Axel's sudden presence startled the female officer, who instinctively flinched.
He pressed gently on her shoulders to stop her from jumping, but her movement sent his fried chicken tumbling to the ground.
"Ah, you knocked over my fried chicken," Axel muttered, rolling his eyes. "Guess you owe me a cup of your cola." Before she could protest, he snatched the drink and took a long, satisfying gulp.
"Hoo!" He exhaled, tossing the remaining cola aside with casual flair.
Passing the cluster of police, he waved at Zas, who was still giddy from their earlier encounter.
"Hey, Zas, killing me once makes you that happy? Hahaha, you're such a lightweight!"
Axel's laughter carried over as he casually draped an arm over Gordon's shoulder again. Zas paused, then bared his teeth in frustration.
"Damn it! I thought I'd keep you quiet for a while, but you're a monster! I shouldn't have hoped for anything from you!"
He pointed his gun at Axel. "Your promise is fulfilled, fine. You don't owe me anything. Go play by yourself. I've still got the Dimitrov Family to finish."
"Oh, calling me a monster already? Trying to leave me out? Doesn't matter—go do your thing," Axel said with a lazy wave, letting Zas return to the laundry room to clean up the Dimitrov remnants.
Releasing Gordon, Axel chuckled. "My feud with the Dimitrovs is done. Now, it's your turn." He brought his hands together in mock surrender.
Gordon blinked, stunned, then lit up.
"You… you're surrendering? Finally! Axel, now that your revenge is complete, you should follow the law. Only then can you live with a clear conscience."
"Damn it!" Axel shouted, moving his hands closer to Gordon. "All that talk, and it's for nothing! To hell with surrender! Forget this clear conscience nonsense—let's see if you can arrest me again!"
Gordon, confused, instinctively cuffed Axel's hands. But before any further action, Axel twisted free, raising his handcuffed hands theatrically.
"Buddies, want to see a magic trick?"
He waved dramatically at the police across the street. "Watch closely—time for a miracle!"
Then, with a simple lowering of his hands, Axel vanished into thin air. Flames lingered briefly where he had been.
From a distance, Bartel nodded knowingly, started his car, and sped off, chasing the tracker signal.
On the street, the police huddled around Gordon, grimacing at their inability to manage Axel. His apparent immortality and instant vanishings left them paralyzed with fear. Zas's comment about Axel's limitless growth only made it worse.
One officer muttered, "Boss Tang's abilities are insane. There's nothing we can do!"
Another added, "No matter how powerful Falcone is, he's just a mortal. Boss would crush him."
"And if I had Boss's powers…" a third officer whispered, "…the world would be mine. Immortality? I'd do whatever I wanted, anywhere, anytime."
A female officer's words caused a brief pause, leaving the others frozen. Then two male officers glanced at each other, realizing they shared the same bewildered frustration.
"Next time, together," one said with a grin.
"Absolutely," the other replied. They put their arms around each other's shoulders, retreating to compare notes on handling Rachel, the relentless female officer.
Gordon exhaled deeply, exasperated. He had pinned his hopes on this group of misfits to catch a man far beyond Gotham's ordinary criminals.
He thought of the countless threats he had faced over two decades: Maroni, Fish Mooney, Oswald, Sean Reilly, Akahara, Moxon, Alexandra, Dragoș. Gotham's diversity made it a uniquely chaotic city, a sprawling port teeming with crime.
Even Chinatown had been harmless compared to today—Asian crime bosses in Gotham were practically unheard of, but now, Axel had arrived like a storm, bypassing all records, invisible to every system.
Gordon's hand covered his face in disbelief. Where had Axel come from, and how could a man so extraordinary leave no trace in consumption, taxes, or law enforcement databases? Did he simply fall from the sky?
Gotham's night had never felt heavier.
_____
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