Compensation

Li Jie carried a container of bone broth up to the hospital's third floor, whistling softly. Behind the old CRT monitor at the nurses' station, a middle-aged nurse poked her head out, her face bathed in the screen's green glow.

"Good morning, Jay. What delicious thing have you made this time? Fried rice again?"

By the second evening of his hospital stay, the lingering effects of the stun grenade had almost entirely vanished. Gotham City's government was still functioning, so at least he didn't have to pay for his publicly funded medical care. But lying in a hospital bed all day was unbearably boring. Starting on the fourth day, he always managed to find a chance to sneak home and make himself something to eat.

The nurses often saw him slipping out, but they generally turned a blind eye to a patient who was essentially healthy. Sometimes they even sampled the stir-fried dishes he brought back.

"Hi, Eve. This is broth made from pork bones. Want to try some?"

"Ugh..." A trace of distaste crossed the middle-aged nurse's face. "Pork bones... can that possibly taste good?"

"Where I come from, people say that eating a body part helps heal that same part of your own body. So people with broken bones often eat this to recover faster." Li Jie lifted the container in his hand. "I'm heading in."

"Oh, Eastern magic." The nurse nodded. "I think some girls came to visit Officer Wilson just now?"

Li Jie took a couple of steps farther in and peeked down the hall. A Black girl had drawn the officer guarding the door into a conversation at the far end of the corridor. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Who exactly were they here to visit?

He pushed the door open, then immediately backed out and slammed it shut.

Holy shit! Another Black girl, with a slim waist, long legs, and a big ass, was straddling Wilson...

What the actual fuck? How could you even manage that position without aggravating your wounds? And you weren't Japanese, either-where did you get the idea to do this in a hospital?

While he was caught between laughter and exasperation, an exuberant voice suddenly came from behind him. "Good morning, Officer."

He spun around and found a thin figure standing before him, holding a bouquet in one hand and an umbrella in the other. This time, the man had come alone, without even a bodyguard.

"Uh... morning..."

The scene he had just witnessed had scrambled Li Jie's thoughts so thoroughly that he couldn't immediately summon his usual hatred and coldness toward Cobblepot. He nodded blankly, then hurriedly reached out to stop Cobblepot when he saw him about to open the door.

"No, no, no. Don't go in. Uh... fuck. Let's find somewhere outside to sit for a bit."

Cobblepot gave him a puzzled look, probably unable to understand why Li Jie was being so friendly today. But he asked no questions, simply following him downstairs to the café beside the hospital.

"What would you like to drink, Officer?"

"Neige..."

He had unconsciously said the Chinese filler word aloud. Cobblepot glanced around curiously, seemed to arrive at some conclusion, then smiled at Li Jie. "Actually, I don't much care for Black people sometimes either, but I have to keep up appearances."

"Huh?" Li Jie looked utterly baffled.

What the hell was he talking about? I was just wondering... would it be inappropriate to ask for a bowl here and pour out some broth? Forget it.

He ordered an Americano, picked up the sugar jar on the table, and started adding sugar.

Cobblepot waited a while. When he realized Li Jie had no intention of initiating the conversation, his eyes shifted, and he took an envelope from inside his coat.

"Officer, I am deeply sorry about what happened last time. But... haha..." He gave a dry laugh. "As you know, what's done is done. Regret won't help, so I can only do everything in my power to compensate you. This is a check for thirty thousand dollars. I hope it can make up for the injuries you and your partner suffered."

Plop!

Li Jie's hand shook, and the entire sugar jar fell into his coffee cup. He hurriedly fished it out, lifted the cup, and took a sip.

Ugh! Life really could be sickeningly sweet sometimes. Though whether all that sugar would give me diabetes was another question.

He clenched his teeth and raised his eyes to Cobblepot. They sat in silence for a while. Cobblepot swallowed, then took a small box from his pocket and set it on the table, giving Li Jie quite a fright.

What now? Was he going to pressure me with a marriage proposal?

Fortunately, Cobblepot immediately opened the box. Inside lay a brand-new car key, its three-pointed star emblem polished to a brilliant shine.

"As for the loss of your... vehicle, I have prepared a car for you. Rest assured, it is in excellent condition."

Li Jie's brows suddenly twitched, then knitted together. Once again, he looked up at the other man without saying a word.

In getting where he was today, Cobblepot had been through countless negotiations. He felt that what he was offering was certainly worth a considerable amount on the market, but someone who simply refused to speak was a rare encounter. They drank their coffee and waited another ten-odd minutes. Finally, unable to suppress his growing panic, he asked quietly, "Officer, are you satisfied? If not, please tell me. I'll do my best to meet your demands."

"Mr. Cobblepot, my partner was hurt far more seriously than I was. I need to consult him before deciding whether this is satisfactory." Li Jie took a deep breath and pushed the envelope and key back across the table. "Take these back for now. I'll discuss it with him and give you an answer tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"No problem, no problem." Smiling ingratiatingly, Cobblepot took a business card from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. "This is my number. You can call me anytime. Also..." He suddenly looked a little ill at ease. "Mr. Falcone would like you to visit his estate when convenient."

"He's inviting me over?" Li Jie gave a cold laugh. "I doubt those were his exact words."

"Ah... haha. Mr. Falcone's actual words were indeed more... formal... more... stern... haha." Cobblepot spread his hands and offered a helpless, awkward smile. "I hope you won't take offense."

"Understood. I'll give you an answer on that tomorrow too."

"Very well. Then I won't disturb you any longer. I'll be awaiting your call."

Cobblepot rose, bowed slightly, and limped out, leaning on his umbrella. Li Jie also stood with an expressionless face and headed into the restroom. Only after the stall lock clicked shut did he finally let himself pump his fists silently, shaking his ass and trembling all over as though he had been electrocuted.

Fuck! Thirty thousand dollars! Fuck! A Mercedes-Benz S600!

So much money! How much money was that?! I'd never seen anything like it in my entire life! Aaaaah!

The East End police station was steeped in its usual atmosphere of slacking off. Officers lounged crookedly in their seats, lazily handling their work or passing it off on someone else.

Heavy, forceful footsteps passed down the corridor, heading straight for the wooden door at the far end. Captain Albert turned his head just in time to see a tall figure push his way inside. He turned back, deftly pulled two small boxes from beneath his desk, tossed them onto it, and tapped the desktop.

"This time, we're betting on whether Bob gets his ass kicked. Ten-dollar minimum. Usual rules-I take ten percent."

The chief's office door was shoved open, then slammed shut with a bang. The fat man behind the desk jumped, his hand trembling and scattering the banknotes he had been counting all over the floor.

"Hey, Jay, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

He laboriously kicked his chair backward and crouched down, panting as he picked up the bills one by one. By the time he sat down again, his entire face was flushed red.

Li Jie sat across the desk, leaned back in his chair, and stared coldly at Bob without a word. The scrutiny made Bob squirm. He glanced to either side, then took out a cigarette and put it between his lips.

"Kid, what... what exactly happened?"

Li Jie sat forward and rested his elbows on the desk.

"Boss, you know Wilson and I nearly died this time, right?"

"I know. I heard." Bob flicked his thumb twice, and a blue flame sprang from his lighter with a rasp. He took a drag and exhaled smoke. "We had an agreement. I was just counting out your money." He gestured at the bills on the desk. "Don't worry. The price we agreed on! I'm working on the other paperwork too."

"The price we agreed on? The money can wait. I came over from the hospital today to ask you something." Li Jie gave a cold laugh. "We called for backup the moment we came under attack. In the end, it was James Gordon from Central Headquarters who helped us at the scene." He stared into Bob's eyes. "Where were your people? Where was your backup?"

"Uh... uh..." Bob rubbed his nose, then kept scratching his forehead and head. He opened his mouth several times as though he wanted to say something, only to shake his head and swallow it back. Finally, he sighed as if he had made up his mind.

"All right. How much extra do you want?"

"Wow!" Li Jie couldn't help laughing. Suddenly, he felt that talking to someone like this was rather refreshing. "My car's totaled."

"Oh... oh... all right. I'll have equipment and logistics fix it for you..."

"Fix it, my ass. What's the point of repairing that old wreck?" Li Jie lightly thumped the desk. "Another twenty-five hundred dollars each. And put in a request for a bulletproof tactical van for me."

"So that makes ten thousand..." That look of excruciating pain returned to Bob's face. "Fine. But a bulletproof vehicle is impossible. I tried applying last time. Too expensive! Converting something like a V-100 would cost at least two or three hundred thousand. That kind of budget won't get approved."

"I don't need an armored combat vehicle. One of those converted Ford or GM cash-in-transit trucks would do. A new vehicle plus the full conversion only runs a little over a hundred thousand dollars. Besides, it would go through normal application channels, right? It's not coming out of your pocket."

"But a hundred thousand is still expensive." Bob puffed at his cigarette and smiled at Li Jie. "Good boy. As soon as you mentioned it not coming out of my pocket, I knew you had good news for me. Don't hold out. This old man's heart can't take the excitement."

"Heh." Li Jie laughed too. "You know Cobblepot sold us out on that trip?"

"I heard. I was planning to have a word with Falcone about it." Bob nodded, looking somewhat serious. "I mean it. I'm not just brushing you off. The Roman may be dangerous, but we can't let him treat the Police Department as disposable manpower he can use however he likes."

Without a word, Li Jie gave him a thumbs-up.

"And? Can't you tell me all of it at once? Don't keep me hanging." Bob stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. "I'll stop smoking and give you my full attention."

"Okay. In short, Cobblepot came to see me yesterday and offered me a Mercedes-Benz S600 to mend our relationship."

"So that's it." Bob leaned back in his leather executive chair and thought for a moment, then smiled. "Let me guess. A nearly new car worth a hundred thousand dollars probably cost Cobblepot only ten or twenty percent of that. There must be something wrong with the paperwork. You're afraid it'll give him leverage over you, so you want to give it to me... no, you want to use me to have him donate it to the Police Department."

He paused, then lit another cigarette and took a drag. "Hmm... of course, to put it bluntly, donating it to the Police Department isn't much different from giving it to me. You're using me to handle all the fallout and any investigation by Internal Affairs. Heh."

He stared at Li Jie with a half smile. "You want me to eliminate your future problems, and I still have to pay you extra and apply for a new vehicle?"

"Oh, whatever. If it's too much trouble, forget it. I wouldn't be the one driving it anyway. I'll just tell him we don't want it."

Li Jie sprang to his feet, turned, and started walking away.

"Hey! Hey! Wait, wait!" Bob hurried around the desk and grabbed Li Jie. "You fucking little fox! Always ready to flip the table! Bastard. You really are a bastard."

He pushed Li Jie back into his chair, then returned to his own seat behind the desk.

"Deal! There are also a few things I want to discuss with you."

He put out the cigarette after barely two drags, a gesture that startled Li Jie.

"Holy shit, boss. This formal? You're serious!"

"Don't interrupt, kid. I've learned a lot over the past few days. First, you should properly thank James Gordon. After you left Central Headquarters, he was the only one who thought something was wrong. He drove over here alone. I told him your patrol route and final destination, and he drove after you."

He sighed. "I hate stubborn, disagreeable bastards who are always butting heads with people, but I admire him too. Not everyone has the guts to charge through a hail of bullets to save someone. I certainly don't."

"I understand, boss. I'll go and thank him properly. I've been putting together a gift these past few days."

"Mm, but be careful. It'll be trouble if he thinks you're trying to bribe him." Bob nodded. "The second thing is this: don't imitate James Gordon."

He pointed at Li Jie. "I know you won't. You're a smart man, but I still need to remind you. Gordon has caused The Roman plenty of trouble. Do you think honesty and courage are what keep him safe? It's because his father is a famous district attorney who's known Falcone for years. In Falcone's eyes, what Gordon does... at least what he's doing now, is just an old friend's child throwing a little tantrum. I heard Falcone wants to see you?"

"Yeah."

Li Jie nodded. "Cobblepot told me yesterday that The Roman planned to invite me over. But I'm guessing his actual words weren't an invitation. More like... a summons."

"Be careful. Don't try to fight him head-on. Keep yourself safe. My biggest regret now is not bringing you into the Police Department sooner. Smart and capable, nothing like those idiots out there." Bob reached for his lighter again, then forcibly stopped his hand halfway. Instead, he took out a cigarette and kept sniffing it beneath his nose. "Look at this. Just six months, one opportunity, and you've made me at least a hundred thousand dollars. Kid, I fucking love you."

"You're not a pretty girl. That's disgusting." Li Jie grimaced. "Right, you promised I could put together a mobile unit. If I find the people myself, can you handle their identities, hiring, records, and all that?"

"Hm?"

Bob immediately grew wary. "If they're just ordinary citizens or gangsters, you know that's no problem for me... you're not planning to get people out of Blackgate Penitentiary, are you?"

Li Jie spread his hands. "Besides the car, Cobblepot also paid thirty thousand dollars in medical compensation..."

"Deal!"