Bang!

The cop lady had a few grazes on her face and had clearly fought hard, but didn't seem to be too injured, which was impressive considering that she had fought three opponents that were larger than herself.

And she definitely wasn't that skilled from police training, with most police being useless in actual combat.

However, it also could be said that two of her opponents, the boxer brothers armed with knuckledusters, were greatly weakened and injured after Xavier's previous attacks.

All in all, she was still impressive, and Xavier could have died if it wasn't for her help.

-

Going to pull down his mask and see his face, unable to suppress her curiosity, despite how weakened and dazed he was, Xavier grabbed her arm.

"Don't," he said sternly.

It was clear that he wanted to conceal who he was and his reasoning for being there and fighting against a small gang alone was unknown, but she would find out everything when her backup arrived.

Helping him to stand, looking directly into his eyes, she could see blazing flames of determination that made her look away.

She hadn't taken the time to look around the lounge, but when she did, seeing all the damage that a lone man was able to cause against so many armed criminals, she was amazed.

And not only that, despite all the injuries that he had sustained, he still intended to protect her, or so he said.

In actuality, he hadn't directly done much to help her, but it was still heartwarming to hear that he would take most of them on and try to shield her.

"Where did all your energy go?" she asked mockingly, as he leaned on her, barely able to stand.

For him to even be able to remain conscious was impressive enough and feeling curious about who he was and why he was there was inevitable, but he remained silent.

Unlike before, when he was heated, he had simmered down greatly and was looking around the lounge, clearly seeking a way to leave.

Although he had clearly committed a crime, she wanted to reassure him that she would try to help him get away with what had happened, but there was still the boss of the Black Hand Gang left.

And it seemed as though the masked figure also wasn't planning on letting him go, as they headed over to him.

However, what made them both wary was the fact that he still sat on his sofa comfortably and was very relaxed for some reason...

-

"I must admit, you two are impressive. But you have dealt me a great blow and you won't leave here alive," he said as he burst out into laughter.

He was so laid back that it was intimidating, and as they neared him, he suddenly pulled out a pistol that he had concealed in his trousers.

"What would happen if I were to pull the trigger right now?" he asked as he aimed it at them.

Instinctively taking a step back, both of them knew the possibility that he was armed with a weapon was very high, and it explained why he was so relaxed, but would he really shoot?

"You're bluffing," claimed Xavier.

"Still able to stay calm, but why wouldn't I shoot?"

"The cops can't do shit and will never find me. As for this gun, it is unregistered and very common, so the NYPD's forensic team will have barely any way of finding out who shot."

"But what about your subordinates? You would just leave them to get arrested?"

"Hahaha! These fuckers are useless. I have no use for them if they can't even take down one guy and a shitty lady cop. And they can't rat on me to the cops if they don't even know my name."

The cop lady was clearly offended after being called a 'shitty lady cop' in a mocking manner, but she didn't say anything, and Xavier was the one leading the exchange of words.

Suddenly, the Black Hand Gang member that Xavier had struck in the liver jumped up, and he had been pretending to be unconscious on the ground, but after hearing what his boss said, was enraged.

"I knew you weren't worth shit!" he yelled as he charged towards his boss, ignoring the one that had struck him down and the cop lady.

"I will..."

Bang!

Pulling the trigger without even flinching, the boss of the Black Hand Gang shot down his subordinate who was rushing towards him, before the man could even finish his threat.

He began howling in pain as he frantically clutched at his chest, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was to no avail.

His desperate struggle lasted on the ground a few seconds, before he stopped moving and lay there in a large pool of blood that was endlessly expanding.

"Now do you believe I will pull the trigger?" he asked with an evil smile.

The cop lady was on the verge of vomiting after watching someone die before her, as she tried her best to suppress the urge to gag.

Without the intensity of the battle and the adrenaline rush, everything was starting to get to her, and even when she took down her opponents, she did so without drawing much blood.

Meanwhile, Xavier was still composed, and unlike how he thought he would feel when watching someone die, he didn't feel bad or sickened in the slightest.

Maybe it was because he recognised him as one of the ones that would harass his mother and many others regularly, or because he was more worried about his own survival; he reacted very coldly to seeing someone die.

Looking at him, the cop lady didn't know what to think about him and was praying for her backup to arrive soon.

They could hear the sirens in the distance and the gunshot would definitely alert many and any cops in the area, so it was only a matter of time.

However, it would also only take the pull of a trigger to take her or the masked man's lives, so they had to be careful.