Li Jie returned to his office, pulled out another sheet of paper, and wrote down words like Zandia, Europe, Gotham, and the Church of Blood, trying to analyze the situation. Before long, however, he finally realized that the gap between two people could sometimes be greater than the gap between a person and a dog.
"Fuck it, I'd be better off on patrol." Muttering, he tossed his ballpoint pen onto the desk. Just then, the internal phone on his desk rang, interrupting his thoughts. He picked it up with some irritation.
"Sheriff, there's a gentleman at the front desk asking for you," the officer at reception said. "He says Commissioner Bob sent him."
Bob?
Li Jie remembered the chief mentioning something about that earlier. This soon?
"Got it. I'll be right down."
He straightened his uniform and left his office with a touch of curiosity. The precinct lobby was as noisy as ever, with citizens complaining as they filed reports, officers talking on the phone, and typewriters clacking away. His gaze swept the crowd and quickly settled on a figure who looked completely out of place.
He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early forties, dressed in a khaki trench coat, with a gentle smile on his face. He stood quietly off to one side with his hands folded in front of him, as though the surrounding chaos had nothing to do with him.
He didn't look like a businessman, much less a gangster. He looked more like a well-respected neighborhood teacher or doctor.
Li Jie approached him. "I'm Li Jie. You wanted to see me?"
The middle-aged man turned at the sound of his voice, his expression growing even warmer and more sincere. He extended a hand and shook Li Jie's with a steady, measured