Two flashlight beams illuminated Louie and Mia. The two men confronting them appeared to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, one slim and the other slightly overweight. Both men wore T-shirts and tourist shoes.
"What the heck are you doing? Starting a fire here in the middle of the night? Don't you know it's not allowed?" the slim man shouted. "Show us your ID cards, let's check your identities."
Louie and Mia stood up. Mia unconsciously leaned towards Louie. Louie just observed the two young men and smiled faintly, "I'm not sure what you guys are up to, but checking our ID cards seems like something only the police can do, right?"
Upon hearing Louie's response, the chubby man shone his flashlight on Louie's face and gruffly said, "You talk as if we're doing something wrong. It's the middle of the night, and we're just taking a stroll up here. What's wrong with that? And why bother asking what we're up to?"
"Don't waste time with him," the slim man impatiently interjected. "People like him are asking for trouble. He comes to the West Mountain Park at night to start a fire on the mountaintop and still has the nerve to ask what we're doing. Fine, since you asked, this is what we're doing." The slim man revealed handcuffs hanging from his waist and waved them in front of Louie. "We're responsible for night patrols, and when we see someone starting a fire on the mountain, we arrest them. Don't you know setting fires is a serious offense?"
"I haven't heard of that," Louie shook his head, pointing towards the still-burning fire. "This is just a bonfire. Besides, can you even start a fire in this season?"
"Enough talk. Show us your ID cards. I suspect you might be fugitives," the chubby man said, walking towards Louie. His tone was impatient, and as he approached, he seemed ready to grab Louie by the collar. Louie wasn't one to be easily caught; he just pushed back, evading the chubby man. The chubby man gave Louie a dirty look and cursed, "Damn, you've got some guts to resist like that."
Thinking Louie was an easy target due to his refined appearance, the two young men were resorting to threats and intimidation. Louie didn't buy into their act. He glanced at them, grinned, and said, "Guys, there's a saying, 'You go your way, and I'll go mine.' We're not interfering with each other. You continue your patrol, and I'll clean up here. That way, we all finish our business. What do you think?"
The chubby man completely ignored Louie's words and attempted to handcuff him. Louie swiftly turned his right hand, gripping the man's wrist like a vice. The chubby man yelped, "Ouch, ouch."
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the slim man clenched his fist and charged at Louie, cursing, "Damn, you dare resist. You're really getting on my nerves." Louie's lips curled into a cold smile as he kicked the slim man in the abdomen, sending him flying and crashing to the ground.
With his left hand supporting the chubby man's shoulder, Louie applied slight pressure. There was a crisp sound, and the chubby man's entire right arm was dislocated.
"You dare to cause trouble for me. Let me show you the consequences," Louie said, dragging the howling chubby man to the railing of the pavilion. He handcuffed the man's left hand, threading it through the iron bars and securing it to his other hand.
The slim man, who had just managed to get up, realized the situation wasn't in his favor. As he tried to escape, Louie grabbed him by the collar, pulled him towards the railing, and handcuffed him in a similar manner. Louie found their handcuff keys and tossed them into the bushes.
"Buddy, we made a mistake. Spare us," the slim man pleaded. "We were just patrolling the mountain and saw the fire here."
At this point, Mia spoke up behind Louie, "Mr. Louie, let them go. It's our fault. We shouldn't have started a fire here."
Louie chuckled, patted Mia's shoulder, and said, "Little girl, go pack up our things."
Mia nodded, turned around, and began gathering their belongings.
Louie took out a pack of cigarettes, sat on the railing between the two men, and pulled out three cigarettes. "Buddy, have a smoke. And that fat guy, stop howling like a slaughtered pig here. I'm tired of it. I only dislocated your arm; you won't die. If you scream again, I'll leave you disabled here."
Louie's words immediately had an effect. The chubby guy's face turned red, and he dared not make a sound. Louie handed a cigarette to each of them, lit them, and then lit his own. After taking a puff, Louie exhaled a mouthful of smoke in the slim man's face, causing him to cough and drop his cigarette.
"Don't pretend with me here. Still patrolling at night? Trying to deceive a three-year-old?" Louie slapped the slim man's face lightly, grinning. "Buddy, it's better to be honest."
"Brother, we really were on patrol," the slim man insisted. Louie, after listening, slapped him hard across the face, leaving him seeing stars and disoriented.
Louie grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him close. His eyes gleamed with cold light as he spoke sternly, "I ask you a question, and you better be honest. Do you believe I can disable you right now?"
"No, buddy, I'm telling the truth. I swear to God, not a word of it is a lie," the slim man said, his face filled with fear and desperation.
Louie sneered, "You're really persistent. Looks like you won't admit the truth without a taste of suffering." Louie clenched his right fist and delivered a powerful punch to the slim man's chest, accompanied by a cracking sound as several of his ribs broke. Louie showed mercy; otherwise, who knows how many ribs would have been shattered.
The slim man screamed in agony, his misery matching that of the chubby guy. Louie glared at him, raising his voice, "You brought this upon yourself. Now, tell me the truth. What exactly were you up to? Don't miss a single detail, or next time, I'll break your fingers one by one."
Intimidated by Louie's presence, the slim man, enduring the excruciating pain, began confessing every detail.
It turned out that these two men had bought handcuffs from some illegal vendors. Knowing that people often took walks or couples rendezvoused in the West Mountain Park at night, they devised a plan to scare and extort money from unsuspecting victims. Spotting the fire on the mountaintop, they assumed there were people there and decided to try their luck.
After hearing the confession, Louie couldn't help but chuckle, "You're truly unrepentant. Looks like you won't speak the truth unless you suffer. In that case, don't blame me." Louie, at this point, had grabbed the slim man's right thumb and forcefully twisted it, resulting in a loud crack. The slim man screamed in agony.
"Mia, what are you doing?" Louie turned around and saw Mia looking apologetic. She explained, "I accidentally stepped on a branch."
Louie turned back, looking displeased, and said, "Why scream? I haven't broken anything yet, and you're already wailing. You might have a future as a voice actor."
The slim man, sweating profusely, partly from the severe pain in his chest and partly from fear, looked at Louie with terrified eyes and begged, "Big brother, no, sir, ask me anything, and I'll tell you everything. Please don't torture me anymore."