American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 191 The Future of the Future

The new book, "American Variety Shows: The Middleman from 2077," has been released.
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The atmosphere of the entire dinner was very pleasant.

Matilda moved to sit next to John, making room for Ashley to sit to Beta's left. The five of them sat around the table, discussing their future plans.

Matilda waved her fork excitedly: "I think I'm a businesswoman at heart!"

Her voice was filled with excitement: "After thinking about it for so long, I've realized that being an assassin is incredibly boring! It's much more suitable for me to be a business queen who can roam freely with the help of Beta, Jaina, and all of your connections!"

She spread her arms wide: "I'm going to hire hundreds and thousands of employees and direct them to build my business empire! If anyone dares to cause trouble, I'll shout 'Salong!' and then Salong will descend from the sky like a superhero and wipe those idiots out of existence with a wave of his hand! Hahaha!"

Beta was amused, while Ashley smiled without saying a word.

Katalia said, "Wouldn't it be more interesting to be a female assassin? You can have complete control over your own life and death, and dominate the fate of others."

Matilda shook her head: "It's no fun at all. Being an assassin is either killing or being killed, it's too unsafe. Look at John, and look at Leon, Leon is always elusive and disappears without a trace. That kind of life is no fun at all."

John nodded in agreement: "You're right. You still have a choice not to become an assassin. Fortunately, we can all choose to stay away from trouble and live a peaceful life now."

John raised his glass: "To our respective lives."

Beta then raised his glass, his fingers supporting the stem: "To ourselves."

Ashley and Katalia exchanged a smile and raised their glasses.

Matilda raises her juice glass: "To our lives!"

Five wine glasses gently clinked together in mid-air.

The neon lights of New York City outside the window continued to flicker, shutting out all the bloodshed and strife. At this moment, only the lingering sound of clinking glasses echoed.

As Beta cut his steak, he asked John, "And what about you?"

John thought for a moment: “Enjoy retirement. I’ve earned so many gold coins and dollars, I’m going to spend them all and enjoy myself. Eat, drink, and have fun. Anyway, you don’t need my money to help you, so I’ll just spend it all. Oh, but I can’t spend it all. I need to leave a fund for Matilda so she can receive a sum of money every year after she comes of age.”

Matilda patted John on the shoulder: "Thank you!"

John smiled.

Beta tapped her fork lightly on the porcelain plate: "She herself said she wanted to be a powerful businesswoman who would dominate the business world, so she definitely wouldn't care about your little bit of retirement money."

Matilda immediately retorted, "You can never have too much money, Salon!"

She tapped her finger on the table: "Even a business tycoon needs start-up capital!"

Ashley burst out laughing.

Katalia's fingertips slowly traced the rim of her wine glass as she pondered, "That makes sense. Shouldn't I also expand my business empire? Ashley's handling things at home, but I need to build some businesses that are truly my own."

Beta leaned back in his chair: "I fully support you."

His arm rested naturally on the back of Ashley's chair: "If you need any amount of funding, just report it to the financial director, Mrs. Ashley Wick."

Katalia gave a two-finger salute: "Katalia Wick understands."

The sound coming from the television caught Beta's attention. He raised his hand to signal a halt to his play and turned his gaze to the television.

The television program has ended, and a news segment is now playing. The screen shows a report from the UK: "Following recommendations, an evaluation committee's report, and approval by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the Home Secretary has officially appointed the new Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard, London. He will take the oath of office and deliver his speech at 15 p.m. London time today."

The television screen switched to the scene of the new Chief Superintendent's inaugural address, and the news continued:
"The appointment of the new Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard breaks with tradition. At the suggestion of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, this is the first time a large-scale nomination and competitive election has been conducted from within London's security, police, and counter-terrorism departments, rather than the traditional internal selection process within the police system."

Beta watched the television screen.

"The newly appointed Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard in London is 48-year-old Meva Lake. She previously served in the Special Operations Division of MI6 and entered the election process through internal nomination. After a three-month campaign, this new female Chief Superintendent was successfully elected. During her time at MI6, she led the investigation into the Downing Street assassination and the Munich presidential candidate assassination."

Beta scratched his brow with his finger, his gaze fixed on the television screen in the living room.

In the picture, Medvedeva Reik is wearing a brand-new Chief Superintendent's uniform. The dark blue woolen uniform is neatly ironed, and the silver stars on the epaulettes gleam under the light.

She stood in front of the podium, her hands resting naturally on the table.

The camera zooms in, focusing on her face in a close-up.

That face was indeed Medvedeva's, yet it felt unfamiliar. Fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, her eyelids drooped slightly, and her once sharp eyes now held a hint of weariness. Deep nasolabial folds ran downwards from the corners of her lips.

This woman, who should have been only 38, is now 48, a full ten years older. Her rise from commander of a special operations team to Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard in London is nothing short of meteoric.

In Beta's memory, Medvedeva wore a golden-brown ponytail, but on television, her hairstyle had changed to short, golden-brown hair that reached her ears, with the strands tucked behind her ears, revealing her smooth forehead.

This hairstyle made her cheekbones appear higher and her face thinner, giving her a completely different aura from the person Beta remembered.

Her voice changed too, becoming lower and hoarse, as if it had been smoked.

Beta muttered to himself, "People always change."

Katalia stared at the television screen: "This must be that female agent? What's her name again? Meva Lake?"

Beta turned to Katalia: "You remember her?"

Katalia said, "Of course I remember. She even tried to take your fingerprints back then. How come she's a chief superintendent now?"

Beta explained, "This is standard practice in political games. Whoever holds the power can be the Chief Superintendent, and whatever age they say they are, they can say they are. It's perfectly normal."

Katalia nodded: "Okay."

Beta's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID; it was the mute calling.

Beta answered the phone, and a mute voice came through: "It's done."

Beta asked, "Is the person dead or alive?"

The mute man replied, "He's already turned into an ice pop. The Hellhounds didn't intend for him to live; they just tied him up and froze him immediately."

Beta sighed, "Damn it."

He hung up the phone and looked at everyone around the table: "Let's eat. There's a lot to do after we finish eating."

This book is finished.

(End of this chapter)