Robbery

By the time Rorschach arrived at Delicious Chinese Restaurant in a hurry,

the Manhattan Precinct's white patrol cars had long since parked by the roadside.

A yellow police tape cordoned off more than half the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, a potbellied fat police officer leisurely held a cup of coffee, occasionally driving away passersby and tourists who came over to watch.

Several freelance reporters from obscure tabloids were also crouching in the corner outside the restaurant.

From time to time, they glanced at a Black police officer assigned to guard duty, their eyes flickering.

Rorschach jumped off his bicycle and ran up to the Black police officer.

"Excuse me, Officer. I'm family of the restaurant owner."

"Rorschach, right?" The Black police officer gave Rorschach a gentle smile and nodded. "Your aunt told us in advance. You can go in..."

The Black police officer continued, "But watch your step, kid... The forensics guys are on their way. Collecting the physical evidence will take some time."

"I understand."

Rorschach took a deep breath.

He bent beneath the police tape and entered the restaurant.

It seemed Rorschach's arrival had drawn some attention.

The tabloid reporters smoking nearby all turned their heads.

Expressionlessly, they spat several times in the Black police officer's direction.

The Black police officer seemed to turn a blind eye, maintaining his cold demeanor.

Only the hand resting on his holster tightened slightly.

At that moment, Rorschach had barely swept his gaze over the place.

When his expression grew increasingly grim.

Rows of solid-wood tables and chairs lay overturned on the ground.

Large quantities of bowls, chopsticks, and tableware were scattered everywhere, some of them completely ruined.

Across the chaotic floor,

brass bullet casings were strewn everywhere like scattered blossoms.

Countless black bullet holes spread across the ceiling, nearly covering the entire restaurant.

For a moment, this no longer seemed like a restaurant.

It looked more like the wreckage of a building that had just endured a guerrilla battle.

Rage immediately surged within Rorschach, and he clenched his fists.

Yet he still suppressed his emotions and quickly walked over to his aunt.

At that moment, his aunt's short hair was drenched in sweat, and her eyes were vacant.

Her face was deathly pale as she sat in her usual chair, her hands clasped together.

Her rough fingertips had gone bloodless from gripping so tightly.

Meanwhile, a Middle-aged Police Officer with a brown beard sat opposite his aunt.

He seemed to be asking about the case, yet he also seemed to be merely passing the time.

Since Rorschach had entered,

he had looked down at the watch on his wrist far more often than he had questioned Rorschach's aunt.

"Aunt? You weren't hurt, were you?"

Rorschach called softly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Rorschach?"

His dazed aunt snapped back to her senses. Her eyes gradually reddened as she said in a voice on the verge of tears,

"I was so close... so close to never seeing you again..."

In an instant, the fury in Rorschach's eyes seemed capable of setting the surrounding air ablaze.

He took a deep breath and comforted her softly.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid... I'm here. It's all over now."

A few minutes later, seeing that his aunt had calmed down considerably,

Rorschach raised his head with a grave expression and looked at the bearded police officer.

"Officer, what exactly happened?"

"What else could have happened?" The bearded police officer frowned slightly, irritation showing in his eyes. "Just another day in Manhattan... A few masked robbers came to steal money. Your aunt tried to stop them, but one of them was a rookie who got too nervous and pulled the trigger, spraying bullets throughout the restaurant..."

"Don't worry, kid. Most robbers in Manhattan are professionals. They usually only dare rob people; they won't hurt anyone."

"Heh!"

Rorschach was so enraged that he laughed instead.

His face darkened as he raised a hand and pointed at the wrecked interior of the restaurant.

"If this doesn't count as a big deal, then in your eyes, do people only matter once someone gets hurt or dies?"

"You police officers take the taxes paid by every citizen, and this is how you do your job? Should the incompetent NYPD give me a tax refund?"

"Sir, I'm only an ordinary police officer. If you believe your civil rights have been violated, you're welcome to go take it up with the Mayor of New York City..."

Before he had even finished speaking, the bearded police officer suddenly stood up and walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

"And one more thing: apprehending serious criminals is the FBI's and Major Crimes Division's responsibility. I'm only kindly reminding you that if criminals find a place full of rich fools, they'll definitely come back. I suggest you close down for a while."

The bearded police officer seemed utterly unconcerned about preserving the physical evidence at the scene. As he walked away, he called for the Black police officer to leave as well.

"You..."

Rorschach narrowed his eyes, just about to rebuke him.

But his aunt suddenly grabbed his arm.

His aunt closed her eyes, her voice filled with exhaustion.

"Rorschach, I told you... poor people can't get help from these police officers. Rich people are the ones they're responsible for... Forget it. Let's just accept our bad luck."

Rorschach's eyelid twitched sharply several times.

He turned to look at his aunt, forcing an incredibly stiff smile onto his face.

"Okay, Aunt. I'll listen to you."

But Rorschach had other plans in his heart.

Accept his bad luck?

Impossible!

This matter... would not end until someone was dead!

After a moment of silence, Rorschach bent down toward his aunt and gently urged,

"Aunt, let me take you home so you can rest first, okay?"

A trace of hesitation appeared in his aunt's eyes.

"The restaurant hasn't been cleaned up yet, and we haven't even calculated the losses..."

"Don't worry. Leave everything to me!"

Rorschach quickly patted his chest and made his promise.

Seeing how firm Rorschach was, his aunt stopped insisting and obediently agreed.

The sudden brush with life and death had been too much for someone as kind-hearted as her to bear.

"Slowly."

Rorschach carefully helped his aunt to her feet.

The two walked arm in arm toward the restaurant entrance.

"Hello! Manhattan Web Radio..."

"This is the New York Star. What are your thoughts on this armed robbery?"

"I'm an intern reporter from The Daily Bugle..."

Yet at that moment, the unknown tabloid reporters suddenly rushed into the restaurant.

They showed no respect and no restraint whatsoever.

They simply trampled the physical evidence on the floor as they surged forward!

In an instant, the rage Rorschach had suppressed for so long was completely ignited!

He strode forward, immediately shielding his aunt behind him as he raised both hands.

The combat stance of Catachan Fighting Style... ready!

At that moment, Rorschach's eyes were bloodshot, glowing red.

The savage brutality of the Catachan jungle erupted violently from his body!

"Get out—"

However, before Rorschach could do anything excessive,

the tabloid reporters abruptly stopped in their tracks. After exchanging knowing glances,

they practically scrambled and crawled out the door!

It was only an interview. Was there really any need to get that angry?!

Just then, his aunt comfortingly patted Rorschach's tense, muscular back.

"Forget it, Rorschach... Let's go home."

"Aunt—"

"Be good. Let's go!"

"Oh..."

There should be another chapter. If not, I'll post it tomorrow.

I'll try updating four thousand words.