Chapter 56: Briefing Upon Arrival
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Briefing Upon Arrival
Yang Wenqing gazed at the plaza, where hundreds of his colleagues milled about. They were officers from the various public security offices, gathered in hushed groups according to their districts. They naturally formed small circles with their usual patrol squads. Most of these squads, however, were led by senior officers, since their own captains were busy preparing for tomorrow’s assessment.
Yang Wenqing didn’t linger in the plaza. He first contacted Wu Yan and Liu Rong through his badge. "Old Wu, Ah Rong, meet me directly in the locker room. We’re changing into our formal uniforms."
In the Major Case Team’s locker room, they all kept spare police uniforms; in fact, the room was overflowing with civilian clothes, all purchased with public funds. After the three met up, they quickly changed into their crisp, dark City Defense Bureau officer uniforms.
Yang Wenqing now had service ribbons on his chest, including the third-class merit medal he had earned during the last Spiritual Qi Outburst. Wearing it added to his air of authority.
"Captain, what about the other members of our Squad Three...?" Liu Rong asked while adjusting his collar.
"They’ve already been assigned." Yang Wenqing fastened the last button on his uniform. "During the assessment period, Liu Qin and Lin Wan will be transferred to Captain Liu Xin’s Internal Defense Department for unified dispatch. They’ll be responsible for internal communications and paperwork at the bureau. Li Yue’s and Qian You’s teams will reinforce internal patrols. Our focus will be on the outside."
Liu Rong nodded thoughtfully.
After tidying their uniforms, the three wasted no time and headed straight for the emergency command center located in the rear building.
Inside the command center, Lei Dan was already seated at the head commander’s station. When he saw Yang Wenqing and his men, he gave a slight nod and said concisely, "Captain Yang, the security department is yours to command. You’ll be in charge of organizing the people in the plaza outside. The stability of the county during the assessment is our top priority."
"Understood, Section Chief Lei."
Yang Wenqing walked over to the security department’s command area. The communications team immediately fitted him with specialized communication gear and also assigned a communications specialist to accompany him.
While being fitted, Yang Wenqing instructed Wu Yan and Liu Rong, "Go organize our colleagues outside into new patrol groups based on their home units. Each district should have a temporary leader assigned; have them do the organizing. You have ten minutes to get it done. After that, have all the district leaders report to me for a meeting."
Wu Yan accepted the order calmly, while Liu Rong seemed a bit apprehensive. The two of them then walked briskly out of the command center and toward the temporary command platform set up at the front of the plaza. Seeing them, all the waiting officers turned their gazes toward them in unison. Wu Yan showed no signs of stage fright. He stepped forward, picked up the runestone connected to the plaza’s amplification Array, and announced in a clear, loud voice:
"Quiet! Everyone, form ranks according to your original public security office unit!"
His voice, amplified by Spiritual Power, carried clearly across the entire plaza. The restless crowd quickly fell silent and began to move, soon forming over a dozen relatively neat square formations.
"Attention!"
THUD!
Hundreds of officers snapped to attention, their heads held high and chests puffed out.
"District leaders, step forward."
Wu Yan commanded in a cold voice.
Immediately, one person stepped out from each of the East City, South City, West City, North City, and Port District Public Security Offices.
"Bring the patrol squad rosters your districts submitted and follow me. The rest of you, remain at attention!"
Wu Yan issued another command, then led Liu Rong off the platform and back toward the command center. The temporarily appointed leaders from each district were all senior sergeants who weren’t participating in the assessment. Even so, they didn’t dare to disregard Wu Yan’s order, immediately grabbing their rosters and heading for the command center.
Yang Wenqing was now waiting in front of a large, temporarily erected map of the city district.
"Captain, I’ve brought the district leaders."
Wu Yan stepped forward to report.
Yang Wenqing turned around, his calm gaze sweeping over the five people before him. His eyes paused for a moment on Zhao Dong, the leader from the East City District. Zhao Dong was the captain of the East City Public Security Office’s Sixth Patrol Squad. Their shifts had rarely overlapped, so they didn’t know each other well. When their eyes met, Zhao Dong instinctively straightened his back.
"Time is short, so I’ll be brief." Yang Wenqing skipped the pleasantries and pointed directly at the map. "In principle, the patrol shifts for each district will follow your original public security office schedules: morning, noon, and night shifts in rotation."
His tone was steady. "However, the situation during the assessment is special. First, I require you to double the patrol density at the borders between districts to avoid creating any unpatrolled zones."
"Second, the Port District, the West City Trade District, and all main city gates are designated as key areas. A temporarily appointed sergeant must be present to personally oversee the patrols during every shift."
"Third, all patrol squads must strictly adhere to their designated routes and schedules. Maintain open communications around the clock. Report your status to your district leader every thirty minutes. The district leaders will then summarize and report to me every hour."
His gaze swept over the five of them once more. "Any questions?"
"None!"
The five answered in unison.
Yang Wenqing’s arrangements were clear and concise, taking into account their established routines while also strengthening control over key points.
"Good. That’s all I have to say. Now, go collect communication devices according to the rosters you submitted." Yang Wenqing raised his hand to check the time, then pointed toward the communications team. "You have two minutes."
After speaking, he turned back to the large map, continuing to commit every street to memory so he could handle any sudden incidents. Meanwhile, the district leaders walked briskly over to collect their communication gear.
Two minutes later, the district leaders had returned to Yang Wenqing’s side. Yang Wenqing glanced at them, then led them out of the command center and toward the command platform in the plaza.
Wu Yan, Liu Rong, and the five district leaders followed close behind.
When Yang Wenqing and his group stepped back onto the command platform, hundreds of pairs of eyes below immediately focused on them. The sunlight glinted off his dark uniform and the service ribbons on his chest, adding an undeniable air of authority and gravitas to his youthful face.
Yang Wenqing walked to the front of the platform and took the amplification runestone from Wu Yan. He didn’t speak immediately, instead letting his gaze slowly sweep over the neat formations below. His eyes briefly passed over the area where the East City Public Security Office officers were standing, and he spotted a few familiar faces, including Li Ming and Ye Yong.
At that moment, Li Ming, Ye Yong, and the others were also looking up at the platform.
They looked at Yang Wenqing—a man who, just a few months ago, had been an ordinary officer just like them, someone who even needed their help from time to time. Now, he stood on the high command platform, overseeing the entire operation. There was surprise and admiration in their eyes, but more than that, there was a sense of envy, as if he now belonged to a different world, and a touch of indescribable loss.
In that instant, even the usually carefree Ye Yong clearly felt that an invisible chasm had opened up between them. He and Yang Wenqing were no longer in the same world.
Yang Wenqing took in their expressions, but his heart remained untroubled. If anything, it only strengthened his resolve to keep moving forward. He then raised the runestone, and his voice, steady and powerful, carried clearly across the plaza through the Array:
"My fellow officers, I’ll dispense with the pleasantries. For the next three days, the city’s security rests on your shoulders."
"I will emphasize just two things. First, you must ensure seamless coverage at the borders between districts. They cannot be allowed to become jurisdictional gray areas like in the past. Second, patrols in key areas must be thorough. Report any problems immediately."
"During this assessment period, I don’t want to see any major security incidents. This is a test of your abilities, and it is also an inspection of the overall quality of our City Defense Bureau."
He paused briefly, his tone becoming more practical.
"District leaders must take responsibility. Patrol squads must strictly follow the duty roster. Handle any emergencies according to protocol. If you can’t handle a situation, report it immediately."
After he finished speaking, he turned to the district leaders and ordered, "Distribute the communication devices, then get the morning shift officers to their posts as soon as possible."