Lucious clenched his fists as the man in the charcoal suit stepped forward, his sneer deepening, eyes burning red with fury.
"You screwed out of fifty grand, you piece of trash."
The words echoed off the brick walls of the alley behind the café. The city noise—horns, footsteps, distant sirens—faded into a distant hum, muffled by the tension curling through the narrow corridor. This was no casual threat. This was anger sharpened to a point.
Lucious stood his ground, posture still but wired. His heartbeat thudded in his ears, each beat syncing with the options flashing through his mind.
Fight? Maybe.
Run? Pointless.
Talk? Risky—but it might buy ti.
"I didn’t screw you out of anything," Lucious said, voice steady, almost bored. "I stopped you from scamming a man who didn’t deserve it."
"Oh, you stopped ?" the man repeated, laughter harsh and bitter. "You’re just a delivery boy with a loud mouth and dumb luck. And now you’re about to find out what that costs."
He snapped his fingers.
Two n erged from the shadows, one from behind a dumpster, the other from an alcove halfway down the alley. One carried a crowbar. The other cracked his knuckles with slow, deliberate nace.
Lucious took a single, asured step back.
The system hadn’t issued a warning yet. No glowing interface, no recomnded combat stances or weapon prompts. Just silence. Either it hadn’t registered the threat level—or it was waiting to see what he’d do first.
"Great timing," Lucious muttered. "Now would be a fantastic ti to show the odds."
The scamr grinned. "Let’s make this quick."
Lucious’s eyes darted. The alley’s mouth led to the street, but he wouldn’t make it ten steps without getting tackled. The spacing was tight—fighting in here ant close-quarters, and they had the numbers. If it ca to that, he’d need to be fast, precise, unpredictable.
But maybe—just maybe—he didn’t have to fight at all.
A sharp voice cut through the rising tension like a blade.
"Hey!"
All three n froze.
From the far end of the alley, a figure walked in with deliberate confidence. Black boots on asphalt. Crisp uniform. Shoulder-length black hair pulled into a low ponytail. A glint of silver at her belt.
Badge visible. Gun holstered.
Eyes sharp.
"What’s going on here?" she asked, her voice calm but layered with quiet authority.
Lucious didn’t recognize her—but the scamrs clearly did. Their postures shifted. Crowbar lowered. Knuckles paused mid-crack.
The scamr stepped forward with forced charm. "Officer, hey. This is just a misunderstanding. Nothing serious—"
"Yeah?" she interrupted, unfazed. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like three grown n about to jump one guy in a delivery jacket."
Her gaze swept across them like a scanner. No emotion. Just assessnt.
Lucious released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
She stepped closer, positioning herself between the groups. Her hand hovered near her belt—not on her weapon, not yet, but close enough to remind them of the stakes.
"You," she said, glancing back at Lucious. "You alright?"
"I’m fine," he replied, voice steady again. "They were trying to intimidate . I called out a fake antique deal at a restaurant earlier today. Guess it hit a nerve."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She turned to the scamr, eyebrow raised. "That true? You trying to sell fakes?"
He scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "He’s lying. I run a legitimate business. No one’s being scamd."
"Uh-huh," she said, expression flat. "You got a license to sell antiques in this district?"
The scamr blinked. "I—of course I do."
"Mind showing it to ?"
He hesitated. "Not on ."
She sighed, reaching for her radio. "Then you can explain that downtown. All of you."
The two goons behind him started backing away, as if distance might erase involvent. But she was already calling it in.
"Unit 219 requesting backup. Possible fraud and assault attempt, corner of 8th and Linley. Three suspects."
Lucious watched the shift happen in real ti—the scamrs went from predators to cornered rats. The man with the crowbar let it fall with a clatter. The scamr opened his mouth to protest but shut it again as two more officers appeared at the mouth of the alley, hands on holsters.
Five minutes later, all three n were cuffed, read their rights, and escorted to a waiting patrol cruiser. The scamr glared at Lucious as they passed, but Lucious didn’t react. He’d already won this round.
As the last cruiser rolled into traffic, the alley emptied of threat.
Officer Chen turned to Lucious.
"Let see your ID."
Lucious handed it over without hesitation.
She examined it. "Lucious Grey. You live on 17th?"
"Yeah."
She handed it back, nodding faintly. "You always out here sticking your neck into scams?"
Lucious shrugged. "Only when soone tries to rip off a guy who gave a free lunch."
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"What do you do?"
"Delivery driver."
"You always know Qing dynasty claw patterns and jade resin analysis?"
Lucious hesitated. "I’ve been reading more lately."
Technically true. The system had fed him all the facts—glowing overlays, material flags, price warnings. He’d just relayed what it told him.
She tilted her head. "Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s working. That guy’s na flagged a couple open fraud cases. You just handed him over with a bow."
Lucious smirked. "Glad I could help."
She took a step back but didn’t leave.
"You ever need anything—within reason—co by the 5th Precinct. Ask for Chen i. I’m usually on second shift."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You seem like soone who’s trying. That counts for sothing."
Then she turned and walked off, not looking back.
Lucious remained still for a few long seconds, letting the adrenaline settle. The quiet hum of traffic returned, the weight of the mont fading as reality resud its rhythm.
The system pulsed behind his eyes.
[EVENT COMPLETE: Law Enforcent Favor Unlocked — Officer Chen i]
[FAVORABILITY RATING: 82%]
[POTENTIAL: STRATEGIC ALLY — MODERATE]
[THREAT NEUTRALIZED: 1 STREET INTUITION]
Lucious let out a slow breath. That could’ve gone sideways. Fast.
He stepped out of the alley into sunlight, the warmth on his face a welco contrast to the tension he’d just waded through. His phone buzzed in his pocket—another delivery request. He ignored it for now.
Still a couple hours before his shift started. And after today, he figured he’d earned the scenic route ho.
He turned toward the west side of the city, hands in his jacket pockets, walking with the slow, asured rhythm of soone who wasn’t in a rush.
For the first ti in a long while, the weight pressing down on his shoulders didn’t feel so crushing.
For the first ti in weeks, Lucious wasn’t surviving.
He was winning.
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