Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Unfolding the neatly folded uniform, Gao Xiaosheng showed no surprise whatsoever.

It was called a security uniform, but it was actually just a "Type 50 police uniform" with the collar insignia removed, and it was almost no different from the "Type 50 military uniform" he wore before his discharge.

The same tan color, single-breasted with five buttons, and a pocket on each side of the chest.

The only difference is that two pockets have been added to the left and right hems.

After changing his clothes and trousers, he put on a peaked cap and a sleeve with the words "Economic Police" printed on it on his left arm.

Just as we stepped into the large office outside, Section Chief Zhou and several team members pushed the door open and came in.

"All changed? Great, you look much more refreshed."

Zhou Jiasheng has said many things against his conscience in his life, but what he said today really crossed the line.

He had seen many carefree young people, but as long as they put on military uniforms and stood at attention, they could always be seen to have some integrity.

Gao Xiaosheng is different.

His peaked cap wasn't crooked, and his clothes and trousers were neat and tidy, but he didn't look like one of their own. He looked more like the bald man's group of soldiers.

He really doesn't look like a prince even when he's wearing a dragon robe.

"Ahem, let me introduce you. This is Gao Xiaosheng, a security officer in our security department. From now on, we'll all be working together in the same boat, so let's help each other out."

"Hello everyone!"

Gao Xiaosheng gave a standard military salute, barely managing to shake off some of his roguishness.

"This is our office staff..."

"Field work..."

Zhou Jiasheng introduced the names and positions of the ten team members behind him in turn.

"Four other team members just finished their night shift and are sleeping in the break room. We'll get to know them later."

"Li Shuguo, take Xiao Gao on a patrol tour to familiarize him with the route. The rest of you can rest or go back to work."

In less than five minutes, Gao Xiaosheng hadn't even remembered many of the names.

The only person who left a deep impression was Liu Lan, the office clerk, who was also the only female colleague in the security department.

"Brother Li, does our security department often work around the clock?"

Gao Xiaosheng followed behind Li Shuguo, wanting to inquire about the workload of the security officers.

"Hey, Section Chief Zhou told you, right?"

Li Shuguo stopped and gestured for Gao Xiaosheng to stand side by side with him.

"Actually, it's not that tiring, it's just that I can't be without someone."

"This is Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, not Shijingshan Steel Plant."

"Dieter, who has been lurking here until now, would abandon key factories and come here to cause trouble? That would be pure idiocy."

Like Zhou Jiasheng, Li Shuguo was very talkative; he barely stopped talking during the half-hour patrol.

Gao Xiaosheng understood everything.

To put it bluntly, whether it's patrolling or guarding the gate, there's no psychological pressure; it's just that there's a significant staff shortage, making it impossible to clock in and out on time.

According to regulations, patrols must be conducted in groups of at least two people, once per hour, totaling 48 patrols per day.

One guard at the gate, rotating every two hours, that's 12 shifts.

The security department has a total of 16 people. Excluding Section Chief Zhou and the internal affairs officer Liu Lan, each person has to participate in more than 4 times on average.

In other words, even without other work, just three shifts of patrolling and one shift of gatekeeping would take five hours.

"Our job keeps you physically present, but not emotionally attached. Just treat it like a walk."

Li Shuguo's words were definitely from the bottom of his heart, because strictly speaking, they have already violated the rules.

Patrolling in pairs, they not only had to maintain a line in front and behind, but also had to keep a distance between them to avoid being caught in one fell swoop.

But Li Shuguo clearly didn't care about that. He had a cigarette in his mouth and no wariness in his eyes. He was practically arm in arm with Gao Xiaosheng.

"Xiao Gao, you came from the reconnaissance company?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Tsk tsk, no wonder Section Chief Zhou made you a security officer. Investigating cases is definitely more suitable for you than for us ordinary companies."

"Don't worry, your work will be much freer than ours as armed officers from now on."

"Once everyone arrives, we'll patrol at most twice a day. The rest of the time, we can do whatever we want and go wherever we want."

"..."

Li Shuguo, speaking from experience, gave Gao Xiaosheng a thorough analysis.

Well, actually he was discharged from the army only three months earlier than Gao Xiaosheng.

"Xiao Gao, don't forget your brother Li if you have a chance to make a contribution. You need someone to help you with a case, right?"

"Don't worry, Brother Li."

Gao Xiaosheng agreed very readily. He liked people like Li Shuguo who were flexible, adaptable, and not bound by rules and regulations.

Besides, Brother Li gave him a lot of useful information.

For example, Section Chief Zhou has a mild personality. He rarely gets angry unless he causes a major problem, and he is very easy to talk to.

"Did the section chief talk to you about the waste materials?" Li Shuguo asked.

"They mentioned it briefly, but told me there was no need to investigate for the time being."

"Hey, you're listening to him?" Li Shuguo said dismissively, scoffing.

"Xiao Gao, let me tell you, just take what Section Chief Zhou says with a grain of salt."

"If we don't investigate now, what if someone else snatches the team up with the new members?"

"Our security department never said there was only one security officer."

"If you trust me, I'll keep inquiring for you these next few days. Once I have some leads, you can report back to Section Chief Zhou."

"Brother Li, what are you saying? Of course I believe you." Gao Xiaosheng nodded repeatedly.

To be honest, Li Shuguo was definitely not a good soldier in the army. He was overly opinionated and his execution ability was definitely not very good.

But times have changed, and the security department needs quick-witted people like Li Shuguo.

Otherwise, with routine patrols every day, life would be so monotonous. Where would Gao Xiaosheng get the chance to win lottery tickets?

In one morning, Li Shuguo led Gao Xiaosheng on two patrols and showed him the rest room and detention room.

Well, the detention cells are quite nice; there are three small rooms, each about six square meters, furnished with tables and chairs, so interrogating prisoners is definitely no problem.

If you nail the small window shut with wooden boards, it can be used as a solitary confinement cell.

However, the rest room was something Gao Xiaosheng found hard to accept.

The room is quite spacious, with eight single beds in each room and a coal stove in the corner.

The problem was that the smell was really awful. Gao Xiaosheng had only stepped one leg in when the strong, sour stench almost brought tears to his eyes.

"Brother Li, I'll just stand at the door and look around; I don't need to go in."

Gao Xiaosheng resolutely refused to go inside.

"No, you have to choose a bed first. Remember to bring a sheet to reserve a spot tonight."

After hesitating for a long time, Gao Xiaosheng reluctantly pointed to the small bed closest to the door.

He wouldn't want to sleep here if there was even the slightest possibility.

But if he goes back to No. 95 Courtyard in the middle of the night, that old geezer Yan Bugui probably won't open the door for him.

"Okay, this bed is yours. I'll let them know in a bit."

"Come on, it's almost noon, I'll take you to the cafeteria for lunch."

Li Shuguo also couldn't stand the smell in the room, so he took three steps at a time and walked out of the room.

"Xiao Gao, let me tell you, the chef at our factory's third canteen is a cut above the rest. If you go late, there won't be any food left."

Gao Xiaosheng raised an eyebrow slightly. It seems that He Yuzhu has a good reputation in the factory.