Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 220 For the Greatest Interest

"We helped Valery find some people who shared his ambitions, and after getting them all to sign magical pacts, we helped them infiltrate the KGB."

Before setting off, Little Barty and the werewolf mercenaries learned the Russian language through memory transplantation, but since they were unfamiliar with the place, they remained behind the scenes as planners.

"Then we used many methods, including bribery and magic, to get Valery infiltrated into the guard service over the past two months. He has been studying Chobagov's words and actions. Recently we received information that at the end of November, Chobagov will have a secret meeting with Chinyely near Bryansk. Two presidents of independent states will also be present."

"Bryansk?" Murphy frowned, pulling out a map—it was near Ukraine. "What are they talking about?"

"We don't know the specifics of the meeting, but Chobagov will be traveling by train, probably for secrecy reasons, with only three guard units accompanying him. The train will pass through several large forests and tunnels, giving us an opportunity to make our move."

"Have you figured out the wizards around Chobagov?" Murphy asked.

"We've figured it out. Through magic detection, we discovered three wizards mixed in with the guard regiment. They don't seem to have revealed their identities to Chobagov; they're just doing their security duties."

"Send me their pictures and names."

"Are you planning to come in person?" Barty Crouch Jr. asked, somewhat surprised. "We already have enough people."

"There's no room for error in this. I'll carry it out personally," Murphy said. "Find out Chobagov's location, route, time, and security arrangements, and I'll personally devise a plan. Also, the same goes for Chinyeli; this is an opportunity, perhaps we can replace both of them."

……

Two days later, Barty Jr. sent another message, saying that he had thoroughly figured out Chobagov's security arrangements using Legilimency and the Oblivion Charm.

Three guard units were dispatched: one went to Bryansk ahead of time, and two went with the train. Apart from the guard units, the local army was not alerted, and all three wizards were with Chobagov.

However, the intelligence regarding the guard arrangements surrounding Chin Yeli and the other two presidents was not as detailed. All that was known was their general route, that they would arrive slightly later than Chobagov, and that each would be protected by a guard regiment. However, it was difficult to determine whether they would be protected by wizards.

Murphy personally went to the State of Su using the Portkey and dispatched hundreds of Lightning Ravens to study the group's route and devise a plan.

"We can't wait until they regroup," Murphy said. "There are too many informants at the base; it's easy for things to go wrong. We must get the plan done before they all arrive."

"We'll split into two groups, one for Chobagov and one for Chinyeli. The other two are not important for now. The Chobagov group will move first. There will be about an hour's interval between the two groups' actions. I will personally participate in the operation."

"The operation must be kept secret; if it's exposed, we'll face enormous risks."

Because he couldn't reveal his identity, Little Barty still hadn't found any trace of the Sugok Magical Government, nor did he know their attitude towards Muggle society.

If the operation is exposed and the British wizards attack the Muggle president of the Soviet Union, things could get out of control.

"Master, I dare not question your decision, but this country is closed off and far away. Even if we do manage to accomplish this, what benefit will it bring us?" Little Barty couldn't help but ask.

In fact, Murphy had already answered Valery Lermontov's question before.

In short, this is an inevitable path.

As a super-enterprise, Umbrella Corporation's development has actually reached its bottleneck and upper limit.

Going further up, it will touch upon the country's political interests.

For example, Umbrella Corporation's chips and computers are currently subject to a 10% tariff in the United States for various reasons. Moreover, judging from some of their recent actions, they seem to be preparing to use the same methods they used against Japanese semiconductors against Umbrella Corporation.

Recently, news came from Patrick that the United States seemed to be preparing to launch an anti-dumping investigation against Umbrella Corporation. Once the charges are substantiated, even more terrifying punitive tariffs will follow.

It is conceivable that if this approach fails, they will resort to measures such as pressuring the British government to limit the development of the protection umbrella.

The United States has always resorted to any means necessary to establish technological barriers and maintain its national hegemony.

In fact, it's not just the United States; the United Kingdom itself may also have its own ideas about a massive protective umbrella.

The protective umbrella is merely an economic entity, and it has no means of resistance against the oppression of the state apparatus.

Therefore, if Murphy's science and technology integration strategy is to continue, attract more talent, expand the market, and bring more people to his side, it must move to the next stage: that is, from an economic entity to a political entity.

Only in this way can his science and magic combination approach be brought to the forefront to some extent—secret bases and underground research might work in the early stages, but ultimately they won't amount to much.

He had almost exhausted all his trump cards in the development of just one chip, let alone the vast field of magic?

Without a large base of researchers and a sufficiently broad market, he simply cannot go far by relying on the support of a protective umbrella.

Perhaps the most prudent approach is to start from the UK itself. However, firstly, the UK's foundation is insufficient, and it would take a long time to improve and transform the country. During this period, conflicts with countries like the US would be inevitable. With various constraints, it is uncertain how long it will take to achieve the goal.

Secondly, the Soviet Union was an ideal location. It was going through a period of great turmoil, but its vast resources remained intact, and its military strength was sufficient to protect it from being targeted. At the same time, it was a closed environment, almost completely cut off from other countries, making it the perfect place to quietly amass wealth.

On one hand, there's a mountain climbing route that's stable but takes forever to traverse; on the other hand, there's an extremely dangerous skydive that could potentially lead to the summit in one step.

For Murphy, is there even a need to choose?

If I'm not going to take a chance, why don't I just go work as a laborer in the Ministry of Magic?

"All you need to know is that this is the only way to go for the greatest good," Murphy said.

"The greatest interest." This wasn't the first time Barty Crouch had heard this phrase, and he still didn't understand its meaning, but that didn't stop him from sensing his master's burgeoning ambition.

"I understand." Little Barty licked his lips excitedly. "I'll do whatever you say."

(End of this chapter)