The fugitive looked about forty, his face thick with flesh. He had fled here from another province, and his accent gave him away.
"All of you, back off!"
"Clear out, or I'll kill her right now!"
The dagger in his hand pressed closer to the child's neck, and she burst into terrified sobs. Dozens of officers on the scene froze, not daring to act rashly.
"Step back!"
By the command vehicle tens of meters away, sweat glistened on Director An's bald head as he barked into the radio. The suspect held a hostage, and it was a child. If anything went wrong, the bureau would never be able to explain itself to the public. His own career might not survive the fallout.
The market entrance was chaos. Old Factory Street Market was huge, packed with merchants and bystanders. Dozens of officers couldn't hope to clear the crowd. The hostage's parents wailed in anguish.
A man in his thirties held them up, his clothes shabby and reeking of fish. It was Kō Kikkyō, still just a fish seller back then.
"Old Li, don't panic. At this point, we can only trust the police…"
Though he spoke words of comfort, Kikkyō's heart was heavy. A desperate fugitive cornered like a beast—who knew what he might do? His eyes shifted to the tense standoff. There, Anshin and Rishō stood on the front line.
"Anshin, draw him out!" Director An's command came through the earpiece.
"Do not fire unless you're certain. The hostage is too close. Our sniper has him locked, but with all the stalls there's no clear shot. Get him into the open!"
Anshin steadied his breath. He opened the system.
He split his ten attribute points evenly: five into Strength, five into Agility.
A warm current rushed through him, filling his body with vigor. The pistol in his hand felt light. His control over his body sharpened, his movements grew swift. His combat power doubled.
Next came the five skill points. Three went into Basic Handgun Mastery—elevating it instantly to Divine. Two went into Basic Police Combat—raising it to Advanced.
In an instant, torrents of data coursed through his mind, weaving flawless reflex chains into his brain and body. The pistol felt like an extension of his senses. Within fifty meters, he knew he could hit whatever he aimed at. No one alive could outshoot him now.
This was the pinnacle of human pistol skill.
His grasp of combat techniques also soared. In a SWAT unit, he would rank among the top. One man against ten wouldn't be a problem.
With these abilities backing him, Anshin felt calm. But he didn't move yet. He was still ten meters from the fugitive. He had to wait, because the man still held a hostage.
"Brother… whatever you want, say it. We'll do our best. Don't hurt the child. That's no act of a real man."
"Bring me a car! Clear your people! I'll take this girl and leave Jinhai. Once I'm out of the city, I'll let her go!"
The fugitive was calm, planning to escape with the hostage.
"Alright!" Anshin called. "Units One and Two, withdraw. Prepare a Santana sedan at the gate."
Director An coordinated from behind. The sniper stayed in position. Once the fugitive stepped into open ground, the shot would come.
"Come with me. I promise you'll be fine," Anshin said, lowering his pistol and leading the way out.
The fugitive hesitated, but followed, keeping his grip on the girl.
Just as they neared the gate, stepping into sniper range, the man froze.
"No!" he snarled. "You think I've never watched cop movies? You've got snipers waiting outside!"
His tone was fierce, but his eyes betrayed fear.
At that moment, Anshin was closest.
SWISH!
His pistol flashed up in less than half a second, locking onto the man's right arm.
BANG!
The shot tore through flesh. Blood sprayed, and the knife slipped from his weakening grip.
At the same instant, Anshin exploded forward, his boosted agility propelling him several meters in a blur. His fist swung with all the power of his enhanced body, slamming into the fugitive's temple.
THUD!
The man collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth, his balance destroyed.
It all happened like lightning, less than two seconds to turn the entire situation. The officers outside hadn't even processed it yet.
"Move in!"
Rishō, the perfect partner, leapt in to secure the criminal. Officers rushed to shield the girl.
"Control the scene now!" Director An stormed in, relief flooding him.
The crowd stared in stunned silence at the sudden burst of violence.
That officer—he was too fast. Too fierce.