Eric, the contemporary punisher, left this small magistrate's court with the information he wanted. Coincidentally, the defendant woman's sentence was also finalized with the knocking of the gavel - she was sentenced to ten years.

A term of imprisonment.

However, because the woman had symptoms of mental disorder and was deemed by the judge to have lost her mind, the ten-year prison sentence was given lightly. In the end, she only had to stay in prison for four years before she could be released.

.

When Eric came out, the husband of the defendant woman was standing up with a stiff smile, constantly thanking the judge and court staff for their tolerance. The three children beside him turned their heads in confusion, not understanding.

Their mother was about to leave their side, and the youngest one, still with dirty runny nose, opened his arms and shouted for his mother to hold him.

In fact, anyone with a little bit of common sense knows that if you throw a half-crazy woman into prison, what is the probability that she will be able to survive her sentence and be released from prison.

"It seems that you have gradually gotten used to these things... You have curbed your impulsive bad temper, which is pretty good."

The elderly punisher Steve Herender saw him coming out and patted the young "sailor" on the shoulder, half encouraging and half emotional.

"I would rather not have this habit." Eric sighed deeply.

"So, are the rumors about the 'Dockside Monster' true?"

"I can't be completely sure... The washerwoman was not very conscious. It may be the sequelae of witnessing extraordinary events, or she may have gone crazy when she committed suicide by diving into the water. However, her husband did circle a rough range...

"

Eric said, taking out a map that had been folded several times from the large pocket of the worker's suspender, unfolded it, and roughly pointed at a certain area of ​​the dock.

"This is Tyrell's warehouse and the aquatic product processing plant under the name of Daddy Bob."

Steve is a seasoned expert with decades of execution experience. He has followed two captains of the Punishers through life and death. With a sharp eye, he recalled the distribution of buildings in that area in just a moment, and continued with great certainty:

"If it is this area, we have not sent anyone to patrol and investigate in the past few days. There may indeed be omissions."

"Then, do we want to go over and take a look at the situation?" Eric asked.

"Don't worry, there may be other noteworthy details on the defendant's side. You can think about it carefully." Steve replied.

Eric is not so sure:

"The washing lady seemed to only see that it was a weird gray-white monster. It was not afraid of water, and it didn't even hurt anyone. Instead, it saved her from drowning herself... Assuming that her description of the monster's appearance is correct, it sounds a little bit...

It's like an extraordinary person who is on the verge of losing control. And the fact that the other party is willing to save the washing woman who fell into the water shows that he still retains a certain amount of sanity..."

"Stop." Steve's expression darkened, "Boy, how long have you been joining the Punishers? It's been two years."

"……almost."

Eric has always been in awe of this stern and old-fashioned old man. Although the two are both Sequence 9 sailors, as long as Steve uses this tone, he knows that he will be criticized again.

Sure enough, the old Steve, who was still in his fifties but still energetic, quickly used different words and scolded him bloody.

Those who are out of control are those who are out of control, alienated monsters, and the condensation of madness that deviates from human nature. Any unnecessary understanding and sympathy for them will lead to greater tragedies.

Eric thought to himself that of course he knew this, after all, the old "sailor" often warned all the punishers younger than him like this.

Currently, old Steve is the oldest one among the extraordinary people in their team.

But Eric, who grew up in the slums, knew that sometimes the human heart is more terrifying than the monsters that the fallen have turned into.

Just like the dock worker sitting in the courtroom just now.

The area where the starching lady was found to have fallen into the water and was rescued is almost a block away from where she jumped into the water to commit suicide. What is surprising is that her husband actually knew where she chose to end her life.

What does this mean... Eric doesn't want to delve into it, and doesn't think it's necessary to delve into it.

It was a family tragedy. Even if he intervened, he could not change any problems. It was just a needless waste of sympathy.

Eric is no longer the reckless young man who just stepped into the extraordinary and felt that he could resolve the injustices in the world by his own strength.

"Let's report the situation first and let the captain worry about these problems." After the old sailor finished teaching, he raised his hand and patted the young punisher on the shoulder, "Young man, go to the 'Evil Dragon Bar' to ask Swain for help.

Let’s have a drink and have a good rest, maybe we’ll have some work to do tonight.”

Eric nodded slightly and did not refuse old Steve's kindness.

That night, the punishers did receive a notice of emergency action, but the content was not what the two sailors expected -

News came from the "Heart of Machinery" team that a dangerous suspected extraordinary person had arrived in Tingen a few days ago. He was initially assessed as an "instigator" of Sequence 8. A punishment agent was needed to cooperate in the investigation of the Eastern District, Southern District and

Suspicious characters in the dock area.

Along with the request for support, there was also an internal wanted portrait.

There was a picture of a young boy with a round face and a kind and shy smile, and the name "Tris" was marked at the bottom.

…

The next day, Wednesday afternoon.

Considering that he would follow Old Neil to the underground trading market to purchase extraordinary materials at night, Klein did not go to the Soothsayer Club. Instead, he sorted out the relevant reports on the "Dissi County Serial Disappearance Incident" in the Deville Library.

So I took my old notes and rushed to Halls Street where the cafe was located.

Yesterday evening, after finishing his divination, he reluctantly walked to the De Vere Cafe not far from the club. With a guilty conscience like a thief, he waited on the street opposite the cafe for someone to come out from get off work...

As a result, nothing unexpected happened, except that Alice joked that he was like a cat that poked its head at the door to see if the breeder came home...

Of course, Klein strongly opposed this statement.

Well, until the girl took out a 10-pound note, indicating that it was a deposit of remuneration she planned to pay him in advance.

...and he became shamefully silent.

Of course, you should work hard after receiving the money, and Klein still understands this.

So this time, wearing formal leather shoes and holding a silver cane, he held his head high and walked into the cafe door with a calm demeanor.

"Hello sir, how many guests are there? Have you made any reservations before?"

As soon as he entered the door, a receptionist in black and white maid uniform approached him and asked with a smile.

Klein only glanced at her, then looked away and gave an answer.

"This is my first time here and I didn't make a reservation... Are there seats for two people now?"

...What kind of maid shop did he think it was before? Probably because he was too deeply influenced by the movies and cartoons on the Internet, he has been subconsciously pretending to be some two-dimensional maid cafe. The waiters inside are all wearing clothes that can

A skirt that reveals the career line and stockings that are absolutely in the realm.

It turns out that this cafe is not like this at all...

If you want to compare it, it is probably the classic Victorian maid's dress. It is thick and warm, and it is estimated that many petticoats can be stuffed inside.

Under the guidance of the maid receptionist, Klein grumbled inwardly while looking around the interior of the cafe without leaving a trace, trying to find a familiar figure.

So before sitting down, he actually spotted an acquaintance of his.

Klein was obviously stunned, which made the maid who was about to ask him what kind of coffee he wanted subconsciously followed the guest's gaze and immediately smiled as if she understood something.

"The menu is here. If you have decided what kind of coffee you want, just ring the bell on the table and someone will come over to take your order."

Klein nodded slowly and took the menu, indicating that he understood it.

The maid in charge of the reception felt that this was also a guest who couldn't take his eyes away when he saw a beautiful girl, so she kept a polite smile on her face and left silently.

Admittedly, Klein was indeed attracted by Alice, who was now dressed as a maid——

The conservative and old-fashioned black and white uniform dress seemed to have changed her appearance when she was wearing it, making her plump and slender waist look particularly attractive; her smooth light golden hair was no longer disheveled,

Instead, it was tied into long braids, adding a fresh pastoral style to that overly delicate and beautiful face.

But, Klein, who was more or less accustomed to her foul-looking appearance, was not dumbfounded because of this.

But next to her! The young man with messy black hair!

He has a good-looking face, green eyes that are calm and deep, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, and a romantic atmosphere like a poet.

——It’s unmistakable, it’s Leonard. By the way, this guy has a day off today...

Klein looked away in confusion, looking at the menu with coffee flavors and corresponding prices, and glanced absently for a few times.

There was quite a distance between him and the two people, and it was blocked by the seats and decorations of the cafe, so he wasn't worried that the other person would notice him... But how did Leonard know that Alice worked here?

? Could it be that it was just a chance encounter? It can’t be such a coincidence...

Hey, shit, the coffee here is really expensive...

After hesitantly and distressedly choosing the coffee he wanted to order, Klein rang the bell at hand.

Of course, the choice is still the same as when the original owner came back. The original Southwell coffee only costs 2 soles and 5 pence, which is the lowest price among all coffees.

Although if he was thicker-skinned, he could choose not to order anything and wait for Alice to find him and come to him. But Klein felt that he still wanted to be shameless and couldn't do such a thing.

And he was probably used to this kind of petty bourgeois atmosphere similar to Star Wars before time travel. Unlike the original owner who was restrained, he behaved quite relaxed and casual, and was even in the mood to observe other people in this cafe.

He soon noticed that a maid approached Alice, whispered something to her, and then gestured in his direction.

Even though he knew that he couldn't see his face clearly from that direction, Klein still felt guilty and covered his face with the open menu page, pretending to be studying pricing issues.

About a minute later, he heard footsteps approaching him, and finally stopped next to his seat.

"What would you like to order, sir?"

"...a cup of Southwell coffee."
To be continued...