Hearing the middle-aged man's shout and seeing his twisted expression,
Not only her, but also Councilor Mahter, Mrs. Liana, and Dwayne Dantès beside them fell silent, and for a short while no one spoke. Even Fors, hiding behind cover, had lost her previous excitement, and her intense sense of justice had faded.
After about ten seconds, Mahter stopped looking at the attacker, turned his head, and said to his bodyguard: "Leave one of you here to guard the scene and the prisoner until the police arrive."
Having said that, he paused for a second, then turned to his valet: "Notify reporters from a few newspapers to come and cover this."
After making these preliminary arrangements, the member of the lower house looked around and noticed that some passersby were trying to gather to see what had happened. He then looked at Dwayne Dantès and said with an apologetic smile: "I'm sorry to have involved you in such danger. I never imagined things would go this far. We actually considered the real situation of factory owners and coal mine owners and offered some help and transitional measures, but who would have thought..."
Making plans is one thing, implementing them is another. When the urgency of curbing air pollution became overwhelming and pressure mounted from all sides, the emergence of a "one-size-fits-all" approach was hardly surprising... Klein sighed and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Don't worry too much about how I feel. I've been through far more dangerous situations in the past."
On the surface, he was referring to his experiences doing business in
In comparison, this incident was like a single raindrop falling from the sky, not worth worrying about in itself. Considering the presence of Xio and Miss Magician as bodyguards, along with Helene, Klein didn't even intervene, only making an evasive move as any experienced person would.
His main concern was whether this would be followed by a "rainstorm."
Mahter sighed and nodded: "I can see you're very calm."
"I used to have some doubts about the stories you told, but now I truly believe them."
"Alright, Dwayne, let's head back separately. Leave the rest to the police. If they need a statement, they'll come to your house to take it."
Klein nodded and said to the Mahter family: "Take care of your safety from now on."
Councilor Mahter nodded solemnly and sighed again: "The
The mark of the Backlund social season was the return of the upper-house aristocratic councilors, which seemed to have started just last weekend... And in this week alone, two incidents had already occurred: the framing of Baron
Seated inside, watching the scenery slowly recede through the window, Klein let out a silent sigh and half-closed his eyes.
He couldn't yet determine whether Beyonder powers were involved in this attack, as every step could have been carried out by ordinary people, and the middle-aged man's motive was more than sufficient—there was no need for deliberate fabrication. Klein believed that in present-day Backlund, there was more than one former factory owner or unemployed employee in a similar situation.
The only thing he found questionable was why the target of the attack was Mahter.
Although this lower-house councilor was indeed a supporter and advocate of air pollution control, often giving speeches in parliament and occasionally granting interviews to newspapers, he was by no means the most prominent figure in the legislative process. Comparatively, the members of the "Royal Commission on Air Pollution Investigation" would be more likely targets for retaliation.
Klein leaned against the carriage wall and slowly opened his eyes, only to see that the night outside was deep, the clouds thick, and raindrops were falling rapidly.
He once again felt that beneath the calm surface of Backlund, the vortex was growing larger and more intense.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Klein slightly raised his left hand and touched his pocket.
Inside were a letter that was likely from
Klein very much wanted to return home, go above the
Unfortunately, he still had two Beyonder bodyguards with him, and recently he needed to avoid going above the Gray Fog as much as possible.
I don't need protection, yet I spent several hundred pounds to hire two people who restrict my movements. Such is the helplessness of a wealthy man... Klein sighed inwardly, then picked up the black tea that Richardson had just prepared.
He took a small sip, and the muscles in his face tightened slightly before relaxing again.
Klein looked down and noticed that there were twice as many lemon slices as usual in the tea.
He glanced inconspicuously at Richardson and saw that the valet seemed a bit dazed, still absorbed in the shock from the attack.
As timid as ever... Klein remarked to himself, and placed the bone china teacup on the table.
…………
Late at night, at 39 Berklund Street, the Mahter family home.
Helene sat in front of the dressing table, looking at the gray mouse crouched on the powder compact. She was silent for a long time, then said: "Did my father do something wrong? What he was pushing for was clearly a good thing..."
"There is no issue that benefits everyone. There will always be those who lose out. When that happens, the relevant bills or plans should be considered with compensation and assistance. If your father did that, then the problem isn't with him. If not, then it shows he is cold and cruel." The mouse said perfunctorily.