Chapter 1229 Did he mislead himself?

Ministry of Magic,

Minister's Office.

"Are you sure?" Fudge clenched his fist, staring intently into Kingsley's eyes. "Are you sure it's those Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban?"

Kingsley pursed his lips. “Yes, Minister, there were a total of five Death Eaters on the scene. Four of them are confirmed dead. Only Rodolphus Lestrange is still alive.”

A flicker of joy flashed in Fudge's eyes. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times before slamming it heavily onto the desk. "Who killed them?"

Kingsley took a deep breath. "It's the Muggle army stationed over there."

"What?" Fudge looked utterly bewildered. "A Muggle army? You're not kidding, are you?"

Kingsley hesitated for a moment. "The Muggle police arrived too quickly; we didn't have time for a thorough investigation."

He handed over the file bag in his hand. "According to the Muggle officer, the Death Eaters attacked an important research facility protected by the military. His troops fought back fiercely and ultimately managed to kill four of them."

Fudge opened the file folder and was immediately disgusted when he saw the four corpses and Rodolph's photo.

It's one thing to be a bit gory, but what the heck is this humanoid ash?

Fudge quickly put down the photo and paused for a moment. "Kingsley, do you really believe that the Muggle army is capable of killing four Death Eaters?"

"I have to believe it—" Kingsley shook his head, looking very conflicted.

"Tell me what you think."

Kingsley frowned. "Muggle technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. As early as the beginning of this century, they invented the first practical flamethrower by using the principle of releasing compressed air to atomize liquid and propel it a long distance. Within a few years, they deployed this flamethrower in the war..."

Fudge couldn't help but raise his hand to interrupt him, "I know about this fire-breathing iron rod, you don't need to tell me in detail."

Kingsley's eyes darted around. "Muggles have had flamethrowers for almost a century. It's not like they're incapable of burning Death Eaters alive."

Fudge nodded. "Continue."

"The Callum Science Center is an important research facility protected by the Muggle military and is certainly equipped with the most advanced weapons."

Seeing Fudge deep in thought, Kingsley quickly shrugged his shoulders. "The only survivor, Rodolphus, is seriously injured. Judging from his injuries, he must have made a mistake during Apparition and almost killed himself due to the severe splitting of his body."

He paused, then took another deep breath. "Based on the current clues, the Muggle officer doesn't seem to be lying, but my intuition tells me that he must be hiding some important information that he can't let us know, otherwise he wouldn't have completely sealed off the science center and its surrounding area."

Fudge's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. "What about the Muggle casualties?"

Kingsley paused for a moment. "I don't know. We found three ash-like corpses in a field that had been burned by fire, and a deep pit with residual evil magical energy. It was probably caused by the Death Eaters."

With flames burning and evil magical energy emanating from the air, it seems the battle between the Muggle army and the Death Eaters is extremely fierce.

Fudge let out a long sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

What else could the Muggle government possibly hide? Only the casualties of its military.

These Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban were all incredibly ruthless, and their army must have paid an extremely heavy price.

The reason they couldn't let the Ministry of Magic know was simply because the Queen had been attacked by a dark wizard recently, and they no longer trusted the Ministry of Magic as much as before.

Put yourself in Fudge's shoes: if the Ministry of Magic suffered heavy casualties, Fudge would also be unable to let the Muggle government know the truth.

"Kingsley, put the Muggle stuff aside for now. Our most important task right now is to find the remaining Death Eaters as soon as possible."

Kingsley's eyes widened, his face filled with astonishment.

He had just racked his brains to hide Vincent's existence, but before he even started his performance, Fudge had already misled himself?

"Yes, Mr. Minister."

Fudge waved his hand. "Go ahead. You lead the team to investigate the Death Eaters' whereabouts. I'll send someone else to keep an eye on Hogwarts."

Kingsley left the office, shaking his head with a smile.

"People whose eyes are blinded by the lust for power..."

In the evening, The Daily Prophet updated its news content.

The title, in bold red lettering on a white background, read: "Urgent! Latest Results from the Ministry of Magic's Operations!"

Under the wise leadership of Minister Cornelius Fudge, the Ministry of Magic successfully thwarted a terrorist attack this afternoon...

News finally broke out about the Death Eater remnants who had escaped from Azkaban, much to the delight of the wizarding community in Britain.

What's even more encouraging is that the Ministry of Magic suffered zero casualties, while the notorious Death Eaters suffered four deaths and one serious injury.

This is good news to celebrate, but not for some.

Malfoy Estate, study.

Lucius glanced nervously at Voldemort, who was reading the Daily Prophet.

There was no news all day; it turned out they were wiped out.

"Hmph—" Voldemort sneered as he put down his newspaper. "What a waste, he can't even handle a little Mudblood."

Lucius lowered his head before Lucius's cold gaze swept over him.

"4 dead, 1 seriously injured."

Lucius felt a chill run through his body and began to tremble involuntarily.

"Death?" Bella tilted her head, her previously languid posture suddenly becoming agitated.

She grabbed the newspaper and stared wide-eyed at the article.

"This operation was based on the 'Anti-Dark Wizarding Special Project' personally overseen by Minister Fudge. Through months of undercover investigation and intelligence analysis, the Aurors finally located the Death Eaters and, before they could launch their attack on Muggles, killed four Death Eater remnants on the spot with zero casualties, except for Rodolphus Lestrange..."

Bella slammed the newspaper onto the table.

Lucius looked up and glanced at the newspaper in front of him.

"In his postwar statement, Minister Fudge emphasized: This was a perfect demonstration of the Ministry of Magic's strategic decision-making and execution capabilities!"

For some reason, he suddenly had an urge to laugh out loud.

I told you Wayne was a tough guy to deal with. Rodolphus and his bunch of idiots were mocking him as a useless piece of trash before they set off last night. Now look what happened, he's even lost his life.

"Lucius—" Voldemort's call made him hurriedly stop the corners of his mouth from turning up involuntarily.

"Yes, my respected master."

"Are you happy?"

Lucius felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and shakily slammed his head on the table. "No...no, how could I possibly be happy?"

A cold glint flashed in Voldemort's bloodshot eyes, and a mocking sneer filled his lips. "Remember, Lucius, you are no longer the pride of the Malfoy family. You are just a pawn in my hands, a pawn that can be discarded at any time."

A hint of resentment flashed in Lucius's eyes. He pressed his forehead tightly against the table. "Yes, Master, I... I am willing to give everything for you."

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