Chapter 172
More than half a month had passed. Despite exhausting every channel and running countless investigations, the fourteen elite operatives remained completely MIA.
Shane was certain they were dead.
How they had died, and where their bodies were dumped, remained a total mystery.
But Mr. Porter was never one to dwell on failure. A botched job was simply a botched job.
Losing over a dozen top-tier enforcers was a bitter pill to swallow, but he knew the risks of the game. Even the best-laid plans are subject to the whims of fate. Fortunately, it didn’t impact his grander schemes.
The only lingering issue was his personal assistant, Allen, who seemed entirely unable to move past it. The man was drowning in a persistent funk.
Allen had been with him for years. Despite the massive blunder, Shane hadn’t even punished him. So why was he still moping around?
“My son is dead,” Allen thought bitterly. “Am I not allowed to be devastated p>
But he couldn’t utter a word of it aloud.
He knew his boss too well. If he confessed that his own son was among the missing men, Shane would undoubtedly pin the entire failure on the boy.
And any mistake his son made would reflect directly on Allen’s own planning. So, he had no choice but to swallow his grief in silence.
His boy was gone, and no amount of pleading would bring him back. It was safer to let his boss assume he was simply mourning the loss of the fourteen operatives.
That way, his loyalty would only look more profound in Shane’s eyes.
Life had to go on, even if his heart had been ripped out.
“Allen. Allen, are you zoning out again p>
The sudden snap of his boss’s voice jolted Allen out of his daze.
“I’m listening, Boss. I promise I’m focused p>
“I was telling you to keep a much tighter leash on that wretched Mira girl. Watch her every move. The second she does anything out of the ordinary, I want it reported straight to me.
And no more direct moves against her for now p>
Why did he constantly get the creeping sensation that the girl was entirely unnatural?
“Of course, absolutely. I’ll see it done exactly as you ask p>
In Allen’s mind, Mira was now the murderer of his only son. Even without the boss’s orders, he would have watched her like a hawk, waiting for the perfect opportunity to end her life.
Through a web of elite connections, Ethan finally managed to dig up the exact coordinates of the incoming rail station. His assistant also
confirmed that the designated ne
was currently occupied by massive, abandoned factory.
When Adrian Mercer heard the news, he didn’t hesitate. “This is too critical. Take
your team and get out there immediately. We cannot let anyone beat us to the punch.
No, actually, I’ll go myself. You lack the killer instinct needed for high-stakes moments like this p>
Without wasting another second, Adrian gathered his personnel and sped off toward the site.
It was a brutal half-day drive. The further they went, the narrower and bumpier the roads became.
The landscape gave way to vast stretches of barren dirt and sparse patches of winter wheat. Only the occasional cluster of crumbling, low-roofed houses hinted at any nearby villages.
“Mr. Mercer, look at this place p>
“You don’t get it. The more desolate the location, the cheaper the land. That’s where the massive buyout margins come from p>
Arriving in Cliffhaven, Adrian led his team straight to the sprawling, abandoned industrial complex.
The main gates were padlocked shut. Peering through the rusty iron slats, he noticed the structures were completely intact and surprisingly clean. Whoever was managing the property was meticulous.
“That saves me the cost of hiring a cleanup crew,” Adrian thought smugly. “When the government assesses it, we’ll command top dollar. God is truly on my side p>
His initial intel stated the defunct factory was municipal property. He just needed to expedite the transfer paperwork and lock it down. Even if he had to pay a slight premium, it would be worth it
Adrian gestured for his men to head
toward the nearest village to find a local guide, but he froze. In the
local other group of men in
distance,
suits was already cornering a villager, asking for directions to the local municipal office.
His instincts flared. He slipped into the shadows of a nearby wall to eavesdrop.
Thankfully, the rural woman shaking her head clearly had no idea what they were talking about.
“Go,” Adrian ordered. “Pay off a local to lead them as far away into the middle of nowhere as possible p>
“Consider it done, boss p>
As his assistant slipped away to run the interference, Adrian grabbed the rest of his men, hastily secured a real guide, and drove straight toward the local land management bureau.
On the way, his phone buzzed with a text from the assistant: “Mr. Mercer, I found out who they work for. Their boss’s last name is Porter p>
Adrian glanced at the screen and snapped his phone shut. Just as he suspected.