Hulk : The Thunderstrike

Ethan never expected Antonia's move.

God, this is the trick to catching thieves!

Ethan almost cursed under his breath, but when he thought about it, he bit his tongue. Antonia had, after all, caught the thief. The fact that as soon as Ethan asked the question, Antonia quickly apprehended the thief and had him confess was something Ethan had to admit, even if he didn't quite believe it.

At the moment, Antonia released the thief, a young man named Tom, who then handed over a stolen watch, confirming that Antonia hadn't just "bumped into a trick" but had indeed caught the criminal in action.

"What a thief!" one of the onlookers muttered.

"Damn it! I saw him acting suspiciously at the breakfast shop earlier!" another person added.

"I thought it was some kind of gang vendetta, but this big officer... he's too good!" someone else remarked.

Antonia smirked, seemingly unbothered by the attention. The crowd grew louder, and Tom, who had been crying earlier, stopped in his tracks, trying to gather his wits.

At that moment, a woman in her twenties pushed her way through the crowd. She stepped forward, staring in disbelief at the watch.

"God, this watch is mine!" she said, her voice trembling. "I was just wearing it! How did it get stolen without me even realizing?"

Antonia and Ethan smiled but remained silent.

Meanwhile, Tom, who had been sobbing uncontrollably moments before, stood frozen. His tears had stopped flowing as he looked at the woman and then at Antonia. His knees felt weak.

"You think you can steal and get away with it?" he thought bitterly. If it wasn't for Antonia's intervention, he would've never been caught.

After a few exchanges, it was confirmed that the watch belonged to the woman, who thanked Antonia and Ethan before agreeing to go through the necessary legal steps to reclaim it. The onlookers, now fully aware of the situation, clapped in appreciation.

Ethan, seeing that the crowd had dispersed under his persuasion, glanced at Antonia. "Call the command center and have someone come to take him away," he said, ready to move on.

Antonia, however, scoffed as he observed Tom's pitiful expression. "You're a fool to steal something so valuable. You're looking at more than three years but less than ten behind bars."

Tom, now realizing the severity of his situation, fell to his knees. His voice trembled as he begged, "Big brother, please, don't send me to prison. I didn't know the watch was so expensive! If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to steal it!"

Antonia shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You're an adult. You're going to face the consequences."

As Ethan moved to contact the command center, Tom grew desperate. "Please, please don't do this! I'll do anything! I'll tell you everything! I know about a criminal gang!"

Both Antonia and Ethan exchanged skeptical glances. This wasn't the first time a thief had offered information to reduce their sentence, but Antonia wasn't one to fall for false promises easily.

Tom, sensing his last chance, continued. "I discovered a gang's hideout while I was selling some stolen goods! There are a lot of them—dangerous, and they're always carrying weapons. I swear it's true!"

Antonia studied Tom closely. He could see the fear in the man's eyes, but he also noticed something was off. The so-called criminal hideout seemed like the last-ditch attempt of a criminal who had realized his fate was sealed.

However, Antonia wasn't about to dismiss the possibility outright. He leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not lying."

Tom closed his eyes, shaking his head as if trying to block out the intensity of Antonia's gaze. When he opened them again, he spoke without hesitation. "I swear, I'm telling the truth! I've seen them, I've heard them talk about a child they've kidnapped!"

Antonia's expression grew serious. "A child?" he repeated, trying to digest the information.

Tom nodded rapidly, his voice nearly breaking as he continued. "Yes, I saw them the other day, by Shake Street. They were handling a child, and there was something off about it... I think they're part of a trafficking ring. They were talking about moving the child soon."

Ethan and Antonia exchanged a glance. The seriousness of the situation was no longer lost on them. A trafficking ring was operating right under their noses, and this was their first real lead.

Antonia's mind raced. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. He grabbed Tom by the collar and lifted him off the ground with ease. "You better not be lying. If you're wasting our time, you'll regret it."

Tom's face went pale, but he quickly nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I swear! Please, I'm not lying! I'll show you where it is!"

With a final glance at Ethan, Antonia motioned for him to stay close. They would need to move quickly. The longer they waited, the more chance the criminals had to cover their tracks or escape.

As they prepared to leave, the woman whose watch had been stolen came up to Antonia. "Thank you again," she said sincerely. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

Antonia smiled, but his thoughts were elsewhere. "Just doing my job," he replied, his mind focused on the child Tom had mentioned.

They moved quickly, following Tom through the streets, with Ethan on high alert. They passed through several alleyways, their pace quickening. Eventually, they arrived at an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a place that seemed too quiet for comfort.

Tom hesitated at the door, clearly nervous. "This is it," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I didn't go inside, but I've seen them bring people in and out."

Antonia exchanged a quick look with Ethan. They knew they had to act fast. Antonia nodded, signaling for Ethan to cover the back while he approached the front.

"Ready?" Antonia asked, his hand resting on the door handle.

"Let's go," Ethan replied, his tone serious.

With one swift motion, Antonia kicked the door open. Inside, a small group of men were caught off guard, clearly not expecting any visitors.

"Hands up!" Antonia shouted, his voice commanding.

The men froze, realizing they were caught. Tom, standing behind Antonia, looked relieved but still terrified. He had given up his chance at freedom, but in doing so, he had helped bring down a criminal operation that had been plaguing the city for far too long.

After a tense few moments, backup arrived, and the criminals were taken into custody. The child, terrified but unharmed, was found in a corner of the warehouse, and quickly rescued.

Later, back at the station, Antonia, Ethan, and the rest of the team were praised for their swift action. But Antonia didn't feel the rush of pride that some might. Instead, his mind was focused on the case ahead—there was still so much to uncover.

As Rex, the station director, congratulated them, Antonia's thoughts wandered back to the traffickers. They had only just begun to scratch the surface.

"This isn't over," Antonia muttered under his breath.

Ethan, hearing the determination in his voice, nodded. "We'll get them all. One step at a time."

The investigation was far from over, but for the first time in days, Antonia felt a flicker of hope.

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