While it couldn’t directly prove what had occurred inside the abandoned building itself, it gave overwhelming credibility to the rest of Stan’s statent.
By the ti the call ended, the officers were already strongly inclined to believe him completely.
The Vanguard guards felt much the sa.
Quietly, several of them found themselves increasingly impressed by how thodically and professionally the local police handled the investigation.
No rushed assumptions. No emotional accusations.
Just careful verification, evidence gathering, and tiline reconstruction.
"Describe the n," the officer said.
Stan gave a precise account of each of them: their builds, clothing, accents, hairstyles, and distinguishing features.
But the mont he ntioned the red dragon tattoo coiled around the lead man’s forearm, the officer’s expression changed instantly.
"That tattoo..." he said grimly. "It belongs to the Red Serpents."
The atmosphere inside the room subtly shifted.
"We’ve been tracking that gang for quite so ti in the Inksea district."
The officer leaned back slightly, his gaze darkening as several pieces suddenly clicked together in his mind.
"A hotel with its own internal security," he muttered quietly, "yet a high-profile guest gets abducted without a single aningful alarm being raised?"
His expression turned colder.
"That doesn’t happen naturally."
The officer slowly closed his notebook.
"The hotel staff were almost certainly involved."
A brief silence followed before he added,
"Possibly even the owner."
At that point, the entire situation was beginning to make horrifying sense.
The Red Serpents likely hadn’t stumbled across Alia by chance.
They had known exactly where she was staying.
Known when she would be isolated. Known when her guards weren’t nearby.
That level of coordination strongly suggested inside assistance.
The officer finally stood and extended his hand toward Stan.
"Thank you for cooperating," he said seriously. "And more importantly... thank you for what you did tonight."
There was genuine sincerity in his voice now.
"The Inksea Police will handle the rest from here."
Stan shook his hand firmly.
A mont later, several mbers of the Vanguard team did the sa.
The remaining officers exchanged brief nods toward Stan as well, their earlier suspicion now completely gone.
In its place was unmistakable respect.
Emma stepped forward shortly afterward.
"We’d like to accompany you," she said firmly. "We want to see this through to the end."
The lead officer studied her for a mont before giving a single nod.
"Fine. But follow instructions once we arrive."
Emma agreed imdiately.
At that point, Stan, now genuinely curious about how everything would unfold, spoke up as well.
"If it’s not a problem," he said, "I’d like to co too."
The officer considered it briefly before replying,
"Stay out of the way and do exactly what you’re told."
Stan nodded.
With that settled, the officers headed toward their vehicles while the Vanguard team moved toward their SUV nearby.
Stan entered one of the police cars and took a seat in the back.
anwhile, the Vanguard guards contacted the hospital as they walked, urgently requesting updates on Alia’s condition.
The convoy soon pulled out into the Inksea night.
Police lights reflected faintly across the darkened streets as both vehicles sped through the city.
The setting sun lingered low along the horizon, painting parts of the skyline in deep orange and crimson.
And ahead of them waited the hotel where everything had begun.
The place where Alia had first disappeared.
The place where the answers were likely hiding.
....
Inside the police vehicle, Stan remained seated quietly in the back as the lead officer continued making call after call.
Orders. Requests. Background checks. Quietly mobilizing an entire operation.
His tone remained sharp and professional throughout.
"Seal off every possible exit route around the district."
"Notify Tactical Response imdiately."
"No, don’t move in yet. I want surveillance teams in position first."
"Get the latest satellite traffic and vehicle movent around the hotel for the past forty-eight hours."
The officer barely paused between calls, constantly relaying information back to headquarters while receiving rapid updates from multiple units across the city.
From the fragnted conversations Stan overheard, it quickly beca obvious that the entire departnt had been thrown into motion.
The Red Serpents clearly weren’t so ordinary street gang.
They were dangerous enough to mobilize multiple divisions simultaneously.
After ending another call, the officer let out a long breath and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
For a few seconds, only the low hum of the engine and the distant wail of sirens filled the vehicle.
Then the officer glanced briefly toward Stan through the rearview mirror.
"You got lucky tonight," he said quietly.
Stan raised an eyebrow slightly.
The officer’s expression remained grim.
"The Red Serpents aren’t known for leaving witnesses alive."
A mont later, the officer’s phone rang again and he answered imdiately.
"We’re all set for the operation, sir," a voice reported from the other side. "Periter teams are in position, Tactical Response is ready to move, and surveillance units are ready."
The officer’s eyes sharpened instantly.
"Good," he said coldly. "No one enters or leaves without my authorization."
"Yes, sir."
"Maintain visual confirmation on every exit point. The second anyone tries to run, I want them detained imdiately."
"Understood."
The officer paused briefly before adding,
"And notify all units again: priority target is the hotel manager. If he’s inside that building, I want him taken alive, be at alert, wait till I get there before starting the operation."
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
The officer slowly pocketed the phone. Then a cold smile appeared on his face.
"Those bastards won’t escape this ti."
He leaned back against the seat.
"After slithering through Inksea for years like rats and spreading chaos everywhere they went... we’ve finally found their nest."
Stan frowned slightly. "That hotel is really the base of those gangsters?"
Honestly, apart from Alia’s incident, the hotel had appeared completely normal to him.
Luxurious lobby. Professional staff. Wealthy custors constantly coming and going.
Nothing about it had remotely resembled a criminal headquarters.
But once he thought back carefully...
The complete lack of security during Alia’s kidnapping. The way several staff mbers had conveniently disappeared at critical monts.
The suspicious ease with which the kidnappers had moved through the building without interference.
The more he thought about it, the more unnatural everything began to feel.
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