Charles’ bizarre behavior was clearly seen by his neighbor inside the house. Although the $5 he left was enough to buy ten newspapers, taking the newspaper without permission was illegal, so the neighbor called the police immediately. When Charles heard the police knocking on his door, he panicked. He was afraid of the harm electromagnetic radiation would cause him if he opened the door, but the police couldn’t understand such a weird reason. While Charles quoted laws to explain his rights and tried to persuade the police to leave, the police who had gone around to the back of the house noticed through the back door transom that the power lines inside the house had been cut, and there were crates of fuel reserves—this immediately aroused the police’s vigilance. Seeing that he couldn’t avoid the situation, Charles had to settle for the next best thing and asked the police to remove all electrical equipment, including walkie-talkies, flashlights, and stun guns. As soon as he said this, the police became even more convinced that there was a conspiracy going on inside the house. They immediately drew their stun guns, kicked the door open hard, and pulled the trigger at Charles.
Jimmy had no idea about his brother’s sudden crisis. After leaving Charles’ house, he was busy meeting with his new clients. Now that he had several cases in hand, he first chose the biggest deal—a wealthy farmer. This farmer had the whimsical idea of making his farm independent and establishing a “state within a state” inside the United States. Jimmy would certainly not discourage such an idea; after all, legal battles against the government would take several years, and the result would usually be that nothing changed except the number on the high legal fee bill. The farmer was also straightforward, offering $1 million in cash as legal fees and agreeing to pay half of it upfront as a deposit. Jimmy was so excited that he picked up the pile of money, only to find that the faces printed on these hundred-dollar bills were the farmer’s own, not Benjamin Franklin’s. These were banknotes printed by the farmer for the “republic” he was about to establish, and Jimmy could have as many as he wanted.
The setback with his first deal didn’t dampen Jimmy’s enthusiasm. He immediately rushed to Roland’s house. Roland wanted to apply for a patent, and collecting a commission based on patent fees would also be a considerable income. Roland was very confident in his invention, but Jimmy lost all interest after seeing it—it was a sound device attached to a toilet. It used a sensor to detect when a child had a bowel movement and then played encouraging words to train children to use the toilet. The idea was good, but it sounded like a perverted uncle teasing an innocent child. Jimmy didn’t want to get involved in such a thing at all.
The subsequent deals were all just small fry: helping a few elderly people draft wills. Some of the elderly were very fussy, even specifying who should inherit small items. Jimmy patiently took notes one by one and occasionally told jokes to make the elderly happy. He realized that this kind of small business—earning over $100 in two or three hours—suited his personality very well, and the elderly also liked his sense of humor. Maybe specializing in Elder Law—drafting wills for the elderly, helping them get rid of relatives who coveted their property, and dealing with insurance companies on their behalf—would be a promising career path. Jimmy told Kim about his idea and received her strong support. But just then, Howard called—something had happened to Charles.
Charles lay motionless and unconscious on the hospital bed. The fluorescent lights in the ward were on, and the monitoring equipment beeped continuously. When Jimmy arrived, he turned off all the equipment in the room despite the doctors’ and nurses’ objections, causing a minor commotion. The doctor was puzzled when he heard Jimmy mention “electromagnetic hypersensitivity”—he had never heard of such a condition. After all the electrical equipment around was turned off, Charles seemed to regain some energy and personally told the doctor about his special symptoms. Two years ago, for some unknown reason, he felt that his nerves had become sensitive to electromagnetic fields. As long as there was an electric current around him, he would feel extremely uncomfortable. After enduring it for half a year, he finally chose to stop going out and avoid all electrical equipment.
What Charles said was unbelievable, but he spoke clearly and logically. The doctor walked quietly to the end of the bed, and when Charles wasn’t looking, he secretly pressed the electric control button of the hospital bed. Charles kept explaining his symptoms without showing any discomfort, and the doctor then had a clear idea of the situation. After coming out of the ward, the doctor shared his opinion: Charles was suffering from a psychological illness, and the so-called “electromagnetic hypersensitivity” was actually a manifestation of some deep-seated emotions suppressed in his heart. The doctor suggested seeking treatment from a mental health specialist; otherwise, if Charles ever set his house on fire with an oil lamp, he would have to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for supervision.
Jimmy knew the doctor was right, and he also guessed that Charles’ deep-seated emotion might be his constant worry about his unscrupulous younger brother. But Jimmy didn’t want his brother to suffer, so he still decided to take Charles home and let him continue his previous life without making any changes. Moreover, to help his brother “recover” as soon as possible, he would work even harder.
Jimmy redesigned his outfit to match the style of Attorney Matlock from Matlock. This old show would definitely bring back memories for the elderly. He wore this outfit to interact with the elderly in nursing homes and occasionally advertised himself: “For wills, find McGill.” Of course, Jimmy didn’t give up his job as a public defender either. One day, he worked late and ran into old Mike, who was on the night shift, at the parking lot entrance. Old Mike still showed no reaction to his jokes, but Jimmy didn’t mind at all. He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Mike—if Mike or any of his friends needed legal help, they could contact him at any time.
A few hours later, dawn broke, and it was time for Mike’s shift change. He had breakfast at a nearby restaurant, then drove to the outside of his daughter-in-law Stacey’s house, hoping to catch a glimpse of his granddaughter Kaylee. Every morning, he would do this, all for the irreparable sorrow in his heart. After that, Mike returned home, lay down on the sofa, drank beer, watched TV, and prepared to rest. Suddenly, a figure flashed past the window. Mike jumped up alertly and grabbed a baseball bat. Someone knocked on the door; Mike pulled the door open and saw Saunders, his old friend from the Philadelphia Police Department, standing outside, with several highly vigilant police officers behind him.