Chapter 575

Chapter 575: On One Side, Heaven; On the Other Side, Hell

“Damn it! They haven’t entered the hotel yet. Expand the search radius to 500 meters and continue the hunt! I refuse to believe they can just fly away,” the leader of the group gritted his teeth while giving orders. A cooked duck could still fly away; how could he just watch as a man and a woman vanished into thin air? Were they capable of becoming invisible?

He felt frustrated about his subordinate’s reckless actions that led to missing a great opportunity. If he had mobilized more people with electric guns and capture nets, they could have ambushed that pair quickly, and by now, they would have already had them in their grasp, making them divulge the location of the “Fenrir” alloy.

“Boss, this area is huge. It’s really hard to search.”

The 500-meter radius included many buildings, tens of thousands of people were active here, and the terrain was complex, leaving countless hiding places. Their small number of personnel seemed like a drop in the bucket, like a drop of water in the ocean that wouldn’t even cause a ripple.

“Search, even if it takes three days and nights! Gather more people and seal off the entire area. We will dig a foot into the ground if need be; we have to find those two. Otherwise, we’ll all have to pack up and leave. Get some life scanners from headquarters! And bring along a couple of dogs. Everyone, bring your ‘weapons!’”

The leader’s green eyes glimmered with a wild light. He was furious and could not understand how, in such a narrow alley with only two exits and walls without doors or windows, towering at over ten meters high, anyone could possibly have flown away.

His fleeting guess was getting dangerously close to the truth.

In Father Will’s eyes, these people were as evil as the apostles of Satan, and it was impossible for him to reveal Lin Mo and Qi Fei’s whereabouts.

“They’ve already left; you can come out now.”

After seeing those suspicious individuals leave, Father Will emerged from a hidden door in the church that led to the large organ.

This door, used for maintenance of the organ, was cleverly concealed within the complex structure of the instrument. Only a few priests and manufacturers could find it; ordinary people wouldn’t easily spot such a hidden entrance.

The church occupied a small area compared to the towering buildings nearby, making it seem diminutive, like a newborn baby beside a giant. The garden took up nearly half of the space, making it unlikely for most people to think that such an obviously sacred place could hide someone.

When the church was initially constructed, a few secret spots were reserved as a tradition.

In the early 20th century, when bandits roamed the American West, the churches built with donations from the faithful sometimes handled savings and lending. This led some greedy and daring individuals to target the churches and their clergy. To protect their valuable assets and promote the glory of the Lord, nearly every newly constructed church had secret chambers to safeguard some money.

“Thank you, Father Will.”

Lin Mo and Qi Fei expressed their gratitude to the old priest, a stranger who had helped them immensely. Otherwise, they would have faced more trouble, and for Lin Mo and his companions, it was better to avoid complications; now was not the time to fight.

The old priest appeared pleasantly surprised and quickly shook his head, saying, “It’s nothing, nothing at all. Thanks to the Lord’s guidance, this is what I should do.”

He felt utterly honored to help such a holy angel and was grateful to God for allowing him to witness the angel’s descent. This glory was worth even dying on the spot.

It seemed he forgot to ask the name of the Seraphic Lord he admired, and he solemnly tucked Qi Fei’s business card into the Bible he had touched for decades.

“Hmm! I must report this to the Pope! Oh my goodness! The greatest miracle of the century! Hahaha, I’ll inform all the believers and share the Lord’s glory with everyone.”

Father Will suddenly began to dance joyfully as he watched the pair walking away.

Directly across the two-lane road stood the hotel. This luxurious five-star hotel resembled an estate within the city and was about two hundred meters from its entrance.

Standing by the street, Lin Mo and Qi Fei had already come into the CIA’s sight. With just one more step, they could stop hiding.

“They’re over there!”

One of the pursuers, like a rabid dog chasing them, suddenly spotted a man and woman casually standing by the pedestrian crossing and shouted at the top of his lungs.

This scene sent shockwaves through the group, who felt like their souls had left their bodies. After tirelessly chasing Lin Mo and Qi Fei, they couldn’t believe that the two appeared right by the hotel with only a street separating them while wearing contemptuous smiles.

Damn it! If they crossed the street, all of them would have to go home and face the consequences. The company wouldn’t tolerate useless employees.

Lin Mo lightly touched the pedestrian signal, which had been red, triggering a five-second countdown to change to green light. This humane aspect of the city’s traffic control system allowed pedestrians to cross without waiting for a fixed signal but instead choose to cross when ready.

To avoid delaying traffic, the intervals set in would be over thirty seconds. Vehicles on both sides of the road began to slow down, gradually stopping near the crosswalk.

The crosswalk and the adjacent pedestrian path felt like two different worlds; on one side, a young couple strolled calmly onto the crosswalk, while on the other side, an anxious group frantically ran towards them, as others in hiding pressed their earpieces, receiving commands before suddenly leaping out to tackle a fleeing suspect, swiftly handcuffing him. The CIA was skilled at this type of operation, even outperforming Delta Force and Navy SEALs.

Mitch Friedman, head of Lockheed Operations, hadn’t slept for three days and nights. His once slick hairstyle now looked like a messy Chicken Coop, exuding an oily scent, and his once crisp suit had become wrinkled.

The pressure from the company was immense. Although he enjoyed a generous paycheck, his position within the company was intimidating. But without the ability to execute tasks, losing his job was the only option.

America is a society that values profit. If you lack usefulness, you’re worth less than dog feces. It’s harsh, but true; for every dollar the boss pays you, you must earn back ten or even a hundred.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Mitch Friedman moved as swiftly as a Western gunslinger, pulling out his phone and answering it quickly.

“Yeah! This is Mitch. What? You’ve seen them? Great! Capture them immediately! I’ll reward you handsomely. Burke, do a good job. I’m counting on you!”

Just after hanging up, a look of relief washed over Mitch Friedman’s face until it suddenly froze, his eyes wide as he fixed his stare at the man and woman entering the lobby.

How could this be? Just seconds ago, his subordinate reported that they had spotted their targets near the hotel and were considering a way to intercept them. Now, those same targets appeared in the hotel lobby as if they had crossed through time.

This was a case of unexpected information timing. Mitch Friedman’s team had only just reported in time for their chief to reward them, but didn’t realize events were about to take an uncontrollable turn.

The people chasing Lin Mo and Qi Fei outside the hotel were part of Lockheed’s team. The theft of the “Fenrir” alloy had angered the upper management. However, they weren’t professionals in international intelligence or mercenaries and lacked sufficient information sources. They could only purchase information from some informants. But by the time it reached them, it had lost much of its value.

The moment Mitch Friedman first laid eyes on Lin Mo outside the hotel, he was convinced he was the one who had stolen the “Fenrir” alloy. A pilot known for strong combat skills fit the profile of a thief perfectly, and the combination of timing, location, and Lin Mo’s sudden outing the next day all pointed suspiciously to him.

After a series of unexpected events, even Lin Mo had to admit, he was incredibly unlucky.

Fools have foolish methods; Lockheed could only focus on several consulates, embassies, airports, and the hotels where the aviation experts stayed. Meanwhile, Mitch Friedman’s plan finally bore fruit; the net he cast outside the hotel successfully detected Lin Mo’s trail.

He didn’t inform his subordinates about Lin Mo’s danger; this was his selfishness. If they knew just how formidable that man was, they would likely not work so hard.

Mitch Friedman was betting that Lin Mo wouldn’t dare to rampage on American soil, as that would invite trouble, and naturally, the American government and military would deal with him. No matter how powerful an individual, they couldn’t stand up to an entire nation.

This was Mitch Friedman’s strategy. If not for encountering Lin Mo, he would have been considered a capable operations director. However, as the saying goes, meeting one’s match only highlights one’s luckless fate.

Mitch Friedman’s gamble was almost right, yet he still didn’t expect Lin Mo to be as slippery as an oiled eel. Despite his team’s best efforts, they still couldn’t catch that elusive man.

Lockheed had even prepared non-lethal weapons like electric guns, subsonic bombs, tranquilizer darts, and capture nets for dealing with Lin Mo, but unfortunately, they never had the chance to use them.