Something is wrong!
It's very wrong!
First Maynard, now McGovern, they are all experiencing the same phenomenon.
Are they cursed?
Lex maintained a polite smile, appearing to listen, but his mind was racing.
What should I do?
Should I warn them? No, I don't know what happened to them. If I warn them rashly, first, they won't believe me, and second, it might put me in danger.
I am only a Sequence 8, just a pitiful worm in the mysterious world. I am so weak now, I can't do anything risky.
Hmm, maybe I can do this?
On the other side of the dining table, his assistant Maggio leaned over and said something to the banker.
McGovern nodded, wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, "Excuse me, I still have to meet another friend. Let Maggio take my place and discuss the details of the cooperation with you?"
Lex stood up to bid him farewell and said, "Mr. McGovern, I have heard a little about your misfortune, and it is truly regrettable."
"I have noticed that your mental state is not very good. It might be too nosy for me to say this, but you are a respectable gentleman, and I sincerely hope you can regain your confidence in life."
"If you could visit a church and talk to the pastor there in your free time, I believe it would be helpful to you."
McGovern paused for a moment before looking at Lex and sincerely saying, "Thank you for your suggestion, I will consider it."
Lex's real intention was that when McGovern went to the church, the church would discover his abnormality.
This way, he wouldn't have to take risks, and this gentleman would probably be able to resolve the hidden dangers he faced.
This is the limit of what I can do!
Lex told himself this, then sat back down and immersed himself in the conversation with Maggio.
Soon, the details of the cooperation were settled. Then Lex thought about his investment. Before this, he already had some ideas.
And just now, in his conversation with Maggio, he had revised some details.
Now, it was time to put it into action.
Swirling the red wine in his glass lightly, Lex displayed a standard smile: "Mr. Maggio, I have a friend who wants to make some investments in Tingen."
"He needs an evaluation team and a lawyer to draft contracts. In this regard, I wonder if you have any suggestions?"
Maggio smiled in response: "I know an investment company that has lawyers and an evaluation team. If Mr. Lex's friend needs it, I can introduce him to them."
"That would be great, I'll thank you on behalf of my friend first."
Maggio took out a notepad, wrote down some information, then tore it off and handed it to Lex: "Go to their company and tell them I introduced you. They should give your friend a discount on the service fee."
"That's really great."
Lex said, but thought to himself, 'However, I won't mention your name.'
After all, Lex didn't want anyone to notice what he was doing in Tingen.
The dinner ended in a pleasant atmosphere. Maggio, who was full of ambition, claimed he still had work to do and left in a hurry.
Lex had originally planned to take Maggio to experience Tingen's nightlife after returning to the hotel and cultivate a relationship with this banker's assistant. Now that it was off, he had no choice but to leave the restaurant gracefully and prepare to return to the hotel to rest.
Just as he was passing through the dining area, Lex suddenly caught a faint sound.
Click.
This sound reminded him of the image of a revolver hammer being cocked.
Then he heard a slightly faster heartbeat, the sound coming from his right side.
His intuition immediately sounded the alarm!
This was the prelude to an assassination!
Without thinking about who wanted to assassinate him, Lex stopped and bent down, pretending to clean his shoes.
Almost at the same time, a pillar next to him suddenly shattered, and a gunshot rang out from his left.
The restaurant suddenly fell silent, followed by gasps and screams.
Amidst these sounds, Lex suddenly felt his vision darken. It turned out that Gru had already shielded him with his body.
The bodyguard dutifully pulled Lex behind a pillar, while simultaneously drawing a revolver from his armpit holster and returning fire at the attacker.
The restaurant was in chaos. Tableware and murals shattered during the exchange of fire. Lex, constrained by his current identity, could only act like a coward, hiding behind the pillar and watching his bodyguard fight bravely.
After both sides had emptied their cylinders, Lex saw a man dressed as a waiter smash through the restaurant's bay window and climb out.
Gru shouted and gave chase, firing a few more shots from the window before returning.
"Sir, he got away."
Lex nodded: "Did you get a good look at him?"
Gru showed a thoughtful expression: "About thirty-something, around one meter eighty-nine tall, very ordinary-looking. Hmm, he's missing a corner of his eyebrow here."
The bodyguard gestured to the left side of his own eyebrow.
The gunfight left the restaurant in a mess. The restaurant staff called the police, and Lex cooperated fully, staying behind. When the police arrived, he had Gru describe the attacker's features in detail to them.
Since Lex had legal identification and was a nobleman, after taking his statement, the police escorted him away.
And fearing he might be attacked again on the way, two police officers escorted him back to the hotel.
However, after all this commotion, it was already late when they left the restaurant.
He had originally planned to go to the Elk Bar after returning to the hotel. Now, Lex gave up on that idea.
The carriage traveled along the road near the Tassok River. It was slightly muddy and dirty here, with the sound of the river rushing from the nearby great river. The low-lying buildings nearby were hidden in the shadows where the light of the gas streetlights couldn't reach.
Sitting in the carriage, Lex was trying to identify the assassin.
'The opponent was just an ordinary person, not like a Beyonder. He didn't display any Beyonder abilities. In other words, he shouldn't be an enemy of the 'Duke', nor should it be retaliation from the Sea Serpent Gang.'
'If he didn't mistake me for someone else, then this assassin was after Lex, after the Baron's son.'
'If that's the case, it could be a rival of Bison. Wait... I remember Bison said that his relationship with the Family was not harmonious.'
'His purpose in investing in me, his adopted son, was to shield Joe from dangers in the dark. So, could this assassin be from the Bison Family?'
'I need to find someone to investigate; I can't get involved myself. That doesn't fit the noble way. Hmm, Detective Liz gave me information about a colleague.'
At this moment, the night wind blew open the carriage curtain, and Lex saw the faint crimson moonlight lingering on the surface of the Tassok River.
Just ahead, by the river, he saw a slender figure, seemingly a woman, wearing a black robe and a hood, holding flowers in her hand.
Suddenly, the flowers in her hand were enveloped by black, illusory flames, rapidly turning to ashes.
Then she stepped into the river, sank into the water, and just disappeared!