Chapter 14: A Leap from Here Ensures Broken Legs!

Chapter 14: A Leap from Here Ensures Broken Legs!

Hastur tiptoed to the back of the main door, crouching and listening intently to the sounds outside.

Tonight's visitors clearly knew the layout of the house well, as they didn't linger on the first floor and quickly moved up to the second.

Hastur faintly heard the footsteps of three people reaching the second floor, then splitting in two directions: one set of footsteps continued up the stairs to the third floor, while the other two cautiously approached the adjacent bedroom.

Fortunately, only three had come—not too many. If he could ambush one and take down another, the remaining person on the third floor would likely be captured as well.

His only fear was that among tonight's visitors there might be someone extraordinary, although the likelihood was low.

Hastur suppressed his breathing, striving to remain calm, gripping the bone knife in his hand, ready for the moment the intruders would push the door open.

"They're not in this bedroom!" came an annoyed voice from next door.

"Could he be absent from the house tonight?"

"Impossible. Our people have been watching this place. We're certain he's here tonight; perhaps he's changed rooms for the night!"

"Search every room carefully. We must find him!"

Just then, two figures emerged from the neighboring bedroom, preparing to investigate the study, when suddenly, a series of orderly footsteps and loud shouts erupted outside, demanding the thief inside to strip down to their underwear, hold their hands above their head, and surrender.

Officers from the West District Police Station arrived in force.

Armed with kerosene lamps and pistols, they entered the house through the shattered glass windows on the first floor.

"Damn it, how did these lazy pigs who only know how to collect their salaries at the police station get here so quickly?"

"Forget how they got here; we need to run now!"

The two men standing at the study door, after a brief discussion, returned to the bedroom they had just left and jumped out the window.

"My window!"

Hastur, who had relaxed quite a bit, ground his teeth in frustration. Installing a whole stained glass window would cost a pretty penny.

He didn't believe the intruders tonight would be able to pay such an amount.

They absolutely couldn't be allowed to escape!

He knew all too well that from the height of the second floor, even with the lawn's cushioning, it would be hard for the two intruders to be killed or crippled from the fall.

"Jumping from here will surely break both legs!"

Hastur used his spiritual power to try and establish a new temporary rule for the location.

As for its effectiveness, he had little confidence.

It was merely a simple attempt.

…

Reed was a police chief at the West District Police Station, a position he had held for ten years, usually dealing with public security cases in the district—mostly brawls and petty thefts.

His days seemed busy but were actually quite relaxed, with few murder cases occurring. He just needed to stay in the station, waiting for the five o'clock church bell to ring before he could go home.

On the rare occasion of an important case, he would be notified to work an overnight shift.

Overall, it was a rather leisurely job, respected and feared by many, with a decent salary. Without overtime, he could earn 2 pounds and 5 shillings a week after taxes, roughly 10 pounds a month, and 120 pounds a year. Although not comparable to bank managers and solicitors, it was far more than what factory workers made.

Tonight, he was supposed to be resting at home, but the station said they needed him to work overtime. With nothing pressing to handle, he was willing to do so, as overtime meant extra pay.

Upon arriving at the station for overtime, Inspector John repeatedly emphasized that he must protect a certain Baron Campbell that night.

If the baron were harmed by criminals, Reed would face not only disciplinary action but also lose his entire year's bonus.

Hearing this, Reed immediately took the matter seriously, extinguishing his cigarette and promptly gathering five experienced officers to head to Baron Campbell's residence.

The night air wasn't too cold, but it was enough to make one shrink their neck and tighten their coat, especially since it was only March.

Around 11:30 p.m., the dim light in the target's second-floor bedroom went out, making the surrounding streets appear even darker.

In theory, for such a protective task, they should have stayed close to the target, but the noble had requested to be observed from the shadows.

Being a noble, they had their demands, and Reed, a mere police chief, naturally complied.

Reed leaned his upper body against the wall in a corner alley, his right knee bent, foot against the wall, as he skillfully pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a few puffs, closed his eyes, and exhaled a ring of smoke, quietly waiting for time to pass.

It wasn't until around 2 a.m. that an officer informed him that three people had stealthily broken a window and slipped into Baron Campbell's home.

Reed took a couple of deep drags from his half-smoked cigarette, coughed, and gestured for the nearby four officers to go in and apprehend the intruders.

He and another older officer stayed outside the large house to prevent the three criminals from escaping.

Without needing to fire a shot, two figures jumped out of the second-floor window one after the other.

The first person clearly had experience; as they were about to land, they curled up and rolled forward, quickly getting up and sprinting in one direction.

The second person who jumped was less fortunate. Perhaps due to a poor landing posture, they let out a miserable scream upon hitting the ground, having broken both legs!

That person could only lie on the lawn, clutching their knees and rolling back and forth in agony.

Reed instructed the other officer to apprehend the individual while he drew his pistol and chased after the first jumper.

After running only about ten meters, the lucky escapee also let out a scream, as if something had struck their legs, causing them to collapse and fall forward in a clumsy position.

"Tsk, what a piece of bad luck."

Reed walked up with a smile, pressing his gun against the unlucky fellow's head, his left hand holding the cigarette, taking a deep drag and exhaling a large smoke ring, slowly saying, "You're under arrest."

Before long, the other four officers also captured the third criminal, bringing the night's work to a successful conclusion.

Reed instructed the four officers to take the three criminals back to the station to await trial and sentencing.

He then knocked on the house's front door. Since he was already there, the necessary procedures had to be followed.

After about five minutes, the door was opened from the inside by a young man with slightly curly blond hair.

Was this Baron Campbell?

So young and already a baron, he was indeed fortunate.

Suppressing the envy in his heart, Reed said, "Baron Campbell, I am the police chief responsible for your protection tonight. You may call me Reed."

"Chief Reed, thank you for your protection tonight. Without you, I might have been in danger."

Reed smiled and replied, "It is I who should thank you, allowing us to easily earn a great merit."

Hastur also smiled, stepping aside to invite Chief Reed in for a talk.

In the grand living room, two magnificent chandeliers were already lit, their bright light far surpassing that of kerosene lamps.

Hastur brewed a cup of Earl Grey tea for Reed, who took a sip, savoring the fragrance swirling in his mouth, even neutralizing the taste of the cigarette he had just smoked.

Reed spoke first, "I apologize for taking up your precious rest time. Regarding this matter, I hope you can provide more details so that I can write a report when I return."

"The matter starts with a con artist named Andrew Wilson…"

Hastur didn't hide anything, explaining the entire cause of the events and how he had inadvertently noticed someone watching him today, prompting him to write letters to the police station and Glaint.

Reed nodded continuously, carefully extracting key information from the conversation.

After about ten minutes, Reed understood the whole process and didn't stay any longer, standing up to take his leave.

As for Hastur, he could continue to sleep well, not needing to go to the station to give a statement, since he was a noble.

After seeing off Chief Reed, Hastur closed the front door, turned off the lights, and went upstairs to his original bedroom, sighing at the sight of the shattered stained glass window.

He had also inquired whether the three intruders from tonight could compensate him for the corresponding loss.

Reed said it should be possible but advised him not to hold out too much hope, as greedy criminals generally couldn't afford to compensate a noble's loss.

In other words, Hastur had to accept his misfortune.

Of course, if they successfully caught Andrew and he had money, the police would prioritize considering compensation for the loss.

Hastur expressed understanding while truly feeling the pain, as there were two broken stained glass windows.

He didn't take the opportunity to ask whether the legs of the two who jumped from the window were broken, as it would be too rash and obvious.

He only needed to inquire with Glaint to find out the specific situation in the police station and learn whether the rule he had temporarily set tonight had any effect.

According to the path of advancement through the Black Emperor's ranks, one should only have the ability to establish and twist rules as an Beyonder when reaching Sequence 7, the Briber.

However, with a Chain of Order hidden in his spine, he might be able to exercise the power to establish rules prematurely.

Hastur pondered for a moment, then put aside his thoughts and glanced at the time, already past three in the morning.

Having stayed awake to remain alert, he now felt somewhat tired after the night's events had concluded.

He picked up the blanket from the bed and moved to a guest room on the right side.

Upon entering the guest room, he aired it out briefly to let the stagnant air flow, and after about ten minutes, Hastur replaced the blanket in the guest room.

Once everything was settled, he lay down, drifting into sleep and entering the Hall of Stars.

The night's affairs were nearly complete, but there was still one last thing to do.

Wielding the Chain of Order, he gave the wishing Genie a good lashing before leaving the Hall of Stars satisfied.

(End of Chapter)