Chapter 422: The Metropolis Mystery (Part 3)

The relentless snow disaster caused problems for the transportation systems of every city; the vast majority of companies ceased operations, and people stayed at home.

Even in cities where it wasn't snowing, the cold air made the locals feel very uncomfortable. Compared to running out into the streets in the middle of the night to freeze, it was much more comfortable to curl up at home and watch television.

Yet, there was one exception: the area outside the Metropolis Mayor's mansion. At this moment, the wide street was bustling with traffic, and all sorts of luxury cars were parked there.

Not far away, the helicopter pad on the roof of the high-rise was even more crowded. In this kind of weather, arriving by car was considered inferior, so the host of this charity gala—the Mayor—as well as the entrepreneur known as Luo De, were both on the helipad to welcome guests.

If there was one helicopter among the many that was the absolute star, it was the one bearing the mark of the Wei En family.

Wearing a suit, Bruce stepped down from the helicopter; the cold wind on the roof blew his hair, causing it to flutter constantly. He turned around and helped Pan Ni down.

A middle-aged man with slightly graying temples, who still looked full of vigor, walked up. He patted Bruce on the shoulder enthusiastically and said, "Long time no see, Mr. Wei En. The last time we met was at the celebrity exhibition match, right?"

Bruce smiled and hugged him, saying, "That's right, Mr. Luo De. I remember that at that charity exhibition match, you were very generous..."

"Just call me Luo De."

The middle-aged businessman named Luo De put his arm around Bruce and walked forward, saying as they walked, "Don't say that; this is all what I should do. Entrepreneurs like us with a sense of social responsibility certainly wouldn't stand by and watch the disaster, would we?"

The two walked into the entrance of the building on the roof. Bruce looked at the interior decoration of the building and said, "Is this building yours now too? I remember the last time I came here, it was still a... what was it called... I forgot."

Luo De still smiled modestly and said, "Oh, right, this place was originally the base of a cruise ship merchant, but his business hasn't been doing well lately, so I bought it."

As they spoke, the two took the elevator downstairs, then walked through a small garden along the lobby and arrived at the adjacent Mayor's mansion. Luo De was still smiling as he said, "The biggest advantage is that it's close enough to our respected Mayor, isn't it?"

"That's right. If you held a party in this building, the Mayor could even take a bottle of champagne and spray it from his bedroom into your room."

Bruce was still joking skillfully. Pan Ni just silently held Bruce's arm and followed him forward. Bruce's cheerful state made Pan Ni feel her hair stand on end.

"That matter about the last mayoral election..." Bruce lowered his tone and brought it up in a deep voice. Luo De looked left and right, then also lowered his voice and said, "It's best not to bring that up here; it's not a glorious matter."

"The candidates for the last mayoral election actually included seven spies sent by various countries..." Luo De continued to turn his head left and right, lowering his voice even further, then said, "If it weren't for the fact that several candidates were assassinated during the last election, and their true identities were discovered while investigating the murder cases, we would still be kept in the dark."

"Then the current Mayor..."

Luo De shook his head, sighed, and then said, "Who knows? They are simply everywhere."

"Oh, right, speaking of this, I forgot to remind you that there might be some security checks at the entrance of the gala later. You know, those annoying security agents..."

"Ever since that incident in the last election, that group from the Lianbangdiaocha Bureau has always been staring at this place, as if they see everyone as a spy."

Bruce showed an expression of extreme disgust, but he quickly restrained it. However, this fleeting expression was still captured by Luo De.

Yawenba

He patted Bruce on the back and said, "I'm just like you; I don't like being searched. Later, I'll say a word to the Mayor's staff. They will only perform a routine check and won't search carefully."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the entrance of the Mayor's mansion. Luo De stepped forward and said a few words to one of them. Several agents stood with their hands on their hips, looking the group up and down. Finally, a female agent walked up, symbolically checked their clothing, and then let them pass.

"Whose people are they?" Bruce turned back and asked Luo De.

"They claim to be FBI, but I don't think so. They might be that group from the Zhongqing Bureau. They don't have law enforcement power within the federation, so they can only borrow someone else's name."

Walking into the center of the venue, the lights were brilliant. The tables were covered with gorgeous tablecloths, with slightly swaying tassels hanging underneath. Glass cups were arranged into a high tower, champagne flowed down from above, silver candle holders were placed at both ends of the long table, and the sumptuous food was colorful, fragrant, and delicious. Celebrities and wealthy people in various evening gowns held wine glasses and talked to each other.

After chatting with Bruce for a while, Luo De left. Bruce pulled Pan Ni's arm and talked to her in a low voice, mainly warning her not to keep staring at the jewelry on others.

Bruce took a glass of wine from a waiter's tray and looked around the venue. His gaze fell on Luo De again. He saw Luo De striding toward another figure. Just as Bruce's gaze fell on that figure, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you must be Professor Yin Wensi, right?" Luo De walked up and shook hands with Yin Wensi, who had just entered the venue. Yin Wensi nodded and said, "Mr. Luo De, I've long admired your name."

"Just call me Luo De." Luo De's face seemed to always wear that very polite but not annoying smile of a businessman.

Before Yin Wensi could speak, he continued, "Your recent paper on dreams and consciousness fascinated me. I never thought that human dreams could be explained from this perspective."

"Professor, your research results have opened a door to a new world for me and my son, especially my son, Ma Te. He is very interested in this theory and is eager to learn..."

"Actually, according to etiquette, I should have communicated with you for a few months before inviting you to the gala I hosted. But recently, Ma Te has been obsessed with this theory, so I had to rashly send you an invitation, hoping you would grace us with your presence..."

Luo De used many of the polite phrases commonly used by businessmen, making him appear very polite and sincere. However, there was still a hint of pride in his smile. Clearly, the Luo De family was no worse than any other super family in the world, and anyone favored by this family should feel proud.

Yin Wensi nodded, revealed a smile, and said, "I am very happy to find a like-minded person here. If it were a normal situation, I would be very happy to stay here for a few days and communicate with people who share my interests. However, what worries me a little is..."

As he spoke, Yin Wensi looked back at the entrance where there were still a few agents. He stroked the back of his hand, lowered his head, and said, "When I came in just now, their formation was extremely frightening. I almost thought I was going into some secret base. Mr. Luo De, what exactly is going on here?"

Luo De heard a hint of dissatisfaction in Yin Wensi's tone. He hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry, was their attitude toward you bad?"

As he spoke, he shook his head helplessly, made an indignant expression, and said, "I heard that you also worked in Metropolis for a period of time before and gave lectures at Metropolis University. Then you should have heard about the scandal that broke out during the last election..."

"The murder cases targeting candidates couldn't find results for a long time, so they had to contact the Lianbangdiaocha Bureau. But this investigation uncovered a series of spies. Public trust hit rock bottom, and the entire municipal system fell into trouble..."

Luo De sighed deeply and said, "At that time, my business was also affected, but fortunately, we survived."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the group of agents and then said, "Since then, this group of people has had a legitimate reason to stay here, checking everyone they see and treating everyone as a spy suspect."

"Yes... I have heard of that incident." Yin Wensi's tone lowered, and he said, "At that time, I was also forced to be involved. A vice president of Metropolis University was taken away for investigation, and more than 20 professors in the school were listed as suspects. The involvement was too extensive..."

Luo De glanced left and right with his eyes, then made a gesture, signaling Yin Wensi to walk inside with him. The two came to the center of the banquet hall, further away from the group of agents. Luo De lowered his voice and said, "I don't know if you know, but this matter is actually very complicated and also relates to that great power far away. It is the result of a struggle between multiple countries, and we are all victims..."

"Let's not talk about this." Yin Wensi seemed to still have lingering fears and was unwilling to talk about it. Seeing Yin Wensi's attitude, Luo De changed the subject and said, "Thanks to this, many talents have left Metropolis. However, after the Mayor successfully changed terms and my company survived the crisis, many people have returned."

"For this gala, I also invited them."

"Of course, I won't hide it from you. I hope more talents can return to this city. The dark times have passed, and I believe the future will get better and better."

In Luo De's words, there was a hint of restraint. Yin Wensi understood his meaning and followed up, saying, "To be honest, before that incident happened, Metropolis was indeed a very good city."

"Although I don't really want to say this, if the object of comparison is Cat Getan, then everywhere is like heaven. The weather and transportation system of that city are simply terrible."

The two chatted a lot about this topic. As they chatted, they talked about Bruce. Learning that Bruce was now also Yin Wensi's student, Luo De's smile became more sincere.

Speaking of this, Yin Wensi seemed to suddenly remember and said, "Oh, right, I heard on the radio this morning that there have been some serial murder cases here again. What is going on?"

Luo De hesitated for a moment and replied, "Indeed, there are indeed serial murder cases, but..."

"Bang!"

A loud noise came, and chaotic screams rang out. Yin Wensi turned his head. A black shadow fell from the sky and landed in the center of the banquet hall—

That was the Mayor of Metropolis.

Or rather, it was the Mayor's corpse. ===== CHAPTER 423 =====