Several remaining crime bosses conspired in the shadows, offering a hefty bounty for Paul's life.
However, their strength was clearly insufficient to challenge an Astra Militarum non-commissioned officer who had served for ten years and retired with distinction.
Paul had faced situations a hundred times more perilous on the battlefield; the threats from these street thugs were mere child's play in his eyes.
Several attacks only added another achievement to Paul's record.
In the most serious incident, five desperadoes, armed with machetes and homemade Molotov cocktails, ambushed him. Thirty seconds later, all of them had broken limbs and were strung up on lampposts.
Paul didn't even use his laser pistol, resolving the fight with only his bionic limbs and Mechanical Mastiff.
This scene made it clear to the remaining criminals exactly what kind of ruthless individual they had provoked.
However, facing the community's situation, Paul also knew that he couldn't handle everything alone.
As a veteran who had experienced brutal wars, he understood the limitations of fighting solo better than anyone.
Besides submitting a request for personnel reinforcement to his superiors—though he knew full well that, under the backdrop of full military mobilization, such requests would likely pile up on some bureaucrat's desk—the veteran decided to take more practical action.
Drawing on his rich experience accumulated in militia training camps, he began recruiting teenagers aged twelve and above within the community.
These half-grown youths were quickly organized under strict militarized management.
Every dawn, they would gather in the community square for systematic training.
From the most basic attention and stand-at-ease to complex urban combat formation changes; from the essentials of weapon disassembly and maintenance to precautions for night patrols, this experienced instructor imparted everything he knew without reservation.
To enhance the combat effectiveness of this special team, he leveraged his military connections to procure a batch of modified police equipment.
Although these weapons were second-hand items discarded by regular troops, after careful calibration, they could still perform their intended functions.
The youths, holding these weapons, began to carry out patrol missions in various corners of the community, their faces bearing a maturity and determination unsuited to their age.
Despite lacking combat experience, these young people's determination to defend their homes was no less than that of regular soldiers.
They quickly proved their worth: during a night patrol, they successfully apprehended several criminals who were in the act of stealing.
According to the rules set by the instructor, these criminals were tied up and displayed on the most prominent lampposts in the community as a warning.
In the biting night wind, the wails of these thieves echoed throughout the district, serving as the best deterrent to other lawbreakers.
The next morning, these tormented criminals were escorted to the nearest conscription station.
Under wartime special policies, they were directly assigned to a penal battalion—a result more deterrent than any court judgment.
After the news spread, the community's crime rate significantly decreased, and residents could finally walk the streets with peace of mind.
This special public security force, composed of teenagers, earned the community's recognition through practical results.
The crime rate on the streets significantly decreased, and residents began to actively provide food and water to these young patrol members; some elderly even mended their worn uniforms.
Although they were their own children, these small acts of kindness were still the best affirmation for this special team.
However, Paul knew that these criminals could not be caught endlessly, but not catching them was also impossible.
Every time night fell, as he stood by the window on the second floor of the police station, watching the teenage patrol members moving through the streets and alleys with torches, complex emotions would surge within him.
While training children for this kind of work was somewhat inappropriate, there was truly no one else available at the moment.
These children should have been learning in bright classrooms, chasing and playing on open ball fields, not contending with criminals on dangerous streets.
Although, under the Empire's harsh laws of survival, this very notion of protecting children was a luxury.
Paul knew better than anyone that, according to the standard life cycle of the Empire's lower-class citizens, most of these children would have to start bearing the burdens of life by the age of fourteen, being driven out of their homes to fend for themselves.
They would marry early between sixteen and eighteen, then procreate, raise their children until they were fourteen, repeating their life trajectory, and finally die of old age around their forties, or perish due to various accidents—this was the inescapable cycle of fate for most Imperial commoners.
And now, these children had embarked on a completely different path in life.
Moreover, these children truly proved to be very useful.
Their quick wit and familiarity with the terrain compensated for their lack of experience; hidden corners and small paths that adults found difficult to notice were well-known to these children who had grown up in the district since childhood.
They effectively supplemented the understaffing of the community police station, becoming a significant aid for Paul in maintaining public order.
Whenever he saw them diligently performing their patrol duties, Paul would recall the first time he picked up a weapon—perhaps, this was the way of survival passed down through generations among the Empire's lower-class citizens.
Their current militia training and public order maintenance experience would make them qualified Defense Force soldiers in the future.
Paul imparted not only combat skills during training but also the wisdom of battlefield survival—this knowledge might save their lives one day.
In a sense, this might be an unexpected opportunity fate had given these children.
However, these were matters for the future; for now, Paul still needed to find a way to keep the community police station he was in running.
Every morning, as he stood at the entrance of the police station, watching the increasing number of pedestrians on the street, he felt the heavy burden on his shoulders.
This community of 100,000 people was like a massive machine, and he was the only bailiff responsible for maintaining order.
After all, a police station currently managing a community of 100,000 people, besides Paul the police chief, only had one female civilian clerk.
She was also responsible for archive management and material distribution, busy every day amidst mountains of documents and data pads.
Besides that, the police station only had one Servitor responsible for reception.
This old Servitor could only execute the most basic response commands, falling into a logical loop when faced with slightly more complex questions.
Along with Paul's Mechanical Mastiff, this was the entire "staff" of the police station.
The staffing was truly insufficient.
Paul often had to handle multiple cases simultaneously; sometimes, he would finish dealing with a theft case only to immediately rush to stop an impending gang brawl.
While the teenage patrol team was a great help, they ultimately could not replace regular police officers.
These children had enthusiasm but lacked experience, and Paul still needed to personally intervene in complex situations.
Furthermore, for safety reasons, he dared not involve these minors in overly dangerous missions.
Fortunately, his superiors were aware of the situation here, and Paul soon welcomed assistance: four retired veterans just like him.
Bringing their battlefield-honed vigilance and combat instincts, they quickly integrated into the police station's work rhythm.
Although staffing remained tight, at least relatively speaking, this small police station was gradually able to operate normally.
This was just like the entire Rostov Sub-Sector, which was recovering from the effects of a decade-long expedition.
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