Chapter 342: The Opportunity Has Arrived

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: The Opportunity Has Arrived

Overhearing Evan Keller and Heath Hale’s conversation, Officer Lee chimed in, sending the data he’d already compiled to both of their phones.

Evan and Heath quickly scanned the files. Once they confirmed everything was in order, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zoe Sawyer, we’ll need your help again in a bit. Plant one of these under each of our targets’ beds so we can keep tabs on them," Evan Keller said, pulling two button-shaped listening devices from a drawer. He handed them to Zoe, explaining, "These are our latest model. They’re designed to block scans from other devices.

Unless you’re looking right at it, it’s almost impossible to spot."

’Just stick it in a corner, and those two will never find it!’

’The perfect little helper for eavesdropping and surveillance!’

"Alright, no problem. I’ll plant them right now." Zoe Sawyer took the two bugs from Evan Keller and used her door ability to stealthily place them under each target’s bed.

Once Zoe confirmed the bugs were in place, Officer Lee tested the connection. He was able to get a clean signal from both locations, so he gave everyone an "OK" sign.

"Excellent. Now, all we have to do is wait for the right opportunity," Evan Keller said, pumping his fist in excitement.

They just didn’t expect that opportunity to arrive so quickly.

Three days after the bugs were planted, a sudden commotion erupted outside the office around noon.

"What’s going on?" Hearing the noise outside, Zoe Sawyer set down her files. Curious, she stood up to see what the matter was.

But she was stopped before she could even leave.

"Evan Keller, we have an emergency. A newborn baby has just been abducted. The kidnapper is on the loose in a residential area.

I’ve already dispatched Team Two, but for the child’s safety, I need your team to assist. Zoe Sawyer, I’ll need you on point for Evan’s team, feeding them intel." The chief had walked up to the office entrance and knocked, drawing everyone’s attention before laying out the assignment.

Evan Keller and Heath Hale’s eyes lit up.

’Here’s our chance!’

"No problem. Leave six officers with me and Heath. We’ll use this commotion as a pretext to arrest our two surveillance targets.

The rest of the team can work with Zoe Sawyer to catch the kidnapper." Evan Keller slapped his thigh and quickly briefed the chief on their original plan.

The chief considered it for a moment, glanced at the other officers in the room watching like hawks, and nodded. "Fine. I don’t care about your plan. Just bring that baby back safely!

And make sure you coordinate with Team Two. I don’t want you searching the same areas and wasting manpower."

"Got it!"

Before he left, the chief added one last reminder. Only after he was certain they understood did he hurry away.

After the chief left, Evan Keller picked out several officers and split them into two teams, one to go with him and one with Heath Hale, to make the arrests.

Meanwhile, Zoe Sawyer picked up the new case file.

The information on the baby was on a single, thin sheet. It only took Zoe a few moments to commit it all to memory.

As Zoe prepared to open a door, most of the team had already left to search for the baby. The remaining few officers stood behind her.

If the situation was favorable, they would rush through as soon as Zoe opened the door and pinpointed the kidnapper and child, then make the arrest.

If things looked bad, they would call for backup, pulling in the other officers who were out searching.

With the details clear in her mind, Zoe grasped the doorknob. The familiar sensation washed over her instantly.

Unsure of the situation on the other side, Zoe carefully pushed the door open just a crack to peek through.

Her view filled with a quiet alley. The gates to the surrounding houses were shut tight.

Fallen leaves littered many of the doorsteps, making the area look like it had been uninhabited and neglected for a long time.

"I know this place!

It’s right behind the station. Most of the residents here are never home, and the houses are empty—nothing worth stealing, so no one’s installed any cameras!" one of the officers behind Zoe immediately recognized the alley.

He’d patrolled it with a senior officer when he first joined the force, so the area was still fresh in his mind.

’No security cameras?’

’That makes things easier!’

After a moment’s thought, Zoe decided it was better to be cautious. She opened the door in a corner. "Half of you go through here. I’ll open another door farther ahead for the rest.

We’ll pincer them from both ends. Let’s try to grab the suspect as fast as possible!"

"Right! No problem!" The team nodded in understanding.

Moments later, the officers were all in the alley. Waiting for the right moment, both groups emerged in unison, blocking the kidnapper squarely in the middle.

Then, they slowly closed the circle.

Watching the police close in on her, the kidnapper’s heart hardened. She placed a hand on the neck of the baby in her arms and threatened, "Stay back! If you take one more step, don’t blame me for what happens. I’ll strangle him!

Then you can all go back and report that you recovered a corpse!"

The threat successfully froze the officers on both sides.

They could rush in and pin her down, but in those few seconds, it would be more than enough time for the kidnapper to harm the newborn.

The officer in the lead slowly approached, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Calm down. Give us the baby now. You’ll face one charge at most. You’ll do a few years, get reformed, and you can still get out.

But if you kill the baby, you’ll be charged with intentional homicide on top of it. You’ll be locked away for a very, very long time. It’s not worth it."

As he spoke, the officer tried to hold the kidnapper’s attention, creating an opening for his teammates to flank her.

The kidnapper seemed to anticipate their move. She retreated a few steps until her back was against a wall, her eyes glued to the officers on either side.

Her hand remained poised, ready to squeeze the instant they made a move.

"Don’t try to fool me! Either let me go, or I’m taking this baby down with me!" the kidnapper’s tone was final. Beneath the brim of her baseball cap, a vicious glint flashed in her eyes.

’I’d rather die than let this child go back to his parents.’

The officer who had been speaking frowned. Just as he was about to say something more to distract her, he saw the kidnapper’s eyes suddenly roll back before she pitched forward.

Without a second thought, everyone rushed forward. One officer secured the baby while others restrained the kidnapper.

The entire incident, from start to finish, took less than a minute.

An officer looked up and saw Zoe Sawyer standing in the open doorway, a tranquilizer gun in her hand. He gave her a nod.

"Captain Sawyer, nice work."