Chapter 901
Corbit
Chapter 901 Corbit
Lyra bowed slightly: "Sir, you flatter me. I was merely fulfilling my duty. Please take good care of yourself; the Magic Council still needs you."
"Duty...yes...we all bear our own responsibilities."
Hawthorne looked at Lyra, the wariness in his eyes disappearing, replaced by a complex expression.
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the brightly colored sticky notes, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the quill pen in his hand.
"But how many people can actually fulfill their basic responsibilities? Many people not only forget their responsibilities, but they even forget who they are."
Leila seemed puzzled, and a little flustered, and stammered, "Chairman... sir?"
Hawthorne shook his head and said, "It's nothing, I was just venting... Go on, remember what you said today. Hopefully, one day when you're in my position, you won't forget this original intention either."
Leila nodded and left the room.
As she turned to close the door, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashed in her eyes.
The most dangerous moment has passed.
The rest... is just cleaning up the mess left by his past "stains".
……
The cool moonlight shone on the low apple trees, casting eerie shadows on the secluded path. The leaves rustled and whistled in the wind.
Corbett strode quickly across the path, his footsteps sounding exceptionally clear.
He instinctively reached into the inside pocket of his robe, his fingertips touching the stiff edge of the check, a greedy, burning sensation spreading through his heart.
So much money... just for a report from the Auror's office?
Although the death toll was high on the night of the hurricane and the nature of the case was somewhat sensitive, it was his duty as the Senior Deputy Minister of the Security Department of the Magical Congress to request and review the investigation materials from the Auror Office!
This money is practically free.
Corbett licked his lips. Perhaps the task they asked him to do this time was too easy. After the initial excitement, he felt somewhat uneasy.
Speaking of which... why has Hughes been paying extra attention to those Muggle accidental deaths lately?
Just then, Corbitt suddenly felt a sharp burning pain in his chest—it was a button on his chest sending him the highest level of warning signal.
Corbett's expression changed abruptly, and he immediately pressed the button into his palm. A moment later, a line of extremely small text appeared on it:
[Congress is aware of this; flee immediately!]
A chill suddenly burst forth from the base of my spine, shooting up to the top of my head like lightning, and cold sweat instantly soaked my back.
He stiffly raised his head and saw two unfamiliar Aurors silently appearing in the shadows at the end of the path ahead.
Corbett's heart skipped a beat, and he whirled around—
Behind him, Ezra Hughes personally led two people and quickly walked towards him.
Hughes, the leader, had a solemn expression and cold eyes. He approached with an oppressive pace while drawing his wand from his pocket.
—We must not fall into a passive position!
In that critical moment, Corbitt had only one thought in his mind.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints, the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything, and before he could even fully turn around, he spun around—
At the same time, a sharp voice roared, "Make your move!"
"Snapped!"
A series of crackling explosions suddenly shattered the silence of the night. Three or five streaks of light from incantations crisscrossed as they passed through where Corbitt was, but in the end, they only left a few streaks in the air.
"He's run away, Mr. Hughes!" one Auror cried out anxiously. Another Auror immediately said, "He ran away without even facing questioning; this guy is definitely suspicious! Mr. Hughes, what should we do now?"
“Don’t worry, he can’t escape,” Ezra Hughes said calmly. “My spell hit him.”
……
With a piercing bang, Corbit's figure was ejected from the void. He staggered and fell onto the damp lakeside, gagging twice.
The three essential elements of Apparition are: goal, determination, and composure.
The moment of his hasty escape could hardly be described as "calm." He was lucky that his body hadn't split apart, but his internal organs seemed to have been displaced, and it took him a while to struggle to his feet.
A strange, sharp pain suddenly came from his left abdomen.
Corbett lifted the hem of his shirt and saw a pattern on his abdomen that resembled a pitchfork, faintly emitting a red glow.
—The Auror's Tracking Spell!
Kobit's heart sank and his scalp tingled.
He immediately Apparated again, this time arriving at the back alley of a bar that was open all night. With trembling hands, he took out his communication pea and quickly walked into the bar, where the music was deafening.
He dared not let go of the wand, but waved it slightly, casting a spell to block out external sounds around him.
"Beep-beep-"
With each ring of the waiting voice, his heart felt like it was being struck again. He anxiously looked back at the bar entrance and pushed away the drunkards who were clinging to him.
Finally, the call was connected.
"Dear Corbett, you got the information so quickly?"
The person on the other end of the phone sounded both amused and surprised.
"Help me!" Corbett cried out frantically as he saw two Aurors walk in through the door. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "I've been exposed! Congress is after me! They've marked me!"
Just then, a tall Auror spotted Corbit and strode towards them. Corbit quickly waved his wand twice, and the surrounding Muggles, as if high on drugs, surged wildly towards the two Aurors.
The Auror immediately revealed an extremely angry expression. Even though Corbit couldn't hear the voice on the other end, he knew what Corbit was yelling about—
The secrecy law! The secrecy law is written all over the folds of these guys' brains!
On the other end of the call, Jazz's voice turned cold: "You've been marked?"
“Yes!” Corbitt said hastily, his voice distorted with fear. “Don’t you have a place that blocks magic? Let me go there, or I’m done for!”
"Beep-beep-beep-"
When the busy tone came through the communication pod, Corbit couldn't believe his ears.
He picked the communication pea, looked at it, then put it back, finally understanding the situation:
He was actually abandoned!
--Why?!
He had even prepared himself for what would happen if the other party saw that he had lost his usefulness and wanted to turn him into an experimental subject as well. He was prepared to deal with it and fight back. But he didn't expect that the group of people wouldn't even give him that chance!
Corbit froze on the spot as the tiny communication pea slipped from his palm. Before he could pick it up, it was crushed to pieces by a drunkard who was stumbling and dancing!
(End of this chapter)