Bran opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar ceiling came into view… The smell, the entire aura of the place completely alien to him.
And then, before he could realize it, a mysterious red screen appeared midair in front of him.
[Ultimate Justice System Activated!]
[Host Bound Successfully.]
[Host Name: Brandon Wilson.]
[Main Mission: Become a Policeman. Conquer the world!]
"What the…"
Bran's eyes lit up in awe as he read what was on the screen. The feminine robotic voice that had sounded in his head didn't only frighten him, but also made him curious.
"What the hell is this?" he voiced.
"Hey, are you okay?"
While he was reacting to the strange screen, a young lady suddenly stepped up to him. Dressed in a typical modern gown, he noticed the beauty that adorned her face and the front side of her body.
As for the back side… well, he figured she might have fallen short in that aspect.
Bran hesitated before nodding, taking a long look at her.
"I'm sorry for what happened last night. I… I had to run away because I was carrying something highly valuable. I never knew you weren't following," she said.
It was at that point that Bran remembered.
She was the young lady he had saved from getting robbed last night, and he had gotten stabbed with an ice dagger in the process.
'I thought I was going to die,' Bran thought, his face blank as he looked at her.
She noticed that he wouldn't say a word, and thinking he was mad at her, she turned and brought a tray filled with bread, butter, and milk.
Bran's eyes widened at once as he swallowed repeatedly.
"Here's some food. The doctor noticed you were starving, so I decided to get you some," she said.
Bran didn't even let her finish talking before taking it from her and biting into the bread.
He would take bites of different pieces, then gulp a mouthful of milk, not caring if it was too much for his mouth to hold.
He did that repeatedly without pausing, doing his best to fill his belly before the "tapeworms" could feed on his stomach.
The young lady sat there and watched him in pity. She didn't need an explanation to understand what this young man had gone through.
Finally, when he was done, she gave him a bottle of water and asked.
"Are you full? Do you need some more?"
Bran raised his head and, shamelessly, nodded.
"Yes, please."
She had more bread brought over for him to eat, and Bran devoured every piece like it was the last meal he'd ever have.
When he was finally done, he felt energized enough to reply to her.
"Like I said, I'm sorry for what happened."
"It's fine. That's not a problem, argh…"
Bran tried to stand, but an excruciating pain at the side of his belly stopped him.
"Be careful, okay? I'll call the doctor over," the young lady said as she helped him lay back, rushing out of the room afterward.
"She's so beautiful… and caring. If I weren't a poor guy, I'd have asked her on a date," Bran muttered.
He had doubts about everything. He couldn't even feed himself, so how could he possibly take such an expensive-looking girl out?
He decided to kill that thought.
He touched the wound he had sustained from the ice dagger attack and sighed.
That spot was still cold, and he felt like his whole body was freezing.
The ice dagger was a weapon with magical enhancements. Almost all criminals around the city had magical abilities, which served as their main driving force to commit crimes.
The people who could use these magic abilities were called The Gifted—people who obtained their Gift between the ages of fifteen and sixteen.
In the end, the Gifted were divided into two sides: those who chose to use their abilities for good and became Policemen, and those who chose to terrorize society in search of power...
The Lawbreakers.
Running into a Lawbreaker in the middle of the night while almost starving to death was something Bran had never imagined, but it had happened.
However, the good thing was that he was alive… and no longer hungry.
When the lady came back with the doctor, Bran was asked to stay for at least two weeks to recover from his injury, until the same red interface appeared before him again.
[Host Starter Token: Instant Healing.]
[Say "Yes" to accept. Say "No" to still accept.]
Bran furrowed his brows. "Huh?"
"What does that even mean?" he wondered aloud.
[You have little to no time, host. I mean, who wouldn't want to recover quickly?]
Bran flinched. "I don't want to. If I get out of this hospital, who will give me healthy food to eat? I'll die of starvation."
[Guess again.]
"Guess what?"
[Tell me, host. Do you want to achieve that dream that seemed completely impossible for you?]
[Do you want to become a Policeman?]
It was then that Bran understood, his eyes lighting up.
"Ye… Yes."
[Now accept the damned Instant Healing gift.]
Without wasting a second, Bran chose to accept it, and instantly, he felt a slight hot sensation at the injured part.
He looked and soon noticed that the wound was gone, and he no longer felt any pain.
"Incredible," he muttered. "What the hell is this thing?"
[I'm the Ultimate Justice System, tasked to help you become a Policeman and conquer the world!]
"I don't want to conquer the world. I just want to earn some big money from the Police Authority so I won't starve," Bran cut in.
[That makes it interesting, host. When the time comes, you might end up having a change of mind.]
Bran was about to respond when the lady who had helped him entered the room.
"The doctor said..."
"I think I'm fine. I don't feel the pain anymore. The wound is completely gone," Bran interrupted.
"No, you have to stay until you are medically advised to go," she objected.
"I'm sorry, but… I can't do that," Bran said as he stood up and attempted to leave.
The lady suddenly noticed his strong stance. Just a while ago, he couldn't even stand on his feet, and now he was walking freely?
She had to call the doctor again, and when he checked, they discovered—strangely—that the wounds were truly gone, and Bran was completely fine.
With that, he was discharged, and before he left, he thanked the young lady who had saved his life.
"I wish I could do more than just say 'thanks'," he said.
"It's okay. I should be the one thanking you for stopping by to help me. Only Policemen are that brave, but you stepped up, even without having a Gift," she said.
Bran nodded, smiling at the acknowledgment.
"Brenda," she then introduced herself.
"Bran," he replied, shaking her hand.
They both went separate ways after that, with Bran trying not to kick himself for not asking her more questions to see if she might show some interest.
He figured she would probably have no interest in him since he was poor, and decided to focus on becoming a Policeman—just like the strange voice had said.
"Okay, now what?" After leaving the hospital, he returned his attention to the strange voice.
[Ultimate Justice System has unlocked a Special Feature: Daily Intelligence!]
[Description: You have the ability to gather information about certain future occurrences every day.]
Bran's eyes glinted in amazement, and before he could say a word…
[Daily Intelligence Alert! You are about to run into the same Lawbreaker who attacked you, in one hour.]
[Task: Capture and submit him to the nearest Police Unit.]
[Reward: Instant Four God-tier Skills!]