Chapter fifteen: The police arrives

The remaining three hesitated for a moment, but before they could move any closer, Lucas swung a punch, landing squarely on the face of the guy on the left. The man's teeth flew out, and as for the one on the right, Lucas grabbed him by the throat, stopping him in his tracks, but that was after he had given the one in the middle a swift kick which sent him flying a few meters away and reeling on the floor in pain.

In the blink of an eye, all the four workers were dealt with.

Everyone was at a loss for words. To them Lucas was just a teenager, while these were grown men, yet they were all laid out on the ground in an instant, suffering from a severe beating from him. It was truly impressive.

Still holding the man's neck, Lucas turned to look at Francis and his wife. The look in his eyes made even someone as seasoned as Francis feel a twinge of fear.

As for the woman next to Francis, under Lucas's gaze, her knees began to tremble. She tried to appear calm, but it was impossible; her legs felt like they belonged to someone else, completely out of control.

"Want to try again?" Lucas asked calmly. But beneath that calmness, he was seething with rage.

Francis swallowed hard, then said sternly,

"Kid, you've hurt people. You're in big trouble now."

"Trouble? Seems like you were the ones who started this" Lucas replied with a mocking smile.

"But you've injured them, and you can't escape the law. Just wait, you'll pay for this" Francis continued to threaten.

"Talking to me about the law, is the law your family's? Is it at your disposal?" Lucas said, a bit amused by Francis words. Then, he slowly raised his hand and tossed the man he was holding aside.

Turns out, at some point, the man had been so scared he wet his pants.

If Lucas hadn't noticed it early, things might have gotten quite messy by now. Francis took several steps back, realizing the situation. As the saying goes "A wise man knows when to retreat," especially someone as seasoned as him.

Lucas shook his head, picked up the herbs from the floor, and walked straight out. He couldn't be bothered with people like Francis.

But just as he stepped outside, he saw several people approaching, they were police officers. Lucas glanced at them and continued walking.

"Hold on a second," the officer in front called out.

Lucas turned his head, then stopped in his tracks.

Inside, a flamboyant woman heard the familiar voice outside and hurried out, not even bothering to put on her shoes.

"Captain, you're just in time. This little punk was causing trouble here. Look, he beat up everyone inside, smashed our counter, and claimed he was the law or something" the woman clung to the captain's arm, chattering away.

Captain Leo, feeling the woman's presence, looked at Lucas with a feigned serious expression.

"Did you do all this?"

Lucas looked at the captain, who was barely 5'6" with a square face and large ears, and let out a small laugh.

"I asked you, did you do it?" Captain Leo raised his voice, clearly annoyed.

"So what if I did? So what if I didn't?" Lucas replied calmly, his eyes showing no trace of panic.

As Captain Leo questioned Lucas, he was struck by the man's calm and dismissive demeanor. Leo had reached his current position not just through flattery, but by being adaptable. Otherwise, he would have been ousted long ago.

He scrutinized Lucas, noting that aside from his slightly worn clothes, there was nothing particularly amiss. In fact, Lucas carried an air of authority about him.

"Could he be another one of those who hide their true strength?" Leo wondered to himself.

The seductive woman beside them was also sharp-minded, not just someone who threw tantrums. Seeing Leo's expression, she spoke up again.

"Captain Leo, this little brat is just a herb digger. He didn't like the price we offered and started a fight. You can't let him off the hook. You saw how my men were beaten" she said, pressing her chest against Leo's arm.

Francis, who had come out from behind, was already fuming. But knowing that common folk shouldn't fight officials, he held his anger in check. To Lucas, Francis's frustration was as obvious as a neon sign.

Perhaps it was Lucas's identity or the woman's persistent nudging, but Leo finally spoke.

"Kid, since you've admitted it, let's go to the station. Of course, you can resist, but think about the consequences," Leo sneered.

"Fine, I want to see if you can really turn white into black, but don't regret it later" Lucas replied coolly, cooperating.

Seeing that Lucas agree so easily, a cold smile crept onto Leo's lips.

Even Francis couldn't believe that Lucas just admitted everything so easily, without any tricks or persuasion needed.

"Doesn't he know the consequences of confessing? What a naive kid," Francis thought to himself as he hurried over.

Captain Leo noticed Francis approaching and stopped whatever he was doing. With a serious expression, he said

"Mr Jackson, since this incident has occurred, you'll all need to come with me. We have to follow protocols and take statements."

Hearing this, Francis swallowed the words he was about to say. Well, going to the station was better than dealing with this outside. Money talks, and he had plenty of experience in these matters.

"You guys, take them back" Captain Leo ordered as he led the group to the police cars parked at the entrance.

There were two cars: one was a regular sedan, and the other was a transport vehicle with bars all around it. Captain Leo escorted the flashy woman into the sedan, while Lucas and Francis were directed to the transport vehicle.

"Hey, make sure they get checked at the hospital, and remember to get a certificate from the doctor" Francis instructed one of his assistants before climbing into the transport vehicle.

The onlookers started murmuring among themselves.

"That young guy is too straightforward. He's in big trouble now."

"Yeah, Francis is a real smooth operator. It's no surprise he's taking advantage of an honest person."

"And that Leo, he's always the one handling these situations."

"Don't mention it, but did you notice something fishy between that flashy woman and Captain Leo?"

"Even a fool can see it, but it's a shame about those herbs."

"The herbs are a small matter, but that young guy, going through something like this, might have his future ruined."

"Exactly, what kind of world is this where money rules all?"

"I don't know, but hopefully, the kid learns something from this. It's society, not quite dog-eat-dog, but definitely a rich man's world."

"Sigh, let's not talk about it anymore, let's disperse."

"Yeah, it's none of our business anyway."

With that, the crowd that had gathered began to disperse.

Left standing was a lone figure, her brow furrowed, teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.