Chapter 160: Race Against Time

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Race Against Time

As soon as the call connected, Heath Hale immediately asked Evan Keller for his brother Frank Keller’s location.

According to what Zoe Sawyer had just said, the two of them were originally supposed to have been killed in the same explosion.

From this, it could be inferred that the bomb was currently hidden somewhere in the area where Frank was.

Evan was a little confused, not understanding why Heath was asking.

But he also knew Heath wasn’t the type to ask pointless questions. There had to be another reason.

"Frank is at home. He came back from the rehabilitation center today. But why are you asking?" Evan recalled the news he’d received earlier that day, his tone firm. At the same time, he wondered why Heath was asking this.

Because Frank had been doing very well, and the rehab center was preparing for renovations, most of the patients had been sent home temporarily.

They would go back once the renovations were complete.

’Good!’

The moment Evan finished speaking, Heath said urgently, "Zoe just saw through the door. The bomb was planted in a room filled with building materials. Go ask the property management here where the storage room is in the building where your parents live!

Also, be careful. After you evacuate everyone, if there’s no time to defuse the bomb, you need to get out of there immediately."

Since Evan was out in public, surrounded by all sorts of people, Heath didn’t dare say exactly what Zoe had seen and could only give a vague warning.

The color drained from Evan’s face. His parents lived in Building Two!

Although Heath hadn’t been explicit, Evan understood. Zoe must have seen something to make her ask about Frank’s location.

Combined with that final warning, Evan was almost certain that Zoe had seen something terrible.

"Okay, I get it. Keep me updated with any new information." Evan’s gaze swept almost imperceptibly over the man standing next to Sean Hughes. After saying that, he hung up.

"Officer, is there anything I can help with? I know this complex like the back of my hand!" The young man leaned in toward Sean Hughes.

His hand moved restlessly, about to grab his arm.

Before he could make his move, another team member stepped in to block him.

"Hey buddy, I’m not too familiar with the layout here. Could you show me the way?" The male officer was nearly six-foot-three and built like a tank. He stood in front of Sean, completely shielding him from view.

The young man’s fingers twitched, as if he wanted to pull something out, but he ultimately controlled himself. He gave an awkward laugh and hurried away.

Evan Keller witnessed the entire exchange. After memorizing the young man’s face, he immediately contacted the team members still searching Building One.

He told them all to pull back, concentrate their search on Building Two, and evacuate the residents.

And not just Building Two—the surrounding buildings needed to be evacuated as well.

The buildings in the complex were packed closely together. If one of them exploded and collapsed, it was hard to say whether it would take the adjacent ones down with it.

To be on the safe side, the surrounding area had to be evacuated too.

The scale of the operation was enormous, and there wasn’t much time left before the explosion Dexter Bishop had mentioned. They had to hurry!

At the same time, he grabbed the nearby property manager. "How many storage rooms for building materials are there in Building Two? And where are they located?"

The property manager was scared witless after being told that terrorists might have planted a bomb in the complex.

Facing Evan, who was both a police officer and a resident, he naturally told him everything he knew.

"It’s on the B1 level. There was quite a bit left over from the last renovation, so it’s all piled up there." The manager’s voice trembled, but he still told Evan everything.

The renovations at The Lumina were done one building at a time. Building Two had just been completed a while ago, and the excess materials were all piled up on the B1 level.

The property management had planned to start renovating the next building after the New Year.

But they never expected something like this to happen!

’But there’s a lot of stuff piled up in there. If they go search through it now, will they really make it in time?’

The manager looked at Evan’s grim expression and swallowed the words he was about to say.

Meanwhile, back at the police station, Zoe Sawyer had recovered some of her strength after a short rest.

Worried about the bomb she had seen, she used Heath Hale’s arm to help herself stand up again.

"No, I have to try again. I can’t interfere with Dexter Bishop’s process of planting the bomb, but what if I go to that room *now* and defuse it?" Zoe said as she stood up.

Knowing that the bomb threatened the lives of Evan and the others, Zoe couldn’t just sit around and wait for news.

’Maybe I can use this door to change the outcome and prevent Evan from dying?!’

’If I don’t do something, I know I’ll regret it.’

’Besides, I have this ability, so why not try!’

Heath didn’t object. Instead, he took down the body armor, helmet, and other gear from a nearby cabinet.

"Let’s give it a shot. When the time comes, open the door and let me go through. I might be able to find it right away." Heath deftly put on the gear, not forgetting to remind Zoe to stay put.

She had to stay here and guard the door. Not only was it an escape route, but it might also serve an unexpected purpose at a critical moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, Barry Quinn and Monkey also grabbed a set of gear and put it on.

Then they turned to Zoe and said, "Time is tight, and we’re short on people. Let the two of us go over and help out."

"We’ll file the reports later. If you want to send someone else, that’s fine too."

Because of their jobs, both of them had learned a fair amount about bomb disposal.

If they could find it, they could defuse it on the spot!

Zoe quickly waved her hands. "What are you talking about? Don’t worry, I’ll be right here at the station. I’m not going anywhere, so I won’t be in any danger!"

With that, Zoe walked back to the door, focused on the address of The Lumina, and then zeroed in on the B1 level of Building Two.

Almost instantly, Zoe opened the door.

As it opened, a cloud of dust billowed out toward them.

Zoe waved her hand in front of her face, and just as she was about to cough, Heath clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Someone’s here."

Heath mouthed those two words, then pointed in another direction.

Barry and Monkey swiftly and silently chambered rounds in their pistols, taking up positions on either side of the doorway with wary eyes.

The four of them fell silent. A moment later, a faint but distinct footstep reached their ears.

The steps were light, accompanied by someone humming a tuneless little melody and occasionally tapping on the nearby building materials.

’It’s not Evan and his team!’

Evan and his men wouldn’t be in the mood to sing or tap on things.

They were racing against the clock; such behavior was out of the question.

Zoe gripped the doorknob, just about to shift the door’s location, when she heard another set of footsteps, followed by a bright, female voice.

"How about we put the thing here? Maybe we’ll get to see if those cops really have some kind of secret weapon."