fictionpage Chapter 29 Lazarus's Offering
Chapter 29 Lazarus's Offering
He thought the billionaire president would reward him with a bonus of several hundred thousand dollars.
In the end, he just patted him on the shoulder, said a few useless nice words to the camera, and then simply left.
Flying all the way to the hospital just to film two shots, to win a game?
The reporters chased after the president.
Lu Yiming stood there, somewhat dazed.
Is that... all there is to it?
When he returned to his ward, Marcus and Director Gu Qiu were already waiting.
"Ming, are you alright?" Marcus stepped forward to help him up.
Gu Qiu walked over, holding a document and a rectangular box in her hand.
"Officer Lu!"
"You successfully solved the subway body reconstruction case and saved the victim."
He paused for a moment, then handed over the box first.
Lu Yiming took it and opened it.
A brand new silver shield-shaped police badge lay inside the box, with a serial number and the word "POLICE" engraved below it.
"In recognition of your outstanding performance, you are hereby promoted to police officer, exceptionally so."
Lu Yiming looked at these words:
POLICE.
Skipping the probationary period, they went straight to being a full-fledged police officer.
This means higher wages, the ability to carry firearms, independent investigative authority, and a pension...
In this city, there is a recognized place.
He looked up at Director Gu, then at Marcus.
Both of them were smiling; it was the kind of smile a superior gives to a capable subordinate with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Director! Thank you, Boss! I will definitely continue to work hard!"
Lu Yiming saluted, his smile bright and his eyes clear.
But no one knew that what he was thinking was:
This position isn't enough. He needs to keep climbing.
Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant...
It wasn't for any justice, it wasn't for some damn America, it was just for himself.
"Chief, the case of piecing together corpses... isn't over yet?" Lu Yiming looked at Gu Qiu, unsure of his fellow Chinese compatriot's attitude.
One body has not yet been found, nor have the remaining severed limbs.
Gu Qiu smiled and said clearly, "It's over."
The meaning is clear; there's no need to investigate the rest, and nobody cares.
Lu Yiming sensed something was wrong.
He suspected that Director Gu Qiu also belonged to a faction.
Why were the media able to get information about the police so quickly? He even suspected it was Mia's big mouth.
Marcus had only reported this to Gu Qiu.
Either Gu Qiu released him voluntarily, or there are other moles within the police station.
The purpose was to ruin the mayor's reputation.
It feels terrible to be used as a pawn.
But he knew that he had no right to resist.
……
For the next few days, Lu Yiming recuperated in the hospital ward.
Chen Ruoyan brings meals to her every day, preparing a variety of dishes.
In the middle of the night on the third day, the ward door was gently pushed open.
A head popped in; it was old Mike.
He sneaked in, carrying two boxes of milk, and locked the door behind him.
"Hey! Officer Lu, you're awake?"
Mike grinned and placed the milk crate on the ground with a dull thud.
"Mike? What brings you here at this hour?"
Lu Yiming sat up. He was a little surprised that this stingy old man would actually bring a gift.
"Congratulations! You've been promoted to a full-fledged police officer! That's amazing!"
"Come on in, no need to bring a gift."
Mike didn't answer, but went over and closed the curtains tightly.
He squatted down and removed the plastic film from the milk carton.
It didn't contain milk, but rather long strips wrapped in bubble wrap.
Mike picked up a strip and tore open the foam paper.
In the dim light, the heavy gold color was revealed.
It's a gold bar. A standard one-pound gold bar.
Lu Yiming paused in his breathing.
"Is it the batch from the Lazarus site?" he asked in a low voice.
"What else?" Mike picked up one and weighed it in his hand.
"They call this a donation, and Timothy didn't mention this part during his statement. He was hoping to get a shorter sentence."
How many are there here?
"Here are twenty sticks, weighing twenty pounds. At the current market price, one pound can fetch 120,000 on the black market."
Lu Yiming's heart raced as he looked at the pile of gold.
This is no small sum. Two to four hundred thousand US dollars, and that's before taxes are due.
That's enough for him to live a carefree life for the rest of his life.
Mike put the gold bars back, lit a cigarette and took a puff. "The stuff is good, but the trouble is huge."
"What's the trouble?"
"Those lunatics from Lazarus are looking for this batch of gold."
Mike exhaled a smoke ring. "They're not as simple as you think."
Timothy was just a small-town thug; the real big shots were in New York. They wouldn't let it go so easily after being robbed of 20 pounds of gold.
Mike squinted at Lu Yiming, "What should we do? Melt it down to make two gold insoles? Or return it?"
Lu Yiming picked up a gold bar and tapped it with his molars.
Sweet, the purer the gold, the sweeter it is.
More than two million US dollars... He had never seen so much money in his life.
With this money, he could buy a big house and a nice sports car.
More importantly, with this seed money, he can do a lot of things.
Cultivate connections, climb the ranks, and build your own power.
"Give it back?" Lu Yiming looked up at Mike, then suddenly smiled.
"Mike, do you know how much I earn a month now?"
"When I was an auxiliary police officer, I earned 800 a month. Now that I've been promoted to a regular police officer, I only get a little over 3,000 after tax."
Lu Yiming's voice suddenly rose: "In Fremont, what can you do with this little bit of money? It's not even enough to rent a decent apartment."
I risked my life to solve this case, almost falling to my death, and all I got in return was a promotion and a few nice words.
Mike stubbed out his cigarette on the windowsill: "So, you're planning to keep it for yourself, buddy?"
"That's right! The bold get rich, the timid starve."
He is now a full-fledged police officer, qualified to carry a firearm and granted immunity from law enforcement.
At worst, I still have access to chat groups for criminals.
Lazarus? Come on. I'll empty your magazine as soon as you arrive!
He then shook his head, wondering what was going on...
Why do I feel like my desire for money is getting stronger and stronger, and more and more... justified?
"Fine, you've got guts."
Mike nodded, rewrapped the gold bars, and put them back in the box.
He held up two fingers to Lu Yiming, grinning, and said, "I'll take 20%. Storage fee, information fee, and risk fee."
"Twenty percent?" Lu Yiming raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty ruthless, aren't you?!"
"black?"
"My dear Officer Lu! Without me, could you have found that church? I still need to bribe my old gangster buddies, 20%, not much!"
Lu Yiming didn't argue anymore. Mike was right; there was still a lot he would need to do in the future.
"Okay, 20%."
"Great!" Mike slapped his thigh, resealed the boxes, and they looked like two ordinary boxes of milk again.
"I'll take the things with me and hide them. We'll talk in detail after you're discharged from the hospital."
He picked up the suitcase, walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at Lu Yiming.
"Lu, there's something I need to remind you of."
"Sometimes, to be a good cop, you have to know when to turn a blind eye."
Lu Yiming remained silent.
He suspected that old Mike was targeting him, and he probably also realized that the body-piece case was related to the election campaign.
He ultimately saved Malik, perhaps thwarting that important figure's plan.
"You're a full-fledged police officer now. Be careful. Goodbye!"
He carried the milk, and casually stole two fruit baskets delivered by the police station before slipping out.
The ward returned to quiet.
Lu Yiming leaned against the headboard, wide awake.
He pulled out his phone from under his pillow and opened the legendary criminals chat group...