Thwack!
In an instant, a long leg kicked out from the hollow, carrying a powerful gust of wind. It whizzed past Ruby's skirt hem, striking the gang member behind her squarely in the midsection.
The gang member was instantly sent flying into a nearby stone pillar, then collapsed to the ground. After a few convulsive twitches of his limbs, he lay still.
Startled, the crowd turned their gaze toward the pillar. Sure enough, it was now covered in cracks, the gang member's blood seeping out and staining the grooves.
"Come, let me see what our future legendary investigator has found for us. Not another pile of trouble, I hope?"
Soon, a clear voice echoed from the hollow, and a figure emerged. He adjusted his monocle, a faint, resigned smile playing on his lips.
"What else could it be? Ruby's already screaming for help."
Suddenly, a female voice followed close behind. The girl emerged from the spatial rift, carrying a pair of giant scissors. She swept a disdainful glance around the area, taking in the gang members before letting out a breath of relief. The tension in her chest finally eased.
"Thank goodness. Not too much trouble."
"Damn it! You little brat, how dare you look down on me!"
Among the gang members, the helmeted musclehead finally lost his temper. He raised his thick arm, extending it straight out in a gesture of friendly greeting from the Outer Ring, but his words dripped with thuggery.
"Look at the three of you. Still in school, huh? Tsk! Think you're all grown up just because you're wearing maid outfits and butler suits?"
"Follow me. Once I'm done with this schoolgirl, I'll give you two a proper—ah!!!"
Before he could finish, the helmeted thug let out a piercing scream. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his thigh as blood gushed out.
Not far away, Phaga calmly lifted his umbrella, reopening it to block the sun.
"I thought you'd aim straight for the head with that shot."
Ellen glanced around indifferently. Sure enough, after seeing Phaga fire, the gang members dared not be rude anymore. They gathered cautiously, wary but unwilling to come closer.
Phaga shrugged, a gentle smile curving his lips.
"No way. One must show mercy. If he died so easily, he'd miss out on the delightful experience of a pepper spray bath and fine needles pricking his fingers."
"Tsk."
Ellen clicked her tongue, giving Phaga an exasperated glare.
"You're something else. But this isn't our problem now, right?"
"Mhm." Phaga gave a slight nod, his tone calm. "Our mere presence has already done them a huge favor. We'll leave the rest to the law officers."
Ellen had no objections, and neither did Ruby, who was hiding behind them, tugging at Ellen's clothes. Right now, she was intently focused on the scene outside.
Phaga was right. Before Ruby arrived, the gang members had been retreating steadily—except for the Rat-Thiren woman over there.
Ruby's arrival was like an oasis suddenly appearing in a parched desert. The gang members were ecstatic, rushing madly forward to grab hold of this lifeline. Little did they know this lifeline was guarded by a humanoid beast.
They had already exposed their backs to the law officers when they tried to capture Ruby, and after being beaten by Phaga, their spirits completely collapsed. Their morale plummeted instantly. Especially with Qingyi and Seth leading the charge.
Hey, who's that tall policewoman with the great figure and ponytail?
Phaga pondered for a moment. He vaguely recalled her, but her name escaped him.
Behind him, Ruby squealed excitedly, "Oh wow, Miss Zhu Yuan is so cool! Waaah! Those legs are gorgeous!!!"
Phaga couldn't help but chuckle. Where exactly is your focus?
But he quickly refocused and turned to ask, "Do you know that female law officer?"
"Mm-hmm, that's Miss Zhu Yuan! I see her all the time when I visit Uncle Seth at the Public Security Bureau. Senior Qingyi even said Miss Zhu Yuan should teach me some self-defense moves!"
Ruby nodded like a little quail, her eyes locked on Zhu Yuan even as she spoke to Phaga.
Suddenly, Ruby's eyes lit up.
Phaga followed her gaze and saw Zhu Yuan deliver a high kick that sent a gang member's jaw flying. She then fired two quick shots, and the thug dropped limply to the ground.
"So, do you agree?"
Phaga also watched the battle, though his attention shifted away from Zhu Yuan. Compared to her, the Rat-Thiren woman clearly possessed far greater strength.
Swift as fire, unpredictable as shadow; light as wind, resilient as water...
Phaga even suspected she was holding back, as some of her movements carried a deliberate sluggishness. Yet even so, her fight against Seth was nothing short of toying with him.
Moving with effortless ease, the Rat-Thiren turned her head to glance first at Phaga, then at the others. Seeing her gang members beginning to scatter, she frowned sharply and barked coldly,
"Stop! If we flee like this, how can we show our faces to the boss?"
They were already fleeing, yet she still worried about facing the boss?
Phaga chuckled softly, watching with amused interest.
That single line made him think further. He turned and whispered a warning, "Ellen, when they try to escape later, don't stop them."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Ellen blinked, momentarily confused about what Phaga meant. But it didn't matter. She'd follow his orders regardless. If she couldn't figure it out now, she'd ask later.
And if Phaga dared to play coy again, she'd bite him for it!
Thinking that, Ellen instinctively ran her tongue across her lips. Those wicked thoughts from earlier had left her mouth a bit dry.
As expected, the strong Rat-Thiren held considerable prestige among the gang. Some of them glanced at the musclebound thug with his half-ruined leg before hurriedly asking, "Miss Jane, what should we do next?"
"What should we do? Grab the hostage and get out of here! Honestly, if you hadn't tied up that guy, the music box wouldn't have drawn the law officers here. We wouldn't be in this mess today!"
The Rat-Thiren woman known as Miss Jane gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Seth.
If it weren't for that hotheaded fool rushing over at the sound, she'd already be back with the [Mountain Lion's Gang] doing her real job—rather than stuck here fighting a pointless battle!
Huh? Why is she glaring at me? Could it be her underhanded tricks include psychic attacks too?
Clearly, Seth didn't understand Jane's glare, mistaking it for another provocation. His arms tensed as his muscles strained.
Hmph. Don't underestimate a law officer!
"Hah!"
Seizing the moment, Seth thrust his baton into the shield on his left arm. Arcs of electricity crackled across the surface.
Buzz!
Wielding the shield like a greatsword, Seth swung it down at Jane.
But Jane merely leaned back, dodging with ease, then turned away without further engagement.
Meanwhile, the gang members, having been scolded by Jane, suddenly realized what to do and nodded vigorously.
Until now, they'd been distracted by Seth's shout of "Ruby," thinking there was some connection between the two they could exploit.
But in truth, they still had a hostage!
So, the gang members rushed toward the man they had captured.
Seeing this, Qingyi and Zhu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and they immediately charged forward.
However, halfway there, Jane intercepted them.
With a flick of her tail, she forced Zhu Yuan back. Then, clenching her eagle claws, she launched a fierce assault that forced Qingyi to block with her three-section staff, sending her skidding backward.
Still unsatisfied, Jane spun halfway around and lashed out with a kick. The tip of her shoe extended a hidden blade, narrowly slicing past Qingyi's face.
After forcing Qingyi back, Jane leapt lightly away.
At the same time, a gang member grabbed a burly man by the collar and yanked him up.
Ruby recognized him immediately and gasped, "Examiner Uncle!"
Unfortunately, Examiner Uncle's eyes were tightly shut. He didn't respond.
The thug holding him shouted, "Everyone stop right now, or I'll kill him!"
The law officers froze in place, glaring at him warily.
The thug flinched, but remembering he still had a hostage, his confidence returned.
"Hmph, if you know what's good for you—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Jane pulled a smoke grenade from her belt and hurled it to the ground.
"Move!" she barked, spinning around.
The others didn't dare say a word and quickly followed Jane's lead, retreating into the smoke.
From start to finish, Phaga and Ellen merely watched silently, never interfering.
Ruby couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. "Phaga, isn't it a bit unwise to just let them go like this?"
"It is unwise."
To Ruby's surprise, Phaga answered frankly. But then he added,
"However, if we capture them here and fail to bring down their whole operation, that would be far worse."
"If you let even one cockroach slip away, by the time you find it again, it'll have multiplied."
"Besides... isn't there still one left?"
Phaga glanced forward, where the helmeted musclehead knelt on the ground, wailing in pain.
Phaga had shot him in the leg—and his comrades had already abandoned him.