University of Bulgaria

Aleko Konstantinov asked with a flustered expression, "What should we do now? The campus guards won't be able to hold them off for long!"

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this! I never expected those hounds to have such a keen sense of smell. I'll go out and surrender myself right now. After all, this is the only university in Bulgaria; as long as they catch me, they..." Kavalev said apologetically.

Aleko interrupted him, shouting, "No, my friend, you cannot go out! If you fall into their hands, you are finished! You are right, this is the only university in Bulgaria, and those hounds wouldn't dare do anything to us!"

"You hide here for now. I will go out and think of a way, and I'll be back soon! Don't worry, my friend, and don't forget that the university president is still the Grand Duke himself; they wouldn't dare act recklessly!"

After saying this, Aleko walked out quickly to consult with others on a countermeasure. The same scene was playing out in other parts of the campus.

When Aleko arrived at the office, quite a few people had already gathered inside. Clearly, many others had done the same thing as him and were now busy trying to figure out how to handle the aftermath.

"Aleko, you've come just in time. Come and help us think of a way to deal with those hounds outside!" his close friend Clinton interrupted his thoughts.

At this moment, Adolf Kohl walked in and said, "Alright, gentlemen, please be quiet for a moment!"

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, he continued, "The Sofia police have provided us with a list of suspects. They claim to have concrete evidence and are demanding that we hand over the hundred or so people on this list! I will distribute it to you now so you can verify it, and then we shall talk!"

Aleko looked at the list with a trembling heart. When he saw a certain name, his face immediately turned pale.

At the same time, the expressions of those present varied; some felt relieved, while others looked ashen.

Seeing that enough time had passed, Adolf Kohl continued, "Alright, everyone has finished reading! Does anyone have anything to say?"

"Mr. Kohl, this is complete slander! How could they possibly be insurgents?"

"Exactly!"

"This is all slander!"

The crowd spoke excitedly, the scene descended into chaos, and Aleko joined in the clamor!

"Enough, gentlemen, for the sake of God, be quiet!" Kohl scolded sharply.

"Whether they are being slandered or not is a question we can discuss slowly later! Right now, the Sofia police are illegally surrounding the school. I suggest we lodge a protest against them in the name of the university and demand they withdraw immediately!"

"Furthermore, regarding the issues raised by the police, our school should organize an internal investigation. Anyone found violating school rules will be severely punished!"

"As for the specific handling, we will report to the president for a final decision once the investigation results are in! I have already reported today's events to the Ministry of Education."

The complexions of those present shifted from red to white, which was quite a sight. Aleko's mood also swung wildly, alternating between joy and anxiety.

After a moment of silence, Adolf Kohl said, "If there are no objections, then let us go and protest to the police now!"

Everyone reacted immediately; regardless of how things would be handled later, they had to survive this crisis first. They hurriedly stood up and rushed toward the school gate.

They were well aware of what had happened in the last few months; any suspect taken away by the police had never been seen again.

A few days ago, on Christmas, a shocking assassination had occurred. Everyone knew the police were busy hunting for the culprit, and anyone linked to this affair would surely face a grim fate.

Even those who hadn't been involved were terrified; who knew if the police might arrest them as accomplices? The high-level government officials were acting like madmen lately; they might just gun everyone down together.

Seeing that there had been no response from inside the school for a long time, a police officer leaned out from a private room on the second floor of the cafe across from the main gate and asked, "Chief, should we send men to storm in?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly, and he scolded sharply, "Shut up, you idiot, James! Didn't I tell you to keep this confidential? I'm not here today, and you are in charge. If you shout like that, won't everyone know I've arrived?"

"Yes, yes, you are not here!" the officer named James said, bowing with a fawning smile and lowering his voice.

The middle-aged man said sternly, "Storm in, my foot! Look at where this is—the only university in Bulgaria, with the Grand Duke himself serving as president. If a conflict breaks out with the suspects and a few of those precious treasures inside get killed, how will you pay for it?"

"Then we just keep surrounding it? This isn't a solution either; the pressure from above is so tight, it's hard to report back!" Officer James said with a troubled face.

"Wait a little longer. If there is no result by noon, you can lead the men in. Remember to tell your subordinates to be smart and not cause any trouble!" the middle-aged man instructed.

"Don't worry, Chief! You can trust me; when have I ever messed up? I will be careful. As long as the suspects inside don't resist, nothing will go wrong!" Officer James promised.

The middle-aged man was very satisfied with the officer's performance and promised, "Good, keep it up! If you handle this well, you will be Sergeant James!"

"Oh, someone is coming out, and they are all there! You go and deal with them. Remember to be polite; my teacher is among them, so I'm off!" The middle-aged man left as soon as he finished speaking, not waiting for James to reply.

Watching the middle-aged man exit the cafe through the back door, James took a deep breath. He slowly went downstairs and walked toward the school at a leisurely pace.

His lips twitched, and he cursed in a voice only he could hear, "That damn bastard! I've risked my life for you, and now you're using me as cannon fodder!"

"Heartless wretch, he even knew his teacher was among them. God knows how many big shots, teachers, and students are in there. Are those old scholars easy to deal with? If they start playing the 'respect your elders' card, what can I even do to them?"

"Damn it, I should have tipped them off instead of being greedy for this hot potato of a merit! It wouldn't matter if I didn't catch anyone, but there must be no firefight. If I accidentally hurt the Grand Duke's precious treasures, I'm done for!"

"God bless, I hope there's a secret passage in the school so the insurgents can run away, letting me walk in and stroll around smoothly. That way, everyone will be happy!"

James took a full ten minutes to cover the hundred-meter distance, and he still felt he was walking too fast.

Seeing James approach, an elderly teacher of about sixty years old scolded him sharply, "James, you little brat, get over here! How dare you lead men to surround the school? Who gave you the guts?"

James felt his legs go weak; he had run into someone he knew. Recalling his school days from over a decade ago, the memories were still fresh.

He had been a student of this old gentleman, and because his family was poor, he had received financial aid from him, which allowed him to barely finish middle school before becoming a policeman.

He never expected that they would meet again after more than a decade under such circumstances. James's eyes couldn't help but moisten. He walked up to the old man, bowed respectfully, and called out, "Hello, Teacher Orka!"