Chapter 704
“I’m on my way to Aethelgard Polytechnic p>
“I’ll be right there p>
Hanging up the phone, Harvey immediately asked, “What happened p>
“Celine went missing. It looks like a kidnapping p>
“Are you heading over now? I’m coming with you p>
Harvey stated firmly.
“I’m going too p>
Elara chimed in, determined to tag along.
Though their bond with Celine wasn’t as tight as Mira’s, they were still old classmates from Melvion City. When something this catastrophic happened, banding together was the only option.
As for Wyatt and the rest, they didn’t even know Celine, so their presence would only complicate things.
As Mira’s trio prepared to leave, the others called out, “If you need anything at all, just call p>
If they ended up assisting, it would solidify a massive favor from Mira and Harvey.
“We will p>
By the time the three of them reached the campus gates, Vane was already idling by the curb in a sleek SUV.
Jax and Harvey’s personal security detail piled into the vehicle with them, tearing off toward Aethelgard Polytechnic University.
Half an hour later, Mira and her crew met with the university officials. Liora was already pacing nervously in the lobby.
“Mira, what are we going to do? What are we going to do p>
Liora’s voice was completely broken.
Her loyalty to her friends was undeniable, but she was incredibly sheltered and entirely unequipped for a crisis of this magnitude.
“We are Celine’s friends p>
The two university officials took one look at the commanding aura radiating from the group—and the elite bodyguards flanking them—and instantly recognized they were dealing with powerful people. They didn’t dare show an ounce of disrespect.
“May I ask your names? And your affiliations p>
Celine’s parents had given them a heads-up about their incoming allies, but the officials needed to verify their identities.
“We’re students at Aethelgard University p>
“Please, come right in p>
“When exactly did she go missing p>
Mira demanded, fixing her gaze on the lead administrator.
“This afternoon p>
“Have you pinpointed the exact location p>
“We reviewed the campus surveillance. She was off-campus when it happened, and
her female bodyguard was with her.
Some students near the gates actually saw them leave p>
The official detailed the timeline with meticulous, almost trembling caution.
Although Celine had vanished
off-campus, her parents had entrusted her to the university they decided to bring the hammer down, the school wouldn’t escape the fallout.
“How did you initially realize she was gone p>
“Her parents called us in a panic. The kidnappers had already contacted them, demanding ten million dollars in cash to be delivered to a specific drop point in Aethelgard p>
“Has anyone contacted the authorities p>
“No, we didn’t dare. The kidnappers swore that the second the police get involved, they’ll execute her p>
“Where is the number they used p>
The administrator slid a piece of paper across the desk. “We tried calling it back, but it’s completely dead p>
Naturally, Celine’s personal phone was also turned off.
Mira flipped her laptop open. “I’m routing through Valerie’s phone
number to bypass their local
network and hack into the cellular
provider’s grid p>
“Miss, what exactly are you doing p>
The administrators were clearly tech-literate themselves.
Watching Mira effortlessly shred through multiple layers of encryption surrounding
Valerie’s network, the official couldn’t help but gasp.
“We’re computer science majors p>
Mira offered smoothly, barely looking away from the screen.
Harvey and Elara exchanged a silent, incredulous glance. We’re computer science
majors too, and we definitely can’t do that.
The two officials watched in stunned silence as Mira hijacked both accounts,
running a custom-built trace program she had coded herself.
“Your technical skills are absolutely terrifying. Not even the senior professors in our
IT department could pull something like this off p>
“Everyone has their specialties. My focus is just a bit more aggressive.
Alright, it’s set. The second they place another call, I’ll pinpoint their exact coordinates and rip their identities straight from the grid p>
“Are you a graduate student p>