69novels Chapter 96 Hellsword Trainees: Peter and Jessica
Chapter 96 Hellsword Trainees: Peter and Jessica
Chapter 96 Hellsword Trainees: Peter and Jessica
The entrance to the Manhattan Precinct of the New York Police Department.
The twelve fully armed members stood in neat rows, all dressed in special operations uniforms.
He had an automatic rifle slung across his back, a shotgun in his hand, and his waist was covered with high-explosive grenades and spare magazines.
There are no non-lethal weapons.
Batons and stun guns are not even on Hellsword's equipment list.
In the shadows on both sides of the street, many people hid at the base of walls and alley entrances, watching from a distance.
Anyone who has spent a few days in Hell's Kitchen knows that this team is completely different from ordinary police.
When an ordinary police officer encounters a crime, he first issues a warning, then draws his baton, and only then touches his gun.
The process is clearly written, and each step is specified.
The equipment for Hellsword is displayed directly outside; it consists entirely of lethal weapons, with no transitional options whatsoever.
Their bulletproof vests had a huge white skull printed on the left chest, just covering the area where their hearts were.
The skull had a blood-red dagger in its mouth.
The white skull, of course, reminded them of Frank, who single-handedly took down an entire bar.
As for the blood-red dagger, the man standing on the steps, preparing to speak, bearing the title of the Sword of Hell, needs no further introduction.
More and more residents of Hell's Kitchen came over from the outskirts of the city.
They wanted to hear what this person had to say, but everyone tacitly maintained the same thing—distance.
No one dared to get too close.
The reporters didn't come forward either; several TV stations with their long lenses simply tied their microphones to the top of long poles and stretched them out from a distance to record the sound.
There is only one exception.
Ben Urick of the New York Gazette stood at the bottom of the steps, clutching the worn-out notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right, just as he always did when he appeared at crime scenes.
Li En stood on the steps of the police station, his gaze sweeping over the twelve faces in front of him.
He divided the team into three squads, each with four members.
Frank naturally led the first team.
When he returned from the ruins of the Brooklyn military district, his face showed neither the relief of having avenged a great enemy nor the emptiness of having achieved a goal.
He broke William Rollins' neck, went back, took a shower, changed his clothes, and continued cleaning the gun.
That's it.
The captain of the second team stood at the front, head held high and back straight.
Even through the bulletproof helmet, you could feel the burning passion in Bright's eyes.
After he got back up from his wheelchair, he didn't say a single unnecessary word.
They arrive at the training ground earliest and leave latest every day.
The captain of the third team, Li En, used the personnel authority granted to him by the mayor to find a person from the list of recently discharged soldiers.
Benjamin Lester, sniper.
The only evaluation of him in the materials is: 100% accurate.
Both Lee En and Frank are the type of attackers who charge forward, and Hellsword is exactly what it needs—an eye that can control the battlefield from a distance.
The recruitment of Leicester went surprisingly smoothly.
The other party seemed quite curious about Li En as well, and the first question they asked after sitting down was neither about her salary nor her job duties.
"How exactly do you define justice?"
Lee's answer at the time was: "Do the right thing."
Lester did not respond.
He looked at Li En, waiting for what would happen next.
"Things are accomplished through actions, not just by listening to others."
"After you join Hellsword, experience for yourself what justice truly is in your daily life."
Leicester accepted.
Upon reporting for duty, he submitted all his service records and became the captain of the third team of Hellsword.
Li En took a breath and spoke in a deep voice.
"The Hellsword Squad possesses special privileges."
"We have direct arrest powers throughout New York City, and — unlimited firing powers."
He paused for a moment, looked at the twelve faces in front of him, and raised his voice a notch.
"Doesn't that sound great? You can arrest people whenever you want and shoot them whenever you want. No other law enforcement team in all of New York has that kind of power."
"But this power doesn't come for free."
"That's because we have to confront all the most dangerous criminals for this city."
"We take on cases that others dare not take."
"We'll take on what others can't."
"We'll charge into places that others wouldn't even bother to get close to."
"Authority and responsibility are two sides of the same coin."
"We have enjoyed the privileges granted to us by the citizens of New York City, and we must repay that debt with our actions."
"No discounts, no excuses."
After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence below the steps.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes!" The roar of the twelve men exploded simultaneously.
The sounds mingled together, sweeping outwards from the police station entrance in all directions.
The reporters standing at the bottom of the steps, holding long-pole microphones, were so shocked by the sudden burst of sound pressure that they fell to the ground, their poles tilting. The sound could be heard several blocks away.
With just twelve people, they roared out the sound of a thousand troops.
All members of the Hellsword have been injected with dragon blood potion, and their physical abilities far exceed those of ordinary people.
When twelve people simultaneously puffed out their chests and roared with all their might, the effect was no different from the heavy hammer of a war drum.
Ben Yurik was standing at the bottom of the steps, closest to them, and his eardrums hurt from the loud noise. He rubbed them several times.
Li En then issued task assignments.
"First team, Lower District; Second team, Middle District; Third team, Upper District."
"If you encounter any problems during your patrols that you cannot handle, notify me immediately."
"Then—use your life to hold them off, do you understand?!"
"yes!"
"Disband."
The three teams entered the police station garage one by one.
A moment later, three specially made black Hummer SUVs drove out of the garage exit, dispersed in three directions, and disappeared around the street corner.
Ben Yurik closed his notebook and walked towards the steps. He stopped in front of Li En.
"Your last order is unlike any police dogma I know."
"The police code of conduct clearly states that under any circumstances, the protection of one's own life should be the top priority for officers."
"You're not letting them retreat; instead, you're making them risk their lives to hold off the enemy."
Li En looked at him, her tone indifferent.
"Didn't I already tell you the answer?"
"The citizens have given us special privileges, so we must bear the corresponding responsibilities."
"If you run away when there's danger, what about all the power you gained before? Was it obtained through deception?"
He glanced at his watch and started walking towards the street.
"Sorry, I'll be very busy today; I have something urgent to attend to."
Ben Yurik watched Lee's figure disappear into the distance.
He lowered his head and wrote a few words heavily in his notebook: Power and Responsibility.
He stared at those words for a long time, squinting his eyes.
Forest Hill High School.
Li En's purpose in coming here this time was very clear.
Recruit Peter Parker and make him a member of the Umbrella Corporation.
He walked through the corridor of the teaching building, found the door number for Class 2 of Senior Three, stood at the door, and glanced into the classroom.
It was during the break between classes.
The students in the class gathered in twos and threes. Some were chatting by the window, while others were discussing something around their desks. The noise was loud and lively.
Peter Parker sat alone in his seat, head down, glasses almost slipping off his nose, a physics textbook open in front of him, flipped to the middle.
All the hustle and bustle around him had nothing to do with him.
Li En's brow twitched.
-
Does this kid really have no friends?
"Officer Li En?"
A woman's voice came from behind.
Lee turned his head. Jessica Jones stood in the hallway, holding two books she had borrowed from the library, looking at him with some surprise.
Li En nodded to her: "Hello, I'm here to see Peter Parker."
"Peter Parker?" Jessica's eyes flickered.
She knew Peter had special abilities.
Every day after school and on weekends, this guy would put on that cheap bodysuit and run to the rooftops of Queens to catch thieves and beat up robbers, no matter how much we tried to persuade him.
She was a little worried that Peter had finally been exposed, which was why Officer Lee had come to her door in person.
Lee En is now a celebrity in New York. He has been on television several times, and his nickname is more famous than a police siren. There is no New Yorker who doesn't recognize his face.
As soon as Jessica called out, all the students in the class turned to look at her.
When they heard Li En and Peter Parker mentioned in the same sentence, everyone's eyes turned to the last row of the classroom, by the window.
Peter Parker was looking down and flipping through a book.
As soon as his classmates' eyes focused on him, the hairs on the back of his neck immediately stood on end.
It wasn't a spider-sense alarm, just pure unease.
He slowly raised his head and met Li En's gaze at the doorway.
Li En stood with one hand in his pocket, leaning against the door frame, waiting quietly without urging anyone to hurry.
Peter realized that everyone in the classroom was looking at him.
After a moment, he suddenly stood up, walked quickly to Li En, and spoke in a low voice with obvious nervousness.
"Officer Li En, what can I do for you?"
Li Enchao glanced around the classroom.
Before the onlookers could look away, a few boys simply turned around and openly stared at the doorway.
"Let's go somewhere else to talk." He looked away, a faint smile on his lips.
"You don't like being stared at by so many people, right?"
He turned and walked out of the teaching building, and Peter quickly followed.
Jessica took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, and then raised her voice to ask, "May I come with you?"
Li En didn't stop, but turned his head and made a gesture behind him.
The three of them went to the lawn behind the teaching building and found an open space.
Li En turned around, faced the two of them, and spoke directly.
"You'll be graduating soon."
"I hereby formally invite you both to join Umbrella Corporation as interns."
Peter looked up, his gaze meeting Lee's at the same level.
That contradictory feeling within him reappeared.
The hair on my arms would stand up and then lie flat, only to stand up again, repeating this several times.
His spider-sense was telling him that the person in front of him was extremely dangerous, but a voice in his head was constantly pulling him in the opposite direction.
Jessica suddenly turned her head, stared at Peter's profile for a moment, and then spoke.
"You know we have something unusual about us, right?"
Peter immediately turned to Jessica, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing without uttering a complete sentence.
"That's right, especially you, Peter." Li En's gaze fell on Peter's face.
"To be honest, going out to arrest people while wearing a bodysuit is a crime in itself."
Peter's expression clearly showed that he was panicked.
His fingers rubbed against the seam of his trousers twice, the sound coming out intermittently.
"I know it's not quite right, but—my grades are okay, and I've read some law books, so actually—"
"Your academic performance is indeed quite good," Li En interrupted him, "Then you should have looked up the definition of unlawful detention."
"You deprived someone of their personal freedom by tying them to a lamppost with spider silk without any law enforcement authority."
Even if the other party is caught in the act, what you are doing is still illegal.
Peter's face fell completely; his initial motivation for doing these things was actually so simple as to be somewhat naive.
Now that I have the ability, I should try my best to help those in need.
He never imagined that this would be a crime.
But the person who said those words in front of me is a real police officer.
Since the other party has said that, then there must be no mistake.
"I'm still a minor." Peter's voice was muffled, his gaze fixed on the ground, not looking up.
"Could you please let me off the hook? I promise I won't do it again, really, I promise."
"Why stop?" Li En's tone suddenly rose, carrying a hint of obvious dissatisfaction.
Peter suddenly looked up and froze.
"Since you enjoy helping others, then keep doing it, as long as you do it the right way."
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He paused for a moment, letting Peter swallow the words, before continuing.
"You should have seen the news; the Hellsword Squad's situation isn't a secret."
"I am now formally inviting you to become full-time employees of the Umbrella Corporation, and at the same time serve as reserve members of the Hellsword Squad."
"They have identification, licenses, and the authority to fire."
"What you're doing is no different from what you do every night now, except you don't have to hide from the police anymore."
Peter's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed again.
His lips moved a few times before he finally managed to utter a sentence.
I want to go to university.
Jessica spoke up from the side.
"Okay, I'm willing to join. I've heard Umbrella pays very well."
"Anyway, you can't learn anything in college, and in the end you still have to go out and work."
"That's right, the salary and benefits for full-time employees are quite good." Li En nodded, then turned to face Jessica.
"But you still have to go to university."
"Umbrella Corporation will fully cover your university tuition and living expenses."
"Going to school is always good, Jessica."
"Professional skills and ways of thinking are things that are learned in school more thoroughly than those that are learned through direct experience in the real world."
After he finished speaking, he stretched out his right hand and held it in the air.
"So, the final decision?"
Jessica reached out and shook his hand, her movements swift and decisive, without any hesitation.
She turned her head and looked at Peter, who was still standing in the same spot.
Peter lowered his head and hesitated for a long time.
Then he slowly raised his right hand, reached out, and grasped Li En's hand.
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