Fog City Detective

Chapter 22: Pursuit (Part 3)

Watching the crystal chandelier about to fall, Liang Xi anxiously shouted to the hostage whose hands were bound, "Quick, climb!"

Beck said, "Pull her away." Liang Xi was only two meters away from the hostage.

Liang Xi observed the body size of the hostage, then glanced at the swinging crystal chandelier. Knowing oneself is the key, and a direct pull wouldn't work. If he didn't pull her away immediately, the chandelier would either fall on him or on the hostage, both of which would be his responsibility.

Beck used the handcuffs in his hand like brass knuckles, punching Wang Shuang unconscious on the spot, and quickly ran towards the hostage.

Liang Xi said, "Don't come over."

Beck looked up and saw the crystal chandelier falling. Internally, he cursed and covered his head, arching his back to lie on top of the hostage, using his sturdy buttocks to shield against the impact of the falling chandelier.

Seeing this, Liang Xi felt extremely ashamed. "Admire you, really admire you. Impressive."

Impressive my foot. I couldn't stop because of inertia. Beck reached out to Liang Xi, asking him to pull him up. Liang Xi extended the hand with the gun, then immediately retracted it, switching the gun to his left hand and reaching out with his right. As the two shook hands, they both cursed. It turned out that there was a piece of glass shard in Beck's hand. Originally, he didn't feel much, but when Liang Xi grabbed it, the glass shard pierced into both of their hands and stuck to Liang Xi's hand.

Liang Xi pulled out the glass shard, wincing in pain. "Wait for me for ten seconds."

Beck scorned Liang Xi, slowly straightened up, pushed the crystal chandelier to the side, and stood up. He asked, "Ma'am, are you okay?"

Liang Xi said, "Why do you care about her? First, handcuff her. Be careful, Wang Shuang might play dead again."

The hostage shook her head to indicate that she was fine. Beck nodded, went to handcuff Wang Shuang, and said to Liang Xi, "Go get the walkie-talkie."

Liang Xi walked to the staircase, glanced back, and then returned, saying, "No."

Beck asked, "Why?"

Liang Xi said, "What if there are accomplices? I must ensure your safety."

Upon hearing the first half, Beck found some logic in Liang Xi's words. So, Beck left the hostage, retraced his steps to the car, and used the walkie-talkie to call for reinforcements. After putting down the walkie-talkie, Beck felt like his IQ had dropped several points.

On the contrary, Liang Xi was internally ecstatic for deducing correctly. Thanks to Wang Shuang's intelligence, even if he was a bit foolish if he had escaped in the same car with accomplices, Liang Xi and Beck wouldn't have been able to catch him. Catching Wang Shuang might not have substantial benefits, but the satisfaction from solving the case was enough to make one feel elated.

The next crucial task was to scam money.

Hourly wage! After all, wouldn't this count as a work-related injury? As long as he could stay in the hospital for ten days or half a month, the British pounds would flow in.

Hmm? Should he shoot his own thigh for good measure?

Liang Xi was unaware of the developments at the crime scene; he was transported to the hospital by the first batch of ambulances. The nurse scrubbed him with alcohol for a long time and finally found a slight abrasion on his forehead. Final assessment of the injuries: a two-millimeter cut on the palm and a superficial scratch on the forehead. Liang Xi hesitated to mention that his brother had been injured, but upon hearing that Liang Xi fell from a four-meter height, the doctor, as a precaution, recommended he to stay in the hospital for observation for half a day.

After sleeping through the night until the next morning, when he heard he could be discharged, Liang Xi patiently tried to influence the doctor's decision: "Shouldn't we get an X-ray? an electrocardiogram? a full MRI scan? How about blood and stool tests?"

The doctor shook his head, "Not necessary, you can be discharged."

Liang Xi sat up, then flopped back down. The doctor asked, "Where does it hurt?"

Liang Xi said, "Dizzy."

The doctor nodded, "Did you hit your head when you fell?"

Liang Xi pointed to the bandage on his forehead, "Right here."

Sensing the possibility of a concussion, the doctor wrote a prescription, "Get a CT scan of the head."

As the door to the ward opened, Beck, dressed in his tactical uniform and wearing sunglasses, walked in, laughing, "Guess who I found?" Amid laughter, he slapped Liang Xi on the shoulder.

Liang Xi grabbed the doctor, saying, "Shoulder, add a CT scan."

Beck waved, "Let's go, everyone's waiting for us."

Liang Xi explained, "I need to stay in the hospital."

!

Beck tore off the bandage from Liang Xi's forehead, took a quick look, and said, "No, not needed. Change clothes."

The doctor interjected, "There's a possibility of a concussion."

Beck questioned, "Did the rescue team hit him on the head?"

The doctor shrugged, indicating he didn't know.

Beck held up a finger, "How many is this?"

Liang Xi replied, "Two."

Beck said, "He's fine, and can be discharged."

The doctor made an indifferent expression and left.

Liang Xi glared at Beck, who pulled out Liang Xi's clothes from the cabinet and threw them onto the hospital bed, urging, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up."

Liang Xi was infuriated, "The more you rush me, the slower I'll go."

Beck picked up his underwear, "I'll help you change."

Liang Xi quickly said, "You go out, I'll do it myself."

Beck pointed at Liang Xi, "Two minutes, we're in a hurry."

Liang Xi grumbled, "Got it." Damn it, it can't even last for 24 hours, maybe I should shoot my own thigh. Shoot Beck's thigh, then he won't ruin my good luck.

In a hurry? The police station, to save money, send Beck to kidnap him from the hospital. Is there no humanity left?

Of course, the reality was nothing like that. Liang Xi and Beck walked into a bar, and on the stage, Liu Zhen grabbed a microphone, "Welcome, two heroes!"

Everyone stood up, applauding as a girl ran up and stuck a homemade paper badge on both of them. Liu Zhen said, "The boss said, three days off, everyone can eat and drink to their heart's content."

Liang Xi was handed a liter-sized beer, and he explained, "I don't drink."

Beck teased, "Scaredy-cat."

Liang Xi retorted, "..."

Beck insisted, "Just one glass."

Liang Xi sighed, "If I have one with you, I'll have to drink with others too."

Beck called out, "Hey, guys, we've got a little chick here who doesn't drink."

The crowd joined in the teasing.

Liang Xi hurriedly negotiated, "Half a glass."

Beck agreed, "OK."

Liang Xi, being a person with detective instincts, could already foresee the inevitable outcome if he started drinking. So, he went down. After dancing the bunny dance with Liu Zhen, he completely blacked out. Before blacking out, Liang Xi hoped he could get alcohol poisoning, maybe even mooch some pounds off the hospital.

In a daze, Liang Xi opened his eyes, his head throbbing, wishing he could split his brain in half. Fortunately, he knew it was because he had drunk too much. Damn alcohol!

Where was he?

Liang Xi got up from the couch, in a not-so-small apartment. It was fully furnished but messy, clearly the abode of a single male. Judging by the night outside the window, it should be nighttime.

With one hand on his head to alleviate the pain and swallowing saliva to suppress nausea, Liang Xi walked to the TV cabinet where there was a handsome photo of Beck in his police uniform. Okay, it was Beck's place. He felt in his pockets—where was his phone? Looking around, he didn't see it. Whatever.

Entering the bathroom, Liang Xi grabbed a towel or whatever it was, soaked it, and covered his face, providing some relief. However, when he took the towel away, the headache, nausea, and discomfort returned. Liang Xi took off his clothes and turned on the shower, but the cold water couldn't alleviate the pain from Liang Xi's hangover.

Drying himself off, putting on the clothes saturated with the smell of alcohol, Liang Xi couldn't help but feel nauseous and ended up dry heaving over the toilet for a while. He decided to take some aspirin. Unfortunately, Liang Xi who was good at finding things turned into a clumsy i***t when hungover. Unable to focus or let his thoughts flow naturally, he desperately tried to concentrate and enter a functional state, but it was futile. After searching in various places like the coffee table and bathroom, Liang Xi collapsed onto the couch. Then he slid onto the floor, seeking some relief from the coolness of the floor.

The next time someone asked him to drink, he vowed to break their legs.