Johnny McHale and his girlfriend bought two bags of beef jerky and said their goodbyes. The four of them picked through the snacks, and in the end, the two men were tasked with carrying the heavy load. They each grabbed a large stack of items and headed to the checkout.
The two girls glanced at each other. One of them pulled several boxes of little umbrellas from the basket beside the counter and followed behind them. Layla mischievously nudged Jiejie, teasing her about how many umbrellas she was getting.
"So, is this what public figures like you do on a regular basis?" Jiejie rolled her eyes at Jack's back, deliberately shifting the topic and mocking Layla, who was also recognized by Johnny McHale's girlfriend as a "big star."
"Do you need me to share the secret of how to transform with just a pair of sunglasses?" Layla teased, smiling as she looked back at Jack, who was carrying two packs of Budweiser beer.
"Did you learn that from a reporter named Clark Kent?" Jack replied with a smile, his eyes briefly thoughtful.
Johnny McHale, recognized by Reid and with a face that seemed familiar to Jack from his previous life, was no good news. Movie stars often guest star in TV shows, but appearing on a crime drama like Criminal Minds? That could mean trouble. This comic book artist might either be a serial killer or a victim in this world.
Criminal Minds, comic book artist... Jack's brain worked quickly as he tried to recall the episode. Just as he was placing the connection, a faint cry for help came from nearby, just a couple of short calls that quickly faded away.
Before he could focus again to listen more closely, another brief scream rang out. This time, everyone, including Jack, heard it, and it came from a nearby dark alley.
"Jack?" Jiejie placed her hand on the gun at her waist, looking at Jack, who was closing the trunk of the car with force.
"Reid, protect Layla." Jack turned to give instructions.
"We're coming too. I can help call 911," Layla said, grabbing Reid and following after Jack. With three FBI agents around, the girl's courage was significant.
Jack didn't bother trying to stop her. Despite North Hollywood's bad security, it was still better than the streets of Mexico, wasn't it?
It suddenly clicked for him—this was the event from the Criminal Minds episode, the one where Johnny McHale, a popular comic artist, and his fiancée were attacked by gang members. His fiancée was brutally murdered, and Johnny was severely wounded. After recovering, the weakened comic artist developed severe schizophrenia, creating an alternate superhero persona that would take control of his body at night, hunting down the gang members who had hurt him and his fiancée. It sounded like the opening of some action-packed story, but the ending had left Jack feeling uncomfortable—Johnny McHale was locked in a mental institution, repeatedly calling his fiancée's phone, just to hear her voicemail.
Thinking of this, Jack quickened his pace. In the original episode, the BAU team barely made an impact, as Johnny had already written the whole thing into his comic. It was an episode where the team barely had a presence.
This unexpected encounter might be the event that formed the background of the story. If so, maybe Jack could prevent this tragedy from happening.
Sure enough, as Jack rushed into the alley, he saw Johnny McHale and his girlfriend, along with six thugs who clearly weren't up to any good.
At that moment, Johnny was getting beaten by two gangsters, their arms covered with gang tattoos, while his girlfriend was being dragged into a corner, struggling in vain against someone covering her mouth and nose.
The thugs noticed Jack's footsteps, and Jiejie, who was right behind him, drew her Glock and shouted, "FBI! Freeze, let them go!"
The leader of the group, a man with a scruffy beard, stood in front of Johnny's girlfriend, undoing his belt as if planning to assault her.
Hearing the shout of "FBI," the scruffy man flinched and turned to look at Jack and Jiejie, and then saw Reid, who was nervously shielding Layla. A wicked smile spread across his face.
"I've never seen such a beautiful female FBI agent. Is the one behind you also one?" he leered as he picked up a knife that had been discarded on the ground and motioned to his men. Two stayed behind to hold Johnny and his girlfriend, while the rest surrounded the four of them with weapons.
"Don't move! I told you, if you take one step closer, I'll shoot!" Jiejie warned loudly, though she glanced at Jack in confusion. Why wasn't he pulling his gun?
"Leave it to me. If I shoot, I'll have to write a report, and when you're not around, Hannah sometimes passes the reports to me," Jack muttered quietly. He shrugged off his coat, handed his sidearm to Jiejie, and then walked straight up to the four men.
"It's starting, it's starting," Reid murmured excitedly from the alley entrance. Layla, though she hadn't seen Jack fight before, had heard the stories and didn't seem nervous. She instinctively held her phone, watching the scene unfold.
The thug with the short beard wasn't intimidated by Jack's confident approach. After all, judging by their size, he and his cronies were much bulkier than Jack.
It was a cool winter night in Los Angeles, with the temperature around 10°C. The gang members were all wearing sleeveless shirts that revealed their muscular bodies. They had recently gotten high on some illicit substances, and their minds were clouded by the drugs as they sought some fun.
Seeing Jack walk straight toward them, one thug wielding a metal pipe swung it towards Jack. The others followed suit, all prepared to confront him.
Just when everyone thought Jack was about to get hit, a sickening crack echoed as the thug's knee buckled, the bone snapping in the opposite direction.
Before the thug could scream, Jack's foot quickly retracted, and in a fluid motion, he grabbed the pipe from the thug's hand and swung it with full force into his face. Blood and shattered teeth flew from his mouth, muffling his scream.
At the same time, another thug swung a baseball bat with all his might toward Jack's side. Thwack! The bat hit Jack's raised arm with a dull thud, but it was as if it had struck a solid wall. The bat spun out of his hands and clattered on the ground.
The thug who had swung the bat was stunned, his hands numb with pain as he looked at the blood on his palms. His hands had been bruised and shaken from the impact.
Without missing a beat, Jack spun the metal pipe in his hand and, with a twist of his wrist, struck another thug's jaw with a forceful upward blow. The thug was sent crashing to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
The remaining thugs still hadn't figured out what was happening. Jack kicked off the ground and was in front of them in an instant.
"Ah!" The short-bearded thug shouted in alarm as he thrust a knife toward Jack. Jack stepped aside, catching his wrist with the end of the pipe and twisting it. The thug let out a sharp cry of pain as his hand was bent backward.
Simultaneously, another thug, wearing brass knuckles, swung a punch at Jack's face. Jack didn't flinch; he grabbed the punch mid-air, using the thug's momentum to turn his fist into his own face. The impact caused a spark as the knuckles scraped against the knife, breaking it in the process.
The thug staggered back, clutching his bloodied hand in disbelief.
Jack then spun around to face the rest, his foot shooting out to knock the knife-wielding thug to the ground.
"Don't move. If you pull that knife out, you're as good as dead. Your blood will drain before the paramedics even get here," Jack said softly as he subdued the last thug.
After dropping him, Jack moved over to help Johnny McHale, who was slumped against the wall, his body limp. Jack carefully lifted him up, noticing the shape of the bent metal pipe. He used a healing spell to alleviate the worst of his broken ribs, leaving the rest for the hospital.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked quietly.
Johnny, who had been gasping for air just moments before, took a deep breath and calmed himself. "I'm fine... Thank you..." He looked toward his fiancée, who had been dragged into the corner earlier.
Jiejie, seeing the danger had passed, was already securing the last thug. "Stay put, don't move," she warned, pressing the barrel of her gun to the gangster's head.
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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