hotmtlnovel Chapter 294 Newspaper Headlines
Chapter 294 Newspaper Headlines
Chapter 294 Newspaper Headlines
Lorne was momentarily stunned as he looked at the reporters who had suddenly swarmed around him like a tidal wave.
What the heck? Why does it seem like I became famous overnight?
"Snap!"
"Snap!"
The sound of countless camera shutters clicking all around him made him frown slightly.
Could it be that the Kapin villa incident has been exposed by the authorities? Why? Shouldn't such a high-level scandal be downplayed and ignored?
Or is it because there are too many kidnapped girls that the matter can no longer be kept secret? Or is there some conspiracy behind this that they are unaware of?
But no matter what, there's no need to push someone like me, a "minor character," into the spotlight!
"Ahem." Lorne cleared his throat and forced a smile in front of the countless cameras reaching out from all around.
"Excuse me, everyone. Your actions are disrupting the normal operation of our factory."
Click!Click!
His response was met with even more enthusiastic camera shutters. His words had no effect whatsoever; instead, they only excited the reporters more.
"Mr. Scott! Are you really the hero who infiltrated the Cappin villa and rescued several kidnapped girls?"
'
"Mr. Scott, could you tell us more about your experience? Were you scared?"
"Mr. Scott, I heard that you were initially mistaken for a suspect by the police. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Mr. Scott————"
Lorne forcibly suppressed the urge to unleash a "mental storm" on the noisy reporters to silence them all, and with great difficulty, with the help of old Kohler, he squeezed through the crowd into the factory gate.
"Mr. Scott!"
"Say a few words!"
Feeling the undiminished enthusiasm of the reporters outside the gate, Lorne swallowed hard. He always preferred to keep a low profile, and this feeling of being the center of attention made him somewhat uncomfortable.
"Mr. Scott, have the police released you?" Old Kohler asked with concern as he closed the door, shutting out the noise from outside.
"Okay." Lorne nodded, straightening his slightly disheveled trench coat. "My bail application has been approved. I'm fine for now."
"So, what's the deal with all these reporters outside?"
Hearing this, old Kohler shook his head in bewilderment: "I don't know either, Mr. Scott. The past few days have been normal, nothing special. But this morning, suddenly a whole bunch of people showed up and blocked the door, saying they wanted to see you."
He frowned, trying to recall the reporters' cacophony of questions: "What they said—you're a hero—you saved those girls kidnapped by gangsters and stuff—"
"Boss!" Factory manager Ted also rushed over upon hearing the news.
"Huff—huff—" He was panting heavily, clearly having jogged all the way here.
"Boss! You're famous now!"
"What exactly happened?" Lorne asked.
"Boss, take a look at this!" Seeing that his boss still looked clueless, Ted quickly took out a folded newspaper from his pocket and handed it over.
Shocking! The truth behind the Capin villa bombing!
"The hero of the East End, the conscience of Backlund—"
The newspaper article also included a photo of Lorne, taken at the police station.
"I'm in the newspaper and I don't know anything about it?" Lorne looked at the contents of the newspaper and felt as if he were reading someone else's story, a sense of absurdity welling up inside him.
"Which unscrupulous tabloid is this?" Lorne asked, frowning.
"Boss, this isn't a tabloid, it's the front page of the Backlund Daily!" Ted exclaimed excitedly. "Because of you, our factory has become famous!"
"The Backlund Daily News" — Lorne stared at the publisher's name on the newspaper, lost in thought.
Some of those photos were taken during police interrogations. This indicates that it was indeed the authorities who released this information.
"Eastern District Heroes —"
"Are they trying to give me a 'Batman' persona?" Lorne thought to himself.
In terms of physical abilities alone, a Sequence 5 Extraordinary might not be inferior to Batman. But when it comes to wealth—he's just a factory owner on the verge of bankruptcy, how can he compare to Batman? The entire Gotham City belongs to Batman.
However, by releasing this news officially, the authorities are essentially endorsing and guaranteeing their position. This way, the Church's extraordinary members can no longer cause them trouble over this matter.
But as the saying goes, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down," and with so many powerful figures involved in the Kaping affair, they might not all be on the same page. I'm now completely exposed to the light of day, with both risks and rewards. Openly, no one might do anything, but secretly—
"Boss! This is an opportunity!" Ted interrupted Lorne's silence, excitedly suggesting, "In the last couple of days, many people have been asking about our factory! We can take advantage of this buzz and sell it for a high price!"
"That's true—the name 'East District Hero' is so famous now, it has a huge GG effect. Especially now that I have official endorsement, even if the market is bad now, the price of this factory that is about to go bankrupt may increase several times."
But—Lorne shook his head. His arms business was just beginning, and his cooperation with Edwina was only just starting to take shape; he didn't want to give up so easily.
"We can't let this opportunity slip away," Lorne said to Ted in a deep voice.
"Ted, go to the storeroom right now and get a Ripper!" The newest and best-looking one!
"There are so many reporters outside. I want to announce to them in front of everyone that I'm the one who used this gun to save those girls!"
"Oh, okay!" Ted was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized that his boss wanted to play GG for free!
"I'll go get it right now!" he said, and then he ran quickly toward the warehouse.
"Mr. Scott—" After Ted left, old Kohler, who had been silent with his head down, suddenly spoke, his voice filled with worry, "You—you really didn't need to do such a dangerous thing."
He looked up, his cloudy eyes filled with sincerity: "You've been good enough to the factory workers, there's really no need—no need to put yourself in such a dangerous situation just to help them."
He stubbornly believed that Lorne provoked someone like Capin because he had heard about the many missing children of the factory workers and wanted to help them.
Otherwise, there's no reason why he would go and rescue those girls the day after he had just told him about it.
"It's just a coincidence. I just happened to be the hero." He guessed what old Kohler was thinking and comforted him.
"But----"
"Alright," Lorne interrupted him. "Help me think of something. What should I say when I meet those reporters later?"
"Is this trench coat too casual? Should I change into something more formal?"
"Eastern Hero, James Scott."
"The savior of girls".
Klein closed the Backlund Post in his hand, picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and his expression was somewhat subtle.
"The police actually released James Scott? And even vindicated him, turning him into a hero?"
"Why—why isn't I mentioned?" he muttered. The front page of the newspaper was full of James Scott, with nothing about himself.
Undeterred, he flipped through the newspaper again, finally finding a line of small print in an inconspicuous, almost marginal, section: "—Another unconfirmed eyewitness claims to have seen a ghostly figure, entirely black, wearing a crown, and dressed like an ancient emperor, flash by near the villa—suspected to be related to the case—"
"Black Emperor Ghost—" Klein's lips twitched as he looked at the description, which was full of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).
"Although those girls were indeed the last ones you released, defeating the main extraordinary beings in the villa..."
"I'm the one who's drawing most of the firepower—" Klein felt a little aggrieved. "Isn't the difference in treatment a bit too much?"
However, this feeling only lasted a short while before he calmed down. He wasn't someone who sought fame; as long as those innocent girls could return home safely, his goal was already achieved.
"Besides, speaking of which, I was the one who caused that gas explosion, which also affected him and caused him to be arrested and locked up for a few days—let him have a bit of fame and enjoy the treatment of a hero, and we'll call it even."
"Wait a minute, then I'll deposit this money—" He turned his gaze to the table and, in a good mood, put an envelope on the table into his pocket.
Inside was a check for four thousand pounds, a bonus from Charles. Compared to the joy the money brought, whether it made the news or not was irrelevant.
"yawn."
Just then, Irene, wearing a bathrobe, yawned and sleepily walked down from the second floor. She glanced at Klein, who was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood, and greeted him.
"Oh, our great detective seems to be in a good mood today. Looks like you made quite a bit of money this time?" Her tone was lazy and teasing.
"Yes," Klein nodded, responding in a good mood, "Charles just brought over my bonus this time."
"I'm not just talking about that~" Irene took a few steps forward, a sly smile on her face, and gently poked Klein's chest with her slender finger, a gesture both intimate and probing. "Tell me honestly, how much did you secretly earn this time—?"
"What do you mean?" Klein asked, puzzled.
"Still playing dumb," Irene feigned anger. "Don't tell me you secretly invested every penny of your own money and made a fortune, knowing perfectly well when the stock market would skyrocket and when it would crash?"
"What?" Upon hearing this, Klein suddenly realized what was happening. His pupils dilated slightly, and his face first showed shock, then sudden understanding, and finally, deep regret.
"That's right! How come I didn't think of that?"
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