Chapter 553 Striving for a Glimmer of Hope
Stanley stopped mid-sentence. The closet was empty, just some neatly folded blankets and a couple of pillows.
Stanley cursed under his breath, glaring at the blankets like they personally offended him. He yanked them out, tossed them on the floor, and stomped on them, still cursing.
After blowing off some steam, he grabbed his walkie-talkie and barked, "Keep an eye on Audrey. She will face the consequence of lying to me!"
He slammed the closet door shut. With a loud bang, the door fell off its hinges, crashing to the ground.
After trashing the room, he walked over to the mirror, and straightened his clothes and hair. Then he flashed his signature smile at the mirror and strutted out of the room, feeling much better.
Once his footsteps faded away, Harper slipped out of the closet. But not from the room next door, 8020; she came out of the closet in the original room, 8019.
Luckily, just as Stanley was about to enter, Harper had a sudden idea and climbed back in through the balcony window. After getting into 8019, she used a clothes hanger to hook and close the balcony window of room 8020, so Stanley didn't notice anything weird.
Harper looked at the busted door and the quiet hallway, which felt creepily empty. While hiding in the closet, she had heard the sounds of walls being smashed and broken in the next room loud and clear.
No matter how soundproof the hotel rooms were, they couldn't block out Stanley's rampage. Luckily, Stanley didn't come to 8019 to do the same, or Harper would've been caught for sure.
Harper took a deep breath, gave herself a pep talk, and then stepped out. At the door, she paused for a moment. Then she went into the bathroom, leaned on the pipe, and knocked three times. Worried Francis didn't hear it, she did it again.
The knocking meant, "I'm fine."
Harper didn't wait for a response and walked out, following the map Owen had given her. Even though it was her first time at this hotel, she quickly found the elevator. But Harper hesitated in front of the elevator door and ultimately chose to take the stairs to the emergency exit.
There was a chance someone might be guarding the elevator, and if it started moving, it might expose her whereabouts.
Harper moved at a steady pace, heading down to the 6th floor, where the wedding was happening.
At the emergency exit, Harper started recording a video, then slid her phone through the crack in the door to capture the scene outside. After pulling it back, she carefully checked the video and saw that no one was guarding outside.
After all, there were only three of them now, so they couldn't cover every entrance. Plus, Stanley, holding the detonator, could blow up any spot he wanted if he sensed danger.
According to Owen, Stanley had a helicopter and four heavily armed guys waiting for him at some rooftop on the nearby building. The four guys had heavy sniper rifles that could take down the strongest tigers and the fastest lions. Even if a helicopter came at them without being fully prepped, it could get shot down and crash.
But they were also wary of the firepower from the Dreamlandia police, so they didn't stop at Serene Haven Hotel. Instead, they hid somewhere, waiting for Stanley's signal.
Now Owen was ordering his team to search those hiding spots one by one, getting ready to cut off Stanley's escape route.
Harper carefully pushed the door open, trying not to make any noise, and then stealthily ran to the far end of the floor. To avoid making any noise, she even tossed her shoes into the trash can and ran in her socks.
Once she reached the end, according to the map, Harper found a small bomb behind a fire hydrant.
This was the first time Harper had seen a real bomb, and it was nothing like she imagined. The explosive device was crudely made, not looking high-tech at all. It was just a plastic-sealed box with three different colored wires tied to it, clearly a makeshift creation. Otherwise, with Dreamlandia's strict control over explosives, Stanley wouldn't have been able to bring them in directly.
Harper took out her phone and snapped pictures of all the details of the explosive, then sent them out, also reporting the number of people on the floor.
At the subsequent floors, Harper used the same method, carefully sneaking over and photographing the explosives one by one. Fortunately, Stanley had destroyed all the surveillance equipment to prevent the police from hacking in, allowing Harper to move around without being detected.
After completing the task, Harper waited for a response.
Soon, a reply came: [You can go to the parking lot on the second basement level. There's a small door from which you can exit. We'll meet you at the exit. Be very careful.]
Harper hesitated: [What about these explosives?]
Stanley's current arrogance was due to having the detonator in hand. If the explosive threat could be neutralized, and then the police could emerge from underground, the chances of success would likely be higher.
Owen replied: [That's not your concern. We have our own arrangements. Please exit safely.]
Harper looked at the eerie building and thought Owen was right. She wasn't a professional, and acting on her own would only cause more trouble.
Harper followed orders and evacuated from the sixth floor. When she reached the first basement level, she was so exhausted that she sat down to rest.
She had barely rested for a minute when she heard footsteps again. Panicking, Harper quickly hid behind the door. She heard someone say into a walkie-talkie, "Almost at the location with the explosives..."
After the footsteps faded, Harper saw the person heading to the second basement level. A bad feeling came over her, and Harper urgently called Owen, who answered immediately. "Are you out?"
Harper said anxiously, "No, Detective Hall, I saw a suspect heading to the second basement level with explosives!"
Owen's voice turned serious, "Are you sure?"
"I saw it clearly. It seems like he discovered the exit and is going down to plant explosives!"
The next second, Harper heard Owen sternly say into the walkie-talkie, "Evacuate immediately."
Then, both inside and outside the phone, there was a loud explosion.
Fortunately, Harper had immediately dropped to the carpet, avoiding being knocked over by the blast. The phone fell to the ground, and the call cut off.
Fearing the person might return and find her, Harper quickly picked up her phone and hid in the nearby utility room. At this point, the satellite signal on her phone had become very weak.
Harper tried to reconnect with the command center but failed several times. She moved to several different spots and finally got a signal near the window. Immediately, Victor's call came through.
Victor's voice was very anxious, "Ms. Murphy, don't worry, we're still looking for another exit."
Despite being in a dangerous area, Harper was calmer than Victor. She said, "Can you put Detective Hall on the phone? I have something to ask him."
Owen's voice came through the phone, "Ms. Murphy, what is it?"
Harper asked, "For this kind of homemade remote-controlled bomb, I remember that if we cut the wire responsible for the remote control, it won't detonate, right?"
Harper had once seen a book about explosives in Clayton's study. Clayton liked to read these kinds of books and would often explain things to Harper. So, although she had never seen a real bomb, she had more theoretical knowledge than most.
Owen replied, "In theory, yes. Because of the special nature of remote-controlled bombs, there's a remote control wire inside. If it's cut, it can't be remotely controlled anymore."
"In that case, the experts should be able to identify the remote control wire from the video I just sent you, right?"
Owen seemed to understand Harper's intention and was momentarily speechless.
Harper continued, "Detective Hall, I'll go cut all the wires, and then you can have your people come in through the window. Even if I get caught, Stanley only has three hostages, so I doubt he would kill me easily."
After all, hostages were used for negotiation.
Stanley had thought he could control Serene Haven Hotel and have at least a thousand hostages, but Francis had anticipated his move and evacuated the crowd early.
If Stanley dared to randomly kill the hostages, the police would have no qualms about storming in, and they wouldn't be able to escape.
Harper shared her analysis with Owen, and their thoughts were naturally aligned. But Owen couldn't bring himself to let someone without practical experience take such a huge risk.
Harper said, "Time is of the essence, Detective Hall. You know this is the best way. I can complete the task."
Owen thought for a while but ultimately refused. They couldn't let a civilian take such a risk.
"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that. We can't risk your life. Please stay where you are and wait for our rescue."
Harper nodded, "I understand."
She understood Owen's difficulty, but Stanley was a madman. Every minute of delay put Francis in even more danger. So, after hanging up the phone, Harper didn't hesitate and called Clayton.
Harper said, "Dad..."
She tried to hide her emotions, but her voice choked up as soon as she spoke.
Clayton immediately sensed something was wrong. His aged voice was full of concern, "Harper, what's wrong?"
Harper quickly masked her emotions, cleared her throat, and said, "Nothing, Dad. I just choked on some water."
"Fine. Have you arrived at your destination yet?" Clayton asked.
Clayton didn't know about the emergency and thought Harper was still on a business trip.
"I've arrived, Dad." Hearing her family's voice over the phone made Harper particularly emotional, so she changed the subject, "Dad, I remember you know an old bomb disposal officer, right?"
Harper remembered that Clayton had a good friend, an old officer named Ronnie Ford, who was very experienced in bomb disposal.
"You mean Ronnie? Why do you ask?"
Harper made up an excuse, "Well, a director friend of mine is working on a show that involves explosives, so I want to consult Ronnie. Can you give me his contact?"
Clayton always trusted Harper's words and said, "No problem. I'll give you his contact later and let him know so he can help you."
"Thanks, Dad." Harper choked up again.
"Don't be so formal with me. Take care of yourself. Agnes is being looked after by Zoey and me, so don't worry."
"Okay, Dad, you take care too."
"I know. Let Jasper know when you're coming back so he can pick you up at the airport."
"Okay, Dad. I'll hang up now."
As she hung up, a tear fell.
Harper didn't know what to do. If she did nothing now, the chances of survival for both her and Francis were very low, and they might all end up perishing in the explosion. So, no matter what, Harper had to do something to give them a chance at survival.
Harper called Ronnie on a video call, showing him detailed images of the bomb. Based on Ronnie's assessment, the ones in the hotel were made in a common way. Ronnie identified the remote control wire as the yellow one. But he didn't realize Harper was showing him a real bomb and thought it was a prop, as it looked very realistic.
After hanging up, Harper stared at the yellow wire for a long time.
In terms of professional knowledge, Harper trusted Ronnie. And as he said, it was a simple bomb, likely due to a lack of proper manufacturing tools. Otherwise, it would have been more sophisticated.
Although Stanley had considerable influence, it was limited in Dreamlandia. Dreamlandia's control over illegal equipment was extremely strict. Given the lack of resources, Stanley couldn't make a better bomb and had to make do.
This gave Harper a chance to exploit this weakness and easily cut the wire.
Harper gathered her courage, raised the scissors, and encouraged herself to be brave. But when it came time to act, her whole hand was shaking.
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