In an instant, Franklin felt as if his entire mind exploded with a loud "boom," golden stars danced before his eyes, and he involuntarily toppled over to one side.

When it came to being brave and ruthless, Franklin was definitely a veteran. He had been in more fights than most people would hear about in a lifetime. The beatings he had taken and the injuries he had suffered were also beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

But never had anyone knocked him out with a single punch.

Today, he had finally met his match.

Edward York knocked him out with just one punch, and he even used his left hand.

When Franklin hit the ground, the last thug hadn’t even drawn his knife yet.

He had actually just been watching the show the whole time.

In his mind, with Blondie and Eldest Son making a move, it was more than enough. That guy on the other side who claimed to be a cop would definitely end up with a bloody hole in him.

Once they killed this sudden, meddling guy, killing that woman would be a piece of cake.

What a pity, though.

She was actually quite pretty, and to just kill her like that...

If it weren’t here, but somewhere else, he’d definitely have some fun before killing her...

He was still daydreaming when, all of a sudden, everything changed.

Blondie, Eldest Son, and Franklin all suddenly collapsed, and what was especially terrifying was that once the three of them went down, they didn’t make another sound.

What did that mean?

It meant all three of them had been knocked out.

The whole thing took just a few dozen seconds, at most a minute, definitely not more than two.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, this last thug would never have believed such a bizarre thing could happen in this world.

How was it possible?

When Edward York stood in front of him, he finally remembered to draw his knife.

This guy seemed pretty tough—no way he could win barehanded...

That was the last thought that flashed through his mind before he blacked out, accompanied by a loud "boom." Just like Franklin, his vision went dark, he cried out "Aiya!" and crashed heavily to the ground.

He fell stiffly and didn’t move at all.

Grace Bennett, who had been watching nervously from behind the whole time, was completely stunned. She stared blankly at Edward York’s not particularly tall or muscular back, as if in a dream.

Chapter 4: A Big Shot?

“Eddie...”

“Eddie...”

About ten minutes later, this alley, which had been deserted, was suddenly packed with people.

They were all brothers from the police station.

Edward York had called them, bringing over more than half of the guys on duty at the station.

Edward York had a cell phone.

In 2002, cell phones were still a rare thing, but not as rare as a few years before. Quite a few organizations had started issuing phones to their staff.

But Edward York’s phone wasn’t issued by the station—it was one he bought himself.

It was a birthday gift from his sister.

The station reimbursed him for part of the phone bill every month.

For Edward York, this was pretty good. Eddie didn’t care much about money, and having a phone wasn’t about showing off—it was for the convenience of handling cases.

As a detective, poor communication really affected case efficiency.

Especially for someone with Edward York’s fiery temper, he couldn’t stand inefficiency.

Take now, for example—the benefits of having a cell phone were obvious. Otherwise, what was he supposed to do, face four unconscious criminals alone?

He didn’t carry that many pairs of handcuffs with him.

And if he just left the four guys here and ran off to make a call, that was even less reliable. If he had to run far to find a payphone, by the time he got back, those guys would probably be long gone.

Of course, you might ask, why didn’t he have Grace Bennett call the station?

The reason was simple.

It wasn’t safe!

In Edward York’s mind, the image of Grace Bennett lying dead on the ground kept flashing by, and he just couldn’t shake it. Even now, he couldn’t really see Grace Bennett as a living person.

Who knew how many people were out to kill Grace Bennett tonight?

What if there were more than just these four?

If Grace Bennett left his sight, she might become a corpse the very next moment—who knew where someone might pop out and stab her to death.

That was a risk he absolutely couldn’t take.

The cell phone perfectly solved this problem.

That was also why Edward York accepted such an expensive gift from Violet York.

An Ericsson flip phone, over seven thousand yuan, about a year’s salary for Edward York. If Violet York hadn’t given it to him as a birthday present, there was no way Edward York could have afforded it.

If it were any other expensive gift, Edward York would have refused, but a cell phone... he accepted it!

Seven or eight people from the station rushed over, only one of whom was a full police officer—the rest were auxiliary team members. When they saw Edward York, they were all very polite, greeting him one after another.

Edward York was twenty-four this year, which wasn’t very old. Several of the auxiliary team members were a few years older than him, but they all respectfully called him “Eddie.”

The reason was simple: Edward York was truly skilled.