Chapter 453: How Else Can You Play?

Chapter 453: Chapter 453: How Else Can You Play?

Heath Hale stared in the direction the people were coming from. He shook his head and said, "Let’s observe first. We need to see if they’re on a routine patrol or here on business."

We could grab the former directly, but if it was the latter, arresting them would just expose us.

Hearing Heath Hale’s response, Zoe Sawyer relaxed and continued to watch with him.

Soon, another squad of guards appeared before them.

Compared to the men in flowery shirts, this squad looked far more professional. Their steps were synchronized, and their eyes habitually scanned their surroundings.

When they reached the spot where they had knocked out the other guards, the leader raised a hand, signaling his team to halt. He sounded puzzled. "Isn’t someone supposed to be patrolling here? Why is no one around again?"

A team member behind him chimed in, "They’re probably slacking off somewhere. Captain, don’t worry about it too much. The boss already turns a blind eye to what they do. If we say anything, we’ll just be meddling."

Thinking of the orders they had received, the man who had just spoken wrinkled his nose in disdain.

’Those guys are just cannon fodder. If anything happens, they’re the first ones to take the fall.’

’Besides, according to the boss’s plan, they’re all going down with the ship later anyway. Let them slack off now. It’s not like they have much time left.’

"Yeah, Captain, forget about them," another guard added. "Let’s hurry up and get our things ready. We need to be prepared to leave on command."

The captain who had first raised the question fell silent for a moment, suppressing the unease in his heart. "I know. Let’s go."

’Just like the others said, the boss already allows this group of dead-men-walking to be lazy. I’d better not say anything and cause trouble.’

With that, the captain led his men toward the cargo hold at the end of the corridor.

"Those must be the people who will prepare the speedboat for Patrick Miller’s escape," Zoe Sawyer said after getting a clear look at their uniforms. She quickly matched them to the group she had seen escorting Patrick Miller away in her premonition.

’It was the right call not to grab them. They’ll definitely have to report back to Patrick Miller later.’

’If we had actually captured them, their failure to return would have definitely alerted Patrick Miller that something was wrong.’

’Once he’s on alert, the rest of the plan will be much harder to execute!’

The group didn’t stay inside for long. After checking the necessary items, they hurried back to report.

Zoe Sawyer and the others proceeded with their original plan, clearing the ship deck by deck, moving upwards.

Fortunately, the lower decks were mostly staffed by slackers, making it easy to take care of them.

With plenty of time, Zoe Sawyer’s team swept through all the floors with light security.

Now, only the main decks where Patrick Miller and his core group were active, along with the two decks where the hostages were held, remained untouched. The rest had been cleared.

To facilitate the next phase of their operation, Zoe Sawyer and her team also checked the rooms on both sides of the main hostage area, confirming they were empty.

’Empty is good. It’ll make the rescue easier later.’

Just then, the time from Zoe Sawyer’s premonition arrived.

The door glowed faintly, and the name on its surface flickered a few times, reminding Zoe Sawyer that the moment was near.

After receiving the reminder, Zoe Sawyer looked at Heath Hale and the others, who were resting nearby. "It’s almost time," she said. "What’s next? Do we go stand guard by the room, or do we rescue the hostages first?"

"Rescue the hostages first!" Heath Hale decided instantly. "We’ll use this opportunity to get the remaining children and their parents out."

With help from the surveillance team, Zoe Sawyer found an empty room and positioned ten operatives inside.

After confirming they had enough tranquilizer rounds, she moved back to the doorway of the room she had seen in her premonition.

Soon, Patrick Miller would arrive with Big Sis and her crew to "select" children to their liking.

Heath Hale and Barry Quinn conferred for a moment and made a decision.

Once Big Sis and her two cronies left, they would make their move, using tranquilizer grenades and guns to capture Patrick Miller and his men on the spot.

They wouldn’t give him a chance to escape to the speedboat.

The ten operatives waiting in the other room would act on their command, striking simultaneously from both sides.

Before long, Patrick Miller arrived at the door, accompanied by a sullen-faced Big Sis and her entourage.

Just as Zoe Sawyer had seen in her premonition, the two cronies picked out three children and left with them and their bodyguards. Big Sis was in a foul mood and had no desire to linger; after a few words, she also returned to her room.

Once Patrick Miller had dispatched his subordinate to make arrangements, and the men inside the room were about to deal with the remaining children and their parents, Heath Hale waved his hand, issuing the command to act.

Almost simultaneously, the team members stationed near the parents’ room put on their masks, burst out, and threw the tranquilizer grenades they were holding into the room.

Meanwhile, Zoe Sawyer simply tossed hers through the door.

Protected by the door, they couldn’t inhale any of the gas, so there was no fear of being knocked out themselves.

At the same time, to be safe, Heath Hale and Sean Hughes each took a tranquilizer gun and fired quickly at Patrick Miller and his men.

The specially modified, high-potency tranquilizer grenades knocked out the completely unprepared guards and hostages the instant the gas was released.

After sending a well-prepared team to clear the scene, Zoe Sawyer quickly moved the door to the area where the largest number of hostages were being held.

As soon as they arrived, they saw one of Patrick Miller’s men hurrying toward them.

"Let’s take care of this one first," Zoe Sawyer said, pointing in the man’s direction.

As she spoke, she moved the door behind the man. Heath Hale acted fast, taking him down with a single shot from his tranquilizer gun.

He caught the man’s falling body, minimizing the sound so as not to alert anyone inside.

They tied the man up, tossed him aside, and assigned a team member to guard him.

’Next up, we deal with the ones inside!’

Zoe Sawyer thought for a moment, then opened the door into the room. Finding a corner, she had Sean Hughes and the others toss tranquilizer grenades behind the group of guards.

To be extra sure, Zoe Sawyer didn’t just target one spot. She tossed several grenades into all four corners of the room.

’There are too many people in here, and too many variables. Knocking everyone out is the simplest and most effective way.’

They waited quietly for five minutes. Once they confirmed that everyone inside—guards and hostages alike—had passed out, Zoe Sawyer moved aside, allowing twenty team members to go in and clean up the mess.

"And now for the four most important targets!" Zoe Sawyer rubbed her hands together excitedly.

’Finally, I can get my hands on that Big Sis!’

’If this operation goes smoothly, we’ll also bag three major drug lords. The haul couldn’t be bigger!’

Heath Hale and the others also braced themselves, their eyes fixed intently on the door.

’Finally!’

’We can finally arrest this Big Sis!’

Soon, Zoe Sawyer moved the door to Big Sis’s location.

The moment she opened the door, the scene on the other side left them stunned.

"You can do *that*?"