Chapter 83: The Real Max The moment the group heard the sirens, panic washed over their faces like a wave. Steven lifted both of his hands, clutching the sides of his head. "I knew it... I knew I was going to get screwed over the moment he asked me to fight high schoolers, of all things," Steven said, nearly collapsing to his knees. "Why... why did I have to let that damn money taint me!" In frustration, Sandra shoved Abby, causing her to fall hard to the ground and scrape her knee across the rough surface. "You b*tch! Look what kind of situation you’ve gotten us into, what’s wrong with you?!" "I’m sorry!" Abby whimpered, covering her face. She was trembling. This wasn’t her lifestyle, she had never been in a real fight before. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gotten into an argument. "I’m sorry... I just... when I saw Max going up against all those students, and all those weapons in their hands, I didn’t know what to do. I panicked..." Turning red, Sandra raised her hand again, ready to strike her. "Stop!" Max shouted. "It’s okay. She’s not involved in all of this. She’s just a bystander who did what anyone else might’ve done. She shouldn’t be hurt because of that." Sandra paused, breathing hard, then looked over at Wolf for approval. He gave her a single nod, his expression calm, trying to ease the tension. Max was their client, after all, and it was best to listen to him. Still, Wolf didn’t like the way things were starting to look, not one bit. They were usually involved in fights with other gang members, other organized groups. Because of that, neither side ever wanted to get the police involved. And if they were doing a high-level job, they’d typically work with someone who could prevent a situation like this from happening in the first place. This one might be tricky... it’s not looking good for us to walk away with absolutely nothing, Wolf thought, his expression unreadable. "I should look on the bright side, right? Maybe there’s a chance to meet a few S-ranks in prison?" While the rest of the group stood there, filled with dread, the sound of laughter suddenly broke through the tension, it was still coming from Dipter. "Haha! Look at all of you!" Dipter cackled. "Max, you made one huge mistake in all of this. There’s more than one way to rule this world besides using your fists, and that’s money! Just watch. Watch as all of you get taken away, and I walk out of this completely fine!" Between the payments he had received from his client and the money he had stashed away over time, Dipter was confident. More than that, he had built connections through this job. He knew he could get out of this. "Haha! You’ll be just as useless as you were with what happened to Sam!" Dipter yelled, still laughing. Max turned away from him and walked over to where Aron was standing. "Aron," Max said firmly. Ever alert, Aron straightened immediately. "I want you to make sure that everything that happened today is pinned on Dipter. Today... he’s shown no remorse for any of his actions." "Yes, sir," Aron replied. The others were too far away to hear what Max was saying, as he spoke quietly, just for Aron. "On top of that, make sure that everyone who helped us today, nothing happens to them. Not even a slap on the wrist. And include Jay on that list as well. Do all of that, no matter the cost. You understand?" "I understand, sir," Aron said, bowing his head deeply to Max. It was an odd sight. The panic on the Pit members’ faces. The students groaning in pain on the ground. And there, in the middle of it all, an adult bowing to a student. It confused anyone who saw it. Without delay, Aron turned away and got on the phone. He spoke softly, just low enough that Max couldn’t hear a word of it. He made more than one call, and none of them lasted long. The whole situation, it felt oddly familiar. That’s when Max noticed it. He pulled out his own phone and saw the notification flash. [-500,000] Again... the same amount as last time? Aron didn’t explain anything. He didn’t have to. He just wore a small, calm smile across his face. The sound of sirens was loud now, right outside, and moments later, two full squads of police officers came charging in, batons drawn. "Everyone freeze!" one of the officers shouted as they stormed into the area. "Get on the ground! Hands where we can see them!" Max complied, and so did the others. Even the Pit members knew the smartest thing to do right now was follow along with whatever was happening. As they lay flat on the ground, Steven couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down his face. And as Dipter and Max locked eyes across the chaos, Dipter silently mouthed the words: You’re screwed. The police didn’t bother cuffing the students, there were far too many of them. Instead, the officers stayed close, hovering over everyone, making sure no one moved from where they lay. It didn’t take long before they found several large black bags prepared for the day. One by one, they opened them, and soon after, the contents were seized as evidence. Then, one of the officers walked over to Dipter. He looked him up and down for a moment, then reached down, pulled him up off the ground, and helped him stand by offering a shoulder. "I told you, Max... haha, look at this. Just look at this," Dipter said, still grinning, until he suddenly felt something tightening around the back of his arms. "We’ve received multiple reports saying you’re the ringleader of this entire operation. So, right now, you’re under arrest," the officer said flatly. "What...?" Dipter’s face dropped completely. All the smugness, all the bravado, gone in an instant. "What are you saying, officer... what?" "Have your ears stopped working? You’re in big trouble, kid. This isn’t just some small-time school drama. What you’ve been doing? It’s serious." "Wait! Wait! I think you’ve made a mistake! Call your chief, he’ll know who I am! Tell him it’s Dipter, it’s Dipter!" Dipter shouted, panic rising in his voice. "What, so he can tell you you’re in even more trouble?" the officer replied coldly. "Let’s not resist. Just get in the car with us." Something wasn’t right. Dipter didn’t understand, it didn’t make sense. Something about all of this felt off. Then he looked at the police officer more closely. His camera, it was turned off. All the officers’ cameras had been turned off. Not one of them had read him his rights, or even stated the official charges. How did they know to go straight for him? To call him the ringleader based on description alone? As Dipter was being moved away from the crowd, he noticed the same officer walk over and pick Aron up from the ground. After a brief conversation between them, the officers began letting the Pit members, Joe, and Steven off the ground—each one was allowed to stand, dust themselves off, and leave without being stopped. Even Jay. As Dipter passed by, his path crossed with Max’s, and Max wore a wide smile. "You’re right," Max said calmly. "It’s hard to get used to what money can really do, huh? Even I’m more used to solving things with my fists." As Dipter continued to be led away, his mind began spinning, connecting dots he hadn’t noticed before. His client, Chad Stern. Everything Chad had said. The information Dipter himself had learned about him. And now... it was all starting to make sense. "Now... it all makes sense," Dipter muttered. "I know why he told us to go after you... not just that, I know exactly why he wanted you. It all makes sense now!" Dipter continued to be pulled away as the car door swung open, but he resisted getting inside, digging in his heels as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I know who you are! You’re—You’re—"