Inside the interrogation room at the police station.

With her arms folded, Sia leaned back in her chair, fixing the chief police officer with a cold stare. “Why did you kill him?” she demanded.

“What do you mean, ‘I killed him’? Look, officer, I was just there to interrogate the criminal. I didn’t kill him,” the chief officer retorted defensively.

“So, according to you, ‘interrogation’ means silencing the criminal?” she replied sharply.

“You…” Before the chief officer could argue further, Sia suddenly slammed her fist on the table and stood up. Looking down at him icily, she said, “Look, you may be the chief officer, but that means nothing to me. You better hope I don’t find evidence against you, because if I do, what awaits you will be far worse than death.”

With a scoff, Sia turned on her heel and left the room.

Just a few minutes earlier, Sia had received a call from HK. “Something’s happened—the chief researcher is dead. He was found this morning, and it seems…the chief officer may be involved.”

Back to the present…

As Sia exited the room, she noticed her five team members standing nearby, heads bowed in dejection.

Raising her eyebrows, she asked, “What’s with all of you?”

“We…we’re sorry,” one of them mumbled.

“Why are you apologizing to me?” she asked, surprised.

“Because it was our negligence that allowed us to lose a very important suspect,” HK explained, clearly guilty.

“Yes,” Stephen added. “Even though we knew he was a critical suspect, we didn’t keep an eye on him, and now he’s dead—right under our noses.”

“You don’t need to apologize. This wasn’t your fault,” Sia replied indifferently.

“No, but—” HK paused, studying her carefully, then frowned. “Wait a minute! Why are you so calm? Given how important this clue was, you should be the most upset. Yet here you are, calm and even…comforting us?”

Leaning against the wall, Sia shrugged. “Is there any point in crying over spilled milk? Rather than wasting energy on something we can’t change, I’d rather focus on our next steps.”

“Ohh…looks like you had a good night’s sleep,” HK commented with a hint of amusement.

Sia smiled to herself, recalling her comforting time with Mu Jun. “Hmm…maybe I did.”

“Alright then, let’s head to the meeting room. We still have a lot to discuss,” she said, turning toward the hallway.

“But what about him? Are we just going to let him go like that?” Daniel asked, referring to the chief officer.

“Just keep him under surveillance. We’ll deal with him later,” Sia ordered, striding out.

In the meeting room…

As she read through the latest reports, Sia turned to her team and asked, “Any updates on those missing doctors?”

“None so far. Although we managed to stop some kidnapped individuals from being transferred out of here, we still haven’t tracked down the main culprit behind these kidnappings,” Rishi replied.

“Hmm. Keep a lookout for any information. See if any of the rescued victims can help us sketch the doctors and their accomplices. That could speed things up.”

“Understood. But how are we going to find the mastermind behind all this?” Robert asked. “We lost our only solid lead because of the chief officer’s interference, and because of protocol, we can’t even press him too hard.”

“Calm down. It’s not over yet,” Sia replied coolly.

“What do you mean?” HK asked, curious.

“We seem to have gotten sidetracked by the research base chaos. Don’t forget, this all started with a hijacking—the minister’s daughter being abducted. And it was that villa connected to her case that led us to this discovery.” Turning to HK, she continued, “Have you looked into who owns that villa?”

“Yes, I checked. According to the registration documents, the villa belongs to a Ms. Reena. I investigated her background, and it turns out she’s the deputy minister’s daughter. Interesting, isn’t it?” HK responded.

“Invite Ms. Reena in for questioning. And how is the minister’s daughter?” Sёarᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“She’s undergoing counseling and is currently resting at the hospital under tight security,” HK replied.

“Good. Stephen, visit the hospital tomorrow and get a formal statement from her.”

“Will do,” Stephen nodded.

“Robert, look into the chief officer’s recent activity. Go through his emails and phone records if needed,” Sia instructed.

“Understood.”

“David, contact all our informants in the city. Find out if there’s been any unusual activity, especially related to human trafficking or organized crime rings. Arrest anyone involved if necessary.”

“Got it,” David affirmed.

“What about Liam and Nick?”

“They’re dealing with the captives we found at the XX hospital. Since most of them are either children or infants, it’s going to take some time to verify their identities,” HK explained.

“Let Liam handle that. Assign Nick to the case of the missing doctors. We can’t let them roam freely—especially that doctor from the XX clinic, who dared to exploit children,” Sia said coldly.

“Understood.”

“Alright, get to work.”

With that, everyone dispersed, leaving Sia alone in the room. Gazing at the whiteboard filled with notes and clues, Sia muttered under her breath, “I’ll find whoever’s responsible for this. Whoever you are, don’t think you’ll escape justice. I’ll make sure you face the consequences—no matter your position or influence.”

Later, Ms. Reena, one of the suspects, arrived at the station.

Inside the interrogation room, Sia studied the woman carefully. Ms. Reena was composed, with a calm, almost diplomatic demeanor, as she met Sia’s gaze. Beside her sat a middle-aged man, her lawyer.

“Ms. Reena, may I ask what your relationship with Ms. Karen is?” Sia began.

“We were friends,” Reena replied smoothly. “My father is the deputy minister, so naturally, I have some contact with the minister. Ms. Karen and I are close in age, so we got along well. That’s all.”

“Was there ever any conflict between you two?” Sia asked, pressing gently.

Before Reena could respond, her lawyer interjected, his tone stern. “Officer Shien, you can’t question my client like this. Remember, she is a prominent member of the XX political party. It would be wise to conclude this interrogation promptly.”

Sia didn’t lose her composure. She fixed the lawyer with a cold stare and replied, “I don’t need a lawyer telling me how to do my job. And let me remind you, this is not an ordinary case, and I am not a common officer. Refusing to cooperate will not benefit either of you. So, if you choose to cooperate, great. If not…” She leaned forward, her gaze hardening. “You’ll lose the right to explain or reason. Understood?”

The lawyer looked as if he wanted to protest, but a warning look from Reena silenced him.

Sia continued, her tone unwavering. “Now, Ms. Reena, we have reason to believe that the villa where Ms. Karen was held is directly connected to these recent kidnappings. I’d advise you to cooperate fully with this investigation.”

Reena’s calm expression faltered slightly, but she maintained her composure. “I have nothing to hide, Officer. I’ll answer your questions as truthfully as I can.”

Sia leaned back, observing her carefully. Despite her composed appearance, she could tell that Reena was hiding something, and Sia intended to uncover exactly what that was.

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