Chapter 423

The figure fell from high above; at the instant it struck the ground, time itself seemed to slow—crimson blood spread like a splash of waves, the tassels of the lavish tablecloth struck by flying droplets swung violently back and forth, the silver candelabra toppled, the candlelight extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke.

At the moment the thunderous crash echoed, every elegant lady and young miss collapsed in panic; the gentlemen fared no better, disregarding the damage to their expensive shoes as they shoved and screamed like sardines trapped in a hauling net, fleeing in blind desperation.

Shieler turned his head and saw Lionel stepping back two paces, hand pressed to his mouth as if horrified by the sight before him—his face pale, fingers trembling slightly, eyes filled with disbelief.

But soon, he took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, then shouted: "Everyone, stay still! We have security personnel!"

!

His shout had no effect; the shrill screams drowned out all other sounds, as people desperately tried to put distance between themselves and the corpse, to escape this dreadful place—shoving each other, many fell and blocked the exits, plunging the scene into greater chaos.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three gunshots rang out, and all fell silent—the banquet hall seemed frozen in pause, everyone gaping, staring at the group entering through the main entrance.

The leader wore a special forces police uniform, holding a pistol; the others behind him were dressed similarly, clearly part of an organized unit, yet utterly unlike the Metropolitan Police.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation."

The leader walked to the center of the banquet hall, snapped open his credentials with a sharp click, displayed them to either side, then tucked them away, reloaded his pistol, and gestured—two agents stepped forward to examine Mayor White's corpse.

At that moment, Lionel pushed through the crowd, his face still pale; he avoided the bloody mess where the body had fallen, approached the lead agent, and shook his hand: "Benjamin, you're finally here—I was just about to send someone to fetch you!"

"This charity gala was co-hosted by the Luthor family and the city government—how could something like this happen?" Lionel's features twisted together, his face etched with an unprecedented weariness.

He wore a deeply sorrowful expression, then said: "I know recent security in Metropolitan has been grim—the police chief offered no explanation, so I and the mayor agreed to let agents deploy—yet who could have foreseen..."

The agent called Benjamin frowned deeply, his expression cold; yet many attendees erupted in outrage.

The gala had barely begun, and its central figure, Mayor White, was already a corpse—as if to tell every guest that the agents' elaborate security checks were utterly useless.

Many in the crowd shouted demands: "What the hell is going on?! Why did the mayor die?!"

"How did you check?! Couldn't you even detect a gun?!"

"Didn't you search me thoroughly when I came in?!"

"Exactly! You wouldn't even let me bring a fan—how did someone smuggle in a gun?!"

The gala had invited nearly all the elite of the East Coast—merchants, politicians, scholars, and prominent media figures—who, after the initial panic, gradually calmed and began to denounce the agents gathered at the center.

Among them, a famous commentator from Chicago Radio waved his fist and shouted angrily: "Look! This is the price of sacrificing our privacy! It's their conspiracy to push through surveillance laws!"

"That's right! Why are you still blocking the doors?!"

"Get out of the way! I'm going home! I don't want to be in the same room as that horrible corpse!"

"Move! Let me leave..."

Benjamin's expression remained unchanged; he coldly scanned the room, tracing the grooves of his pistol with his thumb, then spoke—his icy voice echoing through the hall.

"The mayor is dead. No one leaves now."

"What do you mean? Are you going to lock us in here?!"

"How dare you do this?! This is illegal detention!"

More angry voices rose from the crowd, but the agent named Benjamin acted as if he heard nothing—he waved his hand, and several agents flooded into the banquet hall, sealing off every exit.

What terrified the crowd even more was that all agents were fully armed; a few overly agitated attendees were immediately stunned with tranquilizer spray and dragged off to the corners.

Now, no one dared raise their voice again—some gritted their teeth and muttered curses, others sighed in resignation, and a few self-assured fools quietly pulled out phones or other communicators, trying to contact friends to escape this mess.

At the instant the body fell, Bruce had already secretly pressed a communication device on the back of his watch—a satellite-linked system connecting his estate's lab and the Batcave's equipment, ready to provide real-time data analysis—but just now, he discovered all signals had been cut.

The agents surrounded Mayor White's corpse, examining clues; Bruce stood nearby, watching coldly, as did Shieler, who remained motionless, observing the scene from afar.

His position was farther inside than where the mayor had fallen, so the surging crowd had not reached him—he still stood in place, holding a glass of wine, quietly watching the agents rummage around the body.

Though distant, Shieler had been looking directly at the spot when the body fell—he clearly saw that Mayor White died from a single gunshot to the head, instantly fatal; the fall from the atrium ceiling, like any jumper, added the final blow of internal rupture.

After realizing all communication devices had lost signal, Bruce began subtly moving toward Shieler—but he noticed his professor, glass in hand, shook his head and turned toward the deeper recesses of the hall.

Not only Bruce noticed Shieler's movement—Benjamin did too. The anomaly was too obvious: Shieler was the only one moving in the entire banquet hall.

Everyone else merely glanced toward Mayor White's corpse; Shieler strode boldly over the fallen candelabra and walked straight toward the back of the hall.