Chapter 806 You Go First
Catherine drove to the location provided by Zobber, but upon getting out of the car, she didn’t spot any familiar figures.
She dialed Zobber’s phone, but it went unanswered. To avoid causing trouble for Zobber, Catherine decided not to call again.
The last time she had contacted Zobber was just over ten minutes ago when Zobber messaged her, informing her that she had reached the designated location.
Originally, Zobber had suggested waiting for her to arrive and act together. However, it seemed that something unexpected had occurred, prompting Zobber to take action ahead of time.
It had only been over ten minutes, so Catherine wasn’t overly concerned. She pocketed her phone and headed toward the coordinates ahead.
It was late at night, and the entire building was in darkness.
The darker the environment, the more Catherine’s enhanced vision came into play. Casually passing through the dark space, she sensed movement ahead and immediately concealed herself in a nearby corner.
Faint breathing reached her ears, and Catherine could discern that the person approaching had considerable combat skills.
As the individual came close to her side, Catherine swiftly struck. The person took a hit, staggering backward in pain.
Catherine prepared for another attack, intending to subdue the person completely.
“Catherine, it’s me!”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Catherine stopped her assault in time. Zobber might have already been on the ground if she had hesitated a moment longer.
With Catherine ceasing her actions, Zobber silently sighed in relief, lying on the ground and catching her breath. In the previous second, she had almost met her maker. Fortunately, Catherine’s agility saved the day.
“Catherine, you got here really fast,” said Zobber.
Noticing only Zobber, Catherine asked worriedly, “Where’s Withal?”
“Catherine, when we arrived, we saw someone leaving. Withal was worried about losing the trail, so he followed the person’s car, leaving me here to assist you.”
Knowing that Withal was safe from Zobber, Catherine felt reassured.
Zobber then briefed Catherine on the basic situation. They suspected this might be the new base of the mysterious group that attacked them. Upon obtaining specific coordinates, they informed Catherine to come to this location.
It was a rare setback for the Hacker Alliance in all these years. Both Zobber and Withal were determined to settle this score.
“Catherine, I’ve investigated. The top floor is locked, and there are guards. Something must be hidden there.”
Catherine didn’t object to Zobber’s findings. She lowered her voice and asked, “Is there a way up?”
“Yeah.” Zobber nodded slightly.
Before coming there, she had hacked into the building’s management system and stolen the layout. After studying it, she found a way to bypass the guards and reach the top floor. It was just a bit more challenging.
The entire building’s ventilation system was interconnected. Climbing up along the ventilation duct from the floor just below the top would get them to their destination. As long as they moved quietly, they could remain undetected.
Catherine listened attentively to Zobber’s plan and immediately took action. “Let’s go. We’re heading up. Let’s follow your plan and use the ventilation duct.”
The two quickly reached the second-to- last floor, and Zobber used a coin to loosen the screws locking the ventilation duct.
The entire building was without power, and the fans in the ventilation duct had ceased operation, making their movements easier.
Zobber knelt down on one knee and tapped her thigh, signaling Catherine to step on it. “Catherine, you go first.”
“No, you go first.” Catherine refused Zobber’s proposal. She positioned her hands in front of her abdomen, indicating Zobber to step on them.
Time was of the essence, and Zobber didn’t waste time. She stepped on Catherine’s hands, utilizing her assistance to easily climb into the ventilation opening.
Once Zobber was up, she quickly turned around, lying on the opening, ready to help Catherine. “Catherine, find a chair to stand on. I’ll pull you up.”
Ignoring Zobber’s suggestion, Catherine stepped back a few steps, then swiftly rushed forward. With a kick from her left foot followed by her right, she soared upward. She quickly grabbed Zobber’s hand, effortlessly reaching the ventilation opening.
In the blink of an eye, Catherine was by Zobber’s side. Zobber was momentarily stunned, astonished by Catherine’s swift movements. “Awesome, Catherine!” she exclaimed inwardly.
Pulling herself up, Catherine moved forward rapidly, leading the way and avoiding obstacles for Zobber.
To remain undetected, they chose a more distant ventilation duct. There was still some distance to cover from here to the top-floor room. Besides, crawling through the ventilation duct posed a different challenge than moving on the ground. Despite both being agile, the speed was noticeably reduced, and reaching the top floor would take some time.
Two hours passed, and there was no sign of activity in the bedroom. Branden was uncertain whether Catherine was still sleeping or had awakened.
Getting up from the study, he gently knocked on the bedroom door, but there was no response from inside.
Even if Catherine were asleep, it couldn’t be such a deep slumber. Sensing something amiss, he opened the bedroom door with a furrowed brow.
The empty room weighed heavily on his emotions. He couldn’t believe someone could silently take Catherine away from under his nose.
Moreover, Catherine’s combat skills surpassed his own, making it impossible for someone to abduct her without a sound. So, there was only one possibility-she left on her own and deliberately concealed her departure.
Branden left the bedroom and dialed Paxton’s number in the living room.
Upon learning the situation, Paxton and Carlo hurried to the apartment.
After Branden purchased this apartment, he also bought a house in the adjacent building. Paxton and Carlo were resting in that house. Upon receiving the news, they arrived in front of Branden within five minutes.
During their journey, Paxton had already arranged for someone to access the surveillance footage. He handed the surveillance footage to Branden. “Mr. Duncan, Miss Swann left on her own.”
Carlo also received the latest information and reported the situation to Branden. He said, “Mr. Duncan, Withal, and Zobber are also missing.”
The three of them mobilized simultaneously. Branden and the others knew very well the reason for their actions.
It was likely that Zobber’s team had received some leads and informed Catherine, and they had acted accordingly.
The air pressure inside the room was exceptionally low, creating a feeling of breathlessness.
Carlo’s nerves were stretched to the extreme, and he subtly signaled Paxton, not understanding why Branden’s face was so dark.
Paxton didn’t bother with the inexperienced fool.
Branden and Catherine had spent the night together under the same roof. Waking up in the middle of the night to find the person next to him gone and receiving no notification, any man would likely explode. Branden’s current state was probably expected.
“Mr. Duncan, we’ll investigate right away.”
This was Loxton, their territory. Moreover, Catherine didn’t conceal her movements when she left; otherwise, how could the surveillance capture these images?
Seeing no objection from Branden, Paxton swiftly took action. It was crucial to ascertain Catherine’s whereabouts quickly; otherwise, they would all suffer.
