Working as a police officer in Mexico-Chapter 1829 - 799: The World Has Suffered England Long Enough!

She knew Friedrich's personality: paranoid, arrogant, living in the glory of the past. Yet it was precisely this personality that made him the ideal leader for the Phoenix Society, easy to manipulate, and symbolically significant enough.

Plus, there was no denying that his status was the most significant.

Halfway through the banquet, an incident occurred.

A waiter carrying a tray approached Friedrich, with desserts and coffee on the tray.

Just three steps away, the waiter suddenly dropped the tray and pulled out a handgun from beneath the napkin.

The muzzle pointed at Friedrich.

Time seemed to freeze.

The guests hadn't screamed yet, and Ivan Klaus was already in motion. Being the closest to Friedrich, he instinctively lunged forward, knocking the host to the ground.

The gunshot rang out.

The first shot hit the chandelier on the ceiling, and glass shards fell like rain.

The second shot hit Ivan's shoulder, blood blossoming.

The third shot... was silent.

The waiter's handgun jammed.

This brief pause saved Friedrich's life.

Other bodyguards rushed forward, pinning the waiter to the ground. Someone seized the gun, discovering it was an old Walther PPK, poorly maintained, with even one bullet being a dud.

"Search him!" Ivan, clutching his shoulder, looked pale.

The bodyguards searched the waiter and found a folded piece of paper in his pocket. Unfolded, it was handwritten in German:

"For Eduardo, for all those you've betrayed. This is just the beginning. —The Loyal

Friedrich was helped up, his tuxedo covered in dust and Ivan's blood. He looked at the paper, his hands trembling.

"Eduardo..." he murmured, "That Spanish fool's follower..."

"Sir, we need to leave immediately." Erin supported him, "This might just be the first assassin."

Friedrich did not refuse this time. He hastily moved towards the exit, surrounded by bodyguards, while chaos enveloped the banquet hall, guests fleeing in all directions.

Outside Schönbrunn Palace, the sound of sirens approached swiftly. Vienna police quickly cordoned off the scene, but the assassin had already taken poison. In the moment he was pinned down, he bit the cyanide capsule hidden in his teeth, dying within ten seconds.

"Investigate his identity."

Ivan said to the arriving police officer in charge, "I want to know everything about him: who hired him, how he got in, and where his accomplices are."

"We will investigate thoroughly." The police officer nodded but with a kind of official indifference in his eyes. Clearly, he held little regard for these "retro nobles."

On the way back to the hotel, Friedrich remained silent. The convoy comprised three cars, with bodyguard vehicles in front and behind, his and Erin's Mercedes-Benz in the middle.

"That note..." Erin finally spoke, "could be forged, meant to sow discord."

"The handwriting is Eduardo's." Friedrich's voice was hoarse, "I recognize it. He cursed me three times by letter, always using this ornate Spanish-style German. And the signature 'The Loyal'... was his favorite to use when alive."

"But Eduardo is already dead, how could his followers have detailed information about the Schönbrunn Palace banquet? How could they bribe a waiter?"

Friedrich remained silent. This was exactly what he couldn't understand.

The car drove into the Imperial Hotel's underground garage. The bodyguards got out first to check, and only after confirming safety did they open the car door.

Just as Friedrich stepped out of the car, a sedan in the garage corner suddenly exploded.

It wasn't a violent explosion, more like a combination of flashbang and smoke grenade. The intense light caused temporary blindness, and the smoke quickly spread.

"Protect the sir!" the bodyguards shouted, but nothing could be seen in the smoke.

Gunfire rang out, but it wasn't aimed at people; instead, it took out the garage's lighting system. The entire underground floor plunged into darkness, with only the emergency lights emitting a dim glow.

The chaos lasted about two minutes.

When the smoke slightly dispersed and the police rushed in, they only saw frightened bodyguards and Friedrich coughing and squatting on the ground. Erin was holding him, both unharmed.

But on the pillar of the underground garage, a line of words was sprayed with paint:

"Vienna doesn't welcome executioners. —Revenge for Carl"

Carl von Württemberg, the victim of the "robbery case" on Berlin's streets.

Friedrich looked at the words, his face pale as paper.

"They... they are indeed retaliating." He grabbed Erin's arm, "All those who opposed me, their supporters have united. Eduardo, Maria, Carl... the next might be me."

"Sir, calm down." Erin tried to remain calm, "This could also be provocation. Someone might be trying to stop the conference from happening, to scare you away."

"Then let them succeed." Friedrich suddenly said, "Cancel the conference. Notify everyone, the meeting is indefinitely postponed. We... we return to France."

"Sir!"

"I said cancel it!"

Friedrich shouted, "Can't you see? They can attack me in Vienna, at Schönbrunn Palace, at the Imperial Hotel! If the conference takes place, with hundreds gathering, they might blow up the entire Hofburg Palace! I can't take that risk!"

Erin opened her mouth, but ultimately did not refute further. She knew Friedrich had been scared out of his wits, and saying more would be useless.

The convoy set off again, this time heading straight for the airport. Friedrich decided to leave Austria overnight and retreat to the manor in Provence.

What he didn't know was that on the rooftop of a building opposite the Imperial Hotel, two people were watching everything through binoculars.

"Second stage completed." One of them spoke into the radio, "The target is frightened and decided to cancel the conference. Should we proceed to the third stage?"