Under the flickering, confusing lights and amid the deafening music, men and women dressed in trendy and revealing outfits swayed their bodies to the strong beat created by the lights and music, letting alcohol and dopamine drive their brains and rubbing and colliding with each other's desires recklessly.
Suddenly—
A nimble black figure leaped onto the DJ booth in the flickering lights.
The DJ, with dyed blue hair and scant clothing, had just started to react when the chaotic music abruptly came to a halt. The neon and laser lights also stopped shaking, and a deep voice came from the booth:
"Patrol Team routine search, everyone against the wall."
Amid panicked screams, the lights suddenly turned on, dispelling the darkness and exposing everyone in the frenzy to the light.
There were also three Patrol Officers in black uniforms carrying electric batons, entering the bar, herding the crowd, with the sound of electric batons crackling in their hands.
"Everyone against the wall."
"Talking to you, stand up."
The middle-aged Patrol Officer on the DJ booth watched the search operation below with a calm expression.
Compared to the other patrol officers, his uniform was noticeably more refined, with three stars and a pair of wing-like patterns on the epaulettes, clearly indicating the rank of a first-level officer in the Patrol Department.
"Sir, I am the general manager of this bar."
A slightly portly middle-aged man approached and said to the middle-aged Patrol Officer on the booth with a smile, "May I know your name? What brings you to our small establishment for a surprise search tonight?"
Team Leader Han looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Superior's orders, nothing to disclose."
The general manager of Iron Stone Bar could only continue with a smile, "I've asked too much, officer. Rest assured, we will actively cooperate."
After scanning the crowd with his gaze and seeing that everyone was already lined up against the walls, Team Leader Han jumped off the booth and walked into the middle of the dance floor, looking towards Lin Qing and the other two.
"Lin Qing, you check the bar area. Qin Qin, you check that group. Wang Hengyi, you check those people. The rest, I'll handle."
After delegating the tasks, the four responsible for the search began to move.
The bar wasn't particularly large; combining the patrons with the bartenders and waitstaff, there were only about a hundred people in total.
Even if everyone had to be checked for facial and fingerprint recognition to verify identities one by one, it wouldn't take long if four people worked together.
The database was now very comprehensive, and there was no need to check ID cards to confirm identities.
If they occasionally encountered patrons who were drunk and uncooperative with the search, with the skills of a formally assessed patrol officer, they could easily subdue them.
Of course, in an emergency situation, they'd have to use the electric batons.
Lin Qing clipped the baton to his waist, took out the smartphone issued by the Inspection Bureau, and approached the group near the bar. After looking them over, he spoke up:
"Let's start with the Blue Scarf Gang members. You, you, you, and you, all come over here and stand properly. Clean your fingertips."
As he spoke, he pointed successively at several individuals wearing blue scarves, picking them out one by one.
The faces of those he pointed out bore resentment and indignation.
This bar was seen as the headquarters by the Blue Scarf Gang; they had been bragging countless times about their grand ties to the gang while intoxicated and holding beauties in their arms, only for these patrol dogs to come and pull them out for an investigation.
Especially this youngster, without a single epaulette, obviously just a temporary investigator, yet he dared to act so arrogantly?
But with other patrol officers present, the group clenched their teeth and stepped forward.
However, one of them couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Fuck, a temporary dog dares to lord it over us..."
He spoke quietly to avoid being overheard by other officers in the distance, thinking that since a temporary patrol officer had no enforcement power, it wouldn't matter if he cursed.
"Huh?"
Lin Qing's expression turned cold, and suddenly he kicked the man in the shin. The man fell to the ground in pain, and as he tried to rise in anger, he heard a crackling sound.
Looking up, he saw a glossy black baton right before his eyes, emitting sparks.
He shuddered and instinctively recoiled, swallowing back the swear words that were about to spill out.
"Lift your head."
Lin Qing mockingly looked at the man, performed facial recognition with the smartphone, pressed for a fingerprint, and then suddenly kicked the man's face with his boot. The hard sole immediately twisted and broke the man's nasal bone, blood spurting wildly, as he curled up on the ground, clutching his nose, wailing in agony.
The team members from the Patrol Team glanced over but paid no mind and continued their work.
"Don't even mention Lin Qing being a Level One Patrol Officer," even if one were just a temporary Patrol Officer, encountering disobedient troublemakers and kicking them a couple of times wouldn't be considered a big deal.
Of course, temporary Patrol Officers don't have a formal position and aren't valued by the Inspection Bureau, so they wouldn't dare to offend people casually.
Although violently assaulting a temporary Patrol Officer on duty is considered a crime obstructing public order, if they were attacked privately, it's merely a common fight, and the Inspection Bureau wouldn't go out of its way to intervene.
However, formal Patrol Officers, even if attacked privately, would face harsher punishments, and if the safety of an individual was severely endangered, it could even lead to life imprisonment.
Lin Qing continued to hold his phone, identifying and recording one by one.
After making an example out of one as a warning to the others, everyone else became much more compliant, even the troublemakers from the Blue Scarf Gang.
"Order."
Lin Qing silently called out again, bringing up the Entropy panel and glanced at the "Current Order Level," which showed no change whatsoever.
It made sense.
A few small-time hoodlums posed no threat to him. Even though they might not know he was a formal Patrol Officer now, the Blue Scarf Gang must have connections within the police and the Inspection Bureau since they dared to operate openly. A little inquiry and they would know who he was.
Once they realized he was a formal Patrol Officer, with this slight grudge, those small-time hoodlums wouldn't dare seek revenge on him.
Naturally, it wouldn't cause the Order Level to decline.
He had confirmed this in his past life.
As long as no one could threaten him, even with enemies, it wouldn't cause the Order Level to decrease.
In his previous life, he had survived the apocalypse by relying on the premonitions provided by the "Current Order Level," which had helped him numerous times.
...
In the dimly lit area on the other side of the bar.
Two figures were hunched over, lips barely moving as they whispered in each other's ears, speaking in hushed tones.
"Old Luo, is there a chance to escape through the back door?"
"I've had people watching both the front and back doors the entire time, but now both have already been sealed off. I have no idea if the Patrol Team has gone mad, suddenly conducting a search."
"Damn it, didn't you say you had informants in both the police and the Inspection Bureau before you established the Blue Scarf Gang?"
"Brother Jiang, today's search operation was last minute; I didn't expect it either."
"What do we do now? Motherfuckers, I was just hiding out here for a few days to catch a break, and now this shit happens?"
"Brother Jiang, if you're brave enough to force your way through, you could escape via the old underground tunnel."
"Force through? Didn't you see that Level One Patrol Department guy standing there? He looks like a veteran leader, it wouldn't be surprising if he's learned Combat Skill, and once he uses it, I'd definitely be no match for him."
"Brother Jiang, I wouldn't use this bar as a gang's base without a backup plan. I can create chaos for you; if you're fast enough, you could escape amidst the confusion."
"...Alright, then let's break through from this temporary Patrol Officer's direction towards the main entrance, where the chances should be highest."
"He hit my people; you can be ruthless, Brother Jiang. It'd be best if you could kill him, after all, he's just a small-time temporary Patrol Officer."
"Easy, I wasn't pleased with him anyway."
...
[Order Level declined by 0.2 Levels]
While Lin Qing was busy identifying and checking, at that moment, a line of blood-red letters suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Hmm?"
Lin Qing's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately became alert. His left hand continued to work on his phone, while his right hand surreptitiously reached for the switch of his electric baton, gripping it tightly.
Suddenly—
"Bang!"
A spherical light fixture on the ceiling above the dance floor suddenly burst, spewing thick smoke and a deluge of colorful confetti typically used for parties, fluttering down.
In an instant, half of the bar's visibility was obscured.
At the same time, a burly figure bolted from behind the bar counter with agility and speed beyond that of an ordinary person, crossing the dance floor in the blink of an eye!
And the direction of the sprint aimed straight for the main entrance, where Lin Qing was located!