Chapter 116: Are You the Death God's Elementary School Student?
"Chuck, Chuck!"
Cheryl ran back to Chuck's side, breathless. "You have to save my sister. She disappeared on her way home from Yale. Her boyfriend was shot dead in the car. You have to save her!"
"Calm down,"
Chuck gestured, handing the destroyed football to little Leonard beside him. "Leonard, return this to them."
"Oh,"
little Leonard excitedly took it, trying to hold his head high as he walked toward the collapsed school bully, Jimmy. But as he approached, his puffed-out chest had already unconsciously deflated back to its original shape. He placed the mangled football in front of Jimmy, "Here's your ball back."
Jimmy and the other football players looked terrified, feeling a chill run through their bodies.
That simple statement brought the violent scene flooding back into their minds, even more brutal than before.
"Leonard, let's go,"
Chuck called, glancing around at Jimmy and his crew.
"Yes sir!"
Little Leonard agreed enthusiastically, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Although he still limped slightly, the rush of victory made him feel like he was walking on air.
Jimmy and his gang didn't dare show any reaction.
Chuck was not only incredibly dangerous, but also seemed connected to serious crimes. Whenever there was violence or death, people came looking for him. It was absolutely terrifying.
Although Chuck hadn't issued any warnings from start to finish, they all instinctively understood his message and knew exactly how to treat Leonard from now on.
Can't mess with him. Absolutely can't mess with him.
Little Sheldon stood there motionless. Seeing the gazes of Jimmy and the others shift from watching Chuck and the group leave to focusing on him, he nodded in their direction. "Yeah, he's our enforcer," he said, pointing to his bruised black eye. "I told you from the beginning, I'm the brains and the strategist, Leonard is the logistics and comic relief. We're a team, and maybe we need a foreign exchange student who tries hard but never quite fits in to round out our diversity. Could you recommend someone?"
With that, he turned and walked away, ignoring the complex expressions of Jimmy and the others, who looked both terrified and slightly re-energized with suppressed aggression.
After little Sheldon got in the car, Chuck drove off, planning to drop Leonard and the others at home first.
"Dr. Wolfe, I think you're very persuasive. I'd like you to have a talk with my sister, Missy,"
Sheldon thought for a moment before finally speaking.
"No."
Chuck refused.
"Why not?"
Sheldon protested. "You haven't even heard what I have to say."
"Go ahead."
Chuck nodded.
"My twin sister, Missy..."
Little Sheldon had barely begun to speak when he was interrupted by sobbing.
"Woo-hoo-hoo,"
Cheryl burst into tears, calling out her twin sister's name, "Trixie."
"Excuse me, I'm still talking,"
Little Sheldon frowned at Cheryl.
"Oh, sorry, am I interrupting you by crying about my sister's life-or-death situation?"
Cheryl sobbed, glaring at little Sheldon.
"Of course you are!"
Little Sheldon nodded matter-of-factly. "So please don't interrupt me. It's rude, you know."
"..."
Cheryl wasn't sure whether to cry or lose her temper.
"As I was saying, my twin sister, Missy, is also very violent."
Little Sheldon ignored Cheryl's conflicted expression, feeling he had made his point clear. He looked at Chuck and continued, "I think you're very good at convincing people not to use violence. I'd like you to talk to Missy, okay?"
"Are you finished?"
Chuck asked.
"Yes!"
Little Sheldon nodded proudly.
"No."
Chuck replied with the same tone as before, a complete replay of the earlier exchange.
"...Why not?"
Little Sheldon frowned.
"Because I believe it's not your sister Missy's fault."
Chuck stated.
"Why?"
Little Sheldon was puzzled: "You've only met her once, why do you say it's not her fault?"
"Because I know you."
Chuck said bluntly: "Anything that involves conflict with you is probably your fault."
Little Leonard chuckled as he listened. Of course it wasn't him who was wrong—it was little Sheldon!
"You're targeting me!"
Little Sheldon said angrily.
"Is there anyone in the world who doesn't have issues with you?"
Chuck shot back.
"...My mother!"
Little Sheldon choked out his final fallback option.
"So you have no problem with your mother making you go to church every Sunday?"
Chuck said pointedly.
"Of course I have a problem with it, but that's because my mother is naive and doesn't understand that it's superstition, not because she doesn't love me and wants to target me."
Little Sheldon spoke candidly.
"You know who likes to say 'It's not me who's wrong, it's the world'?"
Chuck asked.
"I know, I know!"
Little Leonard immediately raised his hand, grinning. "It's the psychiatric patients at the mental hospital! My mom deals with them all the time."
At this point, he deliberately glanced at little Sheldon, his meaning clear: "My mom spends so much time with you because she wants to study you as a case study, not out of affection."
"I'm not crazy. My mom had me evaluated!"
Little Sheldon glared at little Leonard, his eyes bulging.
"You're from Texas,"
Chuck continued. "Texas doesn't have the best track record with mental health resources, so there aren't many qualified specialists in the field. Trust me, I know. Your mom probably just found some random psychiatrist, maybe even one who was available for free. I bet she regrets not taking you to see a real doctor."
"..."
Little Sheldon's mouth twitched, his eyelids spasming.
He realized he couldn't win an argument with Chuck, because so much information he had overlooked now automatically surfaced from his perfect recall.
His mother had indeed made similar comments in passing, but he hadn't paid attention before, knowing she was just venting frustration.
But now, thinking back, he wasn't so sure.
More importantly, if someone called him crazy again, he wouldn't be able to defend himself by saying his mother had him professionally evaluated.
He didn't know why, but he kept running into people like Chuck.
Chuck watched the system panel show double the karma points, feeling satisfied. He decided to give little Sheldon one more dose, so he glanced at him seriously in the rearview mirror. "You need to do some serious self-reflection."
"I can help you with that. I'm excellent at self-reflection,"
little Leonard said with a grin.
Every time he saw Chuck, he couldn't stop smiling. He was truly his hero, like the Bat-Signal in the night sky, filling him with hope.
After dropping the two kids off at home, Chuck drove away.
"I can't stand that little kid!"
Cheryl couldn't hold back any longer, complaining about little Sheldon, but she quickly turned to the most pressing matter: "Chuck, I know you're the best detective. You have to help me!"
"Don't worry, Cheryl."
The female bodyguard glanced at Chuck and couldn't help but say, "If Trixie hadn't insisted on ditching her security detail, none of this would have happened. I'll keep you safe. The FBI's BAU has been deployed. They're the most professional and elite team, and they have the best chance of rescuing Trixie."
"The BAU is involved?"
Chuck asked. Without waiting for the female bodyguard to answer, he took out his phone and called Reid. "Spencer, have you caught the Trixie Davenport case? Tell me what you know."
"Do you know someone from the BAU?"
The female bodyguard listened to Chuck and Reid's conversation. After Chuck hung up, she asked in surprise, "And you know them well?"
"I'm a detective,"
Chuck said simply.
"What's the situation?"
Cheryl looked at Chuck anxiously.
She had also learned this news from the female bodyguard, and that was all—she knew no other details.
"Crying won't help save your sister,"
Chuck said calmly. "You should learn from Justine. Stay calm, use your head, search your memories, and look for clues to see if there are any potential suspects."
"Okay!"
Cheryl wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and began to recall.
Meanwhile,
a small jet streaked through the sky. It was the BAU's specialized aircraft.
"Another consulting detective?"
Bald Morgan watched Reid hang up the phone and couldn't help but tease, "Why does he show up everywhere?"
"Trixie Davenport, who's in trouble this time, has a twin sister, Cheryl, who's Chuck's classmate in the Physics Department at Princeton University."
Reid explained, "Cheryl and Justine are roommates and best friends, so they know about Chuck's abilities. Therefore, after hearing the terrible news about her sister, she immediately asked Chuck for help."
"It's someone close to him again?"
Bald Morgan laughed, "It's getting a bit risky to be friends with him, Reid. You better be careful."
"I don't think so."
Reid shook his head, "I think these people would encounter all kinds of dangers anyway. It just happens that they know Chuck, which gives them a different outcome."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and heroes are in the eyes of their fans!"
Bald Morgan chuckled.
"Solving the case is what matters most,"
Gideon, the BAU's team leader, said quietly. "In this case, rescuing Trixie is the priority! Dr. Wolfe's abilities are beyond question. It's our good fortune, and the Davenport family's good fortune, that he's able to help us."
"Absolutely."
Bald Morgan, seeing Gideon speak seriously, put away his playful expression and nodded in agreement.
Connecticut
New Haven
"Morgan, you and Elle head to the crime scene."
Gideon assigned the tasks.
"Got it."
Bald Morgan and the female agent left the Davenport house and drove to the location where Trixie had last been seen.
Upon arrival, they saw Chuck standing there, and a beautiful woman lying motionless in the middle of the road.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01