“I can’t explain the specific circumstances, but someone found her lying in a pool of blood, with the mirror in front of her covered in blood, and passersby claimed to have seen you as the last person to leave Madam Lillian’s store.
Good Mrs. Kirk must be careful of those lackeys who get excited by the smell of blood."
Old Duncan said with a look of fear in his eyes.
Hermann was puzzled and asked,
"If you dislike these police officers so much, why are you wearing a police uniform?"
“In memory of my short-lived little Duncan.
When I was young and ignorant, I joined them, but was ostracized by them. They looked down on me as a person at the bottom of society.
I also look down on my poor child whom I raised alone.
He was bullied, humiliated and tortured in the team.
In the last letter he sent me, the lovely porcelain doll left me a message that broke my heart: I miss home, Dad.
Old Duncan was crying as he told the story of his deceased child, Little Duncan.
I don’t know if those tears were caused by the pain on my face or because I missed my dead child too much.
Herman listened to old Duncan's story, but couldn't quite understand what he said.
Hermann leaned back on the sofa and asked,
"Old Mr. Duncan, since you said the police here are so bad, why is Milan's crime rate almost the lowest in Ouzhou?"
Old Duncan raised his head with a sad expression on his face.
"That's because almost all criminals were executed in secret."
Kirk was so frightened after hearing this that he dared not speak. He took two deep breaths and asked,
"Really? If I had reported you yesterday, wouldn't you have..."
Old Duncan shook his head.
“Those lunatics would only do this when the interests of local people are harmed.
If you attack a stranger, you will only be beaten severely.
That night, after drinking, I was blocked by the two police officers in an alley and beaten by them.
They were fighting happily when they were stopped by another police officer who suddenly arrived at the scene. The blood blurred my vision so I couldn't see his face clearly, but from the voice I guessed it should be Wesker, the squad leader of the Planck Police Station.
I heard them mention Madam Lillian, suicide, and the words Stranger Kirk, and I came here to warn you."
"Mr. Duncan, if the risk of committing a crime is so high, why would you risk your life to do something like this?"
Hermann asked.
“For a living.”
Old Duncan said with a vicissitudes of life.
"The relief money sent down every month is not much to begin with, and the unscrupulous tax authorities impose additional taxes on top of that. Add to that some water bills, protection fees from the gangs, etc., and the remaining francs are simply not enough for those of us at the bottom of society to live on.
Sir, you look like someone who has received higher education, right
How can you understand the pain of having no education and having to struggle at the bottom of society?"
Old Duncan sighed, feeling helpless in the face of reality.
“But I believe I can find a job with my own hands. There’s no need to do this, right
You could learn a trade, whether it's baking, hairdressing, or building houses?"
Kirk said simply.
"Mrs. Kirk, you don't know that Milan is different from other cities.
The jobs you mentioned all have entry barriers.
For these jobs, one needs to study for three years at the Milan Vocational College and graduate to obtain the corresponding apprenticeship qualification. After the apprenticeship, one must participate in the qualification assessment of the city hall and pass it before being employed.
Yes, building a house and moving bricks is hard work, and anyone can do it.
But where will the costs of high tuition fees and qualification assessments come from
In this cannibalistic city, the poor will only get poorer, and the rich will only get richer.
If a poor person wants to rise above poverty, he can only live a life of poverty and hunger unless he becomes the adopted son of a rich family or is favored by a nobleman. "
Old Duncan explained.
"But why do the people on the street look so happy? Although there are few of them, I see that they are all smiling. According to what you said, there should be a lot of people with sad faces, right?"
Kirk asked.
"The area you two are living in now is a wealthy area, so naturally you see wealthy people who live a life of luxury.
If you two go to the wilderness outside the city, you will see hell on earth."
Old Duncan shook his head, as if he didn't want to describe where the poor lived, but Herman and Kirk roughly guessed what a terrible living environment it was.
The couple looked at each other, and then Herman stood up, poured a glass of water and handed it to old Duncan, and asked,
"According to what you said, my wife Kirk is in big trouble now. How should we deal with it?"
Old Duncan said with embarrassment and difficulty,
"If I were you, I would run away.
By the way, sir, I don't know how to address you yet, and I apologize for bumping into you earlier."
"Herman Einstar, since old Mr. Duncan means well, I don't mind your offense."
Hermann waved his hand and continued to ask,
"What if money can pave the way? I don't want my wife to be bullied by anyone."
Old Duncan thought for a while and answered uncertainly,
"I don't know, Mr. Hermann.
But your status as outsiders will cause big trouble, big, big trouble.
Most of Milan's people joined an organization called the Interstellar Wisdom Order, and those police officers were relatively inner members.
The emblem you see on our chests is the mark given to us by the Interstellar Wisdom Order.
The people in this sect are very xenophobic, but for the sake of the city's economy, they have to pretend to be smiling."
Hermann thought for a moment after hearing this.
"I have heard a little bit about the sect you mentioned, but I remember that it was a charity organization that originated in the country of Xian?"
“Yes, but it has now penetrated into Milan.
Those insiders were all superstitious, believing that a certain god was about to come.
They firmly believe that their beliefs are correct and that the god will bless them.
They pretend to be polite and knowledgeable, but they are rotten inside.
So, I'm not sure whether your money, Mr. Herman, can save Mrs. Kirk from what might happen next."
Old Lincoln revealed the inside story of this mysterious organization. Although it was just some superficial information, it was enough for the couple to realize what a serious situation they were in.
There was a brief silence. Herman thought about the information provided by Old Duncan and suddenly asked,
"Thank you for your tip, Mr. Duncan, but why don't you want to go to the hospital?"
“A poor person like me cannot afford the related medical expenses.
And to be honest, I have a criminal record. If I were to encounter some kind of medical accident, I would probably lose my life.”
Old Duncan deliberately emphasized the words "medical accident". Apparently, there might be some unknown secrets in the hospital in Milan as well.
"Well, I have some ointment for treating external injuries. I hope it can help you."
Kirk took out a small jar from his luggage. He didn't know if it was a joke of fate, but this bottle of ointment for treating external injuries was bought by Veronica from Mrs. Michelle's pharmacy.
Thoughtful Veronica took into account various situations, including minor accidents such as bumps and bruises, so she prepared this trauma ointment and some cotton, bandages and other medical supplies in the luggage.
Seeing this, Herman simply handed over the entire small medical bag. Old Duncan took it, treated his own injuries, put down the bag, stood up and said goodbye.
Herman stepped forward and opened the door for old Duncan.
Before leaving, Old Duncan turned around and said,
"Mrs. Kirk, you are a good person and you shouldn't get involved in such troublesome things.
Good luck and take care. ”
Kirk felt warm in his heart when he heard this.
"Thank you, old Duncan, and take care of yourself too."
Old Duncan walked out of the door slowly. His back looked majestic, but still a little weathered.
Hermann said loudly,
"Old Mr. Duncan, please wait a moment."
Old Duncan stopped and looked back in confusion.
Herman stuffed the previous medical bag into old Duncan's hand. He had secretly put some enamel in the bag.
Although fifty francs was not a lot, it was enough for old Duncan to live a carefree life for a week, and at least ensured that he had white bread and thick soup every day.
Kirk saw this and felt proud of Herman's behavior.
This man never lets her down, not in the past nor now.
Old Duncan took the medical kit without any pretense, waved his hand, and walked down the stairs of the hotel.
It was already past six o'clock when Old Duncan walked out onto the street.
The sky began to brighten. Old Duncan looked at the horizon far away from the street. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon.
The warm sunlight shone on old Duncan's face, as if wiping away the pain on his face.
Old Duncan shook the medical bag in his hand. As a veteran, he naturally understood what Herman meant, but he did not expose it.
Is this a rich man's mercy
no.
This is a return of kindness.
Old Duncan said to himself in his heart,
"If this money is used properly, it may be enough for six-year-old Harry next door to pay for school tuition."
Old Duncan's bruised face smiled, and his smile was as warm as the sunshine.
At this moment, a hand was placed on old Duncan's shoulder.
"Hey, I found you."
——
Hermann closed the door and took his pipe out of his coat pocket which was hanging in the cupboard.
Seeing this, Kirk fetched tobacco and matches.
After lighting a match, Hermann sat down on the edge of the bed and said softly,
"Dear, I won't question you about what happened, but I will do my best to support you."
After Hermann finished speaking, he took a puff of his cigarette, and the confusion in his heart was exhaled from his mouth along with the puff of smoke.
Kirk looked at Herman's profile and explained helplessly,
“I was just going shopping and didn’t expect to get into trouble.
sorry."
Hermann shook his head.
"No need to apologize, I'll take care of this matter. Just take good care of Albert."
"Yeah, I see."
Kirk lay in Herman's arms and felt the heartbeat of this reliable man.
Little Albert turned over at this time and mumbled something in his sleep.
The little face is pink and as cute as a porcelain doll.
Albert held tightly in his hand the compass given by Elphis.
Apart from the scratches left by the fall, the compass returned to normal.
"Bang Bind"
"Are you up?"
Eugene's voice came from the other side of the door, and Hermann answered after hearing it.
"Get up, brother. You're here just in time. I have something to talk to you about."
After opening the door, Hermann invited Eugene to sit in the inner room.
"Oh, if you have something to say, just say it now. Today's schedule is very full. I have to visit Mr. York at the City Hall at 8 o'clock, and I have lunch with Mr. Hawkins from the Water Bureau at noon."
Eugene spread his hands and said helplessly.
“No, none of this matters anymore.
We’re in trouble.”
Hermann said seriously.
"Oh? What's the matter? For me, as long as I can eat enough sugar every day, it's not a problem."
Eugene said with a playful smile.
Herman rolled his eyes and told Eugene what had just happened.
As Eugene listened, his expression became stiffer and he seemed a little embarrassed.
Eugene deliberately lowered his voice to a level that Kirk couldn't hear, leaned over to Herman's ear and said,
“Do you know that this will affect our business?”
Hermann nodded slightly.
"But I can't give up my wife for business."
Eugene made a helpless expression after hearing this.
“Of course I’m not asking you to give up your brother and sister-in-law, but I’m saying that this will bring obstacles to our business.
No one wants to do business with the family of a murder suspect, you know
We need evidence, lots of evidence, to prove that my brother-in-law is not a criminal suspect."
Hermann thought for a while.
"I see. Kirk, come here for a moment."
At the same time, Hermann grabbed the blank note on the coffee table and took out a pen.
After hearing this, Kirk stood up and sat next to Herman.
From her sitting posture, it can be seen that she is a little unnatural at this moment.
Eugene took a candy from his pocket and handed it to Kirk.
"Eat some candy. The sweetness of the candy will make you feel happy and relaxed."
Kirk smiled awkwardly, took the candy and put it in his mouth.
"Relax, we are not those police officers.
If you can't get past us, wouldn't you be scared to death when facing those fierce police officers? "
Eugene deliberately made an exaggerated face, which made Kirk relax a lot.
Seeing that the atmosphere at the scene had eased a little, Herman asked,
“Honey, I need every detail.
I want all the information about what you did yesterday, where you were, who were there and other witnesses.
With these things, you can provide an alibi to prove your innocence.
Do you understand? "
Kirk nodded to show that he understood, and then told her all the details she could remember, including the peculiarly shaped dagger.
Herman wrote down a number of key points on paper and organized them into a timetable behind another note.
"See if there's anything I missed. If there is, I'll add it."
Herman handed the note to Kirk, who glanced at it and shook his head.
“Nothing is missing.”
Herman handed the note to Eugene, who glanced at it and seemed a little hesitant.
"Is this old Duncan the one who is here to give you a heads-up?"
Herman and Kirk nodded and asked in unison,
"Any questions?"
"If those police officers were as bad as he said, then wouldn't he, the only eyewitness, be..."