CHAPTER 892: CHAPTER 892: KIDNAPPING

The sunset shrank to a point on the horizon and sank into the sea with twilight’s afterglow.

Finally, it was time to get off work, and Supervisor Willoby finally let out a sigh of relief.

What a terrible day.

After the explosion at noon, he first received a call from the secretary of the War Zone General Affairs Department of Poluo Province, and then was turned away by the Governor’s Mansion.

That old fox Ya Hui had clearly promised earlier, but now he’s turning his back and handing all the cleanup work to him with a single "Handle it yourself."

Luckily, he is a Ten Thousand Leader and has a way to pass the buck further down.

He pushed away from the chair, leaving the desk, and hummed a tuneless tune as he left the Garrison Headquarters.

Along the way, people greeted him frequently, and he nodded back with a smile each time.

He enjoyed this feeling of being respected.

Especially when his dignity was bruised elsewhere, those sycophantic smiles always brought him slight relief.

What a pity.

His "Wasp" plan was clearly a genius strategy, and it was almost about to succeed.

But who would have thought that someone down the chain would take initiative, investigating people they shouldn’t in a case they shouldn’t, even alerting the General Affairs Department... it’s just bad luck now.

As he lamented the series of misfortunes, a black car stopped stably in front of him.

It was a car from the Guards.

Willoby was slightly taken aback, not remembering arranging a driver to pick him up.

At this moment, the back door suddenly opened, and the last face he expected appeared from behind the door.

That face bore a pleasant smile, as if gazing at prey that had fallen into a trap.

And the gun barrel hidden in the shadows made his heartbeat and breathing involuntarily freeze.

"...Mr. Willoby, please act a bit more naturally."

As he spoke, Talan pointed a gun at him while gently patting the seat beside him.

"Then sit obediently next to me."

Finally realizing what was happening, Willoby’s face gradually lost its blood.

Not daring to gamble if the gun was loaded or not, he extended a trembling hand to hold the car door and gingerly sat next to that "Wasp."

It was then that he noticed the person sitting in the driver’s seat, or rather, that vaguely familiar face.

Willoby’s eyes widened instantly, his pupils filled with obvious disbelief.

He had met this guy!

This guy was from the Guards!

But he couldn’t remember the guy’s name, given there were so many people greeting him every day.

"You, you are—"

"Comte. Don’t bother trying to remember my name, you won’t retain it." Glancing at the rearview mirror, Comte replied nonchalantly.

That indifferent expression seemed as if he didn’t care at all, yet Willoby was as pleasantly surprised as if he had grasped at a lifesaving straw.

"You’re from the Garrison Intelligence Department—"

"Indeed, I’m also a Disciple of the Enlightenment Society."

Enlightenment Society?

Willoby’s mind blanked for a moment, staring at him in shock, before finally squeezing out a sentence from his mouth.

"Are you... insane?"

However, Comte didn’t want to explain anything to him. He started the car on his own, throwing a sentence back to Talan who sat in the back seat.

"Wait—"

Willoby’s eyes widened in terror, reaching for the door handle to escape, only to find the door was already locked.

Of course, Talan wouldn’t let him escape. He took out a pre-prepared damp towel and covered Willoby’s face, pressing down hard on his mouth and nose.

Before long, Willoby under him was no longer moving, leaving only steady, even breaths.

After confirming that the guy was still alive, Talan put the towel stained with emerald green crystals into a plastic bag and sealed it, then looked towards Comte, who had already started the car.

"...What next?"

"To the broadcast station," Comte calmly lit a cigarette, "I have some questions for him."

...

On the other side, at the Garrison Intelligence Department.

After half an hour of busy work, Daniel finally cleared the disguised base of the "Enlightenment Society," reuniting with the staff who executed the cleanup work and collected the documents.

The "Wasp" plan was now concluded, and the next decision was about the disposition of the thirty Alliance travelers detained in Carter Nord Prison.

Daniel, with the hastily completed documents, intended to find Supervisor Willoby to report the matter, as after all, the entire "Wasp" was orchestrated by him, while the Intelligence Department Head was merely the executor.

However, when he reached the door, he found the office door tightly closed.

Just then, Supervisor Willoby’s secretary happened to pass by in the corridor, and Daniel quickly stopped him to ask.

"Where is Supervisor Willoby?"

The secretary pointed to his watch, looking impatient.

"What time is it now? Supervisor Willoby left work early. If you have something, come back tomorrow."

Hearing that the officer had already left work, Daniel had a peculiar expression on his face, but he nodded.

"...Alright."

He had thought that Supervisor Willoby would wait for him for a while, but unexpectedly, the man was more eager to leave work and go home.

It seemed he was overthinking it.

Saying goodbye to Supervisor Willoby’s secretary, Daniel glanced at his watch and decided to take the documents back to the Intelligence Department’s office first.

However, at that moment, he saw his assistant rushing over in a panic.

"Something’s wrong, there’s a problem!"

Seeing his assistant panting heavily with a pale face, Daniel frowned.

Not daring to waste time, he immediately questioned.

"What’s the situation?"

His assistant, gasping for air, swallowed and looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"The disappearing signal... has reappeared."

The disappearing signal?

Daniel was stunned for a moment, initially not understanding what it was until his gaze fell on the document in his hand, suddenly realizing it was about the car with a bomb.

His heart skipped a beat, and he shoved past the assistant in front of him, rushing towards the Intelligence Department.

The car didn’t explode!

Someone blocked the signal!

But why?!

His mind was filled with countless puzzling questions, each possibility pointing to the worst outcome.

When he reached the Intelligence Department office, he saw everyone discussing with surprise.

Unable to wait any longer, he grabbed the nearest staff member and urgently asked.

"Where’s Comte? Where is that guy Comte!"

The staff member, with a nervous expression, shook his head frantically.

"I, I don’t know... he hasn’t shown up at all. The last contact was near Carter Nord Prison."

"Nonsense! I was the one who called, of course I know he was at Carter Nord Prison!"

Daniel grabbed his collar, spitting angrily.

"Find him for me! Immediately! I need to know where he is now, and why the bomb wasn’t detonated!"

"Yes, yes!" Hearing this almost impossible demand, the staff member responded almost tearfully.

Daniel let him go hastily, then quickly moved to a terminal, pressing down on a staff member who was about to rise from the terminal.

"Where is that car now?"

The staff sitting at the terminal gulped and replied nervously.

"We just located its signal, it’s crossing Route 14, and the destination should be northwest of Evernight Harbor..."

Without a satellite, they could only use planar positioning methods to determine the target’s location.

That is, first calculate the position and relative distance of the signal source, then determine the signal’s location on the map based on the receiving location.

This positioning method has significant errors, and depending on the complexity of road conditions, there can be a certain delay.

Daniel’s mind was racing, muttering constantly.

"Northwest of Evernight Harbor... northwest... what exactly is there?"

A staff member nearby said uncertainly.

"...Could it be the broadcast station?"

The broadcast station?

Daniel was taken aback, pupils suddenly constricting, as a terrifying thought popped into his mind.

If it’s the broadcast station, he might have guessed what that guy is going to do...

But why?

When the group leader of the planning team didn’t speak, the staff swallowed and nervously continued.

"...The locator signal is still being received, the bomb shouldn’t have been dismantled, and it’s impossible for them to dismantle the bomb while driving. If we call that number now, we could blow up the target... What should we do?"

Daniel said nothing.

The plan had already spiraled out of control, and he didn’t even know who exactly was sitting in that car, so even if they called the number, it might not stop this runaway train.

Just as he was stunned, the head of the Intelligence Department suddenly burst in from the outside.

The man who was usually calm now had a face full of panic.

He strode forward and grabbed Daniel’s shoulder.

"Have you seen Supervisor Willoby?"

Staring into those bloodshot eyes, Daniel was momentarily scared and instinctively shook his head.

"No, I went looking for him, but his secretary told me he had already left work—"

Before he could finish, the bloodshot-eyed director rudely interrupted him.

"Someone said they saw him get into a black car at the entrance of the Garrison Headquarters, the license plate is exactly the one we reported damaged! What the hell are you doing?!"

Upon hearing this, Daniel felt as if a hundred-kilogram bomb exploded in his brain, leaving it completely blank.

That idiot not only failed to silence "Hornet," but also kidnapped all their superiors!

Collaborating with the Alliance’s spies to kidnap a Ten Thousand Leader...

And during wartime!

This was no different from treason.

His face turned as white as toilet paper, and Daniel felt all the strength in his body drain away, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Looking at the enraged director, he squeezed a sentence from his trembling lips.

"...They’re heading to the broadcast station in the northwest of the city. If we rush now... maybe we can stop them."

The director of the Intelligence Department gave him a hard shove, pushing him to the office door.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for, hurry up and go!!"

"If our leader loses one hair, I’ll personally execute you!"

Terrified, Daniel ran out the door. He had no doubt his director wasn’t joking. If Supervisor Willoby really got hurt, that guy would definitely kill him without hesitation.

Without any delay, he took a dozen members of the Intelligence Department and raced toward the northwestern city area of Evernight Harbor.

All the way, he prayed, hoping that fool Comte wouldn’t do anything stupid.

At the same time, he kept trying to contact Comte using the communicator.

However, the latter seemed to have anticipated his actions and decisively shut off his communication device, showing no intention of communicating or turning back.

"Damn it!"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Daniel angrily pounded the car door, his eyes burning with a mixture of fear and flames of anger.

At the same time, the black car carrying Supervisor Willoby had already arrived at the broadcasting station’s entrance.

By now, the sky had darkened, and most of the broadcasting station’s staff had left work.

Seeing the car parked at the entrance, the on-duty security guard walked up and routinely inquired.

"Who are you people?"

Comte skillfully pulled out his credentials and waved them in front of the guard.

"Garrison task, open the door."

The security guard, hearing it was the Garrison, didn’t suspect a thing and quickly ran back to the duty booth to open the barrier blocking the road.

Stepping on the gas, Comte drove in, bypassing the nearby garage, heading straight for the square five-story building ahead.

He shut off the engine, engaged the handbrake, grabbed the Pu-9 Submachine Gun from under the passenger seat, and glanced at Talan in the back seat.

"Carry him and follow me."

Finally reaching the most exciting part, Talan returned an assuring look filled with excitement.

"Roger that."

Unfortunately, this operation was too rushed.

If he had two or three more days to prepare, he could mobilize thirty brothers from the prison and call back two confidants from outside the settlement, potentially creating an even greater spectacle.

Comte nodded, refraining from further nonsense, and stepped out of the car, raising the gun barrel and firing a burst into the sky.

The sudden gunfire startled everyone around, sending them running away in panic.

The security guard in the duty hall was dumbfounded, staring at the man holding a submachine gun, not knowing what he intended to do.

Meanwhile, Daniel and his men finally arrived at the scene.

Seeing Supervisor Willoby dragged out of the car, his eyes turned red in an instant, and he shouted at Comte, who held the submachine gun.

"Comte! Are you insane?! What the hell are you trying to do?!"

While giving orders, Daniel simultaneously signaled his teammates to split off a group to go around the back of the broadcast station to prevent Comte from using the building to shake off the pursuers and escape.

However, what he didn’t know was that his seemingly loyal subordinate had no intention of running away.

This was the battlefield Comte had chosen for himself, and also his final stand.

For that reason, facing his superior’s furious roar, Comte’s expression didn’t change at all, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Carrying Willoby, Talan was bewildered by the angry roar.

What’s going on?

He thought this was a plan by the Enlightenment Society, but the reaction of the "Guide" Daniel told him it was clearly not so.

What especially baffled him was that he couldn’t even tell if this was an internal conflict within the Southern Legion, or within the Enlightenment Society.

At this moment, he felt as if he had "skipped" a whole section of the plot, and when it came time for action, he couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

"Come to my side."

Seeing Comte beckoning to him, Talan finally decided to follow.

He didn’t know what this NPC intended to do, but he had promised this guy, and he was ready.

And just as he stepped into the building, the car they had been in suddenly exploded, turning into a burning fireball.

The fierce flames lit up Talan’s bewildered face, and only then did he vaguely sense something.

His identity had probably been exposed long ago...

Comte’s next words confirmed his suspicions.

However, he didn’t understand why this Weilante person stood by his side.

"...They installed a bomb on the car. According to the plan, you should have already died at the gates of Carter Nord prison.

"We will release your compatriots, but won’t acknowledge your existence... including the entire Wasp Plan."

Talan swallowed hard.

"...Wasp Plan?"

Comte nodded, briefly explaining the entire plan, confessing everything to them.

In brief, the Garrison did not know of the Enlightenment Society’s existence, only learned from the higher intelligence department that there was such an organization composed of residents of the refuge in the Great Desert, and this organization was suspected to possess an incomplete superweapon.

So their respected Garrison officers ingeniously forged an Enlightenment Society base at the "Marshal’s Armory" and attempted to use this Cocoon Room to extract more information about the Enlightenment Society and that superweapon from his mouth.

The development went quite smoothly, but unfortunately, they found a clue they shouldn’t have, and some big figure from far away in Evernight Harbor stepped in to cut off all their leads.

After listening to Comte’s account, Talan showed a mixed expression of amusement and helplessness.

"...For the whole time, you got the Enlightenment Society information from me."

Comte said succinctly.

"Partly, yes, also some from the archives of Yavente City and Triumph City."

Talan was silent for a while, then sighed.

"...So I’ve been working for nothing."

Comte slightly raised an eyebrow.

"...Are you truly an Alliance spy?"

"A spy? I’m the commander of the Desert Army," Talan grinned, "But, you can also think of it as me boasting, since I won’t admit it anyway."

Comte chuckled dismissively, obviously not buying it.

If this guy could be an army commander, then he should at least be a Ten Thousand Leader!

However, he didn’t expose him, just calmly looked at the gathering vehicles and guards outside the window, then said calmly.

"Sorry for dragging you into this, although I did consider letting you go, I need a comrade."

Talan grinned.

"No need to apologize, such interesting events are rare in a lifetime, moreover you consider me a comrade."

Those calm eyes seemed to disregard life and death.

Comte gave him an unexpected look, then suddenly smiled.

"I’ve always heard that the residents of the refuge in the Alliance are a bunch of weirdos... now I believe it."

"Not all of them, but you were unlucky to encounter someone unreliable like me," scratching the back of his head with his free hand, Talan weighed the guy slung over his back, "So now what? Are you going to beat this guy up to let off steam, or use him as a hostage to exchange for a ship to the Alliance?"

"Neither," Comte shook his head, speaking at a measured pace, "I told you my plan from the start... The Weilante have heard enough lies, what they need now is to hear some truths."

At the same time, outside the broadcasting station, more and more Garrison guards completed their assembly.

Daniel was anxious like an ant on a hot pan, so was the head of the intelligence department, and other department heads too.

There were only two people occupying the broadcasting station, yet the hostage they held happened to be Supervisor Willoby, a major figure.

Nobody could afford the responsibility of accidentally injuring the hostage, but letting this drag on wasn’t a solution either.

At this moment, the loudspeaker at the top of the main building of the broadcasting station suddenly blared a noise.

The screeching frequency made everyone’s hair stand on end involuntarily.

Especially Daniel, standing at the front line gripping a gun.

After a moment, Comte’s voice came from the broadcast.

"Listen up out there, your leader Supervisor Willoby is now in my hands. If you don’t want anything to happen to him, you’d better stay put."

"My demand is simple, just stand there and do nothing, then give me two hours."

"Just two hours!"

"I will use this precious two hours to conduct a special interview with our esteemed Supervisor Willoby."