Chapter 1: Sin

[Warning: High Sin Value personnel detected 50 meters ahead to the left!]

[Warning: High Sin Value personnel detected 49 meters ahead to the left!]

[Warning: High Sin Value personnel detected 48 meters ahead to the left!]

A blazing crimson light flashed before Qin Qing’s eyes, so bright she couldn’t open them.

The alarm blared in her ears, sharp and piercing.

She endured the discomfort, her face expressionless as she clicked “confirm” on the virtual light screen floating in front of her.

The red light and alarm vanished, leaving a map on the screen. In the upper left corner of the map was a distinct red dot, silently emitting waves of red light. At the bottom center of the map was a forward-pointing arrow, which rotated with the direction of her toes.

Qin Qing stood still, observing the red dot. It was circling in a small area, showing no signs of moving outward.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Qing continued walking. The location indicated by the red dot was on her usual route home.

Forty meters…

Twenty meters…

Ten meters…

Qin Qing was getting closer and closer to the red dot.

She could see him now.

Unlike other pedestrians on the street, the red dot, or rather, the High Sin Value person, had a System Panel flashing red continuously above his head. It was impossible to ignore.

It was a man, selling vegetables at a street corner. His skin was dark, his appearance ordinary, and his clothes unremarkable, no different from other vegetable vendors around him.

———-

*High Sin Value Identification*

Name: Gui Cheng

Gender: Male

Age: 37

Health: 63

Mood: 50

Intelligence: 55

Physical Strength: 61

Charm: 32

Luck: 51

Sin: 62

Merit: 5

———-

Qin Qing’s gaze merely flickered over it, not lingering.

A Sin Value as high as 62 was truly very high. Qin Qing didn’t know what the maximum value for this category could be, but at least among the people she had seen before, no one’s Sin Value had exceeded 30.

Her heart was pounding fast. Qin Qing controlled her facial expression, walking past the vegetable selling section at her original pace, just like other pedestrians walking and playing on their phones.

She searched for Gui Cheng’s name on her phone.

The first result that popped up was a wanted poster.

“Gui Cheng, male, Han ethnicity, fugitive number…”

After a series of basic information, the last sentence read: Suspected of intentional homicide, listed as a Ministry of Public Security A-level wanted fugitive by the Ministry of Public Security.

A photo was also attached.

Since he was a wanted criminal, it would be easy to handle.

Qin Qing turned the corner and dialed the police.

It was her first time encountering such a situation, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She tried her best to calm down and organize her thoughts so she could clearly describe the situation to the police.

The call connected quickly.

Qin Qing: “My name is Qin Qing. One minute ago, I found a wanted fugitive at the vegetable market at 861 Wuning Road. His fugitive number is xxx, Gui Cheng.”

Without waiting for the other party to ask, she explained everything she knew in as much detail as possible: “The criminal is disguised as a vegetable farmer selling vegetables at the market. He is wearing an old blue-gray jacket and black pants. He is very vigilant and constantly observing his surroundings. The criminal has a cleaver for cutting vegetables in his hand, and it’s uncertain if he has other weapons. He also appears very strong. He is accompanied by a woman of similar age; it’s uncertain if she is an accomplice. Please dispatch police immediately. The vegetables on the criminal’s stall are almost gone, and he might leave at any time. Also, the market is currently very crowded. Please be prepared.”

The operator listened while taking notes, simultaneously synchronizing the information to the police system.

“Did the criminal notice you? Are you safe now?”

Qin Qing: “He didn’t notice me. I am safe.”

“Okay, thank you for providing the lead. We will dispatch officers immediately. Please ensure your personal safety first and do not approach the suspect.”

Qin Qing: “Okay, you can reach me at this number. Contact me anytime if needed.”

The operator swallowed the words about asking for contact information.

After hanging up, Qin Qing didn’t leave. She found a stone stool nearby and sat down, pretending to be tired from walking. She no longer looked in Gui Cheng’s direction, only occasionally glancing out of the corner of her eye to confirm he was still in his original spot and hadn’t left.

She picked up her phone, but couldn’t focus on anything.

“Miss, you can throw it in the trash can.” A sudden, not unpleasant voice startled Qin Qing, who was already on high alert, like a clap of thunder from a clear sky.

It was a cleaner leaning on a broom.

Only then did she realize that the tissue she had been holding had, through her unconscious fidgeting, scattered into tiny pieces on the ground beside the stone stool.

She quickly apologized, knelt down, gathered the paper scraps, and put them into the dustpan the cleaner was holding.

…

Wuning Detachment.

{T/N “Detachment” = a stationed unit or division operating in a specific region.}

The duty officer reported the received information to the detachment captain, Lin Feng.

“Captain Lin, we received a public report that an A-level wanted fugitive has appeared in our jurisdiction. The detailed information has been sent to you.”

Lin Feng was sleeping sprawled out with his legs propped on his office desk. He was suddenly startled awake and almost fell off. He steadied himself, shook his greasy bangs, and awkwardly climbed to look at the message on the computer, scanning it quickly.

“Heh, this guy ran quite far, across half of China from the crime scene. The description is quite detailed. Is the informant a colleague?”

He chattered away, but it didn’t affect Lin Feng standing up straight to pull up his wrinkled and crooked pants from sleeping.

The duty officer looked away, avoiding his gaze.

“Not sure. Contact information is at the bottom of the message.”

Though it sounds slow, less than half a minute had passed since the duty officer entered the captain’s office.

Lin Feng rushed out of the office and yelled at the waiting subordinates: “Team B, follow me.”

A Xiaopingtou said, “Master, why don’t Zhang and I go check it out? You didn’t sleep last night. Most of these reports are just mistaken identities. How could a wanted criminal appear so easily in public?”

{T/N Xiaopingtou (小平头) = Slang for young tough guys or street punks with flat-top haircuts, often linked to military or gangster style.}

Lin Feng sneered, throwing the keys to Xiaopingtou: “Hurry up! If a criminal slips away right under our noses, we can forget about our bonuses for the next six months. Follow me!”

He passed by someone’s workstation, saw half a leftover bread, and snatched it. He stuffed it into his mouth while running: “Notify the technical team to get me the surveillance footage from that road section. I’ll watch it in the car.”

“Captain Lin, there’s no surveillance on that road section.”

“Tsk? Then our detachment is about to make a big contribution.”

–

Qin Qing counted the minutes, each one feeling like a year.

Six minutes, just six minutes.

She saw Gui Cheng confronting and fighting with several people. The police had arrived! But she hadn’t even noticed which direction they came from.

She nervously stared in that direction.

Gui Cheng was no match for the well-trained police officers. In a desperate moment, like a cornered beast, he tried to hijack passersby, but was blocked by another police officer who had been prepared and hidden behind him, and then surrounded and subdued.

Only when she saw Gui Cheng being handcuffed did Qin Qing finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She was about to leave when her phone rang.

She answered, but the call was immediately cut off. Then, she saw a man with curly, greasy hair put his phone in his pocket and walk towards her.

An ID flashed in front of Qin Qing, but she couldn’t see anything clearly. But she knew this was a police officer, and possibly one who had received many commendations.

———-

Name: Lin Feng

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Health: 72

Mood: 65

Intelligence: 65

Physical Strength: 69

Charm: 45

Luck: 58

Sin: 25

Merit: 68

———-

This officer’s values were all higher than average, especially his Merit Value. Most people on the street generally had a Merit Value below 45. This officer was far ahead, 50-60% higher than the average person.

“Wuning Detachment, Lin Feng. Are you the informant?”

“Hello, Officer Lin. Yes, I made the report.”

This officer was so unkempt, so different from the neat uniform image she had imagined.

Ah, a little disappointed.

“Alright, as long as it’s you. Come back to the detachment in the car to make a statement.”

“Ah, I have to make a statement?”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a formality for us to write the report.” Officer Lin seemed unwilling to talk to her much, dropping this sentence and walking past her into the noodle shop behind her. “Boss, a bowl of beef noodles, extra chili.”

So, police officers eat too.

It was Qin Qing’s first time riding in a police car, a novel experience. It’s just that the seats weren’t soft enough.

The police officer driving was young, a Xiaopingtou. Lin Feng sat in the passenger seat, slurping noodles noisily.

Qin Qing, in the back seat, quietly opened the window to air out the smell.

Lin Feng, with a mouthful of noodles, complained indistinctly: “These noodles aren’t good, not as good as the one next to the detachment. Only a few pieces of meat…” He looked at Qin Qing in the rearview mirror, “Hey, what’s your name, Qin what’s-her-name…”

“Qin Qing.”

“Oh, Miss Qin, you look quite young, still studying?”

Qin Qing: “Just graduated.”

“Good observation skills. What do you do for work?”

This touched a sore spot for Qin Qing.

She twiddled her fingers: “Unemployed, haven’t found a job yet.”

“Yes, it’s really hard for college students to find jobs now. I see many people taking postgraduate exams to find work.”

Qin Qing felt another arrow pierce her heart.

“I just graduated with a master’s degree.”

Lin Feng: “…”

The Xiaopingtou driving couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Qin Qing gave them a resentful look.

Lin Feng scratched his greasy hair and changed the subject: “That person today, how did you recognize him? How did you know he was a wanted criminal?”

Qin Qing knew this was a mandatory question and had already prepared her answer.

“The internet says that assisting the police in apprehending wanted criminals and providing effective leads will earn you 100,000 yuan per person, and for serious crimes, 500,000 yuan per person. I’ve browsed some announcements issued by the police. I have a good memory, and this person’s name is quite unique, so I paid a little more attention. I didn’t expect to actually encounter him today. Perhaps this is the long arm of the law.”

Lin Feng: “Let me say this first, we will definitely help apply for a reward for citizens who report successfully, but it’s definitely not as much as you said. It would be good if we could get a few thousand yuan approved.”

Qin Qing’s eyes lit up: “There’s really a reward?” She knew it was hard to get money from within the system and hadn’t held out much hope initially. She thought she would just be a helpful citizen this time.

Her courage today stemmed from two things: first, the controllable risk, and second, her parents often frequented this road section. If there was an unlawful person lurking there, the potential danger was too high, and she would surely live in constant fear every day.

Qin Qing leaned forward in the back seat, closer to the seat back, and asked, “What did this Gui Cheng do? Can you tell me?”

Lin Feng used the tip of his chopsticks to push back his bangs and said in a flat tone: “Rape, murder, serial crimes. At least five lives on his hands. He’s been on the run for seven years.”