BXBX NOVEL Chapter 451: The Harbor Meeting
The FBI\'s investigation was in full swing. Some congressmen were killed under mysterious circumstances while in detention, either by cellmates or through poisoning even in separate cells. It seemed that someone was determined to eliminate all links.
— A Few Days Later, San Francisco Harbor —
After a few days of intense investigation, the FBI seemed to have exhausted all their resources, causing the investigation to slow down as no further leads emerged regarding the mastermind behind the assassination of the congressmen.
Currently, only some minor players, who knew nothing substantial, survived and were locked up in the most secure prison to prevent any assassination attempts.
The moon hung low over San Francisco Harbor, casting a silvery glow on the calm waters. The rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the docks filled the air, mingling with the distant hum of the city.
A man in his mid-50s, dressed in a formal suit, waited at the moonlit pier, exuding an air of sly authority. He was the Vice President of the US, Simon Grant, who worked under President John Malcomes.
He was here because his nephew, who was working on the front line as a commander, had been given a dishonorable discharge from the military, pushing him to the brink. His long years of planning to run for the presidency and having someone hold authority in the military had taken a huge blow.
He had long dreamt of freeing the US from the influence of that witch, Victoria Goldwyn, by holding both governance and military power and forcing her to stop meddling in government affairs and just provide them with money. That plan turned to ashes the moment his nephew got dishonorably discharged.
Later, someone from the Qing Empire contacted him, asking if he could pull some strings to rearrange the hotel stay of CEO Cao Cao into their designated hotel so they could have a chat with him. Who would have thought it would turn into this assassination mess?
This mess is way above his pay grade! Even though he didn\'t like Victoria Goldwyn, he had to admit that fighting with her right now was suicide. If he had known things would turn out like this, he wouldn\'t have given a damn about that Qing embassy.
While the Vice President was still mulling over things in his mind, a sleek, black car pulled up silently to the edge of the dock. A man with an air of nobility and suavity stepped out of the car. His clothes resembled those of a noble from the 1800s, complete with a golden pocket watch chain resting over his inner vest.
"You\'re late," said the Vice President.
The man smirked, his face partially revealed. "Traffic," he replied dismissively. "Let\'s get to business. I have more important matters to take care of tonight."
The Vice President nodded; he didn\'t want to stay here long either. Reporters and investigators were still hunting for clues, and he didn\'t want to be caught in the middle of the night with a shady character like the man in front of him.
"You did well eliminating those congressmen, Mr. Whisper," Simon began, his tone a mix of gratitude and underlying anger. "But you caused too much commotion. Some of those congressmen were killed in custody. It\'s drawing too much attention."
The man smirked. "Hey, you wanted them dead as soon as possible. Or would you rather wait for them to get out of custody after they told the FBI about your involvement?" The man named Whisper spoke with clear sarcasm, immediately shutting up the Vice President.
"Tch! Fine." The Vice President gritted his teeth, then turned to one of his bodyguards. The bodyguard nodded and handed a sleek metal case to Whisper.
"That case contains all the information regarding the Qing Dynasty\'s past and recent activities in North America, stored in the secret department of Liberty House. I can assure you that even the President doesn\'t know it exists," said the Vice President with a proud smile.
He was the one actually working, so it stood to reason that he would have a lot more influence than the puppet President and know things the current President didn\'t.
The man named Whisper opened the briefcase and checked the information. These were the documents that were deemed non-existent. They even included the names of secret operatives in the Qing Dynasty and recent actions by the Qing Dynasty, some of whom were double agents.
After reviewing all the information, Whisper nodded in satisfaction.
The Vice President waited for Whisper to finish confirming the contents, then turned toward his bodyguard. The bodyguard handed a second briefcase to Whisper.
"That\'s the payment, all of it in gold bullion," said the Vice President. Whisper checked the contents and nodded.
Simon found the man strange. This man preferred to be paid in information, with the price adjusted according to the sensitivity and importance of the information provided. If that wasn\'t enough, they could supplement the payment with gold bullion.
When the investigation started, Simon tried to find someone to silence those congressmen for him, but none of the underworld bosses or assassins dared to accept the task. They all knew that messing with a pissed-off uncrowned queen was a recipe for disaster.
Even mages, those arrogant bastards who acted all high and mighty, didn\'t dare to step forward either.
Yes, Simon knew about the Curtained World. A mage who claimed to be his client and whom he patronized appeared a few months ago. In this relationship of mutual benefit, Simon had to provide the mage with research funds, and in return, he would get the mage\'s protection and could request favors from him occasionally.
Yet, even that mage didn\'t dare to do this favor for him. He said it was too dangerous and even brought up a magical contract that Simon could cancel if he wished, ending their patron-client relationship. The mage seemed eager to cut him loose after learning what he wanted.
Simon had no choice but to comply. The mage seemed afraid, like a dog tucking its tail between its legs. The mage quickly vanished, destroying everything in his laboratory as if to erase his existence from Simon\'s life.
At this time, Simon had lost all hope. However, while browsing the dark net, he stumbled upon a site called "Whispering Hall & Reaper Gate." Curious, he clicked on it and discovered it was a platform for buying and selling information, with options to commission assassinations.
The prices and payment methods adjusted based on the client\'s requests—whether it was to kill someone or obtain specific information. Simon observed other requests on the site, noting that payments ranged from standard monetary compensation to information, and sometimes even strange requests.
For his request, he wanted all the congressmen who had evidence against him and knew about his involvement in the hotel assassination incident eliminated. He entered the request and was informed that he needed to pay with both information and money, and that he had to deliver the payment himself.
The job proceeded smoothly without a hitch—no evidence, no clues for the FBI to follow. Despite the increased heat and suspicion, the job was executed flawlessly, leaving nothing for Simon to criticize. It was clean, quick, and left no trace.
At this time, Whisper finished inspecting the payment.
"Thank you for your patronage. We will not take up any more of your time. Good night," the man named Whisper said. He then shook hands with the vice president before walking back to his car, which immediately started, leaving the vice president alone.
The vice president\'s gaze followed the car until it vanished from sight. He then returned to his own car, reflecting on the costly but efficient and effective service he had received from the Whispering Hall & Reaper Gate site. He would keep this contact in mind for future use.
— Meanwhile - Inside Whisper Car —
Inside Whisper\'s car, whose space was extended by a space extension rune, Albert Worsely sat sipping the green tea he had conveniently borrowed without asking from Odysseus. His British blood found the taste of the green tea strange, yet he felt refreshed by its flavor and aroma.
"My Lord, isn\'t this considered treason to our master?" the driver cautiously asked, causing Albert to pause his tea session. The thought of betraying his lord made his thoughts shudder; he would never dare, as even considering it was the utmost heresy.
Albert calmed himself before considering how to explain to his driver.