Chapter 844
Suspicious Target
Chapter 844 Suspicious Target
As the sound came out, a gray-black rat nimbly scurried out from the shadows behind the radiator and propped itself up.
Its fur was not smooth, its tail was somewhat bald, and it was missing a toe on its front paws. It looked old and haggard, with only its eyes appearing exceptionally bright and lively.
Immediately afterwards, the bedside table in "Eugene Brown's" room transformed into a square cube with four wheels emerging from the bottom and two thin tubes protruding from the top, the ends of which were rolling eyes.
"As expected of Percy Weasley!" a voice exclaimed from the Rubik's Cube. "I knew this kid would be easy to fool!"
"The plan is going even better than expected." The broom shook its handle and said, "I was originally planning to attract his attention by suddenly falling over, but now that's completely unnecessary."
"But now is not the time to relax."
The mouse squeaked, "Locke needs us—especially my support!"
"Let's go then!"
The broom suddenly flattened, and the Rubik's Cube extended a mechanical claw, pulling itself onto the broom.
The mouse nimbly leaped and landed in front of the Rubik's Cube, its tiny claws gripping the broom handle tightly.
"Hold on tight, we're off now!"
The broom spoke cheerfully, its body radiating a faint light that gradually blended into the surrounding colors.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound filled the corridor, and the three of them shot through the broken window like rockets and flew into the distance!
……
Neon lights cast dappled reflections on the damp asphalt. A taxi honked impatiently, startling a stray cat scavenging in a trash can. The cat leaped onto a rusty fire escape and vanished in an instant.
In the hotel room next door, Victor drew the curtains and turned around to see that Vilan had already turned on the lights.
Meanwhile, Vader leaned back in his chair, reviewing the intelligence he had been gathering from various sources over the past few days.
On the whiteboard against the wall, there were photos of five people, with densely written clues next to them.
At the top of the list is Nicolo Hawthorne, the current president of the Magical Congress, the man who forced Ms. Serafina Picqueri back to the manor and forbade her from expressing too many opinions on political affairs.
The house-elves once overheard him having a heated argument with Ms. Piqueli in his office:
"This can't be tolerated any longer! You must take action!"
Pudding, the little elf who works in the kitchen, once overheard similar snippets of conversation when she delivered coffee to the president's office.
Soon after, the Auror Office increased the protection...or rather, surveillance, of Ms. Picqueli, making her life difficult and forcing her to carefully consider every word she spoke.
"Should we start with the toughest nut to crack?" Vilan muttered. "Investigating this guy is quite dangerous."
“He’s been the Speaker of Congress for five years,” Wade said softly. “Do you really think a man who’s ruthless enough to do anything to achieve his goals would be completely unaware of the corrupt elements within Congress?”
"It's even possible... that he himself is the biggest parasite?" Victor said, arms crossed. "But he's the Speaker of Congress, what good would it do him to betray the interests of the magical world?"
“Not everyone is driven by self-interest!” Viran said. “Wouldn’t hatred… or love, be even better catalysts?”
“Then we have to be careful,” Victor said. “We have to be the fishermen, lest we accidentally become fish in his net.”
Vilan nodded and said, "Next up is Mr. Ezra Hughes, the head of the Auror's office."
The man in the photo has a stern face, wears a crisp robe, and has gray-blue eyes like icicles. "The elves all say that he has shown extraordinary interest in my intelligence, repeatedly reviewing reports and even surveillance records related to the alchemy competition and the British guests."
Wade rested his chin on his hand and said detachedly, "And he often puts soundproofing spells on his office and often talks to unknown people in private, sometimes for one or two hours."
Victor added, "And the Aurors who are monitoring Serafina Picqueli are essentially his subordinates. Even if Nicolo Hawthorne wanted to command them, he couldn't completely bypass Ezra Hughes."
“So these two people…” Vilan drew a line down the middle of their photos: “are very likely working together?”
"That's possible. At least they're not like the British Ministry of Magic, where the Minister and the Director of the Auror Office are rivals."
As he spoke, Wade's gaze gradually moved downwards.
Aldridge Corbett, the senior deputy secretary of the Department of Security, was the only one of the five targets who proactively contacted Wade and also expressed a willingness to cooperate with Modishes Graves. A photo of the two shaking hands was taken.
In addition, the house-elf who cleans for him has seen him secretly destroying documents and materials on several occasions, and occasionally using confiscated, unregistered door keys to leave headquarters, disappearing to who-knows-where.
—People who are highly suspicious often seem innocent, for some reason.
Next is Reginald Perez, the director of the FlooNet Management Bureau, who has a pureblood arrogance in his expression and looks very shrewd.
It is said that this person has a great interest in time-related magic and ancient legends, and has inquired about them at salon gatherings on many occasions.
During his student years, he was so fascinated by spacetime theory that he applied twice a year for the right to use a time-changer. Unfortunately, he was rejected by the Magic Council at the time because his grades in two or three subjects did not meet the requirements.
Bobo from the archives also said that the official who rejected his application left a special note:
"This student's desire for time magic goes beyond the scope of academics, and even if their grades are satisfactory, their application will not be considered."
Finally, Wade's gaze settled on the only woman on the list.
Leila Picqueli.
She is another niece of Ms. Serafina Picqueli, and is now in her forties, but is still considered young and promising among wizards, currently serving as the chairman's assistant.
—This is probably the position Percy Weasley has always dreamed of.
Unlike Percy, whose name was not remembered by the minister, Leila had served for many years and always performed her work impeccably. She seemed to be completely unaffected by Ms. Serafina Picqueli and was highly valued by the current chairman, Nicolo Hawthorne.
She was like a plant that had precisely calculated the angle of sunlight, finding the most suitable way to grow amidst the storm of power shifts.
However, beneath this perfect resume lie several intriguing shadows.
For example, Ms. Leila never visited her aunt, who was essentially under house arrest, and Ms. Serafina Picqueli never tried to ask her for help.
For example, Lyra Picqueli secretly maintained contact with several wizards who smuggled contraband and acquired "antiques," and repeatedly concealed her identity when entering and leaving a place similar to Knockturn Alley.
For example, she seems to often cast a weak forgetting spell on herself, actively making herself forget certain things.
Wade took down the photo of Leila Picqueli and tapped it with his finger.
“Start the investigation with her… Vilan, find out about Ms. Leila Picqueli’s recent schedule.”
(End of this chapter)