Chapter 64: Feeling Emo

Time flew by, and soon it was afternoon. The competition grounds were packed with people. No surprise there—after the rule change, everyone essentially had one more event to compete in.

Aofeng looked around, trying to figure out where the organizers had hidden the more than three hundred “criminals” slated to participate. The reason for such a large number was simple: if the same criminals were used in multiple rounds, it would be unfair to the earlier teams. Everyone knew that human stamina was limited. After a fierce fight, it was impossible to recover quickly. If someone had to face the next team while already worn out, they’d be nothing more than cannon fodder.

But aside from the trainers and a few spectators, Aofeng didn’t see anyone else around. Could it be that these spectators were the ones about to take the stage?

Suspicious, Aofeng scanned the crowd. There were both men and women, but all of them looked refined and well-mannered—nothing like people who’d be stepping into the ring.

“Hello, everyone,” a representative from the organizing committee stepped onto the stage. “Due to the last-minute rule change, we needed a group of people to help with the event. So, we reached out to the leadership at Jingdu People’s Police Academy and borrowed a batch of freshmen who just enrolled this September. Please go easy on them later.”

As soon as he said that, smiles spread across the crowd. Facing a bunch of greenhorns fresh out of orientation? This was going to be a walk in the park.

“Beep—”

Just then, a sharp whistle cut through the air, drawing the attention of everyone present—humans and dogs alike, including Aofeng. The sound was all too familiar. During regular training, instructors often used whistles to signal the start and end of drills. Over time, everyone had developed a conditioned response to it.

When the whistle stopped, the ground began to tremble faintly, accompanied by the rhythmic chant of “One, two, one!” Judging by the sound of it, quite a few people were approaching.

Soon, a group of young people in police uniforms appeared at the entrance, jogging in formation. Their synchronized movements and stern expressions gave off a palpable sense of pressure.

“Halt!”

At the command, the group stopped running and quickly assembled into several neat rows.

“Jingdu People’s Police Academy reporting in!”

A man who looked like an instructor saluted toward the stage. Almost reflexively, all the trainers and instructors straightened up and returned the salute. Aofeng and the other police dogs also rose onto their hind legs, placing their front paws neatly on their chests—this was the upright posture they had been trained to assume during flag-raising ceremonies or when someone saluted.

Aofeng had once secretly tried performing a proper salute, but due to the structure of his body, raising a paw to his head just made him look like he was trying to be cute. It clashed with his fierce image, so after trying it once, he decided to stick with the upright stance instead.

After the salutes, both sides began eyeing each other with curiosity. Aofeng did a quick headcount and confirmed there were indeed over three hundred people. These were clearly the “criminals” they’d be facing. But wait—weren’t they supposed to be greenhorns? Why did every single one of them look like a well-trained bruiser?

Realizing this, Aofeng’s expression froze. He started wondering what pose would look coolest when surrendering later…

After all, three trainers and three dogs going up against eight burly young men? Unless the other side held back, there was no way to take them down without using full-force bites—which, of course, was not allowed.

Soon, the organizers posted the matchups on the big screen. Aofeng saw that their opponents were eight students from the Police Academy’s Investigation Class Two.

He glanced over at them, and someone on the other side, having matched their number tags, looked back. The moment their eyes met, the young man grinned and gave Aofeng a discreet wave.

That must be them!

Aofeng took a closer look at the people around him and felt a bit more at ease. They really were greenhorns. They looked intimidating with their serious faces earlier, but now that they were smiling, they all radiated a kind of innocent stupidity.

Soon, the match officially began.

Aofeng and his team waited on the other side of the field, unsure of what the actual competition would be like. The place was well soundproofed too. Even with his ears perked up, Aofeng couldn’t hear anything from outside. The only sounds reaching him were Song Changfeng, Pan Zi, and Zhou Xiaoyong discussing their strategy for the upcoming match.

Hearing this, Aofeng thought maybe he should say a few words to Duo Duo and Xiao Qi as well. With so many people involved, things were bound to get chaotic. Duo Duo was a Rottweiler, and Xiao Qi was a Kunming Dog—both breeds known for their powerful bites. If they accidentally injured one of those “flowers of the nation,” it wouldn’t be easy to explain.

So, he signaled Duo Duo and Xiao Qi to come closer and instructed, “During the match, don’t bite anywhere that isn’t protected by gear, got it?”

Duo Duo and Xiao Qi looked a little confused. They didn’t really understand why they were here. All they knew was to listen to their trainer dads.

Aofeng sighed and patiently explained everything they needed to do. After hearing the full rundown, they finally understood—someone would pretend to be a bad guy and fight them, and they had to win without actually hurting anyone.

After what felt like ages, a staff member finally came to tell them it was time to get ready. The group followed the staff outside and were handed eight pairs of handcuffs—these were to be used once they had subdued their opponents.

The general flow of the match was: identify the crime, engage in combat, successfully subdue the suspects, and escort them to the vehicle.

As soon as the bell rang, the group of young men appeared in their line of sight. Their police uniforms were gone, replaced with more practical combat gear. Arm and leg guards were strapped on—safety precautions were still important, after all, since this was just a drill.

As soon as the two sides met, Pan Zi shouted dramatically to set the tone: “Those are the ones who just committed the robbery! Get them!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them immediately spread out with their dogs in a triangular formation, aiming to trap the eight people inside. Those eight acted just like real criminals. Faced with pursuit by the police, their first instinct was to scatter and flee.

The young man who had waved at Aofeng happened to run in Aofeng’s direction. Seeing the suspect trying to escape, Song Changfeng naturally stepped forward to block him. The two quickly came to blows. For someone like Song Changfeng, once hailed as a decathlon champion, dealing with a rookie who had trained for less than three months was a walk in the park.

Soon, the young man was clearly losing ground. Just as Song Changfeng was about to cuff him and render him unable to fight, another person suddenly rushed over from the side, swinging a fist toward Song Changfeng’s face.

Aofeng wasn’t about to just watch. With a low growl, he lunged forward, clamped his jaws onto the attacker’s protective gear, and dragged him down. The young man flailed, trying to shake Aofeng off, but the dog’s grip was like it had been welded onto the gear. Left with no choice, he tried to punch Aofeng with his other hand. He hesitated at first, worried about hurting the police dog, but Aofeng was ready. With a twist of his head and a powerful kick from his hind legs, he sent the unsuspecting man flying onto his back.

Meanwhile, Song Changfeng had already pulled out his handcuffs and subdued the first suspect.

In less than two minutes, the eight had become seven. This made the others realize that scattering wasn’t a smart move—it only gave their opponents a chance to pick them off one by one. So the rest quickly regrouped and focused on breaking out together.

They changed tactics, and naturally, Song Changfeng and his team adjusted as well. The triangular formation tightened inward, constantly harassing and probing.

The young man who had been bitten by Aofeng earlier tried to kick him, but Aofeng dodged nimbly. Not only that, he twisted around and went straight for the outstretched leg, biting down on the protective gear and pulling outward. Even though the young man was mentally prepared this time, he was still nearly dragged out of the group by Aofeng.

“Quick, give me a hand! This dog’s freakishly strong!” the young man howled. His teammate quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. While the two sides were locked in this tug-of-war, they clearly forgot about everyone else. Duo Duo and Xiao Qi each picked a target and leapt in. Fortunately, they remembered Aofeng’s instructions and didn’t bite anywhere unprotected by gear.

This made Pan Zi and Zhou Xiaoyong breathe a sigh of relief. At first, they had to keep an eye on Duo Duo and Xiao Qi in case the dogs lost control. But now that the two were behaving so well, they could finally fight without holding back.

The whole group was fighting barehanded, brawling like street thugs with no technique whatsoever. But to any clear-eyed observer, the outcome was already obvious—these students were bound to lose. Not only was there Song Changfeng, who could easily take on two opponents at once, but the performance of the three dogs was also eye-catching.

They seemed to be coordinating with each other. Whenever someone tried to break out of the encirclement, one would immediately bark to alert the others. Then the dog closest to the suspect would disengage from its current target and rush forward to intercept, dragging the person down and holding them until a trainer arrived to subdue them.

One by one, more suspects were handcuffed and rendered unable to fight. In under ten minutes, all eight were captured.

Now cuffed, their once-proud postures slumped, heads hanging low. They looked like real criminals as they were escorted onto the bus under the watchful eyes of Aofeng and the others.

The reason for their defeat was simple—the blow to their pride was too great. Ever since entering the academy, they believed they had undergone the toughest training imaginable. Each of them could feel themselves getting stronger day by day. That growing physical strength had inflated their confidence, making them believe they were destined to become rising stars in the police force.

When they first heard about the match against the trainers and police dogs, they all acted indifferent. In their minds, trainers who had long since left high-intensity training and police dogs that hadn’t even graduated would be easy to take down. The instructors even made it eight against six—wasn’t that just bullying?

But the more beautiful the fantasy, the harsher the reality. So far, not a single group had managed to escape. It was only a matter of time before they were subdued. Among all the teams, theirs had been defeated the fastest. Thinking about all the big talk they’d spouted earlier, and the ridicule they’d face when they got back, they couldn’t help but spiral into gloom.

Aofeng shook his head. Young people… There’ll be plenty more drills in the future. Getting emo already?

“What’s emo?” Xiao Qi asked curiously.

Aofeng hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. Hearing Xiao Qi’s question, he snapped back to attention. “Emo…” How could he explain it in a way they’d understand?

Suddenly, inspiration struck. He said, “Emo is when a dog hides under the bed and sobs quietly.”

Xiao Qi tilted his head. Really? Come to think of it, he used to do that a lot when he was little…