14 A plead to authority

As they were led into the interrogation room, Katsu couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over him. The room was small and cramped, smelling strongly of rust, and illuminated only by a single dim light that flickered overhead. It was more like a prison cell than a place for questioning.

Katsu sat in silence, fidgeting nervously with his trembling hands. He had never been in trouble this serious before.

Usually, his punishments from Vin were just timeouts and restrictions from going outside. But now, the stakes were much higher, and Katsu couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of fear and uncertainty.

Despite his nerves, Katsu tried his best to keep calm as they waited in the cramped interrogation room. Minutes passed by in tense silence until the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a young police officer entered the room.

He was a decorated officer, sporting a standard royal police uniform adorned with three stars on his shoulder and numerous ribbons and awards filling his right chest. In one hand, he held a steaming cup of tea, and in the other, he removed his hat before taking a seat.

The sudden arrival of the officer did little to ease Katsu's anxiety. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble he and Bon were in and what kind of questions this officer would be asking them.

The man's hair was messy, with dark circles under his eyes, and his face was droopy. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared deeply at the pair. After taking a sip of his tea and letting out a sigh, he looked up and fixed his gaze on Bon and Katsu. There was a moment of awkward silence before the man spoke.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I'm Lieutenant General Albert Wilson, Chief of the Royal Military Police in the city of Landon."

Bon began to introduce himself, but the man cut him off. "I already know who you guys are, so spare me the introductions. Let's cut to the chase. We have a bounty hunter in our cell for causing a ruckus at the commercial district. He was apparently after you guys, so I need an explanation for all this trouble I woke up to first thing in the morning!" he complained.

Bon and Katsu proceeded to explain everything in detail, from the incident with the bounty hunter to their current predicament. The lieutenant general listened intently, occasionally nodding or jotting down notes on a notepad in front of him. When they finished, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin.

"I see," Lieutenant General Albert Wilson said, stroking his chin. "So your brother, the bounty hunter, was hired to keep Mr. Everest away from the police because your friend was captured by a gang. And after he tried to seek your help, he went crazy and caused this whole commotion."

Katsu nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir, that's exactly what happened."

The lieutenant general leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "Well, that's quite the mess you've gotten yourselves into, isn't it? But I'm not one to shy away from a challenge."

He fixed his steely gaze on Bon. "Now, Mr. Bon, I need you to tell me everything you know about the gang that kidnapped Mr. Vin. We need to act fast to save him and put an end to this whole affair."

Bon hesitated, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. "It's... it's all a blur, sir. Everything happened so fast, I can't remember if Vin said anything to me about the gang."

Lieutenant General Wilson's expression hardened. "Mr. Bon, I'm not asking you to remember every detail, but this information is crucial. Lives are at stake here, and you're wasting my valuable time with your excuses. As the leader of the military police, I have many important matters to attend to, but I'm stuck here with you because of my duty to protect the citizens of this city. Now tell me what you know."

Bon's voice trailed off as he hesitated to speak. The lieutenant general's eyes narrowed as he glared at him, and Katsu could feel the tension in the room mounting. Finally, Bon broke the silence and confessed, "Vin is part of the Underground Pint."

The air in the room grew heavy with a sudden weight, and the chief's jaw dropped. Katsu could hardly believe what he was hearing. The response had clearly caught the lieutenant general off guard, causing him to drop his cup and shatter it on the ground. Bon's head hung low, and Katsu could sense his disappointment.

Two guards rushed into the room at the sound of the shattering cup, their expressions alarmed. The chief tried to collect himself and speak, but his words came out stuttered and shaky. "S-So, y-your friend got k-kidnapped by the Underground Pint?" he asked, his eyes darting between Bon and Katsu.

Katsu nodded, feeling a sense of despair creeping over him. The lieutenant general leaned back in his chair, his eyes flicking over the two of them. "Hmm... yes, I see," he murmured. "The Underground Pint... there's nothing we can do about that."

The weight of the situation hung in the air, suffocating and oppressive. The thought of the dangerous and elusive Underground Pint having their friend in their clutches was overwhelming, and Katsu felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

Katsu's voice raised in disbelief as he exclaimed, "What!?" The weight of the news was crushing, and Bon's quiet words only made it worse.

"Tsk, I knew it. You guys are too weak to stop them," Bon muttered to himself as he sat back up.

As the shock of the revelation settled in, Albert's voice cut through the tension. "The Underground Pint, huh? We've been tracking them for the past 10 months. They're notoriously powerful, so we can't make a single move against them!" Katsu tried to reason with him, but was immediately cut off by the lieutenant general.

"ALSO! Another thing, we're keeping both of you under investigation for the reason of a clear relation with a member of one of the most wanted criminal organizations. And we'll have to lock you up until this madness dissipates."

"This is crazy! You refuse to save our friend, and now you're going to lock us up because of it!?" Bon's words dripped with anger and frustration.

"We can't just let you go," Albert retorted. "As a threat to national security, I'll be held responsible if you cause more trouble!"

Katsu's voice rose again, desperation creeping in. "Then if you're so loyal to your job, actually help us!"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Albert threw his hands up in frustration. "Send my entire police force to the base of the Underground Pint!? We don't even know where it is!"

With that, Albert turned to the two guards and barked out orders. "After you clean up this place, assign this case to a different guy. This is just too troublesome for me. Be careful, they might cause trouble for you guys too, but be light on the kid. If you need me, I'll be in my office taking some more Z's." And with that, he continued discussing his schedule as if nothing had happened.

"Do you really think I don't know where the Underground Pint's base is?" Bon asked, a sly smile forming on his face.

Albert looked at Bon in disbelief. "That's impossible. We've been trying to track them for months, but they're too elusive."

Bon reached into his pocket and produced a small piece of paper. "Vin gave me this note, as a loyal customer and friend. It contains information that you don't have."

Albert hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the paper from Bon's outstretched hand. His eyes scanned the contents, and he let out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. You really do have the location."

One of the guards murmured, "How did Vin manage to get that inside? We patted him down, didn't we?"

Ignoring the comment, Albert turned back to Bon. "Even if we know where their base is, this is a highly sensitive situation. We can't just go in there with guns blazing. We need to call in the army, but they're stationed outside the city. It'll take at least three to four hours for them to mobilize."

Bon nodded. "I understand. But we can't let them know we're coming. And we can't afford to wait that long. Von's life is at stake here."

Albert frowned. "What do you suggest?"

"You're the Military Police. You can spin this however you want. Keep Von detained in your cells for a while longer. The Underground Pint won't realize he's missing immediately. But we need to act fast. We can't let them get the upper hand. But you're right, it's only a matter of time before they notice."

Katsu's face lit up with admiration as he stared at Bon in awe.

He couldn't help but think, "Wow, Bon is so cool! Maybe I can do something too, I want to help!"

But Katsu didn't know how he could be useful in this situation. He didn't want to be useless again.

Suddenly, an unknown voice whispered into Katsu's ear. He gasped, and his whole body began to sweat as the voice told him about a risky plan. He couldn't remember the specifics, but he knew the general idea. Time was ticking, and Katsu had to make a choice: follow the voice or not.

Meanwhile, Albert cleared his throat and spoke up, "Now, that's a risk I don't want to take. Now if you excuse me, I've got more important things to do." Katsu knew that he had to act fast if he wanted to save Vin.

As Albert was about to leave, Katsu mustered up the courage to call out, "Wait!" Albert turned back, annoyance evident in his eyes. Katsu's heart raced as he prepared to make his decision. Should he choose potential death or a life without Vin? The choice was his, and he had to make it now.

End of chapter 14