"Well done," Luke gave a thumbs up. "Before, I only saw your beauty, but now it seems you are a rose with thorns."
"Does this affect the image you have of me in your heart?"
Orty laughed, "Be careful, getting pricked hurts."
"Thanks for the warning."
Orty inquired, "Do you want me to look into this person for you?"
"Do you think he's targeting me?"
"I can't believe you can't see it."
"There indeed seems to be something off, but, a beauty like you must get approached often, so it can make sense, right?"
"I do get approached often, so I can be sure he wasn't just making an advance." Orty lifted her cocktail and clinked glasses with Luke,
Luke too felt conflicted. Being targeted but doing nothing about it would be frustrating.
Letting Orty investigate this provocative Caucasian man could potentially drag him deeper into trouble.
Luke wasn't worried about his own safety; he had just been awarded the highest honor, equating to a hero's aura. If someone dared to attack him in Washington at this time, it would be a challenge to the entire United States.
With this medal, Luke was buffed.
Attacking him first required stripping away this buff, much like how the FBI arrested the civilian hero Chris Franco. Although the arrest was brief and did not cause him substantial harm, the impact was immense.
Once legally arrested by the FBI, it confirmed that he indeed was a fugitive.
Can a fugitive still be called a hero?
Can they represent the brave image of an American citizen?
Clearly, they cannot.
Chris Franco's golden hero buff was broken, and his aura was stripped away; the damage and impact were substantial.
If Orty had not intervened today, Luke would have faced an awkward situation; if the Caucasian man continued provoking, a fight would likely break out.
Then, three outcomes could arise.
The first outcome: the drunken Caucasian man is driven away and the matter is forgotten.
The second outcome: the drunken Caucasian man is driven away, and the next day it might hit the news.
Luke had already thought of the news headline: "Public Safety Official and Medal of Bravery Recipient Luke Lee Fights Drunk in a Bar."
The content of the news would undoubtedly be sensationalized by the media, such as Luke getting into a fight in a bar over a woman with the drunk.
Once entangled with such trifles, Luke would have no way to defend himself, and his recent honors would be greatly undermined.
The third outcome: the drunken Caucasian man is beaten and calls the police, leading to Luke and others being taken to the police station for questioning.
That would really be amusing, Luke might end up like Chris Franco, directly breaking his golden hero buff.
This trip to Washington could have been fruitless, and might even turn him into a laughingstock.
In other words, what seems like a trivial matter could have serious consequences under these special conditions.
Once tagged as accomplishing less and messing up more, or 'being down and not being able to get up,' Luke's prospects could be affected.
No patron would want to train an unstable dark horse.
From this perspective, Orty helped him avert a potential crisis.
Orty asked, "Have you decided?"
Luke said, "Let me escort you back first, and we'll talk on the phone later."
Luke escorted Orty to the hotel entrance, watched her get into the car and leave, then returned to his own hotel room.
Although Luke had analyzed various possibilities just now, those were just on the surface; there were definitely deeper reasons involved.
The first possibility: Z political gaming, someone trying to slap the face of the king of understanding.
For a country with an electoral system, such actions could affect the public's trust and support of the understanding king.
The second possibility, Luke thought of Laura. Why did this woman approach him?
Luke ignored her, and she ran to Fatou Brandi.
And Fatou Brandi came from the Las Vegas Fire Department.
Did she and Fatou Brandi already know each other? Could there be a shadow of the Las Vegas police behind this?
After all, the Las Vegas police, who were least eager to see Luke receiving the award, had motives to set him up.
The third possibility: a spy.
The ruling style of the understanding king was somewhat capricious, inevitably making enemies abroad; it couldn't be ruled out that someone from overseas wanted to slap his face.
The fourth possibility: an accident.
The appearance of the drunk was an accident; Luke was overthinking, just like Linda said, applying his work mindset to everyday life, seeing problems in everything.
Out of these four situations, Luke actually hoped for the fourth possibility, because the previous three were beyond his capability.
But based on Luke's experience, the fourth possibility was the least likely.
Luke organized his thoughts and dialed Reid's phone.
This award represented LAPD, and now that he was encountering problems, it was natural to seek the organization.
He was never alone and didn't have a habit of facing challenges by himself.
Reid teasingly answered the phone, "Hey, big hero, how does it feel?"
"It started off well, but now I'm starting to miss home."
"Why are you missing home so soon? That's not typical for someone young to say,"
"Chief, did you see the news about Chris Franco's arrest?"
"Yes, it's a bit far-fetched, but it won't affect your honor. Is there a problem?"
"Ever since I boarded the plane to Washington, I've felt that something is... off."
Luke shared the experiences of the past few days and his concerns.