CHAPTER 478: CHAPTER 286: THE HORRIFYING NUMBER OF DISAPPEARANCES_3

"Well, actually, for several years now, the nearby small towns have frequently experienced cases of tourists disappearing. At first, the towns spent a lot of manpower searching, but to no avail. The missing persons seemed to vanish into thin air, and various rumors began to circulate, affecting the towns’ businesses. This upset the residents who made their living from tourists, and gradually, with everyone’s tacit consent, the locals began to cover up these incidents."

"Wouldn’t the families of the missing persons come looking for them? And the tourists who knew about these things, wouldn’t they spread the word?"

Wade’s explanation didn’t hold up.

However, a mocking smile touched Wade’s lips. "Indeed. But none of the missing persons actively sought help or called the police before they disappeared, so there were no records. The families of the missing couldn’t blame the police department, and with the locals’ unspoken agreement, what could those people do? The most they could do is file a police report, and after some time with no results, they can only leave helplessly. The town also has people specifically assigned to remove the missing person flyers and online posts, so over the years, only the locals are aware of an unknown, man-eating presence hiding in the mountains!"

So that was it...

Wade and the others had hacking skills, often breaking into the local police department’s websites, making their words highly credible.

Dean pondered, then revealed a similarly mocking expression. "Is that why you previously claimed you were in the business of finding people, to help those poor tourists?"

Wade’s face stiffened.

But it was Jenny who, puffing up with anger, retorted, "At least we actually help search for information and provide some psychological comfort to their families, to save them from wasting time here. You have to understand, many of those who went missing hadn’t filed any reports or made distress calls beforehand. Their disappearance often only came to light when their relatives came looking for them, or when hotel staff realized they were gone. So when those families arrive, they know nothing. You can’t imagine the mental torment they suffer if you haven’t experienced it yourself. If they cause a fuss in the town, they could even be risking their lives. What’s wrong with us charging a fee?"

But Dean just sneered coldly. "You make it sound so noble, but in reality, your existence is probably just to play a role in deterring those looking for missing persons and to help eliminate negative comments about the surrounding towns on the internet, right?"

He had found it strange when he previously searched for local online commentary. After all, it’s normal for people who have friends or relatives missing in the area to put up flyers, seek help from the police, and also look for assistance in internet forums or travel chat rooms. But there was not a single piece of information. This indicated someone was deliberately controlling this information. And the three people in front of him were hackers themselves; it had likely been Jenny who had answered the phone earlier, pretending to be drunk and unprofessional. Now it seemed they were also selecting clients, enticing them, playing roles to squeeze them dry of money, and simultaneously brainwashing them so they wouldn’t have the energy or finances to search for the missing!

Just as he’d deduced.

After Dean finished speaking, the three of them silently bowed their heads.

Clearly, Dean had hit the mark!

However, Dean wasn’t interested in their actions. He tossed the stun gun onto the coffee table and posed his final question: "Since you’re in charge of this business, you must have some knowledge of the missing persons. I need some useful information; otherwise, I guarantee more than a decade of your most vibrant years will be spent behind bars!"

With that, Dean took out his agent badge, revealing his identity.

The threat of losing their freedom was undoubtedly a significant threat for these three twenty-somethings who had not yet fully enjoyed life.

Seeing Dean’s agent badge, Wade turned pale. "We really don’t know why those people disappeared. We only know they all lost contact after entering the mountain range, really! The list of missing persons we compiled, along with their information, is on the computer. I swear, we aren’t lying to you!"

Based on the trio’s statements, Dean quickly obtained a list of over two hundred and seventy missing individuals!

This number was far more frightening than what the FBI had found! The FBI had only discovered that, over the past few years, more than fifty people had gone missing in the vicinity. Yet the registrations from several nearby towns accounted for over two hundred and seventy people.

And these were only the records that could be found.

In the United States, many people live relatively solitary lives. The number of unrecorded missing persons was probably much, much higher...

...

Seeing that no more information could be extracted, Dean, holding the list, pondered how to deal with these three unlucky souls. The trio merely had a stun gun for protection. Their speech and behavior didn’t show the malicious intent unique to murderers; at most, they had done wrong but didn’t deserve to die. But letting them go could also expose his presence. He preferred not to contemplate what unwise actions the police and residents of the surrounding towns might take if that happened.

In the face of collective interests, so-called laws are worthless.

That might be the most troublesome aspect of this case!

Just as Dean was struggling with this,

BUZZ.

His pocket cell phone vibrated.

Dean took it out and saw it was a message from Cheston En.

It read just one brief sentence: "Help!"