Chapter 161: The Door Made of Gold
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Fors's culinary skills exceeded Hobert's expectations by far. At least her pan-fried yellow croaker was tender and fresh, comparable to the level of chefs in Hobert's household.
The only drawback was the bread, which didn't quite complement the dish. Rice or biscuits would have enhanced the flavors.
Nevertheless, Hobert still ate until he was satisfied.
After dinner, they chatted for a while and confirmed their respective night shifts. Fors would take the first shift from 8 PM to midnight. Hobert would take the second shift from midnight to 3 AM, and Xio would cover from 3 AM to 6 AM.
At 6 AM, Fors would wake up to prepare breakfast, while Xio could get some more rest.
Back in his room before 8 PM, Hobert lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, mentally simulating his defense strategy for the upcoming court hearing.
At 9 PM, just as Hobert was about to try falling asleep, he suddenly heard Fors blow a whistle in the second-floor hallway!
Hobert jumped up, grabbed his cane and "Psychological Spoon," and rushed out.
As he ran, he wondered why his intuition hadn't sensed any danger beforehand.
Outside his bedroom door, Hobert saw Fors fighting two thugs in their pajamas. Xio also came out, and the three easily subdued the two thugs with just a few punches and kicks.
Hobert prodded one of the thugs with his cane, demanding, "Who sent you?"
The thug twitched on the ground. Hobert realized something was wrong and quickly turned him over, but the thug was already foaming at the mouth, dead.
Checking the other thug revealed the same outcome—dead!
The three exchanged looks. They hadn't intended to kill them.
Xio scratched his head. "They were too fragile."
Fors asked, "Did the Feynapotter Embassy send these two to kill us? If they meant to show contempt for us, they've succeeded."
Hobert stood up. "Perhaps... Perhaps they were sent by Arnold?"
Fors nodded. "That's very likely. He doesn't know we are Beyonders; he probably just thinks we're three young people. Hence, he sent such low-quality thugs to scare us."
Xio asked, "What do we do now? Cover up the bodies or call the police?"
"Call the police," Hobert smiled. "After all..."
He suddenly paused. "Wait, we can't call the police! These bastards are quite cunning!"
Before Fors and Xio could grasp his meaning, they heard someone downstairs shouting, "Police of Loen, open up!"
As they shouted, they pounded on the door.
Hobert said to Fors and Xio, "Buy me half a minute; pretend nothing happened."
Without waiting for their response, he grabbed each body and carried them back to his room.
Fors and Xio waited a few more seconds until the person outside threatened to break down the door. Fors then said, "Who's there? Who's knocking at this late hour?"
"Loen police! Open up! Someone reported hearing a fight in your house."
Fors and Xio immediately realized something was wrong—the Loen police had arrived too quickly!
Fors descended the stairs calmly. "You've got it wrong. There was a fight in the neighboring room."
"Break the door! Break the door!"
Bang!
The wooden door couldn't withstand a single hit and was immediately broken down by five Loen police officers who stormed in.
Fors calmly said, "I will sue you for illegal entry into a private residence!"
The officer in front said, "We are conducting official duties!"
Xio added, "My arbiter says you're trespassing!"
The petite Xio suddenly seemed taller and more authoritative to the Loen police officers, who hesitated and took two steps back.
"Arbiter's decision is invalid!" A middle-aged man in a trench coat and hat entered, "You have no authority to arbitrate the actions of law enforcement officers!"
The Loen police officers immediately felt the mental pressure dissipate.
Xio frowned. This middle-aged man seemed to be an "arbiter" too.
The middle-aged man smiled, "You can call me Chief Rottor. The two who entered your home just now were likely two criminals, and we must arrest them immediately to ensure your safety."
Then he turned to his subordinates, "Search!"
"Wait," Xio asked, "Do you have a search warrant?"
Chief Rottor said, "This is just a routine search, no warrant is required."
"Is it necessary to search an inspector's home without a warrant?" Hobert asked coldly as he descended the stairs.
Fors and Xio breathed a sigh of relief and made way for Hobert to come down.
Chief Rottor smiled, "Perhaps a superintendent lived here before, but now it's just an ordinary house."
Hobert calmly took out his credentials.
Chief Rottor was a bit dumbfounded. Why hadn't anyone told him that today's target was an inspector? Wasn't he a lawyer? How could a lawyer have an inspector's credentials?
He carefully examined the credentials, confirmed they were not forged, and reluctantly said, "Chief Hobert, for your safety, we must still search for those two thugs."
"Alright, I'll let you search," Hobert smiled.
His easy acceptance surprised Chief Rottor.
"But you barged into my home so rudely. If you find nothing, you owe me an explanation, right?"
Chief Rottor asked, "What are your demands?"
Hobert pointed to the doorway, "Compensate for my door! 100 pounds!"
"No problem!" Chief Rottor thought: A door made of gold? Worth a hundred pounds?
He knew Hobert was extorting them, but he dared not say anything now. He could only bring out more than 70 pounds from his wallet, collect a bit more from his subordinates, and finally write an IOU for 12 pounds. Only then did Hobert let them leave.
[T/N: The purchasing power of 1 pound is $132. He owes $13.2k for a door]