"The child has been taken!"
Sarah, who had just left, returned hastily, grabbing Harry's arm, her face etched with panic.
Harry, hearing his daughter had been taken, felt his eyes turn red with rage. He drew the revolver from his waist and started to rush toward the elevator. Follow current novels on Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt
Dean grabbed him, then shouted toward the nurse's station, "Someone's child has been taken! Call security downstairs and lock down the building!"
The nurses hurriedly dialed the security desk's landline. Seeing them take action, Dean turned to Sarah. "What did the person look like? Which way did they run?"
Sarah hadn't been gone long. The hospital elevators were slow and often stopped midway. Whether the kidnapper left by elevator or stairs, there wouldn't have been enough time. Based on the timing, the kidnapper and the child were likely still in the inpatient building!
Sarah, a woman raising her child alone after the father left, was inherently independent. Only momentary panic had caused her to lose her composure.
Upon hearing Dean's question, she quickly replied, "It was a middle-aged woman, about one hundred and sixty-five pounds, wearing a black headscarf, around five feet eight inches tall in her shoes, and dressed in an old-fashioned black work uniform. I was distracted in the elevator because of my brother's situation. She suddenly pressed a pack of tissues to my nose. My head spun. By the time I realized what was happening, I was on the floor outside the elevator, and both the child and that woman were gone."
Dean nodded. "Harry, call Hawk right now. Have him bring his men to cordon off this area. Then, ask security to check the elevator surveillance and call me the moment they have anything. I'm heading to the first floor!"
With that said, he pulled a bulletproof vest from a drawer, slipped it on over his hospital gown, and ran toward the stairs.
Dean's instructions seemed to give Harry a renewed sense of purpose. He quickly took out his phone to contact Hawk, the team leader at the precinct.
Sarah, meanwhile, ran to the nurses and emphatically described the kidnapper's physical characteristics, urging them to pass the details to the security team downstairs to prevent the culprit from escaping in disguise.
As Dean hurriedly descended the stairs, he pondered. Sarah seemed quite healthy, yet she lost consciousness for a short time from just a pack of tissues. This method resembled a common kidnapper's tactic: using a handkerchief or tissue laced with an anesthetic. Under normal circumstances, the hospital had surveillance in many areas, making it rare for traffickers to strike there. This situation seemed more like 'revenge,' 'extortion,' or some other risky act with different motives. He speculated that Sarah's daughter's abduction might be related to her brother's disappearance...
While lost in thought, Dean burst onto the first floor of the inpatient building.
The nurses' calls had worked: two security guards were on the first floor. One was stationed at the main entrance; the other was nowhere to be seen, likely guarding another exit. Seven or eight men and women stood by the door. They had apparently just exited the elevator and been stopped by security. They were surrounding the guard, demanding an explanation. This left the overwhelmed guard at a loss, though he didn't dare get angry. After all, Maria Hospital was a mid- to high-range hospital with considerable fees, and a single complaint from these people could cause him significant trouble.
Just as the guard was struggling to explain, Dean arrived behind him. He displayed his detective badge prominently on his chest and announced, "I'm Chief Inspector Dean from the Police Department. A horrific child abduction has just occurred in this building. Please remain here temporarily and wait for police registration and questioning before you leave!"
With an Endurance rating of 12, he still had enough breath to speak with full authority even after rushing downstairs.
All eyes turned to Dean and the badge on his chest. His rank as Chief Inspector undeniably held more persuasive power than that of a security guard. Those who had been crowding around the security guard now reverted to behaving like law-abiding citizens.
The young security officer looked gratefully at Dean, walked up to him, and was about to speak when, suddenly, BZZT. A crackling sound came from the guard's walkie-talkie. "Mike, we've located the target. She exited the elevator on the second floor and hasn't been seen since!"
It turned out security had promptly accessed the elevator's surveillance footage. This rapid response surprised Dean.
Upon hearing the news from his colleague in the monitoring room, the security guard quickly reported to Dean, "Chief Inspector, apart from the patient rooms, there are cameras in the hallways and elevators. The only blind spot is the stairwell!"
Dean nodded and was about to speak when, suddenly, his gaze sharpened, fixating on a mother and son in the crowd.
To everyone's astonishment, Dean pulled out his handgun and aimed it at the teenager in a backpack, hiding behind his mother.
"Buddy, stay calm and don't move!"
The security guard watched Dean, baffled. "Chief Inspector..." Weren't you here to catch the human trafficker? Why would you suddenly draw your gun on a teenager who looks so harmless?
The teenager's mother, her expression turning ugly, stepped in front of her son, angrily demanding, "Are you crazy? My husband is also a police officer! How dare you draw a gun on a colleague's wife and child?"
Dean didn't speak. He effortlessly snatched the baton from the nearby security guard's waist. Gun in one hand and baton in the other, he strode toward the terrified-looking thirteen- or fourteen-year-old.
Just as Dean was about to reach them, the boy's mother tried to speak again, but a dagger was suddenly pressed tightly against her throat from behind.
She tried to turn her head in disbelief. The next moment, a whooshing sound swept past her ear.