The walkie-talkie crackled to life without warning."Hey, Sam, everything okay on your end?" Chief Briggs' voice cut through the static, tight with concern. "We heard all that commotion. Sounded like something big went down."A brief pause, then his voice returned, more urgent. "You guys didn't run into a wild boar, did you? They show up around the hillside district sometimes. Don't even think about going toe-to-toe with one of those things, they're way meaner than any petty thief."Sam and Alex Cheek exchanged a look that hovered somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion. A wild boar, of all the things to assume, the man had landed on a wild boar.The chat erupted instantly.[TangerineDream]: Not a boar, Chief. It's a human boar.[CookieMuncher]: I'm CRYING this misunderstanding is too perfect lmaooo[CallMeDoug]: If an actual boar heard that scream it would've called the cops itself[MoonClosed]: Honestly though, that shriek did sound like

Joel nodded with visible reluctance, then added the word "cousin" to Sam's visitor badge.The chat erupted instantly.That flip was faster than the weather changing!Two minutes ago he was pretending they weren't related, now suddenly they're family again?This guy switches faces like he's flipping pages in a book!Having a relative like this is just bad luck. Cut him off while you still can.That's classic Joel, he forgets loyalty the second there's something to gain.The audience was furious. Angry comments flooded the screen so fast it was impossible to read any single one before it vanished beneath twenty more.Sam, Alex, and Officer Ella Rogers stood together near the entrance, wearing identical expressions of open contempt as they watched Joel approach. Hadn't he just denied any connection? Yet the moment he heard Sam had done something impressive, he came scurrying back to claim kinship. Then again, for someone like Joel, shame was a co

Sam himself seemed remarkably calm. He slipped his phone back into his pocket without a word, his expression flat and unbothered, as though whatever had just been said on that call had already been filed away and forgotten. His breathing was steady and his posture loose, the kind of stillness that came not from suppression but from genuine indifference. He stood in the open yard between the warehouse buildings, the late-afternoon light casting long shadows across the cracked concrete, and simply waited.That was when Joel appeared from around the corner of one of the warehouse buildings. Moments ago he'd been draping his arm over the shoulders of a few mid-level managers, whispering back and forth like old friends sharing secrets, his laugh a little too loud and his gestures a little too familiar for someone who'd been on-site less than a week. Now he strolled toward Sam with his hands tucked casually in his pockets, wearing the mask of a concerned older cousin, head tilted sli

The chat erupted the moment Sam's words landed."Holy crap, Sam actually pulled that off!" "This is textbook 'you take the credit, you take the blame.'" "I'm dying, there's no way Joel saw this coming!" "Forget Joel, none of us saw this coming!" "Sam's not just good-looking, the guy's actually sharp!" "Since when did this stream get this intense?"The cluster of middle managers behind Joel had gone pale. Even the police captain, the one with the thinning hair and the perpetually tired expression, stood frozen for a moment."Where exactly is that rule written?" he asked, his tone dripping with skepticism.Officer Ella Rogers didn't answer directly. She just smiled, quick and conspiratorial, one eyebrow lifting slightly.The captain caught on immediately. A bluff. A well-played one."So... it's really like that?" Director Grimes ventured carefully, voice low enough that only those nearest could hear."That's correct," the captain confirmed with a nod