Chapter 827
Lies and Silence
Chapter 827 Lies and Silence
"strangeness……"
Harry couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Where's Mr. Victor? And all those people who helped in economy class... they don't look like ordinary people, why aren't they on the train?"
A thought that made him uncomfortable popped into his head:
—Are they going to have their memories erased too?
Hermione, sitting next to him, gave a very strange look.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she held back, only glancing uneasily at Lupin sitting in the front row.
Lupin turned his head and explained calmly, “Those people… have rather special identities. They had already left through other channels before you woke up.”
His words were vague, but he clearly didn't intend to reveal more. Harry guessed that those people might be some kind of "mercenaries from the wizarding world," and nodded as if he understood.
However, when Lupin turned his head, the smile on his lips unconsciously faded, turning into a somewhat solemn expression.
He didn't deceive Harry, but even perfectly truthful language can constitute a lie that is completely different from the truth.
Victor and the others did leave before Harry woke up... but they left much earlier than that.
Long before the plane landed, the group had silently disappeared from Arthur Weasley's sight, a message that Mr. Weasley later subtly conveyed to Lupin.
Lupin didn't know whether Victor and the others had entered Wade's seemingly ordinary but actually secretive wardrobe space, or whether they had completely left the plane through some more covert method that even he couldn't understand.
At least, Dobby, the house-elf who could travel thousands of miles for Vader, had the ability to silently get people off airplanes.
Thinking about this, a question that remains unanswered to this day resurfaces in my mind: How exactly did Dobby track them all the way from England to America?
Did they use the scattered islands in the ocean as springboards to repeatedly teleport and shift their forms?
Did they use the flying ability of frigatebirds or albatrosses to cross the entire Atlantic Ocean?
Or perhaps it was disguised as an inconspicuous package, hidden in the cargo hold of an airplane, and completed this silent expedition.
Regardless of the method, it is destined to be very arduous, requiring extraordinary courage and unwavering will, and even more so, an almost obsessive loyalty and conviction.
Lupin felt a deep sense of awe for the incredible power possessed by house-elves.
But compared to the other elves who could only do chores, Lupin felt that the truly magical one was Vader—
He actually managed to get this creature, who only knew how to obey orders, to go to great lengths and go through twists and turns, willingly traversing oceans, just to deliver what Vader needed to him.
Just like those puppets...
They are not cold and rigid like Muggle machines; some are even quite intelligent and have unique personalities.
However, at crucial moments, the puppets will not hesitate to show a fearless attitude of sacrifice, as if dying for their master is just a natural fate.
Lupin had assumed all golems were like that until he saw those inferior golems that hesitated and cowered in the face of danger at the Alchemy Tournament, and realized how special the ones Vader had created were.
This loyalty and dedication, which transcends instinct and even the basic need for "survival," when it occurs in a creature whose intelligence is not low, has a far stronger impact on Lupin than seeing a group of ignorant and unconscious "puppets" charging into battle.
These thoughts swirled in Lupin's mind, tinged with a mixture of awe and wariness towards the unknown art of alchemy. But after much deliberation, he suppressed the surging questions.
Even when Arthur Weasley wanted to discuss things with him, Lupin only vaguely stated that Dumbledore knew everything.
These words were like a reassurance, immediately putting Mr. Weasley at ease, and he watched with a smile as his children made a ruckus in the car.
Lupin suppressed the tremor in his heart and remained silent once again.
Some boundaries need not be crossed; some powers need not be investigated.
As long as they are certain that this force is on their side at this moment, and remains upright and righteous, that is enough.
otherwise……
What else could it be?
Should we do something foolish that would cause pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies, simply because of some inexplicable fear in our hearts?
Lupin closed his eyes, turning his deep-seated doubts into an almost inaudible sigh.
……
Kingsley Shackle, along with the others, carried the unconscious Martin down the gangway with steady steps.
Mundungus put his tie back on, but it was all wrinkled and looked rather shabby.
Commander Straw, who had been anxiously waiting, immediately went to meet him. He glanced at Martin, recognized him as the robber from the investigation files, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying:
"Did you catch him? What's the situation on the plane?"
Kingsley said, "The hijacker has been caught, but in order to control the situation, he released a large amount of anesthetic gas on the plane, causing the passengers to fall asleep, and even he himself was not spared."
The surrounding police officers relaxed and burst into laughter: "Hahaha... what a stupid robber!"
Straw's lips twitched slightly, then he frowned and said, "This is bad! An overdose of anesthetic gas can be fatal! What about the passengers on the plane..."
“Don’t worry, they’re fine,” Kingsley said. “Aside from being a little shaken, they’re all healthy. A few passengers inhaled too much and vomited, so I had them taken to the hospital.”
Straw nodded; he had also seen the shuttle bus that had left earlier, and his account matched up.
Of course, the most important thing was the genuine, cabinet-issued document, which greatly enhanced the credibility of Kingsley's every word.
The commander did not press the matter further. When Kingsley indicated that he would take the prisoner back for emergency interrogation, he waved for his subordinates to let him go, watching as the group of cabinet members escorted the criminals into a specially made vehicle and drove away quickly.
Subsequently, police officers, doctors, and firefighters boarded the plane and carried off the passengers who were gradually waking up from their coma.
On the stretcher, the reactions of the people varied—
"That's strange. I think I fell asleep as soon as I boarded the plane. I don't even remember the food cart passing by..."
The man, clutching his briefcase, muttered to himself in confusion as he looked at his phone: "But I haven't eaten anything for over a day, yet I don't feel hungry..."
"I had such a vivid dream!" Another pregnant boss, holding the doctor's hand, gestured as he said, "In my dream, there was a flying Sinbad, a glowing giant, and a little elf who could fix airplanes..."
Most passengers simply looked bewildered, their eyes glazed over, their steps unsteady. They seemed to vaguely remember something, but the specific details were like reflections in water, becoming blurry with the slightest thought.
The only clear feeling in my heart was the relief of "finally landing".
“I’ll never fly again,” a young man muttered. “Airplanes are terrifying… I’ll never fly again…” Seeing their dazed and confused state, an experienced policeman nudged the paramedics beside him with his elbow, gestured towards the passengers being carried off the plane, and said:
"Look, it's obvious they've taken a lot of drugs..."
The doctor nodded in agreement: "Looking at the pupillary response, disorientation, and anterograde amnesia... almost everyone experienced the aftereffects of the inhaled anesthetic, but no one suffered permanent damage..."
He said with a mixture of confusion and admiration, "The dosage control is incredibly precise, a million times better than our hospital's anesthesiologists!"
Commander Straw: "..."
He stood with his hands on his hips in front of the flashing police lights, his brows furrowed.
Looking at the group of passengers with varying expressions and unsteady gaits, Strau clicked his tongue, feeling that something was amiss—
Shaker and his group spent too much time on the plane.
The scene before me was far too peaceful.
It was as calm as the eye of a storm, yet it had an eerie quality to it.
He turned his head, gestured with his chin to his subordinate who was operating the computer and recording data, and said:
"Go, double-check everyone's identity information, make sure you don't miss a single one!"
"Yes!" The subordinate grabbed the laptop and ran off.
After a while, Straw waved his hand and summoned another subordinate.
"Check the information on your registration to see who was taken away by shuttle bus because of 'feeling unwell'... Then call the surrounding hospitals to see where those patients were taken and what their symptoms were."
"Yes!" the subordinate replied, then asked hesitantly, "Boss, do you suspect... there's more to this hijacking than meets the eye?"
Strau stroked his chin, pondering uncertainly, "Perhaps... I just feel..."
Before he could finish speaking, the sky seemed to brighten suddenly, and Strau instinctively looked up—
"Boom!!!"
A deafening clap of thunder exploded without warning, seemingly right overhead! The enormous sound wave appeared to make the ground tremble!
At this moment, even a tough guy like Straw who was completely unafraid of thunderstorms was startled and shrank back, his heart skipping a beat!
Immediately afterwards, an extremely dazzling, distorted blue-white bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the dim night sky. It tore through the sky and struck the quietly parked passenger plane with unstoppable force!
"boom--!"
With a terrifying roar, a dazzling fireball exploded from the fuselage struck by lightning, scattering countless metal fragments and parts everywhere!
“Ahhhhh——!”
A scream suddenly rang out at the airport. The passenger who was lying on the stretcher jumped down with lightning speed and ran away!
The shockwave, mixed with heat, rushed towards them, causing those who were nearby to stagger backward, but it failed to catch up with the group of "weak" passengers who had fled first.
The plane, which had just survived a hijacking and managed to make a successful emergency landing, was struck directly by incredibly powerful lightning in full view of everyone and engulfed in flames!
The color drained from everyone's faces, their minds blank with awe at the power of nature!
"Clap clap clap-"
The rain poured down in torrents.
Straw suddenly jolted awake and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Watch out for electric shock! Back off! Everyone back off!"
He disregarded his image and, along with his subordinates, scrambled towards the terminal, getting away from the plane that had become a giant ball of fire.
The air was filled with a pungent, burnt smell and the scent of ozone, and one could feel a tingling sensation on the skin from the free charges in the air.
The rainwater underfoot made a slapping sound as they stepped on it. The thought that the rainwater was a conductor, and the unprecedented lightning bolt they had just witnessed, made everyone swing their arms and wish they had two more legs!
They retreated scrambling back into the terminal, and through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, all the shaken passengers witnessed a scene they would never forget—
The night sky was like a god in anger, with bolts of lightning striking down one after another, creating deafening explosions. Beneath the dark, heavy clouds, the outside world was occasionally as bright as day!
The plane was completely engulfed in flames; the fire-resistant material on its fuselage seemed to have vanished, and even the torrential rain couldn't extinguish it.
Sparks and burning fragments kept shooting out of the machine, like a fireworks show themed around destruction, beautiful yet extremely cruel.
Everyone was just glad that they had run out quickly and decisively, otherwise they would have been killed along with the plane.
Fortunately, due to the hijacking, the airport had already cleared a large area, and the raging flames and explosions did not spread to other places.
Looking at the hellish scene, everyone sighed and said:
"Thank God, we're so lucky! We escaped a disaster!"
"Yes! If it weren't for... if Mr. Martin hadn't hijacked the plane, the entire airport might be engulfed in flames right now!"
These words of relief, though strangely logical, were somehow self-consistent and spread throughout the crowd.
Strau, however, stared intently out the window, his fists clenched, his face devoid of any relief, only a deep-seated solemnity and doubt.
Although it's quite incomprehensible...
But that terrifying lightning strike happened only after everyone had taken shelter in the terminal, and no one was injured or killed as a result...
The coincidence of the thunderstorm and the precise destruction made him suspect that there must be an invisible hand controlling everything behind the scenes.
At this moment, a subordinate walked over quickly and reported in a low voice:
"Some passengers...left on their own in the chaos. I'm sorry, boss, we're no longer able to verify a complete list..."
“What about the surrounding hospitals?” Straw asked.
"The hospital..." the subordinate said, puzzled, "none of the nearby hospitals have received any patients..."
Straw listened without showing any surprise.
He stared out the window, remaining silent for a long time before finally uttering a sentence through clenched teeth:
"understood."
The brief words contained so much powerlessness, anger, and a deep sense of dread about a hidden entity behind the scenes.
Straw knew that the truth of this matter would probably be buried forever under ashes and fog, just like those passengers who disappeared into the night.
(End of this chapter)