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The moment Steven stepped into the Metropolitan Police Department, his identity was exposed.
Several officers recognized him instantly and raised their guns, muzzles aimed straight at his head without a second thought.
"Freeze! Hands on your head, get down!"
"Suspect located. Wanted criminal No. 1469 spotted in the first-floor lobby of the MPD. Requesting backup!"
Staring down the dark barrels pointed at him, Steven flashed a mysterious smile and slowly lifted his hands.
Since he'd already come this far, fear wasn't on the menu.
"Relax, relax. I'm just scratching my head."
The Explosion Fruit made him immune to blast damage, but it did nothing against bullets or cold weapons. Honestly, even he didn't know how to complain about that.
Seeing that Steven wasn't resisting, the officers eased their fingers off the triggers.
What they didn't know was that disaster was already knocking.
As Steven scratched his head, he casually pulled out a few strands of hair.
He opened his hand, and the hairs drifted gently down to the floor.
Boom!
Explosion was art.
A massive shockwave ripped through the lobby. Limbs and debris flew everywhere as the entire police building shook violently, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Even if it didn't fall right away, it was definitely getting torn down and rebuilt afterward.
Thankfully, the walls absorbed most of the impact, so the surrounding area wasn't hit too hard.
"Damn… maybe that was a bit much?"
"Ah well. Blow it up and walk away. That's the real thrill."
Steven calmly strolled out of the police building, glanced back at his handiwork, and turned to leave.
That was when a gun suddenly pressed against his forehead.
"Jodie Starling. Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"Well hello there, beautiful," Steven said with a grin. "Easy now. Careful your little toy doesn't go off."
Thanks to his memories from binge-watching anime before transmigrating, he recognized her at once.
"Since you know who I am," Jodie said coldly, "you'd better behave."
"Wanted criminal No. 1469. You're suspected of aiding an American spy in escaping from prison. I am formally placing you under arrest. If you resist, I will open fire."
Clack.
With an icy expression, Jodie unhooked a pair of handcuffs from her belt and tossed them at Steven's feet.
"Got it. I'll cooperate. Totally."
Unhurried, Steven bent down, picked up the cuffs, and snapped them onto his right wrist.
Seeing how obedient he was, Jodie relaxed and slowly lowered her gun.
Now!
Steven seized the moment. He grabbed the hand holding her gun, spun behind her in one smooth motion, and used a move straight out of the legendary "Eighteen Forms of Awei." The classic old-man cart push.
Jodie was slammed to the ground.
Before she could react, Steven followed up with a sharp chop to the neck.
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious.
Hesitation leads to defeat. So what if she's a beauty?
Still getting punched.
"The low-end version of the Awei Eighteen Forms. It's nowhere near Baobao's original in power, but in the Detective Conan world, it's more than enough."
According to the system's description, the low-end Awei Eighteen Forms didn't require qi to use. It was kind of like a budget version of high-end folk qigong.
Steven muttered to himself, crouched down, and started frisking Jodie.
A handgun.Credentials.A phone…
He searched her from head to toe and pulled out plenty of stuff, but there was one thing missing.
The key to the handcuffs.
Wooo—wooo—
Police sirens wailed as they rushed closer. Reinforcements from the local police were clearly on the way.
Steven didn't dare waste time. He grabbed the phone and the gun and bolted.
He slipped into the crowd of onlookers. As he moved, his body rapidly shrank, turning into what looked like a three- or four-year-old child. The handcuffs slid right off his wrists.
The anywhere-size-changing skill might not boost attack power, but at critical moments, it saved lives.
When he'd been hunted by both the local police and the FBI, he'd escaped more than once thanks to this ability.
At first, Steven had thought the skill worked like Bonney's Age-Age Fruit from the pirate world, letting him freely change someone's age.
Only after reading the description did he realize it was actually a weakened version of Umaru-chan's size-changing gimmick. It could last up to one hour, with a twenty-four-hour cooldown.
None of that really mattered. What mattered was that it worked when he needed it.
After Steven disappeared without a trace, Jodie, still lying on the ground, slowly came to. The moment she realized her clothes were in disarray and her belongings were scattered everywhere, she clenched her fists, burning with humiliation and rage.
But the real breakdown was yet to come.
"My gun. Where's my service weapon?!"
"That damn wanted criminal, Number 1469. Next time I see him, I won't hold back."
"I need to report this to James immediately and request backup to track him down."
If Steven used that gun to commit crimes, Jodie would be in serious trouble. It could even spark international issues.
Of course, the island nation couldn't really pressure its American "dad." At most, they'd gripe a bit and feel better afterward.
"My phone's gone too. And it feels like that bastard even put his hand inside—"
Bang!
Jodie's cheeks flushed red as she slammed her fist into the ground in fury.
…
Elsewhere.
After successfully shaking pursuit, Steven, still in his child form, arrived at an abandoned building.
The moment he reverted to his original body, a nonstop series of system notifications echoed in his head.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking a new achievement: Explosion Is Art!]
[Ding! Achievement points gained: 5. You may exchange them for cards in the system shop.]
[Ding! System shop activated.]
[Ding! First achievement unlocked. Bonus reward granted: one set of identity documents and passport, plus a bank card with a balance of 100,000 USD. Items have been sent to the system warehouse. Please confirm receipt.]
"An achievement? I actually unlocked one?"
"I did so many good deeds before and got nothing. This time all I did was blow up the Metropolitan Police Department and rough up Jodie a bit."
"This system… it's interesting."
Steven didn't bother overthinking it. Claiming rewards came first.
He opened the system panel and checked the warehouse. Sure enough, inside were a household registration booklet, an ID card, a passport, and a bank card.
When he tapped the registration booklet, all the basic info and photo were correct. The only difference was the nationality.
American.
This shady system really thought things through.
After all, when bad things happen, blaming Americans somehow feels… reasonable.
"Heh. With a proper identity, I'm finally not Wanted Criminal Number 1469 anymore."
He didn't bother materializing the rewards yet. No need to pull them out until he actually needed them.
Next, he opened the system shop.
Five card options were available:
[King of Lying Flat: Lazy Goat, price: 4 achievement points]
[PS: Chosen by fate. Always favored by the Goddess of Luck in critical moments.]
[Peerless Valor: Buff Goat, price: 4 achievement points]
[PS: Power trumps all. A real man charges head-on.]
[All-Round Overlord: Big Big Wolf, price: 5 achievement points]
[PS: Fights the entire Green Grassland alone. Revives at full health after every defeat. Only flaw: terrified of his wife.]
[Brains of the Team: Smart Goat, price: 3 achievement points]
[PS: Severely lopsided build. High IQ but still afraid of kitchen knives. Without protagonist plot armor, wouldn't survive three episodes.]
[Irritable Queen: Red Wolf, price: 4 achievement points]
[PS: Frying-pan master. Specializes in shutting down all flashy nonsense. Pan in hand, the world is mine.]
"Smart Goat, Pretty Goat, Lazy Goat…"
Looking at the shop lineup, Steven could almost hear the familiar theme song playing in his ears.
"....."