The quiet of the night was completely shattered by the sound of screams.
More lights appeared in the rooms on both sides of the street.
*Whistle!*
A shrill whistle echoed, and two policemen in black uniforms came running from the end of the street.
{.....} clearly saw this, but there was no panic on his face. Like the other onlookers, he naturally withdrew from the window, closed it, and pulled the curtains shut.
Once the curtains completely concealed him, {.....} turned and quickly walked over to the desk in the room.
According to 'Goethe's' memories, there was a wallet and a dagger inside.
The wallet's cash had long been depleted.
The dagger, however, was one of the few things that had given 'Goethe' any sense of security in recent days.
Similarly, it was quite important to {.....}.
Touching the hilt of the dagger, he skillfully picked it up. {.....} deftly twisted his wrist, making the dagger spin around his index finger.
The familiar feeling brought a slight smile to {.....}'s lips.
What's the most important thing in an unfamiliar environment?
Money and weapons.
Of course!
And food!
{.....} casually picked up a donut from the side of the desk, sniffed it, and then stuffed it into his mouth.
It seemed to have been left out for a while; the surface had lost its soft and crispy texture, but it was still pretty sweet.
After stuffing two donuts into his mouth, {.....} chewed and swallowed, licking his fingers as he walked toward the wardrobe—where 'Goethe's' spare clothes and a pair of backup leather shoes were stored.
{.....} quickly dressed, put the wallet in the inner pocket of his coat, skillfully hid the dagger in his sleeve, and then picked up the black trench coat and matching hat from the coat rack by the door, heading straight out.
Dressed in 'Goethe's' clothes, {.....}, who looked exactly like 'Goethe,' fit the attire perfectly.
As he walked down the stairs, {.....} saw one policeman guarding the body while the other ran down the street, blowing his whistle.
It was clear they were calling for backup.
"Stop right there!"
The policeman guarding the body shouted when he saw {.....} coming out. At the same time, he gripped his baton tightly.
Even if it hadn't been confirmed whether it was suicide or homicide, people usually avoided cases where someone had died.
So, {.....}, who had walked out voluntarily, naturally caught the policeman's attention.
Facing the wary policeman, {.....} smiled and raised his hands.
"Don't be nervous."
"I mean no harm."
"I'm turning myself in."
He said.
"Huh?!"
The policeman was stunned, as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I'm turning myself in, officer."
{.....} paused for a moment and then introduced himself in a clear and detailed manner: "I am... Goethe. I killed this man who deceived me. I'm turning myself in!"
That's right!
Goethe!
To survive better in this unfamiliar environment, having a proper identity was essential.
As for the name {.....}?
He buried his real name deep in his heart.
And reminded himself that he was now Goethe.
"What!"
The policeman was shocked but reacted quickly. He immediately drew his revolver and aimed it at Goethe.
"Stay still!"
The policeman shouted as he tossed a pair of handcuffs to Goethe, instructing him to put them on himself.
Throughout the entire process, the gun never wavered from Goethe.
Goethe didn't resist and obediently put on the handcuffs.
Moreover, the entire time, he maintained a polite and smiling demeanor.
Afterward, Goethe was escorted into a carriage.
Inside the carriage were three policemen. In addition to the two who had already been there, sandwiching Goethe between them, there was also a middle-aged policeman who arrived later, sitting across from Goethe, glaring at him with a fierce expression. In the middle-aged policeman's hands were Goethe's wallet and dagger.
And Goethe?
Still smiling.
Because this was exactly the situation he wanted.
Since he had no choice but to become Goethe, he needed to face the troubles that came with being Goethe!
Whether it was the string of incidents involving Goethe's grandfather, parents, uncle, aunt, and cousins within a month, or the revelation of the family's massive debts, or even the so-called 'ritual' that followed, all of these were enough to make the current Goethe vigilant.
If it were only the former, Goethe was confident he could handle it.
It would just take some time.
But the latter?
The mere thought of that glowing 'ritual' heightened Goethe's caution to its peak.
What could be worse than malicious people in a strange environment?
It would be that these malicious people possessed powers unknown to him!
But fortunately, the world in front of him had 'order.' In 'Goethe's' memories, aside from the so-called 'friend' who lent a helping hand at the end, {.....} found no other memories of 'supernatural powers.'
This meant that while there might be a 'hidden world' in this world, it was something ordinary people were unaware of!
Or, to put it another way: while there might be a 'hidden world' in this world, most people were still able to live in peace, which indicated that there must be corresponding entities within the official system, along with a complete set of measures to handle such matters.
Based on this assumption, where was the safest place?
Undoubtedly: the police station!
"In a world with 'mysterious powers,' the police station should also have corresponding powers. Otherwise, the city wouldn't be this 'peaceful.'"
"Even if the police station doesn't have them, there must be an organization maintaining all of this."
"And such an organization must be closely related to the police station."
Goethe silently contemplated.
Then, more and more questions arose in his mind.
Why were 'Goethe' and his family, who were ordinary people, targeted by these 'hidden world' people?
Was it because they inadvertently obtained something important?
Or did they witness something they shouldn't have seen?
Thus getting dragged into this 'hidden world.'
Or was it that so-called 'Bloodline of the Mad King'?
Although Goethe had many doubts, he wasn't overwhelmed. He continued to smile, even when he was led off the carriage and into the interrogation room.
The interrogation room in front of him was small, containing only a black iron chair. The chair was an old-fashioned interrogation chair, with sturdy armrests equipped with restraints for securing a person's hands.
Goethe was still observing when two young, strong policemen forcefully pressed him into the chair and locked his hands to the armrests.
"Stay put!"
The middle-aged policeman ordered.
Then, he instructed the two subordinates.
"Keep an eye on him!"
After that, he strode out of the interrogation room, probably to report to his superiors.
*Bang!*
The door to the interrogation room closed heavily. Goethe glanced at the two policemen watching him closely, then closed his eyes.
He began to think about the interrogation that might follow.
But to Goethe's surprise, less than a minute later, the tightly closed door of the interrogation room opened.
It wasn't the middle-aged policeman who had left earlier but a young policeman whom Goethe had never seen before.
As soon as the newcomer opened the door, he glanced at Goethe and then hurriedly said—
"A large-scale shooting has occurred on Pine Avenue. The sergeant wants all of us to go assist!"
(End of chapter)