Chapter 203: The Disguised Journalists, The Tampered Brakes

"Shit, they've blocked us! What should I do? Should we take action or try to escape?"

The panicked voice of Agent #2 made John frown.

"Don't be impulsive! Don't act out," he ordered. "The person in the car is a celebrity, not our target. Find a way to break free."

"Dammit, the car won't start. It's not turning on! How did this happen?"

"Get out of the car and stall them. We'll be there soon."

After the communication ended, John's face grew serious. Today's operation had been disastrous, and luck was clearly not on their side.

Meanwhile, inside the Chevrolet.

The driver repeatedly tried to restart the car, but to no avail.

At that moment, Gordon quickly approached the car, pulled the door open, and yanked the driver out.

The bearded man recognized Gordon's swift and trained movements. The man knew this person wasn't someone to be messed with.

He opened the door and stepped out, saying, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? I don't know you!"

"Cut the act!" Gordon pointed at him sternly. "I already know who you are."

The bearded man's heart skipped a beat.

"Are you paparazzi from The Sun?" Gordon demanded.

The bearded man sighed with relief. "Yes, yes, we're from The Sun. We mean no harm. We just wanted to take some pictures."

"Really?" Gordon said, unimpressed.

"Yes, really! And we were trying to take pictures of Princess Diana. We didn't know Martin Meyers was in the car."

"Alright, enough talking. Let's get them to help us; our car's broken down!"

Martin nonchalantly stepped out of his car, pretending to be concerned about the situation.

He glanced at the Chevrolet, realizing it had been him using his magic to disable the car's engine earlier.

When John arrived, he was stunned by the scene of Martin "fixing" the car with Gordon's help.

"What the hell is going on?" John muttered under his breath.

As the confusion unfolded, more cars quickly arrived and surrounded Martin's vehicle. A throng of reporters flooded out, snapping photos with their cameras.

"Martin! We heard your car broke down on the way?"

"Martin, is it true your car's brakes were tampered with?"

"Martin..."

"Damn it, reporters! Don't stop, don't stop! Let's get out of here," John said hurriedly, lowering his head. They couldn't afford to be identified.

John's team of cars sped off without hesitation, leaving the bearded man and the Chevrolet driver behind.

The two men, hearing reporters approach, quickly ducked down. One hid behind the car's engine hood, the other crouched under the car.

Amid the commotion, Martin addressed the reporters.

"Everyone, please, don't crowd. I'll answer all your questions."

"Let's move to the roadside and set up a little impromptu press conference."

"Gordon, help keep things orderly."

Martin led the group to a more spacious area by the side of the road. The reporters and a few curious onlookers from London eagerly followed.

"Let me explain what happened today," Martin began.

"Yes, my car broke down. After arriving in London, I was invited to Diana's estate. When I was about to leave, I planned to call a taxi, but Diana kindly lent me her car. Unfortunately, while driving, my driver noticed the brakes were malfunctioning, so we pulled over."

"Well, some concerned citizens probably saw what happened and called you."

In reality, Martin had instructed Gordon to arrange for the call to be made.

A reporter quickly picked up on the key detail, "So, Martin, you're saying this car belongs to Diana and that its brakes were tampered with?"

"Yes, that's right. Luckily, we caught it in time. If the brakes hadn't been checked, there could have been a serious accident."

"By the way, two reporters from The Sun were helping us with the car repairs. You can interview them if you want."

The two actual The Sun reporters in the crowd gave puzzled looks. They didn't know who these other two were.

Gordon dragged the bearded man and the Chevrolet driver to the front of the crowd. With so many eyes on them, they dared not move.

"These two are your colleagues from The Sun. They were helping us with the repairs, and you can hear their thoughts."

The two actual The Sun reporters could no longer hold back. "Martin, we're The Sun reporters. We've never seen these two men before. They're not with us."

Martin feigned surprise. "What? But that's what they told me! Then who are they? Why have they been following us? Do you recognize them? Are they from another media outlet?"

"No, not from the London Daily."

"Not from BBC."

"Not from The Mirror."

"Not from..."

"Not from..."

"Not from..."

As the murmurs of "Not us" echoed, Martin's expression grew more serious.

The reporters sensed something big was brewing.

"Call the police, Gordon."

"And when will the mechanics arrive?"

"They should be here soon," Gordon replied.

Martin turned to the gathered reporters, his face darkening.

"Everyone, I think something is off. This could very well be part of a conspiracy against Diana. I want you all to witness this and help expose the truth."

The reporters' breaths quickened in response.

"Martin, don't worry. We'll be here the whole time."

"Yes, we'll stay, absolutely."

"Martin, how did you notice the problem?"

"Martin, do you think the brake issue was deliberate?"

Martin looked at the reporter who asked the question, nodding in approval. Finally, someone asking the right questions.

"Yes. My driver, who's trained in special forces back in the States, is very sensitive to tampered vehicles. While driving, he noticed the brake pedal was loose, and the throttle wasn't responsive. He got out to inspect."

"Meanwhile, my driver also noticed we were being followed. There were four cars in total, including this white Chevrolet."

Martin pointed at the Chevrolet, then at the bearded man and the Chevrolet driver, who now looked defeated.

"And these two were the ones we brought in after stopping the Chevrolet."

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧