Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Bradley's phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID—an unfamiliar local number.

He got up and walked to the window to answer it.

"Hello? ... Yes, that's me. What? ... You're sure? ... Okay, send me the address, keep eyes on her, we're coming right away!"

His voice suddenly turned serious. After hanging up, he strode back to the table, his expression grave.

"Elaine,"

He lowered his voice, glancing at Vera, who was eating intently. "Our people have news. In Silverwood next door, they've spotted someone who looks like... the fake Kathy."

Elaine's chopsticks clattered onto the table.

"What?"

Her voice instantly tensed. "Silverwood? Are they sure? How is she? Is she safe?"

A string of questions poured out.

That fake Kathy—the woman who had stolen her research, who had nearly destroyed her—had appeared again!

"The details aren't clear yet. The informant just said the physical features match closely, and her behavior seems strange. She's been hanging around near an old apartment complex. They didn't want to tip her off, so they're just following from a distance."

Bradley spoke rapidly. "We need to get there right away. Silverwood is about two hours' drive from here."

Elaine didn't hesitate for a second and immediately stood up.

Dinner, the joy of being cleared—all of it was scattered by this sudden news.

That fake Kathy held too many secrets. The organization behind her, her connection to her mother's disappearance, possibly even links to the project she was currently researching... They had to catch her!

"Vera..."

She looked at her daughter, a flash of guilt in her eyes.

She had only just brought her daughter back.

Bradley immediately understood her dilemma. "I'll take you back first, get Vera settled, then we'll go to Silverwood."

"No, there's not enough time."

Elaine made a quick decision. She crouched down, looked at her daughter, and said in as calm a voice as she could manage, "Vera, Mommy and Bradley have something very important to do right away. You'll go home with Remy first and go to sleep like a good girl, okay? Mommy promises to come back as soon as we're done."

Vera blinked her big eyes, seeming a bit confused, but she could see the urgency in her mother's eyes.

She nodded obediently and held out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise, Mommy will come back soon."

Elaine's heart ached. She hooked her daughter's little finger. "Pinky promise, Mommy will come back as soon as possible."

She quickly paid the bill, picked up Vera, and hurried out of the restaurant with Bradley.

The car first raced back to her apartment, where they handed Vera over to the anxiously waiting Remy, giving her careful instructions.

After settling everything, without further delay, Elaine got back into Bradley's car.

The car turned around and headed toward Silverwood.

When the car entered Silverwood, night had fallen deep.

Unlike the bustling city they came from, Silverwood looked more run-down. The streets were narrow, there weren't many tall buildings, and many structures still retained their style from the last century.

Bradley parked the car at a relatively quiet street corner. Not far away, a sharp-looking young man quickly walked over and reported in a low voice.

"Mr. Lewis, Ms. Brown."

The man nodded to them both, then spoke rapidly. "The target appeared near the old factory district. After buying water and bread at a convenience store, she entered the complex and went into Building 3, Unit 2. We confirmed she went up to the fourth floor and entered the east apartment. That area is an old complex with no proper management, very few cameras, multiple exits and entrances—the layout is complicated."

"Our people found an observation point in the building across the way. We can see the window of that apartment, but there's a thin curtain drawn, so we can't see what's going on inside clearly."

Bradley pondered for a moment and looked at Elaine. "What do you think?"

"This is very likely a hideout."

Elaine's voice was tense. "She was exposed at the lab. Normally, she should have fled far away immediately, but instead she came to neighboring Silverwood and entered such a loosely managed old complex."

She paused, her gaze sharply sweeping over the dark cluster of old buildings in the distance. "Unless this place is safe enough for her, and there are people here to help her."

Bradley nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

He didn't hesitate any longer and immediately took out his phone to make a call.

"Mobilize all available personnel we have in Silverwood immediately. Get to the old factory district area and stand by."

After hanging up, he looked at Elaine, his eyes equally determined. "Whether this is her nest or a transit point, since we're here, we can't let her escape again."

Elaine's gaze was equally firm. She nodded.

The night wind blew past. The two stood in the shadows, their eyes locked tightly on that lit window in the distance.

Time passed second by second, each second feeling exceptionally long.

The personnel Bradley had mobilized quietly gathered, dispersing into various hidden corners of the old complex.

Soon, reports came through the walkie-talkie: "Mr. Lewis, target confirmed still inside, hasn't moved."

"Window still closed, curtain hasn't been opened."

"Situation with other residents in the building has been preliminarily assessed. Only the east and west apartments on the fourth floor are occupied. The west apartment has an elderly couple who have turned off their lights and gone to sleep. No other suspicious personnel activity detected."

Information kept coming in, and the situation seemed increasingly clear.

The fake mother was alone, hiding in this shabby hideout.

Elaine's heart was beating fast. She took a deep breath and said to Bradley, "We can't wait any longer. The longer we wait, the more can go wrong. Let's go up directly."

"No, it's too dangerous."

Bradley immediately refused, his brow furrowed. "She's too dangerous. Who knows what she'll do this time? I'll take people up, you wait here."

"I have to go."

Elaine's attitude was exceptionally firm, her eyes blazing as she looked at him. "Only if I face her directly can I tell truth from lies in what she says the fastest, can I ask the most critical details about my mother."

She paused, her tone softening slightly but still unyielding. "Bradley, I understand your concern. But I've waited too long. This is the closest I've been to the truth. Let me go."

Bradley looked at the unwavering light in her eyes and knew that further persuasion would be useless.

In the end, he could only compromise, but with conditions attached. "Fine, you can go, but you must stay behind me and follow my orders."

Elaine nodded.

Before going upstairs, her gaze swept around the area. She bent down and picked up a shard of broken porcelain from the edge of a planter, quickly wrapped it with a tissue she carried, and gripped it tightly in her palm.

Bradley saw her action, his eyes darkening, but ultimately didn't stop her.

He just stepped forward, blocking her path, and said in a low voice, "Stay close to me."

The two of them, along with two of their most capable men, silently slipped into the dim stairwell.

Soon, they stopped in front of the worn security door on the fourth floor.

The faint sound of a television could be heard from inside, very quiet.

Elaine and Bradley exchanged a glance.