Chapter 8: Upgrade

Chen Wu's message didn't take long to reach the employer, who promptly replied. Feiying and the others thought the employer might request verification, such as transmitting iris video or personal terminal, but the employer seemed confident, perhaps indicating Lin Yi wasn't as important to him. In any case, the employer skipped confirmation and directly provided Chen Wu with the delivery time and location.

"The person must be delivered to Bee Island within one hour."

Bee Island, an abandoned factory area spanning five thousand square kilometers, was designated for redevelopment by the Three Rivers government a decade ago. However, due to numerous historical issues and incomplete pollution cleanup from the factories, coupled with ongoing electromagnetic disturbances, the redevelopment project was indefinitely suspended after five years due to funding disruptions.

As a result, in recent years, the area had become a lawless zone, attracting illegal activities. Feiying and Cao Dong's team quickly saw the message. Cao Dong's technicians swiftly traced Wang Yue's location, while Feiying and his companions confirmed their next steps.

Chen Wu subconsciously glanced at Lin Yi, who had roughly understood Bee Island's nature from A Yuan. She spoke up, "You said you're too far away. An hour might not be enough. Ask if they can extend the time by another half-hour."

Feiying was about to reprimand Lin Yi for taking matters into her own hands, but Cao Dong gestured for him to hold off. Chen Wu nodded at Lin Yi's suggestion. However, after he followed Lin Yi's instructions and sent a message to the employer, he remembered to ask, "Why did you say that? An hour is enough for us to get there from here."

If they relied solely on their original capabilities, an hour wouldn't suffice, but with the low-altitude high-speed flying car provided by Feiying, they could likely make it in less than an hour.

Lin Yi replied, "Just to buy some time, maybe we can find something useful if we chat a bit longer. I just said it casually; you're free to disregard it, but if it turns out to be useful..." Lin Yi trailed off, then mouthed the words "more money" directly into the car's surveillance camera with a very standard lip movement.

Chen Wu: "..."

Feiying: "..."

Cao Dong watched the enlarged face on the screen; she was truly beautiful, with a kind of neutral handsomeness. But her expression carried a hint of insolence and a sense of entitlement, making her seem insolent.

Seizing this opportunity, the technicians continued tracking the kidnappers' information source. The employer responded again, equally concise but firm.

"Only one hour!"

Then, he provided a specific location for Chen Wu to deliver the person. Lin Yi pulled up a map of Bee Island from A Yuan's data, locating the spot, which was near the center of the island.

With no other choice, and under Feiying's signal, Chen Wu instructed Ma Liu to accelerate towards Bee Island. At the moment they took off, Cao Dong's technicians finally had results!

"Boss, the young master is indeed on Bee Island. Moreover, the contact person Chen Wu is talking to and the group of kidnappers using the same encryption keys can be concluded to be the same group."

Cao Dong's expression didn't change much. After confirming Wang Yue's location, he began to ponder, "Why did they take the people there?"

He knew Bee Island was a hotspot for illegal activities, but if they wanted money, it would be more profitable to demand a ransom rather than risk being caught. So, if it was to send him a message, why choose Bee Island?

The technician continued, "Boss, according to data analysis, once they enter Bee Island, due to electromagnetic interference, there's a 75% chance the low-altitude high-speed bikes won't start, and communication with the monitors will be affected. They'll have to rely on the power bikes on Bee Island to reach the location specified by the kidnappers."

Cao Dong tapped his fingers on the table and then relayed a message to Feiying, "I have a high-level meeting in an hour, which will likely last another hour."

Feiying immediately understood the boss's intention. "Understood. I'll rescue the young master within two hours."

But just as Feiying finished speaking, the technician added, "Boss, we've just received information from the police that in the past half month, a total of twelve minors have been kidnapped in the Three Rivers area, and two groups of kidnappers have had their encryption keys cracked by the police. They used the same keys as the ones who abducted the young master!"

The technician had just cracked the kidnappers' encryption keys and pinpointed Wang Yue's location. Lao Du then used his personal terminal and connections to investigate further. However, as they uncovered more information, his expression grew more somber.

A few minutes later, Lao Du raised his head and looked at Cao Dong. "Kidnapping Wang Yue might not just be someone intentionally targeting you."

Cao Dong had already seen what the technicians had found. All the kidnapped minors were genetic patients, aged from four to sixteen, with Lin Yi being the oldest at seventeen. These children came from disadvantaged backgrounds, and among the twelve, only two had both parents present. It was the parents of these two children who reported the kidnappings. Fortunately, the recent appointment of a new police officer in the Three Rivers area had led to swift action and some leads.

If it weren't for Lin Yi's father being him, Wang Yue wouldn't be among the twelve kidnapped children.

However, Wang Yue's apparent identity was similar to that of the other kidnapped children—genetic patients, minors, from single-parent families, and with poor backgrounds.

Cao Dong's expression grew grave. This couldn't be a simple kidnapping for ransom. What was hidden on Bee Island? What did they want with these children?

After a moment, Cao Dong asked, "What's the situation with the police?"

The technician replied, "The police haven't located Bee Island yet, but they should be close." While the technician spoke, they silently celebrated the fact that Lin Yi's casual conversation with Chen Wu and the kidnappers had allowed them to crack the kidnappers' encryption keys so quickly.

"If the police can locate Bee Island, the kidnappers should be able to know the police's movements. The employer just demanded Chen Wu deliver the person within an hour, so they've probably caught wind of something. The only thing the kidnappers didn't anticipate is that we've already tracked them down." Lao Du stood up as he spoke. "As long as Lin Yi is delivered, the kidnappers may immediately relocate. The electromagnetic field on Bee Island is unstable, and with the chaos inside, even if the police enter, many devices may not work, and they may not be able to apprehend the kidnappers."