Murim Recurve

The Inspector and Saadhav walked through a narrow route as they seemed familiar with the place. The roads were barely three metres in breadth while narrow shops littered both sides of the street.

A variety of items were displayed in the shops that seemed to sell anything and everything. They were mostly electronics, the items in each shop seemed to be similar to the stuff sold in the other shops. The only difference was in the size of the shops and the number of people in them.

Most of the shops were just being opened as there wasn't much traffic in the area. Still, people were pacing about on the roads, familiar with the area as they conversed with the shopkeepers. It was mostly electronics that were sold in these shops, followed by the parts that were put in a variety of electricals and electronics.

Re'Kha looked at the backs of the two police that disappeared from her line of sight as they took a turn to the right. The path there seemed even narrower, barely a metre in breadth. But, neither the Inspector nor the constable Saadhav seemed to be scared.

It seemed they had experience dealing with the people hidden in the area that did illegal activities. With a single sweep of the place, Re'Kha obtained a lot of information that resounded in her mind, making her realise that this was the best area for anyone part of an illegal business to be situated at. 

After all, the shops here dealt with electronics. They weren't normal showrooms but ones that sold both branded and Chinese knock-offs. They also catered to all orders, such as repairing electronic gadgets, making custom ones based on orders, etc.

Re'Kha looked around, noticing that the police jeep was situated in a place that was in a slightly open area. It was located in a junction, so the road was wider here. She noticed how the expressions of the people moving about in the area were no different to the ones she encountered in her daily life—as the character of the lady in her thirties.

They were all busy and seemed pressed for time. Re'Kha trailed past the faces of everyone, asking Damodar, "Will there be any trouble with a direct confrontation?"

"Heh," Damodar snorted, "There are a lot of low-lives hidden among places like these. They use the traffic in these parts to hide away from the police. And, even if we nab them, their gangs make use of the loopholes in the laws to free them soon. Our only choice is to beat the shit out of them when they are in our custody in hopes the pain makes them find something better to do in life. But, they are worse than bulls. They have neither shame nor any values."

…

The Inspector remained in his frown as his stoic face scanned past the crowd that brushed past him. Saadhav trailed right behind him, ready to nab anyone the inspector pointed at. They then arrived before a path that went into a building.

The path was barely a metre and trailed between two two-storey buildings. It acted as a corridor and branched into two rooms on the right. Both the rooms were also shops, selling goods. It was unknown why they operated in a narrow place where most of the customers would refrain from entering, but since they remained operating, either the place was theirs or they obtained enough customers to pay rent.

The Inspector walked through the narrow path as he saw the figure of a young man who had crouched low to open the lock that had been clamped at the bottom of the shutter. Hearing the sounds of footsteps, the man slightly turned his head while remaining in his crouched posture, gazing at the face of the Inspector.

Without a second's hesitation, he sprang forth and headed towards the wall at the back, intending to jump over it. He had just made a jump and grabbed hold of the top of the wall when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged him with force.

The force of the pull tore his shirt. But before he planned to slip by, the Inspector grabbed hold of his pant and pulled him, sending him reeling to the ground. The man instinctively shielded his body with his hands as the Inspector rained down kicks on him.

The constable Saadhav too joined in on the attack as the two beat up the man for a minute before propping him up. The Inspector slammed the man on the wall and spoke, "Hari and Giri, where are they now? The items they gave you today, return them to me."

"Y-Yes…" The man gasped for breath as he kneeled on the floor, coughing intermittently as he struggled to get up. He then slowly walked towards the shutter, planning to open it as he grabbed its lock. His eyes darted stealthily as his body suddenly jerked and leaped through a gap between the constable's legs and the wall, quickly springing back to his feet as he sprinted with strength that he hadn't displayed before.

The constable Saadhav acted in a fluster while the Inspector didn't react, shouting, "I have the keys."

He then dangled the keys in the air, causing them to make a clanging sound. The man didn't stop, unwilling to fall for such a claim as his body continued to run. Just when he was about to arrive at the road, his hands shot to his pant, feeling around to notice that he had indeed missed his keys.

He turned around, watching the constable Saadhav pounce on him as he was dragged back to the shop. The Inspector gave Saadhav the keys, motioning for him to open the shutter while he sent a slap to the man, causing his eyes to turn red.

The slap did more damage to him than the earlier beating. After all, accompanying the crisp sound of the palm meeting his cheek was a wave of humiliation that was capable of penetrating even through his thick skin.

The constable opened the shutters and revealed a mobile repair shop that was no different than others. But, the Inspector's eyes turned venomous as he looked at the items in the shop.