Leo and Aria were already seated at the restaurant, and Leo had placed the food order. Meanwhile, Aria kept asking him all kinds of questions. At the table nearby, Aria's colleagues had their eyes fixed only on the two of them. Everyone kept staring at Leo.
Aria was pleased. Everything was going exactly the way she wanted. On one hand, she wanted to show Leo how popular she was at her office, and on the other, she wanted to make her colleagues jealous. She was the only woman at her station, which naturally kept all attention focused on her.
She couldn't tolerate Leo's rudeness forever. That was why she had brought him here—to show him her popularity.
"Hey, Ashton," a man in cops uniform said as he approached their table, followed by three others. They surrounded Leo and Aria's table.
"Is this your boyfriend… or your brother?"
"Ethan, don't annoy me," Aria replied. "He's neither my brother nor my boyfriend. We're just friends."
"What kind of friend is this, that I don't know about?" Ethan asked.
Then he pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked straight at Leo."So, what's your name?"
"His name is Leo," Aria answered.
Ethan snapped back irritably,
"I asked *him. Why are you answering? Who do you think you are?"
"My name is Leo," Leo said in a deep voice. "And I'm definitely not your friend's boyfriend."
"Oh really? What do you do for a living?" Ethan asked.
Inside, Ethan was burning with jealousy, though he tried hard to keep it under control.
By now, Leo had understood exactly why Aria had brought him here. That was why he wanted no trouble.
Pushing his plate aside, Leo said calmly,
"Look, I'm not a criminal for you to interrogate me. I came here just to eat, and now I'm leaving."
"I'll drop you home," Aria said quickly.
That was enough to set Ethan off. He shouted at Leo,"Hey! Get lost from here!"
"What are you doing, Ethan?" Aria said, trying to calm him.
"Leo is my roommate. I brought him here for lunch. What's the big deal?"
"Roommate?" Ethan repeated.
Not just Ethan—everyone standing there was shocked.
"You couldn't find any other house in all of Riverdale that you have to live with a cheap guy like this?" Ethan sneered.
"Where I live is none of your business," Aria snapped back.
"And do you even know where my house is? I live in one of the most expensive buildings in Riverdale. The rent is no less than 50,000. Can you afford that?"
Ethan went silent.He was just an ordinary policeman. Paying that much rent was beyond his means.
"As soon as I'm free from my cases, I'll start looking for a place for you," Ethan said. Then he glanced at Leo.
"Living with strangers like him isn't safe. Who knows where such people come from."
"I'm completely safe with him," Aria said deliberately, provoking him."Can't you see how strong Leo is?"
"Oh yeah?" Ethan said, looking at Leo. "Is she telling the truth?"
Leo had no interest in fighting. He decided it was best to leave.
"Yes, yes," Aria said casually.
"When I got angry, I tried to take him down—but he countered. I have to admit, the guy has strength. That's not something ordinary."
Her words were simple, but each one fueled Ethan's anger.
"What's wrong? You think you can just walk away like this?" Ethan said, stopping Leo.
As Ethan spoke, two of his colleagues blocked Leo's path.
"Come on," Leo said calmly.
"We're all police officers here. Fighting each other won't solve anything."
Seeing this, Aria stepped in.
"What are you people trying to do?"
"Don't worry," Ethan replied coldly. "This is between men."
"And who told you we're colleagues?" Ethan said to Leo.
"I'm a police officer too," Leo replied, showing his ID.
"That's the only reason I let Aria stay with me."
Ethan laughed loudly."Your rank is barely equal to a constable. Hahaha!"
Leo had only just joined and was currently assigned to patrolling duties. His rank was much lower than the criminal department officers.
Aria froze for a moment.
If she had known Leo was also a police officer, she would never have brought him here. Now the situation was out of her control.
Ethan continued mocking,"You were calling yourself my colleague?"
The officers behind him burst into laughter.
"Ethan is from the Criminal Department. Look at his height, his build. You can never be equal to us. Do you even know what the Criminal Department is?"
"But what difference does it make?" Leo replied calmly."We all work for the people, don't we?"
Ethan was about to respond when Aria interrupted,"Enough. Just leave. Go finish your lunch."
"He raised his hand on you," Ethan snapped."How can we let him go so easily? Doesn't he even know how to behave with women? Looks like he needs to be taught a lesson."
Leo turned to Aria."Do you want me to say sorry?"
"What? No," Aria said quickly."Don't listen to Ethan."
That only made Ethan angrier."She doesn't want your apology—but I do."
His voice made it clear he had no intention of calming down.
Leo's patience finally snapped.
His anger was visible now.
He shoved the two men blocking his way and said to Ethan,"And if I don't apologize?"
"What do you think will happen?" Ethan slammed his hand on the table.
*(Sound effect)*
Aria sensed the fight coming and tried to stop them.
"Everyone calm down. There's no need to fight here."
"You may not want me as your boyfriend," Ethan said to Aria,
"but I'll do everything a boyfriend does."
Aria was stunned. She didn't even know how to react.
"You're just a constable," Ethan said arrogantly to Leo.
"My strength and skills are far beyond yours. You can't match me even in your dreams. But if you still doubt it—how about a small competition?"
"What kind of competition?" Leo asked.
"Gun assembly," Ethan replied.
Ethan immediately pulled out a gun.
"For a police officer, assembling a gun is basic skill. Let's see how good you really are."
Leo hesitated.He still didn't have his gun license.
"I don't have a gun yet," Leo said.
"Then there's no need for a competition," Aria cut in.
"He can't compete with Criminal Department officers—especially not with you, Ethan. This ends here."
She grabbed Leo and started pulling him away.
But Ethan's anger was too strong.
"So you're hiding behind a woman because you can't fight?" he taunted.
"If Aria likes men like you, I've got nothing more to say. You're useless. You'll never be more than a constable."
"Don't be rude, Ethan," Aria said firmly.
"We're all police officers. What difference does rank make?"
Leo didn't want to fight—but he wouldn't tolerate humiliation either.
Because of the serum, he wasn't as strong as before—but he still had more than enough strength to defeat someone like Ethan.
Leo turned back and said quietly,
"I've always wanted to see the strength of Criminal Department officers. Tell me—what competition do you want?"
Ethan stepped closer.
"Come. I'll show you."
"Leo, don't start this," Aria pleaded.
Ignoring her, Leo followed Ethan into the police building next to the restaurant. Inside were training facilities—boxing rings, shooting ranges.
They stood at a table. Ethan placed his colleague's gun in front of Leo.
"On my signal, we assemble the gun. Whoever finishes first fires at the board. Gun assembly and target shooting—both."
"This isn't fair," Aria protested.
"You do this every day. Leo isn't used to it."
"I didn't suggest it," Ethan smirked.
"Your Leo did."
"If I lose," Leo said calmly,
"I'll apologize to Aria."
"And stay away from her," Ethan added.
"And if you lose?" Leo asked.
"You really think I'll lose?" Ethan laughed.
"Ask anyone here about my skills."
"Then let's begin," Leo said with a smile.
Both took their positions.
Ethan started assembling rapidly.
Leo wasn't faster—but in one smooth motion, he connected three parts at once.
Within moments, Leo overtook him.
Ethan panicked and sped up—but Leo was already far ahead.
Leo loaded the bullets and fired all his shots with one hand.
Ethan began shooting shortly after—but he already knew.
He had lost.
His face turned red with humiliation. Losing to an ordinary patrol officer was unbearable.
Meanwhile, Leo calmly lit a cigarette.
Aria ran to check the targets and note the scores.
"You may have gun assembly skills," Ethan scoffed,"but watching your shooting made me laugh. You don't even know how to hold a gun properly. Did you learn from some movie?"
Leo didn't reply. He kept smoking.
Aria returned with the results. Before she could speak, Ethan said confidently,
"I know I've won. Just say it."
Aria announced,
"Ethan scored 18 points. Two shots hit the four-point zone, and two hit the five-point zone."
Ethan had always been proud of his abilities.
He was the best candidate in his department—no one could match his shooting or combat skills.