A few hours earlier...
Inside a police post, there was an internal meeting that was ongoing.
All the police officers, apart from those who had gone out on patrol, were present within the conference room.
The conference room of the police post was not that big, and the furniture within was also quite old.
There was a huge screen on one side of the wall, which was where the projector would cast anything in case of demonstrations or illustrations.
The entire police post had a total of nine police officers, including the Officer-in-Charge (OIC).
At the moment, within the conference room, apart from the two constables who had gone out for patrol, the other seven were present.
It was currently just after lunch, and everyone had just finished eating when they were called into the conference room.
Sitting at the head of the table was a man in his late 40s, with a pot belly. His head was almost bald, with only a few strands of black hair, which were neatly combed backwards.
At this moment, he was sweating, despite the air conditioner in the conference room having been turned on.
After making sure that everyone had settled down, the man finally began speaking.
"You all know about the chaos that has been happening within this district. While it is impossible for us to be able to cover the entire district with the resources that we have, we can still cover the area under our jurisdiction.
I have received some information, it seems there is going to be a clash between gangs today.
So, I want you to be prepared. I want us to arrest all of them, at least the top figures of the gangs, to make sure that the area within our jurisdiction is not affected by the chaos caused by these crooks." The man, whose name was Edward, spoke, while everyone in the room paid attention.
When the other officers in the room heard his words, they all showed different expressions.
Several of them began mumbling to each other in low voices, some complaining, while others hoping that they would not go.
Simply put, the atmosphere within the conference room was quite negative upon hearing that they needed to deal with a group of gangsters.
Edward observed what they were doing calmly. He did not blame any of them, understanding that they were worried.
It was true that they were police officers, supposed to be enforcing law. But, they were dealing with gangsters who were quite adamant at breaking the law.
They had guns, but the gangsters had them too. So, if it really came to a situation where they had to fight it out, there was a risk that some of them might end up being killed while on duty.
It was not as if something like this had not happened before. There was a situation where there was a clash between gangs a few months ago.
At that time, they had no other choice but to get themselves involved. After all, a clash between gangsters would inevitably affect the residents in the area.
If it was just a normal clash between the gangsters, the police would be more than willing to watch them fight. But if it involved the safety of the citizens, they had no other choice but to get themselves involved.
During that clash, there were actually several gangsters who used guns. And when the police tried to intervene, one of the gangsters shot at the police.
One of the police officers was not lucky, receiving a bullet in the head. As for the others, most of them only got some injuries, before that guy was taken down.
This was something that made all the police officers afraid of getting themselves involved in a situation like this.
"I understand that you are worried about your safety. But, you have to understand, it is our duty to protect the residents. You all took the oath, and you know that this is your responsibility.
We simply cannot ignore it. We have been ignoring most of the things that these gangsters have been doing, but there are some that we just cannot ignore." Edward spoke once again.
Despite his words, the people in the conference room kept on murmuring to each other. It was clear, they were not convinced.
Edward could only sigh as he used his handkerchief to wipe off the sweat from his face.
Looking at his subordinates that were still whispering to each other, for a moment, he felt a surge of anger rising in his heart.
Bam!
He suddenly slammed on the conference table as he stood up, shocking everyone.
And when the police offices who were whispering to each other realized that Edward was angry, they all stopped. Then, they looked at Edward, nervous.
"If you don't want to be a police officer, then just leave your badge here and resign! Why the heck are you putting on a police officer's uniform if you are not willing to take responsibility?!
I have tolerated you guys for so long, and it seems that you don't understand that I am your superior!
I am saying it once again. When evening comes, I want all of you to be ready. We will be heading out, to deal with those criminals.
Try as much as possible to catch them, and it would be better if we can arrest several big fish of the gangs." Edward spoke in a loud commanding voice.
While everyone was shocked by his outburst, Edward wiped his sweat once again. After that, he glared at everyone, before he said, "You are all dismissed! Don't you dare be late!"
Immediately after saying those words, he left the conference room, leaving behind the officers that were still shocked.
A few moments after Edward had left, the officers inside could not help but begin speaking once again.
"What is the use? We are risking our lives for nothing."
"Yeah. We go out there, we face danger, to arrest them. But, are they not going to be released just after a day or two?"
"I say, it would be better if we just ignore them. Let them fight amongst themselves."
"You, why are you talking as if you don't know? They are fighting in a public area, and sometimes, they usually involve guns."
"That's true. At a public area, there are quite a few people that are innocent. In the end, they might end up being involved in the conflict between the gangs, with some of them being killed."
While they were talking to each other, Kate stood up. All this while, she had not said anything, and her expression was indifferent.
It had been quite a while since she joined this police post. During this time, she had arrested quite a number of criminals, but she had seen with her own eyes as they were released back into the society.
Despite this, she was not willing to give up. Each and every time that she found a gangster committing a crime, she would arrest them and bring them to the station, even if she knew they would be released later.
As for complaining about the release of the gangsters without being taken to court, even when the evidence was provided, she was not willing to talk about it.
She understood, even the officer in charge of this police post was powerless. It was clear that someone holding a higher position than the officer in charge was the one who was causing trouble.
After standing up, Kate immediately headed towards the exit of the conference room.
But as she was leaving, another officer also stood up and followed her. It was none other than the baldy.
This baldy was known as Collins. His head was clean shaven, with brown eyes, and he had a mustache.
He was both Kate's partner and mentor. When Kate joined this police post, she was assigned to follow Collins, not only as a partner, but as a mentor. Collins was supposed to teach her several things that she did not know.
"What do you think about this situation?" Collins suddenly asked Kate just after they had left the conference room.
"Is there anything to say?" Kate questioned back, her voice cold.
Collins could only sigh. He understood, while Kate was full of justice, having someone above her who was corrupt, would obviously make it difficult for her to be able to carry out justice.
As they left the police post, Collins suddenly asked, "Why don't you use your family's influence? As long as your family gets involved, it should not be difficult to take care of the troublemaker above us."
In response to the question by Collins, Kate simply shook her head. Then, she said, "When I left home, it was because I wanted to prove myself. I have to use my own abilities. As long as I get promoted, I should be able to have the ability of dealing with these bad apples."
Collins seemed to have something that he wanted to say, but in the end, he said nothing. He watched as Kate got inside a taxi, before leaving.
"She is quite stubborn. But in the end, she is still in her youth, and doesn't understand many things." Suddenly, behind Collins, someone spoke.