Benjamin stood silently in the middle of the reception room, thinking for a long time, then finally spoke, "I don't know if you're familiar with the unexpected turn of events during the mayoral election two years ago..."
"Being a mayor of Metropolis is a crucial position. The State Council tends to be very careful in selecting candidates. Usually, there would not be more than four candidates. Much like all other mayoral elections, one or two of these candidates would be there just for ceremonial reasons, while the remaining would be competitive ones."
"But that election for the mayor of Metropolis was incredibly fierce, with a total of 12 candidates, each representing different parties and powers."
Shiller, with his brow furrowed, looked at Benjamin and asked, "Why were there so many candidates? How did the State Council approve of this?"
Benjamin also looked at Shiller, staring into his eyes as he spoke, "The reason this election was held was due to the assassination of the predecessor of Mayor White. It was an emergency election."
"The State Council was concerned that if there were not enough candidates, the election could be manipulated by people with ulterior motives, so the verification standards were relaxed."
"The State Council initially thought that at least ten out of these twelve candidates were simply adding a touch of glamour to their resumes and not genuinely intending to compete for this position. However, to everyone's surprise, they all made vigorous efforts to win this position."
Benjamin's voice grew more somber, "Perhaps the signs were already there from that time."
"In the beginning, it was all normal election competition, including speeches, vote solicitation, and attacks on opponents..."
"But then, the situation turned progressively worse, with vote-buying, rumor-spreading, harassment, disclosure of secrets, and even two candidates inexplicably involved in car accidents, forcing them to be hospitalized."
"Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, the governor wanted everyone to sit down and have a conversation, to avoid making this issue too ugly."
"And the solution was like the traditional method that had been used for many years - holding a banquet, letting intermediaries find the right people at the right time to have a conversation, and dispelling the storm."
Benjamin turned his head back and scanned the reception room up and down, then continued, "To calm these people down and to satisfy the public, the State Council invited many celebrities, including well-known entrepreneurs, scholars, professors, artists, and media personnel from the Metropolis."
"They chose this place for the banquet - The Metropolitan Mayor's Mansion."
"What happened after that?" Shiller asked.
"Afterwards, everything spiraled out of control."
Benjamin turned his head to look at the growing snow outside the window. The snow was flying in the storm, like white birds flying upstream in a tornado, at the edge of the horizon, turning into rising and rolling white mist.
Accompanied by Benjamin's narration, Shiller also turned to look out the window. His gaze pierced through the heavy snow, as if seeing another identical mayor's mansion, appearing as it was two years ago, today.
The dim, warm light flickered in the snowstorm, and the mayor's estate was abuzz with people.
There were soft footsteps, clinking of glasses, and the light from candles on the silver candlestick was flickering. The luxurious tablecloth's fringes dangled down. People in formal attire were holding wine glasses and chatting, their faces filled with elegant smiles.
The host of the banquet nodded at a small group of people chatting, they made way, and the host stood in the middle of the banquet hall. He cleared his throat, and everyone stopped their actions and turned to look at him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you all for gathering on such a night! There is a heavy snowstorm outside, and it's bound together with our hearts!"
"First, let me call upon the host of this banquet, Deputy Speaker of the Delaware State Council, Famous Social Activist, Philanthropist, Author - Nelson Perez!"
There came a loud bang, and a body fell from the sky.
Precise, humorous, filled with drama.
Time sped through the fluttering snowflakes, through the hazy mist, and stopped at the warm light seeping out from a window. Looking into it through the frosted glass, it met Shiller's gaze.
Shiller paused for a moment and turned his head back around. He heard Benjamin saying, ".... it was like a humorous cruel joke. As the host was pronouncing the deputy speaker's name, his body fell from the sky."
At this moment, Bruce turned his head to look at Shiller. Shiller moved his eyes slightly, lowering his head and staring at the pattern on his umbrella handle as soon as their gazes met.
"But this was just the beginning…" Benjamin's voice grew as cold as the weather outside.
"After the deputy speaker died, the police arrived. They cordoned off the scene and in an attempt to prevent the murderer from escaping, everyone was rushed into the guest rooms. Soon, the second victim, the third victim…"
"One after another, each with a different cause of death…"
"In the end, out of the 12 candidates, only 4 remained. Eight of them fell victim to foul play."
"This incident shook the entire East Coast. The Federal Bureau of Investigation dispatched agents to investigate, but the final conclusion was that among the people who had come to attend the banquet, spies from various countries had infiltrated. In order to destabilize the political situation on the East Coast, they carried out the killings."
Benjamin looked up but let his eyelids fall, his gaze shifting downwards to Lionel's body. He said, "When it involved spies, I was called to Metropolis to investigate the matter. But when this task fell on me, I realized, things were not so simple."