Chapter 59: Taking Down Another Hideout

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Taking Down Another Hideout

Zoe Sawyer didn’t need Monkey to explain. She’d already guessed why.

They had no intention of resting at all. They wanted to hit the other location before the enemy had time to react.

After thanking Monkey, Zoe Sawyer hurried to the office.

Sure enough, everyone else on the team was already inside.

"You’re awake. Come have one of these little cakes the cafeteria made for us. You need an energy boost." Sean Hughes saw Zoe Sawyer and beckoned her over.

Zoe ate while listening to Barry Quinn, Evan Keller, and the others discuss the situation.

While they were catching up on sleep, the Chief and Elder Crowe had issued a statement to clarify some of the rumors circulating online.

They had also interrogated some of the suspects.

They’d managed to pry some information out of a few people from the transport division who weren’t so tight-lipped.

"According to their statements, Scott Armstrong—the man from the surveillance room—was in long-term, one-way contact with another man. Most of the time, he was just following orders.

"But they don’t know any specifics about this contact. The only thing they do know is that he’s also in Varden and is often seen with an assistant," Evan Keller said, pointing to a section of the file.

But their rank was too low for them to have ever had direct contact with him. What little they know was pieced together from things Scott Armstrong accidentally let slip over time.

But Scott Armstrong almost never left the surveillance room, making it nearly impossible to find any clues by tracking his movements.

They also communicated using an app with self-destructing messages, so we couldn’t capture any useful information.

Without any concrete information, it’s incredibly difficult to launch a follow-up investigation.

And by now, he’s probably long gone.

"But this also means whatever they’re trying to hide must be massive and horrifying. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to go to such troublesome lengths," Heath Hale said, pointing to another section of the file.

After finishing her cake, Zoe Sawyer looked at them and asked, "Have you gotten anything out of the researchers?

"Why abduct so many people, kill them, and then deliver them to the police station with such fanfare? It’s like they were afraid we wouldn’t notice."

And with transportation on such a massive scale, how did no one in the area notice?

We still haven’t identified the victims, and we don’t know where the faces they skinned were sent.

Every single detail is a question mark.

If we want to figure any of this out, the answers have to come from the suspects we’ve captured.

"Those researchers are tough nuts to crack. No one’s talking yet. The one they call Ruby hasn’t said a single word from beginning to end." Evan Keller shook his head. They wanted answers, too.

But the key players are all incredibly stubborn. No matter how we question them, they refuse to say a word.

There’s nothing for it but to keep them in custody and wear them down, see who breaks first.

Besides, we caught plenty of people this time, and we’re too swamped to deal with them all at once. We’ll just have to see who can hold out the longest.

Barry Quinn spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. "Because we released some of the case details, the stronghold at the border has probably gotten the news. We need to hit them while they’re unprepared, before they have a chance to relocate!"

With Zoe Sawyer as our ace in the hole, the criminal group would never expect us to reach them so quickly. They’re bound to let their guard down, which makes this the perfect time to strike!

That small window of time is all we need to round up everyone inside the stronghold in one fell swoop!

Barry Quinn thought back to the phone call with his superior and the things that had been subtly hinted at. A trace of excitement appeared on his face.

’With this much backup, there’s no way we can fail this time!’ he thought.

"Last time, we didn’t realize the scale of this criminal organization. It’s understandable that we were outmatched.

"Today, the higher-ups informed me that we’ve requested assistance from the border police. If things go south, they’ll be there to back us up." Barry Quinn’s words set everyone’s minds at ease.

A flicker of understanding passed through Heath Hale’s eyes. ’This case has gotten way too big. Plus, we lost people.’

And if Zoe Sawyer hadn’t acted so quickly, there might have been four more names on that list.

A situation like that was more than enough to prove how dangerous their opponents were.

To ensure the safety of their own personnel and to eliminate this cancer as quickly as possible, it was only natural to bring in military support.

It also showed just how determined the higher-ups were to uproot this organization for good.

"I get it. When the time comes, just tell me what you need me to do," Zoe Sawyer said, understanding the importance of the operation. She patted her chest in a gesture of assurance.

And more importantly...

Zoe looked down and clenched her fists.

’My ability seems to have changed somehow. I’m not sure how yet, but I can feel that pushing myself to open portals at such an extreme intensity... if I keep at it, the benefits will be significant!’

But Zoe didn’t know the specifics yet, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being.

"Don’t worry, I will," Barry Quinn said with a smile, not turning her down.

「A little past eleven that night.」

At the Chief’s signal, Zoe Sawyer once again opened a portal, leading Evan Keller and the others into another room.

Three men were sitting in the room.

When they saw Zoe Sawyer and her team appear out of thin air, the three men’s pupils constricted for a moment before they quickly composed themselves, as if nothing had happened.

"You’re here. My surname is Lowe. Your chief told me about your situation, and the higher-ups have ordered us to coordinate with your operation." The man in the center stood up and shook hands with Zoe and her team.

Heath Hale stood beside Zoe Sawyer and explained in a low voice, "The man who just shook our hands is the chief here. The two beside him are from the military."

"The situation is urgent, so I’ll skip the pleasantries. My people are assembled and ready to move out at any time.

"However, the terrain here is complex. We’ll need someone to lead the way," Chief Lowe explained, briefly outlining their situation.

Helping was no problem, of course, but the border region was incredibly complex. Without a guide who knew the area, they could easily take a longer route by mistake, even if they knew the final destination. That would waste far too much time.

Normally, before an operation like this, they would send someone in ahead of time to do reconnaissance.

But this mission was too sudden. Only a few hours had passed since the order came down, leaving them no time to scout the terrain. Therefore, the best-case scenario was to have a guide who knew the area.

Heath Hale looked at Chief Lowe and asked, "Chief Lowe, if we have a locator, can we get there in the shortest possible time?

"The enemy might already be aware of us. We have to get there as fast as we possibly can."