Archfiend

Chapter 1: Disciplinary and Investigations Unit

In a blood-drenched room, there was a small child that seemed to be alone. In shock and disbelief, he kneeled on the floor as he surveyed the room that he had once called his home with wide eyes.

From the ruins, the pungent smell of blood assailed his nostrils as if it sounded the grim reaper’s knell. The smell urged him to hurriedly turn back, flee to the door, and never return. His legs trembled violently as he saw blood flowing out from his parents’ bedroom. The blood was an abnormal shade of red and irregular in quantity, making him feel as if he had laid eyes upon a demon. Sluggishly moving his legs, he walked over one step at a time like a machine.

Steeped in thick, sticky blood, his shoes made a squelching sound as they pulled up dark-red threads. 

“Urragghh…” Already, a soul-sucking screech rang out from behind the rusty bedroom door. Soon afterwards...

The boy saw another set of eyes and a face that he would never forget for all eternity.

Boom… The world turned black and white. The image of the face froze and crumbled away, like a withered leaf in the wind.

Squeezing his palm, Xu Yangyi woke up from the dream realm that he had encountered countless times. He subconsciously clenched his fist, only feeling his sweat-covered palm. 

“Huff…” He picked up the mug in front of him and rocked it. “It’s been over ten years…” He held the mug and calmly looked outside. “I wish I could turn It back into a dream…” He pursed his lips for a sip. The tea was already ice-cold.

He was around twenty-one or twenty-two years old. His brows were strong and course without any curve, appearing like two swords soaring upwards. His gaze was steady and his eyes half-lidded. Neither obese nor thin, he was almost 1.81 meters tall. From an outsider perspective, any could see the faint swell of muscle beneath his police uniform.

In the office of Sanshui City’s Disciplinary and Investigations Unit for major cases, standard uniform was commonplace. Especially since he was the current sitting captain. It happened to be August, and the evening heat blanketed the floor, causing steam to rise from underground. It wouldn’t be unwarranted to say that the office was a steamer basket.

The temperature was such that it was even more unbearable outside. Not a single person still wore the full police uniform. For the most part, everyone was wearing short sleeves. He was the only person acting strictly to the rules, to the extent that even his uniform’s neck button was fastened tightly. It was strange though, there wasn’t even a single bead of sweat on his neck. Furthermore, he hadn’t even exclaimed that the weather was hot at all. It was as if he didn’t have any feeling towards hot or cold.

The electric fan above whirled, its ear-piercing sound offending his hearing. In his present surroundings, there were ten people near him wearing shirts, men and women using folders to fan themselves, seated in a circle together. Directed towards Xu Yangyi’s gaze, there was disdain, envy, and all kinds of negative emotions. Nonetheless, there was only one single look not present on their faces that should’ve been when met with their sitting captain.

Respect. 

Sanshui City wasn’t a big city. Moreover, it had no connections to wealth, with two of the hundred poorest counties under its control. If not for this, they wouldn’t only have just a few high-powered electric fans installed in such sweltering weather as the city’s police force. They had been forwarded a special case this afternoon, yet as the time for the meeting drew near, and all of them had gathered to discuss the matter, they soon discovered their captain was sleeping!

“Captain, are you up?” A man around forty years old coldly watched Xu Yangyi sigh, his nostrils not concealing his snort in the slightest. “We’ve been waiting for half an hour. Are you going to hand out orders?”

“I’m awake.” Xu Yangyi turned his eyes, taking a pen in his hand and spinning it. He nodded towards the middle-aged man. “Vice Captain Chen, is something the matter?”

“Of course, something’s the matter! You aren’t listening!” A single sentence made Vice Captain Chen slam the top of a chair. His voice suddenly increased a few degrees in intensity, and the data folder in his hand was flung out, rustling. “The major murder case! The murders of twelve people! It’s been a full week since it was transferred to the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit, but we haven’t made a bit of progress! Captain Xu, we’re all like a family, so I won’t speak politely! How is this case going to be handled? Who is going to handle it? How much power do we need to handle it? We want orders!”

He suddenly stood up, streaking the rustling folder in front of everyone’s faces that were either stupefied or sneering and said, “There are about over a dozen of us in the force! All of us are waiting on you, Captain Xu, to deliver a command! We’re going to inform the Chief of this! We’ve been waiting on you for over half an hour, but you said fifteen minutes ago! When the killer appeared for the first time, he carried out an unusual attack! And you’re actually asking what’s going on now?!”

Xu Yangyi faintly swept his eyes over. “I remember saying it very clearly. I shall personally accept this case myself.”

“Poh!” A glob of phlegm landed on the side of a trash bin. A man approaching forty years old cleared his throat. “My apologies, I had a little itch in my throat all of a sudden.”

The smile on Xu Yangyi’s face never once vanished. “You have a complaint?”

“Oh no, oh no…… The new captain’s just taken up office, but in the two days he’s been assigned, this is his first command. How could I dare be unsatisfied…” A sneer hung at the corner of the man’s mouth, hardly concealing his laughter. “I only want Captain’s command…”

Thonk! Before his voice even fell, a pen nailed into the table beside him. Penetrating through the wood, the pen slightly trembled!

“The fuck!” A young police officer at the man’s side almost jumped up in fright. Was this even a pen? A fucking pen? Wasn’t this actually a blade?

“It’s fake, right...” A thirtyish-year-old police officer looked at the pen in a daze, feeling the wild palpitations of his heart. The table wasn’t thick and the wood was rather thin but to hurl a pen into it, could this be achieved without formidable martial skill? Was this still the most ordinary of damn fountain pens!?

He didn’t know how many experts could achieve such a feat, but in any case, not a single person could accomplish this in the entire force! Everyone’s eyelids jumped as they stared blankly at the pen. They looked at Xu Yangyi in even more of a daze, who was sipping his cold tea in content. They suddenly felt their muscles begin to ache mysteriously. 

“Fuckin’ A...” A young police officer swallowed the saliva in his mouth and whispered, “This is qigong, huh…”

“If I haven’t remembered incorrectly, you’re the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit’s third-in-command Old Zhu?” Xu Yangyi raised his eyes and said casually.

“Yes…” Xu Yangyi’s gaze appeared tranquil, yet Old Zhu felt as if a blade had carved through him in a flash. He calmed his mind and opened his mouth, yet he found his voice was somewhat unsteady.

“So that’s how it is…” Xu Yangyi gently caressed the cover of his teacup, asking indifferently, “Is your throat unwell?” 

“No… Not at all… It’s not itchy…” Old Zhu clenched his teeth a few times, forcing a smile and sitting down.

Vice Captain Chen was rendered dumb for an extended period, as well. It was unknown when, but the documents that were just swishing in his hand and lending to his might had already stopped rustling. The only thing that could be heard within the room was the electric fan’s whine. The calm was somewhat frightening.

“Captain Xu.” After a brief passage of time had gone by, he braced himself to speak, “...This case, it’s related to the welfare of our brothers.”

The teacup lid gently closed with a clang. Vice Captain Chen had still wanted to say something yet ultimately couldn’t help but shut his mouth involuntarily. 

“Are you pressuring me?” Xu Yangyi wiped away at the remaining specks on his teacup with his thumb. He propped his head with his right hand and looked at everyone, raising his sword-like brows. “Yeah?” The room warmed by the summer heat had suddenly become somewhat frighteningly cold. “Just this once.” He tidied his police uniform and stood up, appearing as if the matter had never happened. Pushing the door open, he walked out.

“Hey… Hey! Captain Xu! How should this case be handled?! Are you going to give us an answer?!”

“Wait.” His voice echoed out from the hallway.

The room was silent.

Everyone, you can see me, and I can see you. No one had expected that this fairly young captain, who had been transferred in the last two days and hadn’t made a show of power, would erupt with a storm and force them into silence, making them dare not speak.

“Wait for his motherfucking &#^@!” Vice Captain Chen slammed the table fiercely. “It’s easy for him to say it! The brothers have been hoping for a big case to show up, but you want to fucking accept it by yourself?! Where are the brothers going to eat?!” His voice was furious, but it was oddly forced rather low. After all… the fountain pen in the table was too striking.

“Vice Captain Chen, the hell you scared for?! Let him go talk! What, can’t we go for a talk, as well?!” Old Zhu stood up. “Why?! You had the most promise for the captain’s position. Why was a brat without a hair on his upper lip, who hasn’t even accepted a single case, made the captain?!”

“In this day and age, hard work is worth less than a good background.” A woman around thirty-one to thirty-two years old snorted coldly in disdain towards the shut door. “Didn’t I say it? What the hell does he even know besides boot-licking?”

“That’s right! What is he showing off in front of us for? Big fucking deal he’s got strong martial arts! Does he dare go to the Public Safety Martial Arts Competition? There are plenty of friggin’ amazing people there! It’s stupid!”

“Fuck, he’s just putting on a show in our deserted Sanshui City! Who does he think he is?”

“Hehe, maybe that kid got fucking sent down to our ordinary neck of the woods to put on a show!”

Vice Captain Chen gritted his teeth and drank some tea. The flavor of the tea was rather bitter, so bitter that he wasn’t able to say a single thing.

“Who is he putting on that police uniform everyday for?” A woman provoked as if she was swatting a mosquito in front of her, furrowing her brows. “He wants the higher-ups to send someone down for an inspection, heh, so that everyone else will be used as a measuring pole… Take a look at this button, it’s fastened so snugly. My clothes are longer than everyone else’s… To say nothing of work, when did you learn the art of face? Besides imitating others, what have you done, Captain Xu?”

A young police officer coldly snorted, “Besides acting like this, what does he even know about the world? It’s obvious that everyone knows Vice Captain Chen is the most qualified to be the captain. Who would’ve thought that the higher-ups would stick a guy in at the last second?”

“Although our Sanshui City is a poor and remote place, good or bad, it’s our city. Over the course of a dozen years, we’ve accepted no few number of cases...” A police officer said meaningfully, “That’s to say in the end, whoever has power is the one who’s at the top. Vice Captain Chen has held on for so long; it should be his turn.”

“Hehe, I want to transfer a Detective Conan that I know, too. How ‘bout fucking that?”

“This is the police department’s Disciplinary and Investigations Unit for major crimes. Who doesn’t have the fucking qualifications in this kind of place? Who doesn’t have a few big cases under their belt?”

“The last person to take up post—Captain Gong—got transferred. We rank according to seniority, and we do things by the foundation under our hands! But all of a sudden, a new captain gets transferred in! Who can accept this?!”

In any industry and department, there was no question that paratroopers were bitterly detested things... 

Moreover, it didn’t need to be said that the paratrooper was this young brat!

With great difficulty, you would hold on until you laid eyes on a managerial position, but if all of a sudden the boss’s relative came in to stand on top of your head and shit on you, what would you feel?

Xu Yangyi, Male, Unmarried, Age: 21, Specialty: Blank, Academic Background: Blank, Political Affiliation: Blank, University: Blank…

Would you dare believe a resume with four to five blanks?! 

Who here doesn’t have a good deal of experience? Who hasn’t climbed towards the top, one step at a time? Why did you have to be dropped in?

Vice Captain Chen called these things to mind, and his veins wildly pulsated. He inhaled deeply and snorted, “If a seriously awesome person came here, we wouldn’t say a thing. But what the hell that fucking emotionless brat doing here? Once he sees a real crime scene, won’t he just piss his pants in fright?”

“The higher-ups just don’t get it, either.” Old Zhu smothered a cigarette and spat out, “We all went yesterday to talk, but Chief Zheng was ambiguous about it and vaguely dismissed it. It’s like he doesn’t know that a paratrooper’s come to our Public Security Bureau’s major police unit! And on top of that, a wet-behind-the-ears rookie whose never even seen a case! What kind of freakin’ business is this?!”

“Hehe…” Vice Captain Chen sneered and poured a mouthful of bitter tea down his throat, wiping his mouth. “Go to him, then, alright? I! Do! Not! Care! Who fucking knows that leader’s grandson?! Son of a bitch! If he wants to speak, then let him fucking speak! I want to see who Chief Zheng is going to look for in the end!”