After jumping from the eighth floor, Darnell rolled and ran out of the Whiteville Hospital, avoiding being caught and killed by Judith.
He hailed a taxi and went to the Vertex.
Although it was only two o’clock in the afternoon, he chose not to go back to work at the company. Instead, he drove his Lamborghini back to Woodsea.
Since he had already taken a day off, he didn’t feel like going to the office and dealing with Eliezer’s nagging. It also prevented Judith from finding the company and settling scores.
When he returned to his rental house, he immediately took a shower and destroyed his clothes.
After changing into clean clothes and nibbling on a carrot, Darnell lay down on the sofa and turned on the news to watch the Genesis House case.
Although a day had passed since the incident, Darnell only now had the time to review it.
This was the third major incident in Whiteville, so the news coverage was extensive. Whiteville was good in that way. The media was open enough, even though they selectively hid the truth. But at least people could get a general idea and keep their minds stable.
According to official reports, Samson and his gang were worried that a new emerging gang would take away their share of the cake, so they gathered their men and planned to ambush their rivals at Genesis House.
With superior numbers, Samson’s gang killed all but four of their opponents, who had no choice but to escape through the back door.
Samson also maliciously kidnapped Officer Kameron, intending to frame the new gang and make it impossible for them to recover while ensuring his own safe escape.
In the end, they were cornered by the police in a warehouse. Knowing how grave their crimes were, Samson and his gang tried to shoot their way out in a frenzy.
The officers retaliated decisively, resulting in Samson’s gang being completely wiped out. The exact details were still under investigation by the police.
“Not bad,” Darnell thought to himself.
Although Darnell knew that Judith and the police weren’t fools and could pick up many clues from the scene or other details, even discovering that it wasn’t Samson’s men who fired the final seven shots, the news report was most beneficial for the police’s interests at present.
Blaming Samson, the Crow, or even the Swain family was more valuable than killing off Cesar and his group silently. What was the point of all those deaths? They had to extract some flesh from the Crow or the Swain family as a warning.
As for what would happen to Cesar and his group next, Darnell decided to wait until they recovered from their injuries before taking any action.
After experiencing this battle, Darnell realized that it would be difficult for him to sort out his relationship with Cesar and his group. He had no choice but to become their leader.
Then, an immediate news update caught his attention.
The Whiteville police received a report from an anonymous source and captured a man in a VIP ward at the Harmony Hospital. He was suspected of drug use, possession, and trafficking. Five hundred grams of high-purity heroin were found at the scene. The suspect and others involved were taken into custody for urine tests and further investigation.
It was revealed that the suspect was Steve, heir to the Swain family. If his guilt was confirmed, Steve would face the death penalty.
The Swain family faced a situation where there was no one in charge. The situation became even more turbulent.
“This time, it should be quiet for a few days,” Darnell said lazily.
With five hundred grams of drugs seized as evidence, even if Steve’s lawyers were powerful and well-connected, it would take at least three months for Steve to escape punishment.
After sighing, Darnell sent an email to Wendy informing her of what had happened in the past two days. He still needed Wendy’s help with some loose ends.
After sending the email, he slept soundly for a while. When he woke up at half past four in the afternoon and saw that it was still early outside, he went to the supermarket to buy a case of soda water.
When he returned home after buying it, Darnell chose a shortcut.
He wanted to get home early but found that there were many people blocking his way. They occupied half of the road, including several police officers among them.
Three five-ton trucks were piled high with various electric scooters and motorcycles, while several men and women, visibly agitated, clung tightly to the doors and tires, refusing to let go.
The atmosphere was charged with tension.
“Damn it! I’m just making a few deliveries in the urban village. What’s the big deal?”
“I paid eight hundred for this bike, and you’re fining me thirteen hundred? Have you lost your mind?”
“There are so many corrupt officials in Westergold. Why aren’t you arresting them? Why are you picking on us? You’re just bullying honest people!”
“You fine one bike, and you get two hundred as a reward, so you come to catch us every day, right?”
“Everyone says thugs are despicable, but you in uniform are the real thugs!”
“Hey! Give them back to us!”
Darnell sighed, realizing this was yet another clash sparked by the motorcycle ban. Ever since Whiteville enacted the ban last month, such confrontations had become common in the urban villages, with police and urban management continuously seizing unlicensed electric scooters and motorcycles. The owners were constantly resisting and appealing to protect their interests.
He had nearly been knocked over by speeding motorcycles several times but understood it was out of necessity for their livelihoods, so he refrained from passing judgment.
As Darnell was about to step aside, he caught sight of Garrett and his crew. They weren’t shouting. Instead, they were blending in with the crowd, desperately holding onto three motorcycles.
The bikes were bright and sleek, clearly new purchases, but at that moment, they were locked up by police chains.
These were the only three bikes that hadn’t been loaded onto the trucks, making them appear quite lonely yet oddly conspicuous.
Darnell recalled the conversation he had overheard in the restaurant, pondering if Garrett and his friends had really not found suitable jobs and had come here to drive motorcycles instead.
Their efficiency was impressive, but it was also a bit unfortunate. They had just started working and were already getting caught by the police.
“Leave the bikes! Leave the bikes!”
As more people gathered, not just the motorcycle owners from the urban village but also rideshare and taxi drivers joined in, standing firmly alongside the affected bike owners.
The angry crowd demanded that the police let them go. However, instead of paying attention to them, the police rudely separated them from each other and forcefully went to seize three motorcycles belonging to Garrett and his group.
Garrett blocked their hands without making any big moves. They simply shook their shoulders and moved their bodies forward and backward or left and right without letting anyone touch them.
It seemed like they didn’t want anyone touching them while those policemen rushed towards them clumsily one by one fell down inexplicably on their own feet one after another.
Darnell paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow and murmuring to himself, “Seems like I underestimated Garrett’s strength.”
Bang!
At that moment, a gunshot rang out in the sky. The whole scene instantly fell silent with fearful expressions on everyone’s faces.
Darnell was also stunned. Shooting like this in broad daylight seemed quite reckless.
Then appeared a tall fat policeman with five other officers beside him. He tightly held a smoking gun in his right hand while holding frozen water in his left hand.
“The police are carrying out official duties! Whoever dares obstruct will be shot dead!”
He looked arrogant as he drank large mouthfuls of frozen water while aggressively pushing away a woman.
Then he used his gun to poke at Garrett’s heads while shouting at his subordinates, “Impressive huh? Dare to lead a rebellion?”
“It’s so hot today! Should I cool you guys down?”
He poured half of his remaining frozen water over Garrett’s head. It was freezing cold and soaked through his shirt instantly.
The fat policeman then used his water bottle to hit Garrett’s head.
“Now are you calm? If not calm yet… How about two more bottles?”