As the wave of heat hit, Murphy grabbed onto the rope and vanished.
Not long after he left, Malfoy Manor was reduced to rubble in a massive explosion. The debris, tainted with the fierce flames, even ignited the nearby trees, creating a towering inferno.
After a moment of disorientation, Murphy and the five Muggles found themselves in a warehouse, still holding onto the rope-like Portkey.
"Ugh..." one of the Muggles couldn't handle the sudden spatial shift and began to vomit.
Alex, wide-eyed and puzzled, looked at the unexpected arrivals. "Mr. Parker, who are these people?"
"Muggles," Murphy replied casually.
"Oh, you... are you injured?" Alex noticed the bloodstains on Murphy's clothes.
"It's from someone else," Murphy replied, examining himself and cleaning up.
"Where did you go?" Alex couldn't help but ask.
Murphy had just escaped from a fierce battle and was still a bit on edge. However, hearing this guy's question, he strangely felt more relaxed. He patted the round-faced wizard's shoulder. "Do you really want to know?"
Alex hesitated and quickly shook his head like a bobblehead. "No, no, I'd rather not."
Murphy smiled and turned his attention to the frightened Muggles. They had been through quite a bit of terror and torment, but fortunately, they didn't seem to have any injuries.
Murphy took out his wand and proceeded to cast Obliviate on each of them. Erasing those dreadful memories was the right thing to do.
With that done, Murphy used his abilities to move the unconscious Muggles one by one to a safe location near the factory, making it look like they had wandered away after escaping.
Then, he made a call to Patrick.
"Where have you been? I couldn't reach you for a while."
"Dealing with some matters. How's it going on your end?"
"The police came, and later, some Ministry of Magic officials arrived. I've never seen their credentials before, but it seems like the police are following their lead. After their inspection, they claimed it was a gas leak that caused the explosion. I'm not entirely convinced, but our security cameras malfunctioned, and the guards inexplicably fell unconscious. When they woke up, they couldn't remember anything. We had no choice but to go along with their explanation."
Patrick's voice grew more serious. "I have a feeling this is not as simple as it seems. There's definitely something fishy going on behind the scenes."
"Are they sending people to look for the missing workers?" Murphy inquired.
"The police are searching, but there are no leads so far."
Murphy fell into a momentary silence. "I have an idea..."
"I think your idea matches mine," Patrick said. "This is definitely the work of those pharmaceutical companies, but we don't have any evidence."
Murphy had actually wanted to suggest framing those pharmaceutical companies, but Patrick skipped that step and genuinely believed they were behind it. Rather than correcting him, Murphy decided to go along with it. "You should arrange another meeting with them. The heads of those pharmaceutical companies and the director of the Drug Safety Committee should all be present."
"They clearly want to drive us to the edge. They won't agree to any conditions," Patrick said.
"Tell them you're willing to surrender. They'll meet with you eventually," Murphy suggested. "Then, get some of their hair, not too much, just a strand from each person."
"Hair?" Patrick seemed puzzled. "You're not planning to use some dark magic on them, are you?"
"Dark magic?" Murphy chuckled. "Let's call it that."
Murphy thought, "You said we didn't have evidence, but I'll find some for you."
...
A few days later, several major British television networks, including BBC, Sky News, and London Weekend, received an anonymous tip. Out of caution, they didn't immediately disclose the information.
However, a two-minute video recording soon spread through smaller television channels, causing a sensation throughout the UK.
In the video, four or five men were sitting around a table, drinking coffee. The recording equipment was distant, and both the video and audio quality were poor, but the conversation's content could still be discerned.
One of the men was a high-ranking official from the Drug Safety Committee, while the others represented top pharmaceutical companies like Wykeham, Grantham, and Jellico.
The conversation clearly depicted a blatant exchange of power and money, aimed at stifling a fledgling pharmaceutical company and seizing control of its extraordinary drug formula.
Once the video was made public, it sparked public outrage, demanding a thorough investigation.
Subsequently, more evidence came to light, including witness testimonies, video footage from various surveillance cameras, and even a street photographer's unintentional capture of the men leaving the coffee shop.
The pieces of evidence all pointed to a consistent narrative:
Wykeham, Grantham, Jellico, and other pharmaceutical giants, with their monopolistic control over the market, initially enjoyed immense profits. However, a new company under the protection of the umbrella corporation suddenly emerged, swiftly gaining market share with its miraculous drug.
Threatened by the small but ambitious newcomer, these pharmaceutical giants resorted to bribery, obstructing the newcomer's progress. When that failed, they attempted hostile takeovers. But the resilient small company refused to yield, fighting to save itself.
Frustrated, the pharmaceutical giants used their connections to hire gangsters, terrorists, or mercenaries to launch a ruthless attack on the umbrella corporation's manufacturing plant. They looted raw materials and samples and kidnapped employees, all in an attempt to force the company to reveal its formula.
Simultaneously, they manipulated the police, falsely claiming a "gas explosion" to mislead the public, hoping to divert attention from their actions.
It was a closed loop.
Perfect!