The Honolulu Courthouse is a three-story, U-shaped building with white walls and a red roof, a classic tropical plantation-era style. Several tall palm trees still remain in the central courtyard.
The columns, each as thick as a person, flank the courtyard's corridors, reveal a touch of modified Greek style. While not as majestic as the ten Corinthian marble columns that line the entrance of the New York Supreme Court, it nonetheless possesses a distinct local flavor.
Just as Danny had arranged over the phone, HPD officers lined up in front of the courthouse. When they saw the Ford F-150, lights flashing, screeching to a halt, they all saluted.
Compared to mainland China, the Hawaiian Islands, as the command center for the US Pacific Theater and the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, are permanently stationed with over 60,000 US troops, and nearly twice as many dependents.
It's also a popular tourist and health resort destination. Coupled with its strict gun control laws, the safety standards are among the best in the country.
The household gun ownership rate here is less than 10%, and the majority are handguns. Gun-related casualties are fewer than 100 per year. Jack's presence here on vacation has single-handedly increased this figure by several percentage points.
Therefore, even a major crime unit like "Five-O" doesn't carry heavy firepower like assault rifles on a regular basis. The shotgun in Cheng Hao's hand was the only long gun Jack had seen.
Similarly, the HPD officers stationed around the courthouse, though stationed every three steps, were hardly fully armed. Due to the scorching heat, most didn't even have bulletproof vests.
Perhaps for this reason, upon seeing the four people exit the F150, their gazes were filled with barely concealed surprise.
Danny and Cheng Hao appeared relatively normal. While the two wearing bulletproof vests were sweltering, they didn't appear to be in distress. However, Jack and Julie stood out.
After trudging through the tropical jungle for most of the day, Julie's thin shirt had long since shredded into rags. If it weren't for the bulletproof vest Jack had put on her, her naked body would have been exposed by now. Jack was even more exaggerated. He had rolled in the mud earlier and had simply taken off his shirt to make it easier to bandage his wounds. Now, he got out of the car with a bandage wrapped around his waist. His well-defined muscles were particularly conspicuous in the sunlight. At first glance, he looked like a governor who had just fought a Terminator.
The four of them trotted into the courthouse. A beautiful female prosecutor was already waiting in the corridor. Seeing Julie appear, the tension on her face visibly relaxed.
However, when her eyes fell on Jack, she was stunned. Her mouth opened and she forgot what she wanted to say.
"Prosecutor Roberts?" Cheng Hao obviously knew the female prosecutor and greeted her.
"Ah!" The female prosecutor finally came to her senses, and with great difficulty, she tore her gaze away from Jack and nodded to Julie. "I have spare shoes and clothes in the car. Come with me, we need to get ready."
Julie turned and hugged Jack, murmuring words of gratitude. "Thank you, Jack, thank you for everything you've done for me. You're my hero."
"Okay, it's okay, it's okay. Go change first. I'll be waiting outside."
Jack comforted the girl, watching her leave with the female prosecutor. He then found a nearby restroom to wash up.
Both Danny and Cheng Hao were significantly smaller than Jack, and they had to borrow a spare shirt from the officer on duty outside to avoid the constant stares.
Danny patted Jack's shoulder with emotion. "It's unbelievable. That guy who was as thin as a stick has become..."
Before he could finish his sigh, Cheng Hao's phone rang, interrupting him. Kono's anxious voice could be heard by the two people nearby even without the speakerphone.
"The facial recognition program has yielded results. The scavenger is an assistant attorney on Allen Brenner's legal team, a blonde woman, five feet seven inches (170 cm). She should be inside the courthouse right now."
"Shit!" The three of them were shocked, each seeing a look of horror in the other's eyes.
"I'll search along the corridors, you go to the prosecutor's office and the courtroom, and notify the police outside." Jack turned and rushed in the direction Julie and the prosecutor had left moments ago.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated the courthouse's size. Furthermore, this wasn't the courthouse he was familiar with in New York or Los Angeles. He ran around the second floor and asked several staff members, but couldn't find Julie and the prosecutor's whereabouts.
Just as Jack was frantic, Kono, who had just arrived, appeared at the stairs and called out, "Jack, over here!"
At that moment, in the southeast corner of the courthouse, Prosecutor Roberts and Julie, who had just changed into a clean suit, were ushered into a conference room. The blonde woman, holding a memo, gestured to them with a fake smile.
"Where's the lead defense attorney you mentioned? What kind of plea bargain are you planning to propose?" The female prosecutor looked at the woman with a strange smile, puzzled.
This woman had been working as an assistant attorney on Allen Bryner's defense team. Just now, as she and Julie were heading to the courtroom waiting area, she stopped them and announced their client's intention to plead guilty and provide a list of names.
The prosecutor, unsuspecting, briefly discussed the matter with Julie and decided to first hear the specific terms offered.
Allen Bryner was currently involved in more than one case. Regardless of their offer, as long as they could send him to prison first, they would still have two felony murder cases against HPD officers and attempted murder charges against federal agents waiting to be heard.
However, getting him to reveal the names of some of the Baha drug cartel's leaders would be a welcome bonus, so the prosecutor readily accepted the offer.
The assistant attorney said the lead defense attorney was waiting for them in the conference room, but upon entering, the room was empty. Before the prosecutor realized anything was amiss, Julie's brows already furrowed.
"Wait a moment, he'll be here soon." The blonde woman placed the files on the table, using the table as cover, leaning sideways to pull up her skirt. She pulled a silenced pistol from her thigh and pointed it at the two men.
Just at this critical moment, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps, Kono and Jack finally arrived.
Rushing in front, Kono grabbed the woman's right hand, wrenching the pistol from her hand. Jack, trailing behind, slammed to a stop, then thrust his half-drawn sidearm back into his hand.
Since he had no chance of survival, he kicked the fallen pistol away and stepped back several steps to create enough space.
The two women were already grappling, and the blonde was completely outmatched. She appeared to have no formal combat training beyond her gun skills, and she simply engaged in face-grabbing and neck-strangling.
Kono, on the other hand, though thinner, clearly had received proper police training. His moves were methodical and he easily overpowered her opponent.
When Danny and Cheng Hao rushed over, they saw Kono kick the blonde woman to the ground with a beautiful side kick.
(End of this chapter)