Z wore suits and ID badges on their chests. The ordinary criminal investigators were all in plainclothes.

The couples immediately separated. These trainees viewed Department Z as their ultimate goal, not just for its high income, but more importantly, for the recognition of their work's value.

"Everyone, don't be nervous. May I ask who is Lingling?" Su Cheng asked.

After a few seconds of silence, a boy answered, "She's not here."

"Could you call her and say that the people in Group 7 of Department Z need a female trainee to assist with a mission?"

The boy immediately took out his phone and dialed: "Lingling, Department Z is coming to our class to ask for people, specifically you. Come over quickly, okay... I understand... Senior, Lingling said she'll be there in ten minutes, please wait a moment."

Su Cheng nodded, and the female student invited him to sit down. She fetched some water and placed it in front of him, for which Su Cheng thanked her. Looking around, he noticed the students were all quite reserved because of his presence, each engrossed in their books. "Impressive," he thought. "I used to hate books the most, yet you all seem to be reading with such enjoyment. I'm truly impressed."

No one spoke to Su Cheng, but he was definitely the center of attention. Time ticked by, and Su Cheng glanced at his watch; ten minutes had passed. A gentleman's standard: a lady can be late, but a gentleman must be patient.

Fifteen minutes have passed, gentlemen can go to hell now!

Su Cheng stood up and looked at the female student who had been guiding him, who seemed awkward about sitting or standing and didn't know what to say. He asked, "What's your name?"

"Ah? My name is Bai Xue."

Su Cheng stared at Bai Xue for a while before asking, "Do you have money?"

"Huh?" Bai Xue didn't know how to answer.

Su Cheng looked at the students and asked, "Who can lend her three thousand yuan?"

"..." Now everyone was at a loss for words.

Su Cheng asked doubtfully, "Really? Four years of classmates, and nobody's willing to chip in three thousand yuan for her?"

"Yes, yes." Several students immediately stood up and took out their wallets. It seemed that they didn't have much cash. They pooled their money and spent a few minutes to raise more than 2,700 yuan. Everyone emptied their wallets.

Su Cheng took the money from a male classmate and handed it to Bai Xue: "Thank you everyone, goodbye... Bai Xue, did you bring your ID card?"

"Yes, I brought it. Senior, where are we going?"

"Let's get a room nearby and see how you understand it."

Su Cheng didn't return to his temporary home until after 9 PM. It was a duplex apartment, about 50 square meters. Downstairs was the living room, bathroom, and kitchen, and upstairs was the bedroom. His luggage was by the door.

The conditions were quite good, and Su Cheng was satisfied. He went upstairs, looked around for a while, and then lay back on the bed, not wanting to move anymore. He was so tired... This woman was too difficult to deal with.

At 8:30 a.m. the next morning, Zuo Luo arrived at the office on time, his life usually irregular. When he found himself going to and from work on time, just like when he first became a policeman, he felt a tightness in his chest.

The west side of the first floor houses the office area for Group Two, while Group Three is located to the northeast. The east side belongs to Group Seven, comprising interrogation rooms, a recording room, a reception room, and other offices. Group One, now at the height of its power, has taken over the entire second floor. In addition to standard equipment, they have departmental technical staff, sub-group offices, dedicated interrogators, and reception personnel. The second floor also has a dedicated storage room, providing Group One with firearms, bulletproof vests, and other equipment. Currently, Group One has twenty-seven members, divided into three groups: four administrative staff, four technical staff, and two white-hatted officers as support. Their office equipment is modern and integrated. Group One has become a department representing the strongest criminal investigation force in City A.