newbobooks Chapter 261 Martial Law Enforcement and Interrogation
Chapter 261 Martial Law Enforcement and Interrogation
Chapter 261 Martial Law Enforcement and Interrogation
Klein soon learned what had happened in Backlund: a massacre had occurred at the embassy of a powerful northern nation.
This incident can be said to have slapped both Intis and the Kingdom of Rune in the face. No wonder the Storm Church was so anxious when it received news of the explosion here, sparing no expense to burn talismans and send people to investigate!
King George III has now ordered a renewed state of alert throughout Backlund for a full-scale manhunt for the killer.
Now, anything that happens, no matter how small, will be magnified into a major incident.
Klein, Ian Wright, and Marich looked at each other, never expecting that such a thing would happen just a few hours after they left Backlund city.
At the same time, Marich and Ian Wright seemed to remember something, and their expressions became unusually urgent.
Just then, several members of the substitute punishment squad finished their investigation of the scene, nodded to their leader, and indicated that they had not found anything. It did indeed look like the scene where criminals smuggling weapons detonated explosives, with nothing else unusual!
Upon receiving a report from his subordinates, the captain of the Punishers said to Klein:
"Since this is an operation by MI9, we won't interfere anymore. After you've finished cleaning up, hurry back to the city, or you might not be able to get back!"
Without waiting for Klein's thanks, he signaled his men to leave the scene.
After the Punisher squad left, Miss Sharon suddenly reappeared beside them, and Klein casually asked:
"Rosago and his secret puppet have been dealt with? The Punishers didn't suspect anything, did they?"
If something big happened at the Intis Embassy, then the matter of Rosago must be kept even more secret. Otherwise, everyone present would be dragged into this vortex. Even Evan himself might not be able to escape unscathed if he got involved, let alone them!
Miss Sharon clearly understood the seriousness of the situation, nodded slightly to reassure Klein, and then said in a cool voice:
"One of the 'punishers,' a 'detective,' attempted to rewind the scene, but without success."
"Is it Sequence 7 'Detective' from the 'Reader' pathway?"
Klein quickly recalled the information about extraordinary individuals he had encountered while in the Tingen Night Watch squad.
Because the Storm Church's main "Sailor" path is an extraordinary path that is well-suited for direct combat but not for handling extraordinary events, especially those involving mystical events that require deciphering, they also cultivate extraordinary individuals through the "Reader" path as a supplement, just as the Night Church cultivates "Corpse Collectors" and the Steam and Mechanical Church cultivates "Secret Seekers".
Miss Sharon nodded, then continued, "Although they didn't succeed in rewinding, they will definitely suspect that the 'Punisher' team leader is not simple either, and may very well possess a powerful sealing artifact. I can sense a threat emanating from him."
Anyone would doubt Klein's story if a Sequence 7 Extraordinary couldn't conduct an accurate investigation at a typical explosion site.
Perhaps that group of "punishers" hasn't gone far and is monitoring them nearby using some means.
Klein was not surprised at all by this, but he showed no sign of nervousness, and said with a smile to his companions:
"That's for sure, and I bet that captain is currently using some means to contact the Storm Church and ask MI9 for confirmation of our operation tonight."
"Don't worry, to prevent any unexpected situations, I've already filed this operation with MI9 through Evan. They won't be able to find anything!"
Having served as a "Night Watchman" for two months, Klein was well aware of the procedures the official Extraordinary Squad handled in such matters, so he had no worries whatsoever.
Sharon and Maritch breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Klein was prepared, but Maritch immediately said to Sharon anxiously:
"Given the magnitude of what has happened in Backlund, a crackdown by the authorities on the Eastern District and the Backlund Bridge District is inevitable."
Because this is a sudden operation, our men will likely be unsure how to respond and won't be receiving orders from us. They might act independently and engage in fierce resistance!
Ian Wright nodded just as eagerly. In the event of an emergency, without a leader in charge, chaos is bound to ensue.
But tonight, all official forces must have received a death order to capture the murderer at all costs.
Orders issued from the highest level, with each layer adding layers of complexity, put immense pressure on those carrying them out.
Anyone would go crazy if faced with an insurmountable KP1, and the longer it takes, the more insane they'll go.
In this situation, it's obvious who will suffer when the two collide.
It could even be said that one wrong move could render all their efforts of the previous two months futile, which explains why Marich and Ian Wright are so anxious.
"Thinking about it now is useless. The most important thing is to get back to the city as soon as possible. There's no other way!"
Since they all shared the secret of Rosago, Klein became even closer to Sharon, Marich, and Ian Wright.
Moreover, they all shared the same boss, Evan Horn, so it was natural for Klein to start making plans for Miss Sharon and the others.
No one hesitated. After agreeing with Klein's suggestion, they quickly took action. Marich brought over the carriage hidden in the distance, brandished his whip, and sped toward Backlund.
But things were more serious than Klein and his men had imagined. As they approached the city of Backlund, they discovered that it was no longer the police force enforcing the lockdown order, but rather the army that had taken over the entire city. Judging from their uniforms, it was the First Cavalry Regiment stationed in Backlund and the Royal Guard jointly enforcing the martial law order.
All the soldiers had solemn expressions, were fully armed, and were on high alert. There were even many military dogs barking incessantly.
Especially when they checked on Klein and his group, the military dogs lunged at them.
Seeing the military dogs' posture, the surrounding soldiers grabbed their steam-powered lances, which were emitting white smoke, and surrounded their carriages.
If Klein and his men make the slightest move, they will not hesitate to open fire.
Faced with thick, long spears that seemed to be poking their foreheads, Klein and his men broke out in a cold sweat.
Faced with so many steam-powered spears whose power was comparable to that of a sniper rifle in his previous life, Klein felt that even a slightly fragile demigod would not be able to withstand the attacks of these spears.
In this situation, even Miss Sharon dared not hide anymore and obediently prepared to undergo the inspection.
Fortunately, they all valued the MI9 member identities they received from Evan and carried their identification documents with them, so they weren't too nervous.
Just then, an officer in military uniform, wearing the rank of major, stepped forward.
He first glanced at the military dog that was barking incessantly and about to attack, then asked with a serious expression:
"Can you explain the smell of gunpowder on you?"
It was only then that Klein and his team understood why the military dogs were reacting so strongly to them.
The explosion had left them covered in the smell of gunpowder, and the smell clung to them, which, combined with the surrounding environment, prevented them from noticing the problem.
Klein stepped down from the carriage, saluted the officer in front of him, and said:
"Captain Sherlock Moriarty, intelligence officer from MI9!"
Klein's salute clearly surprised the officer. He paused for a moment, then returned the salute, lowered his hand, and said to Klein:
"Hello, Captain, please show me your identification!"
Although the officer's rank was higher than Klein's, MI9 officers were always three ranks higher than their superiors. Under normal circumstances, it should be the major who saluted Klein, so the major's tone was very gentle.
Klein didn't show his identification immediately because he had watched videos of police officers in America from his previous life.
He didn't want to cause a misunderstanding and attract steam rifle fire by acting rashly. Although he knew that the possibility was small, no one could guarantee that it wouldn't happen.
Klein is very concerned about his life.
Just like when he introduced himself to the Punisher squad before, Klein revealed his golden mask again and even took out his rarely seen officer's ID.
Sharon, Marich, and Ian Wright were no exception, showing off their identification documents.
As the major dutifully checked each person's identification, Klein explained the source of the strong smell of gunpowder emanating from him:
"We received intelligence that extraordinary individuals were conducting large-scale arms smuggling in the old warehouse district, operating with impunity, so we dispatched troops out of the city overnight to deal with them."
But to our surprise, the smugglers were unusually vigilant and fierce. Seeing they couldn't escape arrest, they detonated explosives, intending to take us all down with them.
Klein was lying through his teeth, and Marich and Ian Wright nodded in agreement behind his back, indicating that they had simply gone out of town on a routine MI9 mission.
After the major finished checking the documents and returning them to them, he saluted Klein and said with a smile:
"We've also received reports of a loud explosion in the old warehouse area, and we're preparing to send people to investigate!"
Now that we know what happened, we don't need to send anyone.
Klein carefully put away his identification, glanced at the soldiers still standing guard around him, and noticed that more and more soldiers seemed to be gathering, and asked in a low voice:
"We met with the squad of substitutes earlier, and we heard that something big happened at the Intis embassy, so law enforcement imposed a curfew in Backlund."
But looking at this commotion, something seems off! Why is even the army being mobilized?
As an extraordinary individual in the military, the major knew that almost all officers with ranks in MI9 were extraordinary individuals with powerful backgrounds. Wanting to befriend Klein, he whispered to him in return:
"That was news from two hours ago. We just received the latest news an hour ago: the new ambassador sent by the Republic of Intis to the Kingdom was attacked in Silavis County. The new ambassador and all his entourage were killed on the spot. His Majesty the King was furious and ordered the First Cavalry Regiment to enter the city and, together with the Kingdom's Guard, seal off Backlund and make sure to capture the murderer."
Klein involuntarily opened his mouth wide. Both of the previous Intis ambassadors had run into trouble within the Kingdom of Rune.
This is no longer just a matter of slapping the Kingdom of Rune and the Augustus family in the face; it's a matter of utterly trampling on their dignity.
Without a plausible explanation, neither the Kingdom of Rune nor the Republic of Intis can save face.
It's no wonder that King George III was so furious. After all, following the defeat in the war against the Fussac Empire in the southern continent in the first half of the year and the signing of the ceasefire agreement, George III and the entire high-ranking officials of the Loen political arena were under great pressure.
Now this has happened again. Even as an outsider, Klein could sense George III's embarrassment. If he didn't react, he would truly become someone everyone could bully. The Kingdom of Rune should relinquish its title as the strongest nation in the Northern Continent as soon as possible, so as not to embarrass itself further.
"Any news from the scene?"
Klein realized that the entire situation in Backlund would be drastically changed because of this, so he wanted to know more.
"I'm just a major, how could I possibly have access to this kind of information? You might get more information than I do once you get back to the city!"
Klein realized he was grasping at straws in desperation, so he saluted the major again, passed through the checkpoint, and entered Backlund amidst the barking of military dogs.
Because a curfew was in effect in Backlund, the roads were filled with troops enforcing martial law and searching houses.
At this point, Klein had no intention of returning to his apartment, so he went with Miss Sharon and the others to Backlund Bridge to help them gather their men, cooperate with the military and police inspections, and try to get through this sudden large-scale search.
A landmark building in Backlund, a towering Gothic clock tower.
This is the Bell of Order, a national symbol built after the establishment of the Kingdom of Rune.
Under the glow of the red moon, a large shadow fell behind the clock tower, where two figures stood.
The figure had a long, rectangular face, a white wig, a slightly upturned mustache, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and wore an elaborate military uniform. His expression was unusually serious.
It was Prince Grove, an old acquaintance of Evan's.
The other figure, with black hair and blue eyes, possessed a delicate and beautiful appearance. She wore a pure white robe and had eyes as innocent as a young girl's, making one want to hold her in their arms at first glance.
It was Natasha's mother, the White Saint of the Witch Cult—Katarina Pelle.
Even Prince Grove had to exert considerable self-control to suppress his impulse and asked sternly:
"What exactly does your witch cult want? Do you want to provoke a war between us and Intis? Don't forget that you have two angels who signed the cooperation agreement."
If we determine that you have violated the agreement, we can easily cripple or even kill the witch who signed it; even the Primordial Witch cannot save them!
Or are you doing this on purpose to make room for your own promotion?
Prince Grove immediately put immense pressure on Katerina Pelle.