Chapter 121: Your Mission Is to Go Crazy in the Crowd

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Your Mission Is to Go Crazy in the Crowd

Zoe Sawyer had heavy, dark circles under her eyes, her steps dragging as she came downstairs.

Vivian Dunn was with her, but the energy levels of the two were worlds apart.

"I don’t mind working, but why make me go back to writing novels?" Zoe Sawyer’s steps felt floaty. It had been too long since she’d written. She was just getting back into it, but her plotting and words-per-hour were slow. A Chapter that used to take maybe two hours now took at least three!

It had taken her a whole week to finally get her writing speed back to what it used to be.

’This isn’t right. Haven’t I already made it? Plus, my bank account still has plenty of bonus money from cases!’

’So why am I still slaving away at a keyboard?!’

Zoe Sawyer wanted to cry but had no tears.

After the Chief had asked her a question that day, he’d made the decision on the spot: Zoe Sawyer was to return to her old profession, create a cover for herself, and look for an opportunity to go undercover.

If you asked Zoe what she did last night, she could complain for an hour straight about her writer’s block without repeating herself. The healthy routine Evan Keller and Sean Hughes had gotten her into was completely gone.

Meanwhile, Barry Quinn and Monkey had rented the apartment across from Zoe’s, keeping a constant eye on her so they could intervene immediately if there was any danger.

The security patrols outside the complex and downstairs had also increased.

After all, Zoe Sawyer’s importance was clear, and her safety could not be taken lightly.

Vivian Dunn patted Zoe’s shoulder comfortingly. "It can’t be helped. Captain Keller and the others have been on too many field operations. Too many people in the area recognize their faces."

She herself had mostly stayed inside the station and hadn’t been out much, so her cover was better.

So, after the decision was made for Zoe to go undercover, the second person for the job was quickly chosen: Vivian Dunn, who had worked with Zoe before and also rarely left the station.

Zoe Sawyer ate the bun in her hand and looked at Vivian Dunn, her tone mournful. "Back then, when I asked the Chief for the details of this mission, he wouldn’t say anything, just that I’d find out when the time comes. It’s been a week. Can you tell me now?"

Back then, the Chief had said the mission was classified and she couldn’t know too early.

’It’s been a whole week. Surely I can be told now!’

"It’s not that I wouldn’t tell you. It’s that we only confirmed this week that the mission target has arrived in Varden." Vivian Dunn sighed and led Zoe to a bench downstairs. Barry Quinn and Monkey appeared nearby.

They looked like they were just strolling around, but their eyes never left Zoe.

"This time, the target’s organization has expanded too quickly. Many people have already had their families broken and ruined by them.

"In the beginning, they were reckless and killed a family of five. Our comrades in the neighboring province discovered something was wrong while investigating that case.

"They followed the clues, got a lead on them, and sent someone to infiltrate. The original plan was to take the opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop.

"But the colleague who went in discovered something wasn’t right. This is just a branch, a ’blood bag.’ There’s a bigger, more terrifying organization hiding behind it."

Vivian Dunn thought about the information the Chief had sent her this morning and briefly explained the main points.

"After realizing something was amiss, the undercover colleague passed the information on and let his superiors make the call.

"Should they take down this smaller group first? Doing so might alert the enemy and spook the massive organization behind them.

"Or should he stay undercover, gather as much evidence as possible, and then wipe out both the target and his backers in one go?

"After several days of consideration, the leaders in the neighboring province decisively chose the second option. The undercover colleague also began collecting all sorts of evidence.

"Now, there’s more than enough evidence, but because he’s searched every time he enters or leaves, there’s no way to get it out.

"He could only use his time out for shopping to leave a single message at a designated spot, telling them to find a way to send someone in for a handoff.

"Once it was confirmed that the organization was preparing to expand its influence here, the higher-ups called a meeting.

"That was the day Zoe and the others got back from their mission. The Chief wasn’t there because he’d gone to that meeting."

"But... just by sending someone in, they can get the evidence out?" Zoe’s expression was full of doubt. Why were they so sure that sending someone in would guarantee a successful handoff and extraction of the evidence?

’Don’t tell me... they were targeting me from the very beginning?’

Zoe looked at Vivian with a strange expression, her eyes filled with questioning.

Vivian wasn’t a fool; she could naturally read the meaning in Zoe’s eyes.

After a moment’s thought, she finally spoke with a helpless tone, "You’re right. The higher-ups really did have their eyes on you."

Perhaps feeling her words were a bit too harsh, Vivian organized her thoughts and said, "The Chief probably guessed you’d figure it out. He gave me a heads-up, telling me that if you suspected anything, I should explain the situation to you clearly to avoid any resentment.

"You know, Barry Quinn and Monkey, who are providing your close protection right now, were assigned after the Chief, Elder Crowe, and a few other leaders who think highly of you petitioned the higher-ups.

"But at the same time, they also made a guarantee: when necessary, you would also need to help the police department. The leader of this organization has strong counter-surveillance skills, and he’s not bad at gathering information either.

"People like Captain Keller and Captain Hughes, who often appear in public, have most likely already been noted by him. Needless to say, the same goes for other colleagues, many of whom are frequently on field assignments. It’s unavoidable.

"But you’re different. You rarely appear in public, and you have that special ability. You’re the perfect choice for this mission. If things go south, you can always open a door and escape in time."

And the department chose her, Vivian Dunn, because she mostly handled paperwork in the office, had almost no field experience, and few people had seen her.

Plus, she was familiar with Zoe and had even partnered with her before. She could provide cover for Zoe if necessary. Otherwise, the role might have gone to someone else.

After hearing Vivian’s explanation, Zoe’s expression was complicated.

To put it bluntly, her ability was a perfect match for this mission.

But, she was under the protection of the police department after all. It was only right that she help out, a fact she had been aware of for some time.

"Wait, I went out with Evan Keller and the others a few days ago. Could I have been seen?" Just as Zoe was about to nod in agreement, she remembered the operation a few days ago to help Evie Jacobs catch a cheater.

Vivian shook her head, signaling her not to worry. "Relax. The target hadn’t arrived yet that day. Besides, you were all wearing your own clothes and left through the back door. It’s fine."

The Chief and the others had specifically looked into it and confirmed there was no disturbance.

"I understand. I’ll do my best. What do you need me to do now?" Zoe rubbed her face and asked.

Just as Vivian said, she still had her ace in the hole. If things went wrong, she could escape at any moment.

Even if her ability was ultimately exposed, she could just hide out in the police station and never leave.

She would, however, have to ask the police to bring her family over.

To this day, Zoe still didn’t know that her family had already been moved over long ago.

Every potential threat had already been nipped in the bud by the police department.

"Right now, your mission is to go to the biggest plaza, sit beneath the statue, and have a meltdown in front of everyone."