Chapter 454: When Did These Police Officers Get In?

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: When Did These Police Officers Get In?

The gang leader’s ever-present assistant was kneeling by the sofa, cradling her boss’s face as she reclined against the cushions.

With a look of utter devotion, the assistant stroked the gang leader’s face, murmuring compliments every so often.

The gang leader acted as if this was her due, enjoying the massage while snacking on the fruit placed beside her.

As the atmosphere grew thick, the assistant lifted the gang leader’s foot and, her face a mask of reverence, leaned in.

Ugh.

Zoe Sawyer closed her eyes, unable to stomach the sight. Beside her, Heath Hale and Sean Hughes moved swiftly. They each fired a tranquilizer gun, taking down the gang leader and her assistant in an instant.

The rest of the team rushed in, separated the two women, then bound and gagged them before tossing them to the side.

After leaving a few agents to stand guard, Zoe Sawyer moved the door to the room of the two brothers.

However, the situation here was not as quiet as in the gang leader’s room.

The three children, though young, knew exactly what was about to happen to them.

Each one was struggling desperately, trying to break free.

But they were up against two grown men. In terms of both strength and size, the children were no match for them.

The girl pinned to the sofa had tears in her eyes, her gaze fixed on the man’s neck as she waited for an opportunity.

Meanwhile, the old father of the two brothers, who had been lying in bed on a ventilator, was now sitting up. His face was ruddy and full of color; he looked nothing like a terminally ill man on the verge of death.

’It was all an act!’

"There are only six people in the room, none of the bodyguards. We can’t wait! Just toss in the anesthetic grenade!" Barry Quinn said, his voice laced with anxiety as he stared at the scene in the room.

The three targets were too spread out; using the tranquilizer guns risked exposure.

A single anesthetic grenade would knock out everyone—the children and the three men—so they wouldn’t see the team enter through the door. That would make explaining things later much easier.

Sean Hughes immediately understood Barry Quinn’s command and tossed an anesthetic grenade through.

Over the sounds of the three children crying and struggling, the three men didn’t notice the grenade at all when it was thrown in.

It wasn’t until they smelled the gas and started to feel dizzy that they realized something was wrong.

They tried to call for the bodyguards outside, but their bodies went limp. They didn’t even have the strength to speak.

Finally, their eyes rolled back, and they passed out cold.

The other two men went down in the same way.

As for the three children, their small size and weaker constitutions meant they passed out the instant they were exposed to the gas, completely oblivious to what followed.

The team moved with practiced efficiency.

They bound the unconscious father and his two sons with maximum speed, making no sound that would attract the attention of the people outside.

"We’ve captured the main group, and reinforcements are on their way.

When they arrive, we’ll hit them from both sides. We’ll be able to round up everyone outside in no time!" The leader pumped his fist, his voice filled with excitement.

’I thought the biggest win today would be rescuing our people and capturing the gang leader and Patrick Miller. I never expected this bonus.’

’Capturing those three major drug lords!’

Once the father and his sons were bound and moved aside, Heath Hale and Barry Quinn each led a small squad. They donned protective gear and took up positions on either side of the doorway, weapons ready.

Two agents in the center each held an anesthetic grenade.

If the bodyguards dared to charge in, the team would be ready to catch them completely by surprise.

Outside the room, the bodyguards had indeed noticed that something was amiss.

The cruise ship’s cabins were soundproofed, but not perfectly. Moments ago, they could hear the children crying and struggling inside, but now, there was complete silence.

The sounds had stopped abruptly, all at once.

The lead bodyguard frowned, his gaze fixed suspiciously on the door.

’Could something have happened?’

A second later, he dismissed the thought.

’Impossible. Before the boss and the other two went in, I led a team to sweep the entire room. I’m certain there was nothing inside.’

’No suspicious people, no strange, hidden devices.’

’And even if someone had managed to hide from our search, it’s impossible they could have attacked the boss without making a single sound.’

"Captain, should we check on them? What do we do if something really has happened?" the man standing beside the lead bodyguard asked, his tone hesitant.

’If we ask and it pisses off the boss, will he dock our pay?’

’But if we don’t ask and something really has gone wrong, the consequences will be more than we can handle.’

The lead bodyguard glanced at his men, then back at the silent room. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and knocked. "Boss, it’s gotten quiet in there. Is there anything you need?"

The moment he finished speaking, every man outside held his breath.

Inside, Heath Hale gave a hand signal to his team, telling them to get ready.

Whether they got a reply or not, the men outside were bound to grow suspicious.

The best plan, therefore, was to be ready. The moment the door opened, they would toss the anesthetic grenades and hit them before they could react.

Zoe Sawyer wasn’t idle, either. She moved her door to a spot just outside the room. Beside her, Sean Hughes also clutched an anesthetic grenade, ready to execute a pincer attack with Heath Hale’s team inside.

Sure enough, when no answer came, the lead bodyguard raised a hand, signaling his men to be on guard.

At the lead bodyguard’s signal, a large, burly man moved quickly to the door, kicked it open, then immediately sidestepped to clear the way for the men behind him.

They raised their guns, aiming into the room.

However, Zoe Sawyer saw everything they were doing and relayed it in real-time to Heath Hale and the team inside.

The instant the door was kicked open, two anesthetic grenades flew out from inside the room, and Sean Hughes threw his as well.

All three grenades landed squarely in the middle of the group of bodyguards.

Before they could even see what the objects were, the men’s faces went pale as they dove for cover to either side.

Those who dove toward Zoe Sawyer’s door were picked off by Sean Hughes with his tranquilizer gun. Between that and the three grenades, every last bodyguard was swaying on their feet, about to collapse.

Heath Hale and Barry Quinn led their teams out, knocking the groggy men down with single punches. They stripped them of all their gear, then bound them and tossed them aside.

The entire takedown took less than a minute. The lead bodyguard, dazed, stared wide-eyed at the dozens of police officers pouring out of the room.

’Wait... when did all these cops get in here?’

’Why didn’t I notice anything at all?’