Chapter 283 - 281: Go Back and Wait for News for Now

"A bicycle?"

Inside the police station, a young officer on duty was stunned when he learned why the high school students were there. He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Kids, if your bike just got kicked a couple of times, it’s really not necessary to..."

"It was a bike worth over twenty dollars!" Ethan Sterling cut the officer off. "My bicycle cost more than twenty dollars to purchase. Both of my wheel rims have sustained irreversible damage from violent external force. Replacing them will cost twelve dollars."

"How... how much?"

Before the officer could react, Jameson Stone had already run to the entrance and wheeled Ethan Sterling’s bicycle directly into the station lobby. He then patted the comfortable seat. "Officer, it’s a TREK, an international brand. Just replacing a single rim costs six dollars. This qualifies as destruction of high-value personal property, doesn’t it?"

"We have surveillance footage. We recorded everything!" Renee Reid quickly added.

The officer was still reeling in shock over a twenty-dollar bicycle. It was only when he heard the young woman mention surveillance footage that he raised a hand. "Hold on a second. This bicycle costs over twenty dollars?"

He couldn’t help but confirm it one more time.

Ethan Sterling nodded. "The price is on the official website. I can pull it up to prove it to you if you’d like."

"That won’t be necessary." The officer gave Ethan Sterling a long look, then gestured for the three of them to follow him into the first office on the right.

The three of them sat side-by-side on chairs against the wall, while the officer held Renee Reid’s phone, carefully watching the video.

The video, taken as dusk settled, showed three young loiterers passing the bicycle shed by the wall of No. 2 High School. They playfully kicked over several properly parked bicycles in a row. When they spotted Ethan Sterling’s brand-new bike, their interest was clearly piqued. After laughing and joking around for a while, they suddenly rushed forward and began viciously kicking the black bicycle, aiming their hardest blows at the fragile wheel rims. The entire incident lasted for about three to five minutes, after which the group sauntered off with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

As the officer watched, his brow furrowed.

Although he’d only been an officer for two years, he had encountered his fair share of social delinquents like these. They rarely had a motive for starting trouble or destroying property. They simply saw something and felt an impulse to wreck it.

These types were often social outcasts with personality defects and poor empathy. Their parents didn’t discipline them, schools refused to enroll them, and they were unemployed.

This was Ethan Sterling’s first time reporting a crime at a police station, and sitting there, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. When the officer watched the surveillance footage for a long time without saying a word, Ethan’s unease grew. He finally couldn’t resist asking, "Officer, even though the surveillance didn’t capture their faces clearly, the entire act was recorded from start to finish. You should be able to find them, right?"

At his words, the officer finally looked up. He first returned the phone to Renee Reid before turning to Ethan Sterling. "That’s hard to say, actually. We’ll need to pull surveillance footage from the surrounding area to track their movements after they left the scene. But if there are blind spots in the camera coverage or other factors, it will hinder the search."

"How about this: first, you can fill out a simple report with me, and then go home and wait for news. You’re all high school seniors, right?"

Ethan Sterling and the others all nodded.

The officer sighed, then offered some comforting words. "I know it’s upsetting that this happened, but as seniors, you need to keep a level head and focus on your studies. We’ll do our best to find these individuals, but I can’t guarantee if or when we’ll be able to."

"Also, I need to give you a heads-up. Based on my two years of experience as an officer, even if we find them, the most we can do under the ’Public Security Administration Punishment Law’ is detain and penalize them."

"If you want to seek compensation, there are two routes. The first is a private settlement negotiation, but I doubt that would work. Typical delinquents like them usually don’t have the money to compensate you, and their parents often couldn’t care less. Of course, that’s just my speculation. It’s not impossible that their families are well-off and can afford to pay."

Jameson Stone instinctively asked, "What’s the other option?"

The officer chuckled and shook his head. "The other option is if they refuse to pay compensation after being detained. In that case, you’d have to file a lawsuit. Although the process is time-consuming and draining, you have sufficient evidence to ensure you’ll get the court’s support. With a court order, if the other party fails to fulfill their compensation obligation, it can be enforced. You could even push for a criminal conviction and sentencing based on the value of the damaged property, holding them criminally responsible!"

The group listened intently, nodding in unison when he finished.

Renee Reid turned to Ethan Sterling and said, "For now, let’s just leave it to the police. We can decide on our next step after they’re caught. We’ll have to see what their attitude is like first."

The officer smiled at Renee Reid. "You’re a very calm and clear-headed young lady. You’re right. Until we catch them, you all should just focus on your studies. Nothing is more important than that!"

"Okay. Thank you for your trouble." Ethan Sterling stood up and gave a slight bow.

After leaving the police station, Jameson Stone sighed softly. "I have a bad feeling about this. From what the officer was saying, it sounds like finding those guys won’t be easy."

He glanced at Ethan Sterling and noticed he seemed to be in better spirits than he was at noon. Jameson couldn’t help but tease, "Feeling less frustrated now that you’ve filed the report?"

Ethan Sterling smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for coming with me."

Renee Reid gave a helpless pout. "What comes next is going to be complicated and a hassle, but it’s okay. For now, just try to put your mind at ease and wait for news from the police!"

The two boys walked Renee Reid to the bus stop. Jameson Stone patted his own bicycle. "I can just give you a ride home."

"No way, it’s freezing." Renee Reid waved her hand. "You two should get going. See you tomorrow."

Jameson Stone didn’t insist. After saying goodbye to Renee Reid, he and Ethan Sterling rode off on their bikes, gradually disappearing into the distance.

The next morning, Cecilia Sterling groggily woke up a little after eight o’clock to the faint sound of a livestream coming from a phone.

Estelle was lying in bed, phone in hand, giggling. Cecilia Sterling pulled back her bed curtain and glanced instinctively at Blair’s bunk, which was already neatly made.

"Did Blair go downstairs to stream again?" Cecilia Sterling asked.

"You’re awake, darling!" Estelle poked her head out from behind her bed curtain, her eyes shining. "I registered a new account and sent Blair a few Carnivals. I’m her number one supporter now!"

Cecilia Sterling chuckled at her words and reminded her, "Don’t send too many. You don’t want to overdo it and blow your cover!"