Alicia was surrounded.
Not by enemies—but by an entire flock of officials.
There was a Coast Guard major. The Detective Bureau's division chief. An FBI regional director. A city council delegate. Even someone from the Juvenile Protection Agency.
Every one of them had heard Rian's transmission loud and clear.
One man. Alone. Had wiped out an entire organ trafficking syndicate aboard a cargo ship.
No one was shocked that Rian had killed someone—this was a raid, after all. Bloodshed was inevitable.
But that he'd killed everyone?
That made Alicia's stomach twist.
She swallowed hard, then asked with caution:
"Rian… how many people were in that illegal organ trafficking group?"
"Ninety-three," he said flatly.
That included Quentin and his four personal bodyguards.
As far as Rian was concerned, the well-dressed man might as well have been the kingpin.
While speaking, he pulled a Beretta 92F from his storage space, wiped the prints, and placed it in Quentin's lifeless hand.
Self-defense, he thought. Nothing suspicious about that.
As for Garrett and his surgical crew, the scalpels in their hands were reason enough to shoot.
A sharp inhale came from the phone's speaker.
"FUCK—Jesus, Rian! You've just made my life a whole lot harder!"
Alicia was stunned.
Ninety-three confirmed kills.
This wasn't just about how powerful Rian was anymore.
It was about consequences.
No matter how vile the syndicate had been, slaughtering ninety-three people in one operation—solo—was bound to attract heat from human rights groups.
Hell, someone might even try to charge him with crimes against humanity.
Forget legal protocols. This was international optics.
"This guy… is he even real?"
"Even Rambo didn't kill that many people in one go!"
"Did I mishear that? One cop took out an entire black-market organ ring?!"
"We're in Hollywood, right? Even the movies don't dare go this far!"
"Leaving a guy like this as just a patrol officer? That's an embarrassment to the entire LAPD!"
Voices buzzed all around her. Politicians and bureaucrats arguing, marveling, panicking.
But Liam—Councilman Liam, the same man Rian had once saved from an assassin—stood silently.
Eyes gleaming with ambition.
Unlike the others, Liam didn't hear just stats and body counts.
He saw opportunity.
Political opportunity.
Being a city councilor meant chasing achievements. Tangible victories to win the people's vote. To climb the ladder—from city rep to state senator… maybe even Congress.
Some politicians passed laws.
Others? They created legends.
Superheroes, even.
Like Captain America—originally a propaganda icon shaped by government image-makers. Liam had seen the movie. Knew the playbook.
And now? He had his own "Super Soldier."
This—Rian Lee—wasn't fiction.
He was a living, breathing, ass-kicking monument to justice.
And if Liam could ride that momentum? Turn Rian into the LAPD's first Super Cop?
Then the Speaker's seat in City Hall was as good as his.
California was a Democrat stronghold, and Liam was Republican. But Rian's feats? They could sway public favor.
He scanned Alicia's face. Read the concern in her eyes.
He understood.
She was worried. For Rian. For the department.
But Liam was a shark—and this was blood in the water.
"I'll call in a medevac chopper immediately," Alicia said as she ended the call.
She needed time to think. Fast.
If Rian came under fire, they'd need serious political muscle to shield him.
Human rights watchdogs weren't gods. They were people.
People with strings that could be pulled—connections that could be made.
Liam stepped forward, smiling with practiced charm.
"Commander Alicia. This Officer Rian… he's the same one who saved me at the Little Gate Bistro, isn't he?"
Only now did she recall—this was that Liam.
The one Rian had rescued from a hired killer.
"Yes, sir. That's him."
She wasn't sure what he was getting at. Was he trying to repay the favor?
But Liam? He wasn't here to talk favors with a precinct commander.
He needed the real decision-makers.
"You don't need to worry about Rian. I'll have a word with the brass at Parker Center."
He meant the LAPD's executive board—the Five Commissioners who pulled the strings.
After all, the LAPD served under the City Council's umbrella.
And Liam was the Council.
"Thank you, Councilman Liam."
Alicia bowed slightly. Still thinking this was just gratitude.
But Liam was already ten steps ahead.
He had his champion. His superhero.
The Super Cop plan had begun.
And with Rian's name on every news cycle in the city, there'd be no stopping it.
Thanks to Rian's tip, the agencies now had the ship's name.
Joint task forces assembled and prepared to board the Canglong.
Meanwhile, the LAPD's air unit had already beaten them to it—blades spinning, medics on standby.