Some sons of bitches!
They fear you when you're strong, and they bully you when you're weak.
'Change their skin, and they're still sons of bitches. You can't get rid of the stench of a dog.'
Hearing the apologies from the Black men, Feng Mountain turned to the mother and son. "Satisfied?"
"Satisfied, satisfied!" The woman was completely terrified by now. The apology was irrelevant to her; she just wanted to get out of the restaurant and away from this mess immediately.
WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO!
A cacophony of sirens blared from outside the restaurant.
Immediately after, a dozen heavily armed police officers stormed into the restaurant, their weapons aimed at Feng Mountain as they shouted.
"Don't move! Drop your weapon! Hands on your head and get down on the ground!"
The atmosphere in the restaurant, which had just started to calm down, tensed up once again.
Just then, Frank straightened his suit, strolled out unhurriedly, and immediately began taunting the big-bearded police chief leading the team.
"Bird, why are you guys always so slow to respond? Are the citizens' tax dollars paying you to come collect the bodies?"
"Frank!" The big-bearded chief's face twitched at the sound of his voice. "Fuck. I prayed to God this morning that a car would run you over. Is He on vacation today?"
Then he looked at the diners, each holding a pistol. "Put the guns away, folks. Are you trying to start a war?"
Frank took the big-bearded chief's curse as a compliment. He walked over to Feng Mountain with a smile, motioned for him to lower the rifle, and then pointed at the Black men kneeling on the floor.
"I am now lodging a complaint against these racists. They harassed this beautiful lady in a public place, subjected her and her child to vicious racial discrimination, and damaged the Fairbanks tourism industry."
"Oh, and they are also gang members carrying firearms in a public place, a violation of federal concealed carry laws. Fairbanks is too dangerous. Is this the City of God or something?"
"Meanwhile, my client, the chivalrous Mr. Feng, bravely stepped forward to stop their despicable behavior. I recommend he be awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Fairbanks."
'As if you don't fucking know you don't need a license to carry in Alaska.'
'Didn't you see everyone in the restaurant is carrying?'
'Are you blind?'
Chief Bird rolled his eyes.
'In my life, there are three types of people I hate most: lawyers, Frank, and city councilmen.'
'God help me.'
'Not only have I run into all three, but he's a combination of them all.'
'I really want to just shoot him.'
"I get it. Little George, take this 'knight,' Mr. Feng, down to the station to give a statement. The rest of you, search those racists and see if they're carrying any other dangerous items."
The words had barely left his mouth.
One of the kneeling Black men suddenly grabbed a backpack, shoved aside the officer approaching him, and charged toward the crowd. Behind the crowd was a window leading outside.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events and couldn't react in time. Even with guns in hand, the police didn't dare to shoot.
With so many diners and restaurant staff packed together, if a stray bullet hit an innocent person, the resulting lawsuits would bankrupt the department.
Just then.
Feng Mountain lightly kicked the stock of his rifle. Inertia swung the gun up level. He glanced in the direction the man was fleeing and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
After the gunshot rang out.
Blood blossomed from the fleeing man's shoulder. A scream tore through the air, and he staggered to the ground.
'He... he shot him!'
Don't be fooled by what you see on TV, with foreigners waving flags and shouting about freedom at the drop of a hat. When shit hits the fan, they're as scared as anyone, even if they're armed.
When the shot was fired, everyone wished their parents had given them more legs to run with. Some dove to the floor, others squatted and scurried around with their hands over their heads, and some screamed for their mothers and fathers.
The stunned police officers tried to maintain order while subduing the remaining Black men.
'Was that bastard high on something?'
'It was just racial discrimination. Since no one was hurt, he would've just gotten a few months in jail. There was no need to risk everything and run.'
'Unless...'
"Buddy, how could you just open fire? This is a bit of a problem. Don't say a word later. Just follow my lead."
Frank quickly took the rifle from Feng Mountain's hands and motioned for him to stay put.
"Chief, come take a look at this!" an officer checking the injured man's condition suddenly shouted.
Frank's eyes lit up. He shoved the rifle back into Feng Mountain's hands and hurried over, phone in hand. When he returned, he couldn't hide the delight on his face as he clapped Feng Mountain on the shoulder.
"Buddy, nice one. Not only are you in the clear, but if we play this right, they might actually give you that honorary citizen award."
"Damned gangsters, daring to illegally poach black abalone. Are gangs so poor these days they've been reduced to illegal fishermen? How pathetic."
Feng Mountain didn't ask for details. During the earlier standoff with the police, he had secretly performed a Knot Divination with a piece of grass rope.
The divination had told him that the key to resolving his current predicament was the man who had just been shot. That was why he had never taken his eyes off him.
"Buddy, your name's Feng, right? Fantastic shooting. The Fairbanks Police Department thanks you for your assistance!"
Chief Bird walked over with a smile, his gaze like a mother-in-law sizing up her son-in-law, and he clapped Feng Mountain warmly on the shoulder.
"Liangliang! Song Rou! Liangliang! Song Rou!" Just then, a shout in Mandarin came from the direction of the cordoned-off restaurant entrance.
The mother and son stood up excitedly and took a few steps before being stopped by a police officer. The mother looked at Feng Mountain in panic, hoping he would help.
Feng Mountain didn't speak, but Frank chimed in with his usual sardonic tone.
"Bird, are the victims not even allowed to see their family? Since when did the Fairbanks police become so cold-hearted and inflexible? How disappointing. At the next city council meeting, I'll have to propose some humanity training for the department."
Chief Bird shot his subordinate a glare and let the man in.
A man with glasses ran frantically into the restaurant. Seeing his wife and son were unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled them into his arms to comfort them.
"Frank, can we go?" Feng Mountain frowned, a sense of irritation growing within him at the chaotic restaurant.
"Of course!" Frank nodded, then said to Chief Bird, "Pirate, Feng and I are heading to City Hall. Do you need anything else?"
"Please, don't call me by my nickname. Just get going. Have your client come down to the station to give a statement when he has a moment."
"And give me the rifle. Since it's been fired, I need to register it." Chief Bird waved his hand in resignation, wishing this Wolverine Lawyer would just get the hell out of his sight.
"I'm more familiar with legal procedure than you are!" Frank's eyebrow twitched. After saying a quick goodbye to Winnie, he handed the rifle to an officer and was about to leave with Feng Mountain.
"Sir, please wait." The man with the glasses walked over with his wife and son. He pulled a stack of cash from his wallet, hesitated, then took out all the money inside and offered it to Feng Mountain. "Thank you for saving my wife and son. This is just a small token of my appreciation..."
Feng Mountain shook his head, a rare smile appearing on his cold face. "No need. People should help each other when they're away from home. Consider it a thank you for your son playing with Prince. Goodbye!"
With that, he walked straight through the police line and out of the restaurant.
"He's a fellow countryman!" The man with glasses was mortified. Based on his clothes, he'd thought Feng Mountain was a native Alaskan, not another Chinese person. The next moment, his wife viciously pinched the soft flesh of his waist.
"Zhang Kai, the man helped us, and you try to give him money? Are you trying to insult him? Is that all your son and I are worth to you, huh?!" The woman's shapely eyebrows shot up. Now that she was safe, her inner tigress had returned.
"No, no, I just wanted to thank him!" the man with glasses quickly explained. He looked at his son and asked, "Who's Prince?"
"He's a doggy!!" the little boy replied proudly.
What!
'So I owe a favor to a dog now.'
The man with the glasses was speechless, his eyes fixed on the back of the figure who was about to disappear from view.
...