The backdrop can also be propped up.

Chapter 68 Plan Success

Maria Elisa successfully completed her plan, after which she handed over the handling of dealing with the guests to Ancadis—after all, legally speaking, only Ancadis had the right to manage this place—and called the police and contacted reporters.

After Ankadis's conversation—actually an interrogation—some people remained, including Hankla Greitz. He had been left behind by Kakarasi Kakrasti to take the blame.

Those who were allowed to leave thought they could just go, but they didn't expect to see reporters with their cameras and microphones as soon as they stepped outside.

The dilapidated brick house was surrounded by several densely packed people, completely blocking the entrance.

The townspeople had never seen anything like it before, and most of them drew back their curtains and peered out the windows.

Reporters stood at the door, eagerly waiting. The sharp-eyed reporter at the front spotted Kakarasi Kakrasti and Whip Alark.

The reporter was extremely excited. He held a microphone in each hand and shoved them in front of Kakarasi Kakrasti and Whip Alark, asking, "We have someone in our newspaper who has provided information that many people here have been arrested by the authorities for committing something that could shock the entire galaxy. Are you two involved in this?"

Maria Elisa leaned against the door of the dilapidated brick house, watching the dignitaries and celebrities try to evade the reporters' questions and slip out of the crowd.

After watching for a while and finding it uninteresting, Maria Elisa turned around and went back to the eighteenth-floor basement to see how the group of people who had been tricked into coming here in various ways were doing.

On the thirteenth underground floor, Alina was examining a little boy, and next to her was Pollalid.

Pollalid was listening attentively as Alina explained some basic medical knowledge to him.

This was much more interesting than standing at the door watching those big shots being surrounded by reporters asking questions. Maria Elisa was just about to go over and ask how the examinations of Elina and the others were going when she felt her wrist being pulled. Turning around, she saw it was Ankadis.

Ankadis took Maria Elisa's hand and led her to the area where the guests had been kept behind, saying, "These people are those with relatively low status at the banquet, kept behind to take the blame. Otto is also kept behind because he is the organizer, and he is the first person I will punish."

“There’s someone who wants to see you. He says he’s our junior.” Ankadis frowned. “He says he was tricked into coming here and hopes we can let him go.”

“Is it that Hankla Greitz?” Maria Elisa asked.

Ankadis nodded.

Ankadis led Maria Elisa to a room next to one where the remaining guests were being held. Reluctantly, he released Maria Elisa's hand, turned his head toward the door, and said, "That person is inside. Go and talk to him. Don't close the door."

Maria Elisa nodded, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Hankla Greitz was sitting in the room, his hands tied to the armrests of the chair, his green head drooping.

Upon hearing someone enter, the green head suddenly lifted, revealing a pitiful face.

"Miss Autolai, I was tricked into coming here." Hankla's voice was trembling with sobs, hoping that her appearance would arouse the sympathy of the woman in front of her.

Maria Elisa pulled up a chair and sat down, watching him quietly without saying a word.

Seeing that Maria Elisa's expression hadn't softened at all, Hankla lowered his head and continued, "I was initially very happy that Mr. Cakrasti brought me here, because it's rare for a poor student like me, coming from a poor planet, to have such an opportunity..."

“Yes, I know you are a talent that your people have nurtured with all their might,” Maria Elisa interrupted Hankla.

Hankla was overjoyed, thinking he had a chance, but then Maria Elisa said, "Do you think I didn't hear you talking to them?"

Hankel bit her lip, her whole body trembling, and said, "What I did was..."

“I don’t want to hear it. You should have been able to tell from my attitude towards you in the hall that I don’t really like you.” Maria Elisa looked at him coldly, her face expressionless. “Your people have done everything they could to raise you, and what have you done? You let your people be humiliated here, and you just echoed their ideas like a yes-man. If you had just stood there in silence, I wouldn’t have such a bad impression of you.”

Hankla swallowed all the words he wanted to say; he really hadn't expected Maria Elisa to be so stubborn.

Seeing that Hankla seemed unable to offer any defense for himself, Maria Elisa prepared to leave the room. Unexpectedly, Hankla suddenly broke free from the chair armrests and knelt down in front of Maria Elisa.

Hankla raised his head, a fawning expression on his face, and said to Maria Elisa, "Please don't tell the school about this, Miss Ottoray. I'll do anything for you! I'll even be your dog if you want."

“I don’t need it.” Maria Elisa took two steps back with a cold face. Seeing this, Hankla knelt down and took two steps forward, hoping to grab Maria Elisa’s ankle, but only heard two gunshots—two bullets hit his elbow joints accurately.

Maria Elisa turned her head and, sure enough, saw Ancadis standing in the doorway with a gloomy face and a gun in his hand.

Seeing Maria Elisa looking over, Ankadis paused for a moment, put away the murderous expression on his face, and then smiled and said, "Lisa, the matter you asked me to investigate has been resolved—Polalid is undoubtedly Whip Alark's biological son."