Chapter 26: Hank, Release the Hounds
Clink, clink…
The chains clattered as the back door of the Arbitration Hall was pushed open. Su Xiao was escorted inside by several guards in black armor, their faces hidden from view.
The shackles were unlocked. Su Xiao took his seat in the "special section," and with a click, the iron bars around him were locked tight.
Su Xiao's gaze swept the surroundings. Just a few hours ago, he had already discussed with Harold how today's arbitration would proceed.
To his left was Councilor Jones. Judging by the redness in the man's eyes, the situation was close to what Harold had described—loud thunder, little rain. He wouldn't go all out over Sir Eddie's death.
As for Councilor Leopold on the right, that fellow was troublesome. He often liked to use roundabout strategies to corner his opponents to death.
Of course, Su Xiao didn't fully trust Monarch Harold either. As a safety measure, he had Bubu Wang place an Apollo inside the Parliament building. If things went sideways, no one present would have a good outcome.
Dealing with an old schemer like Harold, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't take him at his word. While he might not match Harold in cunning, he had physical solutions.
The constraints of imperial power? The status of Vice Legion Commander? To Su Xiao, these were merely means and channels to complete his promotion mission. He had thought long and hard before killing Sir Eddie. Eden Manor had to be eliminated; otherwise, it could become a stronghold for the Ghost Ring in times of crisis.
Add in those bribed councilors, and the situation could develop to the point where Su Xiao knew there were Ghost Ring specters in Eden Manor, yet he'd have to go through tedious procedures to search it. Unless he wanted to oppose the entire imperial power structure, he could only watch the specters hide inside Eden Manor. So he struck first.
"Kukulin Bai Ye, do you admit to using a firearm to murder Joshua Eddie while dining at Eden Manor?"
Harold put down the documents in his hand and took a sip of tea.
Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged, but he could tell from Harold's actions that things had deviated from the plan.
"I do not admit it."
"Preposterous!"
Councilor Jones roared, his agitated expression suggesting he wanted to hurl the teacup from the table.
"Oh? Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that you shot and killed Joshua Eddie. Do you admit to this?"
"I admit it."
Su Xiao's fingers lightly tapped the wooden table, signaling that he understood Harold's meaning.
"In other words, you admit to shooting Joshua Eddie, but you do not admit to murdering Joshua Eddie."
"Correct."
As Su Xiao spoke, he stood up. It was time to put on a performance.
"Your Majesty, what I am about to say concerns the secrets of the specters."
"Hmm. Non-essential personnel, leave the room."
As Harold finished speaking, several guards entered the Arbitration Hall and escorted most of the audience out. They only needed to hear the first part; the rest involved political matters.
After the non-essential personnel left, both Councilor Jones and Councilor Leopold looked at Su Xiao as the arbitration continued.
"First, I received reliable intelligence at 9 a.m. this morning that Joshua Eddie was harboring a female specter on his estate. This intelligence came from the Seventh Unit and had a high accuracy rate.
Around noon, my subordinates and I arrived at Eden Manor. At 12:15 p.m., I dined with Joshua Eddie. After questioning him about specter-related matters, Joshua Eddie suddenly threw a dinner knife and stood up, attempting to attack me. According to Imperial Law, Chapter Five, Article 356, if a special armed unit is attacked and the situation is urgent, the attacker may be shot on the spot."
Su Xiao paused here. Old Hank immediately stood up and handed a sealed dinner knife to the guards. In reality, Sir Eddie had indeed thrown the knife, but only onto the dining table—a sign of anger. If not for that, Su Xiao wouldn't have fired those two shots so decisively.
"At that time, I was inside Eden Manor. There were at least twenty or more gunmen outside the room, and specters could appear at any moment. After I shot Joshua Eddie, I was attacked by the gunmen."
As Su Xiao finished speaking, Garth from the audience tore open his clothes and ripped off the bandages on his chest. Clear gunshot wounds could be seen on his chest—though this alone wasn't enough to serve as evidence.
"Considering the situation at the time, I believe my decision was correct. Of course, after shooting Joshua Eddie, I did my utmost to minimize casualties among the servants and Joshua's family members inside Eden Manor. As for the gunmen attacking us, they had to be eliminated on the spot."
Su Xiao didn't continue, as it was now Harold's turn.
"So, you were carrying out your official duties normally? But… how can you specifically prove that Joshua Eddie was attacking you?"
"I cannot prove it. That was my personal judgment."
"Personal judgment."
Harold frowned. The two councilors remained silent, waiting for Harold's final verdict.
"Although it cannot be determined that you murdered Joshua Eddie, his death is a fact, and it occurred due to your personal judgment…"
After a moment of silence, Harold picked up the seal on the table and stamped it onto a document with a bang.
"Verdict: Remove Kukulin Bai Ye from his position as Vice Legion Commander of the Execution Agency and sentence him to two years of hard labor at the Bora Mine."
With that, Harold stood up and walked out of the Arbitration Hall. Su Xiao was also escorted out. As soon as he stepped outside, his shackles were unlocked, as the verdict document clearly stated that the sentence would take effect in five days.
Garth and the other two walked out of the Arbitration Hall and quickly caught up to Su Xiao.
"Sir, we…"
Garth looked anxious, clearly dissatisfied with the verdict.
Su Xiao, walking slowly, spoke in a low voice: "Hank, how many specters are left in the headquarters' backyard?"
"Six."
"Release them."
"Huh?"
Hank was a bit confused, but also excited.
"Release them near the residences of Councilor Leopold and Councilor Jones."
"Understood, sir."
Hank quickly left. He had good judgment and understood Su Xiao's intent. Those specters only needed to be let out to scare people, and the job had to be clean, leaving no traces.
"Reinhardt, continue watching Eden Manor. I have a feeling there's something else there. The smell is too strange."
"Yes, sir."
"Garth, go visit Lady Nancy. Tell her tonight will be lively. Say nothing else."
"Understood, sir."
The three quickly left the Parliament building. Su Xiao glanced at Bonnie.
"If you dare run off with the money, I'll hang you from a tree and whip you."
"Where's the basic trust between people?"
Bonnie stomped her foot in frustration and quickly walked away. She also had a secret mission.
"Mr. Kukulin, you are not free to move about yet."
A guard who had been keeping a certain distance approached.
"Will I be spending the night in a cell?"
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. Things weren't going smoothly, but they were within control. Clearly, before he entered the Arbitration Hall, those two councilors had already received their benefits—no need to guess, it was the red mine operation rights. That's why they barely spoke after Su Xiao arrived. As for seeking justice for Sir Eddie? Don't be ridiculous. Councilors were politicians. Expecting them to have loyalty and sentiment was less believable than a female specter being beautiful.
"You jest, sir. A lounge has been prepared for you."
Half an hour later, in a small building behind the Parliament building, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on a single bed, deeply engrossed in a game.
…
At ten o'clock that night, in a room on the fifth floor of the Parliament building, Harold draped in an overcoat, looked tired, as if he had just been woken up.
"Your Majesty, I, I…"
Councilor Jones sat on a semicircular sofa, sniffling and crying. His hair was disheveled, and his cane was nowhere to be found.
"I thought I'd never see you again, Your Majesty. I was almost eaten by a specter. Th-that monster's mouth was this big, and it suddenly burst into my bedroom."
Councilor Jones cried even harder. Harold, who had been about to yawn, cleared his throat instead. He truly hadn't expected Su Xiao to release specters.
"Jones, you've suffered. I'll handle this first thing tomorrow morning. The Execution Agency is getting more and more out of line. Kukulin…"
Harold sighed.
"Kukulin has already gone to move rocks. A new Vice Legion Commander will be chosen soon. Today was just an accident. Since you weren't injured, Jones, consider yourself lucky. I'll send Awakened ones to your estate."
"No, that won't do, Your Majesty."
Councilor Jones couldn't possibly let Awakened ones into his estate—they were all Su Xiao's people.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came at the door, and Councilor Leopold entered. He was trembling with rage. At nine o'clock tonight, the still-vigorous old man had been about to enjoy the company of a new maid. But who would have thought—just as he had his pants off, that thing suddenly turned into a specter. Fortunately, it only let out a screech.
It was a female specter with shape-shifting abilities. Because of its unique skill, Old Hank hadn't been willing to eat it.
"This is too absurd, Your Majesty. I want to…"
Leopold was about to denounce the specter's outrageous behavior when he suddenly noticed Jones was also there, practically clinging to Harold's leg and crying.
The three in the room fell into silence.
"Your Majesty… perhaps let Kukulin continue as Vice Legion Commander for a while longer? After all, he has served the empire for so many years. No one is without fault. So I beg you, Your Majesty."
Councilor Jones made the proposal. In truth, he wished he could send Su Xiao to the gallows. But he didn't want to fight to the death with a madman who dared release specters. The older one got, the more afraid of death one became.
"This…" Harold looked "troubled." After deliberating for a moment, he said, "Perhaps we should observe for a while longer."
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to vouch for Vice Legion Commander Kukulin. Moreover, given his past contributions to the empire, he deserves the position of Legion Commander."
Councilor Leopold also spoke up.
"You two may leave now."
Harold waved his hand. As Jones and Leopold walked out of the room, they exchanged a knowing glance. The red mine business: Leopold got sixty percent, Jones forty percent. Seventy percent of the total profits went to the empire, with ten percent allocated to the Execution Agency. Red ore could not be sold to officials, nor could prices be drastically lowered to boost sales. Red ore would become a pastime for the royal descendants and nobles.
As for Su Xiao, he was promoted from Vice Legion Commander to Legion Commander, gaining search rights over more than ninety-five percent of the areas in Zul City.
The Joshua family had been holding onto that cake for too many years—they'd even produced half-breeds.
From start to finish, Leopold and Jones had never considered a direct confrontation with Su Xiao. A dead man wasn't worth tearing their relationship apart with Su Xiao. As long as things looked fine on the surface, that was enough. They needed to leave some room. Both sides understood this. For instance, all the released specters had their teeth pulled and claws clipped by Old Hank, were injected with heavy sedatives, and were so weak that even old Councilor Leopold could kick one two meters away with a single foot.
This wasn't a performance by two people, but by four.