Chapter 81: Accumulated Game Hours

Captain Jeong Jin-Man and Officer Sung Ji-Woo stood beneath their umbrellas, staring at Donape in absolute bewilderment as the rain pattered against the canvas above them.

"So, you’re saying these guys caused all this ruckus just to settle a debt?" Jin-Man asked, scrutinizing Donape from head to toe.

"Settling a debt is fine," Donape replied casually, his tone devoid of any heat.

"If a fool borrows money recklessly, he pays the price. But collections should be civilized and directed strictly at the debtor. A few days ago, these thugs harassed an elderly man over his son’s debts. Today, they came back intending to take that same bedridden old man hostage."

Donape glanced toward the groaning mass of men squirming on the wet pavement. "Look at them. They even brought iron rods and switchblades."

"Even so, that doesn’t give you the right to harm them," Jin-Man countered, handling the situation strictly by the book. "Everything you’re describing is intention, not an accomplished felony. And this level of force is way beyond reasonable self-defense."

Donape didn’t bother arguing. He knew how the system worked. In almost every country, law enforcement effectively protected the criminal until the actual crime took place.

Simply put, a criminal was deemed innocent in the eyes of the procedure even while waving a knife in someone’s face. They were only recognized as a threat by police once that knife had actually pierced skin.

If that hadn’t happened yet, any action taken—especially a proactive strike before the criminal could inflict harm—would never be recognized as self-defense.

Seeing that Donape wasn’t getting agitated or showing the slightest hint of compliance, Jin-Man felt an overwhelming urge to drag him straight to the station.

Before he could step closer, Ji-Woo moved forward, placing a firm, steady hand on his captain’s forearm.

"Captain, let me handle this," Ji-Woo said calmly, his eyes reflecting a quiet sense of justice. "Mr. Alexander was protecting an elderly civilian from an armed mob. If he hadn’t intervened, the old man might not have survived until the ambulance arrived."

"Shut up! Mind your place, brat!" Jin-Man barked, shoving Ji-Woo’s hand aside.

His jaw clenched in frustration. To a man who routinely bent rules for his own gain, seeing a civilian resolve a situation without bowing to police authority felt like a direct insult.

"Procedure is procedure," He sneered, unholstering a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt. "I don’t care about your excuses. You crippled thirteen men. You’re coming down to the station for questioning."

Donape remained motionless, his gaze cold and indifferent as Jin-Man turned toward the lead thug squirming on the wet pavement.

"Hey! You," Jin-Man growled, kicking the thug’s boot. "State your name and confirm this man assaulted you. We’re pressing felony charges right now."

The lead thug looked up through bloodshot eyes. He glanced at the steel cuffs, then met Donape’s dark, razor-sharp eyes.

"N-No...!" the thug stammered, frantically waving his unbroken hand. "No c-charges! We... we just t-tripped! We fell! Nobody attacked u-us!"

"What are you talking about?!" Jin-Man shouted, his face reddening. "He broke your leg!"

"We slipped on the wet asphalt! It was an accident!" the rest of the thugs chimed in desperately, their voices slurred through cracked teeth and shattered jaws. "Please, Officer! Just get us to the hospital! We aren’t pressing any charges!"

Ji-Woo’s eyes widened with disbelief as he watched the hardened gang members practically beg for mercy instead.

Recovering his composure, he turned toward his captain.

"Well, Captain... without a victim statement or a formal complaint, we have no legal grounds to detain the shopkeeper."

The reason Jin-Man pushed so aggressively wasn’t just his usual superiority complex toward ordinary civilians—he was desperate to curry favor with Master Jin Do-Jun of the Jin Family.

Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime.

He already knew Do-Jun wanted to teach Donape a lesson, but his previous background check on the shopkeeper had yielded nothing usable.

Donape was a clean, law-abiding citizen without a single speck of dirt to exploit.

If Jin-Man could drag Donape to the station now, he could manipulate the charges and torment him in holding until Master Jin was thoroughly satisfied.

A favor from top families like the Jin, Nam, and Baek Families wouldn’t tremendously pave his path toward higher positions with smooth promotions, but would also shower him with wealth and connections.

What kind of idiot would miss that opportunity, especially now he could force the issue with his authority?

Yet the primary obstacle wasn’t just the fact that none of the terrified thugs would file a complaint. His own junior partner was stubbornly standing in his way.

Whether Ji-Woo had been influenced by Jin-Man’s own habit of bending rules for personal gain, or if the young officer truly possessed an unbending, honest police spirit that made him such a troublesome colleague, Jin-Man couldn’t tell.

"Shopkeeper, thank you for your cooperation," Ji-Woo said, intentionally addressing Donape as ’shopkeeper’ to signal a friendly tone.

"Since no formal charges were filed during this field assessment, the matter ends here. However, I must apologize—we can’t officially press charges against these thugs unless you or the victim file a formal report at the precinct."

"There’s no need. Thank you for your hard work," Donape replied flatly.

With a polite nod, he turned his back on the frustrated police captain and began walking back toward Origins VR Cafe.

Donape wasn’t the least bit concerned about those thugs coming after him or retaliating through the legal system. Before the police had even arrived on scene, he had leaned down and whispered a quiet, terrifying warning directly into the ears of their ringleaders.

"If you ever dare step foot in this neighborhood again—or if you so much as mention my name to the police—I promise you, I will hunt every single one of you down to the last man. I will break you bone by bone, limb by limb, before ending your lives without a sliver of mercy. Do you understand me?"

The thugs had shivered uncontrollably, nodding frantically in terror. But Donape’s final whisper had truly broken their spirit.

"I’ve been wondering... what does it feel like to tear human flesh apart with my bare hands for the first time?"

That parting sentence was the real reason those thirteen men lay paralyzed on the wet pavement. Their shivering wasn’t from the freezing rain—it was from the pure, unadulterated horror of realizing what kind of monster they had accidentally provoked.

Watching Donape’s figure recede beneath his umbrella, Ji-Woo felt a sudden urge to visit Origins VR Cafe and play a few rounds of Counter-Injustice.

Unfortunately, duty called; he was still bogged down helping other units process the aftermath of the recent syndicate raid and the ongoing Baek Family investigation.

As night fell over City S, the steady drizzle brought a quiet, serene chill—a perfect backdrop for rest on the weekend’s final evening.

Far from the bustling city center, a sleek Rolls-Royce pulled up to the security gates of a secluded mansion. Once cleared, the vehicle glided down toward the main entrance.

Butler Yoo stepped out first, popping open an umbrella to shield Si-Yeon as he opened the rear passenger door.

"Welcome, cousin," Ji-Hong greeted, stepping out onto the porch with a smirk meant to provoke her. "What rare occasion brings your feet to this wastrel, humble abode?"

Si-Yeon merely shrugged, completely ignoring Ji-Hong’s nonsense.

"Let’s spar," Si-Yeon said flatly.

Ji-Hong’s smile widened, genuinely amused by the sudden request. "Sure."

He led her deeper into the estate, down to his private, state-of-the-art training hall.

Moments later, Si-Yeon stood in the center of the ring, stretching her forearms and rotating her ankles.

Ji-Hong stood across from her, tilting his head with a relaxed, mocking smile.

Butler Yoo stood quietly, while Butler Lee stood alongside two personal bodyguards, A-Ji and Ji-Ga.

Without warning or a single signal, Si-Yeon exploded forward, closing the distance in a blur.

Yet to Ji-Hong, the fastest movements of an ordinary human were still painfully predictable, despite himself being human as well.

He ducked sideways, effortlessly dodging a flying knee aimed straight at his jaw.

Without breaking stride, Si-Yeon pivoted hard on her supporting leg, snapping a ferocious roundhouse kick toward Ji-Hong’s exposed flank.

Ji-Hong was internally impressed; executing a transition like that at full speed was nearly impossible for normal athletes.

Still, no matter how fast or powerful Si-Yeon was, her strikes were merely moderate threats in his eyes.

Refusing to yield, Si-Yeon spun into a spinning backheel kick aimed at his temple.

Ji-Hong brought his left forearm up, blocking the strike with a crisp, heavy impact. Before she could retract her leg, Ji-Hong’s right hand clamped around her ankle like an iron vise, yanking her forward to break her center of gravity.

As she stumbled, Ji-Hong drove a swift open-palm thrust directly into her solar plexus.

Si-Yeon gasped, her breath rushing out as her knees nearly buckled.

Giving her no time to recover, Ji-Hong took a fluid step forward, pivoted on his heel, and launched a sweeping high kick toward her face.

Si-Yeon managed to raise both forearms in an emergency cross-block, but the sheer force of the impact blasted her off her feet, sending her skidding completely out of the ring.

Seeing his young mistress thrown back, Butler Yoo’s instincts flared. He prepared to leap into the arena—only to freeze in utter shock.

A-Ji and Ji-Ga were already standing directly in front of him, having moved across the hall without making a single sound.

"Sir, there is no need to worry," A-Ji said calmly, his presence suffocatingly heavy. "Our Young Master has no intention of harming the Young Miss."

"Just remain in your place as a spectator," Ji-Ga added smoothly.

Butler Yoo grimaced, his brow furrowing in frustration. He was annoyed at being intercepted, but far more unnerved by the realization that two men had completely bypassed his awareness in a fraction of a second—making him momentarily forget the outcome of the duel itself.