CHAPTER 784

A few minutes later, Nico, who had received Cedrick’s orders, hurriedly ran over and eagerly followed closely beside Cedrick.

“Cedrick, are you suspecting that Charles took advantage of Gwendolyn’s vulnerability and did something inappropriate to her? Or even hid her away?” Nico asked.

Cedrick did not answer and merely walked forward with a solemn expression. It was evident that he was indeed thinking the same.

Nico sighed and said sincerely, “Cedrick, Charles helped us before, and because of your support, he managed to gain control of the Newton family. He has been well-behaved all these years. Moreover, he has a girlfriend now. I don’t think he would do such a thing.”

His voice became softer as he spoke, and he even started doubting himself. However, Nico had known Charles for many years. They even challenged each other to a fight before and bantered like teasing friends. He did not want Charles to repeat the same extreme actions as the S404 RNA virus incident from the past. Nico did not want the latter to end up in prison again.

When he saw the complicated look in Nico’s eyes, Cedrick stopped in his tracks and stared coldly at him. “How well do you know him? How can you guarantee that?”

Nico ultimately lowered his head upon hearing that and did not respond.

“Back then, I thought he was willing to be Benny and Zendy’s godfather because he wants to let go of the past and his obsession with Gwendolyn completely to move on with his life. However, as soon as something happened to Gwendolyn, he would pursue her quickly, almost like a rabbit darting forward. He has the same level of urgency and impatience as me. Considering their ten years of childhood friendship, are you certain that he won’t resort to extreme actions if he finds Gwendolyn before I do?” Cedrick continued.

At that point, Nico found himself increasingly unable to argue and instead lowered his head in despondence.

Then, with a composed tone, Cedrick reprimanded him, “Call him right away. Do it in front of me. Hopefully, I’m overthinking things.”

“Yes,” Nico answered as he obediently took out his phone. He found Charles’ number in his contacts list and dialed it, putting the call on speaker in front of Cedrick and Swain.

At the same time, Swain quickly asked the technical department to enable location tracking. As soon as Charles answered the call, Federal Bureau of Investigation could monitor his whereabouts immediately.

The phone kept ringing, but no one answered.

Cedrick sat nearby with a grim expression while Nico stood obediently.

No one spoke.

The phone rang for over a minute, then the call automatically disconnected without anyone answering.

Nico’s resolve wavered. He found himself unable to offer any more explanations to help Charles. It’s afternoon, and he’s not even answering the phone. Is he feeling guilty?

The air grew tense, and Nico’s back stiffened. He discreetly glanced at Cedrick’s expression, ready to follow his next command.

After thinking about it, Cedrick said in a low voice, “Send him a text and let him know that something has come up with Gwendolyn. It’s challenging, and we need his help.”

“All right.” This is from .

Nico tapped on his phone’s keyboard, typing the message carefully, and then sent it.

Two minutes later, he called Charles again.

This time, Charles answered the phone almost immediately, asking, “What happened?”

Nico instinctively glanced at Cedrick and spoke with a slightly anxious tone, “The Gwendolyn that we found is an imposter. She passed away on the operating table this morning.”

There was silence on Charles’ end for quite some time after he heard what Nico said. It was as if the former needed to process the news.

After a long while, he still did not say anything.

Even Nico sensed something was off with Charles and could not help but raise his voice, “Charles, where on earth have you been?”

Before, Charles would have been extremely anxious upon hearing that something had happened with Gwendolyn. However, he remained calm and did not ask anything after learning that the Gwendolyn they found was an imposter while the real Gwendolyn remained missing.

There was definitely something wrong with him.

Nico gritted his teeth and said with emphasis, “Charles, you’d better don’t resort to any extreme actions. You know Federal Bureau of Investigation’s influence in Chanaea very well, and the truth will be exposed sooner or later. You…” However, he was interrupted by Cedrick’s cold glare. Nico’s words trailed off, and he did not say anything more. “You’re on your own!”

With that said, he hung up the phone and walked to Cedrick, his head hanging low, knowing he had made a mistake. Nico’s broad shoulders slumped slightly, and he helplessly clenched his fists. “I’m sorry, Cedrick. I couldn’t control myself and threatened him a little.”

Before Cedrick could respond, Swain spoke up first. “Boss, we’ve located him. The signal is weak, but there’s no sign of movement at the moment.”

“Where is he?” Cedrick rose to his feet and walked over, looking at the red dot on the computer screen.

Swain answered, “He’s at a small village about ten kilometers from Quawak. No. Actually, he seems to be in the mountains behind the village. It’s far from the transmission tower, which is why the signal is so weak.”

It’s strange for someone to run off to a remote village suddenly. Something fishy must be going on.

“How long would it take to drive there?” Cedrick asked.

Swain swiftly and efficiently checked the map software and replied, “We can only take the highway by car. The mountain roads are too small, so if we were to hike up, we probably wouldn’t get there by today.”

It’s too time-consuming.

Cedrick narrowed his eyes, and his expression darkened. He quickly turned around, put on his coat, and ordered, “Bring a team and have ten helicopters here within half an hour.”

He could not wait that long. Flying there directly was the most straightforward option.

Swain opened the computer’s 3D map mode and examined the satellite image of the mountaintop. “Yes, Boss. It can be done. There’s a small plateau on that mountain. It’s perfect for helicopters to land. I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

“Okay.”

Throughout the entire process, Nico stood motionless by the side, completely ignored by everyone else.

His intuition told him that he had acted emotionally this time. Nico eagerly volunteered for the task. “Cedrick, I’ll go get a team and will get ready to leave later.”

Cedrick turned to glare at Nico, taking slow steps as he approached the latter. In a stern tone, he declared, “You’d better pray that Charles won’t run. If your unnecessary talk just now alerted him and caused a delay in official matters, I will hold you professionally and personally accountable for this grave mistake.”

Nico’s face turned pale, and his back stiffened as soon as the words came out of Cedrick’s mouth.

He understood what Cedrick meant.

Professionally, it meant disciplinary action from the bureau, and he might be suspended or even removed from his position as deputy director.

On a personal level, it meant facing the disciplinary measures of the Jenson family. Nico might be taken to the ancestral hall and severely punished with a whip.

Ever since becoming the adopted son of the Jenson family, Nico had never been reprimanded by Cedrick in front of the family. However, this time, Cedrick mentioned the family’s disciplinary measures. It was evident that he was genuinely furious with Nico’s reckless actions.

If Charles escaped, it would be his fault.

Nico pursed his lips, swallowed the dry lump in his throat, and obediently nodded. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault, and I’ll accept any punishment.”

With a cold and stern expression, Cedrick coolly withdrew his gaze and walked away, leaving Nico behind.

Nico sighed, silently followed Cedrick, and headed to gather the personnel for the mission.

Over half an hour later, five helicopters were positioned in a formation on the bureau’s rooftop, ready to take off.

The personnel armed with rifles boarded the helicopters in an orderly and swift manner, taking less than five minutes. With the booming sound of the helicopter rotors, the formation set off toward the countryside.

Not long after, while Charles was busy picking vegetables in the field, he heard the sound of helicopters from above.

The noise was loud, making it hard to ignore.

Charles chuckled and shook his head. Then, he looked at his watch. It had only been an hour and twenty minutes since he received Nico’s call, and Cedrick was already there.

This is such a remote place, but he arrived surprisingly fast.

A hint of desolation flashed in Charles’ eyes. He suddenly remembered the open grassy mountaintop area and realized the helicopters would likely descend there. After that, Cedrick and his team would use coordinates to find them as they made their way down.

He placed the freshly picked vegetables into a bamboo basket, then returned to the courtyard of his modest house. Charles set the basket down and said to the woman inside the house, “I have some guests who have arrived. I need to go out for a while, but I’ll be back soon.”

From inside the house came the woman’s question. “How many guests are there? Are they having dinner here? Does that mean we need to prepare a few more dishes?”

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a youthful tone.

“There’s no need for that. This house is small and can’t accommodate them. Plus, there won’t be any opportunities in the future for us to entertain guests,” Charles replied with a smile.

The woman continued, “Megan will return soon, so please pick up the guests quickly. If you miss mealtime, she’ll get upset.”

“Okay. I won’t take long.”

After saying that, Charles took a couple of deep breaths of the fresh mountain air and slowly made his way to the mountaintop.