Chapter 246: Searching for the Boxing Arena's New Owner
Venom's actions were a direct betrayal. Riot was the leader of this mission; if Venom dared to betray him, Riot would make him pay a steep price!
"Go ahead and struggle to escape, but I will kill you," Riot snarled, his arm transforming into a sharp axe and cleaving a nearby table in half.
New York
Due to the previous incident, John had been promoted to Chief of Police. He sat alone in his office, feeling a sense of phantom presence. There were many times John felt like he was hallucinating, as if Mike were still sitting across from him, sharing stories of his past.
"Is the Shadow Boxing Arena still open?" John stared at the report handed to him by a subordinate, his face full of confusion. Wasn't Kezli dead?
Kezli was dead, so who would dare take over the arena? He had heard the threats Kingpin put out. The Shadow Boxing Arena was a thorn in Kingpin's side, and he would send people to wipe it out at any moment. Under such circumstances, who would defy the King of the Underworld's orders to take over that place?
"Who is the new owner?" John asked, turning his head.
Sitting to his left was John's assistant, helping him process paperwork.
"We haven't cleared the investigation yet," the assistant replied. He was a young man who looked like he had just graduated, and he sounded nervous as he spoke.
His name was Bemis Hanley, a biracial young man who hadn't been out of the police academy for long. This was his first week on the job, assigned to assist John. Compared to his colleagues on the front lines, Bemis had it easy—sitting in an air-conditioned office with the Chief every day, away from the sweltering heat and danger. He didn't have to worry about the performance quotas his peers faced.
In this precinct, police were evaluated on their performance. If your numbers were low, you could be fired just like a salesperson. Because of this, many officers would go out of their way to find trouble for people at the end of the month, hoping to catch someone with contraband to secure an arrest or a ticket.
Bemis cherished this job, but he realized he had been negligent in not immediately getting the details on the Shadow Boxing Arena.
"Don't be nervous," John said with a smile. He could see Bemis's anxiety, and this wasn't a life-or-death mistake. "Accompany me there in a bit. We'll find out exactly who this new owner is." John put down his pen and began tidying his desk.
Bemis quickly stood up to take over. "Let me handle that, Chief John."
"Mm." John stepped aside. He wasn't just going to see the new owner; he was primarily hoping to find some trace of Mike's remains.
After a short while, John and Bemis hopped into a patrol car and drove to the Shadow Boxing Arena. It was daytime, and the arena was closed, its heavy doors tightly shut.
"Chief, should we...?" Bemis looked lost. The arena was private property, and since it was closed, they couldn't legally force their way in without violating the law themselves.
"We'll sneak in," John said nonchalantly.
"What?! Sneak in? But Chief, we..." Before Bemis could finish, John grabbed him and used the Shadow Kingdom to phase through the wall and into the arena.
Inside the Shadow Boxing Arena
"And we're in," John said. He turned to see Bemis standing frozen in place. "What's wrong?"
"Chief... did we just walk through a wall?" Bemis's eyes were wide with shock.
"I suppose so," John chuckled, surprised by the young man's reaction.
"But... didn't we just enter without permission?" Bemis asked fearfully. This was definitely illegal.
"Are you going to report us? We are the police," John patted Bemis on the shoulder. "Sometimes, special circumstances require special measures."
"Oh..." Bemis nodded like a dazed gopher. The Chief's methods were certainly unique. He realized that walking through walls must be a superpower—he hadn't known Chief John was an "Enhanced."
"Chief, are you a superhero?" Bemis asked excitedly, instantly becoming John's number one fan.
"A superhero? Haha, let's just say an Enhanced. You don't need super strength to be a hero; as long as you do something extraordinary for the right reasons, you're a hero." John immediately thought of the late Mike. Mike was just an ordinary man, but his final actions were those of a true hero.
"I'll definitely learn from you, Chief!" Bemis pulled out a pen and notebook, scribbling down John's words.
John had been to the arena once before and was familiar with the layout. He led Bemis toward Ring Number One.
"Hmm..." John stared at the center of the ring, his mind drifting. Last time he was here, this spot had been a pool of blood.
"What's wrong, Chief?" Bemis waved a hand in front of John's face.
"Oh, nothing. Let's go check the owner's office," John said.
They headed toward the office.
"Does the new owner like to read?" Bemis asked as they entered, seeing bookshelves filled to the brim.
"Look around. See if there's any info on the owner." John secretly dispatched Shadow Ninjas to scour the arena for any sign of Mike's body.
Bemis went to the desk and began rummaging through it. Finding nothing on top, he opened a drawer.
"What's this?" Bemis frowned as he pulled out a photograph. It was a family portrait.
"What did you find?" John put a book back and walked over.
Bemis handed him the photo. "A family picture. I'm not sure if it belongs to the owner."
"A family picture?" John took it, and his entire body went rigid with shock. This was Mike's family photo! In the picture, Mike was holding his wife close, with his two daughters standing by their sides.
"What is it, Chief? Do you know them?" Bemis asked, noticing John's intense expression.
John didn't answer. He tucked the photo into his pocket. "Keep looking for anything else."
"O-okay." Bemis didn't press him. He knew his job was to follow orders.
As Bemis continued the search, John's mind was racing: Why is Captain Mike's family photo here? Why would the new owner keep this in a drawer?
"If you two don't mind, we could find a more comfortable place to chat," a deep voice resonated through the room.
Bemis froze in panic and scrambled to John's side. "Chief, we've been caught! What do we do? Run?"
"No," John said, waving him off. "Let's go see who it is."
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