Sophie, upon hearing that all of this was masterminded by Tebin and that the three of them were being controlled, felt a deep despair. She asked, regardless of everything, "Why? Why did you do this? Why did you kill my grandfather and those innocent people?"
"Innocent? Hahaha," Tebin laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "The Order of the Monks is not innocent."
Tebin, leaning on his cane, walked over to the trembling Selass, took the gun from his hand, and pointed it at Sophie. "The Knights Templar is the most despicable and evil organization in the world."
He then walked over to the desk and sat down in a chair, saying something that Selass could hardly believe.
"If it weren't for the greed and stupidity of the Knights Templar, making a deal with the Church of Light and allowing it to escape collapse a thousand years ago, we wouldn't have been ruled by the Church of Light for over a millennium.
How many shameless massacres and centuries of intellectual oppression has the Church of Light committed throughout history?"
Before Selass could react, Tebin pointed the gun at him. "Do you think I provided you with the secrets of the Order of the Monks to protect the Church of Light? Haha, I'm doing this to destroy the Church of Light. Finding the Holy Grail would provide scientific evidence to prove that the God of Light, as portrayed by the Church, is not what people think.
When people realize that what they believe in is a lie, do you think the Church of Light can still exist? It's time for the Church to pay for its crimes over the millennia."
Hearing this most unwanted answer, Selass looked at Tebin with a dead expression, his hands limp, his whole spirit drained as if hollowed out. He thought that everything he did was guided by God, that eliminating the Order of the Monks was for the Church of Light, but it turned out to be the conspiracy of the old man in front of him. Remembering the inner torment and pain he felt after each murder, Selass roared and charged at Tebin.
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. Selass clutched his heart, slowly kneeling on the ground, his eyes vacant as he looked up at the sky, murmuring in sorrow, "I was just a shadow."
"Ah, ah, ah!" Sophie screamed in fright from the gunshot, causing Remy, who was nearby, to cover his ears and move back. Seizing the opportunity, William quickly drew the gun from his waistband and shot Remy in the head. Then, turning the gun, he shot Tebin in the head as well. 'Bang,' and Tebin was knocked to the ground by the force of the bullet.
The police officers, who had been lying in wait outside, rushed in as soon as they heard the first gunshot. But from Tebin's shot to William's shot, no more than three seconds had passed. By the time they entered, three people were already down in the archives room.
"Don't move! French police, nobody move! Drop your weapons, you are surrounded."
William immediately raised his hands and shouted to Langdon and Sophie, "Raise your hands, Langdon, Sophie."
Langdon quickly reacted and raised his hands, but Sophie, frightened, collapsed to the ground.
The police officers who had rushed in were stunned to see William and the three bodies on the ground. They had heard everything clearly from outside, and when the gunshots rang out, they rushed in, but they didn't expect the situation to be turned around by William in those few seconds.
This made the officers tense, pointing their guns at William. Once they confirmed that William wouldn't resist, one officer cautiously took the gun from William's hand.
"Alright, release them," Fahey said, walking in with a cigar in his mouth. Looking at the fallen Tebin, Remy, and Selass, he shook his head and said, "I didn't expect things to turn out like this."
Fahey walked over to Sophie, who was still shaky. "It's over, Sophie. I expect to see your report tomorrow."
Sophie, still terrified, stammered, "Yes, sir. I will write a detailed report for you. Thank you."
Fahey nodded and turned to William. "Mr. Devonshire, although it seems you acted in self-defense, we still need to follow procedure. You are temporarily restricted from leaving the country. Do you have a gun license in France? If not, you could be in serious trouble."
The situation was unfolding exactly as William had hoped. The keystone was destroyed, and both Tebin and Remy were dead, leaving him very satisfied. He smiled and said, "Understood, officer. But can I make a phone call? The British consulate will provide a reasonable explanation."
Fahey was somewhat surprised by William's confidence. "Are you sure?"
William shrugged with a smile. "Yes."
"Alright then," Fahey shook his head and said, "You three, come to the police station for your statements."
In the police car, William called Anthony from the Lunar Law Firm, explained the situation briefly, and then called Gareth Mallory from the British Security Committee.
The phone rang for several seconds before Gareth answered, complaining.
It was only 6 AM, and he didn't mind being grumbled at for waking someone up.
After explaining the situation, Gareth responded with a "Got it" and hung up.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the police station. As soon as he got out of the car, William saw four or five people approaching him. "Mr. Devonshire, I'm Terry from the British Consulate in France. We are aware of your situation, and we will handle the gun license issue. Rest assured, it won't cause you any trouble."
William shook hands with Terry. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
Terry smiled. "No problem, Mr. Devonshire. If there's nothing else, we'll head back to the consulate."
"Alright, thanks again. I'll see you out." After seeing the consulate staff off, William turned to his lawyer. "Accompany me for my statement."
After spending two hours at the police station, he was informed that he could leave.
As he walked out of the station, it was already daylight. He saw Professor Langdon and Sophie waiting for him outside.
"Are you alright, William?" Langdon asked.
William smiled and nodded. "I'm fine, Professor. Were you waiting for me?"
"Of course. Let's take you to breakfast and talk," Sophie suggested.
They found a restaurant and started eating breakfast. After finishing most of their meal, Langdon and Sophie exchanged a look before Langdon asked, "William, can I ask if your Devonshire family has any other clues about the Holy Grail?"
This question immediately annoyed William. These two just wouldn't let it go. After everything that happened last night, they still wanted to search for the Holy Grail. Irritated, he replied, "The culprit has been found, and revenge has been taken. Why do you still want to find the Holy Grail?"
"No, my grandfather died because of the Holy Grail. I need to find it and see what it really is," Sophie insisted stubbornly. "Besides, I'm suspended now. I have plenty of time to search."
William was now fed up with seeing this woman and turned to Professor Langdon.
Langdon, feeling somewhat embarrassed under William's gaze, said, "I won't be able to sleep if I can't find it. And I also want to see if what Tebin said is true. This could have significant value in understanding historical events and in archaeological research."
William thought it was ridiculous to take these two bothersome individuals along. Without hesitation, he said, "No."
Seeing William's quick refusal, Sophie's face fell. "You must know something, William. It would be easier if the three of us worked together, and Langdon's expertise would surely help you."
William shook his head firmly. Although he didn't want to bring them along, he admitted that without these two, Tebin wouldn't have been exposed so quickly. So, he sincerely, though falsely, explained, "If I knew, I wouldn't have come to France to find Professor Jacques Saunière. My grandfather left very few clues. He only indicated that I should find the professor, who would tell me everything. But as you know, the professor's death and the destruction of the keystone means this secret is buried forever. Sorry, there's nothing I can do."
Having gone through all this, Langdon and Sophie realized that William was telling the truth. They could only shake their heads in resignation. After finishing breakfast, the three of them parted ways. Langdon went to the American consulate, and Sophie drove him there.
Seeing them off, William noticed that the two seemed to have feelings for each other, though they hadn't expressed it yet. It would be nice if they ended up together.
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