Chapter 266: I’ve Discovered a Body

Chapter 266: Chapter 266: I’ve Discovered a Body

After making the decision, Arthur Yates couldn’t help but remind Henry Crowe again.

He wasn’t incredibly handsome, but he was at least decent-looking. If he got disfigured because of this publicity stunt, it would be a total loss!

Henry Crowe pounded his chest and promised that would absolutely not happen.

The group discussed the plan several more times to perfect it, which led to the subsequent kidnapping incident.

On the way there, Henry Crowe even made a point of saying he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his strength, and he hoped Arthur Yates would bear with him.

Arthur Yates, blinded by the potential traffic it would bring, not only agreed immediately but also promised that no matter what, he wouldn’t hold Henry Crowe responsible, telling him to go all out without holding back.

It would be best to make it more realistic, he said, otherwise it wouldn’t be convincing.

Then, after Henry Crowe was caught, Arthur would issue a letter of forgiveness and give Henry a certain amount of financial compensation.

Zoe Sawyer and the others already knew what happened after that.

Henry Crowe used this "kidnapping" not only to get his brutal revenge on Arthur Yates but also to record plenty of evidence, which he promptly sent to Aidan Osborne to upload at the right moment.

Once it was uploaded, Arthur Yates’s streaming career would be over.

"I just didn’t expect you to get here so soon. I was hoping to get a few more kicks in," Henry Crowe said with a shrug, a hint of regret in his voice.

He was telling the truth. If the police hadn’t arrived so early, he would have landed a few more kicks no matter what.

Throughout the entire interrogation, Henry Crowe was exceptionally cooperative, even proactively providing evidence that Zoe Sawyer and the others hadn’t found yet.

After confirming nothing was missed, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale left the interrogation room.

"Henry Crowe’s actions will lead to a prison sentence, right?" Zoe Sawyer asked, a touch of uncertainty in her voice as she recalled the legal information Sean Hughes had given her before.

Beside her, Heath Hale nodded firmly. "Yes. Even though it was a fake kidnapping and no money was extorted from a third party, Henry Crowe’s actions still caused harm to Arthur Yates."

"Right now, it all depends on the medical report of Arthur Yates’s injuries. If they’re too severe, he could be convicted of causing grievous bodily harm through negligence, and he’d also have to pay civil damages."

Even with Arthur Yates’s verbal promise not to press charges, that would only be considered a mitigating factor for a lighter sentence.

Hearing this, Zoe Sawyer glanced back at Henry Crowe, who was still sitting in the interrogation room.

A smile played on Henry Crowe’s lips. He was tracing something on the tabletop with his finger, over and over, as if writing someone’s name. He seemed completely unconcerned about the possibility of a prison sentence.

Zoe Sawyer looked away. Just as she was about to speak, she saw their captain hurrying over, clutching several sheets of paper. "Found it! We found it! We have surveillance footage of the suspect and victim riding in the same car, talking and laughing."

"Plus, an account uploaded a video. It’s a bit blurry, but you can clearly see it’s the suspect and the victim discussing the kidnapping plot."

"Public opinion online has completely flipped."

Hearing this, Zoe and the others quickly pulled out their phones to check. Sure enough, Arthur Yates’s account was flooded with a storm of angry comments, and he was losing followers by the second.

Arthur Yates’s streaming career was as good as over.

"The medical report from the hospital just came in, too," the captain added. "The injuries on Arthur Yates’s face look terrifying, but they aren’t that serious. He’ll recover after some time."

"His limbs were limp because of dislocations, but they’ve been reset. The wounds on his arms and legs look a bit more severe, but they’re just scrapes and bleeding."

"If he really decides to press charges later, it’ll probably just end in financial compensation," the captain explained, referencing the report.

At this point, the case was crystal clear, so there was no need for Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale to remain there.

The four of them returned from the abandoned residence to the provincial bureau.

"Huh? Where are Arthur Yates’s manager and assistant?" Zoe Sawyer asked curiously, glancing at the spot where the two had been waiting, but seeing no one.

"Their company called them back," Evan Keller replied, shaking his head as he recalled the scene. "While he was here at the station, the young assistant declared—right in front of us and the manager—that his contract was unfair and that Arthur Yates had maliciously withheld his wages. He said he’s going to sue."

The manager was already at his wit’s end over the whole situation with Arthur Yates and had no energy to deal with the assistant.

Afraid the assistant would actually pursue the matter, he reported it up the chain. After getting approval, he promptly terminated the contract.

He even paid the assistant his back wages—deducted from Arthur Yates’s salary, of course.

While Zoe Sawyer and her team were discussing Arthur Yates’s case, an expedition team was trekking, fully geared up, deep in the mountains of the neighboring province. Their boots crunched on the branches and fallen leaves covering the ground.

"Leader, what made you think of coming here? It’s so remote, there isn’t a single spot to rest," a man in the group asked, panting heavily.

The woman in the lead stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "We’ve never climbed here before. What’s the fun in always going to the same old places? That’s why I found a new spot."

But seeing her team members panting behind her, the woman looked around and found a relatively flat area.

"Come on, let’s go rest over there," the woman said, pointing, and led her team over.

The man who had spoken earlier found what looked like a relatively clean patch and plopped down on the ground.

He propped himself up with his hands behind him. "I’m dead tired, time for a break... Huh? Why does this feel so weird?"

Beneath the crunch of twigs and leaves, there was a strange, soft sensation, completely different from the hard, cold ground he had expected.

The man turned and brushed away the top layer of fallen leaves.

When the thing beneath the leaves was exposed, the man screamed and scrambled away, rushing to his teammates.

"What’s wrong? What happened?" asked a team member whose arm the man had grabbed, a look of complete confusion on their face. "What did you see?"

The man’s finger trembled as he pointed to the spot where he had been sitting. "There’s... there’s a dead body!"

As soon as he said that, the group, who had been resting, shot to their feet and rushed to the spot in unison.

After getting a clear look at the corpse lying in the pile of branches, everyone’s face turned pale. A few with weaker stomachs clapped their hands over their mouths and ran to the side to retch.

The expedition leader’s expression was grim. She never expected that on a perfectly normal expedition, they would stumble upon a dead body.

"Everyone, stay back! If you’re going to be sick, do it far away from here! Don’t disturb the scene," the expedition leader commanded once she had composed herself, directing her team away from the area to prevent them from accidentally disturbing any evidence.

Once she was sure they were far enough away, the leader took out her phone and dialed the police.

"Hello? Yes, I need to report something. I’ve found a dead body."