The man with the gold chain was slowly helped up by a few of his subordinates, and one of them asked, "Spike, how should we explain this to Boss Coyote? Tonight, he wants us to send that guy back with injuries so Young Master Lopez knows what's up. Otherwise, Young Master Lopez might think we took money without doing the job."
The man with the chain felt a warmth in his nostrils, wiped it away, and knew without looking that it was bleeding. He cursed, "This is a tough character. Tell Boss Coyote that this guy probably yields to soft rather than hard tactics. Also, the area he's responsible for falls under The South Borough's territory, so give them a heads up and ask for some assistance."
I bought a bottle of Red Bull beside the seaside seafood stall, and after downing it in one go, felt much more refreshed. I needed to stay alert for my night shift. That fight just now was exhilarating, but it also clearly showed me how much my strength had declined—dropped from A Level to C Level, a fall spanning the gaps to C+, B, and B+. The difference wasn't ordinary. This disparity meant my brain could quickly make judgments, but my body couldn't keep up. If not for my inexplicable subconscious burst earlier, that dagger might have ended up in my back.
Similarly, I felt something off with my ears—they'd become especially sharp. I didn't know why this was happening, and my body's occasional subconscious reactions left me particularly puzzled.
"Looks like I need to get a check-up at the hospital after my shift. Maybe the serum in my body left some side effects," I thought to myself.
As I was deep in thought, Young Master Thomas and others drove up in their sports cars, stopping in front of me. Young Master Thomas said to me, "Wanna grab a drink?"
"I'm on duty, not interested," I replied.
Young Master Thomas's younger brother, Adam Thomas, jumped out of the car and, looking very interested in me, said, "Teach me how to fight."
I couldn't be bothered with these people. This coastal strip was also the most expensive gourmet street, and my salary couldn't afford a night snack here. I wasn't interested in drinking or dining with them anyway, since I still had to patrol my area until dawn.
Just at that moment, three black Audi A6s pulled up, and four guys got out and said to Young Master Thomas and the others, "The South Borough is handling matters, please step aside."
Upon hearing that they were from The South Borough, Young Master Thomas and the others squinted, and Young Master Thomas instinctively pulled his brother, Adam Thomas, to retreat to the side.
The four men in suits approached me and said, "Our manager wants to meet you, Mr. Curry, if you would please."
They pointed to a café by the sea. Before I could respond, Adam Thomas, the blond-haired boy, frowned and interjected, "Adam't go!"
The four men from The South Borough immediately glanced over at him. One even prepared to go over and slap him, but I grabbed his arm, smiling to diffuse the situation, "The kid's just being naive, no need to take it to heart. I'll go with you, I get it—paving your way in any environment is customary."
Then I let go and led the way towards the open-air café by the seaside where the wind blew.
The North Gate man, whose arm had been grabbed, curiously rubbed his arm.
"What's wrong?"
"This guy's strength is a bit domineering. Be careful," the North Gate man who was rubbing his arm said, looking at Tobby's back, "No wonder that Coyote's subordinate, AJ from The North Gate, got a raw deal. This guy's a bit capable."
I reached the seaside open-air café near the high-tide line and saw a man in a cotton-linen Zhongshan suit, wearing wrist beads and a jade Buddha around his neck, focused on brewing tea.
After I lifted the bell curtain, the man raised his head to look at me and smiled, "Have a seat."
"I'll pass," I replied. "Wearing this uniform and sitting down would mean colluding with you."
"Not dumb, huh?" The man laughed, a bit surprised at my wariness, but then his face turned sullen, "Do you look down on us?"
His implication was a challenge: Do you look down on gangsters?
"I'm a cop," I replied.
The man chuckled, "Yeah, a cop acting on impulse."
He took a sip of his tea, pondered, then continued, "It's good for young people to be enthusiastic about their work, but one shouldn't rush in recklessly. I hope the people I've trained do well, but I'm also afraid they'll become too ambitious, as we're not ready to step down just yet. So, ambitious youngsters often have a hard time."
He looked at me, "Do you understand what I mean?"
I didn't answer, just looked at him.
The man emptied his cup, then poured himself more tea. Seeing that I hadn't responded, he thought I didn't understand his point, so he continued, "If it's not your job, don't let it concern you. Do what you're supposed to do and stay out of matters that don't involve you, or you'll have trouble. Someone asked me to talk to you; I don't want to make things difficult. Even though you're a cop, you caught someone you shouldn't have. Young people, isn't there any issue we can't talk through? Adam't act on impulse."
After listening to him for a long time, I smiled slightly, walked over, picked up a teacup, and took a sip, asking, "Shall I let you make a choice first?"
The man frowned, looking questioningly at me.
"I'll slap you now, then pay for your medical expenses and even give you three hundred thousand as compensation for emotional distress. Would you go for it?" I wore an innocent smile.
The man's face darkened.
"You wouldn't like that, right? Neither would I! When I speak to you respectfully, you are an equal in my eyes. But if you don't respect me, sorry, I'll only see you as a dog. And how do you teach a beast? By beating it! Beat it until it fears you!"
I turned my back, facing the vast sea, "In our camp, the instructor told us to be patient with civilians, but with stubborn elements, you fight fire with fire!"
The man slammed his palm on the table heavily, his eyes revealing a dangerous glint, "Adam't you know whose territory this is?"
"Adam't forget one thing," I confidently turned my head towards him, "I came in with your guys, and at least thirty people outside saw me in uniform coming to see you. If something happens to me, it's not just you—your seafood restaurant chain here will be shut down."
Saying this, I placed both hands heavily on the man's tea table, leaned in close, and said, "This is the power of the state!"
After finishing, I snorted coldly, turned, and prepared to leave. The four subordinates moved to stop me, but the man, with a grim expression, raised his hand to let me go.
After Tobby left, the four subordinates of The North Gate looked at the manager, "Just let him go like that?"
"He's a smart cop," the manager replied.