Chapter 34

Mama Bai and Mama Zhan's cooking were absolutely out of this world! For Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao who had been so busy these days that they could only live off fast food, they were so happy their tails were all perked up. Ah, so delicious～～

During the meal, Bai Yutang would fill Zhan Zhao's plate with dishes as he ate while Zhan Zhao would throw the stuff he did not like into Bai Yutang's bowl.

"No shiitake!"

"Picky Cat!"

"I don't want carrots either!""Vitamins!""Then you eat it!""I hate carrots the most!""Oh, so you're allowed to be picky but I'm not?"

And just like that, the two of them bickered while they ate. The adults of the two families were obviously used to it as they paid those two no heed and chatted amongst themselves while they ate. Bai Chí stared blankly at the two people considered to be idols within the elites of the police force. To think that they would even fight over food on the dinner table. It gave Bai Chí such a shock that he couldn't even eat.

Once they were done with their meal, everyone sat around to chat.

Bai Yutang got restless after five minutes and found an opportunity to slip into the room. After a while, he reemerged with a basketball and said, "Cat! Let's go!"

Zhan Zhao also felt beyond stuffed as he had eaten too much so he asked Bai Chí who was sitting on the sofa with a stiff expression on his, "Do you want to come along?"

Bai Chí was slightly startled at first, but then he felt pleasantly surprised and followed Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang out the door. Bai Yutang bounced the ball as he moved forward while Zhan Zhao stretched his back as he followed behind and Bai Chí carefully followed behind the two of them.

There was a public basketball court in the neighbourhood. There was no one there at night but the overhanging spotlights were still brightly lit, illuminating the entire court.

Bai Yutang walked into the basketball court that was surrounded by wire fencing and started shooting hoops by himself. Zhan Zhao walked to the concrete steps that were used as bleachers and took a seat. As he watched Bai Yutang shoot hoops, he subconsciously started thinking back to his university days.

"A-Aren't you going to play?" Bai Chí sat down beside Zhan Zhao and asked in a small voice.

Zhan Zhao chuckled, "Partaking in vigorous exercise within half an hour of a meal can lead to appendicitis!"

"T-Then, Bai…"

Zhan Zhao turned his gaze to Bai Chí and remarked amusedly, "That Mouse's appendix has been removed long ago! And it was precisely because he played ball after dinner."

"Oh～～" Bai Chí nodded in understanding.

"You seem very scared of him." Zhan Zhao commented.

"…" Bai Chí's face turned bright red. "H-He took by bullets that day."

"Hmm?" Zhan Zhao was puzzled by his reply.

"T-That time I forgot to open the safety," Bai Chí added a little hesitantly, "I-Isn't he saying that I'm not qualified to use a… gun?"

Zhan Zhao smiled at him for a bit before saying, "Does your family often mention that you have such a cousin?"

"Un." Bai Chí nodded. "They often tell me to… learn from him."

"Then, when you first met him that day, did you feel like you were too far removed from him?" Zhan Zhao asked with great interest, "Did you feel that it was impossible for you to become like him?"

"Un!!" Bai Chí nodded earnestly. "I-I had just barely managed to graduate from the police academy… There's no way I can…"

Zhan Zhao waved it off. "Don't think too hard about it! Just because you can't fight or shoot a gun, doesn't mean you can't be a cop!"

"…" Bai Chí looked up at Zhan Zhao in surprise. "There are cops… like that?"

Zhan Zhao cheerfully pointed at himself and said, "Why not? There's one right here!"

"Y-You?" Bai Chí's jaw dropped. "How's that possible?"

"I've never fired a single shot save for the exams," Zhan Zhao said while pointing a finger to the moon in the sky, "I have astigmatism as well. Right now, it looks like there are four moons shining in the sky!" (lilies: don't do that, didn't your parents tell you someone will come to chop off your ears at night if you do that XD)

Zhan Zhao's words finally drew a chuckle out of Bai Chí. The latter started to feel more relaxed around him and said, "But you're still so famous and they all say you're a genius."

"Actually, when Xiao Bai unloaded your gun that day, he wasn't trying to say that you're undeserving of using it."

"T-Then, that's the reason for it?" Clearly, Bai Chí had been plagued by this question for a long time.

"He's simply an amoeba!" Zhan Zhao whispered, "You can't think of him as too complicated!"

In the distance, Bai Yutang sneezed really loudly.

"A-Amoeba??" Bai Chí's eye widened.

"It's that basic single-celled organism!! If he thought that you were not qualified to use a gun, he would've told you flat out.""So… why?"

Zhan Zhao replied with a smile, "He just felt that you weren't in a state fit to hold a gun."

"I-Is that so?"

"Hey～～～～" Bai Yutang called while bouncing the ball, "Isn't it about time? The two of you should come to exercise too! Stupid Cat, always lazing around after meals. You better beware of your stomach growing bigger by the day!"

To which Zhan Zhao responded with a roll of his eyes.

"He's so fit! He threw 60 shots in such a short amount of time and he isn't even out of breath!" Bai Chí looked at Bai Yutang in amazement. "I wouldn't be able to even get 10 shots through the hoops!"

"What did you just say?" Zhan Zhao turned to him in surprise.

"??" Bai Chí was puzzled.

"Xiao Bai!" Zhan Zhao shouted at Bai Yutang, "How many shots have you made when you called us just now?"

"Huh?" Bai Yutang put away the ball and patted on it as he made his way over to them. "Probably around 60?"

Zhan Zhao turned around to face Bai Chí, looked all nervous, and asked, "You were keeping count while we were chatting just now?"

"N-No… T-There's a rhythm to it and I did some division based on the total time…" Bai Chí stuttered an explanation.

Zhan Zhao thought about it for a while before looking down for a small stone and began drawing circles and crosses on the concrete steps.

By then, Bai Yutang had already come up behind him and questioned, "What are you doing?"

Looking at the mess of circles and crosses, Zhan Zhao threw the stone at Bai Chí a little excitedly and said, "Follow the pattern and draw the next five symbols!"

Bai Chí was bewildered by the sudden request, but he still obediently did as he was told and lowered his head to look at the symbols. Taking barely a split second's time to think, Bai Chí proceeded to draw a few circles and cross after the row of symbols.

Seeing that, Zhan Zhao gasped.

"What are you up to, Cat?" Bai Yutang leaned in curiously to check out the symbols on the ground.

"Edward's Intelligence Test1!" Zhan Zhao exclaimed in excitement, "Do you know that your cousin's IQ is above 170!!"

"What does 170 imply?" Bai Yutang had no idea what Zhan Zhao was saying.

"80 is average, 100 is smart, Madame Curie's IQ was 150 while Einstein's was 160!!" Zhan Zhao answered, "If he had studied physics, he might have become even more accomplished than Hawkings!!"

Bai Yutang blinked blankly before patting Bai Chí on the shoulder, "Good lad! You're so promising. Are you sure you weren't picked up2?"

Zhan Zhao kicked him hard the moment those words left his mouth. "What are you saying!!"

"Damn Cat!" Bai Yutang patted on the ball and walked to the centre of the court. "Come out, let's have a duel if you're done resting! I'm going to wipe the floor3 with you!!"

Zhan Zhao took off his jacket and threw it onto the stands. Just as he was about to call Bai Chí to join him, he was greeted with the sight of the latter standing rooted to the ground, in a daze, face flushed red. "I-I'm really not… a disgrace to the Bai family?"

Zhan Zhao laughed, "You don't have to use a gun to be a good policeman!" And added while nodding his head, "You have the best weapon bestowed by the heavens!!" Then, he rolled up his sleeves and ran up to snatch the ball from Bai Yutang. "White Mouse! Your days of arrogance are over!"

"Cat! That's a foul!""Who says so?!""You running with the ball is not a foul?!""Hmph!""Hey! Do you think this is soccer??""And shoot!""You damn Cat! Do you even know the rules??""I am the rules!"

…

The three of them fooled around until it was 9 PM. Actually, it was Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, who were supposed to be the older brothers, messing around and Bai Chí, who was the younger brother, picking up the ball after them.

Dididdi～～～

Bai Yutang's cellphone rang all of a sudden.

"Hello?" He picked up the call. "What?! …We'll be right there!"

"What's wrong?" Zhan Zhao asked, seeing the grim expression on Bai Yutang's face.

"Something happened to Qi Le."

"What?" Zhan Zhao jumped at his answer. "How is she?"

Bai Yutang shook his head while saying, "Don't worry. Luckily, I had Zhao Hu follow her today. She was attacked with a knife when she was purchasing drugs at 'Nishang Street'. Zhao Hu saved her but the assailant got away."

"She was slashed" Zhan Zhao had confusion written all over his face.

Bai Yutang put the ball away and threw the jacket at Zhan Zhao while saying, "Qi Le was injured but refuses to go to the hospital so Zhao Hu brought her back to S.C.I. for Gongsun to perform some simple first aid for her."

"Then we better hurry over!" Zhanzhao put on his jacket and followed Bai Yutang to leave.

"Here!" Bai Yutang tossed the ball at Bai Chí. "You head back first. We have some matters to deal with so we'll be taking our leave first."

"Ah～～～" Bai Chí hurriedly ran up to them with the ball in his arms, plucked up his courage and called out loudly, "I-I want to come along!"

then each turned back, when through his own half-ring

he had attained the other butting place.

————————《神曲》The Fourth Circle. Intemperance in Wealth4

A figure ignited the Molotov cocktail in their hand and threw it into the crowds of people, cackling as they listened to the screams.

Waving around the long knife in their hand, admiring the reflection of blood against the polished blade… while muttering, "The only one that can save them5 is you! The only one that can save them is you! …"

Over and over again with no end.