You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Lyon didn't look at Darlis's body again and turned to walk towards the SUV.

He crouched down and looked at the mercenary captain, "Viper," who was half-submerged in dirty water and had already passed out.

This guy was definitely a tough guy. His right shoulder was ripped open by a bullet, half of his body was covered in blood, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, but he was still gripping a rifle tightly in his hand.

"He's not completely dead yet."

Lyon reached out and felt his carotid artery, feeling the faint but tenacious pulse.

He grabbed the viper's intact left arm and yanked him out from under the car, dragging him across the ground littered with gravel and broken glass.

The intense pain couldn't wake the viper.

Lyon looked around and found a puddle filled with rainwater. The water was murky and cold, with oil and dust floating on the surface.

Without saying a word, he grabbed the viper's hair and shoved its face into the puddle.

"Gurgle..."

The cold, dirty water instantly poured into my nasal cavity and trachea.

The intense feeling of suffocation and the cold stimulus finally woke him up.

"Cough cough cough!!!"

The viper choked on a mouthful of dirty water and woke up coughing violently.

His vision was completely blurred.

Rainwater, mud, and the blackout caused by excessive blood loss left him with only a blur of light and shadow in front of him.

Above them was a tall, backlit black silhouette.

Rain dripped along the edges of that outline, making it look distorted yet towering.

Am I...dead?

The viper murmured in a daze, as if the excruciating pain in its body had faded away.

Is this God who judges him? Or the gatekeeper of hell?

"Not yet, buddy."

The dark figure spoke.

"Hell has a queue, but before that, let's talk about your art."

"Ahem... Art?"

The viper lay in the mud, a twisted smile appearing on its face, which was covered in blood and rainwater.

His eyes were unfocused, as if he were looking through Leon's shoulder into a void of the past.

"What's wrong with killing a homeless person... what's wrong with killing a whole group?"

He was panting, and with each word he spoke, a bubble of blood appeared in his mouth.

"Back in the day, I was the most steadfast patriot. I enlisted in the army at my own expense for that flag and ate sand in the desert..."

"And then I came back...and they dumped me like trash...those bastards at the VA (Veterans Affairs) wouldn't even prescribe me my medication..."

"So I became a monster, ha...that's what they made me."

"This is revenge...this is my revenge on this damn society..."

Lyon listened quietly, his expression unchanged, and even nodded in agreement.

"Yes, this place is absolutely rotten."

"Turning heroes into madmen is indeed one of America's specialties. I won't argue with that."

Leon crouched down and moved closer:

"But, man, you've got the wrong target for your revenge."

"If you took a knife and stormed into the VA building, chopping up those bureaucrats sitting in their offices treating you like disposable material, or hanging the congressmen who cut veterans' benefits from a lamppost..."

"To be honest, I might even stand on the roadside and applaud you, to show my respect for you as a true man."

A hint of disdain flashed in Lyon's eyes:

"But who did you choose? A homeless man sleeping in a tent, who can't even get enough to eat?"

"A pathetic wretch like you, abandoned by society?"

"The cowardly are enraged and draw their swords against the weaker. This is not revenge; it is merely cowardice and incompetence."

The viper was stunned.

His pupils were dilating, and his brain was sluggish due to severe blood loss and lack of oxygen.

Lyon's words drilled into his ears, turning into a buzzing noise.

He doesn't understand.

Why isn't this policeman angry? Why is he saying these things? What does he mean?

"ha……?"

The viper emitted a meaningless nasal sound, its eyes becoming completely dazed.

Lyon looked at him and gently shook his head.

Discussing philosophy with a madman who is about to suffer brain death is truly like casting pearls before swine.

"never mind."

"I didn't expect you to understand anyway."

Lyon slowly straightened up, turned the HK416 rifle in his hand upside down, and raised it high.

"Your experience is terrible, and you're a scumbag, but no matter what, it's done now."

Lyon looked at those eyes that were still trying to focus:

Goodnight, veteran.

"call--"

The butt of the gun fell heavily, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

"Bang!"

The viper's vision was instantly plunged into permanent darkness. Before he could even feel the pain, his remaining consciousness vanished completely.

[Mission: Intercept the Blood Gang's convoy - Completed]

[Summary: This was a fierce battle.]

Harrison and his ACU team risked their lives and two lives to hold off the hordes of gang thugs for you.

As the team's strategist and backline commander, you eliminated the enemy's sniper, commander, and two other mercenaries—situations that could have turned the tide of the battle.

Participation rate: 50%

[Actual amount distributed: 2500 Justice Points]

"Cough...cough cough."

Leon coughed twice, covering his mouth. As the gunfire completely stopped, his adrenaline began to subside, and the excruciating pain from the tearing wound in his side abdomen began to flare up exponentially.

He straightened up and glanced around.

Mia and Kevin, the two non-combatants, cautiously peeked out from behind the concrete pipe. Seeing that Leon was still standing there, they regrouped.

Not far away, FBI agent Perkins had already entered a state of petrification.

His eyes were fixed on the mercenary's corpse, whose head had been smashed flat, then he glanced at the ACU officers around him who were frantically looting the spoils like bandits. His expression was priceless.

From the conversation about middle-class homeless people that had just taken place in the train carriage, he felt that a lot of information he had previously known in bits and pieces, and even contradictory information, was now being pieced together.

"Tsk."

Leon noticed Perkins' absent-minded look and couldn't help but click his tongue.

I was so busy dealing with the beginning and end that I forgot there was a stranger there who wasn't even wearing pants.

If that kid goes back and starts gossiping, even with Sterling protecting him, it'll still be a problem.

Leon, carrying the still-dripping gun butt, dragged his heavy steps to Perkins' side, extended his blood- and mud-stained hand, and patted him on the shoulder rather rudely.

"Hey, Agent."

Leon's voice pulled Perkins back from his daze. "What are you daydreaming about? This isn't a Broadway play."

"What's your opinion? How would you evaluate it?"

Perkins froze, looking at Leon with a complicated expression.

How to evaluate it?

To call you a bunch of bandits? To call this a lynching execution devoid of any procedural justice?

Under federal law, he should immediately pull out handcuffs and arrest Lyon, or at least draw his gun and confront him.

But he couldn't do it.

My mind was filled with the image of the old soldier's broken face and Leon's words, "The coward is angry and draws his sword against the weaker."

"I……"

Perkins hesitated for a long time before finally uttering only one word.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Leon roughly understood what was going on.

"Alright, stop worrying about it."