Chapter 478 Interception
I stood with my back to Edward, my fingers absentmindedly picking at the grime in the window frame. The cold air from the vent brushed against my neck, mingling with the smell of disinfectant, sending a shiver down my spine. Edward's raspy questioning still echoed in my ears as I stared at my blurred reflection in the glass, my nails digging into my palm.
"Diana."
Edward's voice broke the silence, weak but insistent. I could feel his intense gaze on my back, scrutinizing my outfit—sneakers with bits of seaweed stuck to them and a wrinkled sports skirt. I definitely didn't look like someone who had just come from a company meeting.
"Your outfit..."
Edward paused, the IV line swaying slightly with his movement.
"Doesn't look like you went to the office."
My breath caught, and my fingers gripped the window frame tightly. The room was eerily quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of the monitor. I opened my mouth, trying to come up with a lie, but a sudden knock on the door startled me, almost making me knock over the vase by the window.
After three quick knocks, the sound of the doorknob turning was unmistakable. Daryl walked in, his police boots clicking against the threshold. He adjusted his hat and glanced at Edward's chart before looking at us.
"Am I interrupting?"
Daryl's leather folder was slightly crumpled at the edges, hinting at his haste.
I nervously tugged at my clothes, my throat tightening as I welcomed him in, my sneakers making a faint noise on the tiled floor.
As Daryl stepped aside, I caught a whiff of gunpowder and leather from him.
"Mr. Howard, feeling any better?"
Daryl walked straight to the bedside, tapping the IV stand with his fingers, the metallic sound sharp in the quiet room. As he bent to check the monitor, his radio crackled, and he quickly jotted down notes in his folder.
"Your post-op indicators look okay, but you need to stop moving around so much."
Daryl smiled at Edward, but it was a cold smile.
Edward lay back on the white pillow, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forced a grimace that looked more like a grimace than a smile.
"Thanks for your concern, Daryl."
Edward's voice was rough, like sandpaper on a wall. He turned his head to watch the IV drip, his fingers rubbing the creases in the sheet as if they were more interesting than the people in the room.
The room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner. Daryl's pen tapped three times on his folder, a silent response.
Daryl's gaze shifted between Edward and me, finally settling on my shoes and skirt. The seaweed-stained sneakers trembled slightly, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, ready to burst from my throat. Daryl's brow furrowed slightly, his thumb rubbing the folder's cover.
"There's been a breakthrough in your case."
Daryl's voice was unnervingly calm as he suddenly pressed Edward back down when he tried to sit up.
"Stay put. You need to hear this while lying down."
"What breakthrough?"
Edward's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his hand gripping the sheet tightly, causing the IV line to ripple.
Daryl's pen hovered in the air, the metallic tip reflecting a cold light that hurt my eyes.
My sneakers squeaked faintly on the tiled floor as Daryl turned to look at me.
"Ms. Cooper, where were you this morning? We checked the hospital's surveillance and saw you left early."
Daryl's gaze felt tangible, almost breaking my composure.
I forced a stiff smile, my nails digging into my palm.
"There was an important matter at the office. I came back as soon as I finished."
My dry voice sounded forced, even to me.
Daryl didn't respond immediately, his thumb rubbing the folder's cover. After a moment, he opened it and tossed a few photos onto the bedside table.
The photos showed rusty lighthouses with huddled figures in the corners, their wrists and ankles chained, the metal glinting coldly in the camera's flash.
"We intercepted a shipment of smuggled arms worth thirty million dollars before it reached international waters."
Daryl's pen tapped the ship's hull number in the photo.
"These forced laborers were almost used as live targets for testing the weapons."
Edward glanced at the photos, and when he saw the small figure in a hospital gown among the laborers, he coughed violently, trying to sit up. The IV line shook with his movement. I hurried to steady his trembling shoulders, feeling the sweat-soaked bandage on his neck.
Daryl zoomed in on a part of the photo, drawing my attention. In the corner, a white glove with seaweed stuck to it, identical to the one I wore this morning.
"We found some interesting things at the scene." He looked at me with a knowing smile.
"Ms. Cooper, do you recognize this glove?"
My throat tightened, and I barely managed to speak.
"There are many similar ones on the market."
I saw Daryl's eyes narrow slightly, his jawline tense, his Adam's apple moving slowly, as if he was trying to see through me.
His radio suddenly crackled with static.
"Report! Three of the rescued individuals are in critical condition, including a female identified as XJ-17, who is in hemorrhagic shock and in grave danger!"
"Prioritize protection for XJ-17!"
Daryl pressed his radio, his gaze sweeping over my suddenly pale face.
Edward, who had been weakly leaning against the pillow, now struggled to sit up. His cloudy eyes darted between Daryl and me, his cracked lips moving, his voice rough like sandpaper.
"Daryl, what's going on?"
Edward's labored breathing mixed with the monitor's beeping, making the room's atmosphere even heavier.
"Both of you should rest."
Daryl closed his folder hastily, his tone full of resignation.
"I just got a new assignment. We'll have to continue this investigation another day."
Before leaving, Daryl gave me a meaningful look, as if to say this wasn't over.
Daryl's footsteps faded down the hallway, and my tense body collapsed against the window. Only I knew that the woman identified as XJ-17 was Anne, the only female among the laborers.
I didn't dare look at Edward's expression, staring instead at the gloomy sky outside, my heart pounding in my chest, unsure of what would happen next.
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