Chapter 361: A Suspect

"She’s been gone for two days," West placed the crumpled note on the table and flattened it. "Someone took her."

Several members exchanged uneasy glances. "Do we know who?"

"No."

"Where?"

"Unknown."

West’s eyes hardened. "But whoever did it deliberately left a message for me."

Immediately Jax picked up the paper and read it, his face darkened.

"So this is about you."

"Obviously."

West turned toward the gathered members. "Listen carefully."

"Every Shadow Reaper member is to keep their eyes open."

"Every contact we have."

"Every informant."

"Every street-level associate."

"I want word spread throughout Misty High City."

"If anyone sees Aria, even if they’re not sure it’s her, I want to know immediately."

One member nodded. "What about outside the city?"

"Do it."

West didn’t hesitate. "Contact any one you can in every neighboring city."

"Put out a description."

"Photograph."

"Clothing."

"Everything."

Another member raised a hand. "And if someone has information?"

"Bring them to me," West voiced with a surprisingly calm voice.

"Don’t interrogate them yourselves."

"Don’t threaten them."

"Bring them to me."

The members nodded and Within minutes, Shadow Reapers members began moving.

Phones started ringing, messages were sent and contacts were activated.

Information networks that normally took days to mobilize were suddenly operating simultaneously.

The disappearance of one woman had turned into an organization-wide search.

---

The first avenue of investigation was technology.

Aria always carried her phone but she also possessed a secondary communication device for emergencies.

And considering her position as West’s assistant, Shadow Reapers had equipped her with several tracking safeguards.

The problem was, none of them worked.

A team of digital specialists gathered around a bank of monitors. "Her primary phone was switched off."

"Secondary?"

"Nothing."

"Emergency tracker?"

"Last signal was forty-three kilometers from here."

West’s eyes narrowed. "Forty-three kilometers?"

"Yes."

"Location?"

A map appeared displaying an isolated roadside area. "Send people."

Within an hour, several Shadow Reapers members were combing the location.

They eventually found something... a damaged phone half-buried in a ditch.

West stared at a photograph placed beside the phone. "That’s hers."

Jax frowned. "So they left this here on purpose?"

"Possibly."

West stood beside the analysts. "Can you determine when it was destroyed?"

"Approximately two days ago."

"Before or after the person who took her entered her apartment?"

"After."

West’s eyes narrowed. "So they brought her there."

"Looks like it."

"Search the surrounding area."

"We already are."

"Expand it."

Immediately the order was given, sozens of people searched nearby roads, abandoned buildings, drainage systems, warehouses and surrounding properties.

Unfortunately, they found nothing. Not even the CCTV around here had a single footage from the last two days. It had all been scrubbed.

---

By evening, West had moved to his third avenue of investigation... his own memory.

He sat alone in his office with a sheet of paper before him, filled with names of people he’d fought, embarrassed and defeated.

People who had legitimate reasons to hate him.

West began crossing them out one after another.

Bloodstain.

He crossed it with a simple dash. "Dead."

Darius.

West stared at the name for several seconds.

Darius was currently trapped and under heavy restriction, he couldn’t have orchestrated this.

He crossed the name out.

Several others followed ranging from criminals he’d encountered to rival gangs.

A few were people who had suffered losses because of Shadow Reapers but eventually, only a handful remained.

West leaned back as his eyes settled on two names.

One was Renzhi and beneath it was Bloodstain’s right-hand man.

West tapped his fingers against the desk. "Renzhi..."

That possibility had been sitting in the back of his mind since the beginning.

The man’s entire life had been shattered because of him.

West had deliberately destroyed his marriage, fucked his daughte, humiliated him and defeated him in combat...

Renzhi had disappeared afterward.

West had no idea where he’d gone but he knew where the man had been last seen.

And if Renzhi wanted revenge... Aria would make an obvious target.

She was important to West and that alone made her valuable.

West looked at the second name... Arlott.

Bloodstain’s right-hand man was another possibility.

His death had undoubtedly left behind people who wanted revenge but West had fewer clues connecting that man to Aria.

West stood. "Renzhi first."

Jax entered the office just as West grabbed his jacket. "You found something?"

"I have a suspect."

"Who?"

"Renzhi."

Jax’s expression changed. "That Dragon fang guy?"

"Yes."

"The one whose wife—"

"Don’t."

West’s voice became colder.

Jax stopped. "Right."

West slipped the jacket on.

"Do you know where you’re going?"

"Yes."

He looked toward the window.

"The last place he was spotted."

Jax frowned. "You’re going alone?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn’t we send—"

"No."

West’s eyes narrowed.

"If Renzhi really has Aria, I don’t want a convoy showing up."

Jax understood. "Fine."

"But keep everyone ready."

"If I call..."

"...We move."

West nodded. "Exactly."

---

Minutes later, West left Shadow Reapers headquarters.

He didn’t bother using a car.

His body blurred, as a dashing sun like glow surrounded him.

<[ Radiant Acceleration Activated ]>

A burst of speed carried him across the city, turning the buildings around him to streaks.

Roads disappeared beneath him as he crossed entire districts within minutes.

His destination was an abandoned section of the city where witnesses had last reported seeing Renzhi after the destruction of his home.

West eventually slowed, arriving at a very quiet area.

Several buildings had broken walls, the pavement was cracked, there were burn marks and collapsed sections of roofing.

West landed silently and looked around. "So this is where you disappeared to..."

He walked deeper into the abandoned district and his senses expanded.

He searched for a while until he heard a faint sound.

West eyes narrowed as he sensed breathing not far away.

He turned toward a ruined building and slowly approached.

The doorway was partially collapsed.

West stepped through and spotted a dark figure sitting alone in the shadows with loose long hair and a tired posture.

There were alcoholic bottles scattered across the floor. They were too many to count.

West’s eyes sharpened. "...Renzhi."

The figure slowly raised his head and his eyes met West’s.

For several seconds, neither man spoke until Renzhi’s expression hardened. "Why are you here?"

West stepped forward. "Where is Aria?"

Renzhi’s brows furrowed. "Who?"

"My assistant."

"How the fuck would I know?"

West studied him carefully and noticed that there was no obvious deception... but that meant little right now.

"Someone took her."

Renzhi’s expression changed slightly. "And you think it was me?"

"You’re one of the possibilities."

Renzhi gave a bitter laugh. "After everything you did to me..."

"You think I’d waste my time kidnapping your assistant?"

West’s gaze remained cold. "You tell me."

Renzhi slowly stood. "You destroyed my life."

His voice trembled as he added. "You humiliated me."

"You turned my family against me."

"And then you walked away."

His fists tightened. "When I want revenge..."

He stepped forward. "...I wouldn’t hide behind your assistant."

West stared directly into his eyes and for a moment, the two awakened stood silently in the ruined building.

Until West finally broke the silence. "Then tell me where you were two days ago."

Renzhi’s expression darkened and for the first time, West noticed Renzhi wasn’t angry... he was exhausted, broken and almost hollow... still, West’s suspicion didn’t disappear.

Renzhi stared at West for several long seconds before scoffing. "I owe you no explanation."

His voice carried none of the desperation West had expected. Instead, there was a bitter, almost amused edge to it.

"I have absolutely no interest in your assistant."

West’s eyes narrowed as Renzhi continued. "I’ll destroy you personally when the time comes."

He paused briefly before adding. "Or..."

A strange smile crept across his face. "Who knows?"

He suddenly began laughing. It was low at first but grew louder and louder until his laughter echoed through the ruined building.

"Maybe I won’t even get the chance."

West remained expressionless while Renzhi’s eyes gleamed with something bordering on madness. "Someone might get to you before I do."

He spread his arms slightly. "For someone as young as you are, and someone who has only been awakened for a single year, you’ve already managed to accumulate an absurd number of enemies."

His laughter faded into a sinister grin. "You’re bound to go down eventually."

Renzhi stepped closer. "And unfortunately..."

His eyes became cold. "...the innocent people around you are doomed to go down with you."

West’s expression didn’t change but something inside him hardened.

He turned around at this point. "That’s enough."

Renzhi continued chuckling behind him while West stopped at the doorway before glancing over his shoulder.

"No matter how many enemies I accumulate..." he spoke with a calm look. "...I’ll always come out on top."

A faint smile appeared on his face as he added. "Fools never understand that until it’s too late."

With those words, West walked away.

The smile slowly faded from Renzhi’s face as he watched him disappear.

"We will see about that."