Chapter 283 Take Action

Chapter 283 Take Action

Images of Serenity lying in a hospital bed flashed involuntarily before Sophia's eyes.

In her past life, Serenity had protected her, and because of that, Isabella held a grudge against her, shoved her down a flight of stairs, and she lay there for over ten years, never opening her eyes again until she died.

This lifetime, because of her once again, he had to endure James's blindness and then his kidnapping, one blow after another.

This debt of gratitude was something she could never repay in this lifetime.

Sophia sighed, and the scales in her heart ultimately tipped toward Serenity.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you," she said softly, with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

"Don't worry about it." Nathan's tone was easy. "To be honest, I don't like James. In fact, I really can't stand him."

"But I don't want to see him die in Ironcrawl for no clear reason, and I don't want to see you spend the rest of your life living with guilt over Serenity because of this."

Sophia said nothing.

Nathan was right.

She had never cared whether James lived or died.

If it weren't for Serenity, she would have been more than happy for James to disappear from this world forever.

But she couldn't just stand by and watch Serenity completely fall apart because of James's death.

"I've already got my people at the border moving. They're focusing on checking vehicles and people who crossed into Ironcrawl illegally early yesterday morning."

"I've also reached out to contacts at the industrial parks in Ironcrawl. As soon as there's any news about James, they'll notify me immediately." Nathan laid out his plans clearly. "I'll tell you as soon as I hear anything."

"Okay, thank you, Nathan." Sophia said sincerely.

"No need to thank me." Nathan's voice softened a bit. "You need to take care of yourself too. Don't push yourself too hard. Try to comfort Serenity. If there's anything else you need me to do, just call anytime."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Sophia stood in the hallway for a long time without moving.

After a while, she finally composed herself and pushed open the hospital room door.

Hearing footsteps, Serenity immediately turned her head, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Sophia, who was on the phone? Is there news about James?"

Sophia's heart ached. She walked to the bedside, sat down, and gently held her hand. "It was Nathan. He heard about what happened and said he has connections in Ironcrawl. He's already arranged for people to look for him."

"Really—really?" Serenity's eyes lit up instantly. "That's wonderful... that's really wonderful. Sophia, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."

In just a few short days, white hairs had already appeared all over Serenity's temples.

"You don't need to thank me, Serenity." Sophia sighed.

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room.

Sullivan sat in a chair wearing handcuffs, his face twisted in a crazy smile.

Byron sat across from him, his expression dark, barely holding back his anger.

"Sullivan, I'm asking you one last time. Who is Razor? What's his real name, address, and contact information? Who did you sell James to? Which specific industrial park in Ironcrawl?" Byron slammed the table and demanded sharply.

Sullivan looked up, grinned, his eyes full of mockery. "Byron, you've been asking me all afternoon. Aren't you tired? I already told you, I don't know any Razor, and I don't know where James is."

"Sullivan, don't turn down the easy way and wait until things get really ugly." The young officer beside him stood up angrily. "If you confess now, you can still get a lighter sentence."

"A lighter sentence?" Sullivan laughed so hard he doubled over. "I've got three lives on my hands—kidnapping, intentional murder—any one of those is enough for the death penalty, right? I'm going to die anyway, so why would I care about a lighter sentence?"

He leaned forward, staring at Byron with sinister eyes. "Getting the CEO of the Smith Group to die with me—that's worth it."

"You'll never find him. He'll rot in some ditch in Ironcrawl for the rest of his life. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

"You—" The young officer rushed forward to strike him but was pulled back by Byron.

Byron took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

He'd worked in criminal investigation for over twenty years and had seen countless vicious criminals, but he'd never seen anyone like Sullivan—someone who, even when cornered, could still be so utterly deranged.

"Take him away and continue the interrogation. Twenty-four-hour shifts, don't let him sleep. I don't believe we can't break him." Byron said coldly.

Two officers stepped forward, grabbed Sullivan, and dragged him out.

Sullivan laughed maniacally. "Hahaha. Don't waste your energy. I won't say anything."

The interrogation room door slammed shut.

Byron wearily rubbed his temples and said to the officer beside him, "What's the status with the border?"

"We've contacted the Ironcrawl police. They've strengthened border patrols and are checking all smuggling routes and checkpoints," the officer replied.

"But the situation in Ironcrawl is too complicated. Many areas are controlled by armed groups, and police forces can't penetrate them at all. Finding James will be extremely difficult."

Byron let out a heavy sigh.

He knew that relying solely on official channels to find a blind man in the vast expanse of Ironcrawl was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Just then, Byron's phone suddenly rang.

It was Sophia calling.

Byron immediately answered. "Hello, Ms. Brown, what's up?"

"Nathan just sent me a message saying his people spotted a suspicious black pickup truck."

"There are three men in the vehicle. One of them has his head covered and his hands tied. His build matches James very closely."

Byron's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's great. Did Mr. Vasquez say where they are exactly?"

"He said his people are already following them and sharing their location in real time. He's asking if your police can coordinate with forces in Ironcrawl to help his people intercept them," Sophia said.

"Of course," Byron replied at once. "Send me Mr. Vasquez's contact details. I'll get in touch with him right now. We'll coordinate our officers overseas immediately and fully support his operation."

"All right. I'll send you his mobile number right away."

When the call ended, Byron turned to the officer beside him and shouted, "Get in touch with the Ironcrawl consulate immediately. Bring them up to speed and ask them to coordinate with the Ironcrawl police to intercept him."

"Also, send the license plate number and vehicle description Nathan provided to all border checkpoints. If they spot the target vehicle, intercept it immediately."

"Yes, sir."

The officers sprang into action, and the entire criminal investigation unit immediately went into emergency mode.