Chapter 56: Veteran Officer Weston

When that familiar yet somewhat weary figure was about to disappear into the bustling crowds of Baker Street, Lin Jie instinctively called out: "Constable Weston, please wait a moment!"The figure paused at the sound, then turned around with hesitation.

The moment Arthur Weston saw Lin Jie, immense surprise flashed in his eyes.

He never expected to encounter this mysterious Eastern youth, with whom he had once glimpsed the secrets of the abyss, again in such a manner.

His gaze involuntarily lingered for a moment on Lin Jie's well-tailored tweed hunting jacket and the gleaming leather boots.

Compared to the ragged, wary vagrant who had resembled an injured beast from the gutters during their last meeting, the Lin Jie before him now was completely transformed.

Not only was he dressed respectably, but more importantly, the confident intellectual aura about him allowed him to blend seamlessly into Baker Street's respectable community of middle-class professionals.

"It's you..." Weston's voice sounded dry, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately only nodded, his face showing an awkward expression.

"If you don't mind, I believe I should buy you a cup of coffee." Lin Jie smiled and pointed to a small but clean-looking café at the street corner. "Consider it... thanks for being willing to believe a stranger's ramblings in that reading room back then."

Weston remained silent for a moment, but ultimately nodded under Lin Jie's sincere gaze.

The two entered the café filled with the aromas of roasted coffee beans and baked bread.

In that era, such places were among London's most important social venues for citizens.

They found a relatively quiet corner to sit.

Lin Jie ordered a cup of black tea for himself and the strongest black coffee for Weston.

During the wait for their drinks, a slightly awkward silence spread between them.

Eventually, Lin Jie broke the silence first.

"After the Mitre Square incident, are you... doing alright?" He asked the question weighing most heavily on his mind in as calm a tone as possible. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weston. While my 'prediction' back then prevented a tragedy, it undoubtedly caused you trouble as well."

Hearing this question, Weston's hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly.

He took a large gulp of the scalding, bitter liquid, as if trying to suppress the complex emotions within.

"Trouble? Hah..." He smiled self-mockingly, the smile revealing exhaustion and disappointment.

He hadn't lost his livelihood as Lin Jie had feared.

After several rounds of internal investigations, Scotland Yard's higher-ups had ultimately chosen to believe in the "honest" character of a veteran constable with an outstanding service record.

But they absolutely refused to believe that absurd eyewitness report filled with "ghosts" and "supernatural" elements.

"'Acute stress syndrome,' 'mass hysteria fantasy triggered by overwork'..." Weston recited in a sarcastic tone the "scientific" conclusions psychologists and superiors had drawn about his experience that night.

"They think I've gone mad, a poor old fellow whose mind finally buckled under the strain of years working in the high-pressure environment of White Church District."

He had been transferred from the serious crimes patrol team he'd served in for over twenty years in White Church District under the guise of "humanitarian care."

His new assignment was in Scotland Yard's perpetually sunless underground archives, responsible for reorganizing and cataloging those long-yellowed, brittle old case files.

"They confiscated my gun and took away my police whistle." Weston watched the young policemen still patrolling hurriedly outside the window, his eyes revealing some desolation.

"They gave me an endless cup of cold tea and piles of paperwork that can never be finished."

Lin Jie knew that for old-school "guardians" like Weston, who valued police honor and sense of duty more than life itself, this outcome—being stripped of combat qualifications and exiled to a clerical position to await death—was unacceptable.

"All of this happened because of me." Lin Jie's voice carried apology.

"No, my boy, you're wrong." Weston interrupted him, his gray eyes looking directly at Lin Jie seriously.

"None of this happened because of you, but because of my own 'choices.'"

"I chose to believe you, I chose to verify that 'prediction,' and... I chose not to remain silent like a coward after witnessing that 'truth' capable of overturning my entire worldview."

"I hesitated too, but ultimately chose..." He sighed deeply. "To speak the truth of what I saw."

"As for whether this world is willing to believe that 'truth,' that's this world's problem, not mine."

Even after being cast aside by the system, this stubborn old policeman showed not a hint of regret for his original choices.

This steadfastness deepened Lin Jie's already existing respect for him.

Lin Jie remained silent for a moment.

He took out a thick wallet from his hunting jacket's inner pocket, withdrew twenty pounds, and gently pushed them toward Weston.

"This is what you deserve, Mr. Weston." Lin Jie's voice became solemn.

"This is the 'informant fee' for that Ripper case."

When Weston saw the neatly stacked twenty gold sovereigns, his face instantly flushed crimson.

"No! Absolutely not!" His reaction was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately pushing the pile of sovereigns back, his voice filled with insulted anger.

"I am a police officer! Everything I did was to fulfill my duties! I will not, and never will, accept any form of dirty payment!"

Twenty gold sovereigns.

For a low-ranking constable like him with a monthly salary of only a few pounds, this was a substantial reward.

"You misunderstand." Lin Jie didn't take back the sovereigns, but instead fabricated a reasonable story in an extremely sincere tone.

"Please hear me out, Mr. Weston."

"After providing you with the clues, I actually also sold that 'perpetrator' profile report to... another 'private detective organization' very interested in this case and extremely wealthy."

"I'm just a poor student;I need money to live and continue my studies."

"And this organization paid me a rather substantial 'intelligence fee' after finally confirming my information was accurate."

"What I'm giving you today is merely the small portion I should share with you, the 'primary informant,' according to the rules."

"This has nothing to do with your police status;this is simply the most basic business contract between us detectives."

This explanation with its strong "Sherlock Holmes" flavor slightly eased Weston's angry expression.

Looking at Lin Jie's sincere eyes, he knew the other had fabricated this reasonable "excuse" specifically to preserve his dignity.

But he still hesitated.

"Mr. Weston." Lin Jie's tone softened.

"I don't know how your life is going, but this money should make things easier for you and your family."

This final statement made Weston think of his gentle, kind wife who had long suffered from chronic illness.

He also thought of his clever, lovely daughter who could only attend cheap public schools due to their modest means.

He could endure poverty and misunderstanding for the sake of his pride.

But he couldn't bear to let his family continue suffering because of his stubbornness.

Finally, the old policeman's shoulders slowly slumped.

He gathered the pile of sovereigns and put them into his coat.

Seeing that he had accepted his gratitude, Lin Jie breathed a sigh of relief, feeling he had settled a karmic debt in his heart.

Just as the two were about to stand and say goodbye, a voice as clear and melodious as a lark's call came from the café entrance.

"Papa! Are you slacking off drinking coffee here again!"

Lin Jie looked toward the sound and saw an adorable blonde girl of about twelve or thirteen, wearing a clean but somewhat faded cotton dress, skipping happily toward their table.

She clutched several thick textbooks tightly in her arms.

She must be Weston's daughter.

She had large, innocent blue eyes like the Scottish Highlands sky, and her golden waterfall-like hair was tied into a playful ponytail.

When she ran to Weston's side and affectionately took her father's arm, all the ice instantly melted from Weston's face, leaving only tenderness and affection.

"Lily, don't be so rude." Weston pretended to scold sternly in a doting tone, then introduced her to Lin Jie. "This is my daughter, Lily."

"Lily, this is... Mr. Lin, a very important friend of Papa's."

Lily's curious large eyes immediately turned to Lin Jie, this "new friend" with his mysterious aura.

Without any shyness, she very politely performed a ladylike curtsy to Lin Jie, a slightly bashful sweet smile on her face.

"Good day, Mr. Lin. Very pleased to meet you."

"Good day, Miss Lily. You are a very beautiful and polite young lady." Lin Jie also smiled and returned a gentlemanly nod.

But the moment his eyes met this radiant girl's, his unusually sharp perception caught an extremely faint shadow of discord.

He noticed that beneath Lily's seemingly rosy cheeks lay a sickly pallor.

Moreover, after speaking, she suppressed a cough.

After bidding farewell to the Westons and advising Weston to take his daughter to see a doctor when possible, Lin Jie walked alone back to his new home on Baker Street.

London's night had fallen once again.

The gas lamps along the street lit up one after another, dotting the massive city like a starry river.

Weston's desolation and the shadow hidden beneath Lily's innocent, cheerful smile weighed on his heart.

Lin Jie looked up at the nightscape where prosperity and crime coexisted.

Though he existed in a dark world filled with monsters and madness.

What he needed to protect was precisely that fragile yet precious mundane "daily life."