I knocked the cigarette out of the teenager's hand and scolded, "What are you doing smoking in high school? Smoking such good cigarettes at your age is a waste!"
"The teacher doesn't care, why should you?" The teenager raised his eyebrows and snorted, "Life is meaningless anyway. If even the small pleasure of smoking is taken away, then it's really pointless."
"Doesn't your brother care about you?" I asked.
"He does his thing, and I attend my classes, but I find it boring." The teenager sneered.
Just then, Young Master Thomas and a few of his friends came over in their sports cars to pick up his younger brother.
Seeing me, Young Master Thomas and his friends were quite surprised.
The teenager laughed, "Brother, you're going to lose."
"Not necessarily." Young Master Thomas jumped off the sports car, walked over to me, and sized me up, looking for any injuries, but when he found nothing wrong, he said, "You still dare to patrol? I heard that this time Frank Lopez and his group really screwed up and are going to be locked up for 15 days. I'm sure you're going to get a beating tonight, believe it or not."
The teenager reminded me, "My brother knows this circle well. If he says you're going to get beat up, he's not wrong. You should go hide."
"Being a cop is inherently a dangerous job. I'm just afraid if there are no criminals, we might lose our jobs." I finished indifferently, having smoked my cigarette, noticing the students were gradually leaving after school, signaling it was about time to patrol.
"You're just a beat cop, why bother?" The teenager mumbled at my back.
I turned my head and said to them, "I know Summit City is complicated, but everyone has their own role. You uphold your version of the law, and I handle my civic duties. If people don't cross me, I won't cross them."
Young Master Thomas sneered, "I've already predicted your fate, you're going to face a bloodshed in the next couple of days, don't thank me."
I grinned and started up my motorcycle before riding off.
Young Master Thomas and his group watched his back, discussing among themselves.
"I've heard that one of Frank Lopez's cronies, a guy named Young Master Parker, has gotten The North Gate involved to deal with the mindset of this beat cop." A young master said to Young Master Thomas, referring to the so-called mindset work using their unorthodox methods.
"Even though The North Gate is the weakest among The Four Gates, getting entangled with them is still troublesome. This group hasn't been eradicated for the past twenty years and is now practically a law-understanding underworld." Young Master Thomas stated.
"That's the reason why the government is troubled, but it's not our concern." Someone nudged Young Master Thomas, "Care to bet?"
Young Master Thomas turned and asked, "Bet on what?"
"You know what, bet on how many days it takes for this little beat cop to lose his job."
Others crowded around, "Why not make it a bigger bet."
Others raised their eyebrows, unsure what he meant by a bigger bet.
"For example... bet on this cop disappearing from Summit City? Once he loses his job, that's when he disappears."
The blond teenager smoking a cigarette adjusted his hairstyle and chimed in, "I think he might surprise you all."
"Adam, you're too young to know how ruthless The Four Gates can be behind the scenes. If this cop has any sense, it might be the best way to save himself. The Four Gates are notorious for their unscrupulous deeds behind the scenes." Young Master Thomas said to his brother.
"Honestly, I was a bit surprised he managed to get Frank Lopez and his guys detained."
Others nodded in agreement, "Now many people are investigating this beat cop. He probably has no idea that other wealthy young masters want to use him to assert their debauched status!"
The blond teenager named Adam Thomas flicked his cigarette butt and said, "Brother, let's follow him and see. If you think he'll get into trouble tonight, let's check it out."
"If it's really The North Gate's doing, we can't get involved." Young Master Thomas frowned at his brother.
"No worries, we'll just follow him. His motorcycle is easy to identify. If it's really done by Frank Lopez's cronies, we'll film it and then use it to threaten him." Others laughed.
Young Master Thomas thought it over, and since they had nothing else planned for the evening, they all got into their cars and kept a short distance from Tobby Curry's motorcycle.
I held the throttle with one hand, while the other hand waved in the air, trying to recreate the sensation of catching a fly in the kitchen earlier. As I was in a daze, I suddenly realized the sports car in front of me was slowing down. Luckily, my reflexes were fast; otherwise, I would have rear-ended the car.
In that split second, my subconscious kicked in and I hit the brakes, the force causing the back of the motorcycle to lift up. Luckily, I stopped just a centimeter away from the sports car's rear.
At this moment, people began getting out of the sports car and the two other Jaguars and BMWs in front. The guy from the sports car, wearing a vest and jacket accessorized with a gold chain, yelled at me as he got out, "Are you blind?"
The others surrounded me without giving me a chance to speak, "You rear-ended us! Dumbass, how are you going to compensate?"
"Look carefully, I didn't hit you." I said after stopping my motorcycle.
The guy with the chain kicked my motorcycle over and shouted angrily, "Being a cop gives you no special privilege! My inspection system detected your collision, so unless you pay up, don't think of leaving. Whether you're a cop or not, you're responsible for rear-ending."
Seeing my motorcycle kicked over, my expression slightly changed. I grabbed the man with the chain by the collar, a bit angry, "What are you trying to do?"
"What? You're wrong in this, and you still want to get physical?" The man with the chain scoffed, "Even if I destroy your motorcycle, it wouldn't cover the cost of my car's paint, you know? Hurry up, call and have thirty grand sent over!"
"Why don't you just rob me?" I frowned, "Check your dash cam, see if I hit you."
The man with the chain leaned in close to me and lowered his voice, "Just because you're a cop doesn't mean you don't have to pay. I'll give you ten minutes, if I don't get the thirty grand, I'll beat you up and call it even. Can't pay, then take a beating, that's fair."
I could see these guys were intentionally causing trouble. At night in this area, it's usually deserted, and speed limits are enforced for driving. These guys' cars suddenly slowed down, which was already a violation, clearly intending for me to hit them.
"You guys were violating traffic laws just now, show me your IDs." I said.
My authoritative stance as a cop instantly darkened the faces of the seven or eight people around me, each one quietly encircling me. The man with the chain looked at me, his face grim under the dim streetlight, "Be clear, you're the one who rear-ended my car. Adam't keep pulling that cop routine. Two minutes have passed, you have eight minutes left, traffic control isn't your jurisdiction, don't think we're ignorant of the law."
I had no patience for this guy and attempted to walk past him, "I'm going to get the dash cam from your car to show you."
However, those encircling me wouldn't let me pass, seemingly intent on preventing me from moving. The situation quickly reached a standoff!