Chapter 22
Lower District, Central City.
The continuous gunshots and the sight of Alex sprinting across the rooftops acted like blood in the water for Central City's reporters. Like starving wolves, they swarmed into the chaotic neighborhood.
The Central City Police Headquarters and the local precinct in the Lower District dispatched a large number of officers. They quickly cordoned off the Leyton Hotel with yellow-and-white police tape.
"Officer, we heard you've caught the bank robbery suspect. Is that true?"
"Residents say you were chasing the criminal across the rooftops. Can you describe what happened?"
"Where is Officer Al Swan? Did he personally participate in the capture?"
"The people of Central City have the right to know…"
Reporters shoved cameras forward, crowding the officers blocking them and thrusting microphones desperately, hoping to squeeze out even a scrap of information.
A black sedan with flashing red-and-blue lights pulled up to the curb. Several people stepped out. Kevin exited from the passenger side. The moment his feet touched the ground, the reporters surged toward him like a tide, surrounding him with cameras and microphones, demanding a statement. Uniformed officers hurriedly pushed them back to clear a path.
Kevin swept his gaze over the reporters being held back by the officers. His face remained stern and he gave no reply, but inside he felt smug and satisfied. His boss, Al Swan, had scored a major achievement. He himself would get a decent share of the credit.
By intercepting Alex's query in the Information Department, Al Swan had arrived first and claimed the glory of recovering the stolen jewelry. This was one of the largest and most valuable robbery cases in nearly a decade — thirty-five million dollars in jewelry and gems, committed by a metahuman.
Although it was a shame they hadn't captured the metahuman criminal, simply recovering the jewels was already a huge accomplishment. It would ease the pressure on the Chief, the mayor, and Wells Fargo. Al Swan would gain even more attention.
What pleased Kevin most was that they had thoroughly embarrassed the new arrival. It was a clear message: in this department, you still have to respect your seniors.
No one would accept an incompetent outsider as captain. Perhaps they could even drag Alex down from the Metahuman Special Response Team and let Al Swan take the position. If that happened, Kevin and the others would naturally benefit.
Feeling pleased with himself, Kevin turned toward the Leyton Hotel entrance with a spark of excitement in his eyes — only to freeze.
Alex was walking toward them from down the street. The streetlights cast an orange glow on his tall, straight figure. His spine remained perfectly upright, as if it could never bend. His expression was blank. One corner of his glasses was cracked in a spiderweb pattern, reflecting fractured light under the lamps. His eyes behind the lenses were calm but carried a cold edge. He walked at a steady, unhurried pace.
"Scene is restricted. Please do not enter."
A uniformed officer from the Lower District precinct stepped forward with a stern face and blocked Alex, who was about to walk into the hotel as if nothing had happened.
It was Alex's first day on the job. Many field officers — especially from the Lower District precinct — had not yet met him, so being stopped was perfectly normal.
Alex was about to pull out his Inspector credentials when Kevin looked at his slightly dirty clothes and somewhat disheveled appearance. A mocking smile curved his lips.
"That's the newly appointed Inspector. You should get to know him properly."
Kevin felt a surge of delight. This was sweet revenge for the way the Internal Affairs women had fawned over Alex in the elevator and ignored him. Humiliating the shiny new Inspector on his very first day felt incredibly satisfying.
Kevin's colleagues, who had arrived with him, also turned to look at Alex with meaningful, barely suppressed smirks. To outsiders, it might have looked like friendly banter.
"Sorry, sir. I didn't know," the uniformed officer said sincerely after hearing Kevin. He quickly pulled back the tape to let Alex through.
Alex nodded without speaking. He showed his credentials to the officer for verification, then put them away and turned his gaze to Kevin.
"Kevin Jay, Al Swan's partner."
Alex glanced at Kevin, then at the colleagues beside him. He had some impression of them — they were all members of the Crime Control Department where Al Swan worked.
Finally, his eyes settled on Kevin's face. A flicker of realization crossed his mind. He remembered sharing an elevator with Kevin on the way to the Information Department earlier.
The Information Department and Crime Control Department were on the same floor.
It wasn't hard to figure out how Al Swan had learned about Danton Black being Multiple.
No leads for several days, yet the moment I started searching for Danton Black, they conveniently intercepted it? What a coincidence. Heh.
Alex sneered inwardly. His gaze toward Kevin turned ruthless. Just a small pawn.
Kevin stood at the hotel entrance with a fake, half-smiling "sincere" expression, as if welcoming a superior.
Alex's face remained indifferent. He gave Kevin a cold glance, as if looking at a clown, and walked straight past him into the Leyton Hotel.
Kevin and his colleagues followed closely behind Alex. Once they were inside the hotel — out of the reporters' sight — Kevin dropped the fake smile and openly sneered:
"Captain, you got here pretty fast. Trying to steal credit?"
His tone was dripping with sarcasm. His colleagues burst into laughter, looking at Alex with mocking amusement.
"You're being very rude to a superior."
"Kevin, didn't you know? This is an Inspector."
"Oh, sorry. I only just remembered the captain's rank is Inspector."
"What? You can become an Inspector without any achievements?"
"Wow… Does your backer live in the White House?"
As they reached the elevator, Alex remained expressionless and completely unaffected. He stepped into the elevator and stood in the center. Kevin and the others filed in after him, surrounding him. They grinned openly, throwing veiled insults and sarcasm without using any actual profanity.
They were Al Swan's trusted subordinates. Al's future was directly tied to theirs. If Al became captain of the Metahuman Special Response Team, they would all get promotions.
Alex's sudden arrival had cut off their path to advancement. Seeing their boss steal the credit from him felt incredibly satisfying.
They spoke politely and civilly, like proper officers, yet every sentence was laced with barbs aimed at Alex.
The elevator rose slowly. Alex's calm, unresponsive attitude only made them bolder. They interpreted his silence as cowardice and stared at him with undisguised mockery.
Ding.
The elevator reached the fifth floor.
The chatter around him suddenly died. Alex stepped out with a ruthless tone in his voice.
"You know… my temper is actually quite bad."
Kevin raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with his colleagues, then scoffed.
At most, Alex could make things difficult for them later using his rank. So what? They were from the Crime Control Department. They dealt with the city's most vicious criminals every day, facing gunfire and life-or-death situations countless times. They weren't afraid of some petty bureaucratic pressure.
On the fifth-floor hallway, a large number of officers had already set up yellow police tape, sealing off the entire floor. Forensic technicians were inside Room 503 collecting evidence.
Hearing the elevator arrive, Jason and several other officers — including Al Swan — turned to look.
Alex stepped out of the elevator.
The polished marble floor of the fifth-floor hallway faintly reflected his figure. His clothes were dirty from scrambling across countless rooftops during the chase, and sweat had soaked his collar and sleeves. One corner of his glasses was cracked in a spiderweb pattern. He looked somewhat disheveled, yet his straight spine and icy, steel-like presence made people overlook the minor mess.
When the officers who had seen Alex at headquarters earlier noticed him, they glanced between Alex and Al Swan standing in front of Room 503. The air between the two groups crackled with tension, like two opposing armies about to clash.
Al Swan's face carried a faint, arrogant sneer. He turned his body away from the door to face the approaching Alex.
The entire fifth-floor hallway fell deathly silent. Everyone could feel the gunpowder in the air growing thicker.
Alex walked forward at a steady pace, his cold eyes fixed directly on Al Swan. The sound of his footsteps on the marble was louder than the combined steps of Kevin and the others behind him.
Just as everyone expected Alex to confront Al Swan with angry questions or a furious outburst…
Jason sensed the dangerous atmosphere and stepped forward, reaching out to stop Alex.
"Alex, you—"
Before he could finish, Alex was already in front of him. With a casual half-circle motion of his hand, he brushed Jason's arms aside. Jason stumbled sideways, nearly losing his balance.
Al Swan still wore that faint, arrogant sneer, looking down at Alex with contempt. His status and background meant this newly appointed Inspector could do nothing to him.
Once he worked his connections, this credit would be 100% his.
In this world, people with background and status always won in the end.
Therefore, facing Alex's approaching confrontation, he felt no fear.
Bang!
Alex's eyes were ice-cold. Without saying a single word, he delivered a powerful front kick straight into Al Swan's chest, shattering his arrogant demeanor into shock and unbearable pain.
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