Chapter 705
She looked too young to be a grad student, but how could an undergrad already have a specialized research focus?
“Oh, no. I’m just a freshman majoring in computer science. I’ve just been studying this since middle school,” Mira Mercer explained.
“You’re a genius p>
The two university officials continued to stare at Mira.
“Not at all, it’s just a hobby p>
By this point, Celine Ward’s parents’ phones were fully tapped and monitored by Mira.
Then, Mira placed a call to Silas Lawson.
“Mr. Lawson, my friend has been kidnapped. Get your men ready. I might need them at a moment’s notice p>
When Mira moved to Aethelgard, she hadn’t brought Lenny Forbes and the rest of his team. They had spent years in Melvion City and weren’t familiar with the capital’s underground.
Besides, the various branch offices needed them to stay behind and manage things from the shadows.
But here in Aethelgard, Silas Lawson commanded an elite intelligence network, and their operational capabilities were absolutely top-tier.
If it weren’t for her close friend Celine, Mira wouldn’t have mobilized them.
Mira didn’t have many friends, but Celine was one of the few. Through all the
torment she endured from the Mercer family in her past and present life, both Celine and Liora Bennett had stood by her.
Mira knew without a doubt that if she were the one in trouble, Celine and Liora
would risk everything to save her.
“Understood, Miss,” Silas replied.
“Student, who was that p>
The two officials watched in shock as Mira actively mobilized a strike team. Just what kind of background did this freshman have?
“It’s nothing serious, please don’t overthink it. Just an older friend of mine p>
As for calling the police, Mira didn’t dare take the risk. In these situations, she had to respect the parents’ wishes above all else.
Helping out was fine, but if her
unauthorized actions caused the et
kidnappers to execute Celine, Sterling and Valerie Ward would hate her for the rest of their lives.
Mira stood up, walked out to the balcony, and called Owen Lance. “Owen, Celine
went missing. I’m helping out at Aethelgard University p>
She had to keep her people informed of her whereabouts, so if anything went wrong, Owen could intervene in time.
“You can help your friend, but you are not to put yourself in danger under any circumstances. That is my absolute bottom line p>
“I know, Owen p>
Next, she had Jax Weaver call Rachel to give her a brief rundown of the situation.
An hour later, someone finally attempted to call Sterling Ward’s phone, but since Celine’s parents were still on their flight, it couldn’t connect.
Mira couldn’t tell if the caller was the kidnapper or just a friend of Sterling’s.
She couldn’t rashly answer it and tip off the criminals, so she let it ring out.
However, the fact that the location pinged within Aethelgard was highly suspicious.
She couldn’t pull the caller’s identity yet due to the short time frame. Breaching those telecom firewalls without official police authorization was an incredibly time-consuming process.
To be safe, Mira notified Silas Lawson, instructing him to dispatch men to the pinged
coordinates to look for anyone suspicious.
If it was the kidnappers, they would definitely call back.
A few minutes later, the number called again. This time, Sterling answered it—he
had clearly just stepped off the plane.
It turned out the caller wasn’t a
kidnapper at all, but rather a friend of Sterling’s based in Aethelgard whom the parents had begged to help find their daughter.
Mira felt a wave of disappointment.
She had to make another call to have Silas’s men stand down from their pursuit.
But Silas’s team sent back a text: “This guy is highly suspicious p>
Lawson Investigative Group handled elite private detective work, and their intuition for danger far surpassed that of ordinary people.