“Bang!” With a dull thud, Robert Walker’s fist landed hard on the burly man’s abdomen.

The big man lost all his previous cold, pretentious demeanor. His eyes bulged, his tongue stuck out, and with a miserable howl, he clutched his stomach and fell to his knees.

The man behind him cursed in Maori and charged forward. Having taken down one already, Robert Walker felt even more confident. He darted in front of the second man, whose punching motion seemed slow in his eyes. Dodging quickly, he grabbed the man’s arms with both hands, shouted, and with a burst of strength, lifted and threw him aside.

Two more burly men rushed at him. The one in front charged like a mad bull. Robert Walker didn’t have time to dodge, so he gritted his teeth, spread his legs, and braced himself in a bow stance to take the hit head-on!

A powerful force slammed into his chest. Robert Walker was nearly knocked over, but managed to hold his ground. Then, grabbing the man’s shoulders, he drove his knee into the man’s chest, bent his arms, and, imitating a movie move, smashed his elbow hard into the man’s back.

“Aaah!” The man howled twice and collapsed limply to the ground. Another man’s fist swung at him. Robert Walker quickly raised his arms to protect his head, so the punch landed on his forearms, knocking him to the ground.

“Damn it!” Robert Walker cursed, scrambling to his feet. In close combat, there was no need for fancy moves. He got up, wrapped his arms around the man’s thick waist, hooked his leg, and tripped him to the ground in one swift motion. Then his right fist flashed out like lightning, striking the man’s chin!

After taking a heavy punch, the man’s eyes rolled back, he spat out blood, and instantly lost consciousness.

In this way, Robert Walker took down four men. He quickly stood up from the pile, assumed a boxing stance, and stared at the last man standing—the biggest and fiercest of them all.

According to movies and TV shows, the last one to fight is always the boss. Judging by his appearance, this guy fit the boss profile perfectly. But instead of attacking, he just stood there dumbfounded, staring at his four fallen brothers, then started to roar.

Robert Walker could tell he was speaking Maori, but didn’t understand a word. So he shouted back, “Fak you! Fak you! You think you’re so tough? Come on! Damn, you even shaved your head and got tattoos. Don’t you know even Bruce Lee, as badass as he was, never shaved his head or got tattoos?! You think you’re tougher than Brother Long?!”

Chapter 13: Negotiating with the Natives

Robert Walker and the big man were shouting at each other from a distance when the long-overdue Charles finally appeared.

Seeing four people lying messily on the floor and a two-meter-tall hulk roaring, Charles decisively pulled out his pistol and shouted a few words in Maori. The big guy immediately squatted down, put his hands over his head, and faced the wall like he was being punished.

Charles called the police. Soon, the officers arrived. The four on the ground were sent to the hospital first, then Robert Walker and the remaining big man were taken to the small town’s police station to give statements.

Omarama is a small town, and the police station is tiny too—just a red-brick bungalow. If it weren’t for the New Zealand police badge on top and the police cars parked outside, Robert Walker would never have guessed this house-like building was the town’s law enforcement center.

In front of the police station was a patch of green lawn. Maybe because they’d just had lunch, a few officers were sitting on the grass, drinking soda and chatting.

In the center of the lawn stood a statue. Robert Walker glanced at it curiously, and Charles explained that it was a memorial to a fallen officer, with a lamp on each side that lit up at night.

Inside the station, aside from more uniforms, badges, and flags, there was nothing else to distinguish it from an ordinary office.

Even though Charles was armed, he still had to be questioned. But when a policeman came to interrogate him, he flashed a credential, and the officer left. Then a middle-aged officer came out of a private office and took him away.

This made Robert Walker curious about Charles’s identity. He didn’t believe an ordinary Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee could carry a gun so freely in a small town.

When the middle-aged officer took Charles away, he told the other officers to put Robert Walker’s case on hold for now. So no one bothered them, and neither of them was handcuffed. They just sat at opposite ends of a sofa.

A policewoman came over and brought a glass of ice water. As she was about to leave, the two-meter-tall Maori man stood up and whispered something to her.

Robert Walker couldn’t understand Maori, but the man sounded terrified and aggrieved—completely at odds with his imposing build and fierce appearance.

The policewoman clearly knew the Maori man. She listened, smiled, patted his shoulder, and led him away. Robert Walker quickly stood up and asked, “Ma’am, what about me?”

The policewoman turned and said, “Sir, our chief will be with you shortly.”

The Maori man’s eyes widened in surprise at her words. Robert Walker looked at him curiously, and the big man actually shivered, shrank his head into his shoulders, and quietly followed the policewoman out.

More than ten minutes later, Charles came out. He smiled and reassured Robert Walker, “Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you. It’s those loan shark guys who are in trouble now.”

Robert Walker asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“They assaulted a police officer,” Charles said. “Don’t you remember? You’re the mayor of the town. Since Sunset Town only has you as a staff member, you wear many hats—you’re also the sheriff, which means you’re a police officer too.”