"Are you finished?" I asked quietly, my voice calm, almost detached.
Xi Yin frowned. "Mr. Amar, this is a formal investigation. If you do not hand over Lina immediately for medical and safety evaluation, we will be forced to breach the perimeter and secure her ourselves."
"First of all, Officer," I said, taking a slow step forward—ignoring the collective flinch from the students behind Arthur, "Vincent conveniently omitted the fact that Lina walked into the academy specifically seeking me out to discuss funding for the Sunflower Orphanage. Second, the Student Council room was cleared because we were discussing private financial affairs—a discussion she willingly engaged in."
I looked directly at Vincent, whose eyes flickered with a hint of uncertainty.
"Third," I continued, "Lina is currently inside my home, resting in a private medical suite under the care of a certified physician. She underwent a severe physical strain during her awakening ceremony—an event that occurred with her full consent using resources legally provided by my estate."
Vice Principal Rosette stepped up next to Xi Yin, the fiery construct in her hand crackling with intense heat, radiating waves of hot air across the driveway.
"That 'anomaly' was a Saint-level energy pillar, Amar," Rosette said sharply, her tone icy despite the flame in her palm. "An unawakened girl from a compromised background does not suddenly trigger a multi-dragon phenomenon without illegal external stimulants or high-risk forced awakening arrays. If you used forbidden methods on a student of Golden Star Academy, as Vice Principal, I have full authority to detain you."
"You have authority inside the academy gates, Miss Rosette," I replied coldly. "You have zero authority on private estate grounds owned by a primary board trustee."
The tension in the air snapped like a stretched wire. Arthur lost his patience entirely.
"Enough talk!" Arthur roared, a aura of bright blue martial energy surging around his feet. "He's just stalling! We take him down and get Lina out!"
Arthur leaped forward, channeling his martial energy into a heavy palm strike aimed directly at my chest—
"Hold!"
A voice like thunder reverberated from the sky above the estate. The pressure was so sudden and immense that Arthur's momentum was instantly crushed mid-air, forcing him to slam hard onto the concrete driveway on his knees. The fiery construct in Rosette's hand flickered and died out instantly under the oppressive weight of the incoming aura.
Sirens blared in the distance as three high-speed armored transport shuttles bearing the official seal of the Star Empire Police Headquarters descended from the clouds, flanked by four sleek combat gunships hovering overhead.
The heavy doors of the lead shuttle hissed open before it even touched the ground, and a tall figure in a dark trench coat stepped out into the air, walking down as if invisible stairs were beneath his feet.
The Lock Night City Chief of Police had arrived.
The Chief of Police, Chief Vane, landed on the gravel with a heavy, deliberate thump, his long dark trench coat settling around him. His gaze swept over the scene—the trembling students, Officer Xi Yin, Vice Principal Rosette, and the squad of my heavily armed estate guards who hadn't lowered their muzzles by a single millimeter.
"Lower your weapons," Chief Vane barked, his voice carrying the faint, vibrating hum of a high-tier Martial Grandmaster.
Officer Xi Yin immediately straightened her stance, holstering her sidearm, while Arthur scrambled off his knees, wincing as he dusted off his pants. The pressure in the air ebbed slightly, but the tension remained electric.
Chief Vane walked past the line of students, stopping right between the two opposing sides. He looked at Xi Yin, his eyes sharp and unforgiving. "Officer Xi Yin. Who authorized a raid on a primary trustee's private residential estate without an official warrant from headquarters?"
Xi Yin flinched slightly but stood her ground. "Chief! We received multiple urgent reports of an abduction from Golden Star Academy involving a student. Given the massive energy anomaly registered from this location shortly after, I deemed it an emergency intervention under public safety protocol—"
"Public safety protocol requires a signed directive from my desk when dealing with high-tier private territories," Chief Vane interrupted coldly. He then turned his head toward me, his expression unreadable. "Mr. Amar Roy."
"Chief Vane," I replied smoothly, giving a courteous nod. "I appreciate the prompt arrival of imperial law enforcement. As you can see, my estate has suffered structural damage, and my private grounds were breached by armed individuals under the guise of an unsanctioned investigation."
"You kidnapped Lina!" Arthur yelled from behind Rosette, his face flushed with anger. "She was forced into your car! Half the campus saw it!"
I didn't even look at him. "A heated personal disagreement between acquaintances does not constitute a kidnapping, Mr. Arthur. If Officer Xi Yin had bothered to check the academy's front gate surveillance, she would have seen Miss Lina enter my vehicle voluntarily."
Arthur again interrupted, "You are lying; she did not voluntarily enter your car. Some students even saw you slapping her, just outside the gate of the academy; after that, you pulled her into your car. You clearly kidnapped her and are trying to commit some inhuman experiments on her."
He continued, "The whole academy knows that you are forcing yourself on Lina; you are lusting after her body. We know you are a lecherous person with a strong backing, but you cannot take Lina as your property. You tried to pursue Lina many times, even going as far as blackmailing her about the orphanage, but remember Lina will never be yours; a trash like you do not deserve Lina."
His words, especially the point where he told everyone that I slapped Lina, hurt my heart like a needle. I don't know why, but after hearing him accusing me of kidnapping Lina, I felt like breaking his bones. How dare he, just a nobody from rubbish, tell me that I do not deserve Lina? She was mine even before this life began; she is mine again in this life, and she will remain my love in the next one as well.
But I controlled my anger, as I will surely punish him for saying this, but now well being of Lina came first, so need to quickly return to her.
"And the energy pillar?" Vice Principal Rosette interjected, stepping up beside the Chief. "A Saint-level dragon manifestation isn't something that happens during a 'personal disagreement.' If illegal high-grade catalysts were used on an unawakened civilian—"
"Miss Lina's awakening was conducted entirely within legal parameters using standard, high-density spirit energy stones owned legally by the Roy estate," I said, my voice dropping an octave, carrying a chilling calm. "If you doubt the legitimacy of her condition, you are welcome to review the medical telemetry.
But you will do so through proper legal channels, not through an armed mob at my front gate."
Chief Vane raised a hand, cutting off Rosette before she could argue further. He turned back to me, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to peer straight into my soul.
"Mr. Roy," Chief Vane said calmly. "Regardless of legal technicalities, a Saint-level energy phenomenon within city limits demands official verification. For the safety of the public—and to put an end to this disruption—I require a certified medical assessment of the girl inside."
I remained silent for a beat, calculating my options. Pushing Chief Vane away right now would only draw deeper suspicion from the higher authorities of the Star Empire.
"Very well," I said smoothly, stepping aside and gesturing toward the main mansion doors. "Chief Vane and Vice Principal Rosette may enter alongside my estate's chief physician to confirm Miss Lina's safety. The rest of the officers and students will remain outside the perimeter."
Arthur grit his teeth, wanting to protest, but one cold glance from Chief Vane silenced him completely.
"Acceptable," Chief Vane agreed.
As I turned toward the mansion, leading Chief Vane and Rosette up the marble steps, a sudden, sharp ringing hummed inside my deep subconscious. It was different from the headache I had felt earlier—it felt like a microscopic pulse, a faint biological rhythm echoing from deep within my bone marrow. I felt my blood was flowing backwards; along with it came a stinging headache. But I controlled it, as now I wanted to see Lina and check her condition.