From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 51: Karma

In reality, Manhattan operates at a blistering pace where everyone reacts with lightning speed.

Take the Department of Veterans Affairs, for example. Though not located in the most bustling area near Wall Street, it still falls within the core district.

The moment anything unusual happens here, intelligent AI systems immediately trigger alarms that go straight to New York Police Department headquarters!

That's precisely why the police received the alert almost the instant Remus grabbed Martin by the neck!

The officers in the monitoring room habitually pulled up the department's surveillance feeds to assess the situation.

NYPD resources are precious - they can't dispatch officers for every single alarm. If they sent police for every false alarm or minor issue, they'd never have enough personnel to cover everything.

So determining whether police deployment is necessary became the monitoring room officers' responsibility.

The officer who received the alert seemed rather bored, not really believing any powerful criminals would dare cause trouble so brazenly in Manhattan. It was probably just a few troublemakers or employee error or AI misjudgment.

Therefore, when the footage first appeared, he even had time to pour himself a Coke to sip while watching.

Just as he'd guessed, there was only one intruder, completely unarmed, and security had already surrounded him."Hmm..." The officer nodded slightly. "No police needed. The VA has money - those security guards' stun guns are all brand new, not like our department's antiques!"

But before he could finish his Coke, he watched the muscular man knock out all the security guards with just a few punches. The officer immediately set down his drink and grabbed the communicator. "This is dispatch! All patrol units in Manhattan's West Side streets, proceed immediately to the Department of Veterans Affairs!"

Since security was down, it was their turn. One man taking down six guards indicated significant combat capability.

"Remember to bring firearms! Target is highly dangerous!"

The officer continued watching the surveillance feed - seeing the employee pull out a gun, watching the man approach him, observing the employee flee, then with each step, parts of his body falling off piece by piece...

"Dispatch? Dispatch? Hello? Anyone there?"

Suddenly, voices from the communicator snapped the officer out of his daze. "We've arrived at the building exterior, encountered some fleeing VA employees. Requesting permission to enter immediately."

"Wait! Wait!" the officer shouted. "Don't rush in! Maintain perimeter security outside! I need to consult with the chief!"

His voice sounded particularly sharp and urgent over the comms. "Do NOT enter under any circumstances... Oh my God! Is this for real?"

The officer scrambled out of the monitoring room, then dashed back in seconds later, tapped a few commands on the computer, before scrambling out again!

Soon, the high-ranking officials meeting on the sixth floor of NYPD headquarters watched this junior officer burst in at an unbelievable speed!

"BAM!" He slammed the door open, shouting with all his might, "Quick! Play the video I just sent! Hurry..."

Hearing his shouts, nobody moved to comply, instead turning their attention to the man seated at the head of the table.

He was Stephen Collins, NYPD Commissioner and one of the city's top officials.

Seeing the officer's panicked state, Stephen weighed the situation. "Let's see it! He's risking his entire police career coming here like this - probably not joking around."

Stephen recognized him - this rookie came from the federal academy, not local hires. Young officers like this wouldn't gamble their futures on pranks.

Soon, footage from the Veterans Affairs Department played before them, and everyone in the room went from initial disdain and casual observation to rising to their feet in unison!

The scene that twisted their worldviews and shattered their consciousness was simply too shocking!

Stephen directly asked, "When did this happen?"

"Just now, five minutes ago!" the officer reported. "Patrol units are already on scene, but I told them to wait outside!"

Stephen looked approvingly at the young man. "You did the right thing. What's your name?"

"Reporting, sir! Chris! Chris Ryan!" the young officer - or rather, Chris - declared loudly, face beaming with excitement. For a rookie to have the police commissioner ask his name - the implications needed no explanation!

"You may go. Tell the patrol teams not to enter yet, just secure the VA building perimeter!" Stephen said, watching Chris close the door behind him.

Then he turned to face everyone present, sighing heavily. "I originally thought that video from California was just some clumsy performance, but now... I'm afraid not, gentlemen!"

As police commissioner of the world's premier metropolis and one of the city's undisputed top officials, Stephen naturally had his sources.

He'd naturally heard about the recent church incident in San Diego.

But Stephen hadn't really believed it - after nearly half a lifetime as commissioner, he'd never encountered any supernatural or mysterious events.

Why would he believe stories about angels descending for judgment in some church?

Now, they had no choice but to believe - because while they didn't have angels here, they definitely had demons arriving!

Just moments ago, when the surveillance feed appeared on their conference room's large screen before all the police department's top brass, everyone saw the man setting a VA employee ablaze, his body wreathed in strangely eerie flames!

"Everyone mobilize! I need on-site intelligence ASAP! Simultaneously access the city identity system and run facial recognition on this man!"

True to his position, the commissioner issued commands rapidly as the entire NYPD machinery shifted into high-efficiency mode!

This was actually quite peculiar - Amerigo's government departments were notorious for inefficiency and disorder, yet within this inefficient system existed one remarkably efficient special department: the police!

Because police constantly interacted with all social classes, with high response rates and staggering crime volumes, they became the city's sole bastion of efficiency.

That's precisely why, during the time the man moved between the second and third floors, a complete dossier already appeared on Stephen and his colleagues' computers.

The face matched the man on screen perfectly, with details displayed:

"Remus O'Connor, former Marine Corps captain, medically discharged due to accidental disability. Recently been petitioning the Department of Veterans Affairs for his pension!"

Hearing this, everyone in the police department understood immediately. Without needing further analysis, they could guess this was a "wage dispute"!

Who didn't know the Veterans Affairs Department was a monstrous parasite feeding on the vast veteran support system?

They divided soldiers, engaged in corruption and misconduct, embezzled massive pension and benefit funds, and concocted various excuses to swindle federal subsidies!

These were all open secrets - actually, most Amerigan departments operated this way.

The key difference was that most discharged soldiers couldn't pursue their claims - they'd typically meet with "accidental deaths" or "voluntarily withdraw."

When had anyone ever seen a situation like this, where a man stormed in demanding answers?

Now they watched this man named Remus gripping an employee by the throat, demanding fiercely: "Tell me! Where's my money!"

At that point, everyone in the office understood - exactly as they'd guessed. Someone had come for unpaid wages.

And the person coming for payment turned out to be a "superhuman"!