Ethan Wraith sat at the entrance of the bar, clutching a can of beer and occasionally glancing at the vehicles passing by at the intersection. As he finished the last sip, the person or car he was waiting for still hadn't shown up.
"Damn it, how slow are they? Why haven't they come yet? It's a big deal, after all, the person who got beaten up. It's even the son of your superior. Shouldn't you hurry up and arrest me to curry favor with your higher ups? What's taking them so long? What are these subordinates doing? They don't even know how to seize an opportunity," Ethan grumbled to himself.
Just as he was about to go back inside for another beer, a police car with flashing red lights roared from the street corner.
Ethan was overjoyed; they had finally arrived.
The car screeched to a halt in the bar's parking lot, and a team of police officers with shining uniforms and polished boots stepped out. A handsome officer carrying a briefcase instructed, "Everyone has their guns, right? According to the report, the perpetrator inside is very dangerous, so everyone be careful."
"Don't worry, Captain, we all have them," a policeman responded, patting his bulging waist.
"Good," the captain nodded and turned to a female officer behind him with a gentle voice. "Erica, it's dangerous inside; wait outside."
"No need," the beautiful police officer shook her head with an expressionless face.
The captain sighed; his good intentions were rejected again. He waved his hand. "Let's go in."
Ethan quickly went up to meet them, smiling and stopping them. "Good evening, officers. Are you looking for someone named Ethan Wraith?"
The police officers looked at each other, surprised. They had just arrived; how could the news have leaked out? It seemed they would be returning empty-handed today.
The captain exchanged glances with the others and asked with a stern face, "Who are you?"
"Haha, I'm the one you're looking for—Ethan Wraith," Ethan said proudly.
The police officers looked at each other again, then smiled wryly.
"Idiot," the captain muttered under his breath and led the group past Ethan towards the bar. When the captain was cursing, the female officer named Erica behind him furrowed her brows slightly. Ethan made a mental note of this; this woman could be useful.
Ethan became anxious and ran in front of the captain again. "Officer, I really am Ethan Wraith. How about I show you my ID?" He fumbled around and then laughed awkwardly, "Sorry, I forgot to bring it today."
The captain asked with suspicion, "Are you really Ethan Wraith? If you knew we were looking for you, why didn't you run away?"
"Run? Why should I run? I hurt someone, I should be punished by the law," Ethan explained seriously.
"You are you really Ethan Wraith? Go ask someone in the bar," the captain instructed, cursing under his breath. "Damn, I ran into a lunatic."
"Yes, Captain," a police officer ran inside.
"Captain, please watch your language," Erica reminded him unhappily.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. I got confused by this guy and accidentally offended Erica's taboo. It won't happen again, it won't happen again," the captain apologized to the female officer with a sheepish face.
Ethan was secretly shocked. It seemed this woman had a strong background. Even if a man loved a woman deeply, he wouldn't grovel before her in public. There was only one reason for him to do so: this woman was worth it.
The officer named quickly came out of the bar, bringing the bar waitress, with him. He pointed at Ethan and asked, "What's his name?"
"Ethan Wraith."
"Is he the Ethan Wraith who fought in the bar today?"
The bar waitress fell silent. He had also received favors from Ethan in the past, and naturally wouldn't betray him now.
"Why did you stop talking?"
"I just started my shift and don't know if Ethan had a fight."
The captain scrutinized Ethan's skinny figure and asked uncertainly, "Are you really Ethan Wraith? The Ethan Wraith who beat up the mayor's son?"
"I also beat up the bureau chief's son," Ethan said with a grin, his face full of pride.
"Why did you hit them?" The female officer suddenly rushed out from behind and grabbed Ethan's collar.
"They are all poor children, lacking discipline. I was afraid they would go astray when they grow up, so I helped their families educate them a bit—'A piece of jade is not carved into a useful vessel' you know. Hey, beautiful lady, even though I bought this shirt from a street vendor, it still cost me over thirty yuan. It's out of stock, a limited edition, you can't buy it even if you want to, so don't rip it," Ethan said.
"Their future is none of your business. You were so ruthless, I" The female officer became angrier as she spoke and raised her hand to hit Ethan.
"Erica," the captain grabbed her hand, glanced at the crowd gathered outside, and whispered, "There are a lot of people here now, we can hit him back at the station."
"Humph." The beautiful woman released her grip, fuming. "Ethan Wraith, you are under arrest. Take him away," the captain boomed with authority.
"Yeah, I get it. I get it—bro, could you maybe keep it down a bit? Save me some face, there are a lot of people watching," Ethan mumbled.
Meanwhile, at the Roaring Bar, Jennie clutched James's arm anxiously. "James, Ethan's been arrested!"
James scoffed, "What, got a thing for the young hottie? Old cow wants a taste of fresh grass?"
"No, it's not like that. He's a good guy, interesting. I always saw him as a little brother—you know my heart belongs to you. Anyway, you're getting a divorce next month, I'm not waiting any longer."
"Look at the mess we're in, and you're bringing this up again. Let's deal with Ethan's situation first," James quickly changed the subject. Ah, the burdens of a man, having to figure out how to clean up after taking a crap.
"Do you have a way?" Jennie pressed.
"I don't, but someone might," James replied, picking up his phone and dialing. "Hello? It's James… Yes, there's a problem. Ethan Wraith just got taken by the police—he had some trouble with the mayor's son and the police chief's son… Uh-huh, okay. No need for thanks, it's the least I could do."
Hanging up, he felt that wasn't enough. He asked Jennie to get the VIP member information and started making calls one by one.
"Hello, Mrs. Aaliyah— Oh, I'm so sorry, I'll be sure to get the title right next time. Miss Aaliyah, it's like this, Ethan's in some trouble, he was just taken by the police— Oh dear, Miss Aaliyah, please don't cry, Ethan's okay for now— But you need to find a way to help him, if it's too late, I can't guarantee his safety— Yes, okay. Thank you, Miss Aaliyah. Haha, of course, we're all family…"
"Hello, Miss Crowe? Oh, it's James, the manager of the Roaring Bar— Wait, Miss Crowe, don't hang up just yet, I have something important to tell you. Ethan's in some trouble, he was just taken by the police, you need to find a way to help him, otherwise— Yes, the city police station. Okay, no need for thanks…"
"Hello, Miss Swift? It's James, the manager of the Roaring Bar— Ethan— Oh, you already know? Miss Aaliyah told you? Oh, that's great, please hurry and find a way to help Ethan, he's in danger. He was already bruised and battered when they took him, now—"
After a dozen calls, James's mouth was parched.
Jennie thoughtfully poured him a glass of water and asked with doubt, "Will this work?"
James took a sip to moisten his throat and said with a wry smile, "It's a Hail Mary."