The Sudden Breakup?

"Bang!"

"..."

Lake, seated in Inspector Montgomery's office, raised his head and glanced at Montgomery's furious expression. His face was already dark, but it looked even darker now. Lake then shifted his gaze elsewhere.

He wasn't spacing out.

Lake was pondering who had set this whole thing up.

He had only just finished his sick leave today. Before he had even entered the police station, someone had already come over to frame him.

This had clearly been planned.

They had even...

known perfectly well that Lake would return to work today.

Who was it?

Could the remnants of The Assistance be causing trouble, planning to bring him down this way before finding an opportunity to assassinate him?

Lake blinked.

At present, the only person or organization he could think of with the motive to do this was The Assistance.

But this style of causing trouble didn't resemble The Assistance.

The people in The Assistance were assassins. Assassins didn't bother with so many crooked schemes. If this really involved remnants of The Assistance, a bullet should have slipped into the back of Lake's head while he was walking along without a care.

But aside from The Assistance, who else had I offended?

Lake rubbed his chin and continued to space out, thinking this to himself.

"Bang!"

Montgomery saw that Lake had glanced at him before continuing to ignore him, and felt as though smoke were about to pour from his nose. "Detective Inspector Lake Edwin, I'm talking to you."

Lake snapped back to reality. "I'm listening."

Why was he shouting so loudly? It wasn't that big a deal. Was it really worth making such a fuss over?

His girlfriend Maureen also came in from outside.

Lake looked at his girlfriend as she entered and curled up the corners of his mouth. "Looks like gossip spreads pretty fast."

It was a joke.

Maureen didn't find it funny at all. Instead, she said to Lake, "Do you know that someone set you up?"

Lake shrugged. "I know. What's the big deal?"

Montgomery's brow twitched erratically. Hearing Lake's dismissive words made him feel as though he were about to explode. "What's the big deal? Fine, Detective Edwin, I'll tell you exactly how big a deal this is."

Smack!

Smack!

Before Montgomery could finish speaking, he heard two smacks. His vision blurred, and when he came to, he saw two objects sitting on his desk.

His badge.

His service pistol.

Lake looked at the bewildered Montgomery and smiled. "Inspector, weren't you just going to tell me to hand over these two things? There's no need. I'll give them to you myself."

Perfect.

Lake also felt that he had only rested for a week and still hadn't gotten himself back into work mode. Now that this had happened, he could take the opportunity to rest for a few more days.

I really am the protagonist.

A pillow had arrived just when he was sleepy.

After recovering from his shock, Montgomery sneered at Lake. "You think it's that simple?"

Lake shrugged. "What else?"

Maureen said solemnly from the side, "Lake, if you knew this was a setup, why..."

"Why didn't I back down?"

"..."

Lake cut Maureen's question off directly and narrowed his eyes. "Because people have always made way for me. There's no reason for me to make way for anyone else."

Reborn into a second life, with a cheat at his side.

And with the SSR Immortal Body supporting him, if he still had to live cautiously or retreat from challenges with a start like this, Lake felt he might as well find a rope and hang himself.

A setup?

Take your time setting it up. As long as you show yourself, I guarantee I'll beat your brains out.

Come on.

If you've got the guts, face me head-on. Whoever chickens out is a puppy.

Who's afraid of whom!

Maureen stared at Lake expressionlessly. After a while, she seemed somewhat disappointed as she looked at him, shook her head, and turned to leave Inspector Montgomery's office.

Was this...

his return to being single?

Lake raised an eyebrow as he watched Maureen's back disappear from the office.

Lake knew what Maureen was thinking.

It was just...

Knowing was one thing. There was no way he was going to admit defeat.

Lake then looked at Montgomery. "Inspector, is there anything else? If not, I'll head home first."

Montgomery opened his mouth, then waved at Lake. "Go home first. You're suspended."

Lake said, "Oh."

Hooray. After finishing his work tonight, he wouldn't have to get up so early tomorrow.

He stepped outside.

His partner Joe walked over and looked at Lake with concern.

In broad daylight, right in front of the New York Police Department, a detective had kicked two unarmed civilians flying. What was going on?

Lake looked at the worried Joe and tilted his head. "What? It's only a suspension. It's not like I've never been suspended before. What's the big deal?"

Joe was speechless.

Joe felt that Lake was probably the only person in all of New York who could make suspension sound so trivial.

At first, Joe had been very happy when she was transferred to the NYPD. But when she learned that her partner was Lake, a detective suspected of taking bribes, she had been unhappy.

But now?

Having gone through life and death with Lake once, Joe knew that if even a fighter as skilled as Lake needed to take bribes, then none of the detectives in the NYPD were innocent.

Joe was still somewhat uneasy. "Are you really all right?"

Lake waved his hand. What could a suspension do? He had already expected this outcome when he took action. He just hadn't expected this relationship to end as well.

"Esposito, go to the courthouse and apply for a search warrant. Check those two men's bank accounts."

"Understood!"

"Ryan..."

"Got it. I'll pull their call records."

"...Right."

"Understood. I'll go now."

"..."

Lake looked toward the busy Second Squad and said to Beckett, who was standing there, "Beckett, you should know that I already knew someone had deliberately arranged those two men when I kicked them, right?"

Beckett said to Lake, "If it had been me this time, and you were in my position, you would have done the same thing, wouldn't you?"

Lake pressed his lips together and said, "Thanks."

George and Beckett often argued over who would get a case, but Lake, as a member of the Third Squad, got along well with both of them.

Lake wasn't picky, and with certain minor cases, the chances of profiting from one criminal at another's expense were higher.

Besides.

Their arguments were only about cases. In private, Lake, George, and Beckett were all very close. After all, the three of them often went to bars for drinks whenever they weren't busy.

Lake looked at Joe. "All right, go get busy. I'm going home to sleep for a while."

After sleeping well, he would conveniently go kill someone.

I don't care who's directing things behind the scenes. Since you've provoked me, every last one of you can go report to Hell.

Compromise?

Concessions?

The bigger picture?

Eat my heavy sniper rifle.

I came here to play an invincible-build story, not a cautious-growth one. At worst, if Lake was pushed too far, he could go rob the vault of a New York bank directly. After spending ten billion dollars, he refused to believe he couldn't obtain some completely invincible skill or item.

If his cheat could accept dollars obtained through robbery as payment.

Even if The Ancient One came before him, he wouldn't be afraid.

Heh!

In broad daylight, with everyone watching, and reporters deliberately arranged nearby, the Land of the Free wasn't quite that free either. Here, take the pen and write it yourself. There were endless ways to nitpick.