Chaos, Silence

  When Sakura's challenge letter reached Murphy's hands, those sharp-eyed media finally dug out the news of Scotland Yard's siege. Of course, in fact, those military police and special agents also understood that the news could not be blocked, after all, a building like the Tower of London had collapsed, and anyone could discover that something was wrong. So The Times, The London Post and other major media outlets rushed to publish special editions, with on-site tracking reports on the cause, process and result of the incident.

  Then, it was The Sun, this small newspaper that is almost universally known in the UK, which got the scoop and revealed that all of the British royal family's treasures had been stolen. The whole of the UK was in an uproar, and this time public anger had been truly aroused. Social groups and influential people issued statements calling on the government to investigate thoroughly, catch the culprits who were so daring, and hold the guards at the Tower of London accountable.

  Immediately afterwards, a somewhat untrustworthy butler at Buckingham Palace secretly revealed to a reporter from The Mirror that the previous queen had fainted due to the disappearance of her beloved corgi, for a sum of $100,000. This news spread around the globe at the speed of light, and in no time, media outlets big and small began to focus on this event.

  Humans are always a bit gossipy, and the British royal family is especially good at stirring up gossip news. Now that something like this has happened, wouldn't those media outlets take advantage of it to boost their ratings?

  The British government is under intense pressure to respond to doubts from all sides, and the senior cabinet members are almost paralyzed on the ground, exhausted like a mangy dog. They still have a pile of unsavory things that haven't been cleaned up yet, and now another scandal has emerged that could affect Britain's national reputation. Can they not be panicked? The Prime Minister gave a death order to the Secretary of Defense and several other senior officials: "Within a week, find out who did it, bring him before me, and of course, retrieve those jewels without any flaws."

  The order was ruthlessly enforced by the high-ranking officials on Scotland Yard, the military and intelligence agencies. Everyone in uniform in the British Isles was driven to a frenzy, their eyes red as they prowled around like mad dogs, pouncing on anyone who caught their attention for questioning, without regard for face or dignity. The special agents dropped all non-essential tasks and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the Tower of London affair, so surveillance on Sakura and the others was relaxed, with no one even on duty.

  In the city of London, rumors spread like wildfire, and those wanted criminals, drug dealers, and pimps fled in all directions. However, law enforcement had already set up a dragnet, and all suspicious individuals were rounded up and thrown into prison. As a result, social order was restored, many long-standing cases were cracked, and countless police officers earned merits that would guarantee their promotion and wealth, bringing joy to their entire families.

  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yi Chen also began to vigorously rectify his subordinates. He summoned a batch of leaders including Zha Li and held a meeting in the conference room on the ground floor to discuss matters.

  "Ah, this is more like it. You all need to pay attention to your image and your status. You're not those small-time hooligans under my command anymore. Keep your dignity in check. And by the way, things are getting too hot lately, so be careful not to make any mistakes. Tell the people below you to keep a low profile and not cause any trouble. If they really have nothing to do, just send them to their own nightclubs to do some chores. In short, before this storm passes, I don't want to see any of our younger brothers loitering on the streets, got it?"

  The guy with the nickname 'Wild Wolf' Hassen, who was sitting next to Charlie, asked Yichen with a somewhat strange tone: "Boss, we understand that you're taking care of the people below, but it's weird, none of us heard any wind about this. Who played such a big move? Blowing up the Tower of London isn't an easy thing... and also moving away all the treasures hidden beneath the Tower of London is even more unimaginable."

  Charlie said with a hint of greed: "Boss, why don't we dig them up and... eat them?"

  Yi Chen rolled her eyes: "You want to eat them? Are you kidding me... Do you have any leads? Do you know who did it? Do you know if they're still in London? Do you know who's backing them? To dare do something so big in the city of London is like pissing on the British king's head, whether we can swallow it or not is another question."

  "Heavy dust fell as he slammed his hand on the table: 'And, starting from yesterday, the whole street is filled with police agents walking back and forth. How are we supposed to gather information? If they don't like the look of you, they'll just take you away and throw you in jail. And if they dig up your old files, they can easily pin a crime on you. I'm too lazy to bail you out, gentlemen. Our duty is to keep a low profile, got it?'"

  The six leaders groggily got up, and after Yi Chen said this, they didn't even dare to move recklessly.

  Yi Chen stood up, glanced at them and said: "I have something to go out for a while, you pay attention... The people below, the handguns, daggers and other things on their bodies will be temporarily placed in your own strongholds, so as not to be found by the government when it declares a state of emergency."

  The six leaders responded in unison. After Yi Dust took Phil's brother up, he also took his subordinates out of another passage in a fish-like manner.

  M brought a team of agents directly to Murphy. She was very resourceful and in less than five minutes, she had found out who the people at the scene were and where they had been taken after being injured. M was prepared to extract some information from Murphy, rather than having her subordinates running around wildly. However, the hospital's background was the British royal family, and M had to ask for permission for a whole day before she was allowed to bring her team in to take statements.

  Murphy had destroyed the challenge letter and with a plaster on his injured leg, he lay half-reclined in bed with his eyes closed to rest.

  Standing at his bedside, staring unblinkingly at him: "Mr. Murphy, I am M, the head of MI6, please..."

  Murphy suddenly opened his eyes and said fluently, "Ah ha, it's an honor, ma'am. The night before last, I and three friends were admiring the moon at the Tower of London when suddenly there was a massive earthquake and the Tower of London collapsed. We were injured and sent here. I don't know anything else, sorry. The doctor ordered me to rest well and not talk too much."

  Murphy did say some truth, he was concentrating on using the holy power to slowly promote his own injury healing, where is the time to chat with M? Besides, he has already planned with Arthur, preparing to invite friends to help in the war and thoroughly defeat Sakura to vent their anger. At this moment, it's natural that he won't cooperate with M. The glory of the British royal family? What does it have to do with Murphy? Arthur is his friend, not to mention that Britain is an ally of the Vatican, but this doesn't mean that Murphy truly loves Britain.

  M said in a low voice, "Sorry, Mr. Murphy, if you don't cooperate with me, I'll have to take some unpleasant measures due to your serious suspicion, perhaps you wouldn't want to see that?"

  Two judges standing beside him swiftly stepped forward and coldly said: "Madam, you hold high power and position, yet you're threatening a seriously injured victim here. Is this your idea of justice? We will file a complaint against you for these words... we swear."

  Murphy smiled: "No, ladies need to be respected, especially such a 'distinguished' and 'senior' lady... Ah, I suddenly feel very tired, sorry, ma'am." Murphy closed his eyes and even started snoring.

  She was so angry that her whole body trembled slightly, just as she was about to erupt, a weak voice sounded behind her: "Madam, I'm sorry."

  M turned around to see a haggard-looking Arthur leaning weakly against a nurse, panting and saying: "I'm sorry, but we really didn't find anything. The Tower of London suddenly collapsed, and we were injured, so we were sent here. Mr. Murphy is my good friend, he's an important figure in the Vatican, and also a noble guest of the royal family, you'd better not disturb his rest... As for me, I'm happy to cooperate with the British law enforcement investigators, but I don't know anything."

  He stared at Arthur with a dead gaze, let out a helpless sigh, and walked towards the door in large strides, saying loudly: "Duke Arthur, sorry to disturb you."

  As he passed by Arthur, M suddenly stopped and whispered in his ear: "Your Excellency the Duke, you are really not wise enough. Perhaps because of your reason, that sinner is acquitted, and our British Empire's face is trampled on and ridiculed by people all over the world... Do you understand?"

  Arthur turned his head slightly and said in a low voice, "You people don't have the ability to investigate this matter clearly. Madam, trust me, I won't let that bastard off, I've fought him once before, he's no match for me... When my injuries recover, I'll give him some trouble."

  He hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously: "Don't we have the ability?"

  Arthur said bluntly, "Yes, that's something you can't understand. You don't have the ability to investigate clearly. Don't come to harass my friends again. They were injured in resistance against those guys. They are friends, not enemies."

  She continued walking towards the door, her words clearly entering Arthur's ears: "Perhaps you think we can't understand, but due to work, I know a lot of things that you think we don't know... Of course, I respect your opinion, Duke." M intentionally emphasized the title of Arthur's nobility.

  Arthur smiled wryly and waited for M to leave, then said helplessly to Murphy: "Look, you're too impolite, you've offended one of the loyal guardians of our great British Empire."

  Murphy suddenly opened his eyes: "These things, they shouldn't be involved, and they can't afford to be involved." Arthur nodded slightly and returned to his own room with the nurse's support.

  Phil drove the car towards Hsuna's estate, with Yi Chen sitting in the back seat, holding a glass of wine and instructing: "We're giving up the territories south and east of London City. Except for Charlie's nightclub, no one else is allowed to mess around there. Once 'Longmen' and 'Sankou Group' take over those territories, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief... Can't let that old man Wei Lun always have his way with me, I need to give him more targets."

  "Boss, this guy is too greedy, he's asking for another 20 million from us... Does he think we're a gold vault? Damn old thing."

  Yi Chen sneered: "He took so much money from us, he must do that many things for us. We are not saints in the Bible, our efforts must be rewarded. Tell Wei Lun, that old guy, that his men are not allowed to hang around near my place from now on. Consider those payments as a premium for guaranteeing the safety of our establishment... We have to ensure our customers' safety, or they won't keep coming back to spend money, right?"

  Gol nodded in agreement.

  Phil had already driven the car to the entrance of the Huan Manor, and Big Head stuck his head out of the window to take a look. The guards at the door nodded, took a casual glance, opened the iron gate, and Phil drove directly to the steps in front of the central building.

  In Xue Na's study, Laze, Fei Ke and Fei La La were discussing something with him. Fei La La chuckled and said: "I've already pulled in a few of theirs... Oh, Yi, you're just in time."

  Yi Chen walked up to Xiuna's desk, placed a check in front of him and said with a smile: "Gentlemen, this is the 350 million I promised last time, I brought it... That Japanese kid was really generous."

  Xu Na smiled, looked at Laze and the others, Laze nodded three times, Xu Na carefully picked up the check to examine it, stood up, pushed aside the oil painting on the wall behind him, opened a hidden door, then opened the safe inside, and put the check into a small pure gold box.

  He sat down directly on the sofa closest to the office desk, picked up a cigar from the box on the table in front of him, lit it and said: "Mr. Xiuna, why haven't you started yet? It's already later than the planned time last time."

  Xiu Na didn't return to her own seat, but instead sat down warmly beside Yi Chen and said in a rare gentle tone: "Yi, we need to be cautious. Last time we reconvened the meeting, we felt that we must be careful, or else they might discover something unpleasant. Do you understand?"

  Yi Chen nodded. Xiuna smiled and said, "You see, now the opportunity has come, their situation is in great chaos, now it's the best time for us. We could have launched an attack, but we still lack one person."

  Yi Chen looked at Xiuna and frowned, asking: "Since everything is ready, why? What kind of person is missing?"

  "Some companies that support our political views have given us a batch of secret funds, yes, a considerable amount of money, to carry out activities... Of course, I won't hide it from you, we promised them not a small number of policy benefits... This fund, we plan to use it within the next three to five days, when we release those materials and contact some neutral or their camp's lawmakers."

  Yi Chen burst out laughing: "Bribe them?"

  Xie Na laughed and said, "Yes, you're a wise man. If there are too many opposing voices in the council, we won't be able to do anything. So, we must take advantage of our information to catch them off guard when they're internally panicked, and win over more people. Only then can we smoothly transition from the interim cabinet to the formal cabinet."

  Yi Chen's thumb pointed at himself: "Your meaning is that you want me to act as the buyer?"

  Xiu Na smiled a bit awkwardly: "This, you see, if we were to make a move, it would be too eye-catching, and we need to avoid suspicion as much as possible. And you, your abilities are known throughout the entire city of London, if you were to take action, you would be the best candidate."

  "Ah ha, if they bite back at me, I'll have to go to Switzerland and live out the rest of my life in hiding."

  Xiu Na glanced at Yi Chen and said coldly, "If they don't know what's good for them, you can deal with them in any way you like, right? This is a gamble. If we win, we'll soar to great heights... I'm old, I don't want to miss this opportunity. I promise, I'll give you everything you want and all the conditions that I can fulfill. How about it? We're friends, I will absolutely ensure our own interests."

  Yi Chen sank into deep thought for a long time, with over a hundred thoughts swirling in his head. He absolutely didn't want to draw too much attention to himself, but it seemed that Shuna and the others' plan had already been decided, and he couldn't change anything about it either. Rather than giving other people the opportunity to take his place, it was better for him to take a slight risk instead... Yi Chen nodded: "So, how much is the fund?"

  Xu Na smiled: "Not much, just $200 million."

  Yi Chen raised his right index finger and gently shook it: "Oh? Forget it, I won't believe it."

  Xu Na smiled awkwardly: "This, you understand..." He quickly turned his head to glance at Laze and the others, Xu Na said: "You have your own stable source of funds, but we're different, we need a little bit... uh."

  Yi Chen smiled: "No problem, no problem, as long as you can guarantee that in the future, no matter what I do, no one will interfere with me. Can we add a little more funding within $20 million... and make a deal?"

  Xu Na fell silent for about five seconds, then solemnly said: "Deal. If I become Prime Minister, no one will dare to interfere with any of your actions. Of course, your actions must be kept secret and cannot be caught by the media."

  Yi Chen burst out laughing, a relaxed and pleasant laugh: "Of course, of course, how could I possibly be caught by them?" The two laughed together, just like two kind-hearted and honest old men.

  Yi Chen asked Xiuna: "When are you going to throw out these materials?"

  Lazi narrowed his eyes, smiling, Fei Ke walked over and plopped his chubby body onto the sofa across from him, chuckling and saying: "Tomorrow, is tomorrow."

  "Then, would you please have someone deliver tomorrow's newspaper to me?"

  Fei Ke stood up, bowed laboriously, and smiled obsequiously like a devoted steward, answering: "As you wish, boss..."

  The five people in the study suddenly burst out laughing wildly...

  London was still in a mess, but Yi Chen was like a big spider, steadily sitting in his own web, with long legs controlling every corner of the web. Any movement could not escape his notice. However, secretly, Yi Chen's fine threads had been quietly released, slowly wrapping around his coveted prey, tightly binding them. Everything was proceeding quietly, and M, who should have discovered and stopped these events, was being driven crazy by his superior, chasing after a non-existent 'international thief group'.