Chapter 55: A Firework Show for Varden

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: A Firework Show for Varden

Heath Hale had no intention of discouraging Zoe Sawyer. In his view, it would be for the best if she could think outside the box and discover more ways to use her ability.

It would be best if she could develop this ability to its fullest potential and become completely irreplaceable.

The more crucial her ability became, the better the protection she would receive from the higher-ups, which would minimize her chances of encountering danger.

The others present had come to the same conclusion.

"It’s definitely worth a try, but you don’t need to be too nervous, Zoe," Sean Hughes said quickly, afraid of putting too much pressure on her. "Officer Lee and his team are already investigating Boss Moss. With this two-pronged approach, we’ll definitely catch those guys before they can escape!"

Evan Keller said nothing, merely nodding in agreement.

Barry Quinn gave Heath Hale and the others a complicated look, then turned his gaze to Zoe Sawyer.

’What these people think doesn’t matter to me,’ Barry Quinn thought. ’If Zoe Sawyer can help us complete this mission and avenge our fallen teammate, I’ll agree to do anything, no questions asked.’

Evan Keller lowered his head and sent a text, telling the team members under his and Sean Hughes’ command to assemble immediately.

As for the investigation, that would have to be left to Team Three and Captain Lynch’s unit in the west district for the time being.

Soon, the group was gathered in the hallway, all eyes fixed on Zoe Sawyer.

Zoe Sawyer was already grasping the handle of an office door, her mind frantically trying to visualize a specific face.

Three minutes... Five minutes... Ten minutes...

Zoe Sawyer didn’t move for a long time. A nervous tension began to spread through the hallway.

No one said a word.

Just as Barry Quinn found himself unable to stay quiet any longer, he saw Zoe Sawyer twist the doorknob.

On the other side, however, was not the familiar office, but a derelict factory building.

Before them was only a narrow passageway. It looked as if the door had opened directly onto a solid wall.

Everyone’s spirits lifted. Had she succeeded?!

Standing behind Zoe Sawyer, Evan Keller frowned as he looked at the factory on the other side.

’Why does this place look so familiar?’

Before they could make a move, they heard a racket in the distance.

"Move faster! Get this stuff onto the trucks, now!"

"Handle it with care! If you damage what’s inside, not even a thousand of you could afford to pay for it!"

"You in the back, pick up the pace! If you’re too slow and the cops show up, your families can forget about living."

The two male voices overlapped, the last sentence in particular dripping with undisguised threats.

The faces of Zoe Sawyer and the others lit up. Success!

Quick as a flash, Evan Keller tossed out the tracking device he had prepared.

Less than a minute later, Officer Lee’s voice crackled through their earpieces. "Location acquired. It’s in Varden! But it’s in the old industrial district. The roads over there are a bit complicated, and there’s a lot of foot traffic. You’ll need to be careful.

One more thing. The tracker feed shows a surveillance camera right above the door. Watch yourselves."

Barry Quinn hadn’t been idle. Once the location was confirmed, he immediately notified his own reinforcements.

Evan Keller motioned for the others to gear up, just in case a firefight broke out during the arrest.

Roughly half an hour later, the noise of things being moved outside died down, followed by the sound of engines starting up.

"There must be a lot of sensitive materials in those vehicles. Are we just going to let them get away?" Zoe Sawyer asked, looking at the unmoving officers with a puzzled expression.

Before Evan Keller could answer, Heath Hale explained from her side.

"Don’t worry. Now that we have the location, we’ll have people dedicated to monitoring all the surveillance feeds in this area.

Once we confirm their route, our colleagues in the traffic division will coordinate with us to set up a roadblock on the right roads, ensuring we can capture them all at once.

If we just rush out now, we’ll likely provoke them. If they decide to ram their vehicles into us, there could be serious casualties."

This was a much better approach—divide and conquer, minimizing friendly casualties.

Zoe Sawyer nodded in understanding.

Just then, Barry Quinn received a call. The reinforcement teams had arrived and secured all exits to the industrial park. They were ready to storm the place on command.

"Let’s move! Everyone, watch your backs!" After getting the update, Evan Keller glanced at the team behind him and gave the signal to go.

"Yes, sir!"

The team members responded in unison, then followed Evan Keller and Sean Hughes in a disciplined formation through the narrow passageway, ready to strike at the heart of the operation.

Upon receiving the signal from Barry Quinn, the support teams outside advanced without hesitation, steadily closing in.

Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale stayed behind, holding the position to provide an escape route for Evan Keller’s team.

Heath Hale watched them go, a flash of envy in his eyes. ’I wish I could go with them,’ he thought.

Back at the factory, the moment Evan Keller’s team stepped through the opening, the man in the surveillance room knew something was wrong.

"Wait. When did these cops get in? How did I not see them?" The man lunged toward the monitors, his eyes glued to the screen.

Then he saw it—another group was steadily advancing outside, their target clearly this very compound!

"Damn it! When did they get here?" the man swore, quickly dialing a number to report the situation.

"If it comes to it, take the researchers. No, scratch that, the researchers don’t matter. As soon as the cops are inside, you blow the whole place sky-high.

They like showing up so much? Fine. Let them stay there forever!" The voice on the other end of the line was sinister, dripping with murderous intent.

"Understood." The man in the surveillance room replied, a cold smirk playing on his lips as he pulled a detonator from a drawer.

’My position here is perfectly safe,’ he thought. ’Even if those cops search every inch of this factory, they’ll never find me.’

’Once they’re all inside, I’ll just press this button and send the whole lot of them to hell!’

’Time to put on a fireworks show for the entire city of Varden!’

An inexplicable sense of unease settled over Zoe Sawyer. She began to pace back and forth, glancing toward the portal every few moments.

’It’s completely silent on the other side. So different from the racket earlier!’

She had a gut feeling that something was about to happen, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Heath Hale noticed her anxious pacing. When he asked her what was wrong and she explained, he too fell silent.

’This has never happened before. Could this sudden feeling be another kind of premonition?’ he wondered.

Barry Quinn, however, was thinking along more specific lines.

He thought about the tactics these criminals had used in their previous encounters, and then he recalled what Officer Lee had said about the surveillance camera.

"Your unease," he said to Zoe, "could it be from that camera? What if they’ve already spotted us and are planning something bigger?"