Trouble Never Ends
The matter in India was merely a minor incident for Henry. It did not disturb his mind, nor did it disrupt his daily life.
India can't do it, but New York can.
I thought that brat had been arrested by the police... or maybe the child welfare agency contacted the police for assistance in arresting him... and once he was taken into custody, my world would finally be peaceful.
I never expected that after only two weeks of peace, that little rascal would reappear by my side. Although his behavior hadn't escalated, I could feel that his resentment had deepened.
Although the kid didn't manage to upgrade his methods, such as turning rotten eggs and vegetable leaves into real dung balls—not just prank props with a smell, but the real thing—he still learned a lesson.
Henry won't be able to contact child welfare agencies and get the police to arrest him so easily anymore. At the first sign of trouble, the kid will be the first to run away.
Normally, contacting child welfare agencies would involve at least social welfare volunteers. Sending the police directly implies that this kid is registered with the welfare agency and is a repeat offender.
He was quiet for less than two weeks before he started causing trouble again. It seems he frequently escapes from welfare institutions like orphanages.
At such a young age, he dared to venture into society alone, and even at the lowest level of society. You could say he's quite a talent.
It's just that people like this deliberately disgust him. Henry seriously considered how to make a ten-year-old child disappear completely from the earth.
Besides this unruly child, Henry also sensed that more and more people were coming to the streets to cause trouble, and their methods were becoming increasingly violent. Many times, it even reached the point of offending the elderly Catherine Hepburn.
Using the Kryptonian Iron Fist is one option. With paparazzi waiting to take photos, it would Reason not to become famous. How stupid would someone have to be to give paparazzi fodder for a long article?
A photograph, then a story told from it—distorting the truth, calling a deer a horse—that's exactly what these journalists excel at. Once they fall into the self-proof trap, the matter never ends.
So when faced with these provocations and "unintentional" accidents, Henry's approach was to call the police. Although it was troublesome to have the police handle it, it was still easier to tell a story than to settle it privately, because he had witnesses.
One major reason why people are afraid of the police is not because American police officers are keen on emptying their magazines, but because it would waste their time. What If...? they have other important matters to attend to, asking the police to come in seems like asking for trouble.
However, such drawbacks are not a problem for a retired grandmother who has been retired for a long time, and the same goes for the young people who are responsible for taking care of her. They both have time to spare.
Unlike those who are constantly worried about their daily meals or have to go to work, being delayed by the police could result in absenteeism or pay cuts, directly causing financial losses.
Of course, after making so many calls to the police, Henry became quite familiar with the NYPD patrol officers. In the same patrol area, at roughly the same times, the officers on duty were mostly the same group of people. With calls coming in almost daily, it would be strange if they hadn't become acquainted.
Often, the group of troublemakers would run away before the police arrived, so many times the police would find nothing and fail to catch them.
Henry and Catherine Hepburn wouldn't leave just because the troublemakers left first. They would wait until the police arrived and explained the situation before dispersing.
Sometimes, those troublemakers are a bit dim-witted and fail to escape before the police arrive, ending up in the police station. As the person who reports the incident, you also have to go to the police station to give a statement.
According to the elderly woman, she had never been to a police station more times in her entire life than in the past two months combined. She was quite intrigued by it all and wanted to see everything...
She was Oscars actress, 92 years old, and entered the police station as a victim, not a perpetrator. All these factors combined made it unlikely that the police would treat her too roughly.
If things go wrong, guess who the media will target?
Every time he came to the police station, he would be invited to his office by Chief Superintendent George Stacy. Sometimes Stacy would personally assist him in taking his statement, and sometimes he would have a junior officer come in to do it.
This privilege wasn't granted because of Catherine Hepburn, the Oscar-winning actress, but rather because of Kitty, the "Tabby Cat."
Otherwise, they would have to keep a Tiger in the police station, in the public space where the police officers work. Not only would the prisoner be nervous, but the other officers would be too.
George Stacy has truly sacrificed herself for others.
Over time, Henry and Catherine Hepburn became quite familiar with the Superintendent of Police.
"George, I'm sorry to trouble you again," the person who entered the Superintendent's office said. Kitty automatically went to her usual spot, found a comfortable position, and lay down on her side.
The Leader of the New York City police force, looking exasperated, said, "What's going on today?"
"Same as always, situation three," Henry said.
"Hmm." George Stacy took a binder from the drawer, pulled out a few sheets of paper, and handed them to the patrolman who had brought the person in, saying, "Make a copy of this statement, and then fill in the name and location for this occasion."
"Yes, sir."
Henry looked at the binder in George Stacy's hand and said with a sigh, "They can even make transcripts into templates. Look how uncreative those people are. I suspect that those who cause trouble only have a few tricks to use in rotation."
The equally silent superintendent said, "It seems you know who's behind all this trouble. Haven't you tried to solve it? You should know that those little devils will at most get community service; it's not that serious."
Most of the troublemakers are underage kids. And because their offenses are minor—they didn't use weapons, nor did they engage in any aggressive actions like hitting or kicking—they're just disgusting.
If Henry overreacts, and with paparazzi taking photos and ready to write long articles, things have gotten to this point. There must also be lawyers waiting behind the scenes. The compensation will be endless.
"Sigh, What If...? it could be solved that easily. Unfortunately, it's not something I can resolve by simply surrendering."
Although George Stacy wasn't high enough in rank to know about Henry's affair, as someone within the police system, he certainly wouldn't be completely unaware of it.
From his perspective, he couldn't offer any better advice. He couldn't very well suggest that next time someone caused trouble, Henry should just beat them up and then call the police.
"Oh, by the way, Ms. Hepburn," George Stacy said to the old lady.
Catherine Hepburn, who was sitting and petting the tiger's head, didn't look up and said in a slightly annoyed tone, "Catherine!"
"Yes, Catherine."
The old lady then happily looked up and asked, "George, what is it?"
"Gwen's high school extracurricular activities are hoping to interview a celebrity. May I have her visit you instead?"
"Gwen? Is that the girl I saw here earlier, the one who came looking for you?"
"Yes, she's my only daughter, and she's currently in Standard High School. She's doing very well academically, and she's actively involved in extracurricular activities. I hope she can get into a good university someday," George Stacy said proudly.
The old lady, of course, didn't object. She smiled and said, "Of course! How about this, I'll invite her to my house for afternoon tea. Henry's snacks are delicious."
"Oh, that's wonderful."