Chapter 81: The Prey Enters the Net

Fifth Avenue Cafe.

Rhys and Elena hugged each other tightly.

"Rhys, how could you be so foolish..."

Elena buried her face in Rhys's shoulder, her voice full of concern. "What if your sister's people catch you?"

"I'm not afraid..."

Rhys said with feigned emotion, "As long as I can see you, I'm not afraid of anything..."

Elena gently patted his back, but a flash of cold killing intent crossed her eyes.

Idiot.

What a complete moron.

Her right hand silently pulled out a specially made micro syringe from her coat pocket.

The needle was extremely fine.

Inside was a powerful anesthetic widely traded on the South American black market.

Just a few drops could make an adult male lose consciousness within three seconds and remain unconscious for at least six hours.

And...

It didn’t leave any visible needle marks.

"Rhys..."

Elena murmured softly, "Let's never be apart again, okay?"

"Okay!"

Rhys nodded vigorously.

Just then.

Elena's right hand suddenly moved!

The micro syringe shot out like a viper's tongue, precisely aimed at the back of Rhys's neck.

That was one of the most vulnerable spots on the body.

Once the injection succeeded, Rhys would be unconscious within three seconds.

However.

Just as the needle was about to pierce his skin.

Rhys's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

But he still forced himself to maintain the embrace, without any resistance.

The needle pierced the skin.

Cold liquid entered his bloodstream.

A triumphant smile curved Elena's lips.

Success.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

"Elena... I... I feel so dizzy..."

Rhys's body began to sway, his voice growing weak.

"It's okay, it's okay..."

Elena gently supported him. "You're just tired. Get some sleep. When you wake up, we'll be free."

"I..."

Rhys's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Finally, he went completely limp in Elena's arms, losing consciousness entirely.

Elena quickly scanned her surroundings.

There weren't many customers inside, and they were all absorbed in their own worlds, no one noticing anything unusual here.

She helped Rhys stand up and smiled apologetically at the barista.

"Sorry, my boyfriend had too much to drink."

"No problem."

The barista nodded politely.

Elena supported the "drunk" Rhys and slowly walked out of the cafe.

A black van was parked outside.

The door automatically opened.

Elena stuffed Rhys into the back seat, then climbed in herself.

"Drive."

She said coldly to the driver.

The driver was a burly South American mercenary with a vicious knife scar running along his neck.

He didn't speak, just nodded, and started the vehicle.

The van slowly pulled away from Fifth Avenue, merging into the sea of traffic.

Inside the vehicle.

Elena checked Rhys's pulse.

Good.

Steady heartbeat, even breathing.

The anesthetic dosage was just right.

She pulled out the encrypted phone and dialed a number.

"Target acquired."

Her voice had completely lost its earlier tenderness, replaced by the cold, mechanical tone characteristic of a professional killer.

"Well done."

A deep male voice came through the phone.

"According to the original plan, take him to warehouse number three in Brooklyn. I've prepared everything."

"Understood."

Elena hung up.

She glanced at the still-unconscious Rhys, a cruel smile curving her lips.

"Rhys Vanderbilt, you really are an idiot."

She reached out, gently stroking Rhys's cheek.

"Once we drain every last cent from your sister..."

Meanwhile.

Three hundred feet from the Fifth Avenue cafe, on the top floor of a building.

Olivia sat in front of high-tech equipment, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

On the screen was a real-time updated map of New York.

A red dot was slowly moving across the map.

That was the micro tracker implanted in Rhys.

Only the size of a grain of rice, implanted under the skin tissue at the back of his neck.

Even professional security equipment would have trouble detecting it.

"Boss, target is moving toward Brooklyn."

Olivia reported through her earpiece.

"Good."

Leo's cold voice came through the earpiece. "Continue tracking. Lock down the final destination."

"Yes!"

Olivia's eyes stayed glued to the screen.

At the same time, she activated another monitoring system.

It was a tracking network built on satellites and the citywide surveillance camera grid.

Once the target vehicle's license plate was locked, its route could be tracked in real time.

"Target vehicle, black Chevrolet van, license plate NYK-7829."

Olivia quickly entered the information.

The screen immediately displayed the vehicle's real-time location.

"Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge now... target appears to be the Brooklyn industrial district."

"Continue."

Leo said flatly.

At this moment, he was sitting in a black Maybach.

The car followed that van at a distance of 1000 feet.

Not too close, not too far.

Close enough to maintain surveillance, but not close enough to be detected.

The other three members of the Shadow squad were each driving different vehicles, tracking from different directions.

Together, they formed a perfect net around the target.

"Boss, Elena just made a phone call."

Olivia continued reporting. "We intercepted the conversation. The other party told her to take Rhys to warehouse number three in Brooklyn."

"Warehouse number three..."

A gleam flashed in Leo's eyes.

"Look up information on that warehouse."

"Already on it."

Olivia's fingers danced across the keyboard.

Soon, detailed information appeared on the screen.

"Warehouse number three, located on Red Hook Street in the Brooklyn industrial district."

"Officially listed as an abandoned cannery."

"But according to our satellite thermal imaging... There are at least twenty people inside."

"Good."

Leo sat in the darkness, his long fingers holding a cigar, the orange glow flickering on and off, illuminating his eyes that were as deep as an abyss.

"Follow them." Leo exhaled a puff of smoke lightly. "Keep your distance, don't alert them."

"Yes!"

The Maybach, like a leopard lurking in the night, stayed locked on Elena's trail from afar.

Forty minutes later.

Queens, on the edge of an abandoned industrial park.

The area was deserted and overgrown with weeds, several huge abandoned factory buildings looming in the night like steel beasts with their jaws agape.

Elena's car drove into a spacious factory building and came to a steady stop.

Inside the building, three black SUVs were already parked.

More than a dozen armed personnel in black tactical gear, carrying weapons, were scattered around on high alert.

Elena opened the car door and stepped out in her high heels.

"You brought him?"

Accompanied by steady footsteps, a man in a gray trench coat with a black mask covering his face slowly emerged from the depths of the factory.

His eyes were sinister, his whole bearing steeped in the blood-soaked aura of someone who had long walked the line between life and death.

"Commander Stinger."

Elena bowed her head respectfully.

The man before her was another senior leader of the Nightfall organization in North America, code-named "Stinger." He was also the field commander directly in charge of this operation to capture Rhys.

"In the car. Hit with a high-concentration anesthetic, he should be out for at least five hours." Elena pointed to the passenger seat, her tone carrying a hint of seeking credit.

Stinger walked to the car and yanked open the passenger door.

Looking at Rhys, collapsed in the seat with his eyes tightly closed, Stinger let out a satisfied, cold laugh.

"Well done, Elena. The organization didn't waste its efforts creating a false identity for you and planting you in the Vanderbilt family."

Stinger turned his head, a cruel, cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Tie him up and drag him inside!"

He waved his hand with a sinister smile. "With Sophia's own brother as leverage, let's see how that Leo, who's been talked up like some kind of legend, can still act tough this time!"