Chapter 243: That Fire Was Arson

Chapter 243: Chapter 243: That Fire Was Arson

Zoe Sawyer’s hand paused on the file. For a moment, she didn’t know if she should open it.

’Is it really okay to just hand a file like this to me?’

"Go on, it’s fine." The Chief waved a hand, his eyes filled with exhaustion. He couldn’t help but raise his hand to rub the bridge of his nose.

Since he’d said so, Zoe Sawyer went ahead and opened the file.

The file was very light. When she opened it, she found only a single, thin sheet of paper inside.

Zoe Sawyer carefully slid the paper out. On it was a single photograph of Ray Reid in a police uniform, saluting the national flag.

"After learning that Ray Reid might be our mole, I immediately filed a report with my superiors. But in the end, this photo was all they sent back." The Chief’s expression was a bit grim as he continued, "All of Ray Reid’s information is classified at the highest level, which shows just how important his mission is.

"But Sawyer, you performed a great service today. Ray Reid had been out of contact with his handlers for a long time. They thought the situation was too critical for him to make contact, but it turns out his cover was blown."

Hearing this, Zoe Sawyer and the others nodded silently, feeling relieved that they had managed to rescue him.

’But the Chief must have called us here for more than just this, right?’

A flicker of doubt crossed Zoe Sawyer’s mind. Sure enough, the next moment, she heard the Chief’s voice again. "Actually, I called you all here because I have another important mission for you."

The group sat up straight, their expressions serious, waiting for the Chief’s next words.

"It’s also related to Ray Reid. His mission is crucial, but he’s not in good condition right now. We might need your help later, Sawyer." The Chief gave a brief explanation.

He didn’t spell it out, but everyone present understood the implication.

To put it bluntly, the mission was critical, and they might need Zoe Sawyer’s abilities later on to gather evidence or something of that nature.

Zoe Sawyer had no objections to this.

"I’m fine with it. Just let me know when you need my help." Zoe Sawyer spread her hands. She had already mentally prepared herself when she received that top-secret file.

The Chief nodded, then waved a hand and said, "Alright. When we need your help in the future, I’ll let you know in advance.

"Go check on Ray Reid’s condition. If everything goes as expected, he’ll be recovering here for a while."

Before leaving, Barry Quinn glanced at the Chief’s phone but said nothing and followed Zoe Sawyer out of the office.

After Zoe Sawyer and the others had left, the Chief picked up his phone, which had been lying face down on the desk. His voice was weary. "I told you Sawyer would understand. You can relax now, right?"

A woman’s voice, cold and indifferent, came from the other end of the line. "I know. This step was just a precaution. I’ll have someone sent over to take care of Ray Reid. Please arrange a dorm room for them to stay in temporarily.

"Alright, I haven’t finished my work here. I’m hanging up. If I need anything, I’ll contact you in advance."

"Okay, I understand. Don’t worry." Arranging a dorm room wasn’t a big deal, so the Chief naturally agreed at once.

After hanging up, the Chief stood up from his desk, walked to the door, and gazed in the direction of the medical office.

He then sighed helplessly. They were really in for a major case now. Just as he had told Zoe Sawyer and the others, with this level of secrecy, how could it be anything simple?

’But we’ve already come this far. All we can do is intensify Sawyer’s training and improve her ability to protect herself.’

Unaware of the Chief’s inner thoughts, Zoe Sawyer casually strolled along with Evan Keller and the others to the medical office.

Inside the medical office, Ray Reid was alone, propped up on the bed. The clothes stained with dust and blood had been replaced, and both of his arms had been set and were now wrapped in thick gauze.

His other, less severe wounds had also been properly treated.

When he noticed someone entering, a flicker of vigilance instinctively crossed Ray Reid’s face.

But then he remembered he was at the police station, and the people in front of him were likely the ones who had rescued him from Keith Garrison. The expression on Ray Reid’s face softened slightly.

"You’re the ones who saved me, right? Thank you." Ray Reid looked at the five people standing before him and nodded.

He had many questions.

For instance, how had they communicated with him through a wall? Why did they know the password to the collar? And most importantly, how did they know he was an undercover agent?

These three questions swirled in Ray Reid’s mind. Although he wanted to find out the answers, he didn’t ask them directly.

He’d have a chance to figure it all out eventually. There was no rush right now.

Zoe Sawyer and the others exchanged a few pleasantries with Ray Reid and then left.

They had only come to see if he was awake. Now that they confirmed he was conscious, there was no need to stay and disturb his rest.

Early the next morning, when Zoe Sawyer arrived at the office, she found only a handful of people at their desks, all with their heads down, writing.

"Where is everyone else?" Zoe Sawyer sat down next to Beau, propped her chin on her hand, and asked Vivian Dunn, who was beside her.

Vivian Dunn casually handed Zoe Sawyer a cup of soy milk and explained, "They’re in interrogations. We arrested a lot of people, so anyone with free time was called in to speed things up. The rest of us are writing up the reports for this case."

Zoe Sawyer nodded in understanding. After taking the soy milk and finishing it, she also joined the ranks of those writing reports.

By the time Zoe Sawyer finished her report and looked up, almost everyone had returned to the office.

The expressions on everyone’s faces were quite relaxed. It seemed the interrogations had gone smoothly.

"How did the interrogations go today?" Zoe Sawyer scooted her chair over to Heath Hale to ask about the situation.

Heath Hale took a sip of water to wet his throat and said, "Very smoothly. They confessed to a lot. The two leaders were tough nuts to crack, but in the end, they told us everything they knew."

The skinny man also confessed that they selected their targets by finding college students who had taken out a lot of online loans, luring them in with promises of helping to pay off their debts and other reasons.

Then they would assign them missions based on their situation.

They had approached quite a few people like Joey, but most of them had firmly rejected their help.

Of the ones who accepted, very few passed the police assistant recruitment exam. Factoring in the interviews and other procedures, Joey ended up being the only one who made it through.

But it was a good thing it was only Joey.

"However, the two men also said that when they left, they didn’t set up any traps, and they brought all their men with them.

"The fire at their stronghold wasn’t an accident. Someone set it deliberately."