Chapter 44: These Madmen Have Grand Ambitions

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: These Madmen Have Grand Ambitions

With a loud bang, the police car’s windows shattered. The glass flying toward Zoe Sawyer was promptly blocked by Evan Keller and his men with riot shields.

After Sean Hughes and the other two dove out, they rolled on the ground, avoiding most of the flying glass.

But some shards still scratched the exposed parts of their skin.

A fire erupted around the heavily damaged police car, and people from inside the station rushed out to help.

Some put out the fire, while others rescued the injured.

Fortunately, they had been prepared, so there were no major casualties.

If they had still been in the car when it exploded, it would have been far worse than just a few scratches.

Judging by how they had the nerve to hire someone to ram a police car and plant a bomb on it, they were probably planning to wait until the car was inside the station before remotely detonating it.

It goes without saying how disastrous the situation would have been for them, caught completely unprepared.

Once they were sure the police car wouldn’t explode a second time, Heath Hale led Evan Keller aside and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"The bomb wasn’t powerful enough to be lethal, but it could have seriously injured you. And the location... this is definitely a provocation," Evan Keller said with conviction, circling the police car.

But with the police car destroyed to this extent, it was uncertain if any valuable clues remained inside.

Meanwhile, Zoe Sawyer was in an office, pointing out the likely whereabouts of the man in the baseball cap and his companion.

She had only glanced at them briefly, focusing all her attention on the two individuals, so she couldn’t pinpoint their exact location.

"Don’t worry, we’ve already tightened security and sent people over. It won’t be so easy for them to escape."

A gray-haired man sitting across from Zoe Sawyer said with a gentle smile.

"However, according to Sawyer, if the man in the baseball cap is already unconscious, then the other one, the woman called Ruby, will have her movements restricted. She’ll probably choose a hiding spot nearby," Elder Crowe analyzed, pointing to a section of the projected map.

Behind Elder Crowe stood a row of young police officers, each holding a notebook and jotting down notes.

"The area is still a bit large. We’ve urgently pulled the surveillance footage from nearby and are preparing to narrow down the search area," the bureau chief said, nodding and continuing Elder Crowe’s line of thought.

The impact of these two cases was simply too great, and with high public attention, they had to solve them as quickly as possible.

All available police resources in the city had been dispatched.

Zoe Sawyer looked at the row of unfamiliar faces and curiously poked Officer Lee, who was beside her.

"They were all sent from the provincial bureau to study under Elder Crowe. They’re here to gain experience while participating in the investigation.

To put it bluntly, they’re here to do the grunt work," Officer Lee whispered into Zoe Sawyer’s ear.

It’s impossible for greenhorns to get directly involved in such an important case, but they’re brought along to observe.

Besides familiarizing themselves with procedures and gaining experience, the most important reason is to have them do the heavy lifting and ease the pressure on everyone else.

Zoe Sawyer nodded in understanding.

’So that’s how it is.’

Elder Crowe looked at Zoe Sawyer, then turned and waved to the group that had come with him. "All of you, go out and lend a hand. We have a tough battle ahead of us."

After they left, only the four of them remained in the office.

"Sawyer, that kid Heath Hale told me you used your ability to see a scene from yesterday that had already happened?" Elder Crowe asked Zoe Sawyer in a gentle voice.

The memory of what she had seen made Zoe Sawyer’s expression turn grim, but she still nodded.

’This isn’t the time to dwell on that. What I need to do is catch the killer quickly and bring justice for Joy and the other unidentified victims.’

"Yes, Elder Crowe. I only just discovered I could use my ability this way," Zoe Sawyer said, sitting upright behind the desk and looking at him.

Elder Crowe nodded. Before he could say anything more, there was a knock at the door.

The bureau chief went to open the door and was surprised to find Barry Quinn, who was supposed to be in bed recovering from his injuries.

"Quincy, what are you doing here?" the chief frowned. ’Shouldn’t you be resting in bed at a time like this? Are you trying to make your injuries worse by walking around?’

Barry Quinn stood ramrod straight, his expression showing no sign of discomfort.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he wasn’t injured at all.

"Reporting, sir. I can still manage. I just came to ask about something," Barry Quinn said with a serious expression. Seeing the chief’s complete disapproval, he stressed, "It’s very important. It has something to do with the cases from the past two days."

Since he put it that way, the chief could only step aside and let Barry Quinn in.

As soon as he entered, Barry Quinn scanned the office and then fixed his gaze on Officer Lee. "Could you please step out for a moment?"

Officer Lee didn’t ask any questions, simply nodding and stepping out.

Once the door was closed again, Barry Quinn looked at the three people in the room and said, "I saw it on the news. This human skin case... I believe it’s connected to the same criminal organization I’ve been investigating.

Before I came, I filed a request with my superior, and he authorized me to disclose some details of the case to you."

The main reason was that his own investigation had hit a dead end, and his partner was still missing.

Now that suspects who appeared to be their accomplices had turned up here in Varden, the two sides had to cooperate and see if they could supplement each other’s intelligence.

Elder Crowe frowned and tapped the table, gesturing for Barry Quinn to continue.

"Three months ago, Customs intercepted a shipment of illegally smuggled goods. Inside, they found several human skin masks. Because they felt so realistic to the touch, the Customs officers became suspicious.

They sent them for testing and discovered they were made of real human skin. At the same time, on another border, several people attempting to cross illegally were caught. The packages they were carrying contained a large number of human skin masks," Barry Quinn briefly explained.

It was precisely because the number of these masks was so large and horrifying that the higher-ups assigned their squad to investigate.

After great difficulty, they followed the trail and located a place where victims were being held, only to find that there were several moles inside, which led to the mission’s failure. As for what happened after that, Zoe Sawyer and the bureau chief already knew.

"If it’s the same syndicate, then the nature of this situation changes completely. Their methods are beyond what we can imagine. The woman Miss Sawyer saw, the one called Ruby, is also one of the main targets of our mission.

I personally recommend that we capture her first. The intelligence she possesses is definitely more extensive than we think," Barry Quinn said with a grim expression.

’God knows how shocked he was when he saw the news.’

’These people were clearly operating in the shadows, always careful not to be discovered by the police. Why would they suddenly deliver a body to the police station with such fanfare, exposing themselves to everyone’s scrutiny?’

’These madmen must be after something big!’