Meanwhile, the mafia members were thrown into chaos after confirming their boss, Nickel, was dead.

Having barely recovered from the shock, they quickly began a serious discussion about who had killed him.

During this process, a man who claimed to be a witness stepped forward.

His name was Valdron Mekalana.

Valdron stated that he had been smoking a cigarette by an open second-floor window when he saw a woman jump down from the third floor—where the boss had been.

At first, he thought he might’ve been mistaken. But after hearing that the boss had been found dead in his room, Valdron became convinced the woman was the assassin.

He relayed this information to the other members, and the furious mafia quickly united under a single purpose—finding the woman and avenging their boss.

And now—

Valdron furrowed his brows as he scanned the fifth-floor window of the restaurant through a foldable telescope.

‘Brown hair, a white knit sweater, a brown coat draped over her knees, and a plain shoulder bag hanging by her chair. Black flats, too. And she’s tall for a woman...’

Apart from the sunglasses, her appearance was an exact match with the woman who had killed their boss.

After combing the nearby area, they had finally tracked down the assassin.

‘That goddamn bitch...’

Grinding his teeth, Valdron lowered the telescope.

The sight of her casually enjoying a luxurious meal after murdering their boss was unforgivable.

It felt like she was mocking their entire organization.

Suppressing his burning rage, Valdron folded the telescope, tucked it into his coat, and took out a radio.

As he stared at the woman cutting into a steak, he pressed the transmit button.

“We’ve found the woman who killed the boss. Location is Das Abentlicht Restaurant, 22nd Raven Street. She looks like she’ll finish her meal soon, so all units are to converge here immediately.”

*****

After finishing the meal and stepping out of the restaurant, Kartman gave a polite bow.

“I truly apologize for the offense I caused earlier, miss. I have no excuse for my behavior. Please accept my sincerest apology once more.”

With Lucy remaining silent, Daniel responded on her behalf.

“There’s no need to apologize further. Dr. Myrin fully understands. Isn’t that right, Doctor?”

Prompted by Daniel’s nudge, Lucy reluctantly nodded.

Seeing this, Daniel smiled softly and spoke again.

“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
“Ah, of course. It was an honor to speak with you, Captain.”
“The honor was mine, Inspector. It’s not every day one gets to converse with someone so devoted to the Empire. Farewell.”

Daniel gave a slight bow, then turned and began walking away with Lucy.

After putting some distance between them, Daniel glanced back.

Kartman stroked his chin a few times before finally turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Daniel relaxed.

“You can speak now.”

Regaining her voice, Lucy hesitated for a moment before muttering,

“...You made me look like an idiot.”
“I treated you like an aphasia patient, not an idiot. And as I said, I was only trying to save you from the Security Bureau.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Without Daniel’s intervention, Lucy would have faced Kartman’s suspicions head-on.

While Lucy’s pride was wounded by having to rely on an outsider, she had to admit the truth.

“I’ll repay this debt someday.”

Hearing her whisper, Daniel broke into a cold sweat.

He couldn’t tell if she meant she’d help him—or kill him.

Since prying into her thoughts wasn’t an option, Daniel gave a stiff nod.

“...I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s no need to repay me. More importantly, how about we go our separate ways now?”

He was already worried the dessert shop would close if they delayed any further.

Daniel had been looking forward to treating himself, but Lucy shook her head.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

What? Daniel blinked in confusion, a vague sense of unease creeping in.

Lucy glanced around cautiously before explaining,

“Listen as we walk. We’re being tailed. Behind us, across the street, and even a block ahead—there are multiple eyes on us.”

Tailed?

Daniel’s eyes sharpened as he subtly observed the pedestrians.

Just as Lucy said, several men in suits displayed suspicious behavior.

Some had their hands tucked inside their jackets—clearly ready to draw guns at a moment’s notice.

Their movements were sloppy for spies.

But they were undoubtedly organized—a sign they belonged to a criminal syndicate.

If men in suits were openly carrying guns, there was only one explanation.

‘Mafia members.’

Daniel furrowed his brows, already feeling a headache forming as he realized their target was Lucy.

“...Doctor? What the hell did you do to have the mafia chasing you?”

Lucy didn’t answer.

Instead, she quickly assessed the situation with her sharp gaze and gripped Daniel’s hand tightly.

Her hand was cold yet surprisingly soft.

“Captain, I’m going to dash into the alley twenty steps ahead. Since you’re with me, they’ll target you too. If you want to live, you’ll follow me.”

She had no real intention of saving Daniel.

But if he died, the Empire would investigate, and since Lucy had been with him at the time, she’d inevitably fall under suspicion.

She couldn’t allow that to happen, so she refused to let go of his hand.

“Wait! Doctor, if you have a plan, let’s—”

The moment they reached the twentieth step, Lucy spun around and took off.

Daniel had no choice but to run with her as she dragged him along.

“Shit! They’re running!”
“That fucking bitch noticed! After them!”
“Kill them both!”

Shouts erupted behind them, followed by gunshots.

Whoosh!

A stray bullet tore through the air, whizzing past Daniel’s ear.

He instinctively ducked his head, speeding up as he glared at Lucy.

‘...What the hell did she do? Kill a mafia boss or something?’

It wasn’t the time to be asking questions, though.

“Left!”

Following Lucy’s command, Daniel turned the corner of the alley.

Halfway down the alley, Lucy suddenly dove behind a large industrial trash bin.

Daniel had no choice but to follow her, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

“...Why are we hiding? Are you planning to take on all of them here?”

Lucy nodded and pulled a detonator with a red button out of her shoulder bag.

Apparently, she’d already planted bombs inside the walls of the alley in case of an ambush—and now she intended to use them.

‘Damn... she’s terrifyingly prepared.’

Understanding her plan, Daniel held his breath and waited.

“They’re trapped in a dead end! After them!”
“Shoot on sight! Kill that bastard with her too!”

The gangsters charged into the alley, shouting threats.

But to their surprise, neither Lucy nor Daniel was in sight.

Clueless, they moved deeper into the alley, searching.

“What the hell? I saw them run in here.”
“Did they climb the wall? No way—it’s too high!”
“Shit. Check behind the trash bins!”

As the gangsters’ voices drew closer, Lucy pressed the button without hesitation.

BOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the alley, flames bursting out as the walls blew apart.

The ground shook so violently that Daniel squeezed his eyes shut on reflex.

“Shit... goddamn it...”

His ears rang painfully.

After taking a moment to steady his breathing, Daniel slowly opened his eyes.

Finally regaining his composure, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

He turned to look at the aftermath of the explosion.

Around thirty mafia members lay scattered among the rubble, bleeding and groaning in pain.

“Hah...”

Speechless, Daniel stared at the scene when the sound of footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.

Thinking it might be reinforcements, he reached for his gun—only to stop when he heard light, quick footsteps.

“Explosion! Did you hear that?!”
“What happened? Did a pipe burst or something?”
“I don’t know, but we should check it out! This could be a huge scoop!”

Journalists.

Lowering his hand from the holster, Daniel let out a sigh.

“Do you have any idea what you just—”

He turned to Lucy, but she was gone.

Had she escaped by climbing the wall during the explosion? That high wall?

Letting out a hollow breath, Daniel watched as reporters poured into the alley.

Their eyes widened at the sight.

Almost thirty men were lying in pools of blood, and standing in front of them was a soldier in full uniform.

The sheer intimidation froze them in place.

One reporter glanced at the bodies and suddenly exclaimed,

“Aren’t these... Nickel’s men?!”

The hyena tattoos on their necks confirmed it.

They were members of Nickel’s mafia organization.

As the realization spread, the journalists’ eyes lit up with excitement.

“It’s Captain Daniel Steiner!”
“...Wait, what?! Holy shit, it really is Captain Steiner!”

While the journalists chattered excitedly, more civilians arrived after hearing the explosion.

Seeing the bodies and Daniel standing there, the crowd started murmuring.

Daniel’s unease grew as he raised his hands.

“Everyone, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I didn’t—”
“Gather around, everyone! Captain Daniel Steiner has struck again for the Empire! He wiped out an entire mafia gang!”

The reporter’s voice drowned Daniel’s explanation.

Believing the announcement, the crowd erupted into cheers, shouting Daniel’s name.

Applause followed soon after, leaving Daniel no choice but to close his eyes in defeat.

‘Goddamn it...’

At this point, it wasn’t even surprising anymore.