North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 218 Don't be sorry Be better
Gari Mountain area.

As dusk approached, the setting sun painted the mountains orange-red, and a gentle evening breeze caressed the withered grass.

At the foot of the mountain, an abandoned farm stands with its fences askew and the roof of the barn mostly collapsed. It looks very quiet, as if time has stood still here.

Suddenly, a dog's bark broke the tranquility of the mountains.

A sheepdog, almost half a person's height, with silver-white fur, was galloping from a distance, its tail wagging rapidly, its eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation as it looked ahead.

"Brian! Wait for me!"

Scarlett called out to it from behind, but Brian ignored her and charged straight ahead until he came to a mound of earth.

The big dog lowered its head and sniffed around. After confirming what it was, it lay down in front of the mound and whimpered. Its tail, which had been held high, drooped listlessly, as if all its life had been suddenly drained away.

Scarlett, who had been following behind, slowed her pace. Looking at the mound of earth in front of her, she seemed to realize something, stopped beside Brian, and stared blankly at the simple grave, her hands trembling involuntarily.

"Feel sorry."

Rorschach's voice came from behind.

Looking at the weeds sprouting on the mound, he squatted down and pulled them out one by one. While tidying up the grave, he said softly, "I was being chased at the time, and because of the time constraints, I could only give old Logan and Qin a simple burial."

Scarlett didn't speak, but bit her lower lip tightly, her whole body like a frozen statue.

Seeing this, Luo Xia bit his lip and said no more.

He walked to the abandoned barn, took out a shovel, tamped down the mound of earth, added some new soil, and placed several flat stones in front of the grave as markers.

After he finished doing all that, he stood beside Scarlett and explained, "Originally, after I settled down, I wanted to come back here and bring Old Logan and the others' ashes to the cemetery for a proper burial, but I gave up on that idea."

He looked around; the entire mountain farm was bathed in twilight, and one could still vaguely make out its former appearance.

"This is where the couple lived their entire lives. If they had a choice, Logan and Jean would probably choose to rest here in this land rather than in a cold, unfamiliar cemetery."

However, Scarlett seemed not to hear him at all; the woman stood stiffly, tears streaming silently down her face.

Luo Xia really didn't know what to say, after all, the people buried in the ground were the other party's grandparents, and they were indirectly killed by him.

He didn't say something as meaningless as "I wish I had been the one shot at the time."

He only regrets that he should have been more vigilant and cautious back then, instead of being too careless, which led to the irreversible tragedy he is now facing.

Now, Rorschach has received the punishment he deserves, and every day he lives in the future, he will suffer greatly because of this guilt.

"I'm sorry, Scarlett."

"Liz".

Scarlett, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head, tears still welling up in her red and moist eyes.

She looked directly at her loved ones resting in the mound of earth and said in a hoarse voice, "Call me Liz."

"OK, sorry, Liz."

Rorschach nervously rubbed his hands together. "I know you're feeling terrible right now, and I don't know what to say to comfort you. Of course, if it might make you feel a little better, remember that when I was peeling Peraripi, she was still alive, and I gave her an adrenaline injection."

He said earnestly, "So the pain she suffered before her death was countless times that of old Logan and Jyn."

Liz (Scarlett) turned to look at him: "Do you think saying this now will make me feel better?"

"I'm sorry, I already said I'm not very good at comforting people."

Rorschach coughed awkwardly, then knelt down and kowtowed three times to the grave in the manner of an Eastern ritual. He then stood up, sighed, and left, leaving Liz alone to bid her final farewell to her loved ones.

He walked to the front of the wooden house. The closed door was covered in dust, and the walls around it still bore the marks of bullet holes.

Although the homeowner has passed away, under Illinois law, the house cannot be forcibly repossessed even if there are no heirs, as long as the legal procedures have not been completed.

Of course, this only works against honest people, not against scoundrels.

Many vacant houses in the city have long become havens for homeless people.

Fortunately, the mountainous area is sparsely populated, and there were no signs of homeless people or broken into the houses.

Otherwise, there would probably be a few more corpses here.

Upon entering, everything was arranged exactly as it had been when Rorschach had visited, and there were obvious signs that the house had been tidied up.

Old Logan also had a nephew who ran a small business in town. It's likely that the nephew came to clean up the mess after learning of the Logan couple's deaths.

Rorschach pulled out a wooden chair next to the dining table, sat down, and lit a cigarette.

Amidst the wisps of smoke, I vaguely saw again the heartwarming scene of Logan and his wife warmly welcoming me that night.

After a moment of silence, the pent-up anger finally erupted:

"Fake!!!"

He slammed his fist on the table.

The calm facade was suddenly shattered, like the stillness before a storm being broken.

Just six months ago, he was a police officer patrolling in Chicago, but in order to save dozens of children, he was suddenly caught in a turbulent vortex.

Along the way, he fled, fought back, and plotted until he finally killed the culprit with his own hands. But what was the price?
He became a wanted criminal worldwide, unable to openly meet the people he loved, and the kind people who had helped him died because of him.

Rorschach didn't know if it was all worth it, but by now, that question was no longer worth considering.

Now the only option is to continue destroying this corrupt system with bullets and blood until the federal government completely collapses!

"You seem to need to calm down more than I do."

Liz, standing at the door, frowned as she looked at Rorschach.

In her gaze, the man's back looked like a silent volcano.

She shook her head and ignored it, turning around to search her memory inside the room.

Brian lay obediently at Rorschach's feet, occasionally tilting his head back and whimpering.

A smile crept onto Rorschach's stern face as he gently stroked Brian's head, his gaze following Liz's figure.

She walked slowly, pausing at each corner to reminisce for a long time.

When she returned, there were two tear streaks on her face.

She clutched a framed photo tightly in her hand, showing the Logan couple and Liz's father, Jay, holding a girl and smiling at the camera.

Liz's mother died during childbirth, so this photo can be considered a family portrait.

Liz took the photo out of the frame, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, and put it in the pocket of her bosom.

She looked at Luo Xia, who was staring blankly at her, took a deep breath, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite him.

"So, I still need to go back to the Department of Homeland Security?" "What else? Wasn't it already made very clear yesterday on the submarine?"

Rorschach patiently explained, "If you really want to work with me to destroy this corrupt regime, going undercover in the Department of Homeland Security is the best option."

"The team won't miss you, whether you're here or not. You can't replace Anna, and forcing you to stay would only be a waste of your talent."

He placed his fingers on the table and looked directly into Liz's eyes: "So, you'll be able to make the most of yourself by going back to monitor some of the Homeland Security's secret projects and their movements."

Hearing the assessment that she was inferior to Anna, Liz frowned unhappily.

You should know that the woman had fought with her before, and it turned out that she was no match for her in terms of fists and feet.

However, she had to admit that Anna, who had spent many years in the European world of fame and fortune, was better at disguising herself and more suited to what Rorschach and his group were going to do in the future.

“Don’t worry about your identity being exposed,” Rorschach continued. “Harold has already fabricated your activity log for the past few days. Delta’s surveillance cameras haven’t captured your face either. As long as you stay calm, no one will suspect that you’ve been with me these past few days.”

Liz nodded slightly upon hearing this, then asked with a puzzled look, "Since the last century, the Department of Homeland Security has been developing enhancement drugs that can unleash human potential, as well as the latest high-tech weapons. Those soldiers in camouflage and stealth fighters you saw in Slovakia last time were results, but you..."

The young woman looked Luo Xia up and down a few times. "You really didn't inject those drugs?"

“Nonsense, I never get injections, and I’ve never even tried protein powder,” Luo Xia said dismissively.

"Then why are you so much stronger than ordinary people in terms of physical fitness, strength, and speed, even stronger than me?"

"I was born with superhuman strength."

"."

Liz rolled her eyes, her gaze towards Rorschach filled with suspicion and dissatisfaction.

She felt that this guy still didn't really consider her one of his own, and was always hiding some secrets from others.

"Oh, right"

Luo Xia suddenly remembered something and pulled the pendant, still warm from his body, out of his collar.

"You should keep this; it's one of old Logan's last possessions."

Liz gazed at the old silver pendant, especially at the photograph on it, for a long time, then shook her head: "Keep it for yourself. Now that you've avenged my grandparents, you're entitled to wear it."

Luo Xia raised an eyebrow, but did not refuse, and put the pendant back.

Although wearing a pendant with a woman's picture on it might sound strange, as mentioned earlier, it was, after all, an heirloom of old Logan, and Rorschach actually intended to wear it close to his body all the way to his coffin.

“But I can tell you’ve had quite a story to tell.” Liz looked at the “Daddy” bracelet on Rorschach’s wrist and asked curiously, “You have children?”

Upon hearing this, Luo Xia revealed a rare, warm smile. "That's right, I have a son, and I'm planning to visit him soon."

"OK, I didn't expect you to be so good at hiding things. Even the Department of Homeland Security didn't know about this intelligence."

Liz got up from her chair, took one last look around the old house that held her childhood memories, and then prepared to leave.

This is her last stop with Rorschach. Next, she will return to the base far away in the Arctic and put on her Homeland Security agent's uniform again.

This time, however, her goal wasn't to serve her country, but to completely destroy a regime. No, perhaps it should be said that her objective was more direct—for example, to first kill the Homeland Security director who had killed her father.

However, just as she was about to step out the door, she suddenly stopped.

"And one more thing."

Liz turned to Brian, her tone resolute: "Brian was raised by my grandparents, and he's a descendant of the sheepdog I had when I was a child. I'm taking him with me, and I'll take care of him from now on."

"what?!"

Rorschach, who had been calm, suddenly stood up and refused decisively: "Fu*king No!!! Brian is my dog ​​now! I am his master!"

"Your opinion doesn't count! I am the descendant of the Howlett family!"

Liz scoffed dismissively, then her expression softened as she crouched down and beckoned to Brian.
“Good boy, come here. I’m Liz Howlett, you must remember me, right? I used to play with your mother Louise a lot when I was little. Come here, sweet boy~”

However, no matter how she called out to him, Brian remained motionless.

The large dog lay at Rorschach's feet, glancing up at its owner every now and then, its eyes seeming to ask, "What's that strange woman up there doing?"

Seeing this, Rorschach was completely relieved. He patted Brian's head triumphantly and watched with great interest as Liz went from gently coaxing him to patiently persuading him, and then to becoming exasperated.

After trying various methods to no avail, Liz gritted her teeth in anger and muttered resentfully, "You didn't inherit any of your mother's intelligence! You disloyal fat dog!"

She stomped her foot angrily, glared at Luo Xia who was beaming with smugness, and stormed out of the cabin without looking back.

Watching her departing figure, Rorschach raised his voice and called out, "Liz! I'm sorry one last time."

Liz stopped and turned to look at the person and dog standing in front of the door. With a complicated expression, she said, "Don't be sorry, be better."

She waved gently, turned and disappeared into the twilight, leaving Rorschach and Brian to watch her go in silence.

------------

after one day.

Deep in the snowy mountains of Alaska.

Inside a completely hollowed-out mountain, the heavily guarded base was brightly lit, surrounded by staff in special uniforms, most of whom were researchers, hurrying between the various laboratories.

In the elevator.

Liz, who had just finished an internal audit, rubbed her temples, her face showing exhaustion.

She disobeyed the director's orders and left Washington without permission, disappearing for several days. Her return will inevitably bring her severe accountability, and she may even be suspended from her duties pending investigation.

Fortunately, Harold's disguise was flawless, and multiple checks by the department confirmed that it perfectly matched her testimony.

Therefore, we passed this test without any major incidents.

She straightened her uniform while looking at her reflection in the elevator.

Although the review department approved her application, she still needed to meet with Director Janet.

Since her abrupt departure last time, this tough female bureau chief must have harbored some resentment towards her, so this meeting is unlikely to be pleasant.

However, to her surprise, the elevator doors opened to reveal a chaotic scene.

Janet had no time to pay attention to her; she was in the middle of an urgent discussion with a team of bureau chiefs, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

"What happened?" she asked, stopping a staff member in the corridor.

Upon recognizing Liz, the employee lowered her voice and replied:
"I heard there was a problem at the military base in Africa."

"Our undercover agents have discovered that General Hammer has secretly dispatched several elite units from Africa, which have already infiltrated North America. This African emperor has long been dissatisfied with the authorities, and this time he's most likely planning something big!"

(End of this chapter)