The first rays of early morning sun began to rise over the horizon, casting faint light upon the desolate plain. It served as a period, bringing a close to an evening full of tumultuous and terrifying events.
Amidst the ruins, the air at this moment was thick with pressure from the white-haired entity known as the White Oni.
Shin stared intently at his out-of-control younger brother, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He turned to Ling Mo, his voice unable to hide his anxiety:
— "This looks bad, both of us are way too weak right now! What are you planning to do, Ling Mo?!"
Ling Mo's cold eyes locked onto Kento. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he growled:
— "Nip it in the bud!"
Without a second of hesitation, Ling Mo gathered every remaining shred of strength into his right leg, rushing forward like a wind-cleaving arrow. He unleashed a full-power kick aimed straight at Kento's ribs.
BOOM!
With a kick carrying such horrifying power, an immense pressure erupted that slammed Kento's entire body down into the earth, shattering a massive section of the surrounding terrain. The kick was so powerful that a dry CRACK echoed from Ling Mo's own leg. Kento was instantly knocked unconscious, his White Oni alter ego temporarily forced back into slumber.
Shin rushed over in a panic:
— "Ling Mo! Are you okay?!"
Ling Mo grimaced in agony, clutching his right leg as he screamed in pain:
— "My damn leg is broken! Aaah, it hurts so bad... pull me up fast, Shin!"
— "Right, right! Easy now!" Shin hurriedly supported Ling Mo's shoulders.
Panting heavily and gritting his teeth, Ling Mo explained:
— "I sensed extreme danger, so I had to strike first. If we had let Kento move and fully take control of his body back then... I'm not sure what horrific thing would've happened next!"
But just as Shin helped Ling Mo stand upright, the ground beneath their feet shook violently once more.
From the horizon towards the Shin-Jinrui Central District, the roar of engines tore through the sky. Hundreds of high-tech police vehicles swarmed in, completely surrounding the area. Dozens of broadcasting jetcraft from major news networks also pulled along flocks of reporters for live coverage.
They formed a strict defensive perimeter, aiming a barrage of high-grade Sophion gun barrels warily at Shin. Before their eyes, the plain that was once flat ground had been turned into a hollowed, ruined basin full of destruction.
From the central armored vehicle, a woman in a tight police uniform stepped down, emanating a stern aura. She surveyed the scene before locking her eyes on the two of them:
— "Did you people... engage in battle here?"
Shin shrugged, asking back nonchalantly:
— "How did you guys even get our coordinates to find this place anyway?"
The female officer answered coldly:
— "You don't need to concern yourself with that. This is the 10-Planet Federation—our macro Sophion positioning system locating this spot is simple enough!"
— "Hehehe... but we're all injured now, we can't do anything anyway," Shin scratched his head, chuckling.
The officer sternly held up an electronic tablet:
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
— "You are accused of numerous charges, including destruction of public property, causing urban riots, and destroying the subterranean geological structure of the suburban area!"
Shin immediately claimed innocence:
— "It wasn't even me! That guy Orlov did all that, not me!"
The female officer's eyes suddenly contracted as she stared at Shin:
— "So... you killed him?"
Shin admitted casually:
— "Yeah, so what?"
Following Shin's response, the atmosphere instantly grew extremely tense. All surrounding police officers loaded their weapons simultaneously, raising their guard even higher. Reporters on the hovering jetcraft feverishly snapped photos, broadcasting sensational headlines: "The Russian Monster Orlov Has Been Slain!"
The female officer swallowed hard, her voice turning stern:
— "You truly are a high-level threat... Come with us to the station!"
Shin, Kento, and Ling Mo had no choice but to let the authorities transport them back to the city. They were escorted directly to a specially built detention cell at headquarters.
With all the accumulated charges, the estimated financial compensation reached an astronomical sum: over 700,000 Sophion Coins.
Due to his severe leg injury, Ling Mo was transferred to the medical room to recover and receive bandages. Inside the cold iron cell, only Shin remained sitting cross-legged alongside Kento, who had just woken up from the heaven-shaking kick.
Kento looked around blankly, rubbing the back of his neck:
— "Where... are we, Shin?"
— "In a jail cell," Shin sighed.
Kento immediately stood up, his fists clenching:
— "Then let me break this place apart so we can get out!"
Shin hurriedly waved his hands to stop him:
— "Quit it, you idiot, don't do that! We're carrying too many charges already. Breaking out now will make us Federation-wide wanted criminals!"
Hearing that, Kento pouted bitterly, muttering in frustration:
— "This sucks... Spent the whole night trying to earn prize money at the underground arena, only to end up like this! And we got cheated out of that 250,000 Coin reward too..."
Just then, the footsteps of the chief police woman echoed from outside the iron bars:
— "You certainly caused a vast amount of destruction. However, considering you helped rescue alien races from the underground arena's illegal slaughterhouse, your prison sentence has been reduced. Nevertheless, the financial damages remain in full—not a single cent less!"
In the middle of the deadlock, Loona came running frantically into the station from the entrance. She had been worrying about her brothers all night to the point of sleeplessness, and when she turned on the news this morning, she saw all three of them on TV looking battered. The little girl cried as she pulled out a small bag of money, gathering all her household savings:
— "Oh goodness... The compensation is way too much! I only have... a little over 9,500 Sophion Coins..."
Loona looked at Shin tearfully:
— "We've only been on this planet for a few days and you guys already caused a mess like this! Where are we going to get the money to pay for this now..."
Seeing his younger sister cry broke Shin's heart. He quickly patted her head to comfort her:
— "It's okay, it's okay! I'm here. Just let me take the fall for this, at most I'll serve a few years in prison!"
— "How could you say that!" Loona shook her head violently.
She turned around, her eyes pleading as she looked at the female officer:
— "Officer, is it possible to lower the compensation amount? This sum... even if all four of us worked our entire lives, we couldn't earn enough..."
The female officer sighed, looking a bit reluctant, but still shook her head:
— "We cannot reduce it at our discretion—this is Federation law. I'm sorry, little girl."
Loona was completely helpless. In a cold, massive metropolis like the Shin-Jinrui Central District, they were powerless newcomers. Where could they possibly find a benefactor at a time like this?
But just as the atmosphere sank into utter despair, a crisp sound of high heels clicking—CLICK... CLACK...—echoed rhythmically from the main lobby.
A gorgeous, radiant figure stepped into the police station. She was a very young woman possessing voluptuous, wavy blonde hair fit for an upper-class lady. She dressed fashionably, alluringly, and stylishly, accentuating a perfect hourglass figure with fiery curves. Her appearance made every man in the station turn to look.
The girl lightly lowered her sunglasses, her voice clear yet dripping with authority:
— "I just watched the morning news and saw someone defeated that rude Primal Orlov, so I wanted to come by and see what this hero actually looks like."
Seeing the girl, the chief officer's demeanor immediately flipped 180 degrees as she bowed with utmost respect:
— "Yes, it is an honor to welcome you, Miss! Please step this way."
The blonde girl walked up to Shin's cell, her beautiful eyes blinking with intrigue:
— "Hello there! Seeing you defeat Orlov all by yourself makes me think you're quite interesting. Mind if I introduce myself?"
Shin, sitting dazed in the cell, was bewildered. He pointed a finger at his own face, unsure how he had ended up on the news so fast:
— "Ah... hello. I'm Yanagisawa Shin. What's your name?"
The girl flashed an enchanting smile, winking subtly:
— "I'm Yoon Chae-Won."
Chae-Won glanced around the cramped cell, then turned to the officer, saying nonchalantly:
— "How about I help you out? I find you very interesting, Shin! I'll pay off the entire 700,000 Sophion Coin damages. Please process their release right away!"
The officer immediately bowed her head:
— "Yes, ma'am! With Miss Yoon's guarantee, the release order takes effect immediately!"
Shin's jaw dropped, completely stunned as he couldn't comprehend why a wealthy, beautiful girl he had never met before would voluntarily throw money around to save them:
— "Thank you for your help... Even though I've never met you before, thank you so much for pulling us out of this debt hole."
Yoon Chae-Won turned to walk away, her blonde hair swaying softly as she waved playfully:
— "It's nothing! I'm sure fate will bring us together again soon. Bye-bye, silly boy!"
Watching her alluring figure vanish behind the station doors, Kento crossed his arms, giving an evaluation with his usual deadpan face:
— "She seems... to have quite a childish and capricious personality, doesn't she?"
Loona exhaled in relief, placing her hand over her chest:
— "Phew... At any rate, we're lucky a kind person helped us. It truly saved us from a hopeless situation!"
After finishing the paperwork, all three were set free. They went to the medical room to fetch Ling Mo—who was currently wearing a stark white cast on his leg, his face sour with pain and embarrassment.
They helped Ling Mo back to their old, shabby rented room. Exhausted, Shin slumped onto the living room sofa, staring up at the ceiling. His mind kept drifting back to that girl named Yoon Chae-Won. Instinct told him that her appearance was far from a mere coincidence.
Shin let out a long breath, trying to pull his spirits back up:
— "Phew... Looks like everything's finally back to normal! Hey Loona, come work part-time with me at the burger shop tomorrow, okay? Seeing this, Ling Mo will probably be bedridden with a broken leg for a few weeks!"
Sitting on the bed, Ling Mo glared at Shin with a burning stare, but didn't bother arguing.
Loona smiled, nodding obediently:
— "Yes, I got it, Shin!"
The small room gradually settled into the quiet stillness of the early morning. The storm of a terrifying night had temporarily passed, making way for new calculations in the Shin-Jinrui Central District.
END OF CHAPTER 29