You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Early morning, Harbourview Medical Centre.

The pungent smell of disinfectant, and the dull, aching pain in my head that felt like it had been mashed into a paste after the anesthetic wore off.

Lyon opened his eyes with some difficulty.

The first thing that catches the eye is neither the doctor nor the unfamiliar ceiling.

Instead, it's a face full of collagen, radiating youthful vitality.

Lily Williams was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a beige knitted cardigan over a rather outrageous low-cut T-shirt.

She was peeling an apple in her hand, but her pretty face was filled with the words "I'm not happy."

Lyon was stunned for a moment, his mind still reeling.

Last night, after he was lifted into the ambulance, the emergency doctor gave him a strong injection to prevent him from moving around and tearing his side abdominal wound. He has no memory of what happened after that.

I shifted my gaze slightly to the side.

Leon instantly understood why Lily was unhappy.

On the other side of the ward, Sergeant Danfoss had moved a chair over and was sitting there with a dark expression, like a doorman.

He crossed his arms, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Lily as if she were a thief, as if she would devour Leon alive if he blinked.

This scene is too bizarre.

"cough……"

Lyon coughed lightly.

The effect is immediate.

"Leon, you're awake?!"

Lily's eyes lit up instantly. She threw down the apple and knife in her hand and headed towards the bed.

"How are you feeling? Does the wound hurt? I'll go call the doctor..."

"Stop, ma'am, please keep your distance!"

Sergeant Danfoss suddenly stood up, his massive body positioned directly between the hospital bed and Lily.

"The patient has just woken up and needs space to breathe fresh air."

With a stern, old face, he coldly pointed to the door:

"Now, please leave. Officer Vance and I have some police-related matters to discuss."

"You can go downstairs to buy a coffee, or go straight home, or go find your father; Bob is still waiting for you upstairs."

Lily was completely blocked, and her cheeks puffed up with anger.

She tiptoed and glanced at Leon over Danfoss's shoulder, then could only stomp her foot in frustration, muttering "old stubborn man," before reluctantly turning and leaving the ward.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the ward finally fell silent.

Danfoss turned around, looked at Leon with a smug expression, and pinched his forehead hard twice, as if he was about to have a stroke.

"You woke up pretty quickly, kid."

Danfoss sighed, his voice plaintive like that of a forsaken woman in her secluded chamber:

"Promoted to ACU? Or was he personally recruited by Sterling?"

"Fine, Vance. You've got too big for your britches, haven't you? I only found out about this big thing after reading the transfer order yesterday morning."

"What? Am I that unpopular? You didn't even say goodbye before leaving?"

"Cough cough... No way, old sir."

Lyon grinned and chuckled.

"It all happened so suddenly. We just finalized the deal yesterday, and I got bogged down with those new team members, busy getting disciplined. I didn't even have a chance to come to your office to tell you."

"Busy? I think you're busy reincarnating, you're asking for trouble!"

Danfoss plopped back into his chair, which creaked under the weight of the weight.

He pointed at Lyon, his expression one of utter helplessness:

"I knew you were a troublemaker, but I didn't expect your constitution to be so strange."

"When you were reinstated before, at least you could have a couple of weeks of peace and quiet, and pretend to be a model police officer for a couple of days."

"This time, on your first day back at work! In less than 24 hours, you've turned the Seattle industrial area into a battlefield!"

"Do you know how I spent last night?"

Danfoss grabbed his messy hair and started ranting:

"I was already off work, just opened a beer at home, ready to watch the game. Then those gangsters in the North District went crazy, and they recalled the entire police force!"

"We stood up against those madmen with AKs in the rain up north for half the night. We finally waited until the fire was put out and we could catch our breath."

"And then? Your place exploded again!"

"I rushed to the hospital with my team without stopping, not only to hold off those reporters who were trying to storm in like zombies at the entrance, but also to act as your bodyguard here!"

At this point, Danvers became even angrier, pointing to the spot where Lily had just been sitting:

"I not only have to watch out for reporters, but also for Bob's daughter!"

"That girl heard you were injured last night and came crying and shouting, taking care of you without taking off her clothes."

"The way she looked at me, she seemed to want to crawl into your bed and warm you up."

"Bob is still lying upstairs!"

"If anything 'accidentally' happens to his daughter here, that old bastard will pull out his bladder and come after me to kill me!"

Lyon couldn't help but laugh as he listened to Danfoss's complaints.

"Sir, you're overthinking it."

Leon blinked, his face looking rather unserious.

"Actually, I'm not that fragile. I think I can handle this level of 'care.' After all, I'm young, and I have a strong ability to recover."

"you……"

Danfoss's eyes widened, and he instinctively pointed at Leon.

But he stopped halfway through raising his hand.

"Hold."

Danfoss slapped his thigh hard, looking utterly dejected.

"Damn it, I forgot. You're the ACU team leader now, Sterling's confidant. You're still a second-class patrol officer, but you're higher up than me."

"I don't care about you anymore, do whatever you want. Just don't die in front of me."

He shook his head, and the imposing aura that threatened to beat Leon to a pulp instantly dissipated.

"Alright, enough joking around."

Danfoss straightened up, his expression turning serious. He took out his phone from his pocket, turned on the screen, and handed it to Leon.

"Look at that. You may not be ready yet, but you're already a national celebrity."

"What happened last night was outrageous."

Lyon raised his arm and took the phone from Danfoss.

He squinted and casually swiped his thumb across his phone a couple of times.

Overwhelming.

These four words are the only way to describe it.

The PR team was clearly working overtime overnight; Twitter, Facebook, and even TikTok were filled with reports about last night's rainy night ambush.

"The Arrogance of the Federal Government and the Backbone of Seattle", "Lone Hero: Who's Protecting Our Industrial Area?", "When the FBI Backed Down, He Stepped Forward".

The headlines were increasingly sensational, brimming with Hollywood-style individual heroism.

But then, the accompanying picture almost made Leon jump out of his hospital bed.

It's not about the candid photo taken last night of him lying in the mud, his face covered in blood, glaring at Hayes. Although that photo looked a bit gruesome and damaged his image, at least the rain and mud on his face covered him up, and even his own mother might not recognize him.

The problem lies in the following pictures.

That was his ID photo when he first joined the company. He was wearing a smart suit, smiling at the camera, and his features were so clear that you could even count his eyelashes.

There are even several candid photos of him taken by passersby during his patrols, showing his profile and face.