Nicole reacted instantly, grabbing Anby and Billy by the arms and sprinting toward the exit, shouting, "Sol, run!"
"Don't run. Running will only make it more troublesome."
Sol blurred forward, blocking Nicole with his chest.
With his left hand he caught Anby, and with his right he snagged Billy, finally halting their rabbit-like instinct to flee.
Nicole, having crashed into him, took a deep breath and calmed down slightly. "You're right—we can't run. The more we run, the worse it'll get."
After all, Sol hadn't killed a good citizen—he had killed a Hollow Raider criminal, one who more than deserved it.
Nicole, quick-witted as ever, said, "Sol, don't worry—go to jail in peace. I'll defend you and spend all my money to get you out!"
She'd studied law; she knew the crime wasn't heavy. With some dennies, bail was certain.
In fact, if Sol was willing to spend a few extra days in jail, the bail money could be saved entirely.
Anby said seriously, "Don't worry, Sol—I'll make sure Nicole actually spends the money."
Billy added earnestly, "Boss Mercer, hand me your guns. While you're in jail, I'll take care of them until you're out."
"Although I'm touched by what you're saying," Sol rubbed his brow with a helpless expression, "isn't there a possibility I don't want to go to jail?"
The brief exchange was enough for Nicole to fully regain her composure and forget about running.
Standing close to Sol, she whispered in slight frustration, "Why did you suddenly decide to take that guy out?"
"He bet his life earlier. I was just honoring the agreement," Sol said casually. "And I could tell you hated him too—so I got rid of him. Well? Feel happy?"
Nicole nodded without thinking.
She had disliked that man from the start—disregarding Bangboo lives, traumatizing Amillion. Seeing him dead was deeply satisfying.
Anby nodded lightly. "I'm happy too."
If Nicole was happy, she was happy. Besides, she also despised criminals who dismantled Bangboos for profit.
Billy smiled sincerely. "I'm very happy."
He was a robot, not much different from a Bangboo.
When poor, the thing he feared most was 「"Boss Nicole, please don't sell me"」.
Seeing this gang that trafficked Bangboo parts, he'd been terrified Nicole might copy them.
Thankfully, Nicole had been firm, and Sol had acted swiftly, letting him rest easy.
"As long as you're happy."
Sol nodded in satisfaction.
If everyone was pleased, then the Boo-Napper's death was worth it.
"This isn't about happiness—it's about the fact you killed someone in front of a Public Security officer!" Nicole said helplessly. "Now we're in trouble. I don't even know if we'll keep that 500,000-denny commission."
Billy sighed. "Boss Nicole… now's not the time to worry about the commission. Boss Mercer's going to jail."
Anby said calmly, "According to Public Security regulations, Sol going to prison is quite likely."
"Don't worry. I believe those two officers aren't the inflexible type—they'll understand me." Sol didn't seem concerned.
From what he knew, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were righteous, but not overly rigid.
Chances were, nothing would happen to him.
"And if they do turn out to be rigid?"
"I'll still have a way."
If Zhu Yuan and Qingyi turned out to be inflexible, he'd just lock them up and "re-educate" them until their values were properly aligned—then let them go.
Nicole, hearing his confidence, decided to believe him one more time.
On the other side, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi finished examining the Boo-Napper's corpse, confirming he was dead, and walked over to the Cunning Hares.
"Killing the Boo-Napper—commendable in spirit. But the action? Regrettable. May you remain kind in life." Qingyi twirled her twin ponytails and delivered a sing-song rhyme.
It was obvious she was in a good mood.
She'd known this guy had guts—capable of doing anything.
"Officer Qingyi, I can tell you're in a good mood."
Sol's lips curled in a grin.
This little old-loli really was amusing—one limerick after another. She'd ace grad school exams.
"Don't talk nonsense. I regret the Boo-Napper's death," Qingyi said with a straight face.
"Senior Qingyi, that would be more convincing if your mouth wasn't curled upward," Zhu Yuan said with a hint of exasperation.
Qingyi huffed dismissively.
"Mr. Mercer, you deliberately killed a key witness in this case. I hope you can give a reasonable explanation."
Zhu Yuan's tone was serious.
She couldn't help feeling a headache coming on—killing a key witness was no small matter.
Especially doing it in front of two Public Security officers—it was practically a provocation.
She didn't care about the provocation itself. The problem was deciding how to deal with someone as powerful and vital to the case as Sol.
Punish lightly or heavily—either choice would trouble her conscience.
"Correction—I didn't kill him deliberately." Sol smiled faintly. "He suddenly attacked me, and I acted in self-defense. It just… happened."
"But it's fine. He should've died with his seventeen brothers anyway. Now they're reunited."
Zhu Yuan glanced at the corpse's kneeling position, silently impressed at Sol's ability to lie with a straight face.
How exactly did someone attack while kneeling?
"Commander Zhu Yuan, I believe Mr. Mercer's account is the truth," Qingyi said seriously. "The Boo-Napper was a vicious criminal. Mr. Mercer is just an ordinary citizen aiding Public Security. Firing back when threatened is perfectly reasonable."
Zhu Yuan sighed, unsure what to say.
From an identity standpoint, Qingyi wasn't wrong.
From a power standpoint, however—the Boo-Napper was a small-time thug, while Sol was the type to cut down Ethereals and wipe out a gang in two seconds.
The bias here was glaring.
"Since Senior Qingyi says so, I'll let it go—this time."
In the end, Zhu Yuan didn't send Sol to jail.
What Sol had said made sense—though not his claim that the Boo-Napper attacked him.
Rather, it was his other point: that Boo-Napper should have died alongside his seventeen brothers earlier.
So, for now, they would treat it as if he had.