That shove left Tō Shōko stunned. Before he could react, Anshin sprang up from the ground like a carp leaping from the water. His hands shot out, seizing Tō Shōryū's arms with textbook police grappling techniques.
Shōryū, blood rushing to his head, roared, "Damn it, beat him! This brat is framing us!"
He was quick-witted enough to cry out, "He hit me first! Police brutality! Police beating civilians!"
Luckily, no one else was around.
He kicked hard toward Anshin's chest—
But Anshin slid sideways, dodged with ease, and clamped both hands around his arms. Shōryū felt as though iron pincers had locked his limbs.
Tō Shōko charged, swinging a fist at Anshin's face. But to Anshin, with his divine-level combat skills, the attack was riddled with flaws. He tilted his head, shifted his shoulder forward, and slammed it into Shōko's ribs like a mountain crash.
Thud!
Shōko went pale, nearly lost his breath, and crumpled to the floor, terror in his eyes.
This cop… was made of steel!?
Expressionless, Anshin flowed through the moves—his enhanced strength nearly double that of ordinary men, his mastery of combat absolute. Against these two? Child's play.
With a twist, crack, he forced Shōryū's arms behind his back and cuffed him to the ground.
Shōko froze, finally recalling the story from days ago: this same officer had taken down a fugitive with multiple murders to his name, in a single blow.
To provoke such a man… wasn't that suicide?
…
"Come here. Tie yourself up," Anshin ordered calmly, his knee pinning Shōryū as he gestured at Shōko.
Shōko obediently grabbed a rope from a fish stall and looped it clumsily around his wrists. He knew it was useless, but he wasn't about to run.
"Arrest complete," Anshin declared.
And at that moment—
Ding!
[System Notification][Congratulations! You have apprehended the malignant elements Tō Shōryū and Tō Shōko!]
So it was true. The system wouldn't trigger if he'd arrested the wrong men.
Yes, they hadn't committed atrocities like murder. But they weren't innocent either. For ordinary people, their kind—the petty bullies extorting neighbors face-to-face—were the most hated of all. Far more than distant "big tigers" or legendary bandits on the news.
There was no such thing as "small evil."
[Reward: +5 Attribute Points, +1 Skill Point]
Not much, compared to the last fugitive. Even though it was two of them this time.
Still, it was proof: their crimes were real, if not severe. He didn't expect them to serve long sentences. At most, a few days or weeks before release. But that was fine. Catch them, let them out, catch them again.
Each cycle, more experience.
Anshin's eyes gleamed. He'd found his exploit.
His bug.
An endless ATM of experience points.
If he farmed them for a year or two, how strong would he become?
A genius idea.
…
Soon, he called in the arrest. Rishō arrived with a squad. He was shocked—Anshin had just nabbed two criminals on New Year's Day. And he recognized them well.
Back when he was a precinct cop, Old Factory Street was his beat. The Tang brothers had always been cowardly bullies—daring only to prey on newcomers like Anshin. Around him, they never dared act up.
"Anshin, have you lost it? You trying to rack up achievements so badly you're arresting these two?"
"They extorted protection fees. And they seized property illegally," Anshin said flatly.
Rishō was speechless. It was true. The so-called sanitation fee had always been there. But honestly? In this era, chaos was everywhere. Markets like this were countless across Jinhai. If they arrested every extortionist, the jails would burst.
That was the harsh reality of policing in those years. They had limited manpower, limited time. You couldn't clean everything up in one sweep. Change came step by step.
"Fine, fine," Rishō sighed. "I'll take them back. But you know the outcome as well as I do. They'll be out in ten days, maybe less."
"I know," Anshin said, smiling faintly.
And that was perfect.
Out, in, out, in. Again and again.
His personal XP machines.
His bug exploit.
The Tang brothers shuddered under his gaze. This officer's strikes still ached. And that look in his eyes—
As though he saw them not as men… but as walking bags of points.
"Brother Rishō! I want to file a complaint!" Shōryū shouted desperately.