"Kneel down!" The gangster with the gun to his head knelt obediently beside the crew-cut man. At the same time, Jack thrust the slightly deformed, curved iron pipe into Johnny's hands.
Meeting his puzzled gaze, Jack tilted his head. "Just don't kill them."
"Ah!" The cartoonist roared, swinging the iron pipe at the two kneeling on the ground without a care in the world. The situation was reversed. The victim became the perpetrator, and the once unscrupulous gangster became a pitiful creature lying on the ground, howling in pain.
With a clang, Johnny dropped the iron pipe. He stumbled to his girlfriend and put his arms around her. From fear to despair, then to the relief of surviving the ordeal, and finally the joy of revenge, the two embraced and burst into tears.
Twenty minutes later, the dim alleyway was ablaze with lights from ambulances and police cars. Not only had the North Hollywood night patrol officer arrived after receiving the call, but Tim and Lucy, who had just said goodbye to everyone at the farm, also arrived.
As Johnny's girlfriend relayed their story to the responding officer, everyone looked back at the six piles of garbage being loaded into the ambulance. They had initially wondered if Jack's actions were a bit too brutal, but now they thought killing them all seemed a good idea.
Johnny McHale and his girlfriend, Vicki Wright, had left the convenience store and were walking back to their apartment, chatting.
On the way, Vicki Wright casually mentioned that she'd found out she was pregnant that afternoon and wanted to see her boyfriend's reaction. Overwhelmed by the joy, Johnny McHale knelt down at the entrance of the alley and proposed, vowing to buy a ring first thing the next morning.
This should have been a blissful moment, but it was interrupted by a group of gangsters lurking in the alley with ulterior motives. Johnny pulled out all the cash he had on him and pleaded with them to let them go.
He was met with the reply, "Man, you've got more than that. I bet you don't want to miss this."
Then they were dragged into the alley, and the bearded, crew-cut guy demanded Johnny witness his new fiancée being ravaged.
"Well done, old man," Tim patted Jack on the shoulder, offering sincere praise. "That son of a bitch in the lead is Glen Hill, nicknamed 'Raper.' The women around here will appreciate that crotch-smacking."
"Uh, those last few blows weren't mine," Jack quickly clarified. He could accept the title of Hard-Handed Detective, but not the Ball-Destroying Detective.
At least two of the six gangsters will likely be forced to subsist on a liquid diet for the rest of their lives. The two Johnny dealt with became eunuchs. The remaining one suffered a severe concussion, another lost three fingers, and was bleeding profusely, leaving behind psychological scars likely greater than the physical trauma.
Red and Lyla, engrossed in the entire spectacle, found it a thrilling, bloody, and violent spectacle on par with a Hollywood action film. They immediately became Jack's fans and volunteered to take Johnny and his girlfriend to the hospital.
The next morning, Jack and Jiejie visited the hospital to see cartoonist Johnny and his girlfriend. Both needed some rest. Johnny's girlfriend, Vicki Wright, was uninjured, but she was severely shaken and recently pregnant, so the doctors recommended a few days of observation.
Jiejie had already contacted the District Attorney's office. They were just six would-be attackers. Johnny, a cartoonist, was a prominent figure, so they wouldn't pursue the matter further. As for the FBI, where was the FBI? Wasn't that the LAPD who arrived just in time?
"What do you think of the title 'The Dark Knight'?" Johnny asked abruptly after shaking Jack's hand and thanking him.
Jack found a vase on his bedside table to hold the flowers they had brought. "Did last night's experience give you some new inspiration? But doesn't this name belong to Batman?"
"Yes, I want to create a superhero wearing a cape and wielding two swords. He will wander through dark alleys at night, protecting ordinary citizens from thugs.
Maybe there is no need for a knight, just a single word will do, like my previous "Blue". I plan to name it "Night". It will be a change from my usual style, cruel and extremely bloody, blood for blood, tooth for tooth, violence for violence."
Johnny became more and more excited as he spoke, the pencil in his hand kept writing and drawing on the paper, and soon he sketched out a rough character shape.
"Honey, I think what you need most now is a good rest. The doctor said that your internal organs have some minor damage and you need a long period of rest." His fiancée Vicky Wright said with a smile from the next bed. The two were in the same ward.
"I think you two should lie down obediently." Jiejie smiled and stopped her from trying to get up, and sat down beside her bed, "Is the child okay? "
Vicki Wright shook her head slightly and smiled back. This blonde girl had soft features and a good temperament. No wonder those bastards had such bad intentions.
After a few small talks, Jack and Jiejie prepared to leave. Before leaving, Jack not only took the opportunity to shake hands with Vicki Wright and cast a long-lasting healing spell, but also left two business cards for Johnny, one for himself and one for Chris.
Although Johnny, the cartoonist, was not a big star, he still had a group of loyal fans compared to a novice writer like Jack.
Comic adaptations were also one of the sources of material for the short drama. , maybe it would be nice if both parties could reach some cooperation in the future.
Jack stayed in Los Angeles for nearly a week. In addition to accompanying Jiejie, he went to the Wilshire Branch and the BAU team when he had nothing to do, and he also went to old Hunter and Didi's house several times.
The two old people were in good health. An old tenant, Joe Mason, was in good spirits and did not look like an 80-year-old man. He even took the initiative to take the job of picking up Isabel from school every day.
In addition to helping them check their health, Jack mainly talked about the cases he had experienced in the past year and future developments. The plot of "Red Flame Battlefield" has not yet begun. , which made him a little worried.
He was mainly worried that things would involve old Hunter and Dee Dee. Although they were not in the original plot, now Joe Mason has become their tenant, and it is hard to say what will happen next.
Jack can only brag as much as possible and show his abilities in front of the three old men, just hoping that they will not abandon him to mess around alone.
Entrusting Isabel to them also served as an insurance policy, at least so that they can have more concerns. In Jack's eyes, the destructive power of old Hunter and Dee Dee is no less than that of "R.E.D." such as Joe Mason and Big Bald Frank.
In addition, Jack also asked Joe Mason to help him keep a close eye on Brian Mills, Leila's bodyguard. Although he was no longer short of system coins, he was still very interested in the rescue plots.
After all, most of Liam Neeson's rescue series, in terms of plot, influence and destructive power, were far inferior to the two "Red" series. He was now close to a mid-level cadre in the FBI, so he should be able to handle it, probably.
After arranging all this, the seven-day vacation was coming to an end. After saying goodbye to Jiejie, who was reluctant to leave, Jack boarded the flight back to New York.