My chat group members are all legendary criminals.

Chapter 28 Schemes

In the half-second of Malik's fall, Lu Yiming made the craziest decision of his life.

He lunged forward, most of his body hanging off the rooftop, his left hand gripping Malik's stitched-up right arm tightly.

"ah!!"

Malik screamed in pain as the nylon stitches at his sutures snapped one by one, splattering blood everywhere.

The reporters downstairs went completely crazy.

"He caught him! He caught him!"

"God! Take pictures! Take pictures of everything!"

"Chinese-American auxiliary police officer jumps from building to save lives!"

The sound of camera shutters drowned out the noise, and countless lenses greedily recorded this breathtaking scene.

Lu Yiming didn't know why he did this.

Perhaps it was because of the box of coins Elsa left behind, or perhaps it was genuine sympathy for these disabled people.

Perhaps it's because deep down he's still a Chinese person who can't bear to see death.

"Grab him!"

Marcus lunged forward, and three or four officers rushed to the edge at the same time, grabbing Lu Yiming's legs and belt.

But the Earth has gravity.

Malik's body was still sliding down, the nylon thread was breaking rapidly, and his right arm could be separated at any moment.

Less than ten seconds. No, maybe only three seconds.

Lu Yiming glanced downwards out of the corner of his eye.

Downstairs, the fire department's orange air cushion has already been deployed.

I'm taking the gamble!

"Let go!" Lu Yiming shouted, and to the astonishment of the officers, he deliberately shook off his partner's hand!

Using the pull of Malik's fall, he leaped off the roof, rolled in the air, and wrapped his arms around Malik's body.

"NO!" Mia screamed from above.

The wind whistled in my ears, and a feeling of weightlessness spread throughout my body.

Lu Yiming closed his eyes, pressed Malik's head firmly against his chest, and faced downwards with his back to him.

boom--

A muffled thud, the impact exploded from my back, and I felt my internal organs churning.

The air cushion beneath me caved in violently, bounced back, and then sank in again.

The world was silent for three seconds.

Immediately, a tidal wave of screams, camera shutters, and sirens filled the air.

Lu Yiming coughed up a mouthful of blood and struggled to open his eyes.

My vision blurred, and the world spun around me.

He could feel Malik's body still rising and falling in his arms.

They're still alive. They're all still alive.

"Medical staff! Quickly!"

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"

"I got it! I got it all! God, this year's Pulitzer Prize is mine!"

Countless cameras, like a swarm of sharks smelling blood, broke through the cordon and aimed at the two people stacked together on the air cushion.

The white light flashed wildly, freezing Lu Yiming's bewildered expression and Malik's broken body in time.

Lu Yiming tried to sit up, but everything went black.

The last thing he saw was Mia and Marcus's terrified faces as they pushed through the crowd and rushed toward him.

……

Consciousness sank into the deep sea, intermittently.

When I opened my eyes again, all I could see was the hazy white of the hospital ceiling.

The two faces gradually became clearer from the blur.

Chen Ruoyan's eyes were red, and she held his hand tightly; Mia stood by the bed, arms crossed, her face pale.

"...You're finally awake." Chen Ruoyan's voice trembled as she forced back her tears.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Mia's voice was harsh, clearly showing her anger.

"Jump from the seventh floor? You think you're Superman?"

Lu Yiming's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "How is that disabled person?"

"I won't die." Mia turned her face away, still angry.

"He was shot, but it wasn't a fatal wound. He lost a lot of blood and is still in the ICU, but his life is not in danger for now."

Lu Yiming closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Immediately, an even deeper chill crept in.

Who fired the shot?

Who wants to shut Malik, the last witness, up completely?

The answer is already obvious.

That's the mastermind behind it all—the one who helped them, provided them with drugs and body disposal techniques, and taught them how to evade surveillance.

Only a dead person who can't speak is the most useful knife.

The television in the corner of the ward was playing the news.

In the video, the blond president stands behind the podium, his face somber and his tone angry:

"...I am furious and heartbroken. In our great America, in Fremont, such an outrageous thing has happened! A mayor has dared to oppress the most vulnerable members of our society in this way."

Our disabled compatriots! This is a desecration of civilization and a trampling of human rights!

The scene then cuts to a dramatic moment where Lu Yiming carries Malik as they fall from the building and land on an air cushion.

"We also want to pay tribute to this brave Chinese-American police officer. He demonstrated true courage and the American spirit..."

The president remained unfazed, gesturing wildly as he spoke grand and eloquent words.

The next scene shows the mayor being dragged into a police car in a disheveled state, with the narration explaining his relationship with the Lazarus cult.

Lu Yiming stared at the television screen, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The case is not over yet.

What is the connection between the Lazarus cult and this matter?

Why did my reasoning, based on flawed premises, lead me to that cult's hideout by sheer coincidence?

That hideout just so happens to be connected to the mayor?

What a coincidence!

It's as if someone deliberately packaged up a cult and a mayor in advance and placed them in front of him, just waiting for him to discover them.

Am I... also being used as a tool?

"Have something to eat." Chen Ruoyan held a peeled banana to his mouth.

Lu Yiming took a bite, but couldn't taste it; his eyes were filled with the impassioned president.

California is a stronghold of the president's Democratic Party, while the mayor of Fresno is a Republican.

On the side of the couch, how can you allow others to snore?

A mayoral scandal, votes from people with disabilities, and the public goodwill brought about by a spectacular rescue...

All clues point to one possibility.

Perhaps the person behind all of this is the fat man gesticulating wildly on TV right now.

Lu Yiming, like the five disabled people, was merely a relatively useful piece in this game.

"Damn it, if I could see him, I'd give him a piece of my mind."

The moment the words were spoken, the ward door was pushed open.

Three men wearing dark blue suits and American flag badges walked in.

The leader's gaze fell on Lu Yiming's face, his voice steady:

"Mr. Lu, the president wants to see you."

Lu Yiming: ? ? ?

Seriously? I was just thinking to myself, could this "words become law" skill be used when buying lottery tickets?

Before he could ask any questions or refuse, two special agents had already stepped forward.

They helped him up from the hospital bed, one on each side.

Lu Yiming thought he was going to get in a car to go to the airport, but he was instead helped through the hospital corridor and brought to the ICU ward.

Outside a heavily guarded hospital ward, the White House press corps was packed.

The door opened a crack, and Lu Yiming was led inside.

The ward smelled strongly of disinfectant.

The president, who had just been on television, was now standing by the hospital bed, looking solemnly at Malik, who was covered in tubes.

"I will definitely give the disabled people some tape for this!"

Click! Click! Click!

The accompanying reporters seized upon this precious moment of the "president's warm visit to a seriously injured disabled person" and frantically took photos.

The flashlights illuminated the ward brightly, completely disregarding the patients.

The president actually made the trip just to put on a show.

Are you afraid he won't die fast enough? Lu Yiming's lips twitched.

Secret Service agents leaned down and whispered two words in the blond president's ear.

The president immediately turned around and firmly grasped Lu Yiming's hand.

"Officer Lu! Our heroic young man!" He had an infectious smile on his face.

His voice was loud and clear, making sure every reporter could hear him, "You've successfully solved this case of the dismembered corpses!"

"You did a fantastic job! I'm so proud of you! All of America is proud of you!"

Click! Click! Click!

The camera then focused on Lu Yiming, capturing the moment when the president personally commended the auxiliary police hero.

Lu Yiming forced a smile as his hand was held, but his heart was ice-cold.

Judging from this, the authorities seem to intend to close the case here.

As for the political calculations behind it, let them rot in the darkness forever...