Jin Muchen had no recollection of how he had arrived at the hospital. Upon waking up, the first thing he saw was a bearded doctor incessantly chattering away in front of him.
As for the preceding hours, they were a complete blank in his mind.
"Where am I?" he inquired.
"You're at St. Jones Hospital, young man. Don't worry, you're safe," the kindly bearded doctor replied with a smile.
"You're a fortunate lad, and you possess a physique that even God envies..." The bearded Caucasian doctor prattled on in front of Jin Muchen, who felt like the fellow was a buzzing fly that wouldn't cease.
"Don't worry, that gunshot hasn't caused you any substantial harm. With your physical condition, you'll be discharged in just three days," the bearded doctor said with a smile to Jin Muchen, who then breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his head to look at his left hand, where the upper arm was neatly bandaged. However, at that moment, he also felt a sharp, burning pain.
"If you need anything, just press this button. A nurse will come to attend to you. Alright, the officers outside are probably getting anxious. I'll call them in to take your statement," the bearded doctor said cheerfully, then turned and left. But hearing his words, Jin Muchen broke out in a cold sweat.
You see, he was currently an undocumented immigrant. If the police were to discover his identity, deportation would likely be his fate. Reflecting on the grim condition of the two African American men he had injured, Jin Muchen felt even more despondent.
Oh no, it seemed he couldn't stay in the United States this time. He might even end up in jail. You see, these Americans were notorious for being protective. In America, every police officer wasn't particularly friendly towards people like him.
Regardless of any good deeds one might have done in America, once you violated the law, you'd be in trouble. Whether you were right or wrong, they might still contact immigration.
The door to the ward was pushed open, and two police officers walked in, one male and one female. The man was in his thirties, sharp and competent, while the woman was even more striking and formidable.
Dressed in work clothes, she unexpectedly wore a pair of towering heels, bringing her height close to six feet. With her chestnut-colored long hair and a pair of eyes with a hint of light green, she appeared exceptionally dazzling.
The first impression this woman gave was more like that of a Victoria's Secret model than a police officer.
But at this moment, Jin Muchen had no mind to appreciate the beauty. His head was full of chaos, pondering how these two individuals would ultimately deal with him.
Though the two African American men were repeat offenders, he seemed to have injured them quite seriously. Perhaps these Americans might even charge him with assault, which would be troublesome. Maybe he would even face a lawsuit...
"Mr. Jin, please rest assured, we are just police officers and have little interest in the work of immigration. So, as long as you tell us what you know and what you've just experienced, that will suffice..." The beautiful eyes of the policewoman seemed to penetrate the soul, as she knew what Jin Muchen was worried about. It was her words that pulled Jin Muchen back from his wandering thoughts.
"Uh... Are you serious?" Jin Muchen asked.
"Of course, we're just police officers, unrelated to immigration. You just need to tell us what you know," the police officer said impatiently. It's understandable that he was a bit annoyed because this case had caused quite a stir.
Two police officers had been brutally shot, but the suspects involved were children of big shots who even the top New York cop wouldn't dare mess with. When they arrived at the hospital, those big shots had already brought their lawyers along.
Even if they wanted to question those kids, their lawyers wouldn't allow them to ask too many questions. It seemed that the breakthrough in this entire case lay with this young man.
Jin Muchen felt a weight lift off his chest, and thus recounted the events of the evening in that alley to the two police officers. Both officers listened attentively, jotting down many notes in their small notebooks.
However, they didn't interrupt him because the young man's narrative was essentially consistent with their previous conjectures.
The case was straightforward: two lunatics kidnapped hostages to lure the police to the scene, then killed two officers. When they were about to target the hostages, a flaw emerged. Clearly, they hadn't anticipated that among these youngsters lurked a martial arts expert.
"Very well, Mr. Jin, thank you for your cooperation." After listening to Jin Muchen's account, the male police officer rose and shook his hand vigorously.
"In addition, you are very brave. On behalf of all the police officers in New York, thank you!" The female officer standing beside added, her gaze sincere. Killing a police officer in New York was definitely a major event. If the culprits escaped, who knew how much manpower would be wasted in pursuit, especially considering these two cunning and ruthless individuals?
"Um... Um, I seemed to have injured those two guys quite badly. Will I be in trouble?" Jin Muchen asked cautiously, but to his surprise, the male officer chuckled.
"Why would you be? Even if someone wants to prosecute you, we police officers won't agree. You acted in self-defense, with no suspicion of excessive force. Moreover, you not only helped us uphold justice but also saved several of your companions. To be honest, young man, if I were the chief, I wouldn't care about your status. I would definitely give you a medal. Wouldn't I, Kate?"
At this point, the male officer had shed his previous seriousness and instead became amiable, even posing a rhetorical question to the ice queen beauty beside him.
The ice queen beauty smiled for once, rare as it was. "Indeed, you absolutely deserve a medal. Well done, kid. Rest up and don't worry about those bastards from Immigration."
With that said, the two officers bid farewell and left the ward. At this moment, Jin Muchen felt his mind was spinning.
The worrying scenario did not unfold. At this moment, the tension that had been tightly wound relaxed. Jin Muchen soon fell into a deep sleep on the hospital bed.
When he woke up again, he happened to see a middle-aged white nurse with a waist as wide as a water bucket, peering at various instruments at the head of his bed, continuously jotting down data in her notebook.
"Are you awake, lucky boy?" Hearing the movement behind her, the nurse turned around, smiling kindly at him. This female nurse had the same kindness as a Chinese auntie, making Jin Muchen feel very comfortable.
"Um, yeah, good morning."
"Haha, still morning? It's already noon. Alright, I'll go get your hospital meal. Besides, you have visitors waiting to see you. I'll let them in."
The plump nurse smiled and turned to leave. Then, someone pushed open the door, and a group of people walked in.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man with golden hair, his face serious, his ice-blue eyes devoid of any emotion, making him look more like a cold statue.
And the others, from their mannerisms, were clearly his followers.
"Hello, young man, I'm David Hurst, Helen's father. I'm very grateful that you saved my daughter in such a situation..." The blond man came to Jin Muchen's bedside, extended his hand, and shook it gently, then stood in front of the bed and said. It was then that Jin Muchen realized that this was Helen's father.
"Dr. Herman said you're recovering quite well, but don't worry. You can stay here as long as you need, and you don't have to worry about any expenses. In addition, to express our gratitude to you, if you have any requests or difficulties that need help, feel free to mention them."
Standing at Jin Muchen's bedside, the blond man spoke flawlessly, both in demeanor and speech. However, there was no sense of closeness, but rather a kind of detachment that Jin Muchen could clearly feel, as if they were people from two different worlds.
They're just going through the motions, making a show of it.
Before Jin Muchen could speak, a female assistant standing behind the man suddenly approached him with a phone and whispered a few words in his ear. The man then picked up the phone.
"Director Bishop, I don't care what means you use, but I want to see results in the shortest possible time. I want to send them all to hell. Anyway, you need to deal with those two guys quickly, I don't want to hear anything else..."
After saying this, the big shot hung up the phone. However, Jin Muchen saw all this, and the name Bishop was familiar to him from the Chinese newspapers in Chinatown; he was a big shot in the New York police world.
But from the man's mouth in front of him, it sounded like he was commanding a dog. It seemed that Helen's family background was indeed extraordinary.
"Sorry, I lost my temper. Mr. Jin, I have other matters to attend to. Please allow me to take my leave. If you need anything, feel free to ask, and I will arrange for West to follow up."
Mr. David Hurst obviously didn't want to waste any more time in Jin Muchen's presence. Anyway, gratitude had been expressed, whether sincere or not, what needed to be done had been done. He didn't need to linger here, and Jin Muchen certainly wouldn't keep him. Having such a person in his hospital room would make the atmosphere colder, which wouldn't be conducive to his recovery.
He gestured for them to leave, and Mr. David Hurst turned and walked towards the door. However, just as he reached the door, he turned back and said a word to a young assistant beside him.
"West, stay behind. Mr. Jin, if you have any needs, he will assist you."
"Yes, Mr. Hurst."
The young man with black hair replied, and then Mr. David Hurst and his team strode out of the ward.