Chapter 162: Zoe Sawyer’s Explanation

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Zoe Sawyer’s Explanation

Zoe Sawyer pumped her fist in a flash of understanding, but she was careful to keep her voice down so she wouldn’t disturb Heath Hale as he worked on the bomb.

The others shot her confused looks, but Zoe Sawyer just shook her head and pointed toward Heath Hale, indicating that now wasn’t the time to talk.

All eyes focused back on Heath Hale.

As the timer on the bomb ticked down, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.

Heath Hale was nervous too, but his hands remained steady as he snipped the last wire.

Only after the timer stopped completely did everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

’This huge mess is finally taken care of!’

Zoe Sawyer stared at the line of white text on her door. It had changed from "Evan Keller and his team members killed in explosion" to "The Lumina, Building Two, destroyed by explosion. Identities of fallen officers pending confirmation."

’Didn’t we already defuse it?’

’Why is it still going to explode?’

’Don’t tell me... the bomb isn’t fully disarmed?’

A wave of panic washed over Zoe Sawyer. There wasn’t much time left before Dexter Bishop’s deadline.

"Should we check it again? The alert I’m getting still says it’s going to explode," Zoe Sawyer said, her voice laced with panic.

The officers, who had been celebrating just a moment before, froze.

’What did she just say?’

Heath Hale, who knew what was going on, immediately crouched back down after hearing what Zoe Sawyer said.

He inspected the bomb thoroughly all over again and finally noticed something was off about the back casing.

He carefully dismantled it and discovered a miniature version of the bomb hidden inside the thick casing.

Its timer was ticking down rapidly—there was even less time left than Dexter Bishop had claimed!

Heath Hale’s hands flew, repeating the previous procedure to defuse the smaller bomb.

Once the second bomb was defused, all eyes turned anxiously to Zoe Sawyer.

Zoe Sawyer, in turn, looked at her door.

She watched as the two lines of white text flickered and then vanished completely.

Only after confirming they were really gone did Zoe Sawyer finally let out a breath of relief and nod at the others.

’This time, we’re really in the clear!’

The rest of the team breathed a sigh of relief as well. Then, without needing a word from Evan Keller, they expertly began to process the scene.

They collected what needed to be collected and examined what needed to be examined.

After all, Zoe Sawyer’s ability was almost unnaturally powerful, and they weren’t sure if there were any security cameras on the B1 level. They had to check immediately.

In the end, all they found were previously dismantled security cameras in the other three corners.

’Looks like the two suspects from earlier dismantled them.’

Once they were certain no traces had been left behind, Zoe Sawyer, Heath Hale, and Barry Quinn returned to the station through her door, while Evan Keller and his team took the disarmed bomb outside.

The residents outside still needed to be reassured. On their way out, they could also hand the bomb over to the special police unit for complete neutralization.

"I thought bombs you defuse by cutting wires were a thing of the past," Zoe Sawyer mused, back in the office with her chin propped in her hand. Her voice was filled with curiosity.

Just as they returned, Monkey was dragging the male and female suspects away to be locked up, one in each hand.

The station’s interrogation rooms were at full capacity today. Besides, the two were still unconscious and couldn’t be interrogated yet, so they could only be locked up in separate cells to be questioned after they woke up.

After all, both Heath Hale and Evan Keller had only ever taught her the basics of identifying high-tech bombs.

She thought you only saw the kind you defuse by cutting wires in the movies; she never expected to see one for real.

"The high-tech ones aren’t something a guy like Dexter Bishop could have gotten his hands on before," Heath Hale explained simply, rubbing his sore neck.

These "outdated" types are more likely to turn up in someone’s personal "collection."

Dexter Bishop could whip up an explosive pack by hand. If he had the right materials, he could probably make a wire-cutter bomb too.

’But in any case, this one’s been dealt with, and that’s what matters!’

At this thought, Heath Hale remembered what Zoe Sawyer had said earlier and asked curiously, "What did you mean back there?

If you hadn’t said anything, we might not have found that smaller one hidden inside. I did a rough estimate—its explosive yield was no less than the larger one. If that had gone off, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

If it weren’t for what Zoe Sawyer said, they probably would have just boxed it up and carried it out.

If the small bomb had exploded on the way, it would have definitely detonated the larger one in the same container.

Heath Hale didn’t even have to say it; he could already imagine the fate of Evan Keller, who would have been carrying the box, and the team members around him if both bombs had exploded.

Barry Quinn also looked at Zoe Sawyer curiously, wanting to know why she had said that.

"A hint from the door," Zoe Sawyer explained simply.

Then, Zoe Sawyer remembered what she had suddenly figured out, and her tone grew excited.

"Remember how I told you at the beginning that I saw a hint on the door? It said Evan Keller and his team were going to die in an explosion."

Heath Hale and Barry Quinn nodded. Zoe had indeed said that before they went over.

"I just asked Evan Keller. He said they were on the stairwell between the first floor and the B1 level when they heard gunshots, and the whole team rushed over.

If we hadn’t made the last-minute decision to go over and help find the bomb, Evan Keller and his team would have run right into those two suspects.

They had guns, and there’s only one exit from the B1 level. So, with no hope of escape, wouldn’t they have opened fire to detonate the bomb and take everyone down with them?" Zoe Sawyer laid out her theory for the two men.

It was because of their intervention that the outcome was changed.

And later, it was the door’s hint that made Zoe Sawyer ask Heath Hale to check again, which led to him finding the smaller, hidden bomb.

"So this is the new feature you were talking about," Heath Hale said, rubbing his chin.

He had to admit, the feature was so powerful it felt like cheating.

"How are you feeling now? Any discomfort?" Heath Hale asked with concern, recalling Zoe Sawyer’s condition earlier.

Zoe Sawyer shook her head. It was strange; she had been feeling completely drained, but the moment the bomb was successfully defused, it was as if some unknown energy flowed into her body.

She couldn’t say she was full of energy, but the uncomfortable feeling of exhaustion had definitely vanished.

"Alright, I’ll write up a report on today’s events and submit it. You’ll get all the credit you deserve, not a bit less," Heath Hale said, patting Zoe Sawyer on the head reassuringly.

Although Zoe Sawyer’s contributions couldn’t be made public, her official file would detail every single thing she had done.

Zoe Sawyer shrugged, not about to refuse Heath Hale’s kind gesture.

’It’s what I’ve earned, after all. I can accept it with a clear conscience!’

A little while later, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale entered Dexter Bishop’s interrogation room.

Dexter Bishop looked up at the clock, then glanced behind them. Seeing no sign of Evan Keller, a wild, gloating smile spread across his face.

"He’s dead, isn’t he?! Finally dead!"