Chapter 18, Chapter 07: The Madman
Chapter 07 The Madman
East London.
The private box at the Sonia Berne House.
At this moment, the air was completely silent, with the lingering scents of perfume and cigarette smoke stimulating the tense nerves of the two people in the private room.
"What tricks is Milverton up to now? Suddenly calling to say the bank has been robbed. He's acting like a madman, it's quite startling."
Scotland Yard Commissioner Cedric sat on the sofa in his box, his hat tucked inside his palm. This gesture left everyone wondering whether he wanted to leave or stay.
Opposite him was Inspector Mallory, who wore glasses.
He dug his fingertips into his palms, his face filled with unease ever since he heard "Milverton".
“Lestrade, who is on night shift, has gone to check the situation and heard their feedback...it is indeed true that a bank has been robbed.”
Inspector Mallory hesitated for a moment, then added in a low voice, "I thought the last car accident had taught him a lesson, made him realize he should stop. I didn't expect them to make such a big fuss now. Should we cooperate with his demands and give him money?"
Chief Cedric's previously composed expression suddenly cracked as he finished speaking; his lips twitched, and a violent aura instantly crept onto his face.
"Damn it! Milwaldton is short of money?" His lips twitched violently, almost as if he wanted to pull out his gun and fire three shots into Milwaldton's chest. "He just wants to control me."
He hates nothing more than being threatened or blackmailed.
These words acted like a switch, instantly sending the chief's thoughts back to a month earlier, the night before Milverton's car accident—
Also inside the Sonia Berne House;
The scene was also a transaction of money and flesh, the air was ambiguous and murky;
The young, silver-haired man sat lazily on the sofa, like a wild beast after its hunt, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.
Leaning back on the sofa, he announced to Chief Cedric with a relaxed expression, "The bar owner sold himself the ledger of the corrupt cops' transactions."
The contents of the ledger were shocking.
Accepting bribes;
Embezzlement of public funds;
Money laundering transactions within brothels;
Every word is clear, not a single one is wrong.
What do you want?
Chief Cedric's vigilance instantly rose.
Everyone knows that Milverton's rapid rise to prominence in Britain within just six years was not due to good luck, but rather to meticulously calculated blackmail and coercion.
“I have everything.” Milvolton looked up thoughtfully, his long, slender fingers tapping the sofa. “...I don’t know what I need for now.”
The Scotland Yard supervisor stared intently at the silver-haired youth.
This silence did not last long.
The young man quickly replied, "Then let's go with money. Money is the most practical thing."
Milwellon chuckled. "Give me £1 million first. You should have that amount."
“Are you crazy? I have no money,” Chief Cedric sneered.
“You’ve already bought two properties overseas in full, how could you not have money?” Milwald chuckled softly, as if he were slapping Cedric across the face twice.
The bureau chief's face was so dark it looked like ink was about to drip from it.
"Let's cooperate, Director."
Milwald slowly stood up, glancing around the private room as he said, "Anything that can be solved with money is a simple matter."
"Temporary money," he patted Cedric on the shoulder, as if treating a lamb to the slaughter.
"A week should be enough to prepare, right? Business dealings are based on trust and oaths. If you can do it, I certainly can. If I can't, you know..."
A murderous intent flashed deep in Chief Cedric's eyes.
The next day, he arranged a traffic accident in a blind spot of the road surveillance system.
To everyone's surprise, Milverton miraculously survived. He was discharged from the hospital in less than a week, but he never contacted them again.
I spend all day either at the company or at home, my life revolves around these two points, and my pace is frighteningly regular.
It was as if nothing had happened, yet it was also as if a grand drama was brewing. Director Cedric couldn't sleep well for a whole month.
...
"Chief, what should we do?" Mallory asked nervously.
What else can we do?
Director Cedric slowly rose to his feet, his voice chillingly cold.
"Of course, we should kill him."
He lowered his voice: "Get our men ready. Whether it's an accidental discharge or a car crash during the chase of the bank robbers, we're going to make sure Milverton dies this time."
It was already past four in the morning.
Police cars were everywhere at Lloyds Bank, and CAME reporters had already sneaked inside to capture evidence of the crime scene. Other reporters who arrived after hearing the news were both angry and anxious, while Lestrade had to maintain order at the scene.
He watched from a distance as Milverton and Albert were still near the medical vehicle.
The moment the underground vault went dark, Albert reacted the fastest, followed by Milverton who was behind him.
From the police's perspective, they naturally do not want the public to be overly involved in police investigations.
However, the UK criminal justice system also explicitly allows for the justification of citizens to arrest criminals in the act, and even supports counter-terrorism intervention in the 2008 Terrorism Act.
At the time, the criminal gang was committing crimes that were witnessed by everyone, and the situation required immediate arrest. Therefore, Albert and Milwaukee had every legal right to assist the police in pursuing the criminals.
Not to mention, if it weren't for the hidden pits beneath the tunnel, Albert would have suffered abrasions.
The only puzzling thing is Milverton's actions.
He didn't seem like the righteous Albert who would chase after robbers with every second.
Strictly speaking, he was more like watching Albert make a fool of himself. After seeing the man fall into the hole, he didn't rush to save him; instead, he squatted down and watched him struggle in the pit.
Because he doesn't interfere with police work.
The police officers couldn't really blame him, and some even felt sorry for Albert for having such a friend.
The only reason the other party isn't going back to rest now is to see how badly Albert is injured.
Lestrade sighed, and before he could look away, the officer next to him reported, "Sir, we've received orders from higher-ups to immediately stop the live broadcast of CAME."
"What's going on?" Lestrade's eyes widened instinctively. "This can't be stopped, can it?"
With the boss present, the CAME reporters were incredibly motivated. They even went down into the underground tunnel themselves and contacted professors they knew to analyze the vault floor structure and the tools used by the robbers.
"This cannot be ignored; we have already received notification from D."
"D notification" specifically refers to notifications containing national defense secrets.
The British government may issue orders requiring certain information not to be made public for the sake of the country.
Lestrade understood that it really had to be stopped.
However, there are other reporters outside, not to mention that the CAME reporters are already obsessed and want to get their hands on the information even if they can't broadcast it.
"What should we do?" Lestrade asked anxiously.
The officer suggested, "Why don't we talk to their boss? They're here anyway."
Lestrade thought this made sense, so he hurried to Milwallton.
Surprisingly, after hearing the whole story, Milwald quickly responded, "Sure. Do you want me to go over there and turn off their cameras, or do you want me to relay the information?"
Lestrade naturally wanted Milvolton to take charge of the matter, but before he could speak, Milvolton lazily said, "But I'm a little tired now and want to go home."
Albert glanced at the other person, who didn't even move, clearly not wanting to do a second more work for this matter.
Lestrade, completely oblivious, genuinely thought he was exhausted and stammered, "Ah... in that case, I... should I go and tell them?"
“This is troublesome.” Milvolton waved his hand.
Lestrade felt he wasn't convincing enough and was completely unwilling to leave, hoping Milvolton would see his predicament.
After a standoff of four or five seconds, Milwald asked, "Is there anything else?"
Lestrade couldn't help but sigh, resignedly lowering his head and leaving, looking like a drowned rat, his back view particularly desolate.
He had just turned around when Milvolton's voice rang out again.
"Detective Lestrade, do you have your cell phone with you?"
"I brought it."
Milverton waved to him and said, "If you just go there directly, they probably won't listen. I'll record something for you, and you can take it with you."
Lestrade was overjoyed and quickly handed the phone to Milford, saying, "Thank you so much."
“It’s nothing,” Milvolton paused, then said, “Just do me a small favor next time.”
Albert watched Lestrade from the side, feeling as if he were someone who had been sold out and was still helping to count the money.
Milverton naturally noticed Albert's expression, but he didn't say anything. He simply held Lestrade's phone in one hand, turned on the recording, and gave the order in the calmest tone.
"This is Milverton. If you hear me, stop filming now and do not release any information, including all footage from this shoot."
The command is quite simple and straightforward.
Upon hearing this, the CAME members immediately began packing up their equipment and leaving the scene as if swept away by a whirlwind.
That's a story for another time, of course.
After watching Lestrade leave, Milwald stood up to prepare to depart.
Albert became suspicious of his sudden departure. "Where are you going?"
"The objective has been achieved, so there is no point in staying."
The tall, slender, silver-haired youth turned around and spoke.
These words sent alarm bells ringing in Albert's mind, and his voice turned cold. "What do you mean?"
“Just now, you were fighting over a notebook. Do you know why I let him take it?” Milwald said as he walked out.
Although Albert didn't want to admit that he was the fish that had been caught, he still followed the "fishing line".
After the noise of the crowd faded away, Milwaldton finally spoke: "Because that notebook is mine."
Albert's heart sank; he couldn't believe it.
"When the door to the underground vault was opened, I suddenly remembered that I had asked the housekeeper to leave a notebook at the bank. When I picked it up, the memory came back."
The silver-haired youth chuckled slightly: "That notebook was empty; I left it to lie. So, I let him take it."
Albert vaguely realized from these words that something was beginning to exceed his imagination, but the outline was not clear.
He asked, "What empty notebook?"
"It's a notebook that records transactions between corrupt police officers."
Milverton calmly uttered words that startled Albert.
The ledgers he tried so hard to steal had actually been in Milverton's possession all along.
Milverton shrugged slightly, his gaze nonchalant: "Are you interested in this too?"
Albert felt a chill run down his spine and paused in his tracks.
He looked up, his gaze icy: "Will you go public?"
Milverton, that kind of jackal, probably only says that the ugliness of society is a necessary ugliness, using it to exploit others.
This is his way of surviving.
But at that moment, Milwald asked in return, "Do you want me to go public?"
"hope."
Albert's unthinking response surprised Milwaukee.
Before Milverton could speak, Albert said, "But if you say 'please' again, I'll hit you right now."
Milwald raised an eyebrow, but a smile crept onto his lips. "So fierce, huh?"
Albert discovered that Milvolton's way of thinking seemed very different from ordinary people. But just when Albert thought he could suppress Milvolton, Milvolton often had a backup plan.
“Did you notice something just now?” Milverton suddenly changed the subject. “During your fight, that robber was particularly concerned about his jacket. Generally speaking, when someone is on the run and his jacket is taken off, few people would think about taking it back; they would rather have more time to escape. But he was thinking about taking it back.”
"So, after I saw you fall into the pit, I kicked my coat where he couldn't see it. After he ran away, I took the opportunity to search him and found a USB drive in his pocket with 'MAG' written on it."
Albert was transported back to the scene of the fight by a single sentence: "..."
"It was clearly a routine bank robbery, but I received a notification from D."
Milverton looked at Albert, holding out a USB drive. "I'm always particularly sensitive to these things. I think this USB drive is definitely what they're looking for. If 'Marg' isn't some kind of mission codename, then it means this might be related to our royal princess, Marg."
"You're so lucky, everything has fallen into your hands."
The roads were almost deserted in the early morning, so Albert's soft voice seemed amplified several times over.
Milwald strode forward, putting some distance between himself and Albert, and said, "Let's play a game."
What game?
"Isn't there the story of the golden axe and the silver axe? I have both a ledger and a USB drive, and you can only choose one. What would you choose?"
Albert countered, "If I want it, will you definitely give it to me?"
"affim."
“Then I want both,” Albert said calmly. “Instead of getting caught up in this so-called choice and making a fool of myself in your eyes, I’d rather just say I want them both. I don’t care whether you give them to me or not. Because you definitely won’t give them to me…”
Before he could finish speaking, Milwald raised his hand, and before Albert could even figure out what it was, his hand instinctively grabbed it. Opening it, he saw it was a USB drive labeled "MAG".
"?"
"What's the meaning?"
Milverton said matter-of-factly, "Give me a smile, and I'll give you another ledger, how about that?"
"..."
roll.
Before the words could even be uttered, a blinding beam of headlights suddenly illuminated the distance, piercing the darkness like a bullet. The beam stretched their shadows long, and the car, instead of slowing down, hurtled straight towards them.
Before Milford realized something was wrong, Albert had already heard the screeching sound of tires tearing through the ground.
His heart tightened, and he took a sudden step forward.
The sound of the wind exploded in my ears.
The front of the car was so close you could feel the heat.
Albert grabbed Milwaldton by the collar, pulling so hard he almost ripped him off the ground. Just as the car sped past, grazing their clothes, the two crashed headfirst into the shadows.
Hot air, carrying dust, rushed towards my face.
The car sped past, leaving long skid marks.
Catching his breath, Albert looked at Milford, who was still staring blankly at the departing car, as if he was still in shock. "Are you alright?"
Milverton laughed, then looked at Albert: "Al, things are more interesting than I thought."
...
This guy is really crazy.
Albert hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Don't call me Albert."
"Because you saved me, I have to show you some affection."
Listening to Milverton spouting nonsense again, Albert firmly refused: "No need."
At this moment, the first rays of pale morning light began to painstakingly tear through the London night.
A note from the author:
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