Chapter 223: Thick Fog

"Bati, I'm leaving this to you." After the chef left, Murphy dispelled the Illusion Body Spell on himself, revealing his form, "No more mistakes!"

"Yes, master." Little Bati, having taken the appearance of the guard he had killed, now respectfully said, "I won't dare any more."

Murphy patted Vareli's shoulder again, "Go ahead boldly; this is no time to be timid. I've got your back on everything."

After speaking, his perspective shifted to a Lightning Crow hundreds of kilometers away, and then he used Apparition to depart.

……

Buliangsi Forest, not far away a railway cut across the vast camphor pine forest, winding southward.

Murphy suddenly materialized beneath a massive oak.

Immediately, several camouflage‑clad submachine guns aimed at him.

"Ladwan, it's me."

"Password." A figure almost invisible among the grass stood up and asked.

Murphy thought for a moment, "Why does Fa Guo have so many tree‑lined avenues?"

"Because the Germans like to march under the shade of trees," Ladwan smiled, "But that should have been yesterday's password."

"So it's: Why can Fa Guo always get many votes in the United Nations?"

"Because they always raise both hands," Ladwan laughed heartily, "Is the operation over there going smoothly?"

"Very smoothly," Murphy said, "so smoothly that I feel we could rule the world tomorrow."

"I think it's not impossible," Ladwan holstered his gun, stepped forward, "Wizards' abilities are truly amazing; if they ever announce they've occupied the Earth, I wouldn't be surprised."

Murphy shook his head, "You overestimate them."

"Perhaps Wizards can cause some chaos in Muggle Society, but only that—just chaos, never on the public stage. Could terrorist attacks destroy a nation? No. Once a true total war breaks out, the only fate awaiting Wizards is extermination."

"Finding contentment in corners unnoticed by Muggles is the Wizards' way of survival."

Don't be fooled by how smoothly his earlier actions seemed; they were built on absolute intelligence superiority. The Ministry of Magic of Su Country apparently never informed Jo Babogov of the Wizarding World's existence, leaving him almost completely unaware of that threat.

If the opponent is fully prepared, even he might not be able to defeat a fully armed battalion.

Therefore, he chose this covert action instead of a direct assault.

As he spoke, his view shifted to a Lightning Crow a hundred kilometers away, watching a train coming from Kyiv with its eyes.

This is also a special train; Qinyeli's display is no less than Jo Babogov's. The train carries an entire regiment's guard unit, and the trouble is Murphy doesn't know whether any Wizards are among the guards near Qinyeli, how many, who they are, so he can't devise a targeted strategy.

"Are all the items ready?" Murphy asked.

"Bombs, Life and Death Water, winged magic toxin, nerve gas, Gas Mask…"

Ladwan pulled a crate from his body, "These are enough to fight a war."

Murphy nodded, "Minimize civilian casualties, but if necessary, don't hesitate—better to eliminate everyone here than let anyone escape."

"Understood."

"Go make preparations."

……

In the green leather cabin, Qinyeli was half‑lying on the sofa, eyes closed, silently calculating the upcoming plan.

Jo Babogov is a clown, a coward, not his opponent at all; soon the chair under his rear will be his to sit on.

The most pressing issue now is negotiating with the greedy Klachuf and Shukevich; their appetites are huge, wanting too large a share of the cake, yet they can't be angered, and the matter must be handled together.

Need to weigh pros and cons…

The train, at some point, had entered the dense Buliangsi Forest; not far away a great river, with mist swirling.

Thus, even as the external fog grew denser, it didn't alert the guard commander, who only thought the place was too humid.

But soon the fog's density reached a point where one couldn't see a hand in front of them; everything outside the window was shrouded in thick white mist.

"What's happening?"

"Why is the fog so thick?"

The passengers on the train thought they were traversing a heavily foggy region, but if they were outside the train they'd see a strange sight.

The dense white fog clung to the train like a mass of cotton candy; its reach was limited, merely enough to wrap the whole train. Outside the train its thickness was under two meters, as if the train were dressed in a cotton coat.

"What's wrong?" Qinyeli heard the commotion, "What happened?"

"Fog has risen outside, Your Excellency…"

At that moment, a booming voice rang in everyone's ears, "Open the doors."

Immediately, a guard walked to the door and opened it; the thick white fog surged into the carriage in an instant.

With a splash, the guard fell to the floor, and shortly after the second guard who inhaled the fog staggered, "Poison, poison…"

He collapsed before finishing his sentence.

"It's gas!" a quick‑reacting guard shouted, "Protect the President!"

He held his breath, trying to grab the Gas Mask stored in the emergency locker, but the fog slapped his face, causing him to momentarily forget what he was supposed to do.

In the next instant, the entire carriage filled with that white dense fog, and soon all sound vanished.

Suddenly, after a brief spatial distortion, several people wearing Gas Masks appeared in the carriage.

"Ladwan, you go to the locomotive, seize control of the train, and keep it running normally."

"Alekse, Brool, you two, check every carriage, ensure everyone is asleep. Take the Magic Power Detector and root out any Wizards."

"Felix," Murphy said to the remaining man, "You've studied acting, right?"

"Yes, boss."

"No time for you to slowly imitate; in a moment I'll transfer part of Qinyeli's memories to you, and thereafter you'll live as him for a while. Can you do it?"

"This is the greatest performance, boss! I won't disappoint you!"

"Very good."

Murphy waved his wand, and the fog in the carriage vanished instantly.

He glanced around; there were five people lying in the carriage: four guards and an old man with white hair.

Murphy stepped forward and said, this fellow is still an old friend of ours, but he is a complete scourge to his own country.

Murphy plucked a few hairs from him, handed them to Felix, and was about to toss the person into the Undetectable Extension Charm Case, when a guard lying in the corner suddenly opened his eyes, pulled out a wooden stick thicker than a typical wand, and shouted "Smash the enemy! (Knock out the approaching foe)".

Bang—, Felix was struck by a beam of light, and he was flung back, crashing into the carriage and losing consciousness.

Then that man pointed his wand at Murphy again and uttered a Spell, but Murphy waved his wand, blocked it with an Armor Spell, and countered: "Stupefy!".

"Invincible! (Unbeatable golden armor)".

The attack was blocked, but Murphy suddenly surged forward, rushed up, and landed a punch on the man's stomach; Bang—, the man was knocked so hard he flew a meter away, slammed into the carriage wall, and even his wand was flung out and snapped under Murphy's foot.

Though it was unclear how the fellow evaded the earlier toxic gas attack, that single punch was enough to keep him bedridden for more than half a month.

Murphy stopped bothering him, grabbed Qin Ye Li, tossed him into the Undetectable Extension Charm Case, then returned to Felix and was about to lift the Spell on him.

At that moment, a chant rose from behind him: "Великийдуб, дух предков (Great Oak, Spirit of the Ancestors)…".

(End of Chapter)