At eight in the evening, in a restaurant opposite Sunflower Hotel.
Darnell stuffed a drumstick into his mouth without a care for his appearance.
Judith shot him a disdainful glance before turning her attention back to the hotel, absently sipping her drink. “Now that Noah has been captured, why not take the opportunity to wipe out the remaining members?”
“There are three rooms and six people. We should be able to handle the situation,” she added.
Judith surveyed the twenty or so officers in the restaurant, confident they could capture Noah’s six companions. However, Darnell shook his head without hesitation, spitting out a chicken bone as he spoke.
“It’s not that I don’t believe in the police’s combat effectiveness. After all, you all performed admirably at the hospital earlier.”
“It’s just that time was limited, and we couldn’t extract much information from Noah. We can’t definitively say if there are six people inside or if there are sixteen.”
“Who knows if they might have firearms? They’re all desperate criminals. If the police rush in, they could suffer casualties.”
“That makes sense.” Judith nodded lightly, then furrowed her brow. “But if we don’t act quickly, they’ll realize something is wrong with Noah and might relocate.”
“Even if they don’t, they’ll be on high alert, making it even harder to deal with them.”
She reminded Darnell, “An hour ago, The Axe sent a war notice to the Apex, and both sides are about to go to war.”
“Rex is convinced that the Apex killed Samuel. If we don’t swiftly take down this group and resolve the conflict between the Axe and the Apex, there’s going to be a massive fight tomorrow.”
“Rex clearly doesn’t trust the police’s leads and is completely ignoring Noah’s daggers, insisting that the Apex is the murderer.”
“Do you really think Rex is foolish enough not to believe in the police’s evidence?” Darnell replied, smirking as he tossed another chicken bone aside. “If he were that stupid, he wouldn’t be the leader of the Axe.”
“He’s disregarding the police investigation and is adamant about blaming the Apex, using it as an excuse to attack them. Simply put, he wants to use this opportunity to reshuffle the underworld.”
“After all, the Apex has been facing a string of misfortunes lately.”
Darnell saw through it clearly.
“They’ve failed to take Woodsea, and James has been suspended for investigation. The various villages under their control are starting to show disloyalty, complaining about the protection fees.”
“Plus, the Apex lost a lot of men in the Woodsea battle. Luca is definitely in a tight spot.”
“At this moment, if Rex can initiate a war, the Axe has a seventy percent chance of swallowing up the Apex.”
Judith was momentarily taken aback, then she seemed to ponder. “That makes sense. So, Rex is doing this intentionally?”
A glimmer of light sparkled in her eyes. “It looks like after we capture Noah’s accomplices today, I need to have a serious talk with Rex. Otherwise, Whiteville is going to descend into chaos.”
Darnell smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
Judith shifted her focus away from the impending war and fixed her gaze on Darnell. “What are we waiting for?”
Darnell seemed to have anticipated this question and casually replied, “Waiting for the right people.”
“Whoosh-”
Almost in response to Darnell’s words, a dozen vans suddenly burst forth from both sides of the Sunflower Hotel. The doors swung open, and nearly a hundred members of the Axe poured out.
Trained and coordinated, they split into three groups-one heading to the back door, one remaining in place, and one charging upstairs, causing chaos on the street.
Judith was taken aback. “The Axe?”
Darnell popped another piece of chicken into his mouth, a smug expression on his face as he replied, “That’s right, the Axe. With them scouting ahead, isn’t it much easier for us?”
Judith’s mouth fell slightly open. “You bastard, do you want them to fight?”
Her expression darkened. “Don’t you realize this is a public street? If innocent people get hurt, we’ll all be in trouble.”
Darnell shrugged. “If you guys rush in, it’s likely that more innocents will die.”
“Tell me, when Noah’s accomplices see the mafia and the police, which do you think they’ll resist more fiercely?”
Judith fell silent. The answer was undoubtedly the police.
“Bang!”
At that moment, gunfire erupted from across the street, followed by piercing screams and the sounds of a fierce struggle, shouts, and cries of pain.
The sudden commotion sent nearby civilians scattering, and guests at the Sunflower Hotel began to flee in all directions, forcing Judith and her team to tense up.
Then, an aluminum window was smashed and fell, followed by several men in plaid shirts tumbling out.
They landed on air conditioning units or parked cars, debris flying everywhere, but the men felt no pain.
Their fear of death outweighed their concern for injury. After catching their breath, they quickly jumped down from the rooftops and ledges.
As soon as they landed, a dozen members of the Axe, wielding axes, marched towards the few escapees in perfect formation.
“Kill!”
Anyone who had clawed their way through the underworld and yearned for power knew a dog couldn’t fend off a pack of wolves. With so many rushing at one, it didn’t matter if he was a martial arts master or a hidden expert. It was best to run as far as one could.
Yet, a big man, weighing over two hundred pounds, showed no signs of panic as he turned to confront the Axe. His muscles bulged explosively but didn’t appear awkward, and his complexion was dark.
Gripping a hefty cleaver, he wore an expression that showed no fear of death.
“Get out of here!” he shouted to his companions before charging straight at the Axe.
Unstoppable, he swung the cleaver in a fierce arc.
“Bang!”
It lacked grace but was brutal. He directly swept away several axes aimed at him.
With no expression on his face, he seized the moment while his enemies were stunned and struck out mercilessly, slashing at several of them.
The members of the Axe flew back like kites with broken strings, blood spitting from their mouths.
Darnell clicked his tongue in appreciation. “What a hero! If he were a security guard, he’d be earning at least seven thousand a month.”
The group of axe-wielding thugs momentarily froze, then erupted in furious retaliation, all charging at him with a reckless spirit.
A bloody scene unfolded.
Judith and her team stood up, anxiously watching the brawl outside. They wanted to intervene but felt it might be better to let the chaos play out.
However, not intervening felt unnatural. After all, they were police officers. Watching a brawl like this could cost them their jobs, while Darnell was clearly enjoying himself.
He munched on chicken with one hand and recorded the scene on his phone with the other.
“Captain Meech, regardless of who wins or loses this battle, The Axe is guilty of mob violence.”
Darnell reassured Judith, “You can prevent the Axe and the Apex from going to war.”
Judith’s expression soured. “They’re fighting like this and you’re still thinking about calculating?”
She tilted her head slightly to her colleagues. “There are too many people. Call for backup. I want everyone involved in tonight’s fight taken into custody.”
The police responded in unison, “Yes!”
“Think longer term.”
Darnell continued filming the scene, “Today’s battle is great. Firstly, the Axe is doing the dirty work for us, saving the police from casualties.”
“Secondly, you’ll have video evidence to charge Rex and his people. Even if you can’t arrest them, it’ll serve as a deterrent and keep them from causing trouble for a while.”
Judith remained silent, her anger simmering as she felt like Darnell was leading her around by the nose.
“Kill!”
At that moment, the big man, wielding his cleaver, was rampaging through the crowd. His movements weren’t complicated but carried immense force. Every time he lifted his foot and swung the cleaver at someone, it was clean and decisive.
With his imposing figure, his impact was tremendous, sending opponents flying with each action. He was truly ruthless.
With a chaotic scene unfolding, the members of the Axe who had descended from the third floor were momentarily dumbfounded.
Taking advantage of the big man’s rampage, a few of his companions seized the opportunity to escape, sprinting toward a car with incredible speed.
“Whoosh!”
Just then, a piercing whistle sliced through the night sky, causing the three plaid-clad men to instinctively retreat.
But they were still a moment too late. As they stepped back, they felt a cold sting on their foreheads, followed by sharp pain, and blood sprayed forth!
Three crossbow bolts pierced their foreheads, dropping them lifelessly to the ground.
“Brothers!”
The big man’s expression changed drastically as he swung the cleaver towards his fallen companions, desperate to check on their status.
In that instant, a red figure flashed by, a hidden knife slicing toward him with fierce momentum.
Sensing danger, the big man roared and slashed back with his cleaver.
The two blades met in a rapid clash, creating a sharp sound that made everyone’s ears ring slightly.
In an instant, the situation took a sudden turn.
An anomaly unfolded.
“Whoosh!”
As the two sides faced off with their knives, Kimberly suddenly opened her mouth, a glint of cold light appearing!
A metal nail shot into the big man’s chest with lightning speed, brutal and merciless.
Blood gushed forth.
The big man staggered from the pain in his chest, his strength waning. Kimberly seized the opportunity, driving her hidden knife into his chest, leaving a deep wound.
Then, she kicked him in the abdomen, causing him to spit out blood as he swayed and slowly fell to the ground-though not dead, he was gravely weakened.
“Whoosh!”
Just as Kimberly was about to deliver a finishing blow, she suddenly felt a twitch in her eyelid and her gaze fixed on an unexpected guest.
Darnell, holding his phone, stood not far away, grinning as he recorded everything, seemingly waiting for her to strike.
The big man cast one last glance at Darnell before losing consciousness.
Kimberly’s expression changed, and she lunged forward, aiming to strike Darnell down with her knife.
The members of the Axe also raised their axes, intent on taking Darnell out.
“Attacking on the street, committing murder… Ma’am, you’re about to face the death penalty.”
Darnell dodged Kimberly’s strike with a smile, stowing his phone in his pocket and pulling out the police gun he had taken from Judith. He shouted loudly,
“Judith, time to clean up the mess.”
Over twenty armed police officers emerged, guns drawn.
Kimberly’s heart sank.