The Hellcat's wildcat roar echoed down the wide streets of Los Angeles.
It wasn't long before a police cruiser caught up from behind.
Ryan pulled over. Two young officers got out—one Black, one white.
The Black officer stepped up to Ryan.
"Sir, you were speeding. You aware of that?"
Ryan turned his head to glance at the officer and said calmly:
"LAPD, Hollywood Division. Ryan."
He was letting him know—they were colleagues. He was also a cop.
But the Black officer frowned and replied:
"Please show me your ID."
Ryan gave him a flat look.
"If I reach for my ID… are you going to shoot me?"
The officer froze, eyes wide.
"Sir, are you carrying a firearm?"
"Of course I am. I'm a cop. Carrying a weapon is standard procedure."
The Black officer immediately tensed up and took a step back, hand resting on his holster.
Seeing this, the white officer moved closer with one hand on his own weapon.
"Karen, you want me to call for backup?"
"Heide, he says he's a cop and armed."
Karen—the Black officer—raised his voice.
Heide frowned.
They were all cops—was this really necessary?
Still, standard protocol in a traffic stop like this: one officer approaches, the other covers.
"Did he give you his name, Karen? I'll check the database."
"He said his name is Ryan."
Karen called out.
Heide blinked.
"Is he a really good-looking Asian guy?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
F**k me, Karen, don't drag me down with you!
Heide swore internally, now ignoring protocol.
He rushed forward, grabbed Karen by the shoulder and shoved him behind, then smiled nervously at Ryan.
"Officer Ryan, I'm sure you weren't speeding on purpose."
"You're free to go. Just try to keep it under the limit in the city next time."
Heide's face was all polite smiles.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Ryan's eyes.
He was burning with anger inside—and honestly, he'd been itching to shoot someone.
"Thanks."
He muttered with some regret, stepped on the gas, and peeled off.
As the taillights of the Hellcat disappeared, Heide let out a long breath of relief.
Shit. He looked disappointed. Did he actually want to…
A cold sweat drenched his back.
Karen, still fuming, turned to Heide.
"Heide, what the hell was that?"
"You just let him go? That's misconduct!"
"I'm reporting you to the lieutenant!"
The adrenaline-fueled Heide snapped.
"F**king hell, Karen!"
"You have any clue how close you were to dying just now?"
Karen rolled his eyes.
"What, that pretty-boy Asian cop? You think he could kill me?"
Heide exploded.
"Shut up, you hormone-fueled stallion!"
"You call yourself a cop? You seriously don't know Officer Ryan from the Hollywood Division?"
"Did you miss the news yesterday morning about a freighter taken down in international waters—93 illegal organ traffickers wiped out?"
"That was him!"
"He's only been on the force a month and already fired his weapon four times. First: five armed kidnappers. Second: two meth-heads. Third: ten cartel members with automatic weapons. Fourth: those 93 scumbags."
"He's officially recognized as the top action officer in all of LAPD!"
"Go up against him in a shootout? He'll plug you before your hand even touches your holster!"
"God damn it! I'm so unlucky being teamed up with a clueless idiot like you!"
Karen stood there dumbfounded, staring at Heide in shock.
"Shit! You're not screwing with me, are you?"
"Go ask literally any cop in this city!"
Karen immediately ran off to confirm the story.
Meanwhile, Ryan was still brooding—pissed that he didn't get to shoot anyone.
When he got back to the hotel, he heard voices—in Japanese.
His fury instantly reignited.
In Killian's room, Killian was talking to a Japanese man—about 5'5", 80kg, round glasses.
They were speaking Japanese.
"Mr. Nobuta Shinishi, the Flame Project is progressing as planned. But to smuggle in the seed, we need serious funds."
"You're in charge of our L.A. branch's finances. I hope you'll transfer the final payment on schedule."
Killian sounded tired. He hated this part—being the boss of the L.A. division but not controlling the budget.
Just as Nobuta was about to reply, the door flew open—kicked clean off its hinges.
Nobuta turned sharply, small eyes brimming with rage.
"Baka!"