Chapter 175: Aren’t We Following Him? Why Are We Still Going?

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Aren’t We Following Him? Why Are We Still Going?

The man quickly spoke up to soothe his girlfriend.

But after that incident, he was no longer in the mood to wander around. He glanced at the things in his hands, confirmed he’d bought everything he needed, and canceled their next stop, heading straight home.

Meanwhile, after Monkey returned, Barry Quinn fixed him with a serious expression, demanding an explanation.

Leaving the protectee’s side during a mission was a serious dereliction of duty!

’He’d better have a reasonable explanation for me!’

Zoe Sawyer and the others, who had been walking ahead, had also stopped when Monkey left.

Now that he was back, they gathered around, wanting to hear what had happened.

"Something’s off about that man from earlier. I suspect he’s kidnapped someone and is planning to use violence to extort money from them. It’s likely to involve serious physical harm, and there’s a high probability the victim’s life is in danger.

I slapped a tracker on him just now. We can follow him directly with a phone, so there’s no risk of losing him," Monkey said in a low voice, recounting what he had heard to Zoe Sawyer and the others.

Luckily, the man’s dialect was very similar to the one from his hometown—he was probably from the same region—which was why Monkey understood what he’d said.

Although he wasn’t sure if the man’s words were true or not, if they were, his actions could potentially save someone in grave danger.

"Sounds like a kidnapping. Let’s follow him and check it out. We might even be able to rack up some extra credit before the year is out." Heath Hale made the decision quickly, taking the phone from Monkey and heading out, following the marker on the screen.

Barry Quinn looked at Monkey as he came to his side. He lowered his voice, his tone a clear warning. "Even if there were extenuating circumstances, leaving the protectee’s side was a mistake. When we get back, you will hand-write a ten-thousand-word report and turn it in to me. Then, you will go receive your punishment. Do you understand?"

"Sir!" Monkey showed no resentment and agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

His actions had been out of line. In fact, Barry Quinn’s punishment could even be considered light. Naturally, Monkey had no complaints.

Though the two men had deliberately lowered their voices, they weren’t far from Zoe Sawyer, so she heard every word of their conversation.

Zoe Sawyer tugged on Heath Hale’s sleeve, a look of unease and awkwardness on her face.

But before Zoe could speak, Heath Hale grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

Once they were in the car, Heath Hale leaned close to Zoe Sawyer’s ear and whispered, "Stay out of it! Barry has his reasons for doing this!"

There might have been extenuating circumstances, but a mistake is still a mistake.

That was undeniable.

Besides, Monkey knew he had messed up and had already accepted the punishment.

If Zoe were to plead for him now, it would risk undermining Barry Quinn’s authority. For everyone’s sake, it was better to stay quiet.

Zoe Sawyer pursed her lips, swallowing the plea she’d been about to make for Monkey.

’I hadn’t thought of that.’

Beau looked from Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale to Barry Quinn and Monkey, then sat quietly to the side without a word.

’Best for a kid to stay out of adult business.’

The group of six carefully followed the marker on the phone, trailing the signal in their car.

At one point, the marker stopped for over ten minutes before moving on again.

Zoe Sawyer and the others had no choice but to stop their car as well, waiting for the marker to move before they resumed the chase.

With the tracker, at least they didn’t have to worry about losing their target.

As they passed a small supermarket, Beau, who was sitting by the window, suddenly said, "Stop."

Monkey slammed on the brakes, and everyone in the car turned their attention to Beau.

Beau’s eyes were fixed on a man standing at the supermarket entrance, smoking with his back to them.

The man stood at the entrance, puffing away. He then tossed his cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his foot a few times, brushed the dust from his clothes, and lifted the transparent curtain to enter the small supermarket.

He spoke a few words to someone at the counter before heading deeper into the store.

Beau just watched, instinctively raising a finger and tracing something in the air a few times.

"Beau? What is it? Are you hungry?" Sean Hughes asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

They hadn’t really eaten anything since they’d left, so it would be perfectly normal if he was hungry now.

Beau shook his head and pointed at the man who had just gone inside. "Aren’t we following him? Why are we leaving?"

His words were a little confusing at first, but when considered in the context of what they were doing, everything clicked into place.

Zoe Sawyer had a sudden realization. "Beau, are you saying the man smoking by the door was the same one we saw at the mall?"

Beau nodded eagerly. That was exactly it!

Recalling how Beau had been tracing shapes in the air, everyone suddenly understood. He had been trying to confirm if he’d recognized the right person!

"So, that ten-minute stop earlier... was it to swap clothes with someone else?" Heath Hale stroked his chin, considering the possibility.

’But why change clothes?’

’Could he have realized he was being followed?’

"I’ll go check it out," Sean Hughes said, pulling a mask from her pocket and putting it on. "He was looking down at his phone back at the mall, so he shouldn’t have seen my face."

’Better wear a mask, just in case.’

She also had another jacket in the car that she could change into to minimize the chances of being recognized.

For safety’s sake, however, she also concealed a collapsible baton on her person, ready to be drawn for self-defense at a moment’s notice.

Monkey described the man’s appearance for her. Once Sean confirmed she had it memorized, she pushed open the car door and headed for the supermarket.

"What if they’ve already figured it out? Was this all for nothing?" Zoe Sawyer asked worriedly.

’Wouldn’t all of Monkey’s effort have been for nothing?’

"How could it be for nothing?" Heath Hale smiled. "Let me ask you: if you discovered someone had put a tracking device on you, what would be your first reaction?"

"Call the police!"

Zoe Sawyer answered instantly, without a hint of hesitation.

’Who knows if the person is good or bad? What if they want to rob and kill you?’

’For your own safety, you’d call the police first, obviously!’

The moment the words left her mouth, Zoe Sawyer understood the difference.

A normal person’s first reaction upon discovering they’re being tracked would be to call the police.

No one wants to gamble with their own life.

But someone who discovers they’re being tracked and still has the presence of mind to stop, change clothes, and have someone else continue on with the tracker...

...is either extremely skilled and audacious...

...or they don’t mind taking another hostage.

They might even see it as a chance to earn an extra payday.

Meanwhile, things weren’t so relaxed for Sean Hughes.

"What are you buying?"