The stadium was even more crowded than Li Jie had imagined.
From outside, the building looked reasonably intact. The earthquake had cracked the exterior wall on the east side, with several fissures stretching from the foundations to the roof. But the main structure had not collapsed. The field, the stands, the track, and even the streets outside were packed with people. Most looked utterly lost, and quite a few were shoving one another over patches of empty space barely bigger than a hand.
When Li Jie followed Cobblepot in through the emergency exit, the bustling crowd immediately parted as much as it could to let them through. An acrid stench of urine hit him in the face. Li Jie instinctively wrinkled his nose, then spotted Bob.
"Boss!"
The chief of the East End Police Department stood on the grass in the center of the field, wearing a reflective vest. Two strips of white cloth had been haphazardly wound around his arm, apparently torn from a T-shirt.
"In... spector."
The greeting did not stop him from expertly swinging the folding chair in his hands through an arc. With a sharp crack, it struck a young man with full-sleeve tattoos on the head. The young man clutched his skull and staggered two steps, blood suddenly pouring between his fingers.
"Fuck, if anyone shits wherever they please in the relief area again, I'll shove their head up their ass!"
Bob spat on the ground and walked toward Li Jie, panting.
"What brings you two here?"
"Something's come up, boss." Li Jie pushed Cobblepot forward. "Let Oz tell you."
"Mm." Bob nodded grimly and stepped aside. "Make sure they keep their assholes under control!"
Cobblepot hurriedly limped after him. Li Jie exchanged a few words with the nearby officers, drew his baton, snapped it