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As expected, Ron immediately seized on Sheldon's weakness, which was his arrogance and belief that he was the most unique and irreplaceable person alive. This could be seen from what he later told Howard about the importance of Hawking to him.
Sheldon believed that among living scientists, no one could match his intelligence and talent except Hawking.
"Ron, I'm talking to you!" Sheldon shouted in frustration when Ron ignored him.
"But I don't want to talk to you. I just want to eat the food Mom cooked." Ron arrogantly picked up a placemat that Sheldon had arranged and put it under his dinner plate, then sat back on the couch—Sheldon's designated spot.
Mary saw that Ron's method was working, so she simply watched with amusement.
"I'm not someone who can be replaced by just anyone! My research is groundbreaking in theoretical physics. Physics—do you understand?!" Sheldon argued loudly with Ron.
"If I had my sonic death ray, you'd be vaporized by now."
"Come on, quit being ridiculous! That contraption of yours can't even scare away the neighbor's cat!" Ron took a big bite of Mary's deep-dish apple pie and hummed with satisfaction.
"Sheldon, I don't understand physics, but I do understand this: If you don't apologize, you'll lose your job and won't be able to pursue your beloved physics research. Is that really what you want?"
"My research can be done anywhere! I can continue my work at home using a whiteboard to check my calculations."
Sheldon continued to argue, but his confidence was clearly weakening. It was obvious that he was counting on Ron not understanding theoretical physics research. But unfortunately for him, Ron didn't need to understand—there were others present who did.
"Sheldon, don't be such a child! You know you need me to verify your theories!" Leonard stood up, and at this moment, he looked incredibly authoritative in Sheldon's eyes.
"That's enough! Get it together! You're a physicist. You should be conducting experiments at the university, not hiding at home like some hermit!"
Sheldon finally lowered his prideful head.
Mary placed utensils in Sheldon's hands at just the right moment. The plate contained his favorite comfort food. "After dinner, go with your brother and apologize to the dean."
Sheldon stood there in silence.
"Sheldon, why aren't you eating yet? Do I really have to force-feed you?" Ron said impatiently.
"You took my spot..." Sheldon mumbled, looking down.
Ron reluctantly picked up his plate and stood up. He had almost finished eating anyway, so Sheldon quickly reclaimed his seat.
Half an hour later, Ron drove Sheldon to Caltech, with Leonard following behind them.
"Do you want me to come with you to the dean's office?" Leonard asked considerately.
"Don't worry, I think I can handle it. If not, I can always call the board of trustees."
Ron said he had no problem at all. In fact, it was very straightforward to handle. Or rather, it was as if the dean was waiting for Sheldon to apologize. Everything went smoothly.
On the other hand, things were not going well for Hank.
After bringing several thugs suspected of drug involvement back to the precinct, Hank not only didn't receive any commendation, but was instead summoned to his supervisor's office and chewed out.
"Hank, how many times have I told you this case is closed? I'm asking you one last time—when are you going back to the border patrol assignment?!"
Hank shook his head. "Sir, this case isn't that simple. I mean, it's far from over. Give me a little more time. Once I've thoroughly investigated this case, I promise to return to border duty."
"Alright then," Hank's supervisor stood up. "I'm declaring that as of right now, you are suspended without pay for insubordination. Hand over your badge and service weapon, and you're free to leave until you've figured out your priorities."
"Yes, sir," Hank nodded dejectedly. He removed his badge and service weapon from his belt and placed them on the desk. He took a long, wistful look at the items that had once brought him pride, then left his supervisor's office in a daze.
It felt like sleepwalking. Hank didn't even know how he got back to his SUV, or when he had picked up a bouquet of flowers. He probably intended to give them to Marie as an apology.
Just as Hank was about to start the engine, his cell phone rang. It was a blocked number! Curious, he pressed the answer button.
Little did he know that this action would save his life.
"Hank Schrader, listen carefully! Two men are coming to kill you." A slightly aged voice came through the receiver.
"What did you say? Say that again!" Hank suspected he had misheard.
The caller ignored Hank's question and continued, "They're heading toward your vehicle. You have one minute to get out of there."
Was this some kind of prank call?
"I don't know what kind of sick joke this is. Get lost! Who is this?" If Hank hadn't been naturally cautious, he would have been ready to hang up.
"They're here," the caller said, quickly hanging up before Hank could respond. Hank tried calling back.
But how could a blocked number possibly go through?
Hank crouched nervously, searching for Ron's number and dialing it while scanning his surroundings through the mirrors, deciding it was better to be safe than sorry.
A middle-aged woman coming out of the grocery store? Clearly, she couldn't be the killer! A middle-aged man walking with a slight limp? That didn't seem likely, but it wasn't impossible!
Hank nervously reached for his service weapon, but grabbed nothing but air.
He had just turned in his gun.
"Hello? Hank, what's up? How did the interrogation go? I'm almost done here. Want to find somewhere to compare notes?"
Ron's voice on the phone put Hank slightly at ease.
"Listen, I just got a call. Someone said there are assassins trying to kill me."
"Hold tight, I'll be right there! Try to stay alive until I get there!"
Ron said, hanging up the phone. At that moment, Hank finally spotted two bald figures through the windshield of a car parked in front of him. They looked hostile. Could these be the assassins the mysterious caller had warned him about?
At this point, he no longer cared about the origin of the mysterious call or why someone would want to save him, because he could clearly see in his side mirrors that the two bald men who had been walking together had now split up.
They were approaching from the left and right, trying to flank him. Hank saw that the situation was going south and immediately started the engine, intending to find a chance to escape and rendezvous with Ron. However, he didn't expect that a third bald man would suddenly appear from behind another car and open fire on Hank's SUV.
(End of chapter)
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