Chapter 86 - Slap and the Right to Choose
For ordinary people, it would be tricky, but not a big problem.
For a detective, however, it meant that they might have to retire early.
As the doctor treated him, Luke said, “There’s a high school boy on the other side of the lake. Those perverts shot him with multiple arrows in his stomach and his arms. I’ll bring you to him.”
The captain of the FBI agents frowned. “You better not move with your wounds. Our men will take a doctor there.”
Luke thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright, I’ll stay here. You must be very careful. Those monsters are too dangerous.”
The captain mumbled inwardly, You’re just a minor police officer. Do you think you’re better than four FBI agents by yourself?
But the captain didn’t say anything out loud. After all, Luke was the person who had contributed the most to the case, and he shouldn’t be too tough on him.
Four agents left with a doctor. Ten minutes later, they returned with Bobby, who was unconscious.
The doctor simply said, “He’s quite lucky. His veins and vital organs weren’t nicked. His vitals are steady. He only fainted from the shock.”
Jack Johnson, the captain of the FBI agents, had a discussion with them for a moment, then said, “We’re going to search for the other three women. You can return on the helicopter first.”
Luke frowned. “This isn’t the best place for a battle, is it?”
Smiling, Jack picked up an item and said, “Night vision.”
Then, he took out a small can from his tactical vest. “Flash grenade.”
He grabbed another can. “Tear gas grenade.”
Finally, he raised the item in his hand. “Respirator.”
Luke was rendered speechless.
Their equipment was much more practical than his pistols and knife.
The tear gas and flash grenades, in particular, were indisputably fatal weapons in the dark cave.
Thinking for a moment, Luke described the monsters he had encountered just now, focusing on their agility and how they attacked.
He wasn’t bragging, but telling Captain Jack how dangerous the monsters were from his own experience.
Jack nodded solemnly. “Got it. I’ll go in with three agents...”
Luke shook his head. “I think you should be more cautious. You have advanced weapons, but twenty of them were chasing us just now. You better go in together, or not at all, and wait for reinforcements.”
After a brief hesitation, Jack shook his head. “I’ll go in with five agents. Two of them will stay here to protect you.”
Luke didn’t say anything else.
He wasn’t sure what Jack was thinking.
Maybe he was trying to steal the credit, maybe he was hoping to investigate the monsters, or maybe he had another reason, but it wasn’t Luke’s place to order him about.
It was only for Thomas’s sake that Jack had listened to him so far.
Luke could only nod. “Alright, I’ll wait for you here.”
Half an hour later, Jack and his team returned. Many of them smelled terrible.
Luke hurriedly stayed away from them.
He wasn’t sure if the monsters’ reddish black body fluid carried any viruses or germs.
Also... It was too smelly! It was as if these agents had just crawled out of a sewer.
But none of them were missing or heavily wounded.
Jack didn’t look good. Obviously, the battle against the monsters hadn’t gone as planned.
Luke naturally wouldn’t point that out.
He had warned the guy, but the guy hadn’t accepted it. What could he say now?
Hey, see, you should’ve listened to me?
He would be an idiot if he said that.
The three women looked a lot better. Clearly, they had been protected and hadn’t gotten involved in the battle.
Suddenly, Brenda charged at them, shouting, “Ah, you b*tch, you abandoned us. I’m going to kill you!”
She was yelling at Selina.
Luke gazed at her coldly, but Selina showed no reaction when Brenda ran at her with her hand raised.
Luke moved to step between them.
Brenda’s hand hit Luke’s chest. Luke looked at her calmly and asked, “Can you go back now?”
Dazed for a moment, Brenda shouted, “Why? Why did she abandon us?”
Luke chuckled. “Because she couldn’t nor was she obliged to save you. If she could save you, she wouldn’t have been caught in the first place, would she?”
Brenda cried, “Liars! You liars! I’ll kill you...” She waved her hands and was about to scratch Luke’s face.
Pa!
Brenda was slapped away and she fell to the ground. She was completely addled. What’s going on? My head is so dizzy.
Luke, on the other hand, dragged Selina away and asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you dodge?”
Selina hesitated. “I... I did abandon them.”
Luke grinned and shook his finger in her face. “No, I was the one who abandoned them, not you. You’re my partner whom I rescued, not an officer who went to rescue them, right?”
Selina was dazed. “Huh?”
Luke said indifferently, “I was the only one who had the power to choose whom to save. You didn’t get to choose at all. So, are you responsible for abandoning her? How are you guilty? Should you give in to her just because she’s stupid?”
Selina was deep in thought.
“If one day, you have to choose between helping two strangers and helping me, who would you choose?” asked Luke.
“You,” Selina replied without any hesitation.
Luke opened his hand. “That’s right. If that happens, I won’t feel guilty toward the two strangers at all, because it was my partner’s decision. I don’t want her to feel that her decision was wrong.”
Selina lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry.”
Luke said, “No need for that. Just remember to slap back next time anyone touches you.”
Unlike him, Selina didn’t have a system which restricted her, and she didn’t have to consider the gains and losses all the time.