Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 395 The Fury of the European Continent

The next day, the sun shone as expected, but it illuminated a Europe that was plunged into astonishment and anger.

At seven o'clock in the morning, while most European families were having breakfast, the storm made landfall without warning.

The front page of Albert's newspaper, *European Observer*, featured a shocking headline in large, blood-red letters: "The Golden Lamb: Cannibals on the List."

Next to it was a photo of Baron Gerhard von Eisenberg smiling at a charity gala, and a close-up of his face contorted in an instant when the girl was brought to him, captured by the action team.

Voice of Truth published a partial photocopy of the "Guest List," with Sir Hugh Cavendish's name and the description of his preference for "younger and shy" highlighted in red.

The NDR (North German Mirror) focuses on accounting analysis, using charts to clearly show the flow of funds, amounting to tens of millions of marks, through offshore accounts over the years for "special services".

The morning news on UTN (Universal Television News) featured a serious-looking anchor who, instead of delivering the usual report, cut directly to a carefully edited feature segment.

The images alternate: the terrified eyes of children inside the shipping container; close-ups of cold medical records in the "sheepfold"; Salvatore Costa's limp appearance when he was arrested; and, most fatally, the scrolling display of the list and the analysis of the hidden power network by experts (actually scholars arranged by the foundation).

At the end of the report, the anchor looked directly into the camera and said, "This is not an isolated incident; it's a system. In this system, who is devouring people?"

Almost simultaneously with the UTN broadcast, other major European television and radio stations, whether or not they were directly controlled by the Lin family, frantically followed suit like sharks smelling blood.

Exclusive? No, this is a public tool. The evidence is too strong, the story too horrifying, and the "informants" behind it (several "insider whistleblowers" cleverly arranged by Albert) seem credible.

The news spread explosively across the European continent via radio waves and newsstands.

The people on the list were awakened from their morning nightmares by a phone call.

Baron Gerhard's phone was ringing off the hook at his residence in Bonn. He yelled at his secretary, demanding that all the media moguls and cabinet members he knew be contacted immediately.

"This is slander! It's a political conspiracy!" He tried calling the editor-in-chief of Bild, whom he knew well, but the editor hung up on him immediately, which was unusual for him.

Sir Hugh Cavendish was pale in the London club, and the gazes of his colleagues around him became subtle and distant.

He attempted to send a strongly worded retraction letter to UTN through his lawyer.

The response was a more detailed copy of the supplementary materials, including the address of the safe house and the testimony of the intermediary, along with a cold statement: "We have submitted all the evidence to Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service."

The public reaction was more intense than expected.

At 10 a.m., crowds began to gather in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

At noon, in front of the Madeleine Church in Paris, people held signs that read "Protect our children!" and "Hang the devils on the list!" and sang "La Marseillaise".

From Piazza Venezia in Rome to Dam Square in Amsterdam, the parade quickly spread to dozens of major cities.

Angry mothers, shocked citizens, and impassioned students converged into a torrent, demanding no longer abstract justice, but the immediate arrest and trial of every specific name on the list.

Before the advent of social media, the crowds on the streets were the most irrefutable measure of public opinion.

Governments initially attempted a “cautious investigation,” but after Albert precisely delivered complete packages of evidence (including photographs, ledgers, communication records, and initial witness statements) to police headquarters, prosecutors’ offices, and even parliamentary oversight committees in various countries through multiple anonymous channels, any “delay” would have been political suicide.

The evidence was irrefutable, and public opinion was in an uproar.

Baron Gerhard von Eisenberg was arrested by Bonn police in front of his garage as he was preparing to drive "to the countryside for a rest".

The flashbulbs went off everywhere. The state legislature immediately suspended his membership.

London police have obtained a search warrant for Sir Hugh Cavendish's home and office "based on newly received credible evidence." Although not immediately arrested, he has been suspended from his Conservative Party duties, and his seat on the Defence Committee is in jeopardy.

Italy: Count Giacomo Rivorta attempted to escape from Portofino by yacht but was intercepted by the coast guard. The Milan prosecutor's office announced an investigation into him.

France: Alain Dubois was taken away from the VIP lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport, causing the stock price of the luxury goods group he works for to plummet and prompting an emergency severing of ties with him.

The Vatican has fallen into its most awkward silence. Faced with veiled questioning from the media, it issued only an extremely brief and vague statement, saying it was "deeply saddened by any allegations that violate doctrine and law and will cooperate with secular authorities in their investigation," while quietly launching its most rigorous internal review. The "cardinal" seems to have never existed, but undercurrents are already surging within his sphere of influence.

At the eye of the storm, the "Golden Lamb" organization was uprooted.

Salvatore, Fabian, Van der Wiel, and others became key figures in implicating those in power.

The Patriarch, codenamed "Enzo," had several offshore accounts quickly frozen, and Interpol issued a red notice for his arrest, but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Only Albert and Lin Yan knew that the escape route that "Enzo" had tried to activate at the last moment had been quietly blocked by a Nascent Soul cultivator, who was now unconscious in an absolutely safe ice cave deep in the Swiss Alps. His memories and all the secrets he possessed would be even more useful bargaining chips in the future.

In just one week, the veneer of beauty on the surface of Europe was ripped away, revealing the festering wounds beneath.

The cleaning has begun, though compromises and omissions are inevitable.

For example, the identity of the "cardinal" was deliberately obscured, becoming an "unsolved case," but the "golden lamb" model has been thoroughly exposed and destroyed.

Dozens of rescued girls have been properly resettled, but they will face a long period of psychological rehabilitation and legal proceedings.

The public's anger and vigilance, like a sword hanging high, are temporarily suspended over certain dark corners.

As Europe descended into a storm of scandals, Lin Yan had already quietly left that place of controversy.

The light of the teleportation array illuminated a hidden warehouse belonging to "Europa Express" on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean.