CHAPTER 774

After jotting down the two series of numbers, Cedrick kept the repaired phone and placed a bank card on the table.

“This is your compensation. You know the rules; keep this matter to yourself.”

He sounded so icy that there was not a hint of emotion in his voice.

Owen nodded anxiously. “Don’t worry, Mr. Jenson. I understand.”

After retrieving the phone, Cedrick made his way back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation swiftly.

It had been over twenty hours since Gwendolyn went missing.

As Harris Group needed to operate per usual, Cedrick had called its personal assistant, instructing to have all schedules and contract-signing events postponed.

To avoid causing a buzz, he told the Harris family nothing about this incident, instead focusing on investigations.

After running a check on the two unsaved phone numbers, the man learned that they belonged to real people and came from a hospital overseas.

The numbers belonged to a female doctor whom the owner of the phone had contacted.

While this didn’t seem to help much, Cedrick couldn’t help but feel dubious about the two overseas numbers.

Nico and Swain made progress by noon.

After going through every road’s surveillance footage, they saw that the black vehicle had last appeared on a market street in a certain small town called Quawak.

There were little to no surveillance cameras in that rural area, so the Federal Bureau of Investigation could only secure a vague location of the car. : text © owner.

Furthermore, there was no footage of the vehicle leaving the town.

Cedrick used a red marker to circle Quawak on the map, then instructed, “Nico, get Team Four ready to come with me to Quawak. Also, tell the reserve police in this area to seal off all of Quawak’s roads by today.”

Nico appeared stumped. “I’ll go instead. Quawak’s pretty far from Salinsburgh, so it’ll take a long time to get there and come back. If you were to go there personally, you wouldn’t make it back to the lab in time to keep Benny and Zendy company. There’s no way I’d be able to handle them by myself.”

Cedrick had to find his wife while watching over his children.

After a brief pause, he eventually settled with his prior decision anyway.

“I’ll go. If I don’t get back in time, help me look after the kids. I’ll come back as soon as I can,” he stated adamantly, showing no room for resistance.

Aware that he couldn’t convince the man otherwise, Nico said nothing more and did as told so the latter could leave and return sooner.

It was a hectic day for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Neville busied himself with investigations before he could even see to the tragic case of the Cloud family’s annihilation.

Due to what had happened to the Clouds, all the upper-class households in Salinsburgh were now on high alert, worried about being the next possible target.

The skies remained dark after the rain, making the entire city look gloomy.

Over ten hours later, Cedrick got into his car.

His trip had been completely futile.

Despite the whole town having been closed off, the suspect had managed to slip away. The more we try to go after them, the more they seem to vanish. We couldn’t even find that black car from last night.

They had failed to make any progress from this blanket search, and whatever new intel they had received earlier was of no use.

Cedrick gazed out at the dark sky and turned to his watch. It’ll be past eleven by the time I get back. How is Nico handling the kids?

He cast his worries aside and began to analyze all the results of their investigations from the past two days, along with how their target had been eluding them.

Not even a repeat offender would ever know the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s methods—or Cedrick’s, for that matter—so well.

Yet, this person seemed to understand the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cedrick like the back of his or her hand.

At this point, Cedrick couldn’t help but remember his old comrade on the run—Joe Landon.

The suspicions in his heart only grew stronger.

It was midnight when Cedrick finally arrived back at the laboratory.

His long lashes unable to conceal the tiredness in his eyes, the man pushed the door open and heard no sounds of laughter.

Instead, he was met with silence and a dimly lit bedside lamp.

Nico sat next to the bed, watching over the children while on the verge of dozing off.

Benedict and Zendaya lay in bed, seemingly having fallen asleep long ago.

Cedrick was surprised. “You actually managed to get them to sleep? Unbelievable,” he whispered.

Nico shook his head in slight embarrassment. “You overestimate me. I really have to give it to them for behaving so well tonight, though. Zendy threw such a huge fit at first, but after Benny started acting like Gwendolyn and read Zendy a story, the girl actually fell asleep. Then, he went to bed with her without me having to talk him into it.”

Cedrick was taken aback upon hearing that.

Benny actually took up the role of a parent and helped put Zendy to sleep while I wasn’t around?

Thanks to the little boy, a sense of relief washed over him after a long day of feeling unsettled.

“You must be tired, Cedrick. Get some rest in the room next door. I’ll watch over Benny and Zendy,” Nico offered.

Yet, Cedrick walked over slowly, pulled up a chair, and sat at the bedside. “It’s fine. I’ll stay here. Summer must be waiting for you at home, so you should go. I don’t want to bother your quiet time with your wife.”

Nico lowered his head in shame at the thought of Summer sitting anxiously on the couch waiting for him. “In that case… have a good rest. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

Cedrick nodded.

Suddenly remembering that Zendaya once complained about the breakfast here at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he added, “Have Summer make two sets of breakfast. A child’s portion will do. Don’t add any peppers to Zendy’s food.”

“Sure thing.”

As soon as Nico left, Cedrick leaned closer to the bed and hovered over the children to kiss their foreheads.

Benedict rubbed his eyes and blinked before clinging to his father’s arm. “You’ve been working so hard, Daddy,” he muttered in a half-awake state.

Cedrick froze for a long while.

Whenever the family of four slept together, Benedict would never cling to him like this.

Was the little boy finally leaning on him after not seeing Gwendolyn for two days?

Cedrick caressed his son’s cheek and smiled bitterly.

Look at that, Gwenny. The boy’s finally growing close to me. If you don’t come back soon, I’m going to have all his attention, and he’ll never cling to you again.

When Gwendolyn was abducted during the milk powder incident, she had specifically left him a trail.

This time, however, she had provided him with nothing to follow.

It’s been two days since she went missing, but we haven’t heard anything yet. Where on earth could she be?

His eyes were tired and heart aching, Cedrick suppressed his anguish and pressed his forehead against Benedict’s. Then, while remaining seated on the chair, he sprawled his upper body over the

bed and went to sleep.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation spent three whole days scouring the entire city of Salinsburgh.

Yet, every time they received a new update and rushed over, the enemy always seemed to be one step ahead.

Cedrick’s belief that Joe was behind this grew with each passing day.

He was on the verge of losing his sanity by Day Five. At his wits’ end, he decided to dial one of the unknown phone numbers using his own device.

Someone finally picked up at the tenth ring.

Yet, while the papers showed that the number belonged to a woman, a man with a deep voice answered the call.