In utter terror, Li Jie slammed on the gas and shot forward, racing south along Interstate 95. The scenery outside grew greener and greener, with banana trees, royal palms, banyans, and bougainvillea everywhere he looked. A thin layer of sea salt coated the car, and the air grew thick, hot, and humid, as though he could wring water out of it.
Gotham's cold gloom, Metropolis's orderly streets, Midway City's weirdness, and Star City's melancholy were all left far behind. Li Jie spent two days in Miami, taking in South Beach's dazzling sunshine, azure waters, and lively streets steeped in Latin American flavor.
Standing in the warm sunshine, he sucked his teeth as he watched two fellow officers escort a man with no arms out of a nearby apartment building. Since they couldn't handcuff him, the officers had pulled his shirt sleeves behind his back and tied them together.
"Hey, officer!"
Li Jie took out his wallet and flashed his badge. "Just passing through on vacation. I wanted to ask-what could this guy possibly have done in that condition? Disturbing the peace with beatboxing?"
"Ha!" A middle-aged white officer shook his head helplessly. "Not that."
He pointed toward the apartment building. "He stabbed his neighbor."
"Huh?"
Li Jie glanced back. Sure enough, a fat shut-in stood at the entrance, his arm still bleeding. Then he looked at the suspect, who wore a defiant expression.
"Stabbed him? How did he manage that?"
The white officer pointed down. Li Jie lowered his gaze and discovered that the suspect's toenails had all been shaped into sharp points.
"Wow. Someone actually offers that kind of pedicure?"
The white officer and his Latino partner both looked disgusted.
"He chewed them into shape himself so he could fight his neighbor."
*Fuck, this was too much! What was