Chapter 240: Ray Reid Is Gone

Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Ray Reid Is Gone

A police officer who had given chase kicked the scrawny man to the ground and expertly cuffed him.

Only after removing the items he was carrying did they feel safe enough to have a colleague shove him into a car and drive away.

Meanwhile, Ray Reid slowly leaned against the wall, then slid down to sit on the floor.

’I’m so exhausted. I need to recover some strength quickly, then I can figure out how to take these three down with me.’

The rattling of the iron chain caught Keith Garrison’s attention.

He glanced back, and after seeing Ray Reid sitting on the floor, he let out a sneer and turned his gaze back to the window.

’Ray Reid can’t run away, anyway. There are no outsiders here, so there’s no need to waste energy on him.’

Shane Lynch, however, hadn’t paid Ray Reid any mind from the very start. To him, Ray Reid was a dead man walking.

’And there’s no point paying attention to a dead man.’

Of the three, only Tom Thompson kept his eyes on Ray Reid, staring at him without blinking.

Ray Reid’s body went rigid. But before he could think of what to do next, Keith Garrison called Tom Thompson away to check the view from another window, telling him to report immediately if anything seemed off.

Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, who had been monitoring the situation through a miniature camera, knew this was the perfect moment. She opened a small door, and they carefully slipped in behind Ray Reid.

Heath Hale poked Ray Reid in the back, feeling his body instantly go rigid.

He quickly traced the three numbers 9-1-1 on Ray Reid’s back to identify himself, then used Morse code to briefly explain the plan and ask for his cooperation.

After feeling those three numbers, Ray Reid’s rigid body instantly relaxed.

Though he had no idea how they managed it, Ray Reid was in no mood to dwell on the details. He shifted his sitting position, making it easier for Heath Hale’s team to reach the collar.

The collar would make a distinct click when it unlocked.

The instant it made the sound, Ray Reid kicked the iron chain.

The sound of the chain scraping across the floor perfectly masked the click of the unlocking collar.

Drawn by the noise, Keith Garrison glanced back. After a quick scan confirmed the collar was still on Ray Reid’s neck, he turned away again.

"What now?" Zoe Sawyer asked, looking at Heath Hale.

To get him out, they would have to open the door.

But at the moment, the slightest noise would make Keith Garrison and Shane Lynch look over, and they’d be easily exposed!

Heath Hale shook his head and pointed to his earpiece. "This is where Evan Keller and his team come in."

Heath Hale then pressed his earpiece and gave Evan Keller a quick, concise update, asking them to create a diversion—something that would hopefully draw both Keith Garrison and Shane Lynch into the next room.

That would give them the opening to pull Ray Reid out.

Sean Hughes silently took out a tranquilizer dart. ’An undercover agent that not even the Chief knows about... his mission must be incredibly sensitive.’

’In that case, we’d better keep Zoe Sawyer’s ability under wraps for now.’

"Got it. Wait for the good news." Evan Keller sized up the distance between the two buildings, then glanced at his team’s equipment.

’Making some noise? No problem at all.’

The next second, a bullet slammed into Tom Thompson’s shoulder.

The immense impact and searing pain made Tom Thompson cry out in agony.

Clutching his shoulder, he slid down the wall to the floor.

Shane Lynch and Keith Garrison, who had been watching the outside, snapped their heads toward Tom Thompson at the sound. Seeing that he’d been shot, they rushed over.

"What the hell? How did the cops get here?" Keith Garrison’s voice was filled with confusion and a trace of fear.

’Without me even knowing, the cops had snuck this close and were brazenly opening fire!’

’If they’d been aiming at me just now, I might be dead!’

At this realization, goosebumps erupted all over Keith Garrison’s arms.

"Where are they? Point them out!" Unlike Keith Garrison’s fear, Shane Lynch’s voice was laced with excitement and eagerness for a fight.

He was already holding the gun Keith Garrison had just brought over.

As Keith Garrison and Shane Lynch moved into the adjacent room, the opportunity Zoe Sawyer had been waiting for finally arrived!

Zoe Sawyer opened the door in a flash.

The next instant, Sean Hughes jabbed the tranquilizer dart into Ray Reid’s exposed neck.

Ray Reid’s eyes widened in surprise, but before he could even process it, the specially formulated, extra-strength dose in the dart took him down.

Heath Hale dropped the collar while Barry Quinn dragged Ray Reid back through the portal. Zoe Sawyer then snapped the door shut.

The team worked in perfect sync. The entire extraction was over in less than a dozen seconds.

Hayden Shaw once again led a team to escort Ray Reid to the police station’s infirmary for basic medical treatment.

Ray Reid’s identity was too sensitive; they didn’t dare send him anywhere else until the situation was resolved.

"Evan Keller, we have him. You can stop holding back now. Go all out, just make sure they stay alive. Let’s end this quickly.

I’ll provide support from my end to wrap this up ASAP." After ensuring everything was in order, Heath Hale reported their progress to Evan Keller.

"Roger that!" Hearing that the hostage was safe, Evan Keller nodded and ordered his team to intensify their assault.

Normally, with Shane Lynch and his crew armed with guns and bombs, the standard procedure would be to send in reinforcements and end the situation as quickly as possible to prevent further panic and casualties.

But that approach would inevitably result in casualties.

Now, however, with Zoe Sawyer as their secret weapon, they could create a diversion from one direction while using her door to execute a pincer attack from the other.

They could end this with minimal casualties and maximum speed.

After coordinating with Evan Keller, Zoe Sawyer, on Heath Hale’s command, moved her door along the wall, positioning it near the entrance to the room where Shane Lynch and his men were.

’The moment they step out, they’ll get a tranquilizer dart.’

Over on Shane Lynch’s side, after dodging another bullet, he wondered aloud, "What’s with these guys? It’s like they’re on steroids. Where did this sudden increase in firepower come from?"

’If this keeps up, we’re going to be completely pinned down!’

Keith Garrison was also huddled in a corner, his expression grim. Then, as if an idea struck him, a cold smirk played on his lips. "Fine. Let’s send them a little present.

Tom Thompson, go drag Ray Reid in here. I refuse to believe they’d kill their own hostage, would they?"

Keith Garrison was now certain that Evan Keller’s team was holed up in the unfinished building across from them.

’The gap between the buildings isn’t that wide!’

’All I have to do is bring him over, take off the collar, have Shane Lynch move out of this room, and toss the bomb over from the living room.’

’There’s no way that won’t blow them all to kingdom come!’

"Ray Reid is gone."