"Hey... are we really going to catch robbers?"
"Probably..."
"That group seems to have quite a few people!"
"Has the captain gone mad?!"
"Shh! Don't let him hear you!"
The new recruits followed behind Rayan, quietly discussing what they were about to do.
That's right, they had waited outside for a while, and when Rayan came out, he directly handed them a file. It detailed the situation of a robber gang that was running rampant in the Stohess District.
These guys numbered about a dozen, and they were utterly ruthless, committing murder, robbery, and human trafficking. In short, they were the kind of people who would be immediately hanged if caught. And it was precisely because of this that they were even more unbridled.
Nearly a hundred people had been harmed by this group. They didn't know how many times they had reported to the Military Police, but no one had ever dealt with it. After all, these robbers were desperate criminals, and the Military Police passed the buck, not wanting to risk their own lives.
So, they kept pushing it around, and these people had been at large for several years. Now that Rayan had arrived, he naturally wouldn't sit idly by. To be honest, although he had thoughts of climbing the ranks, he also had a sense of responsibility. Since he had become a Military Police officer and was paid with taxes from the common people, he naturally had to do something practical.
"Stop complaining," Marlo said to the others at this moment. "There are more than ten of us, and we have guns. Are we really afraid of a bunch of robbers?"
"What do you know, kid!" a slightly older youth who had been transferred from the Garrison Regiment glared at him. "Yes, they might not have guns, but let me ask you, if that robber appears, can you shoot and kill him immediately?"
"I..."
Marlo hesitated, and the youth immediately sneered. "You can't, right? But they can! They'll come straight at you with a knife! That's what desperate criminals are like!"
"Kalman is right."
Rayan, who had been walking at the very front, suddenly stopped and turned to the others. "The reason why bad guys always seem to win is their lack of principles and the momentary kindness of good people. So, remember this: the moment you find them, shoot to kill immediately. Their crimes are so severe that we have the right to do so, understand?"
Everyone nodded, but looking at the hesitation on their faces, he knew that saying it now was one thing, and actually daring to shoot when they encountered them was another.
Of course, for Rayan, there was definitely no psychological burden. He had killed so many people on the ship in Marley a few years ago, plus those few days after returning from outside the walls... it wasn't just the threat of Titans. When there was no food left at the end, humans and beasts were no different.
"Oh right, you guys haven't been divided into squads yet, have you?" Rayan suddenly remembered. He was now a squad leader with a total of twelve people under him, but these twelve people were a single unit, making command somewhat troublesome.
"Let's divide into two squads,"
Rayan said, looking at everyone. He went through their written information in his mind and then began to call out names: "Garcia, Wilson, Wright, Hall, Hill, Annie. You six are in the first squad, and the squad leader is Annie."
The people whose names were called looked at each other, and when they heard the captain's last name, they were all taken aback.
Even Annie herself was a little surprised, frowning at him. "Change it."
"No change," Rayan said. "Are you going to disobey orders?"
"..."
"Second squad," Rayan continued. "Green, Baker, Adams, Roberts, Evans, Marlo. You six are in the second squad, and the squad leader is Marlo."
Marlo's face immediately lit up with undisguised joy. His dream was to reach the higher ranks, and this squad leader position was clearly a good start!
However, someone in his squad was obviously unconvinced, like Baker, whose face was gloomy and on the verge of arguing.
Rayan knew that he had been transferred from the Garrison Regiment and was also the oldest, 26 years old, a full ten years older than him. Marlo was only eighteen, much younger. Clearly, Baker felt very uncomfortable being led by someone so much younger than himself.
However, that was the extent of his expression; he probably wouldn't dare to say it out loud. After all, the hierarchy in the Military Police Regiment was very strict, completely different from the open relationship model of the Survey Corps.
"That's settled then."
"Yes! I will definitely do a good job as squad leader!" Marlo said excitedly, while Annie looked indifferent, not taking the squad leader position seriously at all.
"Very good, then let's continue moving forward."
Rayan turned around and continued walking, not caring if anyone was unhappy. Perhaps in terms of ability, Marlo was not as good as Baker, but as mentioned before, the Military Police Regiment was not a place that valued ability.
More importantly were connections. Marlo had a better relationship with him, so of course, he would promote him. This would make him more grateful, which was the most important thing. Comparing ability and loyalty, the weight of each varied in different situations. In the current Military Police Regiment, the answer was very clear.
Speaking of which, this could be considered "nepotism," Rayan thought. Not bad, not bad, it seems I have great potential to become a high-ranking official.
...
"Knock knock."
The wooden door was knocked a few times. After a moment, the door was gently pulled open a crack, and a pair of eyes appeared through the gap.
"Hello, we are from the Military Police Regiment and would like to understand the situation," Rayan said with a smile. Upon hearing the words "Military Police Regiment," a trace of fear and apprehension immediately appeared in those eyes, and then the door slowly opened wider.
The interior of the room was revealed: dilapidated furniture, two wooden chairs with missing legs. A person lay on a bed.
Rayan's gaze refocused on the person who had opened the door, a girl of about ten years old. Her clothes were ragged, and her long hair hadn't been washed for who knows how long, all tangled together. Her face was smeared with patches of white and black, very dirty.
"Hello," Rayan said. "May we come in?"
The girl seemed surprised that Rayan would speak to her so politely. She hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly. "Y-yes, you can."
"Thank you."
Rayan and the group of Military Police officers entered the room. A strange stench immediately assaulted their nostrils, causing them all to frown deeply, not wanting to stay in this room any longer however, their captain Rayan hadn't spoken, so none of them dared to leave without permission.
"A week ago, your family reported a case, is that right?" Rayan asked, glancing at the woman lying on the bed. She was emaciated, her face purplish-blue, and there was no sign of breathing in her chest.
"She's dead," the little girl seemed very sensitive and immediately noticed Rayan's gaze.
"..."
"A dead person in the house? Quickly bury..." The Military Police officer hadn't finished speaking before Rayan glanced at him, and he immediately shut his mouth.
"Did she die of illness?" Rayan asked. He didn't see any wounds on the woman's body.
The little girl nodded. "Our family didn't have money to buy medicine anymore. My dad, who earned money, was killed by robbers."
The latest report about this robber gang was made by this family a week ago, but it had never been processed. And the file recorded that the person who reported it at the time seemed to have provided some information, but the Military Police officer who was responsible for recording it seemed to be drunk and forgot after listening, so it wasn't written down.
"Then, do you know anything about those robbers?" Rayan tried to soften his voice as much as possible. He squatted down while speaking, keeping his eyes level with the little girl.
"My mom knew..."
Marlo couldn't help but interject, "But your mom is dead."
The little girl nodded, looked at Rayan, turned and ran to the table, picked up a piece of paper from it, turned back, and handed it to Rayan.
The latter took it and looked. There were some messy writings on it, mostly illegible, but he could make out the two characters for "farm."
"Did your mom write this?"
"Mm..."
Rayan nodded, thinking that this was probably all the information they could get.
"Alright, thank you," he said. "We will catch those robbers, and the recovered belongings will be distributed to you as compensation."
The little girl didn't speak, her eyes somewhat blank, as if she didn't know if he was telling the truth or just being perfunctory.
Rayan sighed inwardly, said no more, and got up, leading his people out of the wooden house.
"Captain, are we just leaving like this?" Once outside, the female soldier named Garcia asked, somewhat disconsolately.
"Otherwise?" Rayan looked at her. "What else do you think we can do?"
"..."
"If you feel sad, turn that feeling into anger towards the robber gang. The sooner we catch them, the fewer tragedies like this will happen. We... can only do this much."
"That's right!" Marlo said indignantly. "We must catch these bastards! Take all the money they robbed and distribute it to the victims!"
Rayan nodded, thinking that even if they did catch them, how much of that money would be left after the higher-ups took their cut... In the end, it was the same in any world.
"Let's go, we have a lead," Rayan tucked the piece of paper into his pocket. "If it's a farm, there are quite a few in the Stohess District. We'll be busy all day today."
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Need More Chapters
Every 300 Power Stones
2 Bonus chapter
Every 500 Power Stones
4 Bonus chapter.
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