The tires flung the rain-soaked filth of Gotham's roads behind the car. He had been away for a month, but the city's smell of rot, damp, cold, and blood hadn't changed a bit.
Li Jie rolled down the window and tossed out the carved wooden pendant he had bought in Seaside Town, its fragrance long gone. In the rearview mirror, he watched it tumble into a pile of roadside garbage and disappear.
His vacation was over.
The first thing he saw was a giant penguin statue wearing a crown at an intersection. Beneath it, a line had been spray-painted in red: "Paying taxes is every citizen's duty."
Li Jie's lips curved into something that barely qualified as a smile.
"Oz, looks like you've had quite a lively month."
As he parked in his usual spot at the Eastern District Precinct, he heard the officer on duty shout into his radio:
"The Sheriff's back!"
Shit! Li Jie's stomach tightened. What are they waiting to pin on me this time?!
The moment he stepped into the lobby, feeling distinctly uneasy, every officer there began applauding. Some suspects and people reporting crimes, unaware of what was happening, instinctively joined in. Even the Chief's office door opened, and Bob came out and beckoned to him.
You guys haven't started worshipping some evil god and offered me up as a sacrifice, have you?!
He cautiously crossed the lobby and went up to the second floor, closed the office door, pulled over a chair, and sat down.
"Boss, what's going on?"
"Oh, nothing much. Not long ago, that Penguin kid donated five hundred thousand dollars to the precinct, saying he hoped to maintain a good, stable relationship with us." Bob opened the window halfway, letting some fresh air into the smoke-filled room. "How was your vacation?"