Lorne stared blankly for a moment at the reporters suddenly surging toward him like a tide.
What the hell? Why does it look like I became famous overnight?
"Click!"
"Click!"
The countless dense shutter sounds coming from all directions made him frown slightly.
Could it be that the official exposed the matter of Capine Villa? Why? Shouldn't a scandal involving high-ranking officials be downplayed and quietly resolved?
Or was it because too many girls were kidnapped, making it impossible to conceal the matter? Or perhaps, is there some conspiracy behind this that I am unaware of?
But no matter what, there's no need to push a "small fry" like me to the forefront!
"Ahem." Lorne cleared his throat and forced a smile while facing the countless cameras extended toward him.
"Everyone, please move aside. You are interfering with the normal operation of our factory."
Click! Click!
His response was an even more enthusiastic clicking of shutters. His words not only failed to have any effect but made the reporters even more excited.
"Mr. Scott! Are you truly the hero who infiltrated Capine Villa and rescued multiple kidnapped girls?
"
"Mr. Scott, could you elaborate on your experience at the time? Were you afraid?"
"Mr. Scott, we heard you were initially mistaken for a suspect by the police. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Mr. Scott—"
Lorne forcibly suppressed the urge to unleash a Mental Storm on the noisy reporters to make them collectively quiet, and with the help of Old Kohler, he finally squeezed through the crowd and into the factory gate.
"Mr. Scott!"
"Say a few words!"
Feeling the undiminished enthusiasm of the reporters outside the gate, Lorne swallowed. He always preferred to keep a low profile, and this feeling of being the center of attention made him uncomfortable.
"Mr. Scott, did the police release you?" Old Kohler closed the gate, shutting out the noise outside, and asked with concern.
"Yes." Lorne nodded, straightening his slightly disheveled trench coat. "My bail application was approved; I'm safe for now."
"So, what exactly is going on with all these reporters outside?"
Hearing this, Old Kohler also shook his head in confusion: "I don't know either, Mr. Scott. The past few days were normal, nothing special. But early this morning, suddenly a huge crowd of people showed up, blocking the entrance, saying they were looking for you."
He frowned, trying hard to recall the reporters' noisy questions: "They were saying something about you being a hero—that you saved the girls kidnapped by the gang—"
"Boss!" Ted, the factory manager, also rushed over upon hearing the news.
"Hoo—hoo—" He was panting heavily, clearly having run all the way.
"Boss! You're famous!"
"What exactly is going on?" Lorne asked.
"Boss, look at this!" Seeing the bewildered expression on his boss's face, Ted quickly pulled a folded newspaper from his pocket and handed it over.
"Shock! The Truth Behind the Capine Villa Bombing Case!"
"The Hero of East Borough, the Conscience of Backlund—"
The newspaper story included a photograph of Lorne, one of those taken at the Police Station.
"I'm in the newspaper, and yet I know nothing about it?" Lorne looked at the newspaper content, feeling like he was reading someone else's story; a sense of absurdity welled up within him.
"Which unscrupulous tabloid is this?" Lorne asked with a frown.
"Boss, this isn't an unscrupulous tabloid, this is the front page of The Backlund Daily!" Ted said excitedly. "Because of you, our factory has become famous too!"
The Backlund Daily—Lorne looked at the publishing house name on the newspaper and fell into deep thought.
Some of those photos were taken during his interrogation at the Police Station. This suggests that the official was indeed the one who released this news.
"Hero of East Borough—"
Are they trying to give me a "Batman" persona? Lorne muttered internally.
If judged purely by physical fitness, a Sequence 5 Beyonder might not fear Batman. But when it comes to wealth—how could an almost bankrupt factory owner like him compare? The entire Gotham City belongs to Batman's family.
However, the official releasing this kind of news is equivalent to endorsing and guaranteeing him. This way, the Beyonders of the Church won't be able to trouble him over this matter anymore.
But as the saying goes, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. So many important figures are implicated behind Capin's affair, and they might not be united. Now that I am completely exposed to the light, risk and reward coexist. Perhaps no one will do anything openly, but secretly—
"Boss! This is an opportunity!" Ted interrupted Lorne's silence, suggesting excitedly, "Just in the last two days, many people have inquired about our factory! We can take advantage of this current popularity and sell it at a high price!"
"That's true—the title 'Hero of East Borough' is so well-known now, it has a very high PR Effect. Especially since I now have the official's endorsement, even if the market isn't good, the price of this nearly bankrupt factory could multiply several times over.
But—Lorne shook his head. His blueprint for the arms business had just begun, and his cooperation with Edwina was just taking shape; he didn't want to give up so easily.
"We cannot give up this opportunity." Lorne looked at Ted and said in a deep voice.
"Ted, go immediately to the storeroom and bring out a Ripper—the newest and best-looking one!"
"There are so many reporters outside; I'm going to announce in front of them that I used this gun to rescue those girls!"
"Oh, alright!" Ted was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that his boss wanted free PR!
"I'll go get it right now!" Saying this, he sprinted rapidly toward the storeroom.
"Mr. Scott—" After Ted left, Old Kohler, who had been silent with his head bowed, suddenly spoke, his voice filled with worry. "You—you really didn't have to do something so dangerous."
He looked up, his cloudy eyes full of sincerity: "You've been good enough to the workers at the factory; there really was no need—no need to put yourself in such a dangerous situation just to help them."
He stubbornly believed that the reason Lorne went to provoke a figure like Capin was because he had heard about the disappearance of many workers' children at the factory and wanted to help them.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that he only told Lorne about the matter the day before, and the next day, Lorne went to rescue those girls.
"It was just a coincidence; I just happened to be a hero this time." He guessed Old Kohler's thoughts and offered reassurance.
"But—"
"That's enough." Lorne interrupted him. "Help me think about what I should say when I meet the reporters later."
"Is this trench coat too informal? Should I change into a suit—"
"Hero of East Borough, James Scott."
"Savior of the Girls."
Klein closed The Backlund Post he was holding, picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and had a subtle expression on his face.
"The police actually released James Scott? And they cleared his name and molded him into a hero?"
"Why—am I not mentioned?" he mumbled. The front-page headlines of the newspaper were all about James Scott, with absolutely nothing related to himself.
Refusing to give up, he flipped through the newspaper again, finally finding a small line of text in an inconspicuous section, almost like filler: "—Furthermore, unconfirmed witnesses claim to have seen a ghostly figure, entirely black, wearing a crown, and dressed like an ancient emperor, flash past near the villa—suspected to be related to the case—"
"Black Emperor Ghost—" Klein's mouth twitched as he looked at the Chuunibyou-esque description.
"Although, those girls were indeed released by you in the end, I was the main one who defeated the primary Beyonders in the villa,
and drew most of the firepower—" Klein felt a slight sense of injustice. "Isn't the difference in treatment too huge?"
However, this emotion only lasted for a short while before he let it go. He was not someone who sought fame; as long as the innocent girls could return home safely, his goal had been achieved.
"Besides, speaking of which, I was the one who caused that final gas explosion, and he got caught in the blast, which resulted in him being arrested and detained for a few days—letting him take the spotlight and enjoy the hero's treatment should balance things out."
"I'll deposit this money later—" He shifted his gaze to the table and, in good spirits, put an envelope from the table into his pocket.
Inside it was a check for four thousand pounds, the bonus given by Charles. Compared to the joy brought by the money, appearing in the news or not was irrelevant.
"Hah—choo."
Just then, Irin, wearing a bathrobe, yawned and walked downstairs from the second floor, still half-asleep. She glanced at Klein, who was smiling and seemed quite pleased, and proactively greeted him.
"Yo, our Great Detective is so happy today; looks like you earned a lot this time?" Her tone was lazy and slightly teasing.
"Mhm," Klein nodded, responding cheerfully. "Charles just delivered my bonus for this case."
"I wasn't just talking about this, you know~" Irin took a few steps forward, smiling slyly, and gently poked Klein's chest with a slender finger, the action intimate yet probing. "Confess honestly, how much did you—secretly earn this time?"
"What do you mean?" Klein was confused.
"Still playing dumb." Irin feigned annoyance. "Don't tell me that knowing exactly when the stock market would surge and when it would crash, you didn't secretly invest any money yourself to make a fortune?"
"What?" Hearing this, Klein suddenly reacted, his pupils slightly widening. His face first showed shock, then realization, and finally, deep regret.
"You're right! Why didn't I think of that?"