Chapter 2775: Still Could Not Locate Richard Lee
Chapter 2775: Chapter 2775: Still Could Not Locate Richard Lee
Meanwhile, inside the temporary command centre established by the People Security Bureau, the atmosphere was completely different, charged with intense adrenaline and solemn shock.
Several high-ranking officers stood crowded around a massive digital display wall, where dozens of evidence photographs were continuously scrolling. There were high-resolution images of terrified rescued victims, impounded shipping containers, seized ledgers, warehouse schematics, and yellow evidence tags.
A middle-aged officer wearing the elite insignia of a Deputy Director finished reading the latest field report before raising his eyes to survey the room.
"Here is the verified victim tally." The Deputy Director read aloud, his voice heavy. "Forty-three children, seventeen young women, and nine men. Total victims rescued from the crates stand at sixty-nine."
The command centre fell into a dead, painful silence. One senior investigator quietly clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Many of the veteran officers present had participated in hundreds of dangerous tactical operations throughout their long careers, tackling cartel drug trafficking, dismantling organised syndicates, thwarting terrorism, and seizing illegal military weapons. But seeing innocent, crying children crammed inside wooden cargo crates like commercial merchandise, that was a horrifying sight none of them would ever forget.
"The forensic team has also recovered the physical shipping manifests from the site." Another tactical officer reported. "They match the exact logistics routes and harbour locations detailed in the anonymous recording. The internal code words are completely identical."
Every single update made the heavy room grow quieter and tenser.
"So, the anonymous recording was entirely authentic, not a fabricated hoax." The Deputy Director stated firmly.
"That is correct, Director. Every single word in that confession was 100% accurate." The officer confirmed with a grim nod.
Another senior analyst placed a stack of thick financial dossiers onto the central conference table.
"We have also officially frozen more than thirty-seven major corporate bank accounts tied directly to the Lee Family’s front foundations." The analyst reported. "Initial forensic estimates indicate hundreds of millions of dollars have cycled through their international shell companies over the past decade alone. Our financial crimes unit is actively tracing the overseas wire transfers right now."
"What about Richard Lee?" The Deputy Director asked, pivoting sharply. "Did the tactical teams capture him at the scene?"
"We still have not located him." An officer sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "The captured warehouse staff vehemently insist he was present on-site earlier that evening, supervising the loading bay. One worker stated he saw him walk toward the rear restroom. After that, he simply vanished."
"That’s correct, Director." Another investigator chimed in. "We recovered his personal mobile phone left behind near the warehouse facilities. Furthermore, his personal luxury vehicle remained parked in the private lot and never left the premises. There is zero blood, no physical signs of a violent struggle, and not a single witness. It is literally as if he dissolved into thin air."
"That defies logical sense. A grown, high-profile man does not simply vanish into thin air." The Deputy Director slowly crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Unless someone capable took him first."
The officers exchanged silent, significant glances. The exact same terrifying possibility had crossed every single investigator’s mind.
"Could it have been executed by whoever transmitted the anonymous recording to us?" One officer spoke up.
No one answered the question immediately. The mysterious whistleblower had already demonstrated a level of intelligence gathering that bordered on terrifying. They knew the Lee Family’s innermost operational secrets. They knew the precise shipment schedules. They knew the exact warehouse numbers. They knew the untraceable cryptocurrency payment methods. They even held an unedited, direct confession forced out of Richard Lee himself. Yet, despite all the state’s advanced cyber-tracing tools, no one knew who the informant was. Not a name. Not a face. Not even an IP address trace.
The Deputy Director slowly turned his gaze back toward the massive evidence board. After a long, heavy silence, he finally spoke, his voice filled with profound conviction.
"Whether our unknown informant is a friend or a dangerous foe... without their intervention tonight, those sixty-nine innocent victims would already be on a vessel out to sea, doomed to become experimental subjects." The Deputy Director pointed directly at the photos of the rescued, tear-stained children.
Not a single soul in the command centre argued or denied his words. Because every single officer in that room knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his statement was the absolute, undeniable truth.
...
Far away from the chaotic command centre, inside the serene Presidential Suite of their luxury hotel, Yu Qi let out a soft, delicate sneeze. Long Hui immediately looked up from the tactical military report he was reviewing, his eyes filled with gentle concern.
"Did you catch a cold, Qi Qi?" Long Hui asked softly.
"No, I don’t think so." Yu Qi rubbed her nose cutely before offering a mischievous, radiant smile. She leaned back, relaxing comfortably against the plush velvet sofa. "I think someone out there is talking about me right now."
"It’s almost certainly the authorities." Long Hui chuckled warmly, setting his documents aside. "They are likely racking their brains, trying very hard to figure out the identity of their mysterious, god-like benefactor."
"Or the Lee Family is currently rotting in their cells, cursing my very existence." Yu Qi’s lips curved into a sly, dangerous smile. She casually reached for a cup of warm, fragrant tea, taking a gentle sip. "Regardless, the less the world knows about our true identities, the safer everyone around us will remain."
Long Hui nodded in total agreement, his gaze softening as he looked at his brilliant fiancée.
"The less they know about us, the safer everyone around us will be." Yu Qi stated.
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