Mahong gently turned his head towards the door and was surprised when he saw Jimmy, then a slight smile appeared on his face: "Jimmy, what are you doing here?"

Jimmy stepped forward, placing the flowers he had brought in on the bedside cabinet. There wasn't even a vase to put them in. Poor service.

Looking at Mahong, Jimmy frowned. They hadn't seen each other for three months, and Mahong had lost so much weight? His cheekbones were prominently visible, and his cheeks were sunken, looking very haggard.

Jimmy: "Hughes informed me that you were shot and admitted to the hospital. How are you now? You look terrible, why have you lost so much weight?"

Mahong pressed his hands hard on the hospital bed, and Jimmy quickly reached out to help him sit up. Mahong sat on the bed leaning against the pillow and pointed to his left chest, "I got shot here, but I'll be discharged soon."

Jimmy looked at the bandages wrapped around Mahong's chest, "A through-and-through wound?"

Mahong nodded, "It's not a big deal."

Jimmy: "That's good, it seems like it almost hit your heart, really dangerous. So, about the previous question, why have you lost so much weight?"

Jimmy turned his head, glancing around to ensure no one else was nearby and that there were no cameras in the room. He then looked at Mahong's face and softly said, "The hospital's meals can't possibly make you lose this much weight in a week. What exactly is going on?"

Mahong's face darkened, "It's nothing, just been busy lately with irregular meals. After we catch the escapees, I'll take some time to recuperate."

Jimmy: "Did you forget I'm also an agent? I've seen this state in many people. What haven't we encountered in New York? Which one is it for you? Drug dependency or narcotics?"

Mahong tilted his head to look at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he spoke while keeping his head tilted: "Sedatives. Don't tell anyone else."

Having worked with Jimmy for a year now, Mahong was well aware of Jimmy's capabilities and character. Since Jimmy could see through him, there was no need to hide. Jimmy wasn't a blabbermouth; whether to say it or not wouldn't make a difference; not saying it might actually strain their relationship.

Jimmy waved his fist, pointing at Mahong and cursing softly: "Fxxk! Don't you know how troublesome it is once you get addicted to that stuff? How long has it been?"

Mahong: "Over a year, it's fine, I'm used to it."

Jimmy was truly speechless. When Mahong first came, it didn't take long for him to notice something amiss, but at the time, Ruiz's investigation found that Mahong just got divorced and was probably feeling down, so he didn't pay much attention.

Moreover, back when Mahong was in New York, Manhattan, he didn't have the current dramatic weight loss, nor did he show any apparent problems, so Jimmy really didn't expect Mahong to be using sedatives for so long.

Jimmy: "For what reason?"

Mahong shook his head without saying anything.

Jimmy looked at Mahong, calculating the time; it was probably around when he got divorced, right? Sigh, in the United States, divorce for middle-aged men is almost a disaster. It's not surprising that, when feeling low, one turns to medication. Drug dependency is so common; no one can really solve it.

Jimmy: "Alright, I won't ask anymore, as long as you're aware. If there's anything, you can always reach out to me, although I'm not sure I'll still be in the Manhattan office."

Mahong: "What? What's going on?"

Jimmy: "More than two weeks ago, two agents from the field office were shot, one died, one was injured, and our handling of that shooting case encountered a mishap, leading to the unauthorized raid of a residential building, killing the shooters.

The outcome wasn't great; Ruiz got suspended for a week, I was suspended for two weeks, and I'm also being reassigned from the field department.

Now that the suspension period is over, I still don't know where I'm being reassigned. I came to see you first before heading back to wait for notice."

Mahong: "Who died? And how come you don't know where you're being reassigned? If they've decided to reassign you, it should have been settled earlier."

Jimmy: "Ryan from the Brooklyn-Queens field office was shot, Derek died, Ryan has recovered. In normal circumstances, reassignment should be settled, but this time, after I returned to work, I wasn't assigned for several consecutive days.

Someone informed me there were disagreements among higher-ups regarding my position. Hughes likely knows something, but he hasn't disclosed it."

As he looked at Jimmy, Mahong's eyes darted left and right. After considering for a moment, he said, "You were suspended for two weeks, and have been back to work for a few days, didn't Hughes inform you about me getting shot? Have you considered that Hughes might have deliberately sent you here, possibly related to your department transfer? I got shot a week ago; Hughes has known for some time."

Jimmy: "Wait a minute."

Jimmy glanced left and right, pulled up a chair from beside him, and sat by Mahong's bed, "When I came, I did have some thoughts; Hughes wouldn't do something pointless. He must have a special meaning in mentioning you got shot. I initially intended to see you, then tour around Chicago here, to see what Hughes is really hinting at.

Since Hughes sent me over, there must be a purpose, only those people always speak in riddles without clarifying things."

Mahong: "I see, you should leave for a bit."

Jimmy stood up, ready to leave the ward. Mahong pulled out a phone from under the pillow, and as Jimmy walked out, he heard the sound of the phone powering on.

When Jimmy previously called Mahong, the phone was off. Since the phone had power and was kept nearby, Mahong must have intentionally turned it off, avoiding calls. Seems like things on Mahong's end are quite troublesome indeed, enough to make him turn off his phone to avoid matters, the pressure must be significant.