"Kneel!" The gang member with the gun pointed at his head obediently dropped to his knees beside the scruffy gang leader. At the same time, Jack shoved the bent iron pipe into Johnny's hands.
Meeting Johnny's puzzled gaze, Jack tilted his head slightly. "Just don't beat them to death."
"Argh!" Johnny let out a furious roar and swung the pipe wildly at the two kneeling gang members. The situation had completely reversed—those who were once the perpetrators were now the ones being beaten, their screams of pain filling the alley.
With a clatter, the iron pipe fell from Johnny's hands as he stumbled toward his girlfriend and wrapped her in his arms. The mixture of terror, despair, relief, and the satisfaction of vengeance overwhelmed them, and the two held each other tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Twenty minutes later, the once-dark alley was brightly lit by the flashing lights of ambulances and police cars. Night-shift officers from the North Hollywood precinct had responded to the scene after the call came in, and among them were Tim and Lucy, who had just said their goodbyes at the farm not long ago.
After hearing Johnny's fiancée, Vicki Wright, stammer out their ordeal to the responding officers, everyone's attention turned to the six piles of human debris being loaded onto stretchers. Initially, some had thought Jack's actions might have been excessive, but after hearing the full story, many felt that killing the thugs outright might have been preferable.
It turned out that when Johnny McHale and Vicki Wright left the convenience store, they had been happily chatting about heading back to their apartment. Along the way, Vicki had casually mentioned that she had discovered earlier that afternoon that she was pregnant, wanting to see Johnny's reaction. Overwhelmed with joy, Johnny had dropped to his knees at the entrance to the alley, proposing to her on the spot and promising to buy a ring first thing the next morning.
It should have been a blissful moment, but it was interrupted by a group of gang members lurking in the alley. Johnny offered all the cash he had on him, begging them to let him and Vicki go.
Instead, the gang leader, a scruffy man nicknamed "Ripper" (real name Glenn Hill), sneered and replied, "Buddy, you've got more than just that. I bet you really wouldn't want to miss out on this."
The two were then dragged into the alley. Ripper forced Johnny to watch as the gang prepared to assault his fiancée.
"Well done, old buddy," Tim said, clapping Jack on the shoulder with genuine praise. "That piece of scum, Glenn Hill, a.k.a. 'Ripper,' is notorious around here. The women in the neighborhood are going to thank you for that shot to his crotch."
"Uh, I wasn't the one who dealt those final blows," Jack quickly clarified. Titles like "sharp-shooting investigator" were fine, but "nutcracker cop" was a bit much.
Of the six gang members, at least two were likely to spend the rest of their lives living on a liquid diet, while the two handed over to Johnny were now eunuchs. Of the remaining two, one had severe brain trauma, and the other was missing three fingers and had significant blood loss. The psychological scars from the incident might even outweigh their physical injuries.
Reid and Layla, having witnessed the entire violent spectacle, were still buzzing with excitement. The whole thing had been as thrilling and bloody as a Hollywood action film. They enthusiastically volunteered to take Johnny and Vicki to the hospital.
The next morning, Jack and Jiejie visited Johnny and Vicki at the hospital. Both needed some time to recover. While Vicki hadn't been physically harmed, the severe emotional trauma combined with her newly discovered pregnancy had prompted the doctors to recommend she stay for observation.
Jiejie had already contacted the district attorney's office. With six gang members caught in the act, and Johnny being a somewhat well-known comic artist, the DA's office wasn't going to make things difficult. As for the FBI? What FBI? Wasn't it just the LAPD arriving in time to save the day?
"What do you think of the title Dark Knight?" Johnny asked Jack suddenly after shaking hands to thank him.
Jack placed the flowers they had brought into a vase on the bedside table. "Did last night's events inspire you with new ideas? Though isn't that title already associated with Batman?"
"Yes," Johnny said, his excitement growing. "I want to create a superhero clad in a cape, wielding dual blades, prowling through dark alleys at night to protect ordinary citizens from thugs."
"Maybe I don't need 'Knight.' Perhaps just one word, like my previous work Blue. I'm thinking of calling it Night. It'll be a complete departure from my usual style—brutal, gory, and unforgiving. An eye for an eye. Violence met with violence." Johnny grew more animated as he spoke, his pencil sketching a rough character design on the paper in front of him.
"My dear, I think what you need most right now is rest," Vicki said gently from the neighboring bed. The two shared a room at the hospital. "The doctor said you have minor internal injuries and need plenty of time to recover."
"I think you both should stay put and rest," Jiejie said with a smile, gently stopping Vicki from trying to get up. She sat beside her bed and asked, "How's the baby?"
Vicki shook her head lightly and smiled in return. The blonde woman had soft features and a gentle demeanor, making it no wonder those thugs had targeted her with their vile intentions.
After chatting for a while, Jack and Jiejie prepared to leave. Before going, Jack discreetly used a long-lasting healing spell on Vicki under the guise of a handshake and left Johnny with two business cards—one with his own contact information and another with Chris's.
While Johnny wasn't a superstar, he had a loyal following, unlike Jack, who was still a fledgling writer. Adaptations of comics could serve as inspiration for short dramas, and potential collaborations in the future would be mutually beneficial.
Jack spent nearly a week in Los Angeles. Aside from spending time with Jiejie, he visited the Wilshire precinct, the BAU team, and the Hunter household.
The elderly couple was in good health, and their tenant, Joe Mason, seemed remarkably spry for someone in his eighties. He had even taken on the responsibility of driving Isabel to and from school daily.
Jack helped check on their health while regaling them with tales of his cases over the past year and his plans for the future. However, he was still anxious about the Red storyline (Red or Red 2), which had yet to begin.
Jack worried that the events might eventually involve the Hunters or Didi. Though they weren't part of the original plot, the inclusion of Joe Mason as a tenant had already deviated from the script. He could only hope that his displays of competence and his close ties with the elderly trio would discourage them from taking reckless action without him.
Jack also asked Joe to keep an eye on Layla's bodyguard, Brian Mills. Though he no longer lacked System credits, he was still curious about Mills's rescue-themed plots. Compared to the Red films, Mills's Taken series seemed far less destructive, and Jack believed he could handle any fallout—probably.
With all matters settled, Jack's seven-day leave came to an end. After a reluctant goodbye to Jiejie, he boarded a flight back to New York, ready to return to work.
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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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