Chapter 71: Nominated by CCTV, Meeting Cody

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Nominated by CCTV, Meeting Cody

On his computer screen played the rumor-mongering video he’d made. He was flaming Rian Sinclair relentlessly in the comments section, even switching between several alt accounts to keep up the barrage. When that wasn’t satisfying enough, he took his vitriol straight to the comments of Rian’s own videos.

Seeing some netizens joining in on the abuse, the man’s confidence immediately swelled.

He completely dismissed the statement released by her agency. He had spread rumors about other influencers before, and they had issued statements too—but didn’t they all end up paying him to delete the posts anyway?

So what if it was a lawyer’s letter? He had hidden his IP address; did he really need to fear them tracking him down? Although he had panicked for a brief moment upon seeing the statement from an agency with tens of millions of followers, their current lack of action only fueled his brazenness.

Rian remained entirely unaware of how the agency planned to deal with that man, as she had just been summoned away by another phone call.

Argent Police Department.

Officer Forrest stood beside Wyatt Shepherd with a smile. "Miss Sinclair, the video you posted on Sharkstream was commended by the National News. You truly have a beautiful heart to match your looks, Miss Sinclair."

Rian was a little surprised to hear this. After all, she hadn’t checked on the situation since watching the video that morning. She trusted her agency’s crisis management skills and Quentin’s efficiency.

Then, in the afternoon, she had received Officer Forrest’s call and hurried over, completely unaware that she had been commended by the national broadcaster in the meantime.

Officer Forrest chuckled. "It seems you haven’t checked the trending topics yet, Miss Sinclair."

Rian nodded. "May I ask why you called me over, Officer Forrest?"

Wyatt Shepherd stepped forward, handing her a storage box containing the items she had provided for the previous mission. "Thank you for the equipment you provided for this mission, Miss Sinclair. We’ve packed everything up. As for the clothing, I will reimburse you for its value later."

Rian took the box but waved her hand dismissively at his last remark. "There’s no need for that. I said I’d provide them free of charge, so there’s no need for money. If you need anything else in the future, just let me know."

She only took back her car keys and left the rest of the items. Wyatt didn’t say another word; he simply gave her a crisp salute.

"We are deeply grateful for your assistance, Miss Sinclair. This mission’s smooth success was largely thanks to you. I will submit a report to my superiors and do my best to ensure you are fully reimbursed for everything we used."

Rian felt a bit helpless. She had already said it wasn’t necessary, yet he was still so insistent. It reminded her of the old military adage—never take a single needle or thread from the people.

She decided not to press the issue; she simply wouldn’t accept the money when the time came. However, she was quite curious about the mission itself. "Care to chat about it?"

Wyatt nodded. "It wasn’t a classified mission, and the outcome was very positive. We rescued Cody, along with several other children the traffickers were trying to move.

"Cody also assisted us during the operation. He has been cleared of all charges, and since he contributed to the mission’s success, we’ll be providing him with some financial aid.

"He’s currently in the hospital. His body is quite weak from the prolonged abuse he suffered in North Boro. The other rescued children are also under medical observation, and the police are actively contacting their parents."

Hearing this, Rian felt it was a very good outcome. "Will you be able to find Cody’s family?"

Wyatt remained silent, so Officer Forrest stepped in. "Cody was abducted at a very young age. It’s been many years, which makes finding his family incredibly difficult. We’ve been searching through old police records, but so far, nothing has come up."

Rian thought back to the boy she had seen on the livestream. He was only fifteen or sixteen, yet he had endured so much. "I’ll cover Cody’s ongoing medical expenses. But given his situation, how will he be able to get a household registration?"

Rian had already considered sponsoring Cody. He had been trafficked at such a young age, and he clearly wasn’t a bad kid at heart. If she could help him, she would.

Wyatt had also been discussing Cody’s future arrangements with Officer Forrest. Currently, without a household registration, he was considered an undocumented resident in Argent. Since his family couldn’t be found immediately, they had concluded that he should be registered in Argent under the name of a local orphanage.

Officer Forrest elaborated, "Cody’s situation is tricky right now. The best solution we can offer is to register him with an orphanage here in Argent."

Rian nodded. Given Cody’s circumstances, finding an adoptive family would be difficult. Registering him with an orphanage was the only immediate option while they slowly continued the search for his real family.

She then turned to Wyatt. "Which hospital is Cody at? I’d like to go see him."

Wyatt checked the time. Some of his teammates had also been injured during the mission. Though they were at a military hospital, it was on the way to the one where Cody was staying. "I’ll take you there. It’s on my way."

Rian nodded in agreement.

Inside the car.

Wyatt mentioned the name of Cody’s hospital and gave her an update on his current condition. "Cody took a bullet for a little girl. Because his body was already so frail, he still hasn’t passed the critical stage. He’s in the intensive care unit."

Wyatt had downplayed the situation earlier. The mission had ultimately devolved into a firefight, resulting in many injuries. Fortunately, there had been no fatalities.

Rian remained silent. She had guessed the mission would be dangerous, but hearing that Cody had taken a bullet still came as a shock.

What kind of mindset did someone need to have to take a bullet for a total stranger? Thinking of how Cody had looked during the livestream...

Wyatt sensed Rian’s sudden dip in mood. Allowing an innocent person to get hurt was a failure on their part. "I’m sorry."

Rian didn’t say a word. These officers were putting their lives on the line for everyone else, shouldering all the burdens, yet here they were, apologizing.

Inside the hospital.

Standing alone outside the intensive care unit, Rian looked at the emaciated boy lying inside. It was truly hard to imagine just how much suffering he had endured in North Boro.

A place like North Boro truly deserved to be wiped off the map completely.

Telecom fraud.

Human trafficking.

Organ harvesting.

Rampant drug cartels.

Many citizens were lured to North Boro by the promise of high monthly salaries. Despite police warnings, they insisted on going. Even with all the exposing videos circulating online, they stubbornly refused to believe the danger until it was too late.

*(Author’s Note: Bringing up North Boro is to remind readers of its dangers. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Staying within our borders is the safest choice. Veridia is the safest country in the world, bar none! Please keep this in mind!)*

Downstairs, Rian paid Cody’s medical bills. Because his identity was somewhat special and he lacked domestic records, the hospital was making an exception to treat him.

After depositing a substantial sum into Cody’s medical account, she left the hospital.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the dazzling sunlight.

After the rain, the sky would always clear up.

"Miss, would you like to have dinner now? I had the kitchen prepare Sichuan cuisine, and Auntie Alden made you a bowl of ice jelly. Would you like some?" Ethan Sinclair asked in rapid succession when he saw Rian coming downstairs.

At the mention of ice jelly, Rian’s eyes lit up slightly. Eating ice jelly in the dead of summer was an incredibly wonderful thing. "I’ll have the ice jelly first and eat dinner later."

Ice jelly was cold; if she ate it at the same time as the spicy Sichuan food, her stomach would be the first to complain.

After dinner, Rian stayed in her room, scrolling through videos and collecting some cashback rewards. She didn’t stay up long before washing up and going to bed. She needed a good night’s rest so she could head to the remote regions with Fiona tomorrow for an inspection.