Chapter 165 Go to a New Place

Chapter 165 Go to a New Place

Tessa didn't quite believe what Oliver was saying.

"Cecilia just had a conversation with us yesterday. Her location showed Majestic City."

Oliver made a sound of acknowledgment, propping his chin on one hand, looking thoughtful.

"Aside from coming to Majestic City to help me that one time, Cecilia has barely left the Arkbridge Group branch. She's known all along that what she's doing is illegal, so she's always tried to minimize her public appearances."

"What if her location showed Majestic City because she's actually in Harmony City, but routed the signal through a computer in Majestic City?"

Seeing their blank expressions, Oliver explained as simply as possible. "Like she's livestreaming from Harmony City, but the Majestic City hotel is just a relay station. Or maybe what we're seeing is just a shared video feed?"

Cecilia was too cunning. She'd figured out early on that they had Eve, a top-tier hacker, so she used this simple IP masking technique—never expecting to be exposed by a complete amateur.

After leaving the prison, Tessa and Ryan made a split-second decision to go to Harmony City.

They rushed to buy tickets on the earliest flight.

When they arrived, the sky hung heavy with clouds, as if even the heavens knew something big was about to happen and had sent advance warning.

Tessa flagged down a cab.

"Where to?" the driver asked, leaning out.

"The Arkbridge Group branch," Tessa said.

At that address, Ryan clearly saw the driver's expression darken.

About a kilometer away, the driver refused to go any further. He was terrified of being associated with the Arkbridge Group.

It went without saying—the Arkbridge Group was in trouble, and ordinary people feared getting caught up in it.

After they got out, the driver hit the gas and took off.

He'd been right. The Arkbridge Group branch was completely under police control, surrounded by armed officers patrolling back and forth. The moment they spotted Tessa and Ryan, they went on high alert.

After hearing their explanation, the Harmony City police quickly contacted their counterparts in Majestic City. Once they understood the situation, they finally believed Tessa and Ryan.

"When we go in, you can follow along. It'll help with evidence collection," Tessa said.

After deliberation, the Harmony City police assigned four armed officers to escort Tessa and Ryan inside.

The group entered with flashlights, searching for Cecilia.

"How much contraband was involved?" Tessa asked.

Under Astorian law, smuggling over fifty grams of prohibited drugs meant the death penalty.

"Around five tons of finished product, plus a pile of raw materials," the officer said. It wasn't classified information, so he gave them a rough figure.

Tessa felt relieved.

Criminals should face punishment. Cecilia and Oliver had hurt plenty of people—death wouldn't be too high a price.

As they walked deeper inside, the lighting grew dimmer, like descending into the ocean depths, surrounded by vague, shifting shadows.

In the vast, maze-like space, only the sound of footsteps echoed. Tessa's heart pounded faster and faster.

The closer she got to the truth, the harder it became to contain her excitement.

She reached the innermost section of the industrial park, where only pipes and conduits remained. The four accompanying officers were visibly tense.

Following Oliver's instructions, Tessa knocked along the wall as she went.

Finally, she found a spot that seemed hollow. When she knocked, it clearly felt different from the rest.

"This is it."

Oliver hadn't lied to them. Tessa turned to Ryan.

According to Oliver, Cecilia had only brought him here once, and he didn't know where the entrance switch was.

Tessa turned on her phone's flashlight. In the dim light, she felt around the area.

She didn't know much about these things, so she pressed any suspicious-looking button she found.

The officer couldn't take it anymore. With a hand gesture, he stopped her.

"Don't touch anything randomly. What if they planted a bomb here?"

Tessa tensed up, immediately grabbing Ryan's arm.

She'd trusted Oliver so completely—believing he'd tell the truth when backed into a corner—that she hadn't taken any precautions.

A chill ran down her spine. Tessa quickly stepped aside for the professionals.

Using infrared equipment, they searched the area for a while before finally finding a floor button.

They pressed it gently, and the wall they'd identified as hollow rumbled open.

Inside was an enormous space, easily over a hundred square feet.

It had all the functional areas of a residential home. Tessa heard someone beside her exclaim.

"Damn, this is nicer than our barracks."

The Grey family were wealthy merchants from Silver Ridge District, known for their lavish spending.

If anything, Cecilia hiding out here was beneath her usual standards.

Tessa was about to explain just how wealthy the Grey family was when someone suddenly shouted.

"Cecilia!"

A figure in a white dress flashed past their peripheral vision. Two officers moved like panthers, chasing after her.

Ryan instinctively reached out, grabbing Tessa's hand as they followed.

By the time they reached the end of the corridor, Cecilia had been pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Seeing Tessa and Ryan catch up, she smiled—wild and unrestrained.

"You think catching me solves anything?"

"Let me tell you—"

Tessa grabbed a rag hanging from a pipe, wadded it up, and stuffed it into Cecilia's mouth.

"Shut up already!"

The Harmony City police arrested Cecilia on the spot and took her to Harmony City jail.

Three days later.

News broke that Cecilia, the main suspect in the drug case, had been captured in Harmony City. All the scandals and accusations weighing on the Arkbridge Group were cleared.

Oliver was behind bars, but Tessa didn't rush to distance the company from him.

The Arkbridge Group released an official thousand-word statement acknowledging Oliver's wrongdoing during his tenure as president. They offered a sincere apology and promised full cooperation with the investigation.

With that, the case that had shocked nearly half of Astoria was finally resolved.

The Grey family was implicated as well. Their domestic holdings were liquidated, significantly weakening their power.

Everything was getting back on track. The tension Tessa and Ryan had been carrying finally eased.

"Let's go back to Zephyria," Tessa said, arranging everything before taking Ryan's hand.

They needed to find out what had really happened with Brian and Nova.

Just before boarding the plane, Ryan received an international call from Adam.

"Mr. Williams, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

Faced with this classic question, Ryan asked expressionlessly, "Which one do you want to tell me?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins are fine. Everything that happened was just a setup they arranged."

Ryan's grip on Tessa's hand tightened. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a giant fist.

The roller-coaster emotional whiplash left him suddenly relaxed.

"And the bad news?" Ryan asked.

"They're gone. Said they're traveling the world. You're now the head of the Dobbins family. Frank and all those rebels are waiting for you to deal with them."

A vein pulsed at Ryan's temple. After hanging up, his fingers still trembled slightly.

Tessa smiled at him, pulling Ryan toward the terminal.

"Come on. New place, new challenges."

Ryan paused for a moment, then a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his eyes.

At least this time, Tessa would be by his side.