I Was Sent Into A Shitty Urban Novel-Chapter 29 - . Interference

Lucious clenched his fists as the man in the charcoal suit stepped forward, his sneer deepening, eyes burning red with fury.

"You screwed me out of fifty grand, you piece of trash."

The words echoed off the brick walls of the alley behind the café. The city noise—horns, footsteps, distant sirens—faded into a distant hum, muffled by the tension curling through the narrow corridor. This was no casual threat. This was anger sharpened to a point.

Lucious stood his ground, posture still but wired. His heartbeat thudded in his ears, each beat syncing with the options flashing through his mind.

Fight? Maybe.

Run? Pointless.

Talk? Risky—but it might buy time.

"I didn’t screw you out of anything," Lucious said, voice steady, almost bored. "I stopped you from scamming a man who didn’t deserve it."

"Oh, you stopped me?" the man repeated, laughter harsh and bitter. "You’re just a delivery boy with a loud mouth and dumb luck. And now you’re about to find out what that costs."

He snapped his fingers.

Two men emerged from the shadows, one from behind a dumpster, the other from an alcove halfway down the alley. One carried a crowbar. The other cracked his knuckles with slow, deliberate menace.

Lucious took a single, measured step back.

The system hadn’t issued a warning yet. No glowing interface, no recommended combat stances or weapon prompts. Just silence. Either it hadn’t registered the threat level—or it was waiting to see what he’d do first.

"Great timing," Lucious muttered. "Now would be a fantastic time to show me the odds."

The scammer grinned. "Let’s make this quick."

Lucious’s eyes darted. The alley’s mouth led to the street, but he wouldn’t make it ten steps without getting tackled. The spacing was tight—fighting in here meant close-quarters, and they had the numbers. If it came to that, he’d need to be fast, precise, unpredictable.

But maybe—just maybe—he didn’t have to fight at all.

A sharp voice cut through the rising tension like a blade.

"Hey!"

All three men froze.

From the far end of the alley, a figure walked in with deliberate confidence. Black boots on asphalt. Crisp uniform. Shoulder-length black hair pulled into a low ponytail. A glint of silver at her belt.

Badge visible. Gun holstered.

Eyes sharp.

"What’s going on here?" she asked, her voice calm but layered with quiet authority.

Lucious didn’t recognize her—but the scammers clearly did. Their postures shifted. Crowbar lowered. Knuckles paused mid-crack.

The scammer stepped forward with forced charm. "Officer, hey. This is just a misunderstanding. Nothing serious—"

"Yeah?" she interrupted, unfazed. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like three grown men about to jump one guy in a delivery jacket."

Her gaze swept across them like a scanner. No emotion. Just assessment.

Lucious released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

She stepped closer, positioning herself between the groups. Her hand hovered near her belt—not on her weapon, not yet, but close enough to remind them of the stakes.

"You," she said, glancing back at Lucious. "You alright?"

"I’m fine," he replied, voice steady again. "They were trying to intimidate me. I called out a fake antique deal at a restaurant earlier today. Guess it hit a nerve."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She turned to the scammer, eyebrow raised. "That true? You trying to sell fakes?"

He scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "He’s lying. I run a legitimate business. No one’s being scammed."

"Uh-huh," she said, expression flat. "You got a license to sell antiques in this district?"

The scammer blinked. "I—of course I do."

"Mind showing it to me?"

He hesitated. "Not on me."

She sighed, reaching for her radio. "Then you can explain that downtown. All of you."

The two goons behind him started backing away, as if distance might erase involvement. But she was already calling it in.

"Unit 219 requesting backup. Possible fraud and assault attempt, corner of 8th and Linley. Three suspects."

Lucious watched the shift happen in real time—the scammers went from predators to cornered rats. The man with the crowbar let it fall with a clatter. The scammer opened his mouth to protest but shut it again as two more officers appeared at the mouth of the alley, hands on holsters.

Five minutes later, all three men were cuffed, read their rights, and escorted to a waiting patrol cruiser. The scammer glared at Lucious as they passed, but Lucious didn’t react. He’d already won this round.

As the last cruiser rolled into traffic, the alley emptied of threat.

Officer Chen turned to Lucious.

"Let me see your ID."

Lucious handed it over without hesitation.

She examined it. "Lucious Grey. You live on 17th?"

"Yeah."

She handed it back, nodding faintly. "You always out here sticking your neck into scams?"

Lucious shrugged. "Only when someone tries to rip off a guy who gave me a free lunch."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"What do you do?"

"Delivery driver."

"You always know Qing dynasty claw patterns and jade resin analysis?"

Lucious hesitated. "I’ve been reading more lately."

Technically true. The system had fed him all the facts—glowing overlays, material flags, price warnings. He’d just relayed what it told him.

She tilted her head. "Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s working. That guy’s name flagged a couple open fraud cases. You just handed him over with a bow."

Lucious smirked. "Glad I could help."

She took a step back but didn’t leave.

"You ever need anything—within reason—come by the 5th Precinct. Ask for Chen Mei. I’m usually on second shift."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You seem like someone who’s trying. That counts for something."

Then she turned and walked off, not looking back.

Lucious remained still for a few long seconds, letting the adrenaline settle. The quiet hum of traffic returned, the weight of the moment fading as reality resumed its rhythm.

The system pulsed behind his eyes.

[EVENT COMPLETE: Law Enforcement Favor Unlocked — Officer Chen Mei]

[FAVORABILITY RATING: 82%]

[POTENTIAL: STRATEGIC ALLY — MODERATE]

[THREAT NEUTRALIZED: +1 STREET INTUITION]

Lucious let out a slow breath. That could’ve gone sideways. Fast.

He stepped out of the alley into sunlight, the warmth on his face a welcome contrast to the tension he’d just waded through. His phone buzzed in his pocket—another delivery request. He ignored it for now.

Still a couple hours before his shift started. And after today, he figured he’d earned the scenic route home.

He turned toward the west side of the city, hands in his jacket pockets, walking with the slow, measured rhythm of someone who wasn’t in a rush.

For the first time in a long while, the weight pressing down on his shoulders didn’t feel so crushing.

For the first time in weeks, Lucious wasn’t surviving.

He was winning.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om