Cage finished his shift and returned, learning that the case had been handed over to the State Police. He didn't mind; as long as it wasn't his responsibility, he was fine with it.

Jimmy, on the other hand, looked dejected. After busying himself for two days with no results, it wasn't about championing justice or anything, but the lack of a sense of achievement that bothered him.

With nothing better to do over these few days, Jimmy took the time to find a lawyer and an independent accountant to help with the patent negotiations.

(Since the author's primary occupation is technical, they are not familiar with business negotiations, so this section will be skipped. Please pardon my ignorance in business matters.)

The negotiations with Zhuoyue Lighting went smoothly. In the presence of a lawyer, both parties signed a patent licensing contract; a non-exclusive license with a fee of $80,000 plus 5% of the police light's selling price, including police lights, traffic warning lights, etc. Jimmy had to provide Zhuoyue Lighting with the templates and samples of the various police lights he had already designed, allowing Zhuoyue Lighting to make targeted adjustments.

Police lights used to be expensive. Now, a set cost a few hundred or over a thousand RMB because of China's entry into the market, which crippled other police light manufacturers around the world. In the past, a single small police light could cost several dozen dollars, while the ones on police cars could run up to several hundred dollars. Of course, these are the prices I found; I'm not clear on whether there are significant discounts on these purchases.

The smooth negotiation was due to two factors: first, with the lawyer's advice, Jimmy created a ruse by implying that there were car manufacturers ready to buy the new police lights for their vehicles, hinting at large manufacturers; second, the chief had already coordinated the police light procurement hearing for the following month, which they could verify. Since Jimmy was already part of the police department, not using these connections would be a disservice to their business personnel.

Zhuoyue Lighting approached Jimmy partly because new lighting patents had been filed, and partly because of the publicity Chief James had generated, whether intentionally or not.

Besides, they already had contacts in the automotive industry, and offering an additional selling point was advantageous for manufacturers looking to break into professional fields like police, fire, and emergency medical services.

Jimmy successfully went from patent to profit, also managing to see through the police department's procurement process. Zhuoyue Lighting would handle further negotiations with the police department, and Jimmy could receive a referral fee on the side.

With that matter settled, Jimmy paid the lawyer's fees, then communicated with the accountant about the follow-up tax and invoicing issues. These professionals took charge, and Jimmy played the role of a hands-off manager. Since his company was just an empty shell for now, the accountant was tasked with assessing the assets and prior material purchase costs, eventually offering the right advice on tax filing and management.

The taxes in question were corporate, not personal. Jimmy had another big problem on his plate that he hoped wouldn't blow up too soon.

The next day, Jimmy returned to the police station in high spirits. He first communicated with Chief James about the patent licensing and reported that he had found a company for the subsequent development of lights. Now all that remained was the hearing.

As he changed into his equipment, he noticed that Cage seemed distracted.

"Cage, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"It's nothing, I'm heading out."

Cage said nothing else, quickly changed into his equipment, and left.

Jimmy didn't mind and got dressed for patrol. Having wrapped up one matter and now with a decent sum of money, Jimmy felt less pressure from daily life and was enjoying it more. Although patrolling was boring, it was a great way to decompress. Whenever he was in a bad mood, catching a couple of unlucky offenders, whether issuing tickets or taking them back, was a release.

The familiar Nokia tune rang out again, and Jimmy answered the call; it was Chief James on the line.

"Jimmy, head over to Adi Town and pick up Cage. He's been in a car accident and is currently with Chief Sam."

"Okay," Jimmy immediately turned around and headed for Adi Town. "Why didn't the chief use the dispatch center to notify me? What exactly happened to Cage?"

When Jimmy arrived at Chief Sam's location, he found the unfortunate Cage sitting in the police station chair. His left arm didn't appear to be broken, as there weren't any casts, only splints above and below, and his face clearly showed he had been punched, turning purple in two spots.

"Cage, what happened?"

"It's nothing, there was a car accident, the patrol car flipped on the side of the road."

"Chief Sam, I'll take Cage back now," Jimmy greeted Sam, then left with Cage.

On the ride back, Cage was silent, and Jimmy kept an eye on him while driving.

"Cage, say something. It's definitely not a car accident; my eyes aren't blind."

Cage pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and Jimmy reached for a lighter to light it for him.

"Nick, my son, was lured into drug use, and I had no idea. He had a reaction last night, and I took him to a drug rehabilitation center," Cage said, taking a deep drag and exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"I was looking for Colin today; he wasn't there, and I ended up getting beaten by his men."

"Who's Colin?" Jimmy asked curiously.

"He's one of Nut's subordinates. Nut is a local drug lord, but his exact identity has always been elusive. They are very careful, and we've never been able to catch them with solid evidence.

Colin is a minor leader in Nut's gang. Even though we know his role, we've never managed to arrest him because he isn't directly involved in drug cases. The person who encouraged Nick to use drugs has been identified as one of Colin's subordinates."

"Did you find that person?"

"No, the reason I was looking for Colin was to have him hand the guy over."

"Cage, when you find him, let me know," Jimmy said, and they returned to the police station in silence.

Cage asked the chief for some time off, got his things in order, and Jimmy drove him home in the patrol car, then went back on patrol.

Jimmy felt anger rising. He could tolerate many things, but not drug abuse. Although Cage was over twenty years his senior, he always looked out for Jimmy. Of all the colleagues at the police station, Jimmy was closest to Cage.

Now, Cage's son Nick was in serious enough condition that Cage had to personally take him to a rehab center, suggesting it wasn't Nick's first encounter with drugs.

Jimmy hadn't asked Cage where he was beaten, as he knew someone would definitely be able to tell him.

Jimmy returned to Adi Town, called Chief Sam from just outside the town, and then got out of the car to wait for Sam at the roadside.

Jimmy's first time killing a suspect was while supporting Sam, a favor Sam acknowledged. Although they didn't interact much, they kept each other's phone numbers and sometimes chatted briefly.

Since Cage was injured and waiting at Sam's, it was certain that Colin's hideout was nearby. As chief, Sam definitely had to know some information.