Shadow of the Beautiful World

Merlin drove the car, galloping on the road leading to Queens.

It was already past midnight, and even the bustling New York City became quiet. Merlin's fingers were on the steering wheel, and he was in a bad mood.

Not just because of the bad news that broke out in clusters in the past few days, but more importantly, Merlin didn't know how to tell May and Ben the news of Richard and Mary's death.

He knows how emotional his sister is, and he also knows how much his brother-in-law loves his relatives.

This is terrible bad news.

This was bad news enough to crush a family, and Merlin didn't even know how he should face Peter, who was only 2 years old.

Maybe it's all because of me

Merlin looked at the night outside the car window and heaved a long sigh.

Those secrets that can only be placed in the bottom of his heart, at this moment, are like a mountain pressing on him, even making him unable to breathe.

And when Merlin was hesitating how to pass the bad news to his relatives, Meilin's phone call went to Merlin first.

Seeing Mei's profile light up on the screen, Merlin didn't even dare to answer the call. He parked the car on the side of the road, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he picked up the phone.

But before he could speak, Mei's crying voice sounded first.

Merlin! Come back quickly, something happened.

Little Peter, little Peter is missing!

Merlin's eyes became extremely cold at this moment, and he said to Mei on the other end of the phone:

Don't worry, sister, I'll go back right away.

The next moment, the Ford car parked on the side of the road started again, and rushed into the traffic flow under the night in a way of starting a racing car.

Merlin still doesn't know what happened, but he can easily guess that this should be the follow-up to the incident between Richard and Mary.

It doesn't matter who you are

You are really impatient!

—

Ten minutes later, Merlin came to Mei's house.

Ben was sitting on the sofa, comforting the crying Mei, while Charlie and Eric were also sitting on the chairs beside them. A dull and sad atmosphere hung over the house, giving one a sense of foreboding.

Merlin, you are finally back.

Seeing her younger brother, Mei, who was at a loss, seemed to see the backbone. She stood up from the sofa and threw herself into Merlin's arms. She sobbed and said to Merlin:

It's all my fault. I pushed little Peter out to buy things. As soon as I paid the bill, I found that Peter in the cart was missing and someone took him away. Merlin, someone stole Peter from our house. !

Don't worry, I'm here.

Merlin patted his sister's trembling shoulders, he supported Mei to sit on the sofa, and he turned to look at Ben. The silent and worried brother-in-law immediately replied:

We just searched the whole street and called the police, but

Merlin, there's something wrong with this matter!

Charlie, the girl sitting behind Merlin, clenched her fists and shouted loudly:

We checked the surveillance, and no one moved the stroller at all. It was like magic, and little Peter just disappeared for no reason! This must not be done by ordinary people!

It must be something that the camera can't capture.

Eric also chimed in and said:

I hacked into the CCTV of that store, Charlie is right, it must be no ordinary person

Before Eric finished speaking, Merlin gave him a hard look.

Only then did the two children realize that Ben and Mei, who knew nothing about Merlin's occupation, were still around, and Merlin didn't want his sister and brother-in-law to know his identity.

Where is that store?

Merlin asked.

It's at the end of the street, just east of that intersection.

Charlie answered quickly.

Charlie, take care of May.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, he stood up, and said to his sister who kept crying and blaming himself:

I'll go to that store to have a look. Don't worry, May, no matter who takes Peter away, I will bring him back safe and sound.

Having said that, Merlin's expression was slightly sad, and he said:

I promised Richard and Mary that I would protect their children.

I will go with you.

Ben stood up immediately and went to get his coat, but Merlin stopped him.

No, brother-in-law, you stay at home.

Merlin subconsciously looked at his wrist, but there was no longer a watch there. He looked back at the clock on the wall with some regret, and said to Ben:

You still have to work tomorrow, not to mention, my sister also needs your care. Eric, come with me.

good!

Eric didn't hesitate. Under Charlie's worried eyes, he stood up and followed Merlin out of the house.

Due to the short distance, the two did not drive, but walked to the store where Peter disappeared. While walking on the side of the street, the silent Merlin suddenly said to Eric:

Little Peter's parents died in a plane accident in South America at noon today.

ah?

When Eric heard the news, the expression on his face immediately became shocked. He looked at Merlin, and he said:

You must be kidding, right? It's not true! You're just kidding me, how could they

This is real.

Merlin emphasized his tone and said:

I was going to tell you the news tonight, but Peter suddenly disappeared the night after his parents had an accident. Eric, tell me, do you think this is a coincidence?

Eric is a very smart young man. With Merlin's reminder, he immediately realized what was behind this incident.

He said:

Then we

I'll go find Peter, as for you

Merlin stuffed something into Eric's hand. It was a pistol filled with holy silver bullets. He took out his mobile phone, and while dialing, he said to Eric:

After 5 minutes, you go back to Mei's house. Before I go back, you are responsible for protecting them. I will contact my friends and help you in the dark.

Um!

Eric nodded vigorously, he put the pistol in his pocket, and then heard Merlin say to the person on the microphone:

Dobby? Are you asleep? I need a personal favor from you.

Five minutes later, Merlin came to the convenience store where Peter disappeared.

Pretending to be a shopping customer, he walked around the small shop a few times. Eric and Charlie's speculation is correct. Surveillance cameras are not omnipotent. The cameras have a fixed frequency when shooting. Once the moving speed of some creatures exceeds this frequency, the surveillance cameras will not see any abnormalities at all.

But if it was done by a different kind, then they would definitely leave some inconspicuous clues on the scene.

That's what Merlin needs.

Ten seconds later, Merlin came to the counter with a box of Sika cigarettes. While paying the bill, he turned on his dark perception to the limit. At this moment, Merlin smelled a smell that was about to dissipate.

It was a faint smell of blood.

Merlin's action of paying the money stopped at this moment.

He knew who had taken little Peter.

Merlin left the convenience store with cigarettes. He walked to the trash can, opened the cigarettes, and put all the cigarettes in the box into the iron cigarette case that Fury gave him. The two extra cigarettes One was set on fire by Merlin, and the other was thrown in the trash.

Fu

Under the darkness of night, a weak wind blew up Merlin's windbreaker, and amidst the drifting smoke, Merlin dialed another number.

You rarely call me.

A gentle voice came from the microphone and said:

So this makes me a little curious, what can work for Minister Merlin?

I was just on a business trip a while ago, Aethinus.

Merlin exhaled smoke rings and said:

As a result, as soon as I returned to New York, I heard the news of the vampires here. Those guys have been very restless recently. I mean, are you just watching like this? Are you not going to take any action?

We have few people.

The senior Auror of the Magic Council on the other end of the phone explained:

There is not enough manpower to carry out large-scale operations, and you must cooperate with s.d.o.l.d., but the problem is that your side seems to be a bit chaotic recently.

I'm back.

Merlin says:

There's nothing messy anymore.

So, what do you mean by calling?

Get your men assembled.

Merlin snuffed out the half-burned cigarette by the trash can, he clenched the steel cane in his hand, and said softly:

In 2 hours, we're going to deal with the vampires. If what those rats in the night want is a real war this time, then I'll be with you.

The Auror on the other end of the phone didn't answer immediately. After a few seconds, he asked cautiously:

I have to confirm first, Minister Merlin, what do you mean by 'solve'?

Merlin replied calmly:

Maybe I didn't make it clear just now, so let me explain again, I want these guys to 'die'.

When I say 'death', I mean it very seriously. What I want is a death with a bruised nose, a splattered brain, a face full of horror, and full of regret!

Merlin's tone was very light, but the killing intent revealed made the senior Auror on the other end of the microphone stunned for a moment.

A few seconds later, he gave a dry laugh:

Hehe, after returning from this business trip, you are really angry.

Some people are responsible for having wonderful families, while others are responsible for protecting them.

Merlin used one sentence as his answer. He raised his head, looked at the night above his head, and said softly:

This is our mission, this is our duty, the feast that the vampires intend to hold in New York, we have been absent for too long, it is always impolite to be late, so we must hurry up.

Merlin's figure turned into smoke at this moment, and quickly rushed into the sky in the dark alley. Victor, the spirit of the raven, let out a neigh, and under Merlin's order, also rushed in the direction where the bloody smell disappeared. go out.

He was suspended in mid-air, connected with Victor's vision, and in a way of perceptual scanning, he quickly searched for his target among tens of thousands of lives.

And on the phone next to his ear, the senior Auror Aisinus has confirmed that Merlin is really planning to get serious.

Then his voice also became serious, and he said:

Even with your s.d.o.l.d., we can't clean up the whole of New York at once. There are more than 400,000 vampires in this city, and there are millions of vampires on the entire East Coast. Once they receive News, the problem will be very serious.

no no.

Merlin shook his head and said:

Let's change the method this time. Let's clean up district by district. Let's start from Queens. After 2 hours, I will wait for you here so don't be late.

After speaking, Merlin hung up the phone.

He called Fury again, because the two had just quarreled, and Fury's tone was not good when he answered the phone.

What's the matter, Merlin?

Richard and Mary's son, kidnapped by a vampire.

Merlin says:

I'm going to rescue him and clean up New York by the way. The batch of weapons we just bought from Elsa can just come in handy.

Damn! Merlin, you were suspended 30 minutes ago!

Fury said:

You have no authority to launch such a cleanup operation!

Oh, Fury, what do you mean

Merlin asked in a cold tone:

You're going to do nothing about it? Little Peter's parents, but?

do not talk.

Fury interrupted Merlin's sarcasm, saying:

Agent Coulson is in charge of this operation. Anyway, you have always valued him, haven't you?

You join the operation as a temporary consultant. After the matter is over, just stay at home honestly and wait for the review! Those weapons are in the weapon warehouse of s.d.o.l.d., and I will give Agent Coulson permission to use them.

Thanks, Fury.

Merlin thanked Fury, and then sent mission instructions to his three supervisors, Coulson, Melinda, and Sharon. Two hours was enough for the four action teams under s.d.o.l.d. A total of 80 agents have assembled and are ready.

Of course, before this sudden action started, Merlin had to do a good job of collecting information in advance.

If he wants to start a war, he can't let his soldiers rush into the battlefield with a black eye.

He was suspended in the sky of Queens, his perception and Raven Spirit's perception were superimposed, like a double radar, scanning back and forth in the streets and alleys of Queens.

The precise location of one vampire stronghold after another was recorded in Merlin's mind. He is now in a very calm state, but the anger in his heart has always existed.

Tonight, he will no longer join the fight as Agent Merlin.

Instead, a warrior looking for his loved ones.

I think this is the life I was destined for

In the sky of Queens, in the howling cold wind, Merlin closed his eyes, and he said softly:

Make a choice, then live for it, fight for it, and finally, die for it.

It's Difficult, But Finally

I made a choice.

Little Peter, wait for me, uncle will take you home soon.