The Cunning Swindler

Hobart felt a nerve that had been tightly wound inside him suddenly relax, and his mind grew much lighter as a result.

At the same time, he clearly sensed that this was not yet the digestion of the Potion. At most, something had loosened; it should only be a sign that digestion was about to begin.

This act had been an impulsive idea of Hobart's. Only after receiving feedback from Xue, the "Arbiter," had it produced such an unexpected result.

In that instant, Hobart realized that the cooperation between a "Lawyer" and an "Arbiter" was simply the perfect partnership for digesting Potions.

Although Xue did not know about the Acting Method, she had been acting as an "Arbiter" for a long time. Her Potion had long since been digested, so she had not noticed the process of digestion and naturally had no experience similar to Hobart's.

DakHorm, lying on the ground, immediately begged for mercy. "Sir, Miss, it was them! Those people who just ran away forced me to do this! Please forgive my recklessness! I-I am willing to give you all my property as atonement."

Hobart came back to his senses and said coldly, "You do not know Zachary's whereabouts. You are no longer useful to us. Miss Hugh, I suggest breaking the bone in his left leg. His right leg seems to have been injured before; if we injure his left leg too, it will be symmetrical."

"Zachary is my best friend! He told me many secrets!" DakHorm blurted out in panic. "Before he left, he said that once he finished this job, he would receive a Gift of the Gods and gain incomparable power!"

Hobart and Xue both stopped moving.

DakHorm hurriedly continued, "Yes, that is what he said. He said his body would undergo a qualitative transformation, and when we met again, he would be a powerhouse beyond my reach."

Hobart and Xue exchanged a glance. That sounded like a description of becoming a Beyonder. Could it be that after completing that swindle, Zachary had gained an opportunity to become a Beyonder?

That meant there was an organization behind him. Was Hayman a member of that organization? Zachary's superior as well? Hobart stared into DakHorm's eyes. "You know Hayman, do you not?"

"N-no! I do not know him!"

Although Hobart's Extraordinary Ability had not produced the intended effect and failed to make DakHorm reveal any information about Hayman, he sensed the struggle in DakHorm's heart and judged that DakHorm was lying.

Hobart did not expose him on the spot. "I am sorry, but the information you provided has not satisfied us. Today, you must pay the price for everything you did just now."

Miss Hugh said enthusiastically, "When it comes to breaking other people's leg bones, I do not think anyone is better at it than I am."

Hobart froze. He remembered that when Xue had arbitrated Veil, she had wanted to break his leg too. He did not quite understand why Xue was so keen on breaking people's legs. Was it because she could not stand seeing other people's legs longer than hers?

DakHorm continued begging for mercy, shouting information that he considered extremely valuable, but none of it interested Hobart or Xue.

With one swing of her cane, Xue broke DakHorm's left shin. The pain sent DakHorm rolling across the ground.

Many residents in the courtyard quietly cracked open their windows or doors, wanting to see the two heroes who had broken the leg of DakHorm, the local bully.

It was hard to imagine that such a petite lady possessed so much strength, while the tall gentleman seemed to be merely watching a show from the side.

DakHorm's screams surprised the residents, but they also found them immensely satisfying, as though a stifling weight in their chests had been released.

After the villain received the punishment he deserved, Hobart and Xue quickly left the courtyard. Xue said somewhat disappointedly, "The lead is gone."

Hobart merely smiled. "Not yet."

After checking that no one around them was paying attention, he said, "I believe that if we keep a close watch on DakHorm from now on, we will definitely gain something."

Xue was slightly taken aback, but with the lead seemingly cut off, she was willing to trust Hobart's words.

She looked around, then pointed at a building not far away. "We can watch from the roof."

"Good idea."

After they reached the top floor, Hobart witnessed just how agile an "Arbiter" could be. Xue leaped from the top floor, braced herself with both arms, and got onto the roof.

Hobart, on the other hand, embarrassingly needed the petite Xue's help before he could climb up onto the roof.

From the roof, they could see DakHorm in the courtyard from afar. He had stopped screaming long ago. At some point, he had even gotten to his feet on his own and hopped out of the courtyard, loudly berating his subordinates.

It seemed DakHorm was not as weak as he appeared.

After scolding his subordinates for a while, DakHorm took the paper and pen one of them handed him and quickly wrote several lines before stuffing them into an envelope.

Then he picked a youth from among his subordinates and appeared to give him some instructions. The youth nodded repeatedly, took the letter, and left.

As Hobart clumsily climbed down from the roof, he said, "That letter should be the key!"

Xue also roughly understood. Hobart had probably discovered something earlier, then pretended to leave so DakHorm would expose the mastermind behind him himself.

Fortunately, the youth was not walking very quickly. Hobart and Xue caught up with him after only a few minutes.

The two patiently followed from afar. More than half an hour later, the youth finally dropped the letter in his hand into an abandoned mailbox.

By then, they had left the East End and arrived in the factory-filled Suburbs. The air here carried a pungent odor, as if someone were roasting sulfur.

For some unknown reason, the factory where the mailbox stood had been abandoned. Only several crooked mailboxes remained in front of its entrance.

After the youth left, Hobart and Xue found a concealed spot to watch the mailbox. As long as they kept an eye on this letter, they could find the person behind DakHorm.

Hobart guessed that person was very likely Hayman. Even knowing only Hayman's address would be a very important clue.

Time passed slowly as they waited. Not until the Sun had begun to set did a person wearing a dark trench coat and hat cautiously inspect the surroundings before approaching the mailbox to retrieve the letter.

The collar of the person's coat was turned up, and the brim of his hat was pulled low. His face could not be seen at all.

After taking the letter, he left without haste.

Hobart and Xue quickly followed. The other party was very likely a Beyonder, so neither of them dared follow too closely.

After following him for two streets, they watched him enter a narrow lane only wide enough for two or three people to walk abreast. When Hobart and Xue reached the entrance of the lane, they discovered that he had already started running.

Damn! They had been discovered! He had chosen the perfect moment to flee. The instant he turned into that narrow lane, he had probably begun running.

A distance had already opened between them. The other party turned another corner and vanished from Hobart and Xue's sight.

Fortunately, the streets in the Factory District were long. When the two chased to the next intersection, the other party was still within view.

There were several workers on this street. A middle-aged worker wearing filthy overalls was walking straight toward Hobart and Xue, watching the chase with curious eyes.

Hobart felt that something was wrong, but there was no time to worry about it. After some effort, the two finally caught up with their target.

Xue kicked him down from behind, but when the two of them looked closer, they saw a terrified face. Beneath the clean trench coat and hat were ragged work clothes.

Hobart realized something was wrong. "Why did you run?"

"S-someone gave me 1 Pound in cash and told me to wear his clothes and run as fast as I could!"

Hobart immediately thought of the middle-aged worker who had passed them head-on earlier. "We were tricked!"

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