Exposition!

gistfile1.txt

Cixin Liu, "The Three-Body Problem", Chapter 4 "The Frontriers of Science"

Page numbers given from trade paperback, ISBN 978 0-7653-8203-0

Pg. 53: 

  Shi and the young cop said nothing. Both turned and went down the stairs. The two
  army officers watched them leave and seemed to sigh with relief.
  
  "What's wrong with that guy?" the major whispered to the other officer.
  
  "He's got quite a rcecord. During a hostage crisis a few years ago, he acted
  recklessly, without concern for the lives of the hostages. In the end, a family
  of three all died at the hands of the criminals. Rumor has it that he's also
  friendly with elements of organized crime, using one gang to fight another. Last
  year, he used torture to obtain confessions, and permanently disabled one of the
  suspects. That's why he was suspended from duty..."
  
  Wang Miao suspected that he was meant to overhear the conversation between the
  officers. [..]
  
Pg. 56:

  [..] It surprised Wang that Shi dared to speak in this manner to a man of Chang's
  rank. But Chang's response surprised him even more.
  
  "Da Shi, it seems that you still have the same problem you had back when you were
  in the army. You think you can speak for the police? Because of your poor record,
  you had already been suspended for several months, and you were about to be expelled
  from the force. I asked for you because I value your experience in city policing.
  You should treasure this opportunity."
  
  Shi continued to speak roughly. "So I'm working in the hope of redeeming myself by
  good service? I thought you told me that all my techniques were dishonest and
  crooked."