Chapter 129: < Protect – Episode 128 – London Protocol [4] >

Barbara Huxley was a witch.

But that didn’t mean she went around on a broomstick, made people into toads and control people’s minds. However, she was stronger than an average woman with better eyesight and aged really well, but most importantly, she had a sense of what could happen in the future.

She knew something bad was going to happen in New York before it even happened. Once Scott Davis made the proposal after the New York incident, Huxley Group’s board of directors welcomed Barbara’s opposition. The money queen? That name was pretty deceptive. It was true that she had great influence over Huxley Group, but the final decision went to the England National Security Bureau.

When Ahn Soo Ho went around causing trouble in New York, the National Security Bureau was surprised and used Barbara as their scapegoat. She was angry at the fact that she was being used as a locked up ATM, but in contrast to her sexy looks, she was a woman with a tender heart.

“How’s the cooperation coming along?”

“It’s in the mediation process. Following this tour, Mr. Warren will leave Holly Corporation and he’ll probably take the stars that look up to him with him. We’re in the process of preparing documents for the dispute that might occur with Holly Corporation.”

“Make sure it doesn’t end up in a lawsuit.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“What about New York?”

“Not much has changed as of yet. Do you think the information might be incorrect?”

“No!”

Barbara strongly refuted.

“The information is 100% trustworthy. The fact that you can’t confirm it just goes to show that you’re thoroughly tied down by security.”

“The New York police and the FBI are showing no signs of movements…”

“Look into it further.”

Everyone dispersed after the meeting, but one person remained. Jane Huxley was also a witch. Huxley Group as a whole was a group with supernatural powers that were being monitored by the British government.

“The board of directors must have wanted you to get hurt pretty badly, Barbara.”

“It seems like it.”

As more members started viewing those with supernatural powers as inhumane, Barbara’s status started to decline. The reason why she accepted Ahn Soo Ho’s proposal without hesitation was that new laws that would suppress her was proposed at Huxley Group’s board of directors meeting. They were willing to use the witch to build a financial empire, but they still wanted to limit the human rights of individuals with supernatural powers.

Barbara was angry.

But every time she got the temptation to flip the world upside down, she thought of the devastating aftereffects and controlled her anger. In the end, she had many precious friends and family in England. Despite her strong opposition, the board of directors still supported Scott Davis and hid out as soon as Ahn Soo Ho showed up in London. No matter the circumstances, Barbara was still the head of Huxley Group.

‘Was he the bad feeling I had?’

When Barbara connected the bad feeling she had to Ahn Soo Ho’s sudden arrival in London, it kind of made sense. But why did she felt so iffy about it? In order to confirm it, she gathered her witch network including Jane. The ones who started arriving at the meeting room looked very different from the typical witch image. Some were wearing school uniforms while others were doctors, career women, police officers, and even military soldiers.

“I know you’re all busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. Is Ahn Soo Ho our enemy?”

Barbara looked at Jane, who was the closest to her, and she shook her head in response.

“Negative.”

The next person was a woman in a white doctor’s gown.

“Negative.”

Next was a career woman just like Jane.

“Negative.”

Then it was the police officer and military soldier.

“Negative.”

Lastly, Barbara looked at the girl wearing a checkered schoolgirl uniform.

“I’d like to defer my answer.”

“Why?”

“Unlike all of you, I’ve never met him before. I’d like to take this opportunity to meet him face-to-face.”

The student put both of her hands in her pockets and looked dissatisfied.

“Who knows? Maybe he could be the prince on a white horse who’ll get me out of this shitty world.”

She was at that age where she wanted freedom. But even so, her situation was different from most teenagers.

“He’s… dangerous.”

“But I’m more drawn to dangerous men.”

“Stop fooling around.”

“I’m not fooling around. I’d like someone to get me out of this world! I don’t care if they’re Muslim! I’m ready to be converted, damn it!”

Everyone became quiet in response to the student’s roaring. Witches were the English government’s best asset. The London Protocol was discarded, but the ones remaining with supernatural powers were used as the government’s equipment.

“I know you all feel the same. You all want to blow up this country, don’t you?”

“Melissa!”

“Hypocrites! All adults are hypocrites! Agh!”

As soon as Melissa’s yelling ended, the meeting room’s door broke open. After that, all the furniture flew around the room. Melissa’s school uniform flipped upward before falling, and the rest of them ended up in a similar situation. The first person to get a hold of herself was Barbara who was standing the furthest away from the door.

“Security! Security! Security?”

She screamed into the interphone, but all she could hear was static, which made her realize something was wrong. As soon as she helped Jane up and turned around, an incredible sight came into view.

London was burning down outside the window.

There was smoke everywhere as well as the sounds of screaming and sirens. What was even scarier was the sound of guns inside the building, and it got closer and closer over time. She saw a security guard walking backward toward the broken door. There were some who were even bleeding already. The unidentified assailants dressed in black were fully armed military professionals.

Bang-

After getting shot to the ground, the security guard struggled to pick up the gun he dropped. The person standing above him pushed the dead security guard aside and walked toward the meeting room. Barbara stopped the female police officer from pulling out her gun. The man looked around the room and then smirked.

“Witches.”

The man sounded like an English man with a French accent. He made eye contact with the surprised witches and smirked once more.

“Bitch.”

Barbara whispered.

“Ransel Straussmow?”

******

London, which was currently known for its antique vibes, was dreaming of becoming the city of the future. Whether it was called Europe’s charms or romance, Europeans thought of culture and history as the same and didn’t destroy buildings in a careless manner. For that reason, it was common for redevelopment businesses to be different in old sections of the city. It was possible that the reason for the States’ fast development was that they started with nothing.

The city of London was no different from the worldwide financial hub that connected Europe to North America. The top stock market in the world was still Wall Street. However, in contrast to the States which avoided oil money, England lured funds of the Middle East and produced great results.

“The targets are gathered in one place, Boss.”

A man who was enjoying an afternoon tea at a café received the report and got up.

“The money queen must have been in a rush. She had a meeting despite the board of directors hating it.”

“That just goes to show Mr. Guardian’s status.”

“That’s true.”

Compared to the terrorist attacks that occurred in the past 10 years, the ones that occurred within this year was far superior. There were countless reasons for that, but many were aware that Ahn Soo Ho’s absence was the trigger. The Davis administration, which was supposed to fill the vacant spot was out of the picture from the very beginning, and the EU was busy with their bankruptcy followed by England’s withdrawal.

Could there be justice in China’s stubborn actions over the seas surrounding Southeast Asia? In Russia, where constant assassinations were taking place following the chaos in Moscow, a new leader named Vitali came into the picture, but it was still chaotic. Japan, which had a bombing during the G7 Summit, was internationally humiliated, and both the Pacific and the Mediterranean were invested with pirates and thieves.

The number of kidnappings on ships, planes, of famous people, as well as children, increased dramatically, and in the fierce global business battle, freelance trouble-shooters were in more demand than ever. At this point, kidnapping insurance was more lucrative than life insurance. And how many people would have known that all of this started with Ahn Soo Ho’s absence?

‘We all have our own individual plans.’

Was Ahn Soo Ho an impressive person? Probably. However, his absence didn’t mean the world was doomed. Someone was bound to take over his position, and the world was going to keep on rolling. But there were many people who were enduring hard times because of the struggles resulting from the power vacuum.

“Competitors thought the power vacuum would only last a year tops. But just like how the States failed to fill the vacant position, the chaos was a lot worse than any of us expected.”

It wasn’t just one or two wolves that were being suppressed by Ahn Soo Ho until his retirement.

“That’s why this world needs a second Mr. Guardian.”

Two men stopped in front of a high-rise building. It was a famous tourist destination for having the best view of London. There were many tourists as usual, and there were also many men and women wearing suits. It was a strange mix of leisure and business. The sight to see in big cities were the people in it.

One man pulled out a cigarette.

At a certain point, smoking in public places became illegal. Considering smoking was no big deal back in the 70s and 80s, this new change was sad to those who missed those days. When he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, people looked at him with knitted brows. But none of them talked to him about manners.

The saying that goes ‘to not look evil in the eyes’ wasn’t something that was only popular in New York. As a result of more citizens due to urbanization, there were endless incidents and accidents. There were very few who wanted to meddle in other people’s affairs and cause trouble. As soon as he started smoking, a security guard from the high-rise building approached.

“Sir, you can’t smoke…”

The security guard fell over backward before he could finish. The guard suddenly pulled out a gun and shot the man down.

Bang-

The gunshot made everyone scatter in panic. Some of them were so shocked that they plopped to the ground. Despite what happened, the man holding the gun continued to focus on his cigarette. He looked as calm as someone who was smoking his last one.

“We’re ready, Boss.”

“Then begin.”

He took his last puff and then flicked the butt on the ground. His surrounding was in chaos. In response, the security team pulled down the security shutter. People ran away in panic as the sirens started to wail. As soon as the man started walking toward the high-rise building, a flame burned behind. Him.

Rumble- Boom, boom-

Were those thunder and earthquake? That wasn’t it. It was the impact resulting from a big explosion, and the destruction wasn’t at a scale of a few buildings being demolished. The men who got out of the wailing police car weren’t police officers, but unidentified assailants wearing black.

Were they assured once the security shutter was lowered? The people behind the half-transparent glass didn’t seem too scared. That was before the assailants pulled their missiles. As soon as they spotted the missiles, the building’s security team turned pale.

It wasn’t just one but multiple missiles that targeted the same place. No matter how good the security shutter was, it wasn’t capable of withstanding that many missiles. At the same time, multiple trucks ran into the building and crashed through the security shutter.

Crash-

The remaining glass, metal, and concrete all came crumbling down.

Bang, bang, bang-

In response to the continued attack, the people trapped inside started to run away. In the midst of the struggle, people started to get injured. However, the unidentified assailants had no interest in the civilians. The lobby was seized in no time. The man grabbed the key card hanging on the dead security guard and tossed it to his subordinate.

“Install it at the observatory.”

“Yes, Sir.”

What they pulled out of their truck was an air cargo that gets loaded onto planes. The cargo filled up the lift completely. The man who dispatched the advance party looked at a female employee trembling in a corner of the lobby and gave her a wink. Since it was an expensive building, even the information desk employee looked like a supermodel.

“You can come up now, Boss!”

He stopped glancing over as soon as he received a walkie-talkie message. When he got on the lift, he saw all of London below him. If it was yesterday, he would have admired the beautiful view, but today, London was on fire with the sunset in the background.

‘It’s burning down well.’

The British were probably sad, but he was French.

Ding-

Once he got off, he was met with cameras and lights.

“Are we in the middle of a broadcast?”

When he got a signal that they were, he nodded. His bare face was being broadcasted live on the internet.

“Hi. I’m… We’re terrorists, right?”

“Probably from the viewers’ perspective.”

“Yeah. We’re terrorists. Haha. I can’t believe I’m a terrorist… This feels weird.”

He wondered how to introduce himself and then asked his subordinate who answered with a shrug. He felt pleased but laughed bitterly at the same time.

“My name isn’t important. What’s important is that I was the French African ambassador until recently. For 23 years at that. I’m not lying. If you go into the French government’s website, you can find my profile.”

When he started walking, the camera started moving with him. The hallway was in chaos with traces of gunshots. The way he stepped over dead bodies suggested that he was not normal.

“Look outside the window. London is on fire. And we’re in Huxley Tower in the city of London right now. You know Huxley Group, right? The group that Limeys are crazy about. You don’t? Then… do you know Premier League’s official sponsor?”

His voice was very calm considering the dead bodies that were being filmed on camera.

“Not long ago, we saw an assassination attempt on our American president on live television. A bold plan took place right in the middle of New York. That… was a very shocking incident. No one would have ever imagined it.”

Some culture critics called that the greatest art of the 21st century. A story based on a true story has a scenario that couldn’t be matched with any kind of imagination. That probably inspired many artists.

“Why do you think a patriot like Scott Davis tried to assassinate the president? The answer is simple. He wanted to call out in a voice of truth.”

Americans had mixed feelings about Scott Davis. Some Americans thought he was an incapable criminal who tried to assassinate the president, and others thought of him as a hero who attempted to restore justice by revolting against the government.

And those on the outside viewed him as a patriotic martyr.

“What’s the truth? The truth in this world is that only those with money can live a good life.”

That wasn’t something for him to say as someone who always advocated firm action regarding Africa, but the viewers didn’t know that.

“Saving humanitarianism? Donation? Charity? That’s all bullshit. Do you really think the donations that go over to Africa are really free? That’s ridiculous. Everything that happens including terrorist attacks is planned with an objective. That’s the rule of strong nations. They don’t allow attempts. That’s because the ruling system more commonly known as international order is complete.”

For nations that wanted to last forever, there was no such thing as pure intentions and planning.

“In order to maintain public order, I did all sorts of things that I can’t even bear to talk about. I’m not proud of myself. But I wasn’t embarrassed either. I know that I look like a bad person. After all, I didn’t lose a daughter as Scott Davis did. Then why do you think I’m here? Not even in Elysee Palace but at Huxley Tower?

He went around Africa for over 20 years for his home nation which was France, but the country that he loved pressured him to die a lonely death and turned his patriotism into hatred.

The camera lens shot the burning city of London.

“Limeys have always called us French hypocrites. It’s true. I somewhat agree with that. There are times when even French people think it’s too much. However, I later found out that all British people are thieves, and they were afraid of people knowing that, so they withdrew from the union. You probably won’t understand what I’m trying to say in one go.”

The truth was, he didn’t know everything either.

“The reason why the financial system is complicated.”

The gunfight was nearing its end.

“Cheating.”

People hoped that the rules and society were fair, but that wasn’t possible. The gunfight ended. The man noticed a security guard struggling for his life, so he ended it for him right then and there. The way he saw it, freeing them from their pain was the best he could do for them.

“The government scams us day in and day out by hiding under the word “national security”. They’re the best at discovering the most unimaginable and unbelievable methods and solutions. And no one is able to disobey that.”

The meeting room on the top floor with a view of the burning city of London came into the camera lens.

“Let me introduce to you what the British thieves use as their secret weapons.”

As soon as he noticed a female student on the floor with her panties exposed, he whistled and looked around him.

“Witches.”

He made eye contact with the most famous women in the city of London.

“Bitch.”

“Ransel Straussmow?”

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