Despite being incredibly wealthy, I want to be a prosecutor.

On Monday, the Chiang Rai Provincial Prosecutor's Office was dispatched to Chiang Luang District.

Zhou Hong was assigned to share an office with Wen Ren, the assistant prosecutor's office, where he learned the basic procedures of actual prosecutorial work from Wen Ren.

Zhou Hong arrived last night on the last flight from Bangkok to Chiang Rai, and took a taxi from downtown Chiang Rai to Chiang Luang Port.

Who knew that Zhou Hong was the first to arrive at the office in the morning, and Wen Ren didn't enter the room until after ten o'clock, yawning.

Well, although there are quite a few cases here, the resident prosecutors don't bother to review them properly. They just follow the police's pace. The case files are sent over from the police station, and the prosecutors just sign and approve them. It seems like they have a pretty easy job.

Because most minor cases do not require court appearances, and serious cases are sent to the prefectural procuratorate, there are very few cases that require the prosecutor's office to be stationed in the county court to prosecute, at most two or three a week, and sometimes not even one a week.

"Prosecutor Hong, I forgot to tell you, we normally start work at 10 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m., but when we get busy, we work day and night." Wen Ren grinned, his big yellow teeth particularly eye-catching.

Zhou Hong nodded. "Alright, may I ask, when you're 'busy,' do you only have 3 days a year?"

He said, "My dorm is under renovation. Until it's finished, I can fly home every day according to our work schedule."

Wen Ren was taken aback. "By plane?"

"I fly from Bangkok every morning and take a plane back every night," Zhou Hong said. "However, I need to buy a car. Taking a taxi from the provincial capital is too slow; it's faster for me to drive myself."

After Wen Ren's initial shock, his face was filled with envy. He could only imagine what kind of family an eighteen-year-old intern prosecutor must come from.

Is it true that you obtained your law degree overseas at the age of eighteen? Are you a child prodigy?

This is also riding the tail end of a policy, because the age requirement for trainee prosecutors is 23 years old and for full-time prosecutors is 25 years old, and this is about to be implemented.

However, trainee prosecutors who have already joined the workforce will not be affected and will not have to wait another eight years to take the formal prosecutor entrance exam.

Hongjian is among the last batch of intern prosecutors under the age of 23.

I used to look down on people who wanted to stay in cheap hotels, but now it's clear they wanted to be comfortable.

He cleared his throat and suggested, "Then it's best not to buy a very nice car, because we sometimes go to the countryside where the roads aren't very good."

It's really just the old man's habit of wanting to give his opinion on everything. That's just a pointless statement. If it's official business in the countryside, why would people drive their private cars?

"Understood, thank you, Brother Wen." Zhou Hong smiled.

He was speaking Mandarin, using terms like "Wen Ge" (a respectful but not overbearing way of addressing him), which the system would automatically translate into a friendly yet respectful form of address.

Zhou Hong was pondering the message Linda had sent. It seemed that the death of the Fifth Madam's husband had caused the family to split apart and fight fiercely.

Rumors have been circulating within the procuratorial system that among this cohort of intern prosecutors who will be under 23 years old next year, only one will be assessed as a qualified prosecutor.

In fact, there were only two trainees under the age of 23 this year: myself and a member of a powerful family from the central region.

In other words, one of them, myself or that other person, is destined to be eliminated.

That one was truly a gifted and outstanding student.

The Fifth Madam was too preoccupied with internal strife to intervene in another high-level conflict, and thus could not help herself for the time being.

Linda's message essentially meant that if he truly had the skills and knowledge, he would definitely be eliminated in a year. That's why the Fifth Madam instructed him to arrange a new path for him. She was helping him secure a spot for an overseas police master's program. He would go for the program in a while, and after being eliminated next year, he could switch to a police officer career path. That would make it much easier to pass off someone as a mediocre person.

The Fifth Madam is quite good, but is she really destined to be eliminated?

Although the Fifth Madam knows her "back and forth" well, it seems she has already admitted defeat and is already looking for a way out for herself.

Zhou Hong pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

……

At noon, Zhou Hong arrived at the "Cinnamon Restaurant".

The 5-hour workday also includes lunch break.

What kind of amazing job is this?

Of course, this also really shows that the resident prosecutor's office is just for show.

Boss Zhao personally cooked a sweet and sour pork dish, fried rice, and an egg drop soup, and delivered it to Zhou Hong.

Very authentic, the taste of home.

After tasting the fried rice, Zhou Hong nodded in satisfaction. He was quite pleased with the Chinese food, which was actually quite localized. The taste might have been improved quite well, and even Boss Zhao's cooking skills couldn't compare, but it just felt like something was missing.

The restaurant's customers are mostly laborers who make a living at the Chiang Luan Port, since "Cinnamon Restaurant" is essentially a low-priced Thai restaurant.

"Business is good!" Zhou Hong smiled at Boss Zhao.

After a while, Boss Zhao sat down at Zhou Hong's table and offered him cigarettes.

Zhou Hong waved his hand with a smile. Boss Zhao lit a cigarette and asked, "Hong, what do you do for a living? You look like a student."

Zhou Hong laughed and said, "I'll do anything."

"Oh, you're here to do business in Chiang Luan Port. What industry are you looking into?" Boss Zhao asked curiously.

The 100-square-meter apartment that Zhou Hong wanted to renovate was rented for 100,000 baht per year, which is about 20,000 yuan.

Of course, the renovation costs were funded by Zhou Hong.

Mr. Zhao felt that the converted suite was a combination of company office and accommodation, and he considered it to be a place to start a small company.

"Investigating...the criminal industry?" Zhou Hong said thoughtfully.

Boss Zhao chuckled, "You really like to joke." He then said, "As for the renovation cost, I'll try my best to save you money if we renovate according to your plan, but it will still be around this figure." He took out his calculator, typed a few times, and the number was "4.5".

"Forty-five thousand?" Zhou Hong asked.

Boss Zhao nodded, "So if you're renting for ten or eight years, that's fine, but if it's only for one or two years, I don't think it's worth it."

"Forty-five thousand, is that in RMB or USD?" Zhou Hong felt that if it was in RMB, it should be about the same. He was just worried that Old Zhao was up to something, even though he looked kind and didn't seem like that kind of person.

"Thai baht..." Old Zhao was dumbfounded. "How could it be RMB? And US dollars? 4 US dollars? Am I crazy or are you crazy?" He was so angry he almost laughed.

"..." Zhou Hong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure about the price in Thai baht? For example, if I said the entire area is carpeted, with similar quality, and the carpet covers 90 square meters, how much would that cost?"

"Huh? Not a floor mat, but a carpet? I thought you used words like 'blanket' to express yourself..." Boss Zhao was bewildered.

"Yes, let's lay carpet. When we install a high-powered air conditioner, we won't need a floor mat. Carpets are more comfortable to walk on." Zhou Hong added, "Let's not say it has to be pure wool carpet, but it should at least be of similar quality, a high-end blend." He waved his hand, "Let's stick with pure wool. You can revise the budget again, just for a pure wool carpet in a residential setting, for the renovation."

Boss Zhao looked hesitant. Was this guy just messing with me?

I've already demolished my house, and now you're just disappearing?

It's just a temporary rental, why would I need to lay out a pure wool carpet? I've only ever heard of those things; I think they cost several hundred yuan per square meter.

"I've brought you the deposit." As if knowing what Boss Zhao was thinking, Zhou Hong took out a cash check for 20 baht from the Military Bank and said, "This is the deposit. I'll reimburse you for any materials you need. Didn't I leave you my phone number?"

"You, you're renting a house... this..." Boss Zhao's eyes lit up as he looked at the check, but then he became a little embarrassed.

Zhou Hong had already stuffed the check into his hand. "Just do as I say."

Then he scratched his head, realizing he was being too stingy. A poor person suddenly becoming rich doesn't know how to spend money, because this is different from "unlimited spending".

Currently, I have $80 in "public funds" available for spending.

I'm currently considered a "white-collar worker," but the system is already updating. Once the system update is complete, I'll be officially promoted to a "regular worker."

At that time, another $160 million in public funds will be distributed.

Once the welfare payments come in during the "regular service" phase, these benefits will have to be used up as soon as possible during the "white service" phase. At the current rate of spending, wouldn't I be spending them just like I'm spending "unemployment insurance"?

An $80 charitable fund is manageable; at worst, it can all be donated to Project Hope.

However, the logic behind the use of "public funds" is different, and it is probably not the same as the logic behind "unemployment insurance".

Unemployment insurance benefits should be something you can use for any purpose.

"Public funds" are probably not suitable for donations to charity, so we still need to find ways to use them for our own basic needs.

For example, renovating the dormitory of the "Cinnamon Hotel" would fall under the scope of "public funds" reimbursement.

Looking at the "Public Fund" balance on the system interface, which had already deducted the deposit he had just paid, Zhou Hong nodded, just as he had expected.

For a moment, I wanted to tell Lao Zhao to decorate the "dormitory" to an ultra-luxury standard.

But then he shook his head, thinking that spending money for the sake of spending money was meaningless, and since he was only renting a place temporarily, there was no need for it.

It's best to let money flow naturally.

Yes, it's necessary to go to Chiang Rai, the provincial capital, to buy a car for use here.

At this moment, Old Zhao's expression changed slightly. Two policemen in uniforms walked into the restaurant with an air of indifference.

Old Zhao had already gotten up and quickly went to greet him.

In front of everyone, Old Zhao went to the counter to get the money, and when he came back, he handed it to the two policemen. The two policemen didn't care about anything and just casually accepted it and put it in their handbags.

"What are you looking at?!" The taller officer, whose shoulder insignia indicated he was a sergeant, glared fiercely at Zhou Hong.

After the two policemen came in, most of the other diners ate in silence, but Zhou Hong watched with curiosity as Lao Zhao paid his protection money.

The tall sergeant's gaze met Zhou Hong's as he glanced at the restaurant customers.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, that's my relative..." Old Zhao hurriedly explained with a smile.

"You're still looking?!" The tall sergeant's face darkened. He shoved Old Zhao aside and strode toward Zhou Hong's dining table.

As he approached, Zhou Hong pulled out his intern prosecutor's badge and waved it at him.

The tall sergeant paused, looked Zhou Hong up and down a few times, then went back and whispered a few words to the short policeman. The sergeant pointed at Old Zhao with a threatening tone: "Your relative is quite something, I hope he comes often!" The short policeman tugged at him, and the two turned and left the restaurant.

Zhou Hong frowned slightly. Clearly, they were just two police officers, but they didn't take the prosecutor seriously.

Limited knowledge is one aspect, but the fundamental reason is that the prosecutor is merely a figurehead in the local community, a deeply ingrained notion within the police force.

Old Zhao walked over with a somewhat anxious expression. "Hong, it seems you've offended them! You, ah, you're a prosecutor?"

Seeing the ID card that Zhou Hong casually placed on the table, Old Zhao smiled bitterly and said, "Sigh..." He didn't know what to say.

"What are these two guys' names, and what do they do?" Zhou Hong asked.

Suddenly, a "ding!" sounded, coming from the depths of my soul.

"Ding, host's 'regular' status detected, host's class determined, in progress..."

"Ding! Your industry has been successfully determined. You have gained the basic skill 'Firearms Introduction'!"

"Ding! Your industry has been successfully determined. You have gained the basic skill 'Detective Awakening'!"

Zhou Hong was stunned, completely ignoring what Lao Zhao was saying.