Chapter 421: Metropolis Mystery (2)

"This station reports: Since May 11, the news of the death of former MI6 agent Harold Kim Philby came from Moscow, the Philby remains ownership case was officially closed yesterday."

"The Moscow side has again rejected the family's request to transfer the remains. It has been confirmed that Philby will be buried in Moscow before January of this year..."

"It is reported that MI6 is noncommittal about the Moscow side's behavior. They are perhaps ashamed of the name Kim Philby. A reporter from *The Times* had unilaterally contacted a senior operations officer of MI6, but the other party was unwilling to reveal their identity, only indicating that there is a deeper conspiracy behind Moscow's detention of Kim Philby's remains..."

"Next, we will bring you the life of Harold Kim Philby, the legendary life of an MI6 double agent..."

With a "click," the radio made a "hiss" waiting sound. Merkel, who was cleaning the table with a duster, turned to Schiller, who was reading a newspaper at the dining table, and said: "Sir, it's time for Cat Getan's morning news. Do you want me to switch channels for you?"

Schiller flipped a page of the newspaper and said without raising his head: "Alright. By the way, turn the volume up a bit; I can't hear clearly."

After the radio was turned on again, the voice of the familiar female host of Cat Getan's morning news came from inside:

"Mayor Brown went to Green Street this morning at 6 AM to inspect, expressing deep concern about the snow disaster there and the traffic problems brought by the snow disaster. He stated that even the poorest and most chaotic East District, and even the densely populated Hell's Kitchen, should not be abandoned..."

"Traffic problems have always been the focus of his city governance. In the past few months, his work has been remarkable. Although this snow disaster has added another heavy burden to Cat Getan's traffic, no disaster can defeat the strong Cat Getan citizens..."

Seeing Schiller's newspaper-flipping movements getting faster and faster, Merkel turned the button on the radio with his hand, and the voice of another male host came from inside.

"City Express: Recently, the security situation in Metropolis has been questioned. The serial killer is untraceable, and the work efficiency of the Metropolis Police Department is being criticized..."

"The police chief stated that in his 23 years in office, the security situation in Metropolis has always been very good, and the police department will definitely make every effort to solve this case in the shortest time..."

"The murderer of this serial killing case has extremely cruel methods, killing many people in a short time, including several important aides of the mayor..."

"The murderer's methods are experienced, the process of committing the crime is extremely cruel, and there are currently six victims..."

Watching Schiller's newspaper-flipping hand slowly stop, Merkel stopped cleaning the table, turned, and turned the radio volume up a bit. But as a result, pleasant music came from this channel

"Breaking news: Due to the unfavorable weather conditions in major cities along the East Coast, the new Mayor of Metropolis, Mr. White, will hold a disaster relief charity banquet at the Mayor's residence in Metropolis at 9:00 tonight..."

"This banquet will invite celebrities from major East Coast cities to attend, hoping they can use their reputation to bring new hope to the ordinary people of the East Coast cities..."

"Mr. Mayor stated that this is just the social responsibility that a qualified Mayor should possess. Whether it is Metropolis or other East Coast cities, the darkness is only temporary, and the light will eventually arrive..."

Merkel observed Schiller's expression, walked to the side of the radio, and turned it off. Schiller closed the newspaper in his hand, folded it, and set it aside.

Merkel walked over and put the newspaper away. Schiller picked up his cutlery and began to eat, as if he were not interested in the news that had just played on the radio. As the meal neared its end, he began his daily small talk:

Schiller asked Merkel, "Are you a Londoner?"

"No, sir. My hometown is Birmingham, but when I was in middle school, my parents came to London for work, and then we settled in London."

"Did you attend middle school in London?"

"I studied in Birmingham for a year, then went to London."

"How were your grades? They must have been good, right?"

Merkel smiled modestly and said, "Actually, they were quite good, but not at the very top. And compared to my peers, I didn't have any special talents; I couldn't play instruments, and I didn't know much Latin."

"Did you attend a grammar school?"

"Yes, but nowadays the children in grammar schools are quite talented as well. I really don't have much of an artistic cell..."

baimengshu.

Just as they were chatting about this, the mailbox downstairs rang again. Schiller frowned. Merkel turned and walked to the window, seeing a newsboy waiting by the mailbox.

After Merkel went downstairs, he was carrying a kraft paper bag in his hand; inside was freshly baked pretzel bread. Merkel handed the kraft paper bag to the newsboy, who tucked it into his jacket and then handed Merkel a letter directly.

This was the first time during Merkel's employment that he had come into contact with Schiller's private correspondence. He looked at the wax seal on it and discovered it was a logo he did not recognize.

A few minutes later, Schiller sat at the desk in his study, using a letter opener to open the letter. He slowly pried the wax seal open with the letter opener, then opened the envelope. Inside was very common old-fashioned stationery, on which was written:

"Respected Professor Schiller Rodriguez, having heard that your recent academic achievements have been recognized, I hereby express my congratulations."

"We sincerely invite you to participate in a charity banquet regarding the East Coast city joint disaster relief..."

Schiller frowned, looking at the words above. When his gaze fell on the signature line, his brow furrowed even deeper.

Slowly folding the letter paper, Schiller seemed to be thinking about something. Merkel, waiting on the side, heard Schiller speak slowly: "What transportation methods are currently available to get to Metropolis?"

Merkel paused, as if he hadn't considered this question. He turned his head slightly to look at the snow outside the window and said, "I'm afraid any transportation vehicle traveling on the ground is out of the question."

Seeing Schiller's furrowed brow, Merkel lowered his head and said, "I will contact a helicopter company immediately..."

Such morning chats often occurred in English-style manors, and Wayne Manor was no exception. When Selina stepped into the manor wearing a thick wool coat, the fireplace was already burning. The old butler took her coat and hung it on the rack. Selina gently smoothed her hair and said:

"The road conditions are terrible, right? I heard that this snow disaster didn't just affect Cat Getan; several East Coast cities didn't escape it. Of course, those southern cities are a bit better, but they have also ushered in a cold wave not seen in decades."

"Yes, Master Bruce has already planned to attend a charity banquet. He should invite you to be his partner in a moment."

"Oh?" Selina widened her eyes in surprise. As she walked inside, she looked at Alfred beside her and said, "Then how should I respond? I have never received such an invitation."

"You only need to express your sympathy for the ordinary citizens, then say you would be very happy to attend."

"Alright." Selina tucked her long hair behind her ears and said somewhat nervously, "When is the charity banquet? What kind of image should I attend with? Do I need to say anything?"

Alfred led Selina to the dining table. Bruce, who hadn't slept all night, did not seem to have any signs of fatigue, but Dick appeared somewhat dazed. Selina saw a stranger also sitting at the dining table. She nodded to the other person, then looked at Bruce and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce him?"

"This is Hal."

After saying this, Bruce fell silent again. Hal could only introduce himself: "Hello, my name is Hal Jordan... No, I am not related to that star, I can't get his autograph..."

Selina revealed a somewhat disappointed look. After saying that, she looked at Dick, who was glowing green all over. Dick shrugged at her and said, "It's complicated, hard to explain to you. In short, I'm as green as a Christmas elf now."

Looking at Dick's dejected appearance, Selina couldn't help but laugh. She picked up Aisha from the side and fed her. After a while, Bruce finally spoke:

"There is an East Coast joint disaster relief charity banquet in Metropolis tonight. I need to attend, and I hope you can be my partner. How about it?"

Selina straightened her back and stretched her neck, but those pretentious words of sympathy still didn't come out. She just said, "Alright, of course, but I'm not quite sure what to do..."

"In a moment, the fashion consultant I booked will come over to customize a gown and jewelry for you."

"After the banquet begins, you just need to walk into the banquet hall with me, and then you don't need to do anything. If someone comes to chat with you, you just repeatedly reiterate how terrible this disaster is, how many ordinary people it has affected, and that you feel very sympathetic."

Selina sighed. Over the past few months, she had accompanied Bruce to several banquets. Most of the time, she had to wear a fake smile that made her facial muscles stiff, chatting with those ladies and misses, listening to them praise her gorgeous gown and precious jewelry. Heaven knows how much she wanted to pry the gems off their necklaces...

After speaking, Bruce turned his head to look at Dick. Dick scratched his head and said, "I actually feel better now. I admit, at first, when my body started glowing, I was a little scared..."

"However, after I calmed down, this power seemed to calm down too. At least in the few hours I was sleeping, it didn't take me teleporting again."

"I think you can try to maintain this state until all the green lantern energy is exhausted," Hal said. "You don't need to worry; during this period, I will keep an eye on you."

Dick stretched out his hand and looked at the ring, saying, "I'll return it to you when the time comes. This ring is really too ugly."

After the meal, the fashion consultant Bruce booked arrived as scheduled. While Selina was displaying various dresses in the center of the living room, she asked, "Bruce, before I came this morning, I heard the name of an entrepreneur on the radio. It seems to be the biggest entrepreneur in Metropolis..."

"The host said he is the most famous philanthropist. Is that true?"

Bruce sat on the sofa with an envelope in his hand. He opened the envelope, looked at the letter paper in his hand, and said without raising his head, "You can change the word 'philanthropy' in what he said to 'tax evasion'."

Selina shook her head, seemingly unable to understand what Bruce meant. Bruce frowned. He looked at the letter paper in his hand, where the signature line bore a somewhat familiar name—"Lionel Luthor."