Chapter 766
Reporter
Chapter 766 Reporter
Stepping out of the airport, the unique hustle and bustle of New York and the sweltering heat of summer hit him. Wade paused briefly, taking in everything around him.
This is New York in 1995.
Although London is now a world-class city, New York City at that time was different—it was the absolute core of world finance and economy, and the focal stage of global diplomacy and politics.
The city is now filled with a raw, vigorous, and boiling vitality. The grand political victory and pinnacle status, when applied to every ordinary person, give them an almost overflowing confidence and positivity.
Fragments of various accents assaulted his eardrums, while the impatient honking of vehicles rose and fell. Sundresses, brightly colored high heels, denim jackets, cargo pants, high-top basketball shoes... even with Wade's "future-oriented" perspective, the pedestrians' clothing didn't seem outdated.
Just as the group paused briefly, a figure, like a shark that had smelled blood, suddenly rushed out from the side of the rest area. The speed of the movement startled even the well-trained American Aurors.
The newcomer was a tall, thin wizard with sandy brown hair. He wore a wrinkled, dark yellow coat over a contrasting plaid shirt, and his tie hung crookedly around his neck, making him look like a frivolous telephone operator.
“Mr. Wade Gray! Wait, you're Mr. Wade Gray, right?”
As the wizard shouted, he darted through the encirclement of Aurors like a nimble sardine, and several people reached out to grab him, but they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Salina and Rex's faces darkened. They reached into their suits and secretly pulled out most of their wands, then strode over.
The wizard had already rushed in front of Wade as if by teleportation. After Moody grabbed his shoulder, he did not resist. Instead, he quickly picked up the camera on his chest and took two photos. Then, as if by magic, he grabbed a quill pen and a notebook.
At the same time, his mouth didn't stop either; the questions he had prepared beforehand were fired off like a machine gun:
“Mr. Wade Gray, I’m Tom Hack, a reporter for the New York Ghost! May I have a minute of your time?”
—Tom?
Wade looked up at him because of this seemingly ordinary name.
Before any response could be received, the wizard spoke rapidly:
"As the youngest judge in the history of the International Alchemy Competition, what are your thoughts at this moment? Do you think you deserve this honor?"
"At only fifteen years old, you are said to have mastered more alchemical knowledge than most scholars who have devoted themselves to this field for decades. Is there any exaggeration in this statement?"
"Hey, you!" Moody grabbed him by the collar, pulled him close, and roared, "Do you know what happened to the last idiot who messed with me like that?"
Suddenly, Moody became alert, shoved the self-proclaimed reporter away, and said warily, "Get out of my sight! Otherwise, I'll take it as an attack..."
He ground his teeth, the threat clear.
Tom Heck's ears were ringing from his shouting, and Moody's grotesque scars left him speechless.
But after being pushed aside, he immediately regained his energy. After wiping the spittle from his face, he completely ignored Moody and continued to crane his neck, reaching past Moody to ask Wade, who was protected in the center of the crowd:
"Please answer this question, Mr. Gray! Rumors say you have a close relationship with Albus Dumbledore, and some even say that Triss Morrie was the true inventor of the puppet. Is this true? Are you Dumbledore's hidden grandson, or Triss Morrie's illegitimate son?"
Although he spoke at a speed that seemed to spew out hundreds of syllables per minute, and Wade wasn't planning on paying him any attention, he was still taken aback when he heard this and instinctively asked, "What?"
This simple response immediately excited Tom Heck, who continued to ask quickly:
"During the Magic League, was the one you fought really the legendary Voldemort? Are you sure it wasn't some imposter trying to pass off as him? Would you mind sharing some details?"
His questions became increasingly direct and touched on sensitive issues. His light green eyes were fixed on Wade, trying to catch the slightest emotional fluctuations on his face.
As he continued to ask questions, although his eyes remained fixed on Wade, the quill pen in his hand never stopped twitching—clearly, the reporter's act of holding the quill pen was merely a pretense; in reality, the pen required no manual operation from its owner. It was the same shorthand quill pen as Rita Skeeter, capable of generating lengthy articles on its own.
But when they heard him asking about Voldemort, the Aurors who had been "stunned" by the reporter's revelation seemed to finally come to their senses and immediately rushed over to grab Tom Heck, using their bodies to separate him from Wade.
"Step back! Mr. Heck!" Salina said coldly, "This is not the time or place for an interview!"
Tom Heck was dragged away by his arms, but he seemed used to it, relaxing his body and pressing his weight onto the Aurors' arms while shouting:
“Mr. Gray, why are your actions being controlled by these Aurors? Which law have you broken? Or are you being persecuted by Congress? Are they restricting your freedom?”
"Shut up, Hek!" Auror snapped. "I'm warning you, get back right now, or I'll arrest you for obstructing official business!"
"Please say something, Mr. Gray! Whatever it may be, I will speak up for you! I will defend your freedom of speech to the death!"
Tom Heck shouted defiantly, and even as Salina walked up to him with a cold smile, he still craned his neck and yelled:
"You cannot stop Mr. Gray from giving me an interview! The public has the right to know!"
Selena's eyes flashed coldly, and she snatched the quill pen and notebook from his hand without hesitation. She glanced at the words written on it and then examined the quill pen over and over again.
"Mr. Heike!"
Salina said coldly, "You openly used an item clearly defined as a Level 2 magical artifact in a public place where Muggles gather, in front of many Muggles! This is a serious violation of the Secret Code!"
Before she could finish speaking, she gripped the quill pen tightly—
"Do not--"
Tom Heck screamed.
With a crisp "snap," the delicate quill pen broke in half, and its once vibrant red color suddenly became dull and lifeless.
Almost simultaneously, Rex's enormous hand gripped Tom Heck's shoulder like an iron clamp, the immense force rendering him completely immobile.
“A blatant violation of the Secret Service Act… You are under arrest, Mr. Heck.”
Rex announced calmly, "Take him away!"
He used a silent, wandless spell, and Tom Heck, who had been chattering away moments before, was now unable to utter a sound and was irresistibly led away from the scene by two Aurors.
The noisy and chaotic situation naturally attracted the attention of some Muggles, who looked over curiously. However, to ordinary people, Rex and his group were similar to members of the tax bureau or law enforcement agencies, so no one stepped forward to "do the right thing."
What happened here wouldn't even be worth talking about in New York, and naturally wouldn't leave a deep impression on ordinary people.
Before nightfall, those shallow memories will vanish like birds soaring across the sky, leaving no trace.
(End of this chapter)