Chill

Uptown.

If the downtown area was chaotic and lawless, rife with gangs, shootings, kidnappings, and rapes, a place where countless crimes overwhelmed the authorities, the dirtiest part of Central City, a hell for the people of Central City, a sinful land they wouldn't dare step foot in.

Then Uptown was a paradise. A modern metropolis filled with over sixty-five percent of Central City's wealthy, numerous mansions, corporations, nobility, civilization, and elegance.

Here, everything possessed the superiority of civilized human life.

Light, order, skyscrapers stood tall, luxurious, beautiful, magnificent, and grand. Professional beauties bustled through, a constant stream of beautiful scenery, traffic flowed like water, showcasing wealth and extravagance. This was a world of envy, decadent indulgence, and vibrant colors.

This was not an exaggeration in the slightest.

In modern America, cities like Los Angeles and New York, world-renowned metropolises, might have vastly different scenes separated by just one street. On one side, homeless people piled up, living decadently on cardboard in the dirty streets, envying the other side. The other side boasted opulent mansions, where the rich enjoyed life in decadent luxury.

The disparity in wealth was so extreme it was unbelievable to those who witnessed it. Just across one street was the difference between heaven and hell.

Class and social strata were always the core of conflict, giving birth to more sin and crime.

Central City was different from other cities; it rarely saw such a stark, visible wealth gap separated by just a single street.

This severe wealth disparity was isolated by Central City itself, which is why a chaotic downtown was created. The other areas, the central districts, Uptown, and the Northwest district, were places of light, warmth, and order, allowing the people of Central City to live with peace of mind and trust.

Central City, as one of the top-ranked, safest cities in the DC world, owed its safety not only to the Flash's efforts but also to the city's very structure.

Uptown, the Fihokada Club.

Luxuriously decorated, with a classical taste and style, the soft strains of live violin music flowed through the bar.

This was originally a place to relax and soothe the nerves.

Al Swan was out of place in this environment. His chin was covered in stubble, his flaxen hair was as messy as if he had just woken up, and his eyes were hazy as he slumped in a corner of the bar. The shirt he wore was soaked in the smell of alcohol, making him look like a dead fish.

A bar attendant walked by, politely collected the bottles from his table, and, following his boozy instructions, presented another bottle of XO brandy, opened it, poured him a drink, and then left.

"Cough... cough..."

Al Swan directly picked up the bottle, tilted it to his mouth, and gulped it down. The rich aroma of the liquor instantly filled his throat and nasal cavity, burning intensely. His heart seemed to pound like a revving engine, roaring but unable to expel the despair within him.

He choked on the alcohol, and the smooth XO brandy flowed from the corners of his mouth, down his stubbled chin, his neck, and soaked the front of his shirt.

He was as decadent as a salted fish.

Kevin, slender and wearing a fitted suit, walked into the bar with concern.

He had been brought to this club and bar by Al Swan before, back when they had busted a large drug trafficking ring weighing over a hundred pounds. The boss had booked the entire place for them to celebrate.

That time, they were dressed casually and entered with Al Swan, enjoying themselves to the fullest. They had experienced an unbelievably luxurious and opulent experience.

Now, for him to enter, he needed formal wear and a membership card. After several layers of review and numerous reminders, he was finally allowed into such a high-class establishment.

Even showing his police badge, the security here was unfazed and refused to budge. If he forced his way in, he might not be a police officer tomorrow.

Kevin's eyes swept across the dimly lit corner and spotted Al Swan, who was coughing.

"Boss, stop drinking."

Kevin strode over and took the XO from Al Swan's hand. The wet, greasy bottle, mixed with Al Swan's hand sweat and alcohol, felt like touching a sloppy drunkard reeking of sweat and booze.

"Boss, it was just a demotion. We still have a chance to deal with him."

Kevin placed the bottle on the table, unable to bear watching Al Swan sink further. This boss he looked up to, his comrade, colleague, partner, and friend.

Now, unable to withstand the blow, he had become a dejected drunkard.

"Get lost!"

Al Swan, like a raving drunk, went mad when he was separated from his drink. He shoved Kevin with his hand, pushing him back and making him stumble into a chair, stopping his retreat.

With bloodshot eyes and drunken fury, Al Swan grabbed the XO bottle from the table and swung it towards Kevin's head.

'Bang'

Kevin couldn't believe his boss would crazily smash a bottle at him. When the first blow landed, his vision blurred, and the world spun. He saw Al Swan raise the bottle again.

'Bang'

His head took another hit from the XO bottle.

The leisurely, comfortable atmosphere, filled with the flowing sound of violins, was shattered. Patrons and waiters stopped their actions and looked over.

Such crude behavior had never occurred here before.

"What do you know!"

"You're just my dog!"

With a 'bang'.

Al Swan raised the bottle again, his eyes red with anger, and smashed Kevin once more. Kevin was left in a daze, in unbearable pain.

Especially the words "just my dog," which made Kevin, who had always considered Al Swan his boss, followed his lead, and treated him as a friend and partner in the police force, unable to believe it.

In Al Swan's eyes, he was just a dog!

He simply couldn't believe it, feeling a chill to his very bones.

The pain in his skull, the dripping blood, did not match the chilling pain in his heart.

"You're just a dog, and you're here to comfort me? Who do you think you are? You're a dog!"

"You thought it was as simple as a demotion?"

Al Swan, panting heavily, held the wine bottle and looked at Kevin, who had been smashed to the ground by him. Kevin's body was half-hidden by overturned tables and chairs, with bloodstains dotting the floor. The chest that Alex had kicked him in began to ache again. It wasn't heartbreak, but rather the violent movements aggravating his wound.

"I have no future!"

"Get out!"

"Go lick someone else's boots, find someone else to be your master."

Al Swan threw his head back and gulped down the rest of the wine from the bottle, choking and coughing, spitting out a large mouthful. His eyes were bloodshot. He wiped his mouth with his arm, smearing the wine, and looked at Kevin on the ground, bursting into laughter.

What he had done, in Kevin's eyes, might have just been a demotion.

But he knew in his heart. He had caused a member of the Central City Brotherhood to be kicked out of the high ranks of the police force. The Swan family's support for him, which had elevated him to such a high position, and their future plans and achievements for him, all of it had been destroyed by Al Swan's vanity and desire for recognition.

With just this one stain, if hostile forces seized upon it, Al Swan would never be able to enter the upper echelons of the police force. All of the Swan family's arrangements within the police department were ruined.

The Swan family had also officially abandoned him.

Without the backing of the Swan family, and with opposing forces wanting to promote their own people, he would gradually be marginalized, scapegoated, and further demoted.

And then there was the Central City Brotherhood, controlling over forty-five percent of Central City's wealth, power, and status. Al Swan could already feel his path coming to an end.

Although the Brotherhood wouldn't directly target him for this, many other forces would be more than happy to say a few words, suppress him, and curry favor with the Central City Brotherhood.

This demotion was just the beginning. He had clearly seen that he had no future.

This kind of high-level power struggle was far beyond what Kevin could comprehend.

Al Swan continued to look at Kevin, like looking at a drowning child, laughing with utter heartlessness.

And wasn't that the truth? He had fallen. Kevin was the unfortunate child who had fallen into the water.

Thinking of this, Al Swan laughed even more wildly.

No one among the onlookers made a sound.

The bar became even quieter.

Kevin silently crawled out from under the chairs and tables that had covered him. He remained silent, pressing his hand against the wound on his body. The blood from the wound stained half of his face red.

One eye was covered by the blood that had dripped down, while the other remained emotionless.

He didn't glance back at his former boss, Al Swan, again.

He pressed his wound, his back conveying a desolate and tragic aura, and walked towards the door. He felt another wine bottle being thrown at him from behind, Al Swan's final act of rage.

The XO bottle was chillingly hard. The bottle struck Kevin's head three times and then hit his back before falling to the ground, rolling with a clatter, but not breaking.

Kevin stumbled forward, nearly falling, but he straightened himself. His heart ached, and tears of sorrow welled in his silent eyes, though they did not fall. His retreating figure was desolate as he walked step by step out the door.

Al Swan continued to rage and curse drunkenly.

A waiter, a white towel draped over his arm, approached the drunkenly raving Al Swan with impeccable etiquette. He bowed slightly, offering him the towel and a mobile phone.

"Mr. Al Swan, the boss has something to discuss with you."