Police
Police
"How do you feel?" asked Cacusim. "I think you should take more rest."
"I'm OK. I worked well yesterday, didn't I?" Vader put on his old coat, and stuck his feet into the cold boots. "The sooner I start working for them, the earlier I can receive my share of oatmeal. I can't always rely on you. Your bowl of oatmeal isn't enough for the two of us."
"But I think it's OK. The oatmeal here is much thicker than relief porridge elsewhere, and it has the taste of meat." The old man shook his head. "Kid, you used to be a patrolman. You might not be familiar with the life in slums. The porridge there was more like clear soup. Its only difference from soup was that it contained a few grains of wheat. To make it look thick, the authority used to boil it with grass roots or tree leaves. The oatmeal given by the Lord may not be enough for both of us, but at least we won't starve."
"I hope both of us can have enough to eat," Vader tied his shoelaces and said with a smile.
"OK." Cacusim sighed. "Then you take care. Don't be too hard on yourself."
"What a strange feeling. Originally he was just a scapegoat picked by the black street rats, but now he seems to be an elder member of my family." Vader thought. More strangely, Vader even liked this feeling.
"I will." Vader shook his head, as if he found it funny. "Take care of yourself, too."
As he opened the door, Vader saw two men standing there. Their white uniforms with a light blue shoulder ornament and armband revealed their identity - clerks from the City Hall.
Vader frowned and asked, "Whom are you looking for?"
One of them pulled out a sheet of paper and glanced at it. "Are you Vader?"
"Yes."
"What's happening?" Cacusim also heard of the conversation outside.
"Congratulations," One man smiled and said, "You have passed the written test for public security officer enrollment. What follows is a week-long comprehensive training." Then he put a small card into Vader's hand. "This is your temporary identity card. Bring it with you when you go to the campsite of the Second Army. You'll be received by people there."
Vader said with his eyes wide open. "Did I... really pass the Lord's test?"
"Not yet," one clerk replied. "The written test is only the first step of the the screening process. You'll pass all the assessments and become a regular public security officer only after you complete the training and get the Chief Knight's recognition."
After delivering the message, the two men left. They neither asked for money, nor tried to gain popularity. It seemed their aim was solely to deliver this piece of information.
"You did it!" The old man patted Vader's shoulder with excitement. "What did you say earlier on? You said you could never be chosen."
Vader was stunned for a while, and then he murmured, "Because the questions in the test were really bizarre."
The old man was curious. "What were the questions?"
Vader couldn't help but think back what happened a week ago. Ever since he learned that His Highness was recruiting public security officers - the same thing as patrol guards but with a different name - he applied to the City Hall following the requirements on the notice. He got a quick reply - only five days later, he was informed to go for a test.
Vader was full of confidence, because he not only met all the requirements on the notice, but also had more than five years of practical experience. Considering that the town was really in need of supervising personnel, he felt the chance for himself to be selected was very high. If he could become a patrol guard, he could take care of Cacusim at any time even if he had to live in the Inner City.
But he didn't he would sit for such a weird examination.
That day, over 100 candidates sat in a hall. The Lord Knight distributed a pile of paper to them one by one, and asked them to answer all the questions listed on the paper. He also told them to write clearly because the final examiner would be the prince himself. Such a testing method aroused confusion among the candidates. Although it was clearly written on the notice that the candidates must be able to read, none of them had ever expected that the government would actually be serious about it.
At that time, half of the candidates felt lost. Vader could read the paper, but after reading it thoroughly, he was also left in bewilderment. "What the hell are those bizarre questions about?" For example, "Imagine you are a coachman driving a carriage along a narrow mountain road and there are two civilians in your carriage. Suddenly, a bunch of refugees appear in front of you. You can only choose to run over them or let your carriage fall off the cliff. In the first case, some refugees will be hit and die, while in the second, the two civilians will lose their lives. Either way, you can survive with your agile skills. What would you do? Please explain your reasons with at least 300 words."
The question simply made people feel at a loss. It mentioned the numbers of civilians, but the number of refugees was uncertain, making it very difficult to measure the damages of the two scenarios. Besides, Vader felt that it may not be such a big deal to hit and kill a bunch of refugees, but it might not be the answer His Highness wanted.
"Should I choose to let the civilians die? Would this be the right answer?"
The whole paper was full of bizarre questions like this. At that time, Vader even felt His Highness deliberately made the test difficult, and actually the real candidates had already been chosen.
"Forget it. Maybe I was wrong." Vader took a breath. "Now I'm going to the campsite."
"OK." Cacusim laughed. "I think you'll be enrolled eventually as a public security officer."
...
The campsite of the Second Army was located in the north of the town, out of the stone wall surrounding the Inner City. When Vader arrived, he found that the Chief Knight was already waiting there.
"From today on, you'll be reserve policemen," Carter said when all the people were there. "In the following week, all of you must live in this camp to receive special training. Those who are qualified may stay, and those who aren't may go back where you're from! I'll make you understand what disciplines mean and how exactly to serve His Highness!"
This was what Vader imagined a test should be like, but... "Did he just say that only 15 out of the more than 100 candidates will stay?" He took a glance at people around him. Judging from their clothing and complexion, they, unlike him, must be the locals.
Sure enough, the requirement for reading wasn't a joke.
"Report!" someone raised his hand and said.
Carter grinned. "Oh? You are familiar with the rules in the army! Go ahead."
"Well, my brother is in the First Army," the man said with one hand touching the back of his head. "My Lord, I want to know what 'policemen' exactly means. I thought we were enrolled as public security officers."
"The policemen are part of the public security system, and you can take them as security officers in His Highness's territory. Their responsibilities are to arrest criminals, fight against illegal acts, maintain territorial orders, execute policies issued by His Highness and the City Hall, and help the subjects in difficult situations."
"Helping the subjects? But just now you said we are to serve His Highness..."
"There isn't much difference between the two. Serving the subjects of His Highness is the same as serving His Highness. Well, do you want to serve His Highness in his castle?" Carter shrugged. "Become a good knight first."
"But all the knights are nobles..." Vader thought to himself. "There is a world of difference between them and civilians. Not any ordinary person can become a knight."
"Remember, you are both the executors of the law and the guardians of the people. OK, go to the tent and put on your uniform." The Chief Knight clapped his hands. "Now, there's a mission for you to complete."