Chapter 24 Exhausted

I rubbed my tired eyes and took a big swig of cold coffee. The bitter taste hit me hard, waking me up a bit.

"The Shadow forum's server is overseas and uses a distributed setup. Tracking down Jeremy's real location is like finding a needle in a haystack," I said to Isabella, pointing at the dense lines of code on the screen.

Isabella sighed, rubbing her temples with her slender fingers, looking exhausted. "We haven't slept for days, and we're still empty-handed. Jeremy's really a tough nut to crack."

I was quiet for a moment, staring at the code again. Then a thought hit me. "Wait! Look here." I pointed to a line of code. "This encryption algorithm looks familiar."

I quickly pulled up the photos of those weird symbols we found in the cave and compared them with the code.

My heart skipped a beat, and a wave of excitement surged through me.

These symbols matched the encryption algorithm of the "Shadow" forum, which meant Jeremy and the dead guy in the cave, Brandon, were probably from the same group!

And that group was likely "Hecate"!

I immediately shared my discovery with Isabella and Harper.

"This is unbelievable!" Isabella exclaimed.

Harper frowned, thinking for a moment, then said, "If this is true, then 'The Tragedy of the Red Rose'...it's just the tip of the iceberg. We're looking at something far larger, far more dangerous."

A cold dread settled in my gut. What was Hecate? What was their endgame? And how did Aiden fit into all of this? The questions swirled in my mind, each one more chilling than the last.

I called Michael and told him what I found.

"What? The 'Hecate' organization? How is that possible?" Michael shouted.

"Michael, I think Aiden's disappearance is also linked to 'Hecate'," I said.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Michael's low voice came through, "Got it. I'll arrange for some people to help you with the investigation ASAP."

After hanging up, I started planning how to capture Jeremy.

Based on the IP address we tracked, Jeremy was hiding in a villa on the outskirts of the city.

The villa's layout was tricky, with terrain that made it easy to defend and tough to attack. Plus, Jeremy was a tech whiz and probably had all sorts of surveillance and traps set up.

I needed a rock-solid plan to nab him.

After some serious planning, we finally nailed down Jeremy's location.

Late at night, our team, fully geared up, quietly surrounded the villa.

I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and signaled everyone to get ready.

"Go!" I ordered, and the SWAT team busted down the door.

The villa was pitch black and eerily quiet, like no one had lived there for ages.

We carefully searched every room, not missing a single corner.

Suddenly, I heard a faint noise from upstairs.

I immediately raised my gun and signaled the others to follow.

We crept up the stairs to the second floor and found a room with the door slightly open.

I gently pushed the door open and saw a guy sitting at a computer, his back to us, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Jeremy!" I shouted, pointing my gun at him.

The guy spun around, his face twitching.

It was Jeremy!

"Don't move!" I barked. "You're under arrest!"

Jeremy didn't put up a fight and raised his hands.

We quickly cuffed him.

On Jeremy's computer, we found tons of info about the "Hecate" organization and his chats with someone named "Hades."

These were enough to nail Jeremy as the culprit behind "The Tragedy of the Red Rose" and a member of "Hecate"!

But catching Jeremy didn't give me any peace.

I had a gut feeling this wasn't over.

Jeremy seemed like just a pawn, controlled by someone bigger.

And the real puppet master, "Hades," was still out there, lurking in the shadows, watching us.

My mind was racing with unease and questions. Aiden's disappearance, the "Hecate" conspiracy—what was the deal with all this?

I had to keep digging until I got to the bottom of it.

I interrogated Jeremy again, but he clammed up, insisting he was just a tool.

"Who used you? Who is 'Hades'?" I pressed.

Jeremy kept his head down, staying silent.

"You better spill!" I snapped. "Or things will get a lot worse for you!"

Jeremy looked up, his jaw clenched tight.

"I can't," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "They'll kill me."

"Kill you?" I sneered. "You think staying quiet will save you? You've already been caught. They'll find you eventually. Do you really think they'll let someone who knows their secrets live?"

Jeremy's face went even paler. He lowered his head, trembling slightly, clearly wrestling with himself.

Suddenly, he looked up, like he'd made a decision. "Okay, I'll tell you."

The interrogation room reeked of stale smoke, and the dim light cast eerie shadows on Jeremy's haggard face.

He took a deep breath, like he was summoning all his courage. "'Hecate' is way more complicated than you think. They... they..." He stopped, like something had choked him.

I slammed the table, making the water cup jump.

"Jeremy! Don't play games with me! Spill now, and you might get some leniency! Do you think you can escape this?"

He shuddered, clearly terrified by my outburst, not daring to look me in the eye. "The leader of 'Hecate' is called 'Hades.' He's the real mastermind."

"Hades? That's it?" I sneered. This was just scratching the surface. "Trying to fool me? Anyone can make up a name! I want his real identity, his purpose, and Aiden's whereabouts!" I grabbed his collar, nearly lifting him off the chair. "You better come clean, or else..."

I suddenly let go, and he collapsed back into the chair like a pile of mush.

Jeremy's face was ashen, sweat pouring down like rain, his lips trembling, but he couldn't get a word out.

The interrogation hit a dead end again.

I paced back and forth in the room, agitated and restless like a trapped beast.

Jeremy's evasiveness made me even more certain he was hiding something big.

Just then, Isabella walked in, holding a file.

"James, we have a new lead." She quickly approached and handed me the file. "We've traced Jeremy's financial transactions. He sends a large sum of money to an overseas account every month."

I took the file and skimmed through it, my heart sinking.

The overseas account holder was someone named "Hades."

I immediately ordered an investigation into the real identity of this "Hades," a sense of foreboding rising within me.

Meanwhile, we got word from the police in Lannan. They found an unidentified male corpse, and DNA confirmed it was Brandon!

Brandon was dead!

What the hell was going on?

Was the "Hecate" organization silencing witnesses?

I felt like I was getting closer to the truth, but also deeper into danger.

It was like I was in a giant whirlpool, being pulled down by some invisible force.

I had to find "Hades" fast to unravel all these mysteries and save Aiden!

I immediately called Michael and told him what I found.

After hearing it, Michael quickly responded, "Hades? It seems this 'Hecate' organization is more complex than we thought."

"Michael, I need to go to Lannan right away to investigate Brandon's death personally."

"No way!" Michael flatly refused. "Lannan is too dangerous. You can't go!"

I said firmly, "Michael, I have to go! Aiden is likely there. I must find him!"

"You!" Michael hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed, "Alright, I agree, but you must promise me to stay safe and report any situation immediately."

"Yes!" I saluted and left the office.

I knew this trip would be perilous, but I had no other choice.

For Aiden, for the truth, I had to go!

I quickly packed my things, getting ready to head to Lannan.

Isabella and Harper also volunteered to come with me.

"James, I'm going with you," Isabella said. "The more people, the better."

"I'm going too," Harper added. "Maybe I can find some clues from a psychological perspective."

The wind in Lannan carried heat and dust, like an invisible hand roughly brushing against my face.

The air was filled with a strange mix of smells—damp earth, burning garbage, and some indescribable sweet and metallic scent, like the blood of some animal, making my stomach churn.

The dilapidated buildings on either side of the street stood crookedly, their peeling walls revealing the bricks inside, like the faces of the dead, eerie and terrifying.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and those who did pass by kept their heads down, walking quickly, as if afraid of making eye contact with us outsiders.

Their clothes were worn and faded, as if each person carried a heavy secret, walking on the edge of a knife.

I instinctively touched the gun at my waist, a sense of unease rising within me.

This place felt like a giant black cauldron, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.