Chapter 342

A twinge of fear rose in Francis‘ heart.

He suddenly saw Carlisle for what he truly was–a cunning, manipulative mastermind with a complete understanding of human nature.

He chuckled to himself, recognizing the irony.

He, too, had fallen prey to Carlisle’s web. The lure of making a fortune to fulfill his ex–girlfriend’s dying wish had driven him to work tirelessly for Carlisle.

Even if Carlisle had asked him to kidnap Jalen’s children, he would have found it hard to refuse.

Carlisle leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

“Let’s head back to the apartment.”

The town was likely swarming with bandits. They were armed, and he was outnumbered and outgunned.

Rescuing Shein and his family was impossible. It was now up to the police to negotiate with them.

Francis turned the car around and headed back the way they came.

On the way, they passed a police convoy heading toward the town.

They figured that someone must have leaked the information. Following the police vehicles were cars. from the Riverland News Observation team.

At 2:00 pm, news of the kidnapping of Thompson Group’s chairman spread like wildfire.

The entire Riverland business community was in an uproar.

The municipal government issued an order to rescue Shein and his family at all costs.

Riverland TV was broadcasting live as a massive police force descended upon Trodie Town. The entire

town was on lockdown. The scene resembled a movie.

Carlisle sat on the couch, watching the live broadcast on the black–and–white TV.

Although he appeared calm, he was deeply anxious.

This scenario hadn’t happened in his previous life. It was likely that Heath’s early rise had disrupted the entire Riverland underground network, leading to this situation

He feared the kidnappers might start killing hostages.

If anything happened to Wanda, earning all the money in the world would be meaningless.

Francis handed Carlisle a cup of coffee and tried to comfort him, “Don’t worry too much. Trodie Town is sealed off completely. The kidnappers won’t act rashly.”

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Carlisle took a sip of coffee and said, “These guys are armed and desperate. There’s nothing they won’t

do.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a gunshot echoed from the TV.

Soon, two kidnappers dragged a body out. It was Shein’s bodyguard, Mac.

One of the kidnappers spoke, “Our boss says if you don’t pull back, we’ll kill one person every half hour!”

Gabriel Yost wore a terrifyingly dark expression.

Two infrared dots were trained on the kidnapper’s temples.

However, the kidnapper showed no fear and laughed instead.

“I’m not afraid to die. Our boss said he’ll take a few townsfolk with us if we die!”

Gabriel seethed with anger at the kidnapper’s arrogant smirk and almost ground his molars to dust.

After a moment, he raised a clenched fist. The snipers in hiding retracted their infrared sights.

The two kidnappers flipped their middle fingers at the police and then swaggered back into the town.

Gabriel felt that the kidnappers were being too arrogant.

He slammed his fist against the car door in frustration.

Suddenly, Gabriel’s phone rang. The caller ID showed it was his boss.

He immediately answered, “Boss, the rescue operation is proving to be difficult.”

A deep and authoritative voice came through.

“The governor has issued an order to prioritize the safety of the hostages and townsfolk. If necessary, the criminals can be killed on the spot.”

“Understood.”

“Have you identified the kidnappers yet?”

“We’re still working on it,” Gabriel admitted, feeling embarrassed.

It had been four hours since Shein and the others were kidnapped, yet they still didn’t know the kidnappers

‘identities.

“You’re moving too slowly. The kidnappers gave us eight hours to come up with the ransom. I want a rescue plan in three hours!”

“Yes, sir!”