Chapter 479: Chapter 319: The Rising Tide (Part 2)
When the former chief, Beiyuan Jun, was in office, in response to public opinion caused by the deterioration of the Sheriff’s discipline, he introduced a "Public Supervision" policy, allowing citizens to photograph and record the law enforcement process of sheriffs. In case of violations, they could go to judicial prosecution.
The result was that everyone who dared to photograph was tracked and recorded, got fired from their jobs, their children were maliciously bullied in schools, and hooligans showed up at their doors from time to time. Their future was ruined, and their lives were scrapped.
Within the Public Security Bureau, it was initially thought that Sikinkov was implementing the same measures, but soon they discovered that this time it was different from usual.
Sikinkov not only introduced a set of new disciplinary regulations to restrain the overly free law enforcement power of the sheriffs but also established a new disciplinary inspection department internally.
This department was completely detached from the original system of the Public Security Bureau, and was entirely independent in terms of power, personnel appointments, and financial support. All personnel were fresh faces with clean backgrounds and no ties to any key figures within the Public Security Bureau, directly responsible to the Chief of the main bureau.
Any reports against sheriffs would be independently investigated by the disciplinary inspection department and handled after verification.
In just a week, the disciplinary inspection department supervised 344 cases, with 413 sheriffs seriously violating the regulations after disciplinary consolidation being dealt with: those to be recorded were recorded, those to be dismissed were dismissed, and those involved in criminal matters were directly handed over to the Municipal Guard Team for judicial trial.
This swift and decisive consolidation tightened the Public Security Bureau like a tight string, yet brought countless citizens to tears with relief.
For so many years...
Since the downfall of that Chief of the main bureau whose name wasn’t even allowed to be mentioned, the citizens of New Moon City have been living in utter darkness.
The former Chief of the main bureau, Beiyuan Jun, indulged his subordinates, leading to countless cases of injustice and wrongful convictions.
The Public Security Bureau, which was supposed to be an institution safeguarding order, became the most feared entity among the citizens.
From the Dawn 141st Year to the Dawn 152nd Year, citizens of New Moon City endured 11 entire years of darkness, now finally seeing light once again.
Because the disciplinary consolidation act originated from a conversation between Sikinkov and Xiaotiancheng in "Dialogue with the Chief," it was affectionately nicknamed by the citizens—
"The Xiaotiancheng Act."
Under the strict enforcement of this act, the chaos in law enforcement within New Moon City was greatly restrained.
Meanwhile, the division between the Border people and Inner City People was slowly dissolved through honest communication again and again.
Although separated by towering rusty walls, electronic signals flew freely like birds.
More and more Inner City People met friends from the Border online, witnessing the truths the authorities’ media wouldn’t tell them.
They discarded past prejudices and began helping Border people around them as much as they could.
Some contributed real money, donating to public welfare fund projects related to the Border.
Some wielded pens like swords, writing article after article criticizing the authorities’ policies, demanding justice for Border people.
There were also ordinary, simple people without extra money or outstanding verbal or ability skills, who started with a nod, a smile, or a handshake to the Border people, following their heartfelt intentions.
As for Xiaotiancheng, whose heartstrings were touched by many in the "Dialogue with the Chief" program, she became the subsequent focus of everyone’s concern.
A well-known charity organization initiated a fundraising project named "Save Xiaotiancheng," aimed at helping Xiaotiancheng live in the Inner City, covering all necessary living expenses and educational costs before she turned 18.
As soon as the project was launched, passionate netizens spread it widely, and Sikinkov also reposted it on his personal social media account, silently donating all his year-end bonus from last year.
The Border and Inner City, two groups of people separated by rusty walls, although still in separate places, their souls are now bonded together, and the absurd and ridiculous hatred has slowly turned into fleeting clouds.
...
Late at night, in the late winter of February, still with a piercing chill, Sikinkov stood at the window silently smoking, gazing afar at the glimmering lights.
At this moment, a gentle knock sounded, and his assistant Yang Le walked in from outside: "Chief, I’ve sorted out the summary of today’s meeting and placed it on the desk for you."
Sikinkov turned to look at him, "You haven’t left yet? I thought you’d finished work already."
Yang Le laughed, "Chief, you work overtime every day, I dare not leave first."
Sikinkov smiled slightly and said, "Come chat for a while."
Yang Le walked to the window and stretched.
Sikinkov handed him a cigarette, thoughtfully lighting it up.
Yang Le was flattered, fumbling to take the cigarette and lighter, "Chief, I’ll do it myself..."
Sikinkov tapped his hand, laughing, "There’s no outsiders, hurry up, no dawdling."
Yang Le smiled awkwardly, letting Sikinkov light the cigarette for him.
Sikinkov collected the lighter and looked out the window, "Listen closely, what’s different from before outside?"
Yang Le listened for a moment, puzzled, "Uh... What do you mean?"
Sikinkov’s face carried a mysterious smile, "I’ve been standing here for an hour, a whole hour, and I haven’t heard a single gunshot."
"Really?" Yang Le was astonished, "Late night is peak time for gun violence. You used to hear a shot every ten minutes or so."
Sikinkov spoke softly, "I joined the authorities at 22, worked until now for 30 years. I thought I was a seasoned veteran, but I found out there’s a simple truth I only understood this year."
Yang Le asked tentatively, "You mean?"
Sikinkov squinted his eyes, looking deeply profound, "The crime rate in New Moon City is determined by those in power, not by Border people."
"If everyone could live under the sun, fairly and justly, this city wouldn’t have so much incessant crime."
Yang Le paused for a moment, showing a complex smile, "We Border people are truly lucky to have a chief like you."
"We?" Sikinkov looked at him with suspicion, "What do you mean by ’we Border people’?"
Yang Le: "My hometown is in the Border."
Sikinkov was even more puzzled, "Hm? But your file clearly states you’ve always had Inner City status."
Yang Le explained, "That’s right, my parents were native Border people, then immigrated to live in the Inner City. Because they had specialized engineering skills, they both changed to Inner City status, so I had Inner City status when I was born."
Sikinkov nodded thoughtfully, "Having technical specialties could change one’s status... That was during the Golden Age, wasn’t it?"
"Yes, Dawn 131st Year, the first year of the Golden Age, also the year I was born." Yang Le’s eyes reflected emotions named nostalgia, speaking softly, "From birth to age 10, my entire childhood was spent during the Golden Age."
Sikinkov couldn’t help but exclaim, "You really were a lucky child."
Yang Le seemed a bit melancholic, sighing lightly, "Yes, and no."
"I was lucky, experiencing the best era at the most innocent age."
"But I was also unlucky, witnessing the collapse of this era just as I began to understand the world."
"I remember my parents often generously told others they were former Border people when I was a kid, and the other party always greeted them with a smile."
"But after the Golden Age ended, that kind of smile gradually disappeared."
"Once, I told a new classmate that my hometown was in the Border, and he laughed at me, calling me a Border rat, and always telling bad things about me to the teacher."
"Another time, my parents were beaten on the street just because they mentioned being former Border people, and the other party swore at them, telling them to return to the Border, and later it escalated to physical hostility."
Upon saying this, Yang Le looked up at the night sky sadly, "I didn’t understand back then why this city changed so much in just a few years, and what caused these changes."
"I carried these doubts as I grew up, and the reason I joined the Public Security Bureau after graduation was to find answers here."
Sikinkov asked softly, "And now, have you found your answers?"
Yang Le looked into Sikinkov’s eyes, speaking profoundly, "Not yet, but observing the changes recently, I feel I’m about to see the answers."
