My setting is above yours!

Chapter 13 You Should Atone
No wonder the old magician I killed this evening was wanted by a warrant issued by night...

So the criminal on this wanted poster isn't him at all!

Seeing the middle-aged man who clearly showed signs of mental illness not far away, Ron tiptoed under a nearby shack and used a rusty iron plate to hide his figure.

With this guy blocking the way, it looks like I won't be able to get home safely today.

Ron didn't think he could solve the problem by simply telling the man "please move aside"... What murderer wouldn't kill the witness to silence him?

We've really run into some serious trouble...

Judging from how this person uses his abilities, just his control over these drifting flames alone proves that his computing power is remarkable.

After all, ordinary Lv.1 ability users can't use fire abilities so skillfully; most of the time, Lv.1 users don't even know where to trigger their control abilities...

Abilities like fire, which can easily harm oneself, mean that when they use them, the chances of burning themselves to death are not much less than burning others to death.

So... is it Lv.2?
Ron couldn't help but sigh.

Normally, to avoid this trouble, he should be hiding here obediently, or crawling in the shadows like a maggot, trying to sneak away.

After this man finished his "hunt," burning the innocent, pitiful old sanitation worker to ashes, he left satisfied and went home as if nothing had happened...

Unfortunately, this person's modus operandi was so interesting that Ron was reluctant to let him leave so easily.

After all, a wanted criminal who used the method of utterly destroying his victim's remains and roaming around District D—

Why couldn't he be Ron's scapegoat?

Although Ron knew that within the police department, the old magician's death might not be considered a crime committed by this man—

After all, according to CO01, their disciplinary patrol discovered an unidentified superpower at the crime scene, and the person in front of them clearly only had the common "fire control" ability, so it wouldn't be classified together.

However… Ron knew that the so-called mysterious superpower was nothing more than necromancy cast by a magician.

If Ron were to ignite a necromantic flame and mix it into the victim's ashes, this would appear to be a victim killed simply by his "fire control" ability.
Obviously, in the inspection bureau's tests, it would also be found that the person died due to the influence of the "unknown true nature" ability.

Of course, this is just a rational reasoning based on considering the pros and cons.

There was actually another reason for keeping Ron here instead of leaving—

Emotionally, he didn't like what this guy was saying.

What does it mean to be...worthless?
What is also called combustible waste?

Looking at the man's bloated back and hearing his unrestrained laughter echoing in his ears, Ron's eyes turned cold.

To be honest, Ron didn't consider himself a good person.

Having been in Ideal City for so many years, Ron has been struggling at the bottom of society. He has long been beaten into a pure egoist by the harsh reality of Ideal City, his strict father.

Theft, fraud... what bad things didn't Ron do to survive when he was still young and under the legal working age in Ideal City?
In his previous life, he would have been locked up in a juvenile detention center long ago and obediently accepted reform there.

Even so, he knew exactly what the real "sin" was.

Some evils can be redeemed and forgiven... but others cannot.

Take, for example, what this person is doing now.

To use an innocent elderly sanitation worker as a tool for venting anger, to insult his dignity, to deny his value, and to deprive him of his life—

What exactly did he consider himself to be?
Is there a God who can judge others at will?

Such lawless people are among the most deserving of death, even in a chaotic place like Ideal City.

Although Ron was not a law enforcement officer and had no right to judge this man's sins.

But... if it's just about acting bravely for a just cause.

I don't think there's any problem, right?

Thinking of this, he quietly emerged from the shadows of the shack and politely knocked on the steel plate beside him.

"Dong dong dong."

"Who?!"

The middle-aged man, who was engrossed in beating the human punching bag, immediately turned his head, a clear look of fear flashing in his eyes, and instinctively hid the corpse behind him...

But when he saw that the person who made the sound was just a thin-looking high school student who was smiling at him, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out it wasn't the patrol bureau...

A ferocious smile returned to his fat face.

"I didn't expect there would be an extra treat today, besides this old man..."

He casually tossed the old sanitation worker's body aside, and the flames beside him surged and flared, instantly landing on the old sanitation worker's body.

Watching the old sanitation worker's body burn fiercely, gradually shrinking and turning black under the high temperature, Ron confirmed his idea.

Although this person possesses a level 2 ability, exceeding Ron's personal real-world strength.

This flame, capable of burning a person to a crisp, is proof of its power.

but……

Ron didn't back down; he simply walked towards the middle-aged man without a care, snapping his fingers as he did so, and calmly said:

“You should respect the dead… Someone has to collect his body, so it would be better to cremate him completely and give the ashes to his family.”

A ghostly green flame ignited at Ron's fingertip, then he blew it up, and it landed shakily on the old sanitation worker's body.

Instantly, the flame turned a ghostly green, and the charred corpse seemed to undergo accelerated decay, quickly turning white in the flames...

It will probably collapse completely and turn to ashes before long.

What nonsense are you talking about?

But the middle-aged man scoffed at Ron's behavior:
"A creature like this, which can't even get through the doors of a giant corporation, has no value whatsoever... Why should I, the great one, respect something that's no different from a stray cat or dog?"

He narrowed his eyes and sneered:
"And... don't think that just because you're acting like this, I'll be afraid of you."

Although I don't know exactly what your abilities are, judging from your strength alone, it's far inferior to mine..."

He scrutinized Ron's clothes closely, and after confirming that his cheap attire wouldn't even cost a hundred credits, he arrogantly raised his head even higher:

"He's just a penniless wretch like this old man, who probably only awakened his abilities by sheer luck, right? What's with all the mystique!"

But faced with the middle-aged man's disparaging remarks, Ron simply took out his phone and casually replied:

"So what? What can you do? Kill me?"

"What can I do? Haha, wait until my fist hits you, you piece of trash, then you'll know what I can do!"

The middle-aged man laughed angrily and strode towards Ron, flames crackling around his fists, clearly indicating he had no intention of wasting any more time with Ron.

But Ron still didn't care about him.

"Wait a moment, it's not time for you to die yet."

He casually opened C01's chat interface.

[Ron: We've found the murderer you're looking for, come quick.] Then, Ron put his phone back in his pocket.

"Okay, now it's time to cook you."

He spoke softly, the power limiter around his neck beeping rapidly.

"You should atone for your sins."

……

Summer solstice is exhausting.

This doesn't come from work pressure, nor from life pressure, but from just one thing—

A murder case committed by a superpowered individual in District D of Ideal City.

An unidentified citizen of the ideal city died in Block 271, D District. The killer used an unknown superpower to murder him and then hid in the block.

Xia Zhi has handled many cases like this.

Each time, the inspection bureau would generously provide various forms of support.

Using [Artemis], distributing military equipment, and even temporarily granting her "permissions" to become a Level 4...

As long as Xia Zhi can lead the C-112 team to solve those cases, the Patrol Bureau has never been stingy with its support.

But this time... it inexplicably turned into a different attitude.

As the first discoverers of the case, their team should have been the core of the case handling, but after the initial case intelligence was uploaded to the headquarters, a team of inexplicable people was parachuted in to replace them.

It's hard to imagine that this is a prominent figure at Tian Ting University, an inspector who was promoted by the Inspection Bureau during his internship, and a Level 3 [Spatial Jump] ability user—

Xia Zhi, a rising star in the patrol bureau, was actually kicked out of the case investigation team!
Those arrogant guys, all wrapped up tightly and acting all mysterious, seized their mission processing authority as soon as they arrived in Sector D, effectively depriving them of their right to operate...

Even the case itself has been strictly sealed off, making it something that Xia Zhi's current authority cannot touch.

She wanted to know the reason and approached the chief of the D District Police Station several times, but she could not get an answer.

Every time, I tell her that this case involves important secrets, and that as a disciplinary inspector, she is not qualified to know...

Okay, if you're not qualified to know, then you're not qualified to know. As an ideal city dweller, Xia Zhi is well aware that there are many secrets hidden in this global metropolis.

If this case really involves some secrets, she is certainly willing to hand over the authority to other action teams, as long as the criminals can be apprehended and brought to justice.

...But here's the problem.

None of those mysterious guys, who were all wrapped up tightly, were actually investigating a case!
Xia Zhi secretly observed these people many times and found that no matter when, she could always see them in a secluded meeting room.

They all stayed in that conference room all day, never went out to investigate, and didn't care about the case at all.

Today, Xia Zhi was really curious about what these people were doing, so she peeked through the crack in the door...

But they discovered that these mysterious people were devoutly chanting something in front of a small statue of a god, as if they were praying.

To be honest, faith is not a foreign concept to the people of Ideal City.

Although in Ideal City, there has long been scientific proof that the gods disappeared in the past "Great Cataclysm," there is nothing wrong with simply imagining a god as a source of spiritual sustenance.

But the problem is that Xia Zhi observed them for a long time and found that this group of people kept praying to that idol, and didn't move at all throughout the afternoon!
...Did the municipal government hire you to investigate a case or to pray?
Isn't this pure fanaticism?

Thinking about this, Xia Zhi felt somewhat irritable.

As a rare genius with outstanding abilities, excellent grades, and exceptional qualities, she actually has many paths she could take.

Whether she becomes a senior executive at a large corporation or embarks on a political career in the municipal government, her future is clearly much brighter than working at the grassroots level in the inspection bureau.

However, driven by her simple sense of justice, and in order to fight criminals and protect the people, Xia Zhi resolutely joined the Patrol Bureau and became a patrol officer.

Therefore, she could not allow a murderer to roam free without bringing him to justice...

Who knows how many sins this guy will commit and how many innocent people he will kill!
Damn it... Why did these lazy bums have to infiltrate the inspection bureau?!

She scratched her hair in frustration, the smooth strands sliding through her fingertips.

If all else fails, I'll have to risk being fired and breaking the confidentiality agreement by secretly arresting the criminal myself...

Just as Xia Zhi was thinking this, her phone suddenly beeped.

Is someone looking for me?

She picked up her phone with a puzzled look, and when she saw Ron's message, she immediately became serious.

Ron... is he the guy marked by Artemis, the one who might be a witness?

He found the murderer in that case?!
No... he should be in danger!
"Quick! Find this person's coordinates for me!"

She immediately snapped her fingers and instantly appeared in the communications department of the patrol bureau.

The supervisor was completely baffled as to why Xia Zhi was in such a hurry, but still dutifully completed the task and quickly found Ron's coordinates.

"As expected, it's still in Tian Ting 271 block... Oh well, no time to apply for equipment, let's just go."

She took out a few game coins from her pocket and used them to draw a square at the four corners of a floor tile.

"Coordinates established, teleportation point confirmed to be free from spatial interference..."

She muttered to herself, and the next moment, the four game coins twisted as if swallowed by space, and then disappeared.

At the same time, the summer solstice also disappeared—

The next moment, they appeared in a dark alley.

She looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a Noah Medical uniform swinging his fists and controlling balls of flame as he lunged at a somewhat thin-looking high school student not far away.

The skinny high school student stood there, frozen in fear, not moving an inch...

Oops!

Xia Zhi rushed over without hesitation and shouted a warning:

"This is Team C-112, and I am Executioner C01!"

You have violated the Ideal City Public Security Administration Punishment Law. Please immediately cease your illegal activities and give up resisting!
Repeat, please do so immediately…

But her words clearly couldn't stop the flames that were already upon Ron.

She could only watch helplessly as the middle-aged man punched Ron, and blazing flames swept up... Hmm?

Why... did this person's fist stop?
She saw Ron extend a finger and tap it on the middle-aged man's fist, rendering him immobile as if he had hit a concrete wall...

The surging flames inexplicably changed direction, and just before they were about to touch Ron, they all surged in the opposite direction as if blown away by the wind.

Then, Xia Zhi saw Ron speak softly, silently saying something...

"Boom."

Instantly, the middle-aged man's face turned a purplish-red, liver-like color—

Fresh blood was squeezed out of his seven orifices and gushed out like an explosion!

(End of this chapter)