Chapter 61
The station chief, upon hearing the report in the morning, naturally became furious. He immediately called Dane and Grayson into his office. Upon seeing the two giraffe-like men standing before him, he was taken aback. Other than one of them having a palm-sized bandage on his temple, it was difficult to decide who looked worse, as both were in a dreadful state. Bruised and swollen all over, with visible tears and traces of blood, seeing them like this made the chief feel like his world was collapsing. He looked from one man to the other and shouted in frustration.
"What's the problem with you two?!"
The emergency sirens blared loudly within the fire department, nearly matching the intensity of the chief's enraged voice. Dane flinched, and Grayson unknowingly took a step back before returning to his place. Of course, the chief didn't care and continued shouting.
"Causing a scene at a bar and getting reported! And you two, of all people, being firefighters! Where did your duty to protect the citizens' property and lives go? If there’s a problem, you should solve it together! Why the hell did you have to start a damn brawl there? Are we in school? Am I the principal? Do two 2-meter tall guys get called into my office for fighting like this? Huh? Speak! If you have a mouth, speak up!"
The last words were uncalled for.
Dane tensed up, fearing Grayson might say something stupid, but to his surprise, Grayson said something completely unexpected.
"It was self-defense."
Both Dane and the chief looked at him at the same time. Grayson continued without hesitation.
"This man, Striker, hit me first, so I was just defending myself. See? Here."
He pointed at the large bandage on the side of his temple with his second finger. Perhaps it was a prepared defense, as the words flowed easily from his mouth. The chief, boiling with anger, couldn’t bring himself to criticize him further. This time, he shifted his focus to the other person.
"Dane Striker!"
"Self-defense... wasn’t the case."