Chapter 111: Determining the Live Broadcast’s Location

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Determining the Live Broadcast’s Location

Zoe Sawyer nodded. Then, under Number Three’s expectant gaze, she had them taken back to their cell.

However, Zoe Sawyer kept her promise and put the two of them together.

"Their physical condition is dire. Even with proper treatment, they probably won’t live much longer.

So promising to let them live together and take care of each other is no loss for us," the Chief explained to Zoe Sawyer and the others as he walked out.

Living environment, diet, emotional state, and their overall physical condition can all impact a person’s lifespan.

And as it happened, every single one of those factors was abysmal in Number Three’s case.

This was the reasoning behind what the Chief had said.

Even if he hadn’t made the promise, they would have put the two in the same cell later anyway to keep them stable.

So the Chief had no qualms about making that promise.

But he was surprised by how well Zoe Sawyer had handled her first interrogation.

She solved the matter without even needing to use everything he’d taught her.

’Not bad at all.’

’She has plenty of room to grow. Slowly but surely, she’ll become a real pillar of the force!’

"The search area has narrowed. Let’s move fast, pinpoint their location, and bring them in before they know we’re coming!" The Chief clapped Heath Hale and Zoe Sawyer on the shoulders, his voice brimming with motivation.

"Right!"

Everyone was raring to go. Victory was within their grasp!

Over the next few hours, they used Number Three’s testimony to comb through surveillance footage, isolating over ten large, red trucks.

Then, using the license plate information, they found the kind-hearted driver who had given Number Three and Number Five a ride.

Sure enough, their situation was so unique that the driver remembered them vividly.

When he received the call from the police, the truck driver didn’t hesitate for a second before telling them the general location. ℯℯ𝑙.

"I ran into those two brothers in a remote town in the neighboring province. They were just wrapped in some cloth, carrying a single bag, and they even had wounds on them. They begged me to help them get away, saying their family was abusing them.

Seeing their condition, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse, so I agreed. During the few days they were in my truck, we barely spoke. They didn’t touch anything, just stayed huddled up in the sleeper cab," the truck driver explained what had happened.

After he finished, he added as an afterthought, "I didn’t commit a crime by doing that, did I?"

After being reassured, the truck driver hung up. He patted his chest in relief and said they could call him again if they needed anything else.

Officer Stone frowned, looking troubled as he studied the circled area on the map.

The distance was too great; there was no way his team could get there in time.

They would have to send a few people and have the Chief coordinate with the local police department over there by phone.

"You don’t need to worry about this part," the Chief said, patting Officer Stone’s shoulder. "Just take your men and work with our colleagues at the county and city levels to wrap things up on our end. I’ll handle coordinating the arrest with the police department over there. Don’t overthink it."

Officer Stone nodded.

After listening to the whole exchange, Zoe Sawyer kicked Evan Keller under the table and shot him a meaningful look.

’She wanted in on the action!’

’She’d been involved from the beginning and through the middle. It made no sense not to be there for the finale!’

’If she was going to get credit, she was going to get the biggest share!’

Zoe Sawyer knew she was being a bit opportunistic, but she was the reason Evan Keller and the others were working all this overtime in the first place. As compensation, they deserved to get full credit from start to finish!

From either side of her, Heath Hale and Sean Hughes reached out under the table and pressed down on Zoe Sawyer’s knees, stopping her from making another move.

The Chief, who had seen the whole interaction, smiled. "I’m going to contact my colleagues over there," he said. "If you’d like to be involved, could you lend a hand, provided it doesn’t interfere with your own mission?"

"Of course."

Evan Keller accepted immediately. Anyone would, in a situation like this.

Besides, with the location being so far away, Zoe Sawyer’s ability would be a huge asset. They could get there instantly.

Heath Hale looked up and held up his phone. "I’ve already reported in. Our own chief agreed. He told us to give our full cooperation here and not to come back until the suspects are caught."

The smile on the Chief’s face didn’t falter. His eyes swept over Zoe Sawyer’s face for a moment before he looked away.

Before he’d returned today, his direct superior had sought him out specifically. He’d been instructed to give his full cooperation to these colleagues from out of province who were on a "secret mission." He was told to just cooperate and ask no questions.

His superior also mentioned that he was just relaying the message and didn’t know the specifics himself.

He only knew that this whole affair ran deep, and it was best not to get involved.

The Chief was no fool; he could read between the lines.

He could also tell that the group revolved around Zoe Sawyer and that she was the one holding the biggest secret.

"Time is of the essence. I need to go make some calls." The Chief stood up and headed for his office.

Zoe Sawyer glanced at Heath Hale and the others, her tone hesitant. "Are we just going to open a door and go straight there? Won’t that make the Chief suspicious?"

She hadn’t misread the probing look he’d just given her.

This wasn’t Varden, and these weren’t colleagues who knew about her abilities. She had to be careful.

"He won’t," Heath Hale said, shaking his head. "He won’t get involved, and he won’t let his subordinates get involved either. We can just go."

An old fox like him knew what’s what. He’ll stay as far away as possible to avoid getting dragged into any trouble.

In any case, they knew the specific town now. All they needed to do was sort out their gear and find a place without any cameras to make the jump.

Hearing this, Zoe Sawyer could finally relax.

The group used a street-view app on their phones to pinpoint their destination, then opened the door inside an abandoned house at the foot of a mountain.

The town wasn’t very populated. Anyone with means had already moved to the nearest county seat or left to find work in more developed areas. As a result, there were few residents nearby, and even fewer surveillance cameras.

So when Zoe Sawyer and her team appeared at the foot of the mountain, no one saw them.

Zoe Sawyer stood at the foot of the mountain, her expression grim.

There were far too many mountain paths they could use to escape. If they didn’t confirm the targets’ location, numbers, and equipment, it would be easy for a few of them to slip away through the various trails.

If they couldn’t round them all up in one go, catching the rest later would be much harder!

Moreover, there could be lookouts along the path. If they weren’t fully prepared, they could easily alert their targets.

Zoe Sawyer shared her concerns with Heath Hale and the others, then looked at them and asked, "Do we have a drone or something similar? Something we can use to get a look at the situation up on the mountain?"

"Of course. But I only know the basics of flying it. If you want better piloting, you’ll need a specialist."