Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 1 Dreams and Reality

The heavy rain that lasted all night made Nanwei City, which was already shrouded in smog year-round, appear muddy and impassable.

Milo was already tired of standing in the rain on duty, but that was his duty as a city guard, and there was no way to avoid it.

Fortunately, the weather cleared up in the early morning, and Nanwei City welcomed its first ray of sunshine of the month after a long absence.

But that wasn't enough to cheer Milo up.

He had been plagued by nightmares for two whole weeks. The lack of sleep had caused his eyes to sag and his nasolabial folds to become more prominent.

No matter how much fatigue he accumulates from his daytime duties, once he closes his eyes at night, he will fall into a series of terrible dreams.

After waking up at a certain moment, I would stare at the ceiling until dawn.

……

"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well again?"

A familiar voice came from behind him, and Milo felt a chill on the back of his neck.

"Get lost." He shoved away the duty baton that the other man had shoved into the back of his collar.

The person who appeared behind Milo was his colleague on duty—Yan, a young man with short gray hair.

The two of them were jointly responsible for daytime security along three streets running horizontally and vertically in the area.

Of course, most of the time, Yan's main task was simply to bring Milo breakfast and lunch, symbolically show his face on the street in his guard uniform, greet the passing merchants and carriages, and then skip work to enjoy himself.

Considering the free meals he gets every day, Milo is too lazy to argue with this guy.

"Tell me, what did you dream about last night? Did that big guy appear again?"

Yan tossed an oil paper bag he was carrying under his arm into Milo's arms.

“Not this time.” Milo took the paper bag, tore it open, and began to eat his breakfast, which still smelled musty from his leather jacket.

After chewing twice with loud smacking sounds, he continued:

"It's dead."

"Mmm." Yan nodded, waved his hand to signal Milo to continue, then took out a cigarette from his leather jacket and put it in his mouth. He was already used to Milo seeing dead people in his dreams.

"I vaguely remember something breaking into a house, using a dining knife... no, a kitchen knife for chopping bones, and killing the homeowner and his wife, and then..."

"Phew~~" Yan exhaled a puff of smoke: "And then?"

“Then they used a spoon to scoop out their eyeballs.” Milo made a motion as if he were grabbing a spoon and scooping something out.

“Your dreams are getting more and more bizarre. My suggestion is to go to the pharmacy on the corner of the East District after get off work and buy something to cure your terrible sleep.” Yan shook his head.

"You mean something like sleeping pills?"

“No, no, I mean, let’s get some strong, special tobacco.” Yan held up a half-smoked cigarette in front of Milo and waved it, giving him a knowing look.

Milo simply ignored the other party's suggestion.

He chewed on a hard slice of bread, and each bite of his upper and lower teeth sent a sharp pain through his temples.

As the sharp pain intensifies, images from last night's dream flash back in my mind again and again.

What puzzled Milo was that, aside from the bloody and gruesome scenes, he could always hear the girl sobbing.

The deliberately suppressed sobs were filled with fear and helplessness.

But in his dream, he didn't see any girl...

"full."

He shook his head, wrapped up the rest of his breakfast, and stuffed it back into Yan's inner pocket: "Next time, bring some bread that's been kept for no more than three days."

As for the eerie sobbing that still haunted his mind, Milo could only attribute it to his listless mental state after a long period of insomnia.

These days he's learned not to dwell on things in his dreams, after all, there's "new stuff" waiting for him tonight.

"Then let's take a stroll together for a bit. Before the one in my bed wakes up, I still have work to do when I get back, hehe..." Yan grinned, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth, and twisted his hips back and forth.

"You're the one who put this shift on." Milo rolled his eyes.

……

However, before their boots had taken more than a few steps on the bumpy city streets, they heard the piercing sound of police sirens behind them.

Immediately afterwards, someone with a loud voice yelled:
"All guards, proceed to Ron Lane in the fourth block to assist in maintaining order at the scene!!!"

……

"problem occurs?"

Their professional instincts told them that something serious must have happened.

"Looks like you're not going anywhere. Hopefully, the lady in your bed won't empty your house when she wakes up."

Milo pursed his lips.

Having said that, he quickened his pace and hurried toward Ron Alley.

Yan jogged after him, muttering to himself:
"It can't be that bad, Eve isn't that kind of person... Speaking of which, is it Eve? Or Kelly? Ugh, it was so noisy at the bar yesterday I forgot what she said when she introduced herself..."

……

The two rushed to the scene of the incident, Ron Alley.

This area is somewhat remote compared to the main street; it is the oldest and most underdeveloped cluster of buildings in the region.

The alleyway was low-lying, and the heavy rain overnight had filled it with about ten centimeters of murky water.

At this moment, more than a dozen pairs of high boots were already standing in the floodwater in the alley.

Some of these people were wearing the same black leather jackets as Milo and his companion, and they were standing on the outermost perimeter guarding the scene, surrounding a small hut.

Through the open door of the hut, Milo could vaguely see several figures wearing tricorn hats moving back and forth in the dark interior. Each of them had metal weapons tucked into their waistbands. Unlike the hatless city guards who only had short clubs as weapons, the people inside carried sharp blades and highly lethal firearms.

So many law enforcement officers?

Milo was slightly surprised.

But he only glanced at it a couple more times before looking around the room again.

Because the people inside the room were also very alert and noticed his gaze.

After he and Yan entered the alley, they quickly joined their colleagues in guarding the area.

Milo remained silent as usual, secretly observing the surroundings and trying to guess what had happened in the small house behind him.

Yan quickly started chatting with the other guards beside him.

With a cigarette offered and a match lit, the guard had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on inside the house. “A young couple, poor thing, oh my god…” The guard casually blew a puff of smoke over his head and continued, “Not only did they slit their throats, they even gouged out their eyes. It happened last night. Anyway, I don’t want to go back into that gloomy house.”

Upon hearing this, Milo and Yan's expressions immediately changed.

"Ah, is that so strange?" Yan's tone was slightly detached.

"Isn't it strange? We haven't had a murder here for years, and this time it's such a big one..." The guard who revealed the information muttered to himself.

Only Milo understood that Yan's words were meant for him.

It's really strange.

How can I not blame them?

That matches perfectly!

These days, Milo has been trying very hard to forget the strange things that appear in his dreams every night. Even when he and Yan stand on the street every day to discuss the dreams of the previous night, he treats it as a lighthearted chat.

But at that moment, he had a vague feeling that all of this was not just a coincidence.

Although he had not yet confirmed with his own eyes whether the horrific scene in the cabin was the same as what he had seen in his dream, the eerie premonition in his heart was growing stronger.

Milo felt a slight chill, and it wasn't from the puddles he was standing on.

"hiss……"

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my temples once more, accompanied by the familiar sound of a girl sobbing.

"This kind of big case is definitely handled by the city's law enforcement officers. We just need to cooperate with their work." Yan flicked the cigarette butt from between his fingers.

He was actually saying that to Milo as well.

The implication was that as long as Milo kept his mouth shut and Yan didn't speak recklessly, they wouldn't have anything to do with this matter.

After all, nobody wants to be associated with serious murders.

The two then didn't talk about the nightmare at all, communicating only through eye contact.

Later, several strangers wearing gray cloaks and hoods appeared in the alley.

Yan raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.

The other party then directly revealed a golden tree totem on the inside of their forearm.

“They’re from the church.” Yan gave Milo a look, then obediently stepped aside to let the cloaked figures pass.

……

Before this, everything inside the cabin could perhaps be defined as a murder.

But once church clergy appear, it means things are definitely not simple.

What kind of murderer could attract the attention of both law enforcement and the church?
The church, representing the Golden Tree, is the carrier of faith for the people within the empire. The church and the law enforcement organization are two completely independent institutions in terms of system. People from these two organizations will only meet under one circumstances: when a murder involving theological concepts occurs.

For example, this case right now.

The only explanation for such a heinous act as gouging out eyes, aside from some deep-seated hatred, is that it is part of a religious ritual.

……

The church members who entered the cabin were talking to the law enforcement officers wearing tricorn hats.

But the girl's sobs echoing in Milo's mind grew clearer and clearer; he could even hear her prayers and cries for help.

Suppressing his unease, Milo wanted to go into the cabin to find out what was going on, but reason told him that he was just a guard and had no reason to get involved in a murder case.

Milo exchanged glances with Yan several times.

The other party accurately captured the intention in Milo's eyes and repeatedly made faces to tell him—don't do anything rash.

Just then, the voice of one of the female law enforcement officers inside the cabin suddenly rose, seemingly somewhat agitated:
"Ridiculous! It's been raining all night, and all the remaining clues are in this house. Now you're telling me to burn everything down? Are you kidding me?"

……

The sounds of arguing coming from inside the house made the guards outside exchange bewildered glances.

Clearly, there was a disagreement between law enforcement officers and church personnel, but this was a matter between the law enforcement agency and the church, and they had no right to interfere.

The argument inside the house lasted for a short while.

After that, things calmed down, and it seemed that the two sides had reached some kind of consensus.

……

"Gentlemen, we may need your help with the next part of the work."

A church member dressed in a gray cloak stepped out of the hut and addressed the surrounding guards:

"We need to burn this cursed house down now that the weather is clear. I hope there won't be any onlookers in the surrounding alleys, for everyone's safety."

The result was obvious: the church members somehow managed to persuade the law enforcement officers.

The guards looked at each other, but no one took the initiative.

Their city guard unit was under the law enforcement system and, theoretically, had no obligation to carry out church orders.

"Do as he says."

A female law enforcement officer dressed in a black leather jacket walked out of the house and gave orders in a harsh tone.

Soon, everyone inside the cabin came out, including church personnel and law enforcement officers.

The leader of the church members now held a bundle of firewood. He muttered some obscure words and began to slowly back away from the door of the hut.

Without anyone noticing, the end of the firewood began to ignite.

It seems they are determined to burn the house down.

"Please step back a little, gentlemen."

Church personnel gestured for the law enforcement officers and guards present to move away.

……

Yan couldn't wait to leave this unlucky place. He tugged at Milo's shoulder, only to find Milo standing straight in place, showing no intention of backing down. He could only whisper a reminder:

"Don't do anything reckless..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Milo rushed toward the cabin door.

"Eh?"

! !
(End of this chapter)