You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Lily did not expose Leon's clumsy excuse.

She simply toned down her liveliness, her brows furrowed slightly, and the light in her eyes dimmed, turning into a quiet, slightly worried seriousness.

"Okay, rehabilitation exercises."

She sighed softly, walked to the bedside, pulled up a chair and sat down, handing a warm, fragrant paper bag to Lyon.

"The bagel has double the cheese and bacon, and it's still hot. Whatever rehabilitation you're going to do, you need to fill your stomach first, right?"

Leon looked at the breakfast that was handed to him, but in the end he didn't force himself to get out of bed. He leaned back against the headboard and took the paper bag.

Thanks.

He took a bite of the bagel, and the satisfaction from the calories and carbohydrates eased his tense nerves a little.

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

Lily looked at Leon, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help speaking, her voice soft:

"The doctor said it's a penetrating wound that has damaged muscle tissue. Is getting out of bed now... too hasty? What if the wound reopens?"

"Don't worry, I have a special physical condition and recover quickly."

Lyon gave a vague reply. It wasn't that he was bragging; his 15-point physique made him feel pretty good right now. Apart from being a little weak, it didn't affect his movements much.

"Then we need to eat breakfast first."

Lily took the cup of hot coffee from the tray and put it into Leon's hand.

"The rain hasn't stopped outside. In Seattle's awful weather, you'll get pneumonia if you go out like this."

Leon swallowed the food in his mouth, his eyes flickered, but he decided to speak frankly:

"Listen, girl."

"I am very grateful for your breakfast and for taking care of me."

"But... there's no need to linger here."

"Listen to your dad, it's better for you to stay away from me. I'm surrounded by gunfights and political struggles, getting too close to me isn't a good thing for an ordinary girl like you."

Lily, upon hearing these words that seemed to be drawing a line, did not show the grievance or anger that Leon had expected.

Instead, she suddenly chuckled softly.

"You know what, Lyon?"

She tilted her head, looked into Leon's eyes, and smiled helplessly.

"My dad... Bob, said the exact same thing many years ago."

Lyon paused for a moment.

"Back then, he wasn't the 'veteran' Bob he is today."

Lily leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped on her knees, her gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"My mom said that he was young back then, just like you, full of that 'I'm going to save the world' kind of spirit. He was also a tough guy who would rush out in the rain to catch drug dealers, and a fool who would take a bullet for his brother."

"Back then, he didn't have that beer belly yet, nor was he just a seasoned veteran who would hide in his car eating donuts. He was also the sharpest knife in the branch office, always the first to charge forward."

"And then?" Leon asked instinctively.

"Later... I guess I'd seen too much awful stuff."

Lily smiled somewhat helplessly:

"Then he changed. He became slicker, timid, distant, and... silent."

"Sometimes when he comes home from get off work, even if he's not injured, he'll sit alone on the sofa in the living room, without even turning on the lights. He'll just sit there, holding a can of beer, staring blankly at the off TV, not saying a word all night."

"That look in his eyes..."

Lily looked at Leon, leaning slightly forward, her light brown eyes seemingly reflecting the weariness in Leon's heart:

"The same look in your eyes when you tried to sneak away just now."

"That kind of look... like someone is disappointed with this country, feels extremely tired, and just wants to hide somewhere else."

Lyon's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the coffee cup.

He always thought he was hiding it well. In front of everyone, he was the omnipotent, greedy, and powerful Superman police officer.

But he didn't expect that the first person to see through him would be the girl in front of him, whom he had always thought was a naive and innocent girl.

"So I think you're probably just tired?"

Lily reached out and gently placed her hand on Leon's hand, which was resting on the blanket.

Her hands were soft and warm.

"Since you're tired, let's drink the coffee first."

"I can't help with anything else. But at this moment, you don't need to think about how to save Seattle, or how to deal with those big shots."

"Just think of it as... having breakfast with me, okay?"

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at the clothes rack in the corner:

The clothes Lyon wore last night were hanging there. His tactical jacket was soaked in blood and had been cut open by the medics. It was covered in mud and gunpowder residue and was obviously unwearable.

"And you don't have any clothes to wear."

"We can't just sneak out in a hospital gown, can we? We'd be arrested as mental patients."

"I still need to go to the nearby shopping mall to buy you a set of clothes that you can wear."

Leon felt the warmth from the back of his hand and looked into Lily's concerned eyes.

The initial anxiety of wanting to escape immediately and cut off all contact miraculously subsided somewhat.

Then, Leon chuckled to himself inwardly.

Why am I being so dramatic?

"Pushing her away to protect her"?

That's the kind of stupid thing a useless husband in a third-rate melodrama would do.

Now, he has a system at his fingertips and an extraordinary physique. Last night, he even personally killed four professional mercenaries.

As long as you keep earning points and getting stronger, until you become so strong that everyone is terrified, what is there to be afraid of?

At that time, whether it's leaving this place or protecting those around me, it will be no problem.

Having figured this out, the hesitation in Lyon's eyes completely vanished.

"...Alright then."

He relaxed his tense shoulders and leaned back against the pillow.

Then, Leon gently squeezed Lily's fingers with his other hand, then released them, a smile playing on his lips:

"Thank you for your help. Do you know the size?"

"certainly."

"???"

……

Not long after Lily left after breakfast, the door to the ward was pushed open again.

By this time, Leon had leaned back against the headboard. He finally picked up the apple that Lily had peeled, and now he had eaten it all except for the core, which he tossed into the trash can with a soft "thump".

Mia came in.

Her casual clothes were wrinkled, and the collar was askew, clearly indicating that she had stayed up all night. She exuded a strong smell of coffee and a resentment that seemed to say, "I want to die."

"Oh, isn't this my personal scribe?"

Leon raised an eyebrow at her zombie-like appearance. "What? Did you go coal mining last night?"

"Mining coal? Ha, I'd be thankful if I could go mining coal."

Mia dragged her heavy steps into the room, slammed a folder on the bedside table, and then slumped into a chair without any regard for her image, letting out a long groan.