Unfamiliar Surroundings

"Move it! Grab the cash, and let's blow this joint!" A thug, veins bulging from the strain of waiting, urged his companion who was busy rifling through the pockets of an unconscious man sprawled out in front of them.

"Hold your horses! I've checked every pocket and found nothing but these odd bills. Not a single Zeni on him. Let's swipe his weird phone and watch. We've overstayed our welcome," the impatient accomplice grumbled, rising from his crouch. Suddenly, the wail of police sirens echoed through the alley, and two motorbikes appeared, blocking their exit.

"Freeze! Police! Get down and show us your hands!"

Two uniformed officers emerged, one aiming a revolver while the other busied himself with handcuffing the criminals. The commotion drew the attention of curious bystanders who peered down the narrow alleyway, whispering among themselves about the unfolding drama.

"Gah… my head, what's all this racket??" The man who had been lying unconscious on the alley floor began to stir. As he raised his head, he frantically surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where am I? What the hell is going on?!" Fear and confusion battled for dominance in his thoughts.

'What in the world is going on here?' He silently questioned, peppering his confusion with curses – uncharacteristic, given his usual demeanor.

He cast his gaze to the left, taking in the sight of his wallet and a scattering of his belongings strewn on the ground, next to the now-handcuffed criminals. Were they thieves? Kidnappers? All he knew was that his situation was anything but normal.

"Officer, what happened? Why am I here? I was on my way to work, and now I'm stuck in this chaos. What's the story?"

The policeman, having just called in a transport vehicle for the arrested pair, turned and responded, "Don't worry, you're safe now. We received a call about a sudden flash of light and a loud bang. We feared it was another shooting; those have been on the rise lately. By the time we arrived, you were being robbed. You can probably piece together the rest."

The young man fell silent as he tried to digest this information. When he didn't respond, the officer added, "You'll need to come with us to the station. We have some questions, and it's safer for you there."

"I understand. We can discuss further when we get there." The young man sighed, agreeing to cooperate. All he wanted was to sort out this mess and return home.

(5 Hours later)

*Knock Knock

"Enter."

With the invitation, a detective slid open the door, revealing an older man engrossed in his computer screen.

"Officer Derrek, about the robbery victim – I've searched for hours, not only in West City's ID Database but also in those of other major cities. No record of him anywhere. I thought he might be from the countryside, unfamiliar with city life and its bureaucracy, but he insists he's from a place called the 'United Kingdom of Britain' – a place that doesn't exist. And his wallet contained an unknown currency, not Zeni. The last time we had another currency was centuries ago. His identification and bank cards look real enough, but they're from places that don't exist either."

Head of the investigation department, Senior Officer Derrek White, rubbed his temples, a troubled look on his face. What should've been a simple robbery case was turning into a headache-inducing puzzle.

"And his story gets stranger. He said he was heading to work at an 'Engineering Company' that doesn't even exist here. As you know, the only major tech and engineering company in West City is Dr. Brief's Capsule Corporation. When I pointed this out, he seemed confused and went silent. He hasn't said much since."

'Sigh… Why can't retirement come sooner?' Derrek thought, shaking his head and turning to the young detective. "We can't afford to keep this up. We have all the details needed to close the robbery case. Since he's no longer willing to cooperate, we have no choice but to release him. Check with finance department about providing him with enough funds to survive the next two days. Request it under criminal injuries compensation. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

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