Chapter 81
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Chapter 81: Echoes of the Vanished
Was everything that just happened merely an illusion?
No… He looked around and saw that the clock on the wall was pointing at 7 o’clock, indicating a four-hour difference from when he first entered this room!
Zhang Zhiyuan abruptly jumped off the chair, opened the door, and found that the hallway outside was now brightly lit!
It was the glow of the rising sun.
He walked to the window and saw the security guards opening the retractable gates, preparing for another day of duty. Outside, cars were streaming down the streets, while busy office workers walked quickly along the sidewalks, some even carrying steaming breakfasts in their hands.
However, according to his recollection, the conversation between him and Paradise should have lasted no more than thirty minutes. Even after he awoke, he remembered every detail clearly.
Confused and perplexed, Zhang Zhiyuan returned to the hidden room and saw his dropped cell phone on the floor.
Apparently, at the moment he was summoned to Paradise, he lost control of his body, collapsed helplessly and accidentally dropped the phone.
Heartache gripped him as he picked up his phone and noticed an unread message on the screen. He tapped on it, surprised to see it was from Jingxi Express Delivery.
But when he scrolled down, Zhang Zhiyuan froze in place.
Because within the details, he saw the sender’s name listed as “Paradise”.
***
On the British Isles, in L City.
Wayne Jenkins leaned against a stone wall, quietly listening to the cries of seagulls echoing through the tall window.
This was a coastal prison that had been renovated with modern surveillance equipment and shiny automated iron gates that contrasted sharply with the overall stone-built atmosphere.
Such renovations were characteristic of Britain. From factories, streets, houses and even prisons all were renovated rather than torn down and rebuilt. On the positive side, it showed that these facilities had been built long ago. On the negative side, however, renovations often fell short of brand new construction.
For instance, this cell where Jenkins was kept, because of its proximity to the ocean, always felt damp, with water droplets condensing on the bars at night. After just two days, Jenkins was sick of such conditions.He couldn’t wait to get out and return to the soft, luxurious bed in his hotel room.
And he knew for sure that he would be leaving soon. For he knew that his friend Tyler was no ordinary man.
Publicly, Tyler appeared to be immensely wealthy, but his true abilities were even more amazing than his wealth. Wayne Jenkins’ was able to expand his business and succeed in Britannia was largely due to his association with Tyler. Because they had such a relationship, Jenkins was confident that Tyler would definitely take action to help him now.
Suddenly, a soft thud echoed overhead, and darkness engulfed the entire cell block.
“Damn it, another power outage!”
“Hey, what’s going on?! Without fans, we’re going to roast to death in here!”
The curses of other inmates filled the air outside. But soon enough the prison guards responded with their batons to quell the uproar.
Wayne Jenkins paid no attention to these ‘daily interactions’. In his eyes, these scum weren’t even worthy of sharing the same prison space as him. He was mature enough to know that yelling was useless except to vent emotions. Most of the time, he remained silent as he controlled the rage that was brewing inside of him. As soon as he regained his freedom, he vowed that he would make the two bastards who ambushed him to regret that they were ever born.
Suddenly, the two guards stopped at his cell door. One of them was holding a document in his hand. He asked, “Wayne Jenkins, American citizen, currently under temporary detention. Is that correct?”
“That’s me.”
“Step forward and put your hands through the bars for the handcuffs. Someone wants to see you.”
“Who?” He approached the cell door, extending his arms through the metal bars.
“You’ll know when you see them,” a guard replied without wasting words. After confirming the handcuffs were secure, they used a manual key to open the cell door.
Jenkins followed the two guards out of the prison area. After that another police officer took over escort duties. He was accompanied by a middle-aged man dressed in a suit. The middle-aged man proactively stepped forward to shake hands with Jenkins. “Hello, sir. I am Cui Wei, a lawyer appointed by Mr. Flynn. Before you meet with him, there are a few questions I need to clarify.”
Flynn? Jenkins let out a long sigh inwardly. Tyler occasionally used several aliases and Flynn was one of them. However, four days had passed since his arrest after the attack. He had expected Tyler’s reaction to the incident to be quicker. After all, the person he was supposed to meet that night was Tyler himself. He should have known something had gone wrong the moment he missed the appointment.
“Why did it take so long?” Jenkins asked, clearly unhappy at such a late response.
“Because the ones who arrested you were not L City’s police force. Cui Wei explained. “Mr. Flynn needed time to deal with the situation.”
“It was not the L City police?” Jenkins furrowed his brow in surprise. “Who else could it be?”
“I’m afraid I cannot reveal that information, sir.” Cui Wei adjusted his glasses. “The most important question is, how were you captured?”
The moment they started talking, the policeman who had been accompanying them unexpectedly walked several meters away on his own accord. He turned his back on them, no longer directly monitoring Jenkins’ movements.
Tyler’s influence really does extends far, Jenkins silently thought to himself.
“I was ambushed by two brats. I don’t know how they managed to sneak into the hotel’s food cart! But this is not over; once I catch them, they will learn that death would be a luxury!”
“Brats? What kind of brats? What did they look like?”
“A boy and a girl, what else can I say?” Just the thought of it ignited his uncontrollable anger. To think that he had been brought down by a teenage girl. Any mention of it felt like an insult to him. “Once I get access to the surveillance footage, I’ll naturally recognize them.”
“Do you know anything about this incident?” The lawyer pulled out another photo and held it up, then paused. “Oh… my apologies, with the power outage it may be difficult for you to see in the dim light. Please wait.” He casually opened a pen-like flashlight and showed the picture to Jenkins.
The photo showed the luxurious suite where Jenkins had been staying, but strangely, the walls looked like they’d been torn apart as if ripped by something, split into two equal halves. The floor below was a mess of debris.
“Uh… did they bring explosives? I’m not sure. In fact, when I woke up, I was already in a basement.”
“Understood.” Cui Wei put away the photo but kept the flashlight on. “Did the people who tried to capture you try to talk to you or interrogate you? This is really important, so please answer exactly how it happened.”
“No, they just beat me up.”
“Did they ask you anything about Paradise’s game?”
Jenkins’ heart skipped a beat after hearing this question, he hadn’t expected this man to know about the Paradise’s game. “I already told you. They didn’t say a word and just beat me up. There was no food, and there certainly wasn’t any conversation! what does that have to do with me seeing Tyler?”
“Hmm, Mr. Flynn doesn’t want news of Paradise to get out, especially to the Americans.” After saying these words, Cui Wei quickly took two steps back.
“You…” Jenkins looked at him hesitantly, suddenly realizing what was happening. “Wait…”
Behind him, the policeman had raised his gun, pointing directly at Jenkins, and pulled the trigger.
A sharp crack echoed as Wayne Jenkins felt a sudden blow to his head, as if struck by a heavy hammer. His body collapsed forward, limbs twitching uncontrollably. He was unable to finish what he was about to say forever.
The flashlight beam remained fixed on him, resembling a spotlight illuminating its target in the dim corridor.
Cui Wei knelt down and checked Jenkins’ neck for a pulse and to confirm that he wasn’t breathing. Then he nodded to the shooter. After that they both walked toward the exit.
When the corridor door opened, the two prison guards responsible for escort duty quickly stood at attention and saluted.
“Excellent work,” Cui Wei returned their salute. “Your contributions to national security will be duly remembered. Britain will remember everything that happened today.”
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