18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 397

Julia's body was wracked with pain, and tears streamed down her face. "She's got antisocial tendencies, a temper like a lit fuse, and she even dared to go after the mayor's kin. If we don't lock her up and give her a proper grilling, she's bound to be a threat to the community. Who knows how many will suffer because of her?"

A crowd of onlookers began to chime in with agreement. "Yeah, she's the one who started throwing punches for no reason."

Some of them had witnessed Stella's violent assault on Julia. It was brutal—grabbing hair and smashing heads into glass with lethal intent. Such a pretty girl, now her face covered in blood.

There was another group, too. When they heard Lillian and Julia were related to the mayor, they quickly chose sides.

Sergeant Hayes looked thoughtful as he pocketed his recording device. "The voice doesn't sound right, but rest assured, Miss Chen, the military has audio analysis equipment. Even if the voice is different, the pattern can't lie. The department will verify the truth."

Audio analysis equipment? Julia's heart skipped a beat. This was bad!

Sergeant Hayes spoke with resolute authority, "Since there's a conflict of stories, I must ask you to come with us to the Dispute Resolution Office. This is a public space, and we can't have it disrupting business."

Julia was naïve, but Lillian was adept at reading the room. When she heard what Sergeant Hayes said, she knew something was off. Clearly, he was protecting Stella. They were strangers, and Hayes wouldn't help Stella without reason, unless it was an order from Daniel. He was always by the book, even reluctant to intervene in Julia's professional matters, but now he was cutting Stella some slack. Lillian felt a chill. How much did he know? Or had he known the truth from the start? If Daniel was serious, there wasn't anything his men couldn't find out. Julia was in danger!

She quickly thought of a plan, clutched her dislocated arm, and approached. "Sergeant Hayes, this is just a misunderstanding. Surely there's no need to go to the Dispute Resolution Office?"

Hayes wished it were a misunderstanding, but with orders from the mayor, he had to ensure not a hair on Stella's head was harmed. With such a public incident involving the mayor's family affairs, it wasn't his place to decide the outcome; he had to wait for further instructions.

He softened his tone seeing the mother and daughter both injured, especially Julia, who likely had her beauty marred. "Take Mrs. Gu and Miss Chen to the hospital to have their wounds treated first," he ordered his soldiers.

As for Stella and Jasper, they needed to gather the witnesses. Hayes followed them to the parking lot in front of the base's main gate. When he saw the trunk full of battered suspects, he couldn't help but twitch his lips. Tsk tsk, she was a tough one. The suspect was beaten to a pulp, miraculously still alive despite losing so much blood.

He waved his hand, directing the suspects to be taken to the Dispute Resolution Office. Without the need for an interview, the witnesses, scared senseless by Stella's ferocity, confessed everything clearly. They pleaded for the Kindle Society to punish them, not Stella, the devil incarnate!