Somebody Come Quick, Both the Former and Current Bosses Are Dead!

Three in the morning.

Brotherhood Bar, Woodhaven, Queens, New York.

A dark shadow flashed toward the entrance.

The shadow looked up at the height of the second floor, instantly transforming into a black gecko and climbing from the exterior wall of the bar up to the second-floor windowsill.

It strained its ears to listen to the movement inside the house.

Snore, snorer-snore~

The shadow gently pushed open the unlatched window, flipped over, and jumped into the room.

Richard took light steps, moving like a nimble black cat, and silently reached the bedside.

A crisp click sounded in the darkness as current boss Eddie's neck twisted and his snoring stopped abruptly.

Richard returned along his original path to the window, flipped out, and closed the window back to its original state.

He rapidly crawled along the wall.

He listened closely, the sound of breathing very faint.

He reached out to push the window gently, encountering obvious resistance.

Richard unleashed a burst of force from his palm, his energy penetrating the outer window frame and jarring the latch inside.

A soft click sounded, exceptionally loud in the silent night.

The breathing inside the room paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

The corners of Richard's mouth curled up slowly and gently.

He pushed the window open and flipped into the room.

Silently as a cat, he walked to the bedside.

Black Snake Quinn~

Richard's voice was very soft, but to Quinn, who was feigning sleep, it sounded as deafening as thunder.

"It's you!" Quinn snapped his eyes open, looking at Richard with a face full of hatred.

"I heard you've been looking for me." A hint of a smile accompanied Richard's words.

"I'm going to kill you!" Quinn suddenly sat up, reaching out to grab Richard.

Richard raised a hand and slapped down, the tremendous force causing Quinn's hands to crash into each other.

"Ugh, ah!" Quinn shrieked in pain.

Richard followed up with a palm strike, chopping him on the throat.

"Cough, cough~ cough, cough~" Tears welled in the corners of Quinn's eyes as he coughed in dry, painful spasms.

"Tch, never mind, I won't torture you." Richard reached out and took the baseball bat standing beside the bed.

This thing was probably meant for Quinn to use in self-defense, but it made things convenient for Richard now.

Quinn shuddered. "Spare my life, mister, I, I..."

"I have a secret vault! It has thirty million dollars in it! As long as you don't kill me, I'll give you the address."

Richard looked at him calmly. "Anything else?"

Quinn was stunned, racking his brains to find a reason.

Richard raised the baseball bat and smacked it down with a thud onto Quinn's forehead. "Too slow. Think about it next time."

Quinn stared with wide eyes and collapsed onto the bed.

Discarding the baseball bat casually onto Quinn's corpse, Richard returned the way he came.

The next day, Richard and Christine arrived at the hospital for work as usual.

Because a certain cursed intern said, "There are so few patients today."

The emergency department suddenly got busy.

Patient after patient arrived, and the doctors and nurses throughout the entire department were worked to the point of frenzy.

Pushing a car accident victim just unloaded from an ambulance, Richard shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Lilith, notify the operating room, prepare for an amputation!"

"Yes, Dr. Richard!" Nurse Lilith carried her medical tray and moved at a sprint.

Christine and Nick had just finished a craniotomy for a patient with sudden cerebral hemorrhage.

"Richard, do you need help?"

Richard nodded quickly. "This patient needs a lower limb amputation."

Christine stepped forward to lend a hand, wheeling the patient into the operating room together with Richard.

At that moment, several NYPD officers arrived at the emergency department.

Detective Samuel, who led the group, stopped Nurse Lina as she passed by. "Excuse me, nurse, where is Dr. Richard?"

Nurse Lina pointed to the operating room with its glowing red light. "Dr. Richard is in surgery."

After nodding in thanks, the detective found a chair and sat down.

Half an hour later, Richard emerged from the operating room wearing soaked blue scrubs.

Detective Samuel stood up and walked over.

"Hello, Dr. Richard."

Seeing Detective Samuel, Richard paused. "Detective Samuel, what brings you here?"

"I need you to come with us for a bit," Detective Samuel said with a bitter smile.

"Right now?" Richard raised a hand to check his watch. "OK, no problem."

Precinct 22, New York.

In the interrogation room, Richard sat in the interrogation chair, his expression normal.

"Dr. Richard, thank you for your cooperation," Detective Samuel thanked him sincerely.

"It's nothing," Richard shrugged. "Ask whatever questions you have."

Detective Samuel's expression changed in a second. "Where were you around three in the morning?"

"Three in the morning? Sleeping. I was busy at the hospital all day yesterday, and when I got back I was so tired I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow," Richard said, spreading his hands with a wry smile.

"Is there anyone who can vouch for you?"

Richard said, "My girlfriend can."

"Then do you know Quinn Fultz and Eddie Bullman?"

"Quinn Fultz? Eddie Bullman?" Richard frowned, then shook his head. "Never heard of them."

"According to our investigation, however, Quinn Fultz and Eddie Bullman have been investigating you for the past few days." Detective Samuel stared closely at Richard.

A sudden realization dawned on Richard. "So the people who attacked me yesterday were sent by them?"

Detective Samuel was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "Yes. They were both members of the Black Snake Gang, the former and current bosses of the organization."

Richard looked perplexed. "I don't know them at all. Why were they investigating me?"

"It's not clear yet." Detective Samuel clearly didn't possess much information.

"Those two must have gotten into trouble. Are they dead?" Richard stated with certainty.

"You really are smart, Dr. Richard," Samuel nodded, admiration showing on his face. "This morning, they died at the Black Snake Gang bar."

Richard looked relieved. "Meaning I don't have to worry about being attacked by the Black Snake Gang anymore?"

"Yes." With that, Detective Samuel ended the interrogation.

His intuition told him that Richard was likely the killer, but pushing someone of Richard's super-high intelligence and extraordinary combat prowess into the dark world over a pair of scumbags was simply asking for trouble.

Detective Samuel stood up and said, "The questioning is over. Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Richard."

Richard looked somewhat surprised. "It's over already?"

Detective Samuel shrugged. "If you like Precinct 22, you're welcome to stay a few nights. I'll pull rank and waive your lodging fees."

"No, absolutely not!" Richard waved his hands frantically. He'd have to be crazy to freeload a stay at a police station.

Richard hailed a taxi.

"Dr. Richard, let's consider the matter closed. What do you think?" Detective Samuel, who had followed him out, suddenly spoke up.

Richard froze, then flashed a brilliant smile. "Goodbye, Detective Samuel."

Watching the taxi pull away, Precinct Captain Samuel let out a breath.

"The matter is closed. I should go to a bar and have a drink."

Inside the taxi, Richard called Dean Elwin, saying he felt somewhat exhausted and wanted to take a leave of absence.

Dean Elwin agreed immediately, instructing him to make sure he got some proper rest.

Hanging up the phone, Richard's face turned ashen.

I've been very wrong lately...