Chapter 195

Chapter 195

“Understood!”

The subordinates didn’t waste a second and scattered at once.

Soon after, the entire Harborview City was completely locked down.

The courtyard emptied out in an instant. Kane pushed down the anxiety and rage boiling inside him.

He forced himself to stay calm, walked into the villa alone, and carefully checked the scene for clues.

The yard was a mess. Bullet casings covered the ground, and bullet marks of different depths were everywhere. Bloodstains were scattered all over.

It was obvious a brutal close-quarters fight and heavy gun battle had taken place right in front of the house.

But the further he looked, the tighter Kane’s brows drew together.

Once he stepped inside the villa, the scene was completely different.

The living room was spotless. The furniture was neatly arranged, and the coffee table and decorations were untouched. The cups and vases on the table sat perfectly in place. There were no signs of a fight, not even a single mess or stray item anywhere.

The whole house was quiet and clean.

It didn’t look like anyone had been kidnapped at all.

Kane’s eyes sharpened. A heavy suspicion rose in his chest.

Outside there had been gunfire and life-or-death fighting, yet inside everything was untouched and spotless. That was too strange.

If enemies had stormed the place by force, they couldn’t have fought only outside and left the inside completely undamaged.

There was only one answer.

Kane muttered under his breath, “Was it someone they knew? The other side didn’t break in violently, and the family didn’t fight back hard. Maybe they were lured out, or taken while caught off guard?”

Just as he was thinking, two sets of hurried footsteps rushed in from outside.

Thorin and Bayonet charged into the villa.

Both looked grim, their faces full of guilt and self-blame.

“Mr. Lockwood, we’re back.”

Thorin spoke in a heavy voice, sounding guilty. “We followed the hidden tunnel and caught one of the core guys who tried to run, but…”

Bayonet cut in, looking frustrated. “It wasn’t Howard. Just one of his trusted men.”

“The moment we grabbed him, he bit into the poison hidden in his mouth and died on the spot. No clues left behind.”

Both men lowered their heads, full of guilt and speaking in heavy tones. They had thrown so many people into the chase and only caught someone useless. They had nothing.

Kane took a deep breath and had already calmed down. He waved a hand lightly. “It’s fine. This isn’t your fault.”

Thorin and Bayonet were surprised to see Kane so calm. “Mr. Lockwood? Do you have a lead?”

Kane’s eyes were deep as he slowly said, “From the start, this was a trap Howard set up carefully.”

“He leaked the lab’s hiding spot on purpose and showed his own tracks just to pull me and all of you away from the villa and out of the city.”

“The fight at the lab, the Enhanced Human blocking the way, Tyler’s suicide trap—everything was just to buy time and throw us off.”

“His real target the whole time was my family.”

After hearing his clear breakdown, Thorin and Bayonet felt a chill down their backs, anger rising fast.

“That Howard is too cunning and vicious!”

Bayonet gritted his teeth, eyes full of killing intent. “If we ever catch him, I’ll tear him to pieces. No mercy.”

Thorin looked worried, brows tight. “Mr. Lockwood, now that Mrs. Lockwood and Ms. Lockwood are in his hands, they’re in real danger. What do we do? Are they safe?”

Before he could finish, Kane spoke steadily and with certainty. “No need to worry.”

“Howard went through all this trouble and even sacrificed his own men and used every card he had just to take them. He doesn’t want to hurt them—he wants to get to me.”

“Until he gets what he wants, Isabelle and Winnie are completely safe. They’re not in any danger.”

“It won’t be long before he contacts me himself.”

Thorin and Bayonet looked at each other, full of deep respect. In such a messy situation, everyone else was panicking, but Kane stayed clear-headed and in control. He was sharp.

Bayonet bowed right away and asked, “Mr. Lockwood, what should we do now? We can’t just sit here and wait for them to reach out.”

“Of course not.”

Kane’s eyes turned cold as he gave orders. “Follow every clue left from the lab and every connection Howard has. Keep digging.”

Thorin stepped forward at once, taking charge. “I’ll handle this. I’ll dig until we find everything.”

“Why you? I’m better for this job!”

Bayonet refused to back down and jumped in to grab the task. The two looked ready to fight on the spot.

Kane raised a hand to stop them and looked at Bayonet. “Thorin will dig into the clues and track Howard.”

“Bayonet, I have something else for you.”

Bayonet blinked, then asked quickly, “Mr. Lockwood, what is it? Just say the word!”

Kane’s eyes flashed with meaning. “Take men and search the whole city for Isabelle and Winnie. Don’t do it quietly. Make it loud so everyone knows. Use every person you can and turn the city upside down.”

In that moment, Bayonet understood exactly what Kane meant.

This wasn’t just about finding them. It was a show for Howard!

They were creating the appearance of panic to confuse the enemy, throw off his rhythm, and hide the real moves they were making in secret.

“Got it!”

Bayonet didn’t hesitate. He turned and left.

He gathered a large group right away and stormed out of the villa with plenty of noise, starting a loud, city-wide search.

Kane didn’t fall asleep until five in the morning.

When he opened his eyes, it was already noon.

The huge villa felt empty and dead silent.

No more Isabelle’s soft voice.

No more Winnie’s laughter and play.

The quiet made his chest feel heavy.

Kane was too annoyed to even think about cooking. He changed into casual clothes and headed out alone to grab something quick at a restaurant near the villa.

The restaurant had a nice, soft-lit atmosphere. Most of the customers were well-known people in the city, and the place felt calm and relaxed.

Kane glanced around, about to find an empty seat.

Just then, loud, showy footsteps came from the entrance.

A man and a woman walked in arm in arm, acting close and drawing plenty of attention.

The man wore a custom designer suit and a flashy luxury watch on his wrist. His face carried the arrogant look of a spoiled rich kid. It was the well-known playboy Cameron Rourke.

Clinging to his side was a beautiful, curvy woman with heavy makeup and a seductive air. She was the rising star Lisa Lopez.

Lisa had met Cameron at a top bar in the city not long ago. The two hit it off fast and had been inseparable since.

They laughed and teased each other as they walked, eyes straight ahead, not noticing Kane at all.

As they passed him, Lisa’s hurried steps made her bump hard into Kane’s side.

The iced juice in her hand tipped over, spilling most of it onto her white crystal shoes.

“My shoes!”

Lisa let out a sharp scream, her face full of pain and anger.

She looked at the dirty shoes and her expression darkened. “These are the limited-edition crystal shoes I had someone buy for me from overseas! They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this is the first time I’ve worn them!”

Cameron’s face turned cold. He spun around and glared at Kane. “Are you blind? Standing there blocking the way and ruining my woman’s shoes!”

He lifted his chin, full of arrogance. “Now, get down and lick them clean. Or I’ll make sure you have no place left in Harborview City!”

Kane was already burning with rage over Isabelle and Winnie’s disappearance and had nowhere to let it out.

Now some spoiled rich kid dared to push him around. It lit the fuse on all the anger he’d been holding in.

“Looking to die!”

Before Cameron could say another word, Kane’s eyes went cold. His right leg snapped forward and kicked hard straight at Cameron.