Chapter 61: How Can You Doubt Me? And Yet Your Doubt Is Correct (Please Keep Reading)

The traces of gunpowder on one’s body can be washed off with clean water, but to thoroughly cleanse it is not so easy. Therefore, within the shortest possible time, one should conduct several tests on those easily overlooked areas, and generally, a satisfactory result can be obtained.

It was summer, and they wore short sleeves; so testing the skin might miss certain spots. In another season, with long sleeves, testing the clothing would yield precise results every time.

Of course, one could simply change clothes, but if there’s no suspicion, why bother changing? If this were in their home country, and someone who wasn’t military, police, or a special worker tested positive for gunpowder at a sensitive time, eight or nine times out of ten, they’d be the suspect.

In America, it’s not so certain. For instance, at a music warehouse, with bullets flying everywhere and people running in chaos, someone might pick up traces of gunpowder. Still, as the saying goes, at a sensitive time, testing positive for gunpowder makes you a suspect—whether guilty or not, you’re brought in for questioning, no matter what.

The test results came back clean: neither Aoxi nor Zhuo Ning showed any reaction to gunpowder residue, and neither had time to wash their hands, making the results highly credible. Mesa’s frown smoothed out instantly.

Just then, an officer walked over and said, “I had the specialists at the checkpoint prioritize testing Officer Aoxi’s pistol and magazines. The results show that both the spare magazine and the one in the pistol have no fresh firing marks. In fact, the spare magazine hasn’t even been inserted into the pistol; it’s unused and only loaded with bullets.

The pistol’s barrel and ejection port are very clean, with no powder residue. The specialist disassembled the gun for a thorough inspection; there were no recent firing marks, only some old ones, likely from test shots.

The specialist said this pistol hasn’t been regularly maintained since being loaded, and its condition is slightly deteriorated. He recommends the owner have a gunsmith check the springs and other parts, and to take better care of his weapon.”

Aoxi was a little embarrassed. “It’s a spare pistol. I haven’t used it.”

Mesa shook hands with Aoxi. “Thank you for providing critical information, Officer Aoxi. Please take care of your health. If you’re dissatisfied with anything at work, feel free to speak up. Shortly, a group of citizens confirmed unrelated to the shooting will be released; you can leave together then.”

“Yes, sir.”

That was just empty words—reporting upwards never yields anything good, no matter where you are.

Mesa took his people and left to attend to his own business.

Aoxi smacked his lips, feeling a bit pleased. Having shown his face before Mesa, he had essentially passed inspection—anyone trying to cause trouble in the future would find Mesa unwilling to cooperate.

He turned and saw Mark’s broad face suddenly looming before him, startling him. “Are you out of your mind?”

Mark frowned. “You don’t understand why the chief wanted you tested?”

“I do. Isn’t it just because they suspect I might have fired a gun?” Aoxi laid it out plainly. “A Chinese guy, up in the middle of the night, hanging out at a Black music warehouse—of course they think I might have ulterior motives or did something there. Isn’t that the point?”

“If you knew, why didn’t you run?”

Aoxi laughed in exasperation. “Why would I run? I didn’t do anything, so why should I run?”

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?”

“What could I possibly do? Could I make that rapper from Atlanta sing songs about the Klan? Or incite those kids shouting Bloods slogans to go up and kill? If I could do any of that, would I be here wasting words with a low-level cop like you?”

Mark fell silent. If Aoxi, a Chinese guy, could pull that off, he’d wash his hair standing on his head.

“Maybe you did something else in there.”

“Something else? What else! Am I some kind of pervert? Would I do anything in a hail of bullets? Do I have a death wish? Do bullets fly around me untouched? The place was crawling with kids; what could I possibly gain? Are you nuts?”

Mark was stunned by the barrage of questions. “Am I nuts or not? Wait, no, I’m not!”

He sighed. “I didn’t mean to suspect you. It’s just that someone like you showing up here and doing nothing is suspicious. But the facts prove I was wrong. Sorry, buddy.”

Someone like me? What’s wrong with someone like me? Not only do you suspect me, you’re doubting my character?

And I have to forgive him, because he actually guessed right—I was indeed causing trouble in that music warehouse.

But Mark would never dream that Aoxi wasn’t up to anything else—he was just there to eliminate a few targets.

Who would imagine such a person? Isn’t that madness?

Aoxi patted Mark on the shoulder. “I know you meant no harm, buddy. If you had, you would’ve said it all when Chief Mesa was here. I forgive your suspicion, but I really didn’t do anything.”

He spread his hands, indicating he had nothing to hide.

Mark thought about it and realized it was true. Aoxi and Zhuo Ning, their bodies and car had all been searched. If there were anything suspicious, they’d have been arrested already. Even if they tried to hide something, the place would be turned upside down; nothing could be concealed.

So he apologized again. “I apologize again, buddy—and to you, Zhuo Ning.”

Before Zhuo Ning could speak, Aoxi grabbed Mark’s hand. “No need to keep apologizing, buddy. If you’ve got time, treat me to a meal. Remember, you owe me ten dinners now.”

“All right, I’ll treat you.” Mark nodded in agreement, but suddenly realized something was off. When did he owe ten meals? But this wasn’t the time to argue, so he simply said, “I’ll go check when they’ll let people leave.”

After Mark left, Zhuo Ning pulled Aoxi’s hand and led him to a quieter spot, softly asking, “Aoxi, should I not have come to the concert?”

“You should have come. Why not?”

If she hadn’t, how else could he rack up nine eliminations in one go, and finally put the system’s storage space to use—everyone had been mocking it for being useless.

“Back in the warehouse, I felt as if I’d die there, but then I thought, if I could die with you, it wouldn’t be so bad.” Zhuo Ning’s big, watery eyes gazed at Aoxi.

“Don’t say such nonsense. Quick, spit it out, spit it out.”

Zhuo Ning laughed lightly. “Spit, spit, spit.”

Aoxi reached out. “Spitting in public—fine of five dollars.”

“I don’t have any money. Can I pay by being your girlfriend for life?”

“All right. Then I’ll find a wife later, and you two can serve me together—one does the laundry, one cooks.”

Zhuo Ning pinched the soft flesh at Aoxi’s waist. “You want two women to serve you? Your kidneys don’t hurt, huh? They don’t hurt, do they?”

“They hurt, they hurt.”

Thinking of this, Aoxi grew irritable. When would he finally get some six-flavor pills or Golden Cabinet kidney tonic? He desperately needed them.