Chapter 71: Drive Away, Drive Away (Please Keep Reading)

This guy was so engrossed in firing away that he didn’t even notice Ao Xi creeping along the rooftop toward him. Fortunately, the roof of this motel was covered in black asphalt shingles—rough and grippy, not slippery at all, though it gave a constant unsettling sense of sinking or sliding off.

As Ao Xi inched forward, the distant wail of sirens suddenly echoed again; as they drew closer, he saw it was an SEB armored vehicle. The gunman noticed too, immediately halting his shooting and trying to change positions. Realizing things were about to go south, Ao Xi didn’t hesitate—he pulled a flashbang from his pocket, lobbed it over, and quickly ducked his head, eyes squeezed shut.

Bang!

“Agh! My eyes!”

Some people never learn—he’d been flashed once already, and now he’d fallen for it again. Ao Xi looked up to see the gunman sprawled on the ground, clutching his eyes. Without delay, Ao Xi sprinted over. The gunman, hearing footsteps, groped frantically for his gun that had fallen aside.

“Looking for something? Let me help you.” Ao Xi shoved the barrel of his shotgun up under the man’s bulletproof vest, pressing it into his back.

“How’d you get up here so fast? Are you with SEB?” The gunman tried to distract Ao Xi with questions as he furtively reached for the pistol at his chest.

Bang!

Ao Xi pulled the trigger, ending it right there.

“I was just asking, and you actually answered,” he muttered, tossing the shotgun aside. He stood up and raised his thumb toward the officers below to signal the gunman was neutralized.

The officers below erupted into cheers at the sight.

Mesa was overjoyed. “Move in! The gunman’s down, let’s go!”

“Yes, sir!” The officers surged into the motel while Mesa straightened his uniform and, smiling, turned to the SEB tactical team leader who’d just arrived and hadn’t yet gotten his men in formation. “Sorry to have troubled you for nothing—we’ve got it handled.”

“No problem. As long as it’s resolved.” The squad leader glanced up at Ao Xi, who was descending from the roof, then reached out to Mesa. “What’s the name of the officer who took down the shooter?”

Mesa retracted his outstretched hand. “It’s getting late—you all head back, we’re good here.” And with that, he turned and walked off.

Ao Xi removed his helmet and headed downstairs. Every officer he passed gave him a congratulatory pat—on the shoulder, the head, and even the backside.

“Well done, Ao Xi!”

“You’re a real hero!”

“Nice shapely butt.”

The slaps stung, but that last comment startled Ao Xi so much that he clutched his behind and fled in embarrassment.

Outside the motel, he ran into Mesa.

“Well done, Ao Xi. You’re a credit to the force.”

“Does that come with a raise?”

“Nope.” Mesa shut him down without hesitation.

You’re not paying the raise out of your own pocket—what’s with the quick rejection?

“But I’ll recommend you for a promotion—early advancement to First-Class Patrol Officer.”

“Does that come with a pay bump?”

“Five percent.” Mesa winked.

Ao Xi caught on and straightened his expression. “It’s all thanks to the department’s training. I just did my duty.”

Mesa laughed. “You’re a good kid. Hand in your gear and head back to write your report.”

“Sure... Wait, why do I have to write the report?”

“You shot the gunman. If you don’t write it, who will?”

“Can I get administrative leave then?”

Mesa chuckled. “We’ll see, we’ll see.”

You sly old fox! Am I not even getting administrative leave now? What about the promise of an independent and objective follow-up investigation?

“Chief, my patrol car got shot up. Is there a Camaro or Mustang sitting around unused at the station? Give me one!”

Mesa paused, then turned back. “This would be your third car destroyed, wouldn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

“No more patrol cars. Why don’t you just take mine?” Mesa walked off.

“Oh.”

Outside, Ao Xi saw the chief’s own patrol car—a Dodge Pursuit Charger, 5.7L V8 naturally aspirated, 375 horsepower, 535 Nm of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

The chief doesn’t even go on patrol—why does he drive something this nice? At least he’s seeing reason now.

He opened the door to find the car equipped with an integrated police computer system: a 12.1-inch touchscreen, a keyboard in the center console, and lighting controls, all capable of handling tasks that previously required a laptop.

Ao Xi was all the more pleased. Who cares about the Ford Interceptor? Forgotten already. The key was in the ignition; he started the engine, the power surging beneath him. With a deft reverse spin, he roared off.

A while later, Mesa emerged from the motel, gazing at the empty spot and the bustling officers in the lot, lost in thought.

Where’s my patrol car?

Back at the station, Susan approached with a stack of files to help Ao Xi with the report. After clarifying the general sequence of events, she began grilling him for details.

For instance, why did Ao Xi suddenly split off with a team to search for Blackie elsewhere?

“Instinct. The combat intuition of an outstanding officer—I just sensed something was off in that direction.”

“Then use that instinct to guess my weight.”

Ao Xi glanced at Susan’s barrel-sized waist. This was definitely out of his depth.

Susan shot him a glare and wrote: There were too many intersections in the community, so more personnel had to be assigned to split up and search.

As for the Siesta Motel incident, Susan took creative liberties: seeing fellow officers down, blood boiling with camaraderie, forgetting danger and personal safety in the moment, overcome only by loyalty to his fallen comrades.

Driven by outrage over the shooting, he decided to risk everything to storm the motel and, after a fierce battle, finally brought the gunman to justice.

Embarrassed, Ao Xi said, “Oh, I just did what I was supposed to—a small matter, really.”

He hesitated. “Well, it’s pretty accurate, but I think it’d be better to show some humility. Just add ‘under Chief Mesa’s command’ and it’ll be perfect.”

“Might as well leave it out, then.”

“It looks good with it. Makes us seem respectful.”

“With that line, it just shows you’re clueless.”

“How can you say Chief Mesa is clueless?”

“I’m talking about you!”

They worked through the night until dawn. Exhausted, Ao Xi changed clothes, hailed a cab home, and found Zhuo Ning had already left for class.

He showered, collapsed onto his bed, and fell sound asleep.

In his dreams, a strong stench awoke him. He got up to find Zhuo Ning eating durian.

He sat down beside her. “Why are you home so early today?”

“It’s already afternoon, you know.”

He nodded and simply watched her eat. Suddenly, he asked, “What’s so good about this stuff? It stinks.”

“Durian smells bad but tastes delicious.”

“Then why won’t you try mine? Smells bad, tastes good, same thing.”

Zhuo Ning froze for a moment, then pounced on Ao Xi. “I’ll strangle you!”

“No, don’t—if you do, I’ll wet my pants, and you’ll have to wash my underwear.”

“I’ll teach you to keep talking like that... Hey! Why are you taking your pants off—mmph...”