The Shadow of Great Britain

119: Chapter 79: Half Darkness, Half Light 119: Chapter 79: Half Darkness, Half Light The iron door of the solitary cell slowly closed, and darkness once again enveloped the room.

In the lightless environment, Jones readjusted for a moment before he could clearly see Arthur in front of him.

Arthur today, with his damp hair slicked back, wore no uniform but a white shirt and tight riding pants.

If he had added a cowboy hat and suspenders, Arthur’s appearance might have resembled more that of a North American plains cowboy rather than a police officer from Scotland Yard.

Arthur lifted his leg and stepped forward, causing Jones to shrink back in fear by half a step, but after a moment, he stopped and remained where he was.

Stiffening his resolve, he swallowed and then spoke, “Superintendent.”

“Don’t call me ‘Superintendent.’”

Arthur pointed to his white shirt and said, “Didn’t you see I’m not in uniform?

I am only a police officer when I’m wearing a uniform or plain clothes on duty.

Otherwise, I’m just an ordinary citizen of London, no different from what you are now.”

Arthur’s speech was not long, but the information revealed made Jones feel as if the sky had fallen.

His teeth chattered as he asked intermittently, “So… am I dismissed?”

“What else?”

Arthur bent down to sit on the steps in front of the door, looking at Jones with his eyes emitting a faint, deadly red glow.

“Do you think Clemens would come forward to protect you?

He can barely protect himself now, why do you think he would help you?

Do you really think that just because you did some dirty work for him, you belong to their little clique?

Jones, I always thought you were smart, certainly smarter than Tom and Tony.

But now, it seems, you are remarkably foolish; you exude an ultimate essence of foolishness.

In this world, it’s not a problem to do bad things; many who commit bad deeds make a great profit.

But if you really intend to do so, then you better have the intelligence that matches the crimes you commit.

If you are not smart, then don’t try to be a good person, nor a bad one; just be an ordinary ordinary person.

Because those two kinds of people, if they do not have sufficient capabilities, will soon hand over their destinies to others.

Letting other people decide your fate is the most foolish thing in this world.”

Listening to this, Jones trembled all over, feeling his throat dry up, which made his voice hoarse.

“Superintendent Hasting…”

“I told you, don’t call me ‘Superintendent,’ I am not a police officer right now, I am not wearing a uniform.”

At this, Arthur suddenly smiled.

“But do you know why I am not wearing a uniform?”

Jones’ mind went blank, and at that moment, he no longer had the ability to think; he could only shake his head.

Arthur tugged at his collar, then gestured with his finger for Jones to come closer.

Jones brought his ear close to him, only to hear Arthur’s voice calm yet tinged with anger.

“Because I am different from you all.

You wear that uniform to protect yourselves, but if I wear it, my job becomes to protect you, who is not wearing a uniform!”

As soon as Arthur’s words fell, Jones heard the whistling wind by his ear.

Just then, with a thud, Arthur delivered a beautiful hook that knocked him to the ground.

Arthur stood up and delivered a fierce kick to his stomach, “Get up!

Jones, you people love the doctrine of the survival of the fittest, don’t you?

Since you like consuming others so much, don’t show me this ‘spare my life’ face when it’s your turn to be consumed!

If this world really operates on the survival of the fittest, the last person standing should not be me, but it surely wouldn’t be you either!”

Jones, clutching his bruised and swollen face, raised his hand and pleaded, “Superintendent, I…”

Arthur grabbed his collar and hoisted him up, “What did you call me?”

“Mr.

Hasting…”

“So you’ve given up?” Arthur’s lips curled, “But I still don’t plan to let you go!”

He slapped Jones again, sending stars into his eyes, then violently threw him to the ground.

Arthur, hands on hips and gasping for breath, spoke up, “Come on, Jones, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.

Right now, you’re not a police officer, and neither am I.

We both have nothing to hide.

If you don’t want to die, then try to kill me right here.

Survival of the fittest, law of the jungle, a very fair one-on-one, let’s see if you really deserve to live.”

Jones lay on the ground, gasping heavily; he said, “Just kill me, Mr.

Hasting; I…

I won’t fight back.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur’s smile brightened, but not out of happiness, but because of anger.

He kicked Jones into the wall, then, without waiting for Jones to catch his breath, he mounted Jones and pounded him with his fists, the same punches that even Fred couldn’t endure.

“Not fight back?

Not fighting back won’t win you the slightest sympathy!

You should know better than anyone how many corpses sink in the Thames River every day!

Not just you, but also Clemens, both of you can’t escape my grasp!

Just for your own gain, do you know how many people you’ve killed directly or indirectly?

Not just indentured servants, not just crime rates, not just Adam, but countless Robins!”

The sound of Arthur’s punches falling on Jones could be heard outside the solitary cell, causing Tom and Tony, who were waiting outside, to shiver continuously.

Someone passed by the door of the solitary cell, curious to take a glance, but instantly met with Tony’s furious glare.

“What are you looking at?

I’m just doing my job here with honesty and integrity; this has nothing to do with you!”

The young officer, scolded, could only leave quickly.

But gradually, even Tom couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

He asked, “Tony, should we go in and try to calm things down?

Arthur shouldn’t be doing this; he’s a good man with decency and never liked to resort to violence.

Can he really feel good about continuing like this?”

Tony, hearing this, didn’t answer directly but said,

“Perhaps you’re right, but deciding whether it’s appropriate is Arthur’s responsibility, and my duty is to execute Arthur’s commands.

Last time, because I followed his orders, we brought all of London’s body snatchers to justice, and all the patrol officers at Scotland Yard got a collective raise.

Whether spiritually or materially, Arthur’s word is law; everything is done according to his promises.

For that, I am very pleased.

So since then, I’ve made up my mind to resolutely carry out any command Arthur gives.

Of course, Tom, I’m not suggesting you do the same, but for me, even if Arthur is wrong, I plan to follow him all the way.”

Having said this, Tony closed his mouth, as if what was coming from the cell wasn’t the sound of beating but rather the rain falling on the street.

Hearing this, Tom frowned and sighed, “Tony, what are you talking about!”

Despite his patience, he couldn’t help but knock on the iron door, “Arthur, Arthur!

That’s enough, spare his life.

Why risk your future for him?”

In the cell, Arthur, hearing this, paused his raised fist.

He looked at Jones, blood running from his nose and his face covered in bruises, and took a deep breath.

He asked, “Are you really not going to fight back?

At least let me see your spirit.”

Jones, lifting his swollen eyes, revealed a smile tinged with helplessness, “Sir, I have a family.”

Arthur fell silent for a moment.

Looking at Jones’s face, his raised fist ultimately did not come crashing down; he loosened his grip on the other’s collar and then stood up, saying,

“I forgot to tell you, I did write up your dereliction of duty report, but I haven’t submitted it yet.”

Hearing this, a glint of hope suddenly appeared in Jones’s dim eyes.

“You…

you mean?”

Arthur relit his pipe, “Your life isn’t worth enough to pay for your sins.

So for this time, consider you’ve made it through.

But that doesn’t mean you’re safe; don’t forget whose hand your life is in.

You’re right, don’t forget you have a family.”

Upon hearing this, the dimly lit cell seemed to brighten for Jones, as if the man standing there was not Arthur, but his God.

He knelt before Arthur, thanking him profusely, “Thank you!

Really, thank you!

I…

I promise I will make amends.”

Arthur bent down, patted his face, and said, “Redemption?

What do you take me for?

I’m not God, so I’m not responsible for forgiving anyone.

What I need is for you to pledge your service to me, just as you did for Clemens before.

Jones, this is your retribution.”

Jones nodded repeatedly, feeling relieved, a smile spreading across his face, “This is indeed my retribution, what I deserve.

Thank you, Mr.

Hastings.”

Arthur frowned and kicked him in the stomach.

Watching Jones curl up, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath, Arthur turned and walked away, leaving only his silhouette and a voice lingering in the air.

“Call me ‘Superintendent’, idiot.”

Agares hung upside down from the ceiling of the cell, wrapped tightly in his bat wings, while his red eyes followed Arthur’s leaving figure, capturing everything.

The voice of the Red Devil exploded in Arthur’s ear, chuckling, “Oh, Arthur, quite a performance.

Many times, I thought you really intended to kill him on the spot.”

Arthur, wearing a blood-stained white shirt, walked out the police station’s front door under the reverent gaze of other officers, lifting his head to breathe the fresh air in the small rain of London streets.

“Though I didn’t plan to kill him.

But if Tom hadn’t called out, I might have indeed done it on the spot.”

The Red Devil laughed, “So, what do you intend to do with his damned life then?”

Arthur rubbed the raindrops off his face, washing away the blood, “Clemens is gone, Fred is dead.

But that doesn’t mean London is at peace, given its poverty rate.

On the contrary, without these men, the East End of London may well revert to the wild Middle Ages.

As I see it, that simply won’t do.”

The Devil, hearing this, his eyes sparked with delight, whispered with a smile.

“So you plan to take over the ‘Little Brother from Cambridge’ then?”

Arthur nodded, “That depends on whether they cooperate or not.”

The Devil asked, “And if they don’t cooperate?”

Arthur blew a ring of smoke, “I believe they will.”

The Red Devil showed a knowing smile, “My dear Arthur, you’ve finally come to understand the duality of the world.

You’ve realized that for someone like you, only by taming the darkness can you govern the light.”

Arthur glanced at him, took a deep drag on his cigarette, then tapped out the ash and cursed, “This nonsense about darkness and light.”

“Still playing tough?”

The Devil smiled, his figure gradually fading, but his tempting voice still ringing in Arthur’s ear.

“This…

is your fate…

accept everything fate has woven for you, because beyond that, I really can’t think of anything more fitting for you.”