Chapter 103 Remaining Pictures
The body of Guy Mavro was discovered in Pit No. 2 of the Silver Flower Mine by security guards hired by the "Shelter" company during a night patrol.
Mine No. 2 hadn't been officially developed yet; a small platform had been excavated from the edge of the pit for workers to rest, connected by a ladder. Further down was an extremely steep cliff, with jagged gravel mixed with coal ore.
Jet is a seemingly ordinary black mineral with low hardness and poor toughness. After cutting or impacting, it will show a beautiful blue fluorescence on the cross section, which is very similar to the color of the flame produced by burning coal. It is very conspicuous in the dark and will gradually disappear after several hours.
According to the security guard, the mines at the Silver Flower Mine had been temporarily sealed off for several days to prevent sabotage by striking workers, with no public access allowed. That night, while on night patrol, he heard two gunshots and then saw from afar a sudden light in Mine No. 2.
When the security arrived, they found a body lying on the edge of the platform, with a bullet piercing its chest and a long trail of blood running down its back. It looked like the body had crawled a distance towards the cliff before dying. Its cloudy eyeballs were wide open, reflecting the faint blue light produced by the impact from under the cliff.
Strangely, the suspected killer also died in Mine No. 2. A bloody corpse was recovered from the cliff below, its limbs and face shattered beyond recognition by the rubble. Its rifle lay nearby, and only a black blood mark on its forehead barely identified the killer. It looked as if he had slipped and fallen from a platform.
Local officials rushed to the scene overnight, and reporters, sensing shocking news, also swarmed in. Gad Mavro's wife, holding their daughter, knelt beside her husband's body, saying nothing. The other workers, with sullen faces, gathered on the platform, refusing to allow the sheriff to approach.
The deceased slave's identity was quickly confirmed; after all, only the slave representative was missing. He had suffered three broken ribs by an overseer at the Silver Flower Mine and nearly died of a fever before being rescued by Guy de Mavro. He refused to reveal his name, and because he remained hunched after his injuries healed, the workers simply called him "The Hunchback."
According to Mavro's wife, her husband kissed their daughter on the forehead before she went to sleep, told her and her daughter to cover themselves with the only coat in the house to keep warm, and to cook potatoes for the next morning. Then, he put on his tattered clothes and left. Apart from that, there was nothing unusual, and no one else communicated with him.
Someone asked her, "Did he get any letters?"
"Guyde receives so many letters every day, but he burns the important ones after reading them." Guyde Mavro's wife's face was as pale as a pearl from the deep sea, but this frail woman was eerily calm. She pulled out a thick stack of papers she had prepared long ago. "I brought all his recent letters and manuscripts."
"What else is there to ask? The facts are obvious!" someone cursed furiously, "It was clearly that damned 'hunchback' who tricked the Chairman out of his home, then took the opportunity to shoot him. Unexpectedly, the Chairman survived the shot and crawled towards him, so he panicked and fell down holding the gun - it's a pity that the Chairman saved this heartless bastard, and usually calls him a brother!"
"But why did he kill the chairman?" someone questioned: "The referendum is coming up soon, and the chairman supports continuing to protect slaves and keep the strike going!"
"Do you really think these slaves want to continue the strike?" the other party roared. "Anyone with eyes can see that continuing the strike means death. As long as this guy secretly contacts the supervisor and kills the chairman as a token of his loyalty, hoping to escape slavery or gain some other benefits—"
The crowd erupted in agitation, shouting and cursing, seemingly eager to tear the murderer's bloody body into pieces. People were already hesitant and wavering, and after this incident, only a few still tried to defend the slaves.
"That's not right." Four Eyes, who had been observing the surroundings, suddenly shouted, "Look, there's also a blue glow on the rocks at the edge of the platform. Looking closely, it looks like they were shattered by bullets."
He raised his rifle and simulated the direction of the bullet. "This angle suggests the bullet that killed the Chairman came from the edge of the mine, above the platform. If the slave had fired the shot while standing at the edge of the mine, why would the Chairman have crawled toward the edge of the platform? And why didn't the slave fall onto the platform after he stumbled, but instead died at the bottom of the cliff?"
Reporters carried bulky cameras, and the sound of shutters clicking echoed. The head of the "Shelter" company and Bishop Miller also arrived, and together with the local officials, they split into three distinct factions.
Snow began to fall from the sky, and the gray-black snow gently covered the two dead souls without distinction.
Four Eyes continued his analysis, "Security said they heard two gunshots. If one gunshot killed the Chairman, then where did the other one come from?"
A worker opened the magazine of the homemade gun at the bottom of the cliff and said, "But there are two bullets missing."
"That's the Chairman's gun," Four Eyes retorted immediately. "Have you forgotten? He shot and executed a scab not long ago, and ammunition is already scarce. Given the Chairman's usual style, he won't be replenishing bullets so quickly."
"Look at the cliff wall of the mine." Someone suddenly reminded in a low voice.
Everyone looked up and saw a star-like blue light faintly dotted on the dark cliff at the edge of the mine. It was difficult for ordinary people to reach this height, and the only possible collision was from a bullet.
Someone fired shots at the edge of the mine.
Four Eyes whispered, "Perhaps there's another possibility. The Chairman has been asked to meet at Pit 2 of the Silver Flower Mine. Because the mine is blocked, the Chairman needs someone who understands the patrol arrangements to lead the way. 'Humpback' used to work at the Silver Flower Mine, so he's most familiar with the situation."
"They arrived at the platform and waited. But someone from the mine opened fire on the Chairman." Four Eyes walked over to the corpse, whose eyes were still open, squatted down, and gently held its gaze. "The surviving 'hunchback' quickly picked up the gun that had fallen from the Chairman's body and fired back at the shooter, but the bullet missed him. Instead, he lost his footing and fell off the cliff... Why did he fall?"
The worker's voice was terrifyingly low. "Because the attacker wasn't an ordinary person, but a warrior, or a sorcerer. He used a gun to conceal his identity, but he didn't expect there was another person, so he exposed his identity in the panic."
He was not an ordinary person. He wanted the strike to stop, so he was willing to trust the other party and came to meet him alone with only a gun.
The workers' eyes turned to one person. Bishop Miller said nothing and stared indifferently at the dark mine with a faint blue fluorescence.
"…Is there something wrong?"
After a while, someone murmured quietly: "This is just your guess. How could that gentleman do such a thing..."
Four Eyes stepped forward and raised his voice, asking, "Mr. Miller, please forgive my rudeness, but we want to know what you have been doing since this evening. Where have you been? Are there any witnesses?"
"Sir, I want to clarify something," the Cardinal asked slowly, "Are you questioning the emissary of the God of Light for committing such a sinful and despicable act?"
Whether he defended himself or not, it would be a great insult for a cardinal of the Glorious Church to answer questions from a poor worker.
Four Eyes, however, refused to budge, staring directly into the condescending Cardinal's eyes. "We're not seeking a fight, but we simply want justice for the innocent and tragically murdered chairman. Otherwise, the union will struggle to gain public support, and we won't have the face to speak for the people of Black County. No one knows what the angry Black County people will do."
Perhaps they could kill the workers in a rage, but they couldn't kill all the people in Black County. Besides, there were also officials, the "protector" company, and a group of daring reporters present.
This was a threat. Bishop Miller said coldly, "I am willing to forgive your momentary offense caused by your excessive grief. If you really want to know, I have been staying in the Cathedral of Light tonight, organizing the documents for the report to His Holiness the Pope."
The other person did not want to give up, but instead asked: "Besides the priests of the Church of Light, is there anyone else who can testify?"
This is pushing the envelope. The anger and pressure from the powerful surged like a tide, and the faces of the ordinary people present paled. Bishop Miller narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when the head of the Protector company beside him suddenly coughed and stepped forward.
"Mr. Miller, please don't be angry." He was a well-dressed gentleman with a playful mustache that twitched as he spoke. "Gerald Money, good night to everyone. I'm sorry to hear such sad news."
The other party started with a long, rambling speech, praising the king and queen's kindness, introducing the "Protector" company, and lamenting the death of the union chairman. Only when everyone grew impatient did he slowly get to the point: "Regarding the truth behind Mr. Mavro's death, the "Protector" company might be able to provide some help, whether it would be useful or not."
The person in charge smiled, but Bishop Miller suddenly had a bad feeling. From tonight on, the ominous signs of someone plotting against him became especially clear.
"As everyone knows, the 'Shelter' company is a technology company that mainly engages in the research and development of jet energy technology. One of its areas of business is to use jet to drive magic circles and create some convenient and fast magical tools that everyone can use." He waved his hand, signaling the night patrol security guard who discovered the body to come forward, and then took a seemingly inconspicuous button from his chest and held it high to show everyone.
"Look, this is our company's new flagship product, a portable photo stone. It comes in both one-way and two-way versions. It's driven by jet, has super-long battery life, and ultra-low energy consumption - but I'm getting off topic." Seeing that everyone was staring at him, the person in charge kept an unchanged expression on his face. He didn't know where to press the button, and the photo stone immediately projected a picture.
"This is our latest achievement. A small piece of jet can last for three days. To test whether the image quality and battery life of the photo stone would fluctuate under the interference of a large amount of jet, our R&D personnel instruct the security guards patrolling the Silver Flower Mine to carry and activate the photo stone at night and then hand it in for testing after three days."
The person in charge smiled and patted the security guard on the shoulder: "Since this gentleman rushed over immediately after hearing the gunshot, he might be able to take a picture of the murderer."
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