35 Chapter 35: Urgent Situation

Brian's tone was surprisingly stern. Owen couldn't figure out what he was up to, but he replied anyway, "My mother and sister are ordinary people with a simple social circle. They're kind-hearted and unlikely to have enemies. As for me, I'm a police officer, so I definitely have some enemies, but there shouldn't be many. Alright, I've answered your question. Now can you tell me what's going on?"

Brian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Amanda and Kem have been kidnapped!"

"What? Kidnapped?"

"Yes."

Brian explained the situation in an orderly manner, sharing what he knew with Owen. At the end, he said, "If you're coming with me to Paris, meet me at Los Angeles International Airport in an hour. Remember to bring photos."

After hanging up, Owen was still in disbelief. Amanda had been kidnapped in Paris, which seemed incredible. But Kem's father was not someone to joke about such matters.

Owen hurriedly tried calling Amanda, but her phone was off, which made him even more panicked.

On Luke Street, next to a tranquil convenience store, a Chevrolet made a sharp turn, its tires screeching against the pavement. The driver didn't care about the coffee spilling everywhere inside the car and steered the vehicle towards the distance.

Forty minutes later, Owen appeared at Los Angeles Airport in casual clothes, holding nothing but his necessary mobile phone and passport, and a few photos of Amanda for identification purposes.

Brian arrived in a hurry, carrying no luggage either. Seeing Brian, Owen immediately approached him, "What exactly happened?"

"Listen to this first."

Brian handed over a device resembling a recorder. After listening with earphones for a few minutes, Owen roughly understood what had happened.

Indeed, as Owen had thought, after the initial panic, he had wondered if this could be another scenario like the one at the Zhongchen Building.

After pondering, he indeed recalled one - Special Agent Dad, Kem, Brian, and a girl kidnapped in Europe. It all matched.

This really was a world from the movies. Owen had thought the incident at Zhongchen Building was a coincidence, but now it seemed not. It appeared that the movies in his mind would continue to unfold in real life. It seemed necessary for him to recall all the movies he had watched in his previous life.

This time, they were heading to Paris on Amanda's stepfather's private jet. Passing through customs, Brian couldn't help but glance at Owen, realizing they both used fake passports.

Brian nodded; he had worked in Paris for a long time and was well aware of the capabilities of the Paris police.

He didn't plan to rely on the police for this matter, thus the necessity for some illegal methods, hence the fake identities. He didn't expect Amanda's brother to come to the same conclusion.

The efficiency of the private jet allowed them to board directly through the VIP entrance, and they soon took off, taxiing down the runway.

On the plane, neither spoke. Brian was busy, constantly on the phone. Owen, from a police officer's perspective, could easily spot Brian's differences.

For instance, his calmness, not showing any signs of anxiety or panic. Also, his habit of recording everything, unless one is a journalist, is uncommon.

Furthermore, Brian seemed to have sent the recording to a professional for analysis, a very professional move that even the major crime unit lacked.

While Brian was still on the phone, Owen took the opportunity to recall the movie in detail. Many details were fuzzy, which was problematic. Owen tried to remember every detail, over and over, until those gradually blurred details became clear again.

The more he remembered, the more anxious he became. This wasn't just watching a movie as a bystander; this was his life. The kidnapped was his own sister, whom he had personally put on that plane, filled with regret.

What frightened him even more was that, in the movie, Amanda died from an overdose of drugs. Owen struggled to breathe, fearing that Amanda would meet the same fate as in the movie if they were too late. He had to save her; she was his sister, the treasure of the family.

Brian's phone calls were back-to-back. Suddenly, Owen's phone rang. It was from George, his father figure, who hadn't received Owen's call about taking emergency leave and had asked Carlos to convey the message. Now, George had contacted Carlos and was calling Owen personally.

"What's going on, Steve? I heard from Carlos you need to take an urgent trip abroad. What happened?"

"It's nothing, Dad. My sister's run into some trouble abroad. I'm going to sort it out."

"Is it serious?"

"It's not a big deal. Don't worry, Dad. I can handle it."

"Alright, then. Is there anything I can help with?"

"Could you pass a message to my mother for me? Tell her I need to go to CTU headquarters because of the last incident and I'll be back the day after tomorrow. Tell her not to worry."

"Okay, I'll let them know. Be careful."

After hanging up, Owen saw that Brian had finally finished his calls. Owen approached and sat beside him. Although he didn't know Brian's exact identity, it was clear he was a formidable person.

Owen decided to share what he knew with Brian. Brian was the professional, whether in the movies or now. If Owen wanted to change Amanda's fate, he needed Brian's help, and he believed Brian needed him too, or else he wouldn't have called.

Owen was right. Brian indeed had this in mind. Others might not know Owen's performance in the Zhongchen Building incident, but Brian did. He had friends who cooperated with the Los Angeles city government and obtained a detailed report of the incident.

Owen's role was clear in the report, and now that his sister was a victim, he could surely help.

As Owen was about to speak, Brian's phone rang again. He glanced at the screen, made a "wait" gesture to Owen, and answered the call. A man's voice came through.

"Brian, the situation is not good."

"Sam, go ahead."

Brian switched the phone to speaker mode, and Sam's voice emanated from the device.

"The kidnappers of Kem spoke Albanian in the recording you provided. Based on their conversation, we've identified one of them as Mark.

Based on their accents, we deduced they're from a region called Zhupa. Interpol's data shows that place is a cradle of scum, even Russians keep their distance.

The stars and moon tattoo is a gang symbol. Intelligence indicates that gang specializes in trafficking women. Their usual tactic was to offer women from emerging Eastern European countries, like Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, jobs as maids or nannies in the West. Once they crossed over, they'd use addiction to control them, forcing them into prostitution.

However, that was the past. Now, they've found it more profitable to directly kidnap young women traveling, saving a significant amount on transportation costs."