Chapter 168 - Hospital ID

Jackson demanded for an urgent meeting with the Chief Superintendent of Macau. As Jackson was the head of Interpol for the Hong Kong and Macau region, the Chief Superintendent couldn't turn him down. So, even though it was roughly 11pm by the time that Jackson and Sean arrived at the man's home, the old gentleman still rushed out to greet them.

"You must have heard by now that the Senior Superintendent of Hong Kong was shot in Macau tonight and he is currently unconscious at the hospital," Jackson jumped straight to the main point.

"Yes, I heard. I have already sent some men to guard him. As I'm aware, it happened during one of your operations," the man said. "Hong Kong is an important neighbor of ours. We've cooperated many times in the past and I know Stanley well. I don't know how he is involved with you, but it is my responsibility to protect him unless you can prove that he has committed a crime which you have jurisdiction over."

At that moment, Jackson pulled out his laptop and opened a voice recording. "This was recorded earlier today," he said.

The Chief Superintendent listened carefully to the conversation that Trojan had with Alexander at the wharf. There was no denying it; Trojan had admitted to bribery, kidnapping, murder and he had even made a deal to kill someone again.

"We also have proof that he is linked to a money-laundering operation that involves gangs and criminals from mainland China. My men are sweeping in on the operation as we speak," Jackson revealed. "I would like your men to step down and hand Stanley Rong over to us, he is involved in a much larger organization of corrupt officers that span across China and possibly into other countries. We need to interrogate him properly when he wakes up."

The Chief Superintendent grabbed a tissue and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He didn't expect this case to be so complicated. Corruption was a huge deal, especially if it involved an international organization. He didn't want to be suspected of any involvement, so he finally nodded his head. "I'll call my men right now and ask them to step down so you can take over."

Jackson and Sean thanked the man and left. Fortunately, they had secured enough evidence. Now, it was time to wait for Stanley Rong to wake up.

...

Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Stanley Rong was still unconscious. The doctors couldn't predict when he'd wake up, but they had a feeling it wouldn't be any time soon. Alexander sat beside the man's bed and sighed. Would he and Amelie be allowed to return to France when the mission was practically on hold?

Alexander glanced at his watch ad noticed that it was already 11:30pm. Since the hospital's visiting hours were over and most of the patients were asleep, the hospital was relatively quiet. All he heard were the beeping of life support machines and monitors that were attached to the patient in front of him.

Sitting on the other side of the bed was a senior officer from the local Macau police and just outside the door were a few of his colleagues. They were all assigned to guard the man until he woke up.

"Do you know Stanley Rong in private?" Alexander asked the man opposite him.

The senior officer looked as though he was in his late 30's. He had saggy eye bags and a thin layer of hair. It seemed, his year's in the police force had been very stressful on his body.

"No, but we play a lot of Hong Kong channels on our televisions and Officer Rong often appears in the Hong Kong news. He's the senior superintendent. Only recently, he was involved in a drug bust. From what I know, he's a good man," the officer replied.

Alexander frowned, "Do you know if anyone from the Macau police is well-acquainted with him?"

"Well, Macau and Hong Kong often cooperate and the cases are always discussed between Officer Rong and the Chief Superintendent. I guess, apart from the Chief Superintendent, only the Captains of selected task forces have met him. Why are you asking?" the officer queried.

"It's nothing. I was just curious," Alexander replied. Someone in the Macau police was definitely connected to Stanley Rong. Otherwise, how was the local police alerted so quickly? The person that shot Stanley Rong, must have notified someone about it.

Alexander knew he had to remain wary.

As the room fell back into silence, Alexander began to analyze the possibilities in his head.

But, all of a sudden, the silence was broken by a knock on the hospital room door.

Alexander glanced at the officer opposite him and the officer shrugged his shoulders. Who could be visiting at this time of night? Was it one of the nurses doing her nightly rounds?

However, the woman that appeared in the doorway wasn't wearing a nurse's uniform. She was dressed in a doctor's cloak.

Alexander looked at the woman with suspicion. This wasn't right. It was almost midnight. Why would a doctor be visiting at this hour? It wasn't like they were waiting on any other examinations or medication; the man was already getting antibiotics injected into him, so what could this doctor be here for?

"Doctor, why are you here at this hour?" Alexander asked.

The woman revealed a gentle smile and walked over to the bedside, "I need to inject some morphine for pain relief."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. Did this woman think he was stupid? Why would someone in a coma need pain relief when he couldn't even sense pain?

But, while Alexander had his guard up, the other officer was obviously less experienced. So, he stood up and immediately made way for the 'doctor'. 

The woman smiled again and approached the unconscious Stanley Rong. However, just as she reached for a syringe, someone grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her away.

It was Alexander.

"Before you do anything, can I see your credentials? Do you have a hospital ID?" he asked.

The woman's gaze darted and she replied, "I left it in my office, but you can trust me. The nurses saw me walk in. Plus, I couldn't have got access to these tools and medication if I wasn't a doctor."

"Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to return to your office and get your ID. I'm not letting you near the patient without it," Alexander insisted.

The woman turned to the other officer and said, "I was told that you were in charge here. Why is he calling the shots?"

The officer glanced at Alexander uncomfortably. The woman was right, he was supposed to be in charge. But, he also understood Alexander's reasoning. To be honest, if Alexander wasn't around, he wouldn't have doubted the woman, but now that he brought it up, he thought it was quite a valid point. Where was this woman's ID?

"I'm sorry, but I agree with Agent Dupont. We need to see your ID first," he said.

The woman gritted her teeth as her expression changed. The gentleness from earlier completely disappeared. She then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer. "This is my f*cken ID! Now, get out of my way!" she warned.